with Filthiness outraged with Passions overcarried with Affections pining with Envy overcharged with Gluttony surfeited with Drunkenness boiling with Revenge transported with Rage and the glorious Image of God transformed into the ugly shape of the Devil so far as it once repented the Lord that he ever made Man From the former flows the other part of the Soul's Miseries called Cursedness whereof there are two degrees 1. In part 2. In fullness thereof 1. Cursedness in part is that which is inflicted upon the Soul in life and death and is common to her with the Body The Cursedness of the Soul in Life is the wrath of God which lieth upon such a Creature so far as that all things not only Calamities but also very Blessings and Graces turn to ruine Terror of Conscience drives him from God and his service that he dares not come to his Presence and Ordinances but is given up to the slavery of Satan and to his own Lusts and vile Affections This is the Cursedness of the Soul in life Now follows the Cursedness of the Soul and Body in Death Meditations of the Misery of the Body and Soul in Death AFter that the aged man hath conflicted with long sickness and having indured the brunt of pain should now expect some ease in comes Death nature's slaughter-man God's Curse and Hell's Purveyor and looks the Old Man grim and black in the face and neither pitying his age nor regarding his long endured dolours will not be hired to forbear either for silver or gold nay he will not take to spare his life Skin for Skin aud all that the old Man hath but batters all the principal parts of his Body and arrests him to appear before the terrible Judge And as thinking that the Old man will not dispatch to go with him fast enough Lord how many darts of Calamities doth he shoot through him Stiches Aches Cramps Fevers Obstructions Rheums Flegm Cholick Stone Wind c. O what a ghastly sight it is to see him then in his Bed when Death hath given him his mortal wound what a cold sweat over-runs all his body what a trembling possesseth all his Members the Head shooteth the Face waxeth pale the Nose black the nâ—ther Jaw-bone hangeth down the Eye-strings break the Tongue faltereth the Breath shortneth and smelleth earthly the Throâ—t â—aâ—tiâ—th and at every Gasp the Heart-strings are ready to break asunder Now the miserable Soul sensibly perceivâ—â— her Earthly Body to begin to die For â—owards the dissolution of the universal Frame of the great World the Sun 〈◊〉 be turned into Darkness the Moon into Blood and the Stars shall fall from Heaven the Air shall be full of Storms and flashing Meteors the Earth shall tremble and the Sea shall roar and mens hearts shall fail for fear expecting the end of such sorrowful beginnings So towards the dissolution of Man which is the little World his Eyes which are as the Sun and Moon lose their light and see nothing but blood-guiltiness of Sin The rest of the Senses as lesser Stars do one after another fail and fall his Mind Reason and Memory as heavenly powers of his Soul are shaken with fearful storms of Despair and fierce flashing of Hell-fire his earthly body beginneth to shake and tremble and the humours like an overflowing Sea roar and rattle in his Throat still expecting the woful End of these dreadful beginnings Whilst he is thus summoned to appear at the Great Assizes of God's Judgmentâ— behold a Quarter-Sessions and Gaol-Delivery is held within himself where Reason sits as Judge the Devil puts in a Bill of Indictment as large as that Book of Zechary wherein are alledged all thy evil deeds that ever thou hast committed and all the good deeds that ever thou hast omitted and all the Curses and Judgments that are due to every sin Thine own Conscience shall accuse thee and thy Memory shall give bitter Evidence and Death stands at the Bar ready as a cruel Executioner to dispatch thee If thou shalt thus condemn thy self how shalt thou escape the Just Condemnation of God who knows all thy misdeeds better than thy self Fain wouldst thou put out of thy mind the remembrance of the wicked deeds that trouble thee but they flow faster into thy remembrance and they will not be put away but cry unto thee We are thy works and we will follow thee and whilst thy soul is thus within out of peace and order thy Children Wife and Friends trouble thee as fast to have thee put thy goods in order some crying some craving some pitying some chearing all like Flesh-Flies helping to make thy sorrows more sorrowful Now the Devils who are come from Hell to fetch away thy Soul begin to appear to her and wait as soon as she cometh forth to take her and carry her away Stay she would within but that she feels the body begin by degrees to die and ready like a ruinous House to fall upon her head Fearful she is to come forth because of those Hell-hounds which wait for her coming O she that spent so many days and nights in vain and idle pastimes would now give the whole world if she had it for one hour delay that she might have space to repent and reconcile her self unto God But it cannot be because her body which joyned with her in the Action of sin is altogether now unfit to joyn with her in the exercise of repentance and repentance must be of the whole Man Now she seeth that all her pleasures are gone as if they had never been and that but only torments remain which never shall have an end of being Who can sufficiently express her remorse for her sins past her anguish for her present Misery and her terror for her torments to come In this Extremity she looketh every where for help and findeth her self every way helpless Thus in her greatest misery desirous to hear the least word of comfort she directs this or the like Speech unto her Eyes O Eyes who in times past were so quick-sighted can ye spy no Comfort nor any way how I might escape this dreadful danger But the Eye-strings are broken they cannot see the Candle that burneth before them nor discern whether it be Day or Night The Soul finding no comfort in the Eyes speaketh to the Ears O Ears who were wont to recreate your selves with hearing new pleasant Discourses and Musicks sweetest Harmony can you hear any news or tidings of the least Comfort for me The Ears are either so deaf that they cannot hear at all or the sense of hearing is grown so weak that it cannot endure to hear his dearest Friends to speak And why should those Ears hear any tidings of Joy in Death who could never abide to hear the glad tidings of the Gospel in this life The Ear can minister no comfort Then she intimates her grief unto the Tongue
Belly his God his Lust his Law as in his life he sowed vanity so he is now dead and reapeth misery In his prosperity he neglected to serve God in his adversity God refuseth to save him And the Devil whom he long served now at length pays him his wages Detestable was his life damnable his death The Devil hath his Soul the Grave hath his Carcass in which Pit of Corruption Den of Death and Dungeon of Sorrow let us leave the miserable Caitiff rotting with his Mouth full of Earth his Belly full of Worms and his Carcass full of Stench expecting a fearful Resurrection when it shall be re-united with the Soul that as they sinned together so they may be eternally tormented together Thus far of the miseries of the Soul and Body in Death which is but cursedness in part Now follows the fulness of cursedness which is the misery of the Soul and Body after Death Meditations of the misery of man after death which is the fulness of Cursedness THe fulness of cursedness when it falls upon a Creature not able to bear the brunt thereof presseth him down to that bottomless deep of the endless wrath of Almighty God which is called the damnation of Hell This fulness of cursedness is either particular or general Particular is that which in a less measure of fulness lighteth upon the Soul immediately as soon as she is separated from the Body For in the very instant of dissolution she is in the sight and presence of God For when she ceaseth to see with the organ of fleshly eyes she seeth after a spiritual manner like Stephen who saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at his right hand Or as a Man who being born blind and miraculously restored to his sight should see the Sun which he never saw before And thereby the testimony of her own Conscience Christ the righteous Judge who knoweth all things makes her by his omnipresent Power to understand the doom and judgment that is due unto her sins and what must be her eternal state And in this manner standing in the sight of Heaven not fit for her uncleanness to come into Heaven she is said to stand before the Throne of God And so forthwith she is carried by the evil angels how came to fetch her with violence into Hell where she is kept as in a Prison in everlasting pains and chains under darkness unto the Judgment of the great Day But not in that extremity of torments which she shall finally receive at the last Day The general fulness of cursedness is in a greater measure of fulness which shall be inflicted upon both thy soul and body when by the mighty power of Christ the supreme Judge of heaven and earth the one shall be brought out of Hell and the other out of the Grave as Prisoners to receive their dreadful doom according to their evil deeds How shall the reprobate by the roaring of the Sea the quaking of the earth the trembling of the Powers of heaven and terrours of heavenly signs be driven at the worlds end to their wits end Oh what a woful salutation will there be betwixt the damned Soul and Body at their re-uniting at that terrible Day O sink of Sin O lump of Filthiness will the Soul say unto her Body how am I compelled to re-enter into thee not as into an habitation to rest but as a Prison to be tormented together how dost thou appear in my sight like Jephthah's Daughter to my greater torment Would GOD thou hadst perpetually rotted in the grave that I might never have seen thee again How shall we be confounded together to hear before God Angels and Men laid open all those secret sins which we committed together Have I lost Heaven for the love of such a stinking Carrion Art thou the flesh for whose pleasures I have yielded to commit so many fornications O filthy Belly how became I such a Fool as to make thee my God! How mad was I for momentany joys to incur these torments of eternal pains Ye rocks and mountains why skip ye so like rams Psalm 144. 4. and will not fall upon me to hide me from the face of him that comes to sit on yonder throne for the great day of his wrath is come and who shall be able to stand Rev. 6. 16 17. Why tremblest thou thus Earth at the presence of the Lord and wilt not open thy Mouth and swallow me up as thou didst Korah that I be seen no more O damned furies I would ye might without delay tear me in pieces on condition that you would tear me into nothing But whilst thou art thus in vain bewailing thy misery the Angels hale thee violently away from the brink of the Grave to some place near the Tribunal Seat of Christ where being as a cursed Goat separated to stand beneath on Earth as on the left-hand of the Judge Christ shall rip up all the benefits he bestowed on thee and the torments he suffered for thee and all the good deeds which thou hast omitted and all the ungrateful villainies which thou didst commit against him and his holy Laws Within thee thine own Conscience more than a Thousand Witnesses shall accuse thee the Devils who tempted thee to all thy lewdness shall on the one side testifie with thy Conscience against thee and on the other side shall stand the holy Saints and Angels approving Christ's Justice and detesting so filthy a Creature behind thee an hideous noise of innumerable fellow-damned Reprobates tarrying for thy company Before thee all the World burning in flaming fire above thee an ireful Judge of deserved Vengeance ready to pronounce his Sentence upon thee beneath thee the fiery and sulphureous mouth of the bottomless pit gaping to receive thee In this woful estate to hide thy self will be impossible for on that condition thou wouldst wish that the greatest Rock might fall upon thee to appear will be intolerable and yet thou must stand forth to receive with other Reprobates this thy Sentence Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels Depart from me There is a separation from all joy and happiness Ye cursed There is a black and direful Excommunication Into fire There is the cruelty of Fain Everlasting There is the perpetuity of punishment Prepared for the Devil and his Angels Here are thy infernal tormenting and tormented Companions O terrible Sentence from which the condemned cannot escape which being pronounced cannot possibly be withstood against which a Man cannot except and from which a Man can no where appeal so that to the damned nothing remains but hellish torments which know neither ease of pain nor end of time From this Judgment-seat thou must be thrust by Angels together with all the damned Devils and Reprobates into the bottomless lake of utter darkness that perpetually burneth with fire and brimstone
immediately carry her into Heaven and there present her before Christ where she is crowned with a Crown of Righteousness and Glory not which she hath deserved by her good works but which God hath promised of his free goodness to all those who of love have in this life unfeignedly served him and sought his glory Oh what joy will it be to thy Soul which was wont to see nothing but misery and sinners now to behold the face of the God of glory yea to see Christ welcoming thee as soon as thou art presented before him by the holy Angels with an Euge bone serve well done and welcome good and faithful servant c. enter into thy Master's joy And what joy will this be to behold thousand thousands of Cherubims Seraphims Angels Thrones Dominions Principalities Powers All the holy Patriarchs Priests Prophets Apostles Martyrs Confessors and all the Souls of thy Friends Parents Husbands Wives Children and the rest of God's Saints who departed before thee in the true Faith of Christ standing before God's Throne in bliss and glory If the Queen of Sheba beholding the glory and attendance given to Solomon as it were ravished therewith brake out and said Happy are thy men happy are these thy servants which stand ever before thee and hear thy wisdom How shall thy soul be ravished to see her self by grace admitted to stand with this glorious Company to behold the Blessed face of Christ and to hear all the Treasures of his Divine Wisdom How shalt thou rejoyce to see so many thousand thousands welcoming thee into their Heavenly Society for as they all rejoyced at thy Conversion so will they now be much more joyful to behold thy Coronation and to see thee receive thy Crown which was laid up for thee against thy coming For there the Crown of martyrdom shall be put on the head of a Martyr who for Christ's Gospel-sake endured Torments the Crown of Virginity on the head of a Virgin who subdued concupiscence the Crown of Piety and Chastity on the head of them who sincerely professed Christ and kept their wedlock-bed undefiled the Crown of good works on the good Alms-giver's head who liberally relieved the Poor the Crown of incorruptible glory on the head of those Pastors who by their preaching and good example have converted Souls from the corruption of sin to glorifie God in holiness of life Who can sufficiently express the rejoycing of this heavenly company to see thee thus crowned with glory arraied with the shining robe of righteousness and to behold the Palm of Victory put into thy hand Oh what gratulation will there be that thou hast escaped all the miseries of the World the snares of the Devil the pains of Hell and obtained with them thy eternal rest and happiness For there every one joyeth as much in another's happiness as in his own because he shall see him as much loved of God as himself Yea they have as many distinct joys as they have co-partners of their joy And in this joyful and blessed state the Soul resteth with Christ in Heaven till the Resurrection when as the number of her fellow servants and brethren be fulfilled which the Lord termeth but a little season The second degree of Man's Blessedness after Death is from the Resurrection to the pronouncing of the final Sentence For at the last day 1. The Elementary Heavens Earth and all things therein shall be dissolved and purified with Fire 2. At the sound of the last Trumpet or voice of Christ the Archangel the very same Bodies which the Elect had before though turned to Dust and Earth shall arise again And in the same instant every Man's Soul shall re-enter into his own Body by virtue of the resurrection of Christ their Head and be made alive and rise out of their Graves as if they did but awake out of their beds and howsoever Tyran's be mangled their Bodies in pieces or consumed them to ashes yet shall the Elect find it true at that day that not an hair of their head is perished 3. They shall come forth out of their Graves like so many Josephs out of Prison or Daniels out of the Lion's Den or Jonahs out of the Whale's Belly 4. All the Bodies of the Elect being thus made alive shall arise in that perfection of Nature whereunto they should have attained by their natural temperament if no impediment had hindred and in that vigour of age that a perfect Man is at about 33 years old each in their proper sex Whereunto Divines think the Apostle alludeth when he saith Till we all come unto a perfect man unto the measure of the age or stature of the fulness of Christ. Whatsoever imperfection was before in the Body as blindness lameness crookedness shall then be done away Jacob shall not halt nor Isaac be blind nor Leah bleer-ey'd nor Mephibosheth be lame for if David would not have the blind and lame to come into his House much less will Christ have blindness and lameness to dwell in his heavenly Habitation Christ made all the blind to see the dumb to speak the deaf to hear the lame to walk c. that came to him to seek his grace on Earth much more will he heal all their imperfections whom he will admit to his glory in Heaven Among those Tribes there is not one feeble but the lame man shall leap as an Hart and the dumb man's tongue shall sing And it is very probable that seeing God Created our first Parents not Infants or old Men but of a perfect age or stature the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or new Creation from Death shall every where be more perfect than the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or first frame of Man from which he fell into the state of the dead Neither is it like that infancy being imperfection and old age corruption can well stand with the state of a perfect glorified Body 5. The Bodies of the Elect being thus raised shall have four most excellent and supernatural qualities For 1. They shall be raised in Power whereby they shall for ever be freed from all wants and weaknesses and enabled to continue without the use of Meat Drink Sleep and other former helps 2. In Incorruption whereby they shall never be subject to any manner of Imperfections Blemish Sickness or Death 3. In Glory whereby their Bodies shall shine as bright as the Sun in the Firmament and which being made transparent their Souls shall shine through far more glorious than their Bodies Three glimpses of which Glory were seen First In Moses's Face Secondly In the Transfiguration Thirdly In Stephen's Countenance Three Instances and Assurances of the glorification of our Bodies at that glorious Day Then shall David lay aside his Shepherd's Weed and put on the Robe of the King's Son Jesus not Jonathan's Then
fearful estate of those Pastors who minister unto them without Catechising 2. Of sincere Faith required to make a worthy Communicant Sincere Faith is not a bare knowledge of the Scriptures and first grounds of Religion for that Devils and Reprobate have in an excellent measure and do believe it and tremble but a true persuasion as of all those things whatsoever the Lord hath revealed in his Word so also a particural applications unto a man 's own soul of all the promises of mercy which God hath made in Christ to all believing sinners And consequently the Christ and all his merits do belong unto him as well as to any other For first if we have not the righteousness of Faith the Sacrament seals nothing unto us and every man in the Lord's Supper receiveth so much as he believeth Secondly because that without Faith we communicating on earth cannot apprehend Christ in Heaven For as he dwelleth in us by Faith so by faith we must likewise eat him Thirdly because that without faith we cannot be perswaded in our consciences that our receiving is acceptable unto God 3. Of unfeigned Repentance requisite a for true Communicant True Repentance is a holy change of the mind when upon the feeling sight of God's mercy and of a man 's own misery he turneth from all his known and secret sins to serve God in holiness and righteousness all the rest of his days For as he that is glutted with meat is not apt to eat bread so he that is stuffed with sins is not sit to receive Christ. And a conscience defiled with wilful filthiness makes the use of all holy things unholy unto us Our sacrificed spotless Passover cannot be eaten with the sowre leaven of malice and wickedness saith Paul 1 Cor. 5. 8. Neither can the old Bottles of our corrupt and impure Consciences retain the new Wine of Christ's precious Blood as our Saviour saith Mar. 2. 22. We must therefore truly repent if we will be worthy partakers 4. The duty to be performed in respect of our Neighbour is Charity Charity is a hearty forgiving of others who have offended us and after reconciliation an outward unfeigned testifying of the inward affections of our hearts by gestures words and deeds as oft as we meet and occasion is offered For first without love to our Neighbour no Sacrifice is acceptable unto God Secondly because one chief end wherefore the Lord's Supper was ordained is to confirm Christians love one towards another Thirdly no man can assure himself that his own sins are forgiven of God if his heart cannot yield to forgive the faults of men that have offended him Thus far of the first sort of Duties which we are to perform before we come to the Lord's Table called Preparation 2. Of the Second sort of Duties which a worthy Communicant is to perform at the receiving of the Lord's Supper called Meditation THis Exercise of spiritual Meditation consist in divers Points First when the Sermon is ended and the Banquet of the Lord's Supper begins to be celebrated meditate with thy self how thou art invited by Christ to be a Guest at his Holy Table and how lovingly he inviteth thee Ho every one that thirsteth come ye to the waters of life c. Come buy wine and milk without money and without price eat ye that which is good let your soul delight it self in fatness Take ye eat ye This is my body which was broken for you drink ye all of this for this is my blood which was shed for the remission of your sins What greater honour can be vouchsafed than to be admitted to sit at the Lordâ— own Table What better fare can be afforded than to feed on the Lord 's own Body and Blood If David thought it to be the greatest favour that he could shew unto good Barzillai for all the kindness that he shewed unto him in his Troubles to offer him that he should feed with him at his own Table in Jerusalem how much greater favour ought we to account it When Christ doth indeed feed us in the Church at his own Table and that with his own most holy Body and Blood Secondly As Abraham when he went up to the mount to sacrifice Isaac his Son left his Servants beneath in the Valley so when thou comest to the spiritual sacrifice of the Lord's Supper lay aside all earthly thoughts and cogitations that thou maiest wholly contemplate of Christ and offer up thy Soul unto him who sacrificed both his Soul and Body for thee Thirdly Meditate with thy self how precious and venerable is the Body and Blood of the Son of God who is the Ruler of Heaven and Earth the Lord at whose beck the Angels tremble and by whom both the quick and dead shall be judged at the last day and thou among the â—est And how that it is he who having been crucified for thy sins offereth now to be received by faith into thy sâ—ul On the other side consider how sinful a Creature thou art how altogether unworthy of so holy a Guest how ill deserving to taste of such sacred food having been conceived in filthiness and wallowing ever since in the mire of iniquity bearing the Name of a Christian but doing the works of the Devil adoring Christ with an Ave Rex in thy mouth but spitting Oaths in his face and crucifying him anew with thy graceless actions Fourthly Ponder then with what face darest thou offer to touch so holy a Body with such defiled hands or to drink such precious blood with so lewd and lying a mouth or to lodge so blessed a Guest in so uncle an a stable For if the Bethshemites were slain for but looking irreverently into the Ark of the old Testament what Judgment maist thou justly expect who with such impure Eyes and Heart art come to see and receive the Ark of the New Testament in which dwelleth all the fulness of the God-head bodily If Vzzah for but touching though not without zeal the Ark of the Covenant was stricken with sudden death what stroke of divine Judgment mayst thou not fear that so rudely with unclean hands dost presume to handle the Ark of the Eternal Testament wherein are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge If John Baptist the holiest man that was born of a Woman thought himself unworthy to bear his shooes O Lord how unworthy is such a Prophane Wretch as thou art to eat his holy Flesh and to drink his precious Blood If the blessed Apostle Saint Peter seeing but a glimpse of Christ's Almighty Power thought himself unworthy to stand in the same Boat with him how unworthy art thou to sit with Christ at the same Table where thou mayest behold the infiniteness of his Grace and Mercy displayed If the Centurion thought that the roof of his house was not worthy to harbour so Divine a Guest what room
blessed â—eath Say cheerfully Come Lord Jesus 〈◊〉 thy Servant cometh unto thee I am willing Lord help my weakness Seven sanctified Thoughts and mournful Sighs of a sick Man ready to die NOW forasmuch as God of his infinite mercy doth so temper ouâ— pain and sickness that we are not always oppressed with extremity but gives us in the midst of our extremities some â—espite to ease and refresh our selves thou mâ—st have an espâ—cial caâ—e considâ—ring how short a 〈◊〉 thou hast either for ever to lose or to obtain Heaven to make use of every breathing time which God doth afford thâ— and during that 〈…〉 time of ease 〈…〉 roweth with all his force to arrive at the wished Port and that the Traveller never resteth till he come to his Journeys end we fear to descry our Port and therefore would put back our Bark to be longer tossed in this continual tempest We weep to see our jorneys end and therefore desire our journey to be lengthened that we might be more tired with a foul and cumbersome way The Spiritual Sigh thereupon O Lord this life is but a troublesome pilgrimage few in days but full in evils and I am weary of it by reason of my sins Let me therefore O Lord intreat thy Majesty in this my bed of sickness as Elias did under the Juniper tree in his affliction It is now enough O Lord that I have lived so long in this vale of misery take my soul into thy merciful hands for I am no better than my Fathers The Second Thought THink with what a body of sin thou art loaden what great civil wars are contained in a little world the flesh fighting against the Spirit Passion against Reason Earth against Heaven and the World within thee bending it self for the World without thee and that but 〈◊〉 only means remains to end this conflictâ— death which in God's appointed time will separate thy spirit from thy flesh the pure and regenerate part of thy Soul from that part which is impure and unregenerated The spiritual Sigh upon the second Thought OWretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death O my sweet Saviour Jesus Christ thou hast redeemed me with thy precious blood And be cause thou hast delivered my soul from sin minâ— eyes from tears and my feet from falling I do here from the very bottom of my heart ascribe the whole praise and glory of my salvation to thy only grace and mercy saying with the holy Apostle Thanks be unto God which hath given me the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. The Third Thought THink how it behoves thee to be assured that thy soul is Christ's for death hath taken sufficient gages to assure himself of thy bodâ— in that all thy senses be all ready to die save only the sense of pain but sith the beginning of thy being began with pâ—in marvel the less it thy end conclude with dolours But if these temporal dolours which only afflict the body be so painful O Lord who can endure the devouring fire who can abide the everlasting burning The spiritual Sigh upon the third Thought O Lord Jesus Christ the Son of the living God who art the only Physician that caâ—st ease my body from pain and restore my soul to life eternal put thy 〈◊〉 Cross and Death betwixt my 〈◊〉 and thy Judgments and let the merits of thy obedience stand betwixt thy Father's justice and my disobedience and from these bodily pains receive my Soul iâ—to thine everlasting peace for I cry unto thee with Stephen Lord Jesus receive my Spirit The Fourth Thought THink that the worst that Death can do is but to send thy Soul sooner than thy flesh would be willing to Christ and his heavenly Joys remember that that Christ is thy best hope â—he worst therefore of death is rather a help than a harm The spiritual Sigh upon the Fourth Thought O Lord Jesus Christ the Saviour of all them that put their trust in thee fâ—rsake â—or him that in misery flâ—â—â—h unto thy graceâ— fâ—â— succour and mercy Oh sound that sweet Voice in the ears of my Soul which thou spakest unto the penitent thief on the cross This day thou shalt be with me in Paradise For I O Lord do with the Apostle from my Soul speak unto thee I desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ. The Fifth Thought THiâ—k if thou fearest to die That in Mount Sâ—on there is no Death for â—e that believeth in Christ shall never die And if thou desirest to live without 〈◊〉 the life eternal whereunto this 〈…〉 their miseries live with Christ in joys and thither shall all the godly which survive be gathered out of their troubles to enjoy with him eternal rest The Spiritual Sigh on the Fifth Thought O Lord thou seest the malice of Satan who not contenting himself like a roaring Lion all the days and nights of our life to seek our destruction shews himself busiest when thy Children are weakest and nearest to their end O Lord reprove him and preserve my Soul He seeks to terrifie me with death which my sins have deserved but let thy Holy Spirit comâ—ort my Soul with the assurance of eternal life which thy Blood hath purchased Asswage my pain increase my patience and if it be thy blessed will end my troubles for my Soul beseecheth thee with old blessed Simeon Lord now let me thy servant depart in peace according to thy word The Sixth Thought THink with thy self what a blessing God hath bestowed upon thee above many millions in the world that whereas they are either Pagans who worship not the true God or Idolaters who worship the true God falsly thou hast lived in a true Christian Church and hast grace to die in the true Christian Faith and to be buried in the Sepulchre of God's Servants who all wait for the hope of Israel and raising of their Bodies in the resurrection of the Just. The spiritual Sigh upon the sixth Thought O Lord Jesus Christ who art the Resurrection and the life in whom whosoever believeth shall live tho' he were dead I believe that whosover liveth and believeth in thee shall never die I know that I shall rise again in the Resurrection of the last day for I am sure that thou my Redeemer livest And tho' that after my death worms destroy this body yet I shall see thee my Lord and my God in this flesh Grant therefore O Christ for thy bitter death and passions sake that at that day I may be one of them to whom thou wilt pronounce that joyful sentence Come ye blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdom prepared for you before the foundation of the world The Seventh Thought THink with thy self how Christ endured for thee a cursed death and the wrath of God which was due unto thy sins and what
THE PRACTICE OF PIETY Directing a Christian how to walk that he may please God Amplified by the Author Piety hath the Promise 1 Tim. 4. 8. London Printed for Edward Brewster 1695. Lately Printed a very usefull Book To be sold by Edward Brewster at the Crane in St. Paul's Church-Yard viz. THE Mirror of Martyrs First and Second Part lively Expressing in a short view the force of their Faith the fervency of their Love the wisdom of their Sayings the patience of their Sufferings c. with their Prayers and Preparation for their last farewell As also Exercitations and Meditations c. wherein the chief Duties of the Christian Religion are opened and apply'd By Samuel Tompson M. A. late of Magdalen-Hall Oxon. TO THE High and Mighty Prince CHARLES Prince of WALES CHrist Jesus the Prince of Princes bless your Highness with length of Days and an increase of all Graces which may make you truly prosperous in this life and eternally happy in that which is to come Jonathan shot three Arrows to drive David further off from Saul 's fury And this is the third Epistle which I have written to draw your Highness nearer to God's favour by directing your heart to begin like Josiah in your youth to seek after the God David and of Jacob your Father Not but that I know that your Highness doth this without mine admonition but because I would with the Apostle have you to abound in every grace in faith and knowledge and in all diligence and in your love to Gods Service and true Religion Never was there more need of plain and unfeigned admonition for the Comick in that saying seems but to have prophesied of our times Obsequium amicos veritas odium parit And no marvel seeing that we are fallen into the dregs of Time which being the last must needs be the worst days And how can there be worse seeing Vanity knows not how to be vainer nor Wickedness how to be more wicked And whereas heretofore those have been counted most holy who have shewed themselves most zealous in their Religion they are now reputed most discreet who can make the least profession of their Faith And that these are the last days appears evidently because the security of mens eternal state hath so overwhelmed as Christ foretold it should all sorts that most who now live are become lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God and of those who pretend to love God O God! what sanctified heart can but bleed to behold how seldom they come to prayers how irreverently they hear God's Word what strangers they are at the Lord's Table what assiduous spectators they are at Stage-plays where being Christians they can sport themselves to hear the Vassals of the Devil scoffing religion and blasphemously abusing Phrases of holy Scripture on their Stages as familiarly as they use their Tobacco-pipes in their bibing-houses So that he who would now â—days seek in most Christians for the power shall scarce almost find the very shew of godliness Never was there more sinning never less remorse for sin Never was the Judge nearer to come never was there so little preparation for his coming And if the Bridegroom should now come how many who think them selves wise enough and full of all knowledge would be found foolish Virgins without one drop of the Oil of saving Faith in their Lamps For the greatest Wisdom of most Men in this Age consists in being wise first to deceive others and in the end to deceive themselves And if sometimes some good Book haps into their hands or some good motion cometh into their heads whereby they are put in mind to consider the uncertainty of this life present or how weak assurance they have of eternal life if this were ended and how they have some secret sins for which they must needs repent here or be punished for them in Hell hereafter Security then forthwith whispers the Hypocrite in the Ear that though it be fit to think of these things yet It is not yet time and that he is yet young enough though he cannot but know that many millions as young as himself are already in Hell for want of timely repentance Presumption warranteth him in the other Ear that he may have time hereafter at his leisure to repent and that howsoever others die yet he is far enough from death and therefore may boldly take yet a longer time to enjoy his sweet pleasures and to encrease his wealth and greatness And hereupon like Solomon's sluggard he yields himself to a little more sleep a little more slumber a little more folding of the hands to sleep in his former sins till at last Despair Security's ugly hand maid comes in unlooked for and shews him his Hour-glass dolefully telling him that his time is past and that nothing now remains but to die and â—e damned Let not this seem strange to any for too many have found it too true and more with out more grace are like to be thus sooth'd to their end and in the end snared to their endless perdition In my desire therefore of the common salvation but especially of your Highness's everlasting welfare I have endeavoured to extract out of the chaos of endless controversies the old Practice of true Piety which flourished before these Controversies were hatched which my poor labours in a short while come now forth again the 42. time under the gracious protection of your Highness's favour and by their entertainment seem not to be altogether unwelcome to the Church of Christ. If to be pious hath in all ages been held the truest honour how much more honourable is it in so impious an age to be the true Patron and Pattern of Piety Piety made David Solomon Jehoshaphat Ezechias Josias Zerubbabel Constantine Theodosius Edward the VI. Queen Elizabeth Prince Henry and other religious Princes to be so honoured that their Names since their deaths smell in the Church of God like a precious oynment and their remembrances sweet as honey in all mouths and as Musick at a Banquet of Wine when as the lips of others who have been godless and irreligious Princes do â—ot and stink in the memory of God's People And what honour is it for great Men to have great Titles on Earth when God counts their names unworthy to be written in his Book of life in Heaven It is Piety that embalms a Prince his good name and makes his face to shine before Men and glorifies his soul among Angels For as Moses his face by often talking with God shined in the eyes of the People so by frequent praying which is our talking with God and hearing the Word which is God's speaking unto us we shall be changed from glory to glory by the Spirit of the Lord to the Image of the Lord. And seeing this life is uncertain to all especially to Princes what argument is more fit
every true Mordecai who mourned under the Sackeloth of this corrupt Flesh shall be arrayed with the King 's Royal Apparel and have the Crown Royal set upon his Head that all the World may see how it shall be done to him whom the King of Kings delighteth to honour If now the rising of one Sun makes the morning so glorious how glorious shall that Day be when innumerable Millions of Millions of Bodies of Saints and Angels shall appear more glorious than the brightness of the Sun the Body of Christ in glory surpassing all 4. In Agility whereby our bodies shall be able to ascend and meet the Lord at his glorious coming in the Air as Eagles flying unto their Blessed Carcass To this Agility of the Saints glorious Bodies the Prophet alludes saying They shall renew their strength They shall mount up with wings as Eagles They shall run and not be weary They shall walk and not faint And to this state may that saying of Wisdom be referred In the time of their Vision they shall shine and run to and fro as sparks amongst the stubble And in respect of these four Qualities Paul calleth the raised bodies of the Elect Spiritual for they shall be spiritual in qualities but the same still in substance And howsoever sin and corruption make a Man in this state of Mortality lower than Angels yet surely when God shall thus crown him with glory and honour I cannot see how Man shall be any thing inferiour to Angels For are they Spirits so is Man also in respect of his Soul yea more than this they shall have also a spiritual body fashioned like unto the glorious body of the Lord Jesus Christ in whom Man's Nature is exalted by a personal Vnion into the Glory of the Godhead and individual Society of the Blessed Trinity an Honour which he never vouchsafed Angels And in this respect Man hath a Prerogative above them Nay they are but Spirits appointed to be Ministers unto the Elect and as many of them who at the first disdained this Office and would not keep their first standing were for their pride hurried into Hell This lesseneth not the Dignity of Angels but extols the greatness of God's love to Mankind But as for all the Elect who at that second and sudden coming of Christ shall be found quick and living the fire that shall burn up the corruption of the world and the works therein shall in a moment in the twinkling of an Eye overtake them as it finds them either grinding in the Mill of Provision or walking in the Fields of pleasure or lying in the bed of ease and so burning up their dross and corruption of Mortal make them Immortal Bodies and this change shall be unto them instead of Death Then shall the Soul with joyfulness greet her Body saying O well met again my dear Sister How sweet is thy Voice How comely is thy countenance having lain hid so long in the Clefts of the Rocks and in the secret places of the grave thou art indeed an habitation fit not only for me to dwell in but such as the H. Ghost thinks meet to reside in as his Temple for ever The Winter of our affliction is now past the storm of our misery is blown over and gone The Bodies of our Elect Brethren appear more glorious than the Lily-flowers on the Earth the time of singing Hallelujahs is come and the voice of the Trumpet is heard in the Land Thou hast been my Yoke-fellow in the Lord's labours and companion in persecutions and wrongs for Christ and his Gospel sake now shall we enter together into our Master's Joy As thou hast born with me the Cross so shalt thou now wear with me the Crown As thou hast with me sowed plenteously in tears so shalt thou reap with me abundantly in joy O blessed ay blessed be that God! who when yonder Reprobates spent their whole time in Pride fleshly Lusts eating drinking and prophane Vanities gave us grace to join together in watching fasting praying reading the Scriptures keeping his Sabbaths hearing Sermons receiving the holy Communion relieving the Poor exercising in all humility the works of Piety to God and walking conscionably in the Duties of our calling towards Men. Thou shalt anon hear no mention of thy sins for they are remitted and covered but every good work which thou hast done for the Lord's sake shall be rehearsed and rewarded Chear up thy heart for thy Judge is flesh of thy flesh and bone of thy bone Lift up thy head behold these glorious Angels like so many Gabriels flying towards us to tell us That the day of our Redemption is come and to convey us in the Clouds to meet our Redeemer in the Air. Lo they are at hand Arise therefore my Dove my Love my fair One and come away And so like Roes or young Harts they run with Angels towards Christ over the trembling Mountains of Bether 6. Both quick and dead being thus revived and gloâ—â—fied shall forthwith by the ministry of God's holy Angels be gathered from all the quarters and parts of the world and caught up together in the Clouds to meet the Lord in the Air and so shall come with him as a part of his glorious Train to judge the Reprobates and evil Angels The twelve Apostles shall sit upon twelve thrones next Christ to judge the twelve Tribes who refused to hear the Gospel preached by their Ministry and all the Saints inâ— honour and order shall stand next unto them as Judges also to judge the evil Angels and earthly-minded Men. And as every of them received grace in this life to be more zealous of his glory and more faithful in his service than others so shall their glory and reward be greater than others in that Day The place whither they shall be gathered unto Christ and where Christ shall sit in judgment shall be in the Air over the Valley of Jehoshaphat by Mount Olivet near unto Jerusalem Eastward from the Temple as it is probable for four reasons 1. Because the holy Scripture seeâ—s to intimate so much in plain words I wiâ— gather all Nations into the valley of Jehoshaâ—phat and plead with them there Cause thy mighty one to come down O Lord let the heathen be wakened and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat for there will I sit to judge aâ— the heathen round about Jehoshaphat signifieth the Lord will judge And this Valley was so called from the great victory which the Lord gave Jehoshaphat and his people over the Ammonites Moabites and inhabitants of Mount Seir. Which victory was a type of the final victory which Christ â—he supream Judge shall give his Elect over â—ll their enemies in that place at the last â—ay as all the Jews interpret it See Zech. â— 4 5. Psalm 51. 1 2 c. all agreeing
â—â—at the place shall be thereabouts 2. Because that as Christ was thereaâ—â—uts crucified and put to open shame â—â— over that place his glorious Throne â—hould be erected in the Air when he â—â—all appear in Judgment to manifest his Majesty and Glory For it is meet that â—â—st should in that place judge the â—orld with righteous Judgment where â— himself was unjustly judged and conâ—mned 3. Because that seeing the Angels shall â— sent to gather together the elect from the â—â—â—r winds from one end of heaven to the other it is most probable that the place whither they shall be gathered to shall be near Jerusalem and the Vally of Jehoshaphat which Cosmographers describe to be in the midst of the supersicies of the Earth if the termini à quibus be the four parts of the world the terminus ad quem must be about the Center 4. Because the Angels told the Disciples that as they saw Christ ascend from Mount Olivet which is over the Vally of Jehoshaphat so he shall in like manner come down from Heaven This is the opinion of Aquinas and all the Schoolmen except Lombard and Alexander Hales 5. Lastly When Christ is set in his glorious Throne and all the many Thousands of his Saints and Angels shining more bright than so many Suns in glory sitting about him and the Body of Christ in glory and brightness surpassing them all the Reprobates beiâ—g separate and remaining beneath upon the earth for the right-hand signifies a blessed the left-hand a cursed estate Christ will first pronounce the sentence of absolution and bliss upon the Elect First because he will thereby increase the grief of the Reprobate that shall hear it Secondly to shew himself more proâ—e to mercy than to Judgment And thus from his Throne of Majesty in the Air he shall in the sight and hearing of all the World pâ—onounce unto his Elect Come ye blessed of my Father and inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of the world c. Come ye Here is our blessed Vnion with Christ and by him with the whole Trinity Blessed Here is our absolution from all sins and our plenary Endowments with all Grace and Happiness Of my Father Here is the Author from whom by Christ proceeds our Felicity Inherit Here is our Adoption The Kingdom Behold our Birth-right and Possâ—ssion Prepared See God's Fatherly Care for his chosen From the foundation of the World O the free Eternal unchangeable Election of God! How much are those Souls bound to love God who of his meer good Will and Pleasure chose and loved them before they had done either good or evil For I was hungry c. O the goodness of Christ who takes notice of all the good works of his Children to reward them How great is his love to poor Christians who takes every work of mercy done to them for his sake as if it had been done to himself Come ye to me in whom ye have believed before ye saw me and whom ye have loved and sought for with so much devotion and through so many tribulations Come now from labour to rest from disgrace to glory from the jaws of Death to the joys of eternal Life For my sake ye have been railed upon reviled and cursed But now it shall appear to all those cursed Esau's that you are the â—rue Jacobs that shall receive your heavenly Father's blessing and blessed shall you be Your fathers mothers and nearest kindred forsook and cast you off for my truth's sake which you maintained but now my Father will be unto you a Father and you shall be his Sons and Daughters for ever You were cast out of your lands and livings and forsook all for my sake and the gospels but that it may appear that you have noâ— lost your gain but gained by your loss instead of an earthly inheritance and possession you shall possâ—ss with me the iâ—heritance of my heavenly kingdom where you shall be for love sons for birth-right heirs for dignity kings for holiness priests and you may be bold to enter into the possession thereof now because my Father prepared and kept it for you ever since the first foundation of the World was laid Immediately after this sentence of Absolution and Benediction every one receiveth his crown which Christ the righteous Judge puâ—s upon their Heads as the reward which he hath promised of his Grace and Mercy unto the Faith and good Works of all them that loved that his appearing Then every one taking his crown from his head shall lay it down as it were at the feet of Christ and prostrating themselves shall with one heart and voice in an heavenly sort and consort say Praise and Honour and Glory and Power and Thanks be unto thee O blessed Lamb who sittest upon the Throne wert killed and hast redeemed us to God by thy Blood out of every Kindred and Tongue and People and Nation and hast made us unto our God Kings and Priests to reign with thee in thy Kingdom for evermore Amen Then shall they sit in their Thrones and Orders as Judges of the Reprobates and evil Angels by approving aâ—d giving testimony to the righteous Sentence and Judgment of Christ the Supreme Judge After the pronouncing of the Reprobates Sentence and Condemnation Christ will perform two solemn Actions 1. The presenting of all the Elect unto his Father Behold O righteous Father these are they whom thou gavest me I have kept them and none of them is lost I gave them thy word and they believed it and the world hated them because they were not of the world even as I was not of the world And now Father I will that those whom thou hast given me be with me where I am that they may behold my glory which thou hast given me and that I may be in them and thou in me that they may be made perfect in one that the world may know that thou hast sent me and that thou hast loved them as thou hast loved me 2. Christ shall deliver up the Kingdom to God even the Father that is shall cease to execute his office of Mediatorship whereby as he is King Priest Prophet and supreme Head of the Church he suppressed his Enemies and ruled his faithful People by his Spirit Word and Sacraâ—â—â—ts So that his Kingdom of Grace over his Church in this World ceasing he shall 〈◊〉 immediately as he is God equal with â—he Father and the H. Ghost in his Kingdom of Glory for evermore Not that the dignity of his Manhood shall be any thing diminished but that the glory of his Godhead shall be more manifested so that as he is God he shall from thenceforth in all fulness without all external means rule all in all From this Tribunal-seat Christ shall arise and with all his glorious company of Elect Angels and Saints he shall
a bare remembrance What trust should a man repose in long life seeing the whole life of man is nothing but a lingring death so that as the Apostle protests a man dieth daily Hark in thine ear O secure fellow thy life is but a puff of breath in thy nostrils trust not to it Thy Soul dwells in a house of clay that will fall ere it be long as may appear by the dimness of thy eyes the deafness of thy ears the wrinkles in thy cheeks the rottenness of thy teeth the weakness of thy sinews the trembling of thy hands the kalender in thy bones the shortness of thy sleep and every gray hair as so many Summoners bids thee prepare for thy long home Come let us in the mean while walk to thy Fathers Coffin break open the lid see here how that corruption is thy Father and the worm thy Mother and Sister seest thou how these are so must thou be ere long fool thou knowest not how soon Thy Hour-glass runneth apace and in all places Death in the mean while waiteth for thee The whole life of man save what is spent in God's service is but a foolery for a man lives forty years before he knows himself to be a fool and by that time he seeth his folly his life is finished Hark Husbandman before thou seest many more crops of Harvest thy self shall be ripe and Death will cut thee down with his sickle Hark Tradseman ere many six months go over thy last month will come on after which thou shalt trace away and trade no longer Hark most grave Judge within a few terms the term of thy life approacheth wherein thou shalt cease to judge others and go thy self to be judged Hark O man of God that goest to the Pulpit preach this Sermon as it were thy last that thou shouldest make to thy people Hark Noble man lay aside the high conceit of thy honour Death ere it be long will lay thine honour in the dust and make thee as base as the Earth that thou treadest under thy feet Hark thou that now readest this book assure thy self ere it be long there will be but two holes where now thy two eyes are placed and others shall read the truth of this lesson upon thy bare Skull which now thou readest in this little book how soon I know not but this I am sure of that thy time is appointed thy months are determined thy days are numbred and thy very last hour is limited beyond which thou shalt not pass For then the first-horn of death mounted on his pale horse shall alight at thy door and notwithstanding all thy wealth and honour and the tears of thy dearest friends will carry thee away bound hand and foot as his Prisoner and keep thy body under a load of earth until that day come wherein thou must be brought forth to receive according to the things which thou hast done in the body whether it be good or evil O let not then the false hope of an uncertain long life hinder thee from becoming a present Practiser of religious Piety God offereth grace to day but who promiseth to morrow there are now in Hell many young Men who had purposed to repent in their old age but Death cut them off in their impenitency ere ever they could attain to the time they set for their repentance The longer a man runs in a disease the harder it is to be cured for custom of sin breeds hardness of heart and the impediments which hinder thee from repenting now will hinder thee more when thou art more aged A wise Man being to go a far and foul journey will not lay the heaviest burthen upon the weakest horse And with what conscience canst thou lay the great load of repentance on thy feeble and tired old age whereas now in thy chiefest strength thou canst not lift it but art ready to stagger under it Is it wisdom for him that is to sail a long and dangerous Voyage to lie playing and sleeping whilst the Wind serveth and the Sea is calm the Ship sound the Pilot well Mariners strong and then set forth when the Winds are contrary the Weather tempestuous the Sea raging the Ship rotten the Pilot sick and the Sailers languishing Therefore O sinful Soul begin now thy conversion to God whilst life health strength and youth last before those years draw nigh when thou shalt say I have no pleasure in them God ever required in his service the first-boorn and the first-fruits and those to be â—ffered unto him without delay So just Abel offered unto God his firstlings and fattest Lambs and reason good that the best Lord should be first and best served All God's servants should therefore remember to serve their Creator in the days of their youth and early in the morning like Abraham to sacrifice unto God the Young Isaac of their Age. Ye shall not see my face saith Joseph to his Brethren except you bring your younger brother with you And how shalt thou look in the face of Jesus if thou givest thy younger years to the devil and bringest him nothing but thy blind lame and decrepid old age Offer it unto thy Prince saith Malachy If he will not accept such a one to serve him how shall the Prince of Princes admit such a one to be his servant If the King of Babel would have young men well favoured and such as had ability in them to stand in his palace shall the King of Heaven have none to stand in his Courts but the blind the lame such as the soul of David hated Thinkest thou when thou hast served Satan with thy prime years to satisfie God with thy dotage take heed lâ—st God turn thee over to thy old Master again that as thou hast all the days of thy life done his Work so he may in the end pay thee thy Wages Is that time fit to undertake by the serious exercises of repentance which is the work of works to turn thy sinful soul to God when thou art not able with all thy strength to turn thy weary bones on thy soft bed If thou find'st it so hard a matter now thou shalt find it far harder then For thy sin will wax stronger thy strength will grow weaker thy conscience will clog thee pain will distract thee the fear of death will amaze thee and the visitation of friends will so disturb thee that if thou be not furnished afore-hand with store of faith patience and consolation thou shalt not be able either to mediâ—ate thy self or to hear the word of comfort from others not to pray alone nor to joyn with others who pray for thee It may be thou shalt be taken with a dumb palsie or such a deadly senselesness that thou shall neither remember God nor think upon thine own estate and dost thou not well deserve
this second and sudden coming in glory Grant this good Father for Christ Jesus sake my only Saviour and Mediator in whose blessed Name and in whose own words I call upon thee as he hath taught me Our Father which art c. Afterwards say Thy Grace O Lord Jesus Christ thy love O heavenly Father thy comfort and consolation O holy and blessed Spirit be with me and dwell in my heart this night and evermore Amen Then rising up in a holy Reverence meditate as thou art putting off thy Clothes Things to be meditated upon as thou art putting off thy Clothes 1. THat the day is coming when thou must be as barely unstript of alâ— that thou hast in the World as thou arâ— now of thy Clothes thou hast therefore here but the use of all things as a Steward for a time and that upon accounts Whilst therefore thou art trusted with thiâ— Stewardship be wise and faithful 2. When thou seest thy Bed let it puâ— thee in mind of thy grave which is now the bed of Christ for Christ by laying hiâ— holy body to rest three days and three nights in the grave hath sanctified anâ— as it were warmed it for the bodies oâ— his Saints to rest and sleep in till thâ— morning of the Resurrection so that now unto the faithful death is but a sweet sleep and the grave is but Christ's bed where their bodies rest and sleep in peace until the joyful morning of the Resurrection-day shall dawn unto them Let therefore thy Bed-clothes represent unto thee the mould of the Earth that shall cover thee thy sheets thy winding sheet thy sleep thy death thy waking thy resurrection And being laid down in thy bed when thou perceivest sleep to approach say I will lay me down and sleep in peace for thou Lord only makest me dwell in safety Thus religiously opening every Morning thy heart and shutting it up again every Evening with the Word of God and Prayer as it were with a Lock and Key and so beginning the day with God's Worship continuing it in his fear and ending it in his favour thou shalt be sure to find the blessing of God upon all thy days labours and good endeavours and at night thou maist assure thy self thou shalt sleep safely and sweetly in the arms of thy heavenly Father's providence Thus far of the Piety which every Christian in private ought to practise every day Now followeth that which he being an Housholder must practise publickly with his Family Meditations for Houshold Piety 1. IF thou beest called to the government of a Family thou must not hold it sufficient to serve God and live uprightly in thine own person unless thou causest all under thy charge to do the same with thee For the performance of this duty God was so well pleased with Abraham that he would not hide from him his counsel For saith God I know him that he will command his sons and his houshold after him that they keep the way of the Lord to do righteousness and judgment that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that he hath spoken unto him And Abraham had 318 Men servants which were thus born and catechized in his house With whose help he rescued also his Nephew Lot from the captivity of his Enemies And religiously valiant Joshua protesteth before all the people That if they all would fall away from the true Worship of God yet that he and his house would serve the Lord. And God himself gives a special charge to all Housholders that they do instruct their Family in his Word and train them up in his fear and service These words which I command thee this day shall be in thy heart and thou shalt whet them continually upon thy Children and shalt talk of them when thou tarriest in thine house and as thou walkest by the way and when thou liest down and when thou risest up c. Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God and serve him David according to this Law had so ordered his Family That no deceitful person should dwell in his house but such as would serve God and walk in his way and religious Esther had taught her Maids to serve God in fasting and prayer And the more to further thy family in the zeal of religion settle ever thy chiefest affection on those whom thou shalt perceive to be best addicted to true Religion This also will turn to thine own advantage in a double respect First God will the rather bless and prosper the labour and handy-work of such godly servants For Laban perceived that God blessed him for Jacob's sake And Potiphar saw that the Lord made all that Jeseph did to prosper in his hand yea when innocent Joseph was cast into prison his keeper saw that whatsoever he did the Lord made it to prosper and therefore the keeper committed all the charge of the Prisoners into Joseph's hand 2. The trulier a man doth serve God the faithfullier he will serve thee 2. If every Houshoulder were thus careful according to his duty to bring up his Children and Family in the service and fear of God in his own house then the house of God would be better filled and the Lord's Table more frequented every Sabbath day and the Pastor's publick preaching and labour would take more effect than it doth The streets of Towns and Cities would not abound with so many drunkards swearers whore-mongers and prophane scorners of true Piety and Religion Westminister-Hall would not be so full of contentions wrangling suits and unchristian debates and the prisons would not be every Sessions so full of Thieves Robbers Traitors and Murtherers But alas most Housholders make no other use of their Servants than they do of their Beasts Whilst they may have their Bodies to do their service they care not if their Souls serve the Devil Yet the common complaint is that faithful and good servants are scarce to be found True but the reason is because there are so many prophane and irreligious Masters for the example and instruction of a Godly and Religious Master will make a good and a faithful servant as may witness the examples of Abraham Joshua David Cornelius c. who had good servants because they were religious Masters such as were careful to make their servants God's servants It is the chief labour and care of most men to raise and to advance their house yet let them rise up early and lie down late and eat the bread of carefulness all will be but in vain for except the Lord build an house that is raise up a Family they labour in vain For God hath sealed this as an irrevocable decree That he will pour his wrath upon the Families that call not upon his name yea God will take the wicked and pluck him out of his tabernacle and root him out of the land c. Yea when his
believe life everlasting but also Edo vitam eternam I eat life everlasting And indeed this is the true Tree of life which God hath planted in the midst of the Paradise of the Church And whereof he hath promised to give every one that overcometh to eat And this Tree of life by infinite degrees excelleth the Tree of life that grew in the Paradise of Eden for that had his root in the Earth this from Heaven that gave buâ— life to the Body this to the Soul that did but preserve the life of the living this restoreth life to the dead The leaves of this tree heal the nations of believers and it yields every month a new manner of fruit which nourisheth them to life everlasting Oh blessed are they who often eat of this Sacrament at least once every month taste anew of this renewing fruit which Christ hath prepared for us at his Table to heal our infirmities and to confirm our belief of life everlasting Of the seventh end of the Lord's-Supper 7. To bind all Christians as it were by an oath of fidelity to serve the one only true God and to admit no other propitiatony sacrifice for sins but that one real sacrifice which by his death Christ once offered and by which he finishâ—d the sacrifices of the Law and effected eternal Redemption and Righteousness for all believers And so to remain for ever a publick mark of profession to distinguish Christians from all Sects and false Religions And seeing that in the Mâ—ss there is a strange Christ adored not he that was born of the Virgin Mary but one that is made of a Wafer Cake and that the offering up of this breaden god is thrust upon the Church as a Propitiatory Sâ—crifice for the quick and the dead all true Christians upon the danger of wilful perjury before the Lord Chief Justice of heaven and earth are to detest the Mass as the Idol of Indignation which is most derogatory to the all-sufficient world-saving merits of Christ's Death and Passion For by receiving the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper we all swear that all real Sacrifices are ended by our Lord's death and that his body and blood once crucified and shed is the perpetual food and nourishment of our Souls 2. How to consider thine own unworthiness A Man shall best perceive his own unworthiness by examining his life according to the Ten Commandments of Almighty God Search therefore what duties thou hast omitted and what vices thou hast committed contrary to every one of the Commandments remembring that without repentance and God's mercy in Christ the Curse of God containing all the miseries of this life and everlasting torments in hell fire when this is ended is due to the breach of the least of God's Commandments And having taken a due survey both of thy sins and miseries retire to some secret place and there putting thy self in the sight of the Judge as a guilty malefactor standing at the Bar to receive his Sentence bowing thy knees to the earth smiting thy breast with thy fists and â—edewing thy cheeks with thy tears confess thy sins and humbly ask him mercy and forgiveness in these or the like words An humble confession of sins to be made unto God before the receiving of the holy Communion O God and heavenly Father when I consider the goodness which thou hast ever shewed unto me and the wickedness which I have committed against heaven and against thee I am ashamed of my self and confusion seems to cover my face as a veil for which of thy Commandments have I not transgressed O Lord I stand here guilty of the breach of all thy holy Laws For the love of my heart hath not so intirely cleaved unto thy * Majesty as to vain and earthly things I have not feared thy judgments to deterr me from sins nor trusted to thy promises to keep me from doubting of my temporal or from despairing of mine eternal state I have made the rule of thy divine worship to be what my mind thought fit not what thy Word prescribed finding my heart more prone to remember my blessed Saviour in a painted Picture of Man's device rather than to be behold him crucified in his Word and Sacraments after his own ordinance Where I should never use thy Name whereat all knees do bow but with religious reverence nor any part of thy worship without due preparation and zeal I have blasphemously abused thy holy Name to rash and customary oaths yea I have used oaths by thy sacred name as false covers of my filthy sins And I have been present at thy Service oft-times more for ceremony than conscience and to please Men more than to please thee my gracious God Where I should sanctifie thy Sabbath-day by being present at the publick exercises of the Church and by meditating privately on the word and works of God and by visiting the sick and relieving of my poor brethren alas I have thought those holy Exercises a burden because they hindred my vain sports yea I have spent many of thy Sabbaths in my own prophane Pleasures without being present at any part of thy divine worship Where I should have given all due reverence to my Natural Ecclesiastical and Politick Parents I have not shewed that measure of duty and affection to my Parents which their care and kindness hath deserved I have not had thy Ministers in such singular love for their works sake as I ought but I have taunted at their zeal and hated them because they reproved me justly And I have carried my self contemptuously against thy Mâ—gistrates and Ministers though I knew that it is 〈◊〉 ordinance that I should be obedient unto them Where I should be slâ—w to wrath and ready to forgive offences and not 〈◊〉 the Sun to go down upon my wrath but to 〈◊〉 good for evil loving my very enemies for thy sake I alas for one sorry word have burst out into open rage and harbouring thoughts of mischief in my heart I have preferred to feed on mine own malice rather than to eat of thy holy Supper Where I should keep my Mind from all filthy lusts and my Body from all uncleanness O Lord I have defiled both and made my Heart a Cage of all impure thoughts and my Mind a very stâ—e of the unclean Spirit Yea the remedy which thou Lord hast ordained for incontinency could not contain me within the bounds of Chastity for by doting on beauty whose grounds is but dust Satan hath bewitched my flesh to lust after strange flesh Where I should have lived in uprightness givâ—ng every Man his due being contented with mine own Estate and living consâ—ionably in my lawful Calling should be ready according to mine Ability to lend and give unto the Poor O Lord I have by oppression extortion bribes cavillation and other indirect dealings under
can there be fit under thy ribs for Christ's holiness to dwell in If the Blood-issued sick Woman feared to touch the hem of his garment how should'st thou tremble to eat his flesh and to drink his all-healing Blood Yet if thou comest humbly in Faith Repentance and Charity abhorring thy sins past and purposing unfeignedly to amend thy life henceforth let not thy former sins affright thee for they shall never be laid unto thy charge and this Sacrament shall seal unto thy Soul that all thy sins and the Judgments due unto them are fully pardoned aâ—d clean washed away by the Blood of Christ. For this Sacrament was not ordained for them who are perfect but to help penitent sinners unto perfection Christ came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance And he saith that the whole need not the Physician but they that are sick Those hath Christ called and when they came them hath he ever helped Witness the whole Gospel which testifieth that not one Sinner who came to Christ for mercy went ever away without his errand Bathe thou likewise thy sick Soul in this fountain of Christ's Blood and doubtless according to his promise Zach. 13. 1. thou shalt be healed of thy sins and uncleanness Not Sinners therefore but they who are unwilling to repent of their sins are debarred this Sacrament Fifthly Meditate that Christ left this Sacrament unto us as the chief token and pledge of his love not when we would have made him a King John 6. 15 which might have seemed a requital of kindness but when Judas and the High-Priests were conspiring his Death therefore wholly of his mere favour When Nathan would shew David how intirely the poor man loved his sheep that was killed by the rich man He gave her saith he to eat of his own Morsels and of his own Cup to drink 2 Sam. 12. 3. and must not then the love of Christ to his Church be unspeakable when he gives her his own flesh to eat and his own blood to drink for her spiritual and eternal nourishment If then there be any love in thine heart take the Cup of Salvation into thy hand and pledge his love with love again Psal. 116. 11. Sixthly when the Minister beginneth the holy Consecration of the Sacrament then lay aside all praying reading and all other cogitations whatsoever and settle thy Meditations only upon those holy actions and rites which according to Christ's institution are used in and about the holy Sacrament For it hath pleased God considering our weakness to appoint those rites as means the better to lift up our Minds to the serious contemplation of his Heavenly Graces When therefore thou seest the Minister putting apart Bread and Wine on the Lord's-Table and consecrating them by Prayers and the rehearsal of Christ's Institution to be a holy Sacrament of the blessed Body and Blood of Christ then meditate how God the Father of his mere love to Mankind set apart and sealed his only begotten Son to be the all-sufficient means and only Mediator to redeem us from sin and to reconcile us to his grace and to bring us to his glory When thou seest the Minister break the Bread being blessed thou must meditate that Jesus Christ the eternal Son of God was put to death and his blessed Soul and Body with the sense of God's anger broken asunder for thy sins as verily as thou now seest the holy Sacrament to be broken before thine eyes And withal call to mind the heinousness of thy sins and the greatness of God's hatred against the same seeing God's Justice could not be satisfied but by such a Sacrifice When the Minister hath blessed and broken the Sacrament and is addressing himself to distribute it then meditate That the King who is the Master of the Feast stands at the Table to see his guests and looketh upon thee whether thou hast on thee thy Wedding-Garment Think also that all the holy Aâ—gels that attend upon the Elect in the Church and do desire to behold the celebration of these holâ— mysteries do observe thy reverence and behaviour Let thy soul therefore whilst the Minister bringeth the Sacrament unto thee offer this or the like short Soliloquy unto Christ. A sweet Soliloquy to be said betwixt the consecration and receiving of the Sacrament IS it true indeed that God will dwell on earth Behold the heaven and the heaven of heavens are not able to contain thee how much more unable iâ— the soul of â—uch a sinful Caitiff as I am to receive thee But seeing it is thy blessed pleasure to come thus to sup with me and to dwell in me I cannot for joy but burst out and say What is man that thou art so mindful of him and the son of man that thou so regardest him What favour soever thou vouchsafest me in the abundance of thy Grace I will freely confess what I am in the wretchedness of my Nature I am in a word a carnal Creature whose very soul is sold under sin a wretched man compassed about with a body of Death Yet Lord seeing thou callest here I come and seeing thou callest sinners I have thrust my self in among the rest and seeing thou callest all with their heaviest loads I see no reason why I should stay behind O Lord I am sick and whither should I go but unto thee the Physician of my Soul Thou hast cured many but never didst thou meet with a more miserable Patient for I am more leprous than Gehazi more unclean than Magdalen more blind in Soul than Bartimeus was in Body for I have lived all this while and never seen the true light of thy Word my soul runs with a greater flux of sin than was the Hemorrhoise Issue of blood Mephibosheth was not more lame to go than my Soul is to walk after thee in love Jeroboam's Arm was not more withered to strike the Prophet than my Hand is maimed to relieve the Poor Cure me O Lord and thou shalt do as great a work as in curing them all And though I have all their Sins and Sores yet Lord so abundant is thy grace so great is thy skill that if thou wilt thou canst with a word forgive the one and heal the other and why should I doubt of thy good will when to save me will cost thee now but one loving smile who didst shew thy self so willing to redeem me though it should cost thee all thy heart-blood and now offerest so graciously unto me the assured pledge of my Redemption by thy blood Who am I O Lord God and what is my merit that thou hast bought me with so dear a price It is merely thy mercy and I O Lord am not worthy the least of all thy mercies much less to be partaker of this holy Sacrament the greatest pledge of the greatest mercy that ever thou didst bestow upon those sons of men whom thou lovest