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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
heaven_n	angel_n	face_n	see_v	3,670	5	4.2043	3	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A29694	A heavenly cordial for all those servants of the Lord that have had the plague ... , or, Thirteen divine maximes, or conclusions, in respect of the pestilence which may be as so many supports, comforts and refreshing springs, both to the visited and preserved people of God in this present day : also ten arguments to prove that in times of common calamity the people of God do stand upon the advantage ground as to their outward preservation and protection ... : also eight reasons why some of the precious servants of the Lord have fallen by the pestilence in this day of the Lords anger / by Thomas Brooks.	Brooks, Thomas, 1608-1680.	1666 (1666)	Wing B4948; ESTC R29135	31,420	88

peculiar people and delights in them as the chosen and choycest of all others The whole world lyes in wickedness John 1. 5. 19. By this also 't is evident that the people of God stand upon the advantage ground for their preservation and protection above all others in the world Fifthly If you consider the common carriage and deportment of God towards his people in former times of calamities and great Judgments Did he not provide an Ark for righteous Noah so that Noah was safer in his Ark of three Stories high than Nimrod and his crew were in their Tower of Babel raised to the height of five thousand Heyl. Cosm l. 3. one hundred fourty six paces as is reported And did he not provide a Zoar for righteous Lot Hesiod speaks of thirty thousand Demy-gods that were keepers of men But what are so many thousand gods to that one God that neither Psal 121. 3 4 5. Isa 27. 3. slumbers nor sleeps but day and night keeps his people as his Jewels as the apple of his eye that keepeth them in his pavilion as a Psal 31. 20. Prince keeps his Favourite Princes have their retiring rooms and withdrawing Chambers which are sacred places and so hath God his and there he shelters the Favourites of Heaven Gods gracious Providence is his golden Cabinet where his children are as safe as if they were in Heaven See Isa 49. 2. Isa 26. 20 21. Jer. 36. 26. Psal 83. 3. They have consulted against thy hidden ones hidden under the hollow of thy hand and under the shadow of thy wing and therefore safe from dangers in the midst of dangers Jer. 39. 16 17 18. How wonderfully did he preserve the three children or rather the three Non-conformable Champions from burning in the midst of the flames Dan. 3. and Daniel from being devoured in the Lyons Den Dan. 6. And so Gods mourning ones were his marked ones and his saved and preserved ones when the destroying Angel slew old and young c. Ezek. 9. 4 6. And reverend Beza and his Family was four several times visited with the Plague and yet as often preserved as they were visited and this good man was very much refreshed and comforted under that and other sore afflictions that befell him by that Psal 91. which made him the more highly to prize it and the more dearly to hugg it all his dayes as himself witnesseth in his Writings on this Psalm There is a Dialogue between an Heathen and a Jew after the Jewes return from captivity all Nations round about them being enemies to them The Heathen asked the Jew How he and his Countreymen could hope for any safety because saith he every one of you is a silly sheep compassed about with fifty wolves I but saith the Jew we are kept by such a Shepheard as can kill all those wolves when he pleaseth Now by all this also 't is evident that the people of God stand upon the advantage ground as to their preservation and protection above all other people in the world Sixthly If you consider the life-guard of the Saints the ministry Gen. 32. 1 2 Dan. 6. 21 22. Acts 12. 11 15. Acts 27. 23 2 Kings 6. 14 15 16 17. Acts 5. 18. of the blessed Angels that alwayes attends them Psal 91. 11. For he shall give his Angels charge over thee to keep thee in all thy wayes vers 12. They shall bear thee up in their hands least thou dash thy foot against a stone Psal 37. 7. The Angels of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him and delivereth them Matth. 18. 10. Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones for I say unto you that in heaven their Angels do alwayes behold the face of my Father which is in Heaven Heb. 1. The Heathens had some blind notions concerning the Angels and their ministry as may be seen in the writings of Plato Plutarch Hesiod the Greek Poet could say that there were thirty thousands of them here on Earth keepers of mortal men and observers of their works 14. Are they not all ministring spirits sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation The world may deprive us of many outward comforts but they can never deprive us of the ministry of the Angels When the servants of God are hated by men persecuted by men and forsaken of men yet they are then visited and attended by Angels Princes have their guards but what poor what weak what contemptible guards are theirs to those legions of Angels that daily guard the Saints When men can clip the wings of Angels and imprison or pinion these heavenly souldiers then and not till then shall they be able to have their wills upon the poor people of God Oh the honour the dignity the safety and security of the Saints in a life guard so full of state and strength Well may we say Come taste and see how gracious the Lord is in affording his children so glorious an attendance Now by this argument as well as the rest 't is evident that the people of God stand upon the advantage ground as to their outward preservation and protection above all other people in the world Seventhly If you consider that they are the onely people that do Deut. 4. 6 7 8 9. Joh. 4. 23 24. bear up the name and glory of God in the world they are the onely people that worship God in spirit and in truth and from such worshippers 't is that God hath the incomes of his glory The holy hearts the holy lives the holy examples the holy wayes the holy walkings and the holy worship that is performed by the Saints are the springs from whence all divine honour rises to the Lord in this world The people of God are Deut. 26. 17. 18. Psal 116. 16. Psal 22. 30 the onely people in the world that have chosen him for their God and that have given themselves up to his service and thus they honour his goodness The people of God are the onely people in the Gen. 24 12 Psal 48. 14. world who in the times of their fears doubts darknesses distresses straits trials dangers c. do consult with God as their great Counsellour as their onely Counsellour and thus they honour his admirable wisdom and infinite knowledge The people of God are the onely people in the world that do make God their refuge their strong tower their Psal 46. 1 7 11. Prov. 18. 10. Psal 32. 7. Psal 119. 114. Psal 20. 7. shelter their hiding place in stormy and tempestuous dayes and thus they honour the Power All-sufficiency Soveraignty and Authority of God Wicked men trust in their Chariots and Horses and Armies and Navies and Revenues and Carnal Policies and sinful shifts devices and ferches when the poor people of God do not dare to trust in their swords nor in their bows nor in their wealth nor in their wit nor in their friends nor

hear Sermon more nor never read the Word more nor never enjoy the prayers of the people of God more nor never taste any of the dainties of Gods House more c. Fourthly It will put a full period to the patience forbearance and long-suffering of God Rom. 2. 4 5. Fifthly It will put a full period to all the pleasures of sin Now the sinner shall never have one merry day more In Hell there is no singing but howling no musick but madness no sporting but sighing no dancing but wringing or hands and gnashing of teeth for evermore c. Sixthly It will put a full period to all gracious reprieves The sinner in his life time hath had many a reprieve from many executions of wrath and judgement Oh but now he shall never have one reprieve more Seventhly It will put a full period to all the strivings of the Holy Spirit Now the Spirit shall Gen. 6. 3. Rev. 3. 20. never strive with the sinner more now Christ will never knock at the sinners door at the sinners heart more c. Eighthly and lastly It will put a full period to all gracious examples Now the sinner shall never cast his eye upon one gracious example more The sinner in his life time hath had many gracious examples before his eyes which it may be at times have had an awakening convincing silenceing and restraining power in them Oh but now he shall never have his eye upon one pious example more All hell will not afford one good example In a word now the sinner shall find by woful experience that death will be an inlet to three dreadful things 1. To judgement Heb. 9. 27. 2. To an irreversible sentence of condemnation Matth. 25. 41. 3. To endless easeless and remediless sufferings Not many years since in the Town of Yarmouth there was a young man who being very weak and nigh to the grave and under the apprehensions of the wrath of God and supposing that he was presently going down to the Pit to Hell he cried out O that God would spare me but two dayes O that God would spare me but two dayes O that God would spare me but two dayes This poor creature trembled at the very thoughts of wrath to come O who can dwell with everlasting burning who can dwell with a devouring fire Isa 33. 14. And as death is terrible to the sinner so it is desirable comfortable and joyful to a Child of God Cant. 8. ult Luke 2. 27 28 29 30 31 32. 2 Cor. 5. 1 2 4 8. Phil. 1. 23. Rev. 22. 20 I desire death saith Melancthon that I may enjoy the desirable sight of Christ And When will that blessed hour come when shall I be dissolved when shall I be with Christ said holy Mr. Bolton when he lay on his dying bed Jewel was offended at one that in his sickness prayed for his life One whom I knew well a little before his death after a sharp conflict cryed out three times Victory Much more to this purpose you may find in my Saints Portion and in my String of Pearls Victory Victory he breathed out his soul his Doxology together Thanks be to God for Jesus Christ and so conquered Satan in his last encounter The dying words of my young Lord Harrington were these O my God when shall I be with thee Shall I die ever saith Austin yes or shall I die at all yes sayes he Lord if ever why not now When Modestus the Emperours Lieutenant threatned to kill Basil he answered If that be all I fear not yea your Master cannot more pleasure me than in sending of me unto my heavenly Father to whom I now live and to whom I desire to basten Mr. Deering a little before his death being raised up in his bed and seeing the Sun shine was desired to speak his mind upon which he said There is but one Sun that giveth light to the whole world but one righteousness one communion of saints as concerning death I see such joy of spirit that if I should have pardon of life on the one side and sentence of death on the other I had rather chuse a thousand times to die than to live So Mr. John Holland lying at the point of death said What brightness do I see and being told it was the sun-shine No saith he My Saviour shines now farewel world welcome heaven the day-star from on high hath visited me Preach at my funeral God dealeth comfortably and familiarly with man I feel his mercy I see his majesty whether in the body or out of the body I cannot tell God he knoweth but I see things that are unutterable Mr. Knox found so much comfort from the Scriptures upon his death-bed that he would have risen and have gone into the Pulpit to tell others what he had felt in his soul And by that information that I have had from some good hands several precious Christians that have lately died of the plague have gone to heaven under as high a spirit of joy of comfort of assurance and of a holy triumph as any of the last mentioned worthies or as any other that ever I heard of or read of the remembrance of which hath been and still is a singular Cordial to all their relations and friends that yet survive them But as I was saying No godly man falls in any Common Calamity till his glasse be run and his work done so I say of all those dear servants of the Lord that have fallen by the pestilence in the midst of us their hour was come and John 7. 30. chap. 8. 19 20. 2 Tim. 4. 6 7. their course was finished Had God had any further doing work or suffering work or bearing work or witnessing work for them in this world 't was not all the Angels in heaven nor all the malignant diseases in the world that could ever have cut them off from the land of the living When Lazarus was dead his two sisters John 11. 21 32. Martha and Mary came to Christ with tears in their eyes and sad complaints in their mouths Lord if thou hadst been here my brother had not died said Martha and Lord if thou hadst been here my brother had not died said Mary And is not this the common language of many this day when such and such precious Christians have fallen by the pestilence Oh if such a Physitian had been here they had not died or if they had been let blood they had not died or if they had taken such a potion they had not died or if they had eat but of such or such meats they had not died or if they had not lived in such a foggy air they had not died or if they had not been shut up in such close narrow nasty rooms and places they had not died or had they been but so wise and happy as to have applyed such or such a remedy they might have been alive to this day Not

us and quiet us how should this cool us and calm us how should this satisfie us and silence us before the Lord and cause us to lay our hands upon our mouths as David did Psal 39. 9. and as Aaron did Lev. 10. 1 2 3. and as Ely did 1 Sam. 3. 18. and as the Church did Lament 3. 26 27 28 29. Solinus writeth of Hypanis a Scythian Cap. 20. River that the water thereof is very bitter as it passeth thorow Exampius yet very sweet in the spring So the cup of trembling which is this day offered to the children of God is often very bitter at the second hand or as it appears in second causes and yet it is sweet at the first hand yea it is very sweet as it is reacht to them by a hand from heaven and therefore they may well say as their Head and Husband hath done before them Shall we not drink of the Cup that our Father hath given us to drink of c. The Second Divine Maxime or Conclusion is this Viz. The Pestilence and all other Judgements of God are limited as to places Hence it comes to pass that God shoots his arrows of Pestilence into one City and not into another into one Town and not into another into one Family and not into another into one Kingdome and Countrey and not into another Exod. 8. 20 21 22 23. and Exod. 9. 22 23 24 25 26. 2 Sam. 24. 15. Turn to all these Scriptures and ponder upon them The Third Divine Maxime or Conclusion is this Viz. All the Judgements of God are limited not onely to places but also to persons And therefore such and such must fall when such and such must escape and such and such must be infected when such and such are preserved Hence 't is that one is taken in the Bed and the other left one smitten at the Table or in the House and all the rest preserved in perfect health c. God hath numbred so many to the sword and so many to the famine and so many to the pestilence so many to this disease and so many to that 2 Sam. 24. 15 16. Ezek. 11. 5 6 7. Ezek. 5. 12. Ezek. 6. 11 12. Exod. 12. 13. Psal 91. from vers 3. to v. 9. Isa 65. 12. Jer. 15. 2. Ezek. 33. 27. Turn to all these Scriptures and ponder upon them God marks out those persons that he intends to shoot the arrow of pestilence amongst God never shoots at rovers he never draws his bow at a venture but he singles out the persons that he purposes to hit and his arrows flie swiftly and suddenly yet they hit none but those that God hath set up as a mark to shoot at as Job speaks The Fourth Divine Maxime or Conclusion is this Viz. No man knows divine love or hatred by outward dispensations Eccl. 9. 1 2. Luke 13. 4 16. Lam. 4. 6. Dan. 9. 12. Psal 73. 12 13 14 15 21 22. In time of great judgements God sometimes spares those whom his soul hates and abhors Isa 1. 5. Hos 4. 14 17. God sometimes preserves wicked men from great judgements that they may fall by greater judgements as you may see in Sodom and her sisters which were preserved from the slaughter of the four Kings that God might rain down Hell out of Heaven upon them And so Sennacherib escapes the stroke of the destroying Angel that he might fall by the sword of his own sons Isa 37. 37 38. And as in times of great judgements God sometimes spares those sinners that his soul hates so in times of great judgements God takes away those whom his soul dearly loves 2 Cor. 34. 27 28. Turn to it In all the considerable plagues that have been in this Nation how many precious Christians have fallen by the sword and by the hand of the destroying Angel when many thousands of Balaks and Balaams I mean the worst of men have escaped the sword the plague c. And is there any thing more obvious and notorious this day than this surely not The Fifth Divine Maxime or Conclusion is this Viz. The Lord sometimes takes away his dearest people by some one judgement that so he may by that means deliver them from many judgements and sometimes he takes away his people by one great judgement that so they may escape many other greater judgements that he intends to bring upon the Earth And thus good Josiah was slain in battel yet because he lived not to see the woful miseries of succeeding times he is said to go to his grave in peace 2 Chron. 34. 27 28. Turn to it Henoch lived long in a little time and God took him to heaven before he brought a sweeping Flood upon the world but he fore seeing the Flood named his son Methuselah that is to say He dyeth and the dart or flood cometh and so it fell out for no sooner was his head laid but in came the Flood And so Augustine was taken out of the world before Hyppo was taken by the Vandals And so Paraus was gotten to his better Countrey before Heidelbergh and the Palatinate was delivered into the power of the enemies Ambrose is said to have been the Walls of Italy and when he died the Earl Stilico said That his death did threaten destruction to that Countrey And when Luther was laid in his grave then troubles wars desolations and confusions came in upon Germany like a flood The righteous are taken away Isa 57. 1. from the evil to come and their death is a sad presage of sore and signal calamities that are hastening upon the world Of late many precious servants of Christ are fallen asleep but who knows what a day of wrath is coming When a man cuts down his chiefest timber-trees it is an argument that he intends to part with his land and how many tall Cedars in this our Lebanon hath God lately cut down in the midst of us Therefore we have eminent cause to be importunate with God that he would neither part with this Nation nor depart from this Nation When some fatal judgement hovers like a flying fiery scrole over a Nation God many times gathers many of his choice servants unto himself that he may preserve them from the evil to come The Sixth Divine Maxime or Conclusion is this Viz. None of Gods judgements upon his people ever make any change or alteration of Gods affections towards his people However his hand may be against them yet his love his heart his favour his affections in Jesus is still one and the same to them Isa 54. 7 8 9 10. Isa 49. 14 15 16. Psal 89. 31 32 33 34. Jer. 31. 3● 35 36 37. compared Malach. 3. 6. John 13. 3. James 1. 17. Ponder seriously upon all these Scriptures So when God sent the plague upon Davids people and that for Davids sin too yet how sweetly how lovingly how tenderly how compassionately how indulgently doth the Lord carry it towards David himself 2

Jerusalem was surrounded with many great high mountains which were a great safeguard to it against all winds and storms such a shelter such a safeguard yea and a better Zech. 2. 5. will God be to mystical Mount Sion the Church against all winds and storms of affliction or persecution Psal 121. 3 4. He that keepeth thee will not slumber behold he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep He repeats the promise and sets it forth with a behold that it may stick the closer and warm our hearts the better The phrase is taken from Watchmen who stand on the walls in time of war to discover the approaching enemies and accordingly give warning Now though they may be careless treacherous or sleepy yet the Lord will be so far from sleeping that he will not so much as slumber no he will not so much as fetch one wink of sleep It hath been a tradition that Oppianus Plin. Hist lib. 3. cap. 3. Lions sleep not yet to think or say that they sleep not at all were absurd indeed their eye-lids being too little to cover their great eyes they do sleep with their eyes somewhat open and shining which hath occasioned some to think that they sleep not at all But sure I am that the Lion of the Tribe of Judah who is the Keeper of Israel doth neither slumber nor sleep he never shuts his eyes but hath them alwayes open upon his people for good he winks not so much as to the twinkling of an eye he alwayes stands Centinel for his peoples safety Isa 27. 2 3. In that day sing ye unto her a Vineyard of red wine I the Lord do keep it I will water it every moment or as the Hebrew runs at moments or by moments lest any hurt it I will keep it night and day that is constantly continually without intermission And this constant care of God over his people was signified by those two Types the Pillar Exod. 13. 21 22. of Fire and the Pillar of a Cloud that left not Israel till they were in the possession of the Land of Canaan which was a Type of Heaven 8. And lastly 'T is an Active It was a strange speech of Socrates a heathen Since God is so careful for you saith he what need you be careful for any thing your selves Care a care that puts the Lord upon preserving his people and protecting of his people and making provision for his people and standing by his people and pleading the cause of his people and clearing the innocency of his people God is above his people and beneath them Deut. 33. 26 27. He is under them and over them Cant. 2. 6. He is before them and behind them Exod. 33. 1 2. Isa 52. 12. Isa 58. 8. God is in the front of his people and God is in the reer of his people he is on the right hand of his people and he is on the left hand of his people Psal 16. 8. Psal 121. 5. Psal 118. 15 16. Exod. 14. 22 God made the waters as a wall on their right hand and on their left God is round about his people Psal 34. 7. Psal 125. 1 2. and in the midst of his people Zech. 2. 5. Psal 46. 5. God is in the midst of her Isa 12. 6. Oh how safe are they that are under such a glorious care God is above his people and beneath them he is under them and over them he is before them and behind them he is in the front and in the rear he is round about them and in the midst of them Now what doth all this speak out but that the care of God towards his people is an active Care If the Phylosopher could say being in danger of Shipwrack in a light starry night Surely I shall not perish there are so many eyes of providence over me Oh then what may the Saints say Now by this argument 't is evident that the people of God stand upon the advantage ground as to their outward preservation and protection above all other people in the world Tenthly and lastly If you do but consider Gods great anger and deep displeasure against those that afflict oppose or oppress his people God sent his people into Babylon and their enemies added to all their sorrows and sufferings but will God put this up at their hands No. Zech. 1. 15. And I am very sore displeased with the heathen that are at case for I was but a little displeased and they helped forward the affliction I am very sorely displeased c. Or as Zeketseph from Ketseph which properly signifies such anger as causeth soaming and frothing as the tumultuous water tossed with the wind Eccl. 6. 17. Zech. 1. 7. boyling or soaming anger the word signifies a servour fierceness or vehemency of anger the Hebrew runs I am in such a heat as causeth fuming and foaming I am boiling hot and even ready to draw upon them and to cut them off from the Land of the Living For the Original word here used hath great affinity with another word that signifieth to cut down and to destroy 2 Kings 6. 6. and importeth an higher degree of displeasure a greater height of heat than either anger or wrath as may be seen in that signal gradation Deut. 29. 28. The Lord rooted them out of their land Beaph in anger Ubechemah and in wrath Ubeketseph and in great indignation The last of these three is the word in the Text and notes a higher degree of anger than the two former So Mal. 1. 4. Whereas Edom saith we are impoverished but we will return and build the desolate places Thus saith the Lord of hosts they shall build but I will throw down and they shall call them the border of wickedness and the people against whom the Lord hath indignation for ever The Edomites were very great enemies to the Israelites they stood looking on laughing and rejoycing at Israels destruction God saw this and it greatly displeased him he being highly sensible of the least indignity done to his people and therefore he is resolved to pay them home in their own coyn Obed. 8. to 19. verse The very name and memory of the Edomites have long since been extinct and blotted out from under heaven they were a people of his wrath Isa 10. 6. and of his curse See Deut. z5 17 18 19. 1 Sam. 15. 1 Chron. 4. 42 43. and compare them together Isa 34. 5. So Amalek was a bitter enemy to Gods Israel but God utterly blots out his remembrance from under heaven and laying his hand upon his Throne he swears that he would have war with Amalek for ever Exod. 17. 14 16. Nahum 1. 2. God is jealous and the Lord revengeth the Lord revengeth and is furious the Lord will take vengeance on his adversaries and he reserveth wrath for his enemies The people of God ought to rest satisfied and assured that God sees and smiles and looks and laughs at