and makes them instrumental to carry on a most glorious design How often doth God convince and affect the hearts of sinners by those Lectures which he reads to them out of the book of the creature Yea sometimes the wheelings and turnings about of States and Nations in the world sometimes the changes that come upon mens persons or estates are strangely improved for the change of their hearts Sometimes an evil feared or felt a good hoped for or enjoyed expectation frustrated or hope deferred comforts multiplied or turned into crosses prayers heard or denyed are sanctified and bless'd for spiritual and soul-advantage yea there are many men had not been happy if others had not been miserable the fall and ruine of some hath proved the rise of others Oh the wheel in the middle of a wheel Thus you have heard something of the motion of this divine wheel I but you do not see it For Thirdly This is a mystery a very great mystery for it is a wheel in the middle of a wheel a wheel that no mortal eye ever saw a wheel that the most sublime understanding cannot reach and as the wheel it self is a divine secret hid in the brightness of its own glory so is its motion And therefore saith the Psalmist Psal 77.19 Thy way O God is in the sea thy paths in the great waters and thy footsteps are not known And again Psal Thy way is in the Sanctuary I in that Sanctuary into which none can enter but the high Priest unless the Veil be rent Hence comes the prophetick Spirit to be of use in its time for had men been able to foresee the plotting and contrivances of divine providence or to trace it in its workings the Spirit of Prophecy had not been so necessary as it was And therefore God raiseth up an Ezekiel and by an immediate vision instructs him that he might let the people understand their future state and condition and indeed 't is in Gods light that we see light 'T is true external wheels are visible instruments and agents may be seen I but as the wheel within the wheel is invisible so are all its workings upon the wheels untill they are brought off And therefore is that counsel given Prov. 27.1 Beast not thy self of to morrow for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth Time travelleth with divine counsels and in its season brings them forth I but little do men know what is in the womb thereof untill she be delivered And therefore saith the Lord Es 55.9 As the heavens are above the earth so are my wayes above your wayes and my thoughts above your thoughts And indeed an infinite mind must needs have transcendent conceptions and thoughts such as are above the reach of a finite mind Now the wayes of God being correspondent to the thoughts of God they must needs be very dark and mysterious unto us And hence it is that men talk so much of dark and complexed providences Not that there is any daskness in them Non caeco impâ—tu volvuntur rotae the wheels are not carried on blindly No! but because their motion is above our apprehension And therefore 't is said ver 18. As for their Rings they were so light that they were dreadful Things that are above our reach are not only Soul-amazing but sometimes Soul-terrifying and do put us in a posture of fear and trembling When we know not what to think of things we are apt to dread them that which is an object of admiration is sometimes a cause of fear and dread Hence it is that sometimes those providential administrations that are big with Soul-merâ—iâ—s and refreshing comforts are by our dark understandings mis-represented and rendred as dreadful to us as if they were nothing else but signs of divinâ— wrath and vengeance Even as Christs walking upon the Sea towards his Disciples for their relief and comfort put them into a pannick fear because they thought that they had seen a Spirit However whether this be alwayes the effect or not yet this is certain that providential plots and works are very high very mysterious We may say more truly of God then we can of any man that he walks in the clouds that of the Psalmist Psal 18.9 if full for the purpose He bowed the heavens and came down and darkness was under his feet And again He made darkness his secret place For the truth is nothing of God or the counsels of God is further known then he is pleased to reveal And so the Apostle argues 1 Cor. 2.11 For what man knoweth the things of a man save the spirit of a man which is in him even so no man knoweth the things of God but the spirit of God Hence it is that four things fall out frequently 1. Carnal reason confuted 2. Carnal confidence and hope disappointed 3. Unbelief reproved 4. A well grounded faith honoured and confirmed First Carnal reason is often confuted by the mysteriousness of providential administration for they often tell the rational and wise men of the world that their apprehensions and assertions are a meer non sequitur And therefore Saint Paul 1 Cor. 1.20 Triumphs over them with four sarcasmal questions Where is the Wise Where is the Scribe Where is the Disputer of this world Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this-world Where are they alas they are forced to get into an hole and to hide their heads as men confounded and amazed one act of providence scatters them and makes them fly at least strikes them dead dumb They that were continually scribling cannot now write And they that thought themselves the only wise and knowing men now see that they know nothing And they that would never be quiet but would be ready to quarrel with every one they met with that were of a contrary opinion and spake wisdom among them that are perfect are now silent for that which they accounted reason and wisdom appears to be folly and that which they accounted folly appears to be reason and wisdom Oh what a change doth a divine providence work in some mens heads at least what a check doth it give to some mens apprehensions And hence is that counsel given by the Lord himself to all such men Zech. 2. ult Be silent O all flesh before the Lord for he is raised out of his holy habitation And oh that men were so wise as to take this counsel in due time Secondly Hence it is that carnal confidence and hope is often disappointed Men sow the wind and reap the whirl-wind expect good and meet with evil look for light and behold darkness So Mich. 1.12 The inhabitants of Maroth waited carefully for good but evil came down from the Lord. Thirdly Hence also it is that unbelief is often really reproved O fools and slow of heart to believe is a frequent message that an unbeliever meets with in the very acts of divine providence Men will not believe that such and such
act as to relieve himself by an indirect course for he would not take the name of God upon him in vain he had rather die then do it Now when God hath thus drawn out the desires of the soul after grace then he gives in such a measure as shall preserve it and keep it from yielding to the temptation and Beloved it is a gratious relief to be kept in an holy and gratious frame of heart under a strong and powerful temptation 't is worthy of a Christians taking notice thereof So doth the Prophet this poor man cried and the Lord heard him Psal 34.6 Beloved if you be never so poor yet if God draws out your hearts after him in prayer you shall be kept that you shall not take any indirect course to help your selves but be able to say as David of himself this poor man cried and the Lord heard him As prayer is the desire of the soul formed into requests and petitions so crying is the importunity of the soul in prayer Petitions and requests presented to God with an humble and reverential boldness it is a wrestling with God for a blessing a perseverance in prayer with an holy resolution not to be put off Now 't is the poor that thus crys sense of want that pinches the soul joyned with some hopes of obtaining makes the soul to cry and he that crys shall be heard Divine relief shall come in to help it in this time of need Thus you see how relief comes in to a good man in the want of all outward comforts Secondly When the strength of the outward man fails And this is properly the failing of the flesh when a man is in a consumptive condition God smites the body and then the flesh wasts the beauty thereof fades and the senses grow dull and heavy The Prophet David had great experience hereof and therefore often mentions it in his Psalms Psal 38.10 my strength faileth and Psal 109.24 my flesh faileth of fatness and Psal 69.3 mine eyes fail He was brought low even to the mouth of the grave but Divine relief came in As you may see Psal 116.6 I was brought low and he helped me God sometimes raises a man from the very gates of death and gives him a new life restores him to his former health and strength But if God doth not thus by a gratious man yet he shall have cause to say the Lord is the strength of my heart in this weak and low estate and condition Divine relief shall be given to him 1. To support and strengthen him to bear his affliction with patience the power and grace of God is wonderfully seen in bearing up the spirits when the body sinks and in giving grace to exercise patience under the pains and sorrows of death you have heard saith Saint James of the patience of Job Jam. 5.11 As you heard of his corporal affliction how soarly he was handled so you have heard of his patience how gratiously he was he was supported that he could bear his affliction without murmuring or repining 't is true it made him groan I but the stroke was heavier then his groaning As he saith Job 23.2 Even to day is my complaint bitter my stroke is heavier then my groaning The spirit of a man will sustain corporal infirmities when God sustains the spirit Now patience under afflictions is equivalent to a deliverance from them to be able to bear an affliction is as great a mercy as to be freed from it if God rebukes the feavour of impatiency and thereby cures that it is as much as to rebuke a bodily distemper and thereby to cure it So you may see 1 Cor. 10.13 There hath no temptation taken you but that which is common to man but God is faithful who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able but will with the temptation also make a way to â—scape that ye may be able to bear it i. e. I can assure you that thus far you shall be set free from your temptations afflictions that you shal be able to bear them This is a gratious relief for there is no affliction but impatiency makes a greater affliction many afflict themselves when God doth not and many afflict themselves more then God doth their impatiency first makes their groaning heavier then their stroke and then their stroke heavier then it is in it self 2. Divine relief and strength comes into the heart of a good man in this consumptive condition to renew the inward man as the outward man decays So saith the Apostle 2 Cor. 4.16 Though our outward man perish yet our inward man is renewed day by day As God pulls down the old house the house of clay he frames and erects a new building that shall abide for ever So that a Christian may say as Peter Martyr said when he was dying My body is weak my mind is well well for the present and it will be better for the future The flesh and spirit of a good man are like two buckets when the flesh goeth down the spirit gets up he is ever best within when he is worst without when the body is going down to the earth from whence it came the soul is ascending to heaven from whence it came And you have a gratious promise for it Psal 92.13 14. Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God They shall still bring forth fruit in their old age they shall be fat and flourishing Old age shall have green fruit upon it When â—he flesh proves the most barren the spirit is most fruitful a true Christian never flourisheth so much as when old age hath nipt the flesh and it is a lovely sight to see gray hairs a consumptive body and a withered face fat and flourishing in Holiness and Righteousness to see Summer-fruit upon an old tree in Winter-time and yet thus it is with good Christians their Winter of old age is their most flourishing time When nature is most spent grace comes to its greatest strength and perfection Faith strongest love to God and Christ most enflamed hope most lively and holiness most beautiful and sparkling the greatest beauty in the soul when the body is turning to rottenness and putrifaction When the natural breath smells of the earth the spiritual breath savours most of heaven the eye of the soul most clear in discerning spiritual and heavenly things when the eye of the body grows dim and dark the hand of faith most steady to take hold on Divine promises when the corporal hand shakes with the palsie and the feet of the soul run fastest towards the mark for the price of the high calling in Christ when the bodily feet cannot move So true it is that a Christian may say as S. Paul said When I am weak then am I strong weak in my outward man but strong in the inward 3. Divine relief comes in to the heart of a
interest in God And therefore do not conclude against thy self for though thy hand of faith be grown so weak that it can't take fast hold on God yet Gods hand is strong and that will hold thee fast So saith the Prophet nevertheless I am continually with thee thou hast holden me by my right hand vers 23. God held him fast when he was ready to drop from God He had lost the sense of his interest in God I but his interest in God was not lost God was his God though he did not know it And so God may be thine thou mayst have a sure interest in him although thou canst not find the prints of Gods feet in thy soul nor trace him in his ways of goodness towards thee And know this that it is better for thee to have an interest in God although thou knowest it not then to have strong presumptions and be deceived The want of sense and feeling of our interest in God is no sin though it be a great affliction Christ himself was without sense I he was so deep in it that when he was upon the cross he cried out Why hast thou forsaken me I but a groundless presumption is a sin and leads to eternal ruine None ever perished for want of faith of evidence but hundreds perish for want of faith of adherence Oh blessed is the man who believes and sees not that can say with Job Though he slay me yet will I trust in him Though my flesh fails and my heart fails yet I will believe that he is my strength and portion for ever Thus I have answered this case and so made way to application Vse 1. Hence we may infer the sad and woful condition of those who have no interest in God for they that have no interest in God can expect no relief from God in a time of necessity Wicked men have their failings their flesh fails them sometimes and their hearts fail them but no relief comes from God at those times Of all men they are most to be pityed for there is no help no relief for them If I be wicked saith Job woe unto me Job 10.15 i. e. If I be wicked I can expect no mercy no comfort from God Nay hear what God saith himself to such Esay 65.13 Therefore thus saith the Lord behold my servants shall eat but ye shall be hungry behold my servants shall drink but ye shall be thirsty behold my servants shall rejoyce but ye shall be ashamed behold my servants shall sing for joy of heart but ye shall cry for sorrow of heart and shall bowl for vexation of spirit The meaning is God will not afford them any comfort or relief in times of distress When God invites his own servants to feast with him they must be shut out And if God helps not who can No without me ye shall bow down saith God Esay 10.3 The wounds of the wicked are desperate wounds there is no cure for them Mark that of Job for what portion is there from above and what inheritance of the Almighty from on high is not destruction to the wicked and a strange punishment to the workers of iniquity The latter verse is an answer to the former and the sense is this all the portion and inheritance that the wicked can have from God above is destruction and a strange punishment Job 20.2 3. God is the strength and portion of a godly man when his flesh and heart fails him but the wicked have no other portion from God then utter destruction a strange punishment So Job 20.27 28 29. The heavens shall reveal his iniquity and the earth shall rise up against him the increase of his house shall depart and his goods shall flow away in the day of his wrath This is the portion of a wicked man from God and the heritage appointed to him by God Here is heaven and earth set against him the heavens shall reveal his sin and the earth shall punish him for his sin But is there no relief for him in God No This is the portion of a wicked man from God The case of such a man must needs be very black and dismal when heaven and earth and all the creatures therein are armed against him and mustred up by a Divine Hand Where can he have any relief then If God were for thee 't is no matter what sets it self against thee But if God be against thee 't is no matter what is for thee it will not help thee If misery and destruction be all the portion that God will allow thee there is nothing then can save thee If this be all thou hast to live upon to eternity thou wilt have a miserable living of it Vse 2. Hence all those that have interest in God may fetch comfort here is a well out of which all good men may draw the water of consolation with joy And what can afford greater comfort to you then this Doctrine doth that divine relief shall be administred unto you in time of your necessity when your flesh fails and your heart fails God will be the strength of your heart It is a great comfort to a Merchant-adventurer to have an assurance from the Ensuring Office that his Adventure at Sea shall be made good to him in case the Ship miscarries Even so it may be to a childe of God to have an assurance given him that if all fails him without and within he shall have relief from God Why this Text and Doctrine gives thee an assurance hereof and therefore as Job said hear it diligently and let it be your consolation You may take comfort in your greatest discomforts that you shall have comfort If there be enough in God to relieve and help you you shall not want relief Obj. But the doubting Christian may say I could take comfort in this truth had I not walked so unworthy of that former relief I have received from God I can truly say the Lord hath magnified the riches of his grace upon me but I have abused it and it may be just with him to cast me off for ever He hath helped me when I was in a low condition he hath strengthened me when I was in a weak state but I have not made suitable returns thereunto and therefore how can I expect relief Ans Now to such I have five things to say 1. The unsuitableness of a believer to and his unworthiness of relief cannot stop the current thereof As divine relief is not administred to us upon the account of our worthiness as if we did merit it so our unworthiness of it nor unsuitableness to it shall not prevent it Thy miscarriages may cause God to correct thee with failing of thy flesh and of thy heart but cannot cause God to cast thee off if thou hast an interest in him No that love that moves him to correct thee for thy good will also move him to relieve thee when thou art under the rod of correction
God-praising heart are a greater blessing then fulness with an unthankful spirit and it is a greater mercy for God to give a thankful spirit in a low condition then to advance a man to the highest pinnacle of outward prosperity in the world This I say is a blessed relief that causeth the soul to bless God in the want of all outward comforts 3. When God is pleased to strip a Christian of all his outward comforts he gives in a greater measure of faith that he may depend upon God for a supply So that though he hath nothing to live upon yet he is sure he shall not want for true faith looks not at secondary causes so much as at the word of promise and therefore if all means fail yet as long as the promise fails not a believing soul knows that it shall have a supply although it cannot imagine how or which way she shall have it Now inward supports in time of want and secret intimations of a supply from God in his own way and time are a sweet relief to the soul in that condition So saith David I had fainted unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living Psal 27.13 True faith in God will keep the heart alive when a man hath nothing to live upon and 't is Gods way to fix a Christian most upon the objects of faith when the objects of sense are removed from him when a Christian lives least by fight then he lives most by faith Now as a Christian believes so comfort flows in to him Faith is to a Christian in stead of all things for it is the substance of things hoped for Heb. 11.1 What ever a man wants yet if he believes truly he hath the substance of that which he hopes for A Christian hopes for great things greater comforts more enlargments and heaven at last Why faith is the substance of all He that lives by faith hath the substance of heaven to live upon and that must needs be a sweet relief to the soul in a time of need It is the Christians comfort that he hath a durable and a lasting state that will never fail him and that he hath a God to go to that will not fail him but will give him such an allowance as shall maintain him till he comes to his journeys end where he shall be put into a full possession and fruition of it 4. Those small repasts which come from the hand of Divine Providence to uphold a Christian under his wants are filled so full of Divine Blessing and strength that he can truly say I have enough A man would think that pulse and water would afford but little nourishment I but Divine Blessing filled it full of strength that Daniel felt no want of better chear Let a Raven be the Prophets Caterer and if Divine Blessing attends the provision as it did he shall walk in the strength thereof forty days and not faint Though poor Christians in these days do not live upon Divine miracles yet they live upon Divine wonders that makes them sometime wonder how they live they cannot but see a Divine hand in giving what they have and then in blessing it beyond expectation for though they want much of that which others do enjoy yet they enjoy that which others want and this makes them healthful and chearful in their wants There is many a poor Christian that hath more joy in one day then thousands that enjoy the treasure of the earth and why It proceeds from this very ground the good mans little is given in love with a heart-chearing blessing while the wicked mans plentiful estate is given in wrath and with a curse upon it hence is that of Solomon Prov. 15.16 Better is a little with the fear of the Lord then great treasure and trouble therewith i. e. they that fear the Lord have not that trouble with their little which they that do not fear the Lord have with their great treasure and therefore the good mans little is better then the wicked mans great treasure The good mans little comes with a blessing for a blessing rests upon a good man and all that he hath be it little or much Now a Divine blessing ever gives strength and vertue to any means Let it be never so poor and weak of it self yet Divine Blessing makes it mighty and efficacious so that it is no matter what a Christian hath to live upon if the blessing of God goeth along with it 5. When God strips a good man of all he hath he then pours forth a mighty spirit of prayer for a fulness of grace to maintain the life of holiness in this estate He that hath nothing without to live upon and but a small stock of grace within will have much ado to rub through and a gratious soul is sensible hereof and therefore God is pleased to draw out the desires of his soul after a greater measure then yet he hath attained and indeed when outward wants meet with a soul that is full of grace they do not make such an impression upon it as when they meet with one that hath but little the empty vessel makes the greatest noise and empty Christians are fullest of complaints until a spirit of prayer is poured forth upon them whereby they attain an inward fulness and this keeps and maintains a spirit of holiness in them I confess he that prospers and thrives in the world stands in need of a large measure of grace to keep his heart holy in that estate and so he that is low in the world stands in need of a great measure of grace also or else he may miscarry There is one eminent rock upon which poor people are very apt to split and hazzard their immortal souls and that is the use of indirect and unlawful means for their relief and subsistence in the world Hence is that prayer of Agur Prov. 30.6 7 give me neither poverty nor riches feed me with food convenient for me least I be full and deny thee and say Who is the Lord Or least I be poor and steal and take the name of my God in vain Mark this least I be poor and steal Noting out that poverty hath this temptation attending it if grace prevents not poor men will be prompted to use some indirect course for their subsistence they 'l steal rather then want what they desire I but a good man dare not do thus This in him would be not only a breach of the eighth command but also of the third It is a taking the name of God in vain for this is a certain truth that whosoever takes upon him the profession of Christian Religion and yet departs not from iniquity he takes the name of God in vain now a true Christian in whom the fear of the Lord is planted dreads this and therefore crys mightily unto God to keep and preserve him that he may not do so unworthy an
And so in respect of suffering let the providence of God support and comfort you I have read this of Chrysostom that when Eudoxia procured his banishment He said thus None of these things trouble me but I said within my self if the Queen will let her banish me the earth is the Lords and the fulness thereof if she will let her saw me asunder Isaiah suffered the same if she will let her cast me into the Sea I will remember Jonah if she will let her cast me into a fiery furnace or amongst wilde beasts the three children and Daniel were so dealt with if she will let her stone me I have Stephen and the Baptist for my blessed companions go tell her nil nisi peccatum timeo Thus should we support and comfort our hearts by the providences of God exercised towards others and especially by the comforts that others have received from God in the same sufferings and torments that we at any time do or may endure Bishop Ridley writing to Latimer in Prison saith ever since I heard of our dear Brother Rogers his stout confession and departing I never felt any lumpish heaviness in my heart as sometimes I did before And further when you hear or read of the providence of God in preventing evil determined by evil instruments against his Church and people this should raise your spirits to a greater pitch of consolation and holy courage And indeed how many wonders hath God at all times wrought in preserving and hiding his Saints and people from intended and designed plots of mischief and ruine is almost incredible I remember what is recorded in the life of Dionysius Areopagita that when he was caused by Sifinius the Prefect to be thrown to hungry wilde beasts they would not tear him and into an hot Oven it would not burn him The like is reported of S. Ambrose for a certain wizard sent his spirits to kill him but they returned answer that God had hedg'd him in as he did Job another came with a sword to his bed side to have killed him but he could not stir his hand until repenting he was restored by the prayer of S. Ambrose to the use of his hands again So the Circumcellians being not able to withstand S. Austins preaching and writing sought his destruction having beset the way wherein he was to go his visitation but by Gods Providence he missing his way escaped the danger And one saith of Luther That Luther a poor Frier should be able to stand against the Pope was a miracle that he should prevail against the Pope was a greater and after all to die in peace having so many enemies was the greatest of all When this was represented unto Moses in a type it did much affect his heart Oh saith he I will turn aside and see this great sight Exod. â— 2 3 4. It was a great and glorious sight to see the bush in the fire not consumed but more to see the Church under great persecution and yet not destroyed the people of God maligned and opposed and yet to live this is a miracle a soul comforting providence But oh then what a surpassing comfort doth the consideration of Gods improving providences afford to the Saints those providences I mean whereby he doth extract the best good out of the worst evil So that the soul may say as S. Paul of a great evil I know that this shall turn to my salvation Phil. 1.19 And therefore I rejoyce So 2 Cor. 12.9 10. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in mine infirmities And again Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities in reproaches in necessities in persecutions in distresses for Christs sake for when I am weak then am I strong S. Pauls weakness was converted into strength he never was so strong in the inward man as when he was weakest in the outward and herein he rejoyced God doth ever bring about some glorious design as it were at a back door and a contrary way that the wrath of man shall praise God And doth not this speak comfort and courage to the people of God in all their dark and cloudy fits surely it doth and that which kills the hearts of others may be the greatest reviver of their hearts For their greatest sorrows shall turn to their greatest joy and their extremity of miseries shall prove their highest glories their Winter shall bring forth a flourishing Spring and their mournful Seed-time a most plentiful Harvest And therefore let me exhort you in the words of the holy Apostle Heb. 12.12 Lift up the hands which hang down and the feeble knees Be not dismayed or discouraged at any thing that falleth out For know that there is a wheel within a wheel that worketh and moveth in all things yea that ordereth and disposeth them so that not one iota or tittle of Gods counsel shall fail of accomplishment Melancthon knowing the rage of the Papists and Cesar's threats was much troubled and gave himself wholly up to grief sighs and tears Whereupon Luther writes to him thus I extreamly dislike your excessive cares with which you say you are almost consumed If the cause be bad let us revoke it and fly back If it be good why do we not trust God in his promises If Christ be the Conquerour of the World why should we fear it as if it would overcome us As for Luther himself he had an undaunted Spirit For when our King Henry the eighth had written bitterly against him He makes this Answer Let the Henries the Bishops the Turk and the Devil himself do what they can we are the Children of the Kingdom worshipping and waiting for that Saviour whom they and such as they spit upon and crucifie The truth is there is no condition whereunto the Church of God in general or any Christian in particular can fall but they may hold up their heads and lift up their hearts to an high pitch of consolation therein if they do but lay the providence of God to heart and consider how that works in all to bring about the will of God They may say as Shecaniah said to Ezra There is yet hope in Israel concerning this thing And as Mordecai to Hester Comfort and deliverance shall come And as Saint Paul to the Corinthians in the temptation God will make a way for an escape He hath delivered he doth deliver and in him we trust that he will deliver What though Satan and all the confederates of darkness were now at work to destroy one Soul and to pluck it out of the hand of Christ yet providence will preserve it What though Antichrist and his adherents are combining and plotting against Christ and his members his truths and ordinances yet providence will over-shadow them And Beloved if every Errour in the Nation were an hundred and every Heretick a thousand yet truth and the professors thereof shall prevail Acts 5.38 Providence hath her secret waies of working that cannot be found out and though
will suffer me to do is to hand out a coal from the Text and to convey a quickning beam from the Sun of truth that shines therein 'T is this Be righteous in your Sphear and temperate in your Spirits and actings for there is a future Judgement wherein God will call you to an account 'T is reported of Augustus that he enforced all the Roman Knights to give an account of their lives sure I am God will We must all saith the Apostle 2 Cor. 5.10 appear before the judgement-seat of Christ that every one may receive the things done in the body Mark this we must all appear for no man is either above or past Judgement No! They that sit in Judgement upon others must come to Judgement And they that take an account must give an account and they that pass the sentence of Judgement upon others here must receive a Sentence themselves above for with God there is no respect of persons in Judgement All men of what degree and rank soever will be divided into two sorts Sheep and Goats with a venite benedicti to the one and an ite maledicti to the other If the former be your Sentence then you shall enter into your Masters joy but if the latter then nothing but horrour and trembling weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth in that lake that burns with fire and brimstone for ever And therefore I shall say to all here present as the Apostle doth 2 Corinths 5.11 Knowing the terrour of the Lord we perswade men to flee from the wrath to come For neither Riches nor Honours nor Garments No! nor Mountains can shelter or profit you in that day Nothing but righteousness will deliver from death and without question it was the apprehension and belief of this that made guilty Felix tremble or as the Syrian hath it fill'd him with fear As the earth fill'd with vapours trembles and quakes so this made an earth quake in his conscience as the Hand-writing upon the wall did in carousing Belshazzars a sign that Fear was in its height and reing The sinners in Sion are afraid saith the Prophet Esay 33.14 fearfulness hath surprized the hypocrite and why so Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings For I can assure you that Hell is no painted Fire nor like the crackling of thorns under a pot that make a blaze but is soon extinct No! the element of Fire is but a dark and shadowy resemblance of Hell-fire For as it is far more tormenting so it is everlasting and that adds to the misery of that Soul that must endure it Oh when the Soul must be alwayes suffering and yet never satisfie and alwayes dying and yet never die this must needs be intolerable And therefore I do most humbly beseech all guilty persons to consider this and seriously to lay it to heart that you may tremble so here as not to tremble hereafter and so to repent here as you may not repent when it is too late And in particular give me leave to make my address to all you that are concern'd in the work of the day And I do as earnestly beg it of you that no cause may be pleaded at either of the Bars here but that which may have an Advocate in the Judgement to come and that those things and nothing else may be Presented and Endicted but what will be presentable in the Judgement to come and that if possible no Bill may be found but that which will be found to be a Billa vera in the Judgement to come And that none of you do take an Oath but that which will appear to have been taken in Truth Judgement and Righteousness in the Judgement to come And last of all that no Evidence be given either in Civil or Criminal causes but such as will have the testimony of a good Conscience in the Judgement to come For else even in this life when a Lecture shall be read to you of Righteousness Temperance and Judgement to come you may be brought to tremble for so was Felix As you have it in the Text As S. Paul reasoned of Righteousness Temperance and Judgement to come Felix trembled FINIS THE MOST Remarkable Man UPON EARTH Or the true Portraicture OF A SAINT As to his Birth Life and Death Delivered in a Sermon at the Celebration of the Funeral of Mr. Francis Bowtel of Parham in High Suffolk Jan. 14. 1668. By Samuel Blackerby Minister of the Gospel at Stow Market LONDON Printed for Nevil Simons at the Princes Arms in S. Paul's Church Yard 1674. To the truly Honoured Barnaby Bowtel Of Parham Hasta Esq With Madam MAGDALEN his Lady Grace and Peace THe preaching of the Sermon which I here present you with and the choice of the Text preached on at the Funeral of Mr. Francis Bowtel your deceased Father were as you inform me his dying Requests and conceived in his Breast some time before But had the choice of the Preacher and the Text been left to me I should have chosen a Newcomen or an Harris for the Preacher And know you not that a great man is fallen this day in Israel for the Text. The Task was so much the harder and more difficult for me to undertake because confined to so little time at so great a distance in the depth of Winter in a croud of Business and also having never preached on the Text before But verba morientis his Desires were as Commands to me and therefore since it was as it was I must humbly beg of you to receive the Sermon as it is without emendation or correction The Reason why I refused to print it when desired by one or both of you was because then I was utterly averse to that work but now being drawn thereunto I cannot but account my self obliged to conjoyn this with some others that I may lie no longer under the censure of Ingratitude and also that the memory of so worthy and remarkable a Person may be revived and perpetuated I know that Funeral Sermons are mostly made but matters of form and men come to them as to a great Feast The first course wherein God is most concern'd is lightly passed over The second wherein Man is represented is commonly most expected and stood upon but herein I was prevented and 't is like did frustrate the expectation of my Auditors partly by reason of my short acquaintance with him and partly that I might not give an alarm to my own people at home and provoke their Spirits to accuse me of partiality in serving them up with the first without the second even at the Funerals of some persons of great worth for true Piety and Godliness And yet I hope without offence I may take liberty to write that of him now which I did not then speak As to his natural Pedigree I shall not concern my self nor the Reader with it for his spiritual is chiefly in mine