day But alas what can the earth affoord simile aut secundum that is like vnto that joy which shall fill ouerflow all the hearts of the godly whē Christ shal bring vp to the Heauens his Church which is his Wife his faire Loue hauing Doues eyes within her Locks being cloathed and crowned with the glorie of himselfe what tong cā expresse nay what heart can conceiue what joy glorie shal be there where the Lambes Wife shall bee dected with her Husband Christ who shall enliue Her with marchlesse joye and glorious immortalitie This is that great wonder which S. Iohn in his Reuelations saw in Heauen viz. A woman cloathed with the Sun and the Moone vnder her feete and vpon her head a crowne of twelue Stars Behold consider the Lambes Bride all enuironed with Light clothed with Christ her Sunne and crowned with glistring starres of glorie heauenlie jewels diuine Dyamonds Behold her making a foote-stoole of the Moone the second great Light of Heauen See how shee treadeth vnder her feete that most inconstant creature for to declare that constancie of her loue toward her Lord which shall last for euer without anie change O the beautie of that Bride whose cheekes shall bee comelie with rowes of Iewels whose necke shall bee dected with the chaines of Christs merites The Angels themselues beholding this Bride so royallie attyred shall wonder at her beautie When these Noble Spirits shall see and consider that great familiaritie that shal be betweene Christ his Spouse they shall wonder shall say one to another Who is this that commeth up out of the wildernes leaning vpō her wel-beloued After that the Church the Lambs Wife who on earth was betrothed by grace shall in the Heauens bee maried by glorie and conuoyed vnto his euer greene bed all Eternitie shal be in the Heauens lik a mariage day decored trimed with all sortes of Flowers of Fruits of feastings of Musick and of all contentment that can be conceiued heard seene sauoured or touched by a creature There our wants shall bee turned into wishes That which there shall bee least shall bee many thousand degrees aboue all that anie mortall heart heere can desire All our senses shall be possessed and filled with pleasures our mind shall bee enlightened Our will shall bee contented All our affections shall bee satisfied The Angel in the Reuelation gaue a command vnto Iohn to write in a Booke concerning the Lambes feast prepared for his Mariage in the day of the gladnesse of his heart but not being able neither hee to indite nor S. Iohn to write all the dainties of that Feast he desired him to write that all were blessed which were called vnto it Write said hee Blessed are they which are called vnto the Mariage Supper of the Lambe Lest Iohn should haue doubted whether it was so indeed or not the Angel subjoyneth these are the true sayings of God Let vs conceiue this much of these pleasures that they cannot bee conceiued All that wee can conceiue shall bee lesse by manie degrees than the least thing wee shall receiue Then all our desires shal be enlarged made wider Open thy mouth verie wide I shal fill it vnto thee God himselfe beeing All in all all our desires shall bee fullie satisfied and though they shall bee alwayes satisfied they shall neuer bee cloyed All wordes heere are full of wants for these bee things which passe all humane sight and search The sicke man The consideration of such things enliueth my Soule looseth mine heart wonderfully frō the loue of all worldlie things and draweth my heart with a feruent desire of a sight of that day It is no wonder that the whole creation groaneth and trauelleth in paine together vntill now If wee had hearts to belieue we should finde into our hearts an earnest expectation and a waiting for the manifestation of the Sonnes of God Alas that our deuotion should bee so rotten and vnsound If wee could gette but a glimpse of our God heere behinde it should stirre vp all our desires to see his Face The Pastour That is most certaine By this desire shall a man know whether he bee a spirituall man or a carnall Hee that is but carnall neuer desireth to goe out of this world It is good for vs to be heere will he say as ◅eter said on Tabor But hee that hath receiued the Spirit will finde better motions in his heart Wee our selues saith S. Paul which haue the first fruites of the Spirit euen wee our selues groane within our selues waiting for the adoption to wite the redemption of our bodie The sicke Man Alas wee all are heere naturallie of a temporising temper wee linger and delay to returne to our God O Lord of eternitie be fauourable to vs that we may feare thee let thy grace worke such groans in our hearts that thereby we may know that wee haue certainelie receiued the first fruites of the Spirit So long as wee are heere make the current of our affections to runne the way of thy Commandements There is a difficultie now come in my minde whereof I gladlie desire to be cleared It is concerning Christ himselfe of him it is said That hee shall deliuer vp the Kingdome to God his Father after hee hath subdued all his enemies The Pastour I remember well where these wordes are written The Apostle speaking of the Resurrection of the last judgement saith Then commeth the end when hee shall haue deliuered vp the Kingdome to God his Father when hee shall haue put downe all rule authoritie and power For hee must reigne till hee haue put all his enemies vnder his feete c. And when all things shall bee subdued vnto him then shall the Sonne also himselfe bee subject vnto him that put all thinges vnder him that God may bee All in all The sicke Man These bee the wordes indeede of my difficultie I pray you to make mee vnderstand them What is that to say That hee shall deliuer vp the Kingdome to his Father and that after he hath subdued all things he himselfe must become subject to him that put all things vnder him It would seeme that Christ our Lord shall lose by this meanes For first it is said That hee must deliuer vp the Kingdome and rule no more Secōdlie that he must become subject to God the Father I desire you Sir to loose this knottie difficultie These who plowe with Gods Hyfer may easilie finde out the darkest Riddles The Pastour I shall loose these knots easilie By that change the Lord shall bee no loser As for that it is said That he shall deliuer vp the Kingdome to his Father after that hee hath put downe all rule authoritie and power It is not to be vnderstood absolutely that Christ there after shall reigne no more but that hee shall reigne
day without night heauens without cloudes mirth without mourning joy without sorrow and beautie without blemish All good thinges muste abound there where God shall bee All in all When wee shall bee there our God shall enlighten our minde and shall giue our will its will without controlement Then shall no man say I doe the euill that I would not and doe not the good that I would doe nay but wee shall doe all the good wee would beeing in no wi◅e troubled with the euill wee would not Then shall wee rest from all our labours refreshed vnder the euerlasting shadowes of Christ that most pleasant Apple Tree whose fruite is sweete to the taste Nothing in a word shall bee inlaking that may rejoyce all the senses of our body without all the faculties of our Soules within All the Godlie these blessed Denizens of Heauē shall euer in a Quire sing the praises of the Lambe Halleluiah Halleluiah vpon the loud Cymbals Harpes Organes and Timbrels of God O Lord one day in thy Court is better than a thousand else where said the Psalmest speaking but of the figure of heauen Is it so of the figure of heauē what shall it be thē to be in heauen it selfe euen in these new heauens Let it be but the tenth better according to that one day in Heauen shall bee better by ten thousands times than the best day that euer man did see on earth There is no serenitie below which is not ouer clouded with some dumpes of heauinesse while the flesh is vpon the Soule it shal be sorrowfull Pure sincere joys cannot dwel in the valley of teares in this muddie mortalitie One day aboue is more bright and better than tenne thousand below Is it so of one day in Heauen Mercifull God what shall it be thē of these dayes without number euen of that euerlasting of dayes euen that eternal day of light life libertie cleare without all g◅mie clouds of sicknes of sorrows O for a sight of the light of that countenance a light of continuance which no mistie vapour shal for euer bee able to ecclips O Day neuer to be darkened with a following light O euer fresh pleasures which no sorrow shall bee able to fret waste or weare out O Eternitie Eternitie neuer to haue an end O that faire heritage vnto all these that are there The lines are fallen in pleasant places If wee had heartes to belieue the thoughts of such Glories should waine our heartes from the milkie transitorie trashes below which worldlings dreame to bee an heauen not to bee changed with any such preached pleasures O when shall our Soules get them with the Spouse to these high Mountaines of Myrrhe and hills of frankincense The consideration of this happinesse made Ignatius a Scholer of S. Paul to defie all the tormentes that cruell Burrios could inuent for the tormenting of his bodie Fire Gallowes beasts said he Crushing of my bones quartering of my members breaking of my bodie Let all the torments of Sathā seaze vpon me together I care not for them so that I may enjoye my Lord and his righteousnesse O that all the thoughts of our heartes were made subordinate and contributarie to such spirituall and diuine desires The sicke Man O Lord in the multitude of thy thoughts within mee thy comforts delight my Soule Cōtinue your speach I pray you concerning the beautie of the Heauens within which is the Presence-Chamber of the great King The Pastour S. Iohn describes it with such wordes as men are able to vnderstand or imagine The vnderstanding of man concerning the beautie of a Place reacheth no further than to Gold Glasse Crystall Pearles and precious stones which indeed are nothing but like Coales or drosse in comparison of these heauenlie bodies * Before that the man of God beganne to declare what hee had seene of Heauen hee said that there came vnto him an Angel that carried him away to a great high mountaine shewed him the great Citie the holie Ierusalem a type and figure of Heauen Glorious thinges are spoken of thee O Citie of our God euen of thee Ierusalem Because that Ierusalem was a type and figure of Heauen I shall first speake a little thereof As for the earthlie it was a Citie in Iudea builded as some thinke by Melchisedec Otherwise it was called Salem and Iebus or Iebusi After that it was called Aelia from Aelius Hadrianus the Emperour who builded a part thereof and enuironed Mount Caluarie Christes Sepulchre and Golgotha with a wall This Citie had two parts the vpper part and the lower The vpmost part thereof with the Temple was builded vpon mount Moriah Because in this Citie the Lord had his residence and did shew himselfe more familiarlie than into any other part of the world it was called The perfection of beautie and joye of the whole earth It is written that in circuite compasse it was foure miles In forme it was foure square hauing twelue gates Ioseph recordeth that it was Dauid that first called the Citie Ierusalem In the time of Abraham said hee it was called Solyme Some also say that Homere called it Solyme which in the Hebrew tong saith Ioseph signifieth a Fortresse Thus much concerning the earthlie Ierusalem which now is in bondage with her Children the most cursed Citie in the world since that desperate voyce of blasphemie was heard in it His blood bee vpon vs and vpon our Children The sicke Man That is a fearefull desolation The Pastour Great was that desolation It is called The abomination of desolation a desolation abominable or foresignified by an abomination The sicke man I remember well of these words of that Gospel This I remember that Christ did speake them with a Nota Who so readeth let him vnderstand Often while I did reade these words I found my selfe secretelie accused of negligence in that I tooke paines to vnderstād the saying which Christ desired the Reader to vnderstand I pray you Sir let mee vnderstand the words The Pastour The wordes are these When yee therefore shall see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the Prophet stand in the holie place who so readeth let him vnderstand Then let them which are in Iudea flie into the mountaines The wordes of Daniel are these And after threescore and two weekes shall Messiah bee cutte off but not for himselfe And the people of the Prince that shall come shall destroy the Citie and the Sanctuarie and the ende thereof shall bee with a floode and vnto the end of the warre desolations are determined And hee shall confirme the Couenant with many for one weeke and in the midst of the weeke hee shall cause the oblation and the sacrifice to cease and for the ouer spre◅ding of abominations hee shall make i◅ desolate euen vntill the consummation and that determined shall
A man brought from age of yeeres vnto eternitie is like Dauid a shepheard brought from the Ewes for to bee made a King What regret should a man haue for to change a little Lodge for a London What is this life but a daylie dyeing The sicke Man But alas I haue cut off like a weauer my life Hee will cut mee off with pinning sicknesse from day euen to night hee will make an end of mee The Pastour Take heede Sir what yee say Your meaning is that by your sins yee haue abridged and cutte short your dayes or that yee haue prouocked God by your sinnes to take away your Life from you If it be so that like a weauer yee haue cut your dayes by your sinnes breake off now these sinnes by repentance If by your sinnes yee haue cut like a weauer the threeds of this mortall life beginne now by repentance to spinne the webbe of a new life some threeds of life eternall Let now the rotten thrummes of the vices of your life fall downe to the ground While yee haue time weaue into your life graces thorow graces as warpe and woft Weaue on still till from grace yee worke in into the eternitie of glorie The sicke Man But alas Hee will cut mee off with pynning sicknesse I feare greatlie that the paines of Death put mee out of all patience The Pastour Take courage Sir The paine shall not bee so great as yee feare God will lay no more on you than yee shall bee able to beare He shall weigh all your paines in his mercifull Ballance before that hee laye them vpon you Hee knoweth that your strength is not like the strength of a Whale hee breaketh not the bruised ◅eede God is so bent vnto mercie that while he scourgeth sinners for their faults hee is said to bring to passe his strange worke and his strange act The sicke Man But I feare his cutting Gods cuts are verie sensible I feare to bee◅ cut off with pyning sicknesse The Pastour Feare not God is cunning in his cutting Hee will not cut into the quicke like an ignorant Surgeon The mercifull God taketh no pleasure to cut you off with pyning sicknesse but hee will cut off your corruptions with such paines In such paines should bee pleasure The bluenesse of the wound purgeth away euill Pleasant should be that paine which is Gods Raser for cutting off mans ◅ptions Away with the pleas◅es of this ◅otten flesh Such in the beginning though lawfull ◅re burning and bloodie pleasures vnlawfull end into hellish torments feare not pyning sicknesse The sicke Man But alas from day euen to night he will make an end of mee The Pastour I know Sir that the night is wearisome and that sicknesse some what light in the day waxeth heauy in the night From day to night the sicknesse increaseth The remeede is this bee strong in God whose strength is made perfect in weaknesse If dolours increase in the night heere is a comfort The night time is a most fitte time for prayer The time of silence is most conuenient for speaking vnto God The night time is a speciall time whereof God hath made choise for in it to speake secretlie vnto men It was in the night that Eliphaz saw the vision and heard the voyce of instruction In thoughts said hee From the visions of the night wh◅ deepe sleepe falleth on men feare came vpon mee and trembling which made all my bones to shake Then a Spirit passed before my face the haire of my flesh stood vp it stood still but I could not discerne the forme thereof An Image was before mine eyes there was silence and I heard a voyce c. See how in ◅e visions of the night while there was silence Eliphaz heard the voyce of God Let no sicke man be afraid for the night it is the time of silence the chiefe time of cōference with God Whē Creatures are most silent then is a time for man to speake to God and for God to speake to man The din of the day marreth our meditatiōs The sicke Man But alas from day to night he will make an end of mee The Pastour It is better that hee make an end of you than that any other should doe it If hee make an end of you pray earnestlie for a good end If the end be well all is well Your complaint is that from day to night hee will make an end of you Bee thankefull to God for his mercie toward you in that he hath giuen you so long a time to repent as from day to night Hee might haue made you sinke downe thorow the Earth vnto hell in a moment with Dathan and Abiram Hee might haue burnt you with fire from Heauen in a thunder clappe with Corah Hee might haue drowned you into the Sea with Pharaoh Hee might haue slaine you vnder a Tower with these eighteene at Siloe Hee might haue sent a winde for to smite the foure corners of your house while yee had beene at a banket with Iobs Children What if the goodnesse of God had deserted you and taken his free Spirit frō you What if hee should doe so to the best of vs Certainelie we◅ should either make away our selu◅ with Saule by the sword or with Iudas and Ahitophel by the cord o◅ with Zi◅rie by the fire Many others haue in an instant beene snatched away in the verie swea◅e of their sinnes First then I say That is a grea◅ mercie of God vnto man that God himselfe maketh an end of him and not suffereth him to fall into the hands of his mercielesse creatures Secondlie in that from day to night hee delayeth it is a mercyfull patience Take heede Sir what I say Count this a great mercie of your God though yee should die this night thanke God for his patience that it was from day to night before that hee would make an end of you It is a great benefite of God to get but so much time wherein wee may once cry Lord haue mercie vpon mee No man can sufficientlie esteeme the high price of a dayes laiser vnto night Heere is the patience and the long suffering of God Now Sir consider and weigh well what hath beene said Is it not now your desire that yee bee dissolued Are yee not as yet resolued It would seeme that there bee some thing that yet troubleth you As for the wordes of Hezekiahs chattering which hath beene the wordes of your mourning I hope that in some measure ye haue beene cleared with some contentment The sicke Man I confesse Sir that yee haue pertinentlie made answere to all these difficulties But alas what shall I say The Pastour What aileth you Bee plaine with mee I pray you Sir thinke no shame to tell mee what is into your minde If the Patient couer his
make answere Oh but I am pressed with an heaui◅ hand I feare much my last houre My Soule is sore troubled The Pastour Learne of Christ in his trouble Now said hee is my Soule troubled and what shall I say Father deliue◅ mee from this houre But for this cause came I into this houre Father glorifie thy Name As hee did so doe yee Hee fearing the houre was earnest with God in prayer for to bee deliuered from it and yet most humblie submitted himselfe vnto his Fathers will So doe yee If ye feare greatlie that houre pray feruentlie that God deliuer you from it and yet notwithstanding let God haue all his will of you His will shall eu◅r bee your well The Sicke Man But alas my paines are grea◅ my breach is like the sea Gods rod vpon mee is torne with stripes and worne to the stomps In my torments I both feare and feele his wrath If hee loued mee would he scourge mee with such scorpions The Pastour Whom God loueth hee chasteneth and scourgeth euerie Sonne whom hee receiueth By this yee see plainelie that hee will receiue none to himselfe but those whom hee is minded to scourge This scourging whereof yee complaine is Gods loue-token telling you that hee is minded for to receiue you Woe ◅o the Childe whom the Father will not correct God commandeth louing Fathers to chastise their children till they cry His command is also that they bee not hindered for their cryes Chasten thy Sonne said God while there is hope and let not thy Soule spare for his crying So long as there is life there is hope While God chasteneth you it is a token that there is hope Woe to that man whom GOD disdaineth to strike It is a sore word when a Father or a Master saith to a Childe I despaire of him there is none hope I giue him ouer will strik him no more It was a fearefull vvord that God said to the rebellious Israelites I will not visite your Daughters when they are harlotes nor your Spouses when they are whoores That is I will correct them no more but let them runne head-long to their owne destruction Woe to him vvhom God vvill not correct Certe tunc magis irascitur Deus cum non irascitur God is most angrie when hee seemeth least to bee angrie The wicked are most fearefullie plagued when God spareth them most Let not therefore your sore paines discourage you but rather comfort you as beeing a speciall token that God will receiue your Soule What reckes what this Carion suffer if so be that God receiue the Soule Shall I not drinke of my Fathers Cup said Christ * To drinke of a Kings cup it vvould bee thought an honour See then vvhat honour is in the affliction of the godlie thereby they drinke of the King of Heauens cup This is also a token of our friendship vvith Christ vvhen wee drinke vvith him of one cuppe Men will not drinke of one cuppe with their enemies Rejoyce then Sir to drink vvith Christ in your Fathers cuppe Though this cuppe bee bitter at the brimme the bottome will haue a pleasant farewell Thinke vvell vpon this Sir and possesse your soule in patience despare neuer of Gods mercie though hee seeme to bee angrie depend vpon him trust into him though hee should slay you In confidence of h◅s Loue rest and sleepe in his bosome hang on him saue his honour by trusting in him If this yee doe I assure you that yee shall dye sweetlie resting into his armes The sicke Man I finde Sir my paines greatlie to increase The Pastour Bee of good comfort If your paines increase God will increase your patience with your paines he is mercyfull and will surelie strengthen you in the weakest houre Gods strength is made perfect in weaknesse In the meane time bee fighting out the good fight manfullie Hold vp your hands with Moses against Amaleke Pray feruentlie to your God that hee would cast into your memorie all the good thinges that euer yee heard or reade wherewith your Soule as with a rempart may bee guarded against the houre of temptations Pray oft-ten with Christ Father deliuer mee from this houre What say yee Sir It appeareth that there bee some thing into your mind yet that vexeth you The sicke Man This Soule of mine is verie loath to depart from this bodie They be of olde acquaintance haplie long shall it be before they meete againe Friendes cannot bee but sorie while they shedde The Pastour That is naturall to all But grace in the Godlie must rule Nature Wee must gladlie leaue all for to goe liue with Christ we must deny our selues for to confesse him we must desire to be dissolued for to bee with him hee who loueth any thing better than him shall not bee found worthie of him Your Soule say ye is sorie to goe from the body What are our bodies for the present but prisons of clay Let them goe to clay till the day of the Resurrection come when those painefull prisons shall bee turned into pleasant Palaces What reckes of an inch of time heere on Earth in respect of eternitie in Heauen Should a mans heart so itch after an inch of Earth that hee would desire to tarrie from Heauen but an houre The Soule must turne its backe vpon the bodie for to turne its face vnto the God of Glorie This is but a childish temptation It is for women children to weepe at the taking of adewes chiefelie while these that depart are going to a better condition of life Because the day draweth towards Euening it is now time for mee to remoue I hope God willing to come againe the Morrow and to visite you that I may minister vnto you some Spirituall comforts In the meane time seeing your minde hath bene so perplexed with carnall temptations concerning Life Lāds Children and Riches Cause read vnto you this night in mine absence the Book of Ecclesiastes from the beginning vnto the end where ye shall see as in a glasse the vanitie of all these things wherewith your Soule now is most enamoured If ye haue time cause also reade vnto you Iob 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Before I goe Sir it shall bee best that I recommend you vnto God by prayer The first Prayer for the sicke Man O LORD in whose hands is the gift of the Spirit of groanes inspire our heartes at this time that with an heauenlie disposition wee may fall downe before thee vpon the knees of our Soules quicken our dead and drowsie heartes to the performance of this duetie of calling vpon thy Name Thou is not close handed to these that seeke thee in sinceritie wee are ashamed O LORD euen wee all who are heere before thee on the Earth thy Foote-stoole wee are ashamed for to face the Heauens the Throne of thy Majestie Our heartes are
that God can loue you who is so vnworthie to bee loued I thinke it verilie and I am perswaded God I confesse cannot loue sinne in man but hee may loue man in sinne God inuiteth not these whom hee loueth not Come vnto mee saith hee all yee that are wearied Your wearinesse cryeth vnto you that which was said to the blind man Bee of good comfort arise the Master calleth thee an humble confession in the mouth is the speach of contrition in the heart God hath sworne that hee liketh not a sinners death Hee is more glad to finde vs for to helpe vs than we can rejoyce to find him for to be helped by him Who can thinke but hee is glad to finde vs that tooke such paines to seeke vs that not caring for the vnwholesome and noysome night aire came to our doore hauing his head full of dewe and his lockes full of the droppes of the night which is more such was his loue and liking of vs that for to saue our life hee would die a cursed death The last wordes of your complaint are that yee are one who is vnworthie to bee loued * I had rather heare a sinner calling himselfe wretched and vnworthie with the Publican than boasting of his worthinesse with the Pharisee The swelled hydropie words of thankesgiuing that we are not lik other mē are a sure toking of a deadlie incurable disease Man naturallie goeth about to lessen impaire his faultes yea oftē rather than he will cry guiltie hee will fasten his follie by consequent vpon his Maker Adam said The woman which thou gauest me gaue me of the tree made me to eate Many are caried down the muddie streame of ouerweening their owne worth Our greatest worthinesse is in the sense of our own vnworthinesse and in the seeking of Christs worthinesse That man is worthie before God who findeth himselfe vnable to doe that which is worthie and vnwilling to doe that which is vnworthie The verie strife and battell betweene grace and nature in theregenerat is a victorie in Gods eyes A broken imperfectiō if it be sincere without guile is put vp in his merciful count book for a perfectiō indeed such is the mercie of God while we mislike our selues These were the wisest words of Agur in Gods account when hee said I am more fool◅sh than any man S. Paul was neuer more dearelie beloued of God as when hee hating himselfe called himselfe the first of sinners Cast your eyes off your selfe and looke vnto God your strength your stay The Name of the Lord is a strong towre the righteous runneth into it is safe The sicke Man O that I could practise your precepts O that my God would inspire mee with such a blessed and liuelie vigour of his Spirite that might quicken my Soule to euerlasting life O that it would please my God stronglie to refresh mee with the comfort of his countenance But alas out of this most filthy puddle of my heart arise such filthie vapours which so ouer-cloud the Sunne of righteousnesse that I am not able to behold his face while he did shine vpon mee his most bright and vnspotted beames were fullie darkened The more the heate of his word did beate vpon mee the more my conuersation became stinking and loathsome like a carion cast out before the Sunne this I cannot denie at the rememberance thereof I finde my selfe charged afresh vpon the Conscience with terrours and vexations O the dead slubber of securitie wherein I haue sleept vnto this houre my custome euer was to post ouer my sinnes in the lump with a generall slumbert confession There is nothing within me but matter of feare I feele my faith fainting I feare my sinnes I feare the wrath of God I feare the force of Sathan the king of feare I may be well bee called that which Ieremie called Pashur viz. Magor-missabib that is Feare round about yea I not onelie feare but I feele a fearefull wrath My stubburnesse and stonie heart hath brought vpon my Soule Gods brasen hands Now is hee doing to mee that which of olde hee threatned against these that were like mee If yee walke stubbornlie against mee I will walke stubbornlie with you In my youth I was guided by the guise of times my delight was to goe with the droue now I am lost beeing cold dead frozen in the dregges of my vncleannesse The Pastour The force of temptation wringeth such words out of you as thogh yee had none hope at all Your Soule Sir is like the Moone into an ecclipse There bee darknesse and changing of collours for a time because your sinnes like an earth come betweene you and the beames of Christ the Sunne of righteousnesse I haue seene the Moone in her ecclipse for a space as though shee had not beene at all into the heauens but as shee darkened by little and little so after the greatest darknesse was past the light returned by degrees Despaire not Sir of an infinite mercie let not your heart be wasted with wearinesse Though the earth of your sinnes which in comparison of Gods mercie is but a point ouershadow the Soule for a space while it is in this low region the time shall come that God shall mount your Soule aboue the circle of the Starres wherevnto the shadow of such an earth is not able to attaine Thogh God for a space walke stubbornlie with you hee is not stubborn Whē yee shall beginne to walke humblie with your God God shall walke no more stubbornlie with you but shall deliuer you from all your feares Build your selfe vpon your holie Faith The sicke Man I may well say with Iob My stroke is heauier than my groning Whereon can my Faith lay hold God is armed with wrath and Sathan is armed with despight I see nothing for the present but blowes and bloody battels most dreadfull feares teare in pieces mine heart strings sucke out the inmost of mine heart blood The Pastour Though there be many aduersaries yet Christ is with you Make all your boast of him who is the Captaine of your Saluation Hee hath winne the field he hath tread vnder foote principalities and powers and hath ledde Captiuitie captiue Hee whose Faith is founded vpon him shall neuer bee confounded His fresh bleeding wounds are cuer filled with compassions * Though God by our sinnes bee moued to shew some wrath heere is our great comfort There is no condemnation to these that are in Christ Belieue yee not the Scriptures I know yee belieue If Christ bee with vs who shall bee against vs These who thinke that their sinnes ouer-reach Gods mercie make the Centre to compasse about the Circumference Though hee should receiue a world of sinners in the bosome of his mercie it will not for that
All his pleasures are out of tune and temper Beholde how this proude and loftie creature is so curbed withered and wrinkled that it hath nothing but the vgelie shape of a creature Thus after as in a dote hee hath tottered some space about at last hee falleth downe to dust and dust ◅neth to the earth as it was That is petere principium Then all his deuises and his discourses all his arguments and his syllogismes for Riches Honour and preferment inferre a conclusion which is but petitio principij a sort of argument scorned by the Learned as beeing an argument declaring the weaknes of the Disputer so after we haue spended our wits with our wordes all our dispute at last is foūd to be but vpō trashes triffles or as wee say de lana caprina At last all commeth to this that wee are in end found to haue beene neither in moode nor figure but onely jangling and cangling and at last returning to that where once wee beganne Thus hee who in his youth stepped statelie vpon the ground who hauing the world at wish was wont to brag it out with the brauest with big darring words after that in his life he hath beene tossed with losses cares and crosses hee lyeth down◅ into his greene growing bedde that dust may returne to the earth as it was The Sunne at night seemeth to lye downe in a bed of darknesse but like a Gyant in the morning hee ariseth with force of light But man once dead shall not awake till the heauens bee no more A man in his youth with a prophane seared Conscience may swallow ouer Camels of pleasant profitable sinnes without any paine his heart beeing secured with a slumbe◅ing and superficiall quiet But so soone as the tyme of the rotten Age commeth all the sweetenesse of the sinnes of his youth is turned into gall and worme-wood the Conscience of his by past euill spent life doggeth behind him All the dregges and drosse of dolouis fall downe vpon this tyme Then the mirth of youth is turned into mourning This is the nature of sinne the joye thereof euer endeth into sorrow Who doeth not see how the mirth of youthfull lusts passeth away with the faire blossomes of youth after that commeth old age life the time of the fall of the leafe a time of deadlie diseases After that man in his youth hath drunken at the brimme the clearest pleasures of sinne in his olde sicklie age when hee hath greatest neede of comfort then must hee drinke the doolefull and drumblie dregges of sorrow This is the course of mans pilgrimage in this valey of teares Wee come weeping into this Worlde where vvee walke through troubles and temptations vvhereof except that God bee more mercifull the end shall bee bitternesse brimstone fire Alas for our benummed heart Oh that vvee were sensible of our owne miserie and could weigh what it is to toile into this world a wildernesse of woe What is heere that should tye our heart from the loue of Heauen If vvee would speake with Scripture wee would say that a thousand yeares in Heauen are but like one day on earth and againe if vvee would speake with trueth vve must say that one day on Earth seemeth longer than a thousand yeeres in Heauen Dolour and griefe prolongeth that which is made short by joye and pleasure An houre in a painefull prison is longer than a vveeke in a pleasant Palace Let mee speake a Paradoxe A Child of a day is of a thousand yeares of age older than Methushelah Why A day on Earth is like a thousand yeares in Heauen for length Fye fye on our foolish vanitie that wee cannot consider A Childe of a day may bee content with a day of life and say if hee could speake I am full of dayes yea full of yeares and full of labour I wish to be in heauen wher a thousand yeeres seeme not so long as a day yea where Eternitie it selfe shal neuer seeme to be too lōg Eye vpon too great desire of dayes while wee liue on earth as vvormes vvee creepe on it In death we creepe in it Mans heart on earth is like a tooth in the jaw the deeper roote it hath the more paine it causeth when it is in drawing out with the Turkesse A heart fixed to the earth and nailed to the ground either with pleasure or profite or desire of yeeres cannot be rugged from thence without renting of its filme If mans heart bee sette vpon long life hee shall neuer want the disease of the feaze of disease the messenger of Death A feeble fitte of a feuer will put him in a maze of amazement In a vvorde doe the best hee can all the dayes of his life are but labour and sorrow The best man that liueth so soone as hee beginneth to liue must say with a sigh All the dayes of mine appointed time will I waite till my changing come See I pray you howe the life of man as with loose reines and a laide downe head is euer in a course like a swift Dromedairie posting to a change Beholde Sir howe foolish this world is that gappeth so for many yeares that all that men haue euen to their skinne they would giue it for their life See and consider how the olde man is besieged with dolours and diseases on all sids some set on his eyes some on his eares some on his teeth some on his tongue some on his legges some on his lights and some on his liuer See how all sortes of diseases is like flesh f◅es prey vpon the old man not leauing a free bit of him from the sole of his feete to the crowne of his head See what a gostlie sight it is to beholde such ratling bones couered with a wrinkled skinne Now after that hee hath coughed and spitted on a space some few yeares beeing a burden to himselfe and a cumber vnto others at last hee sickneth and taketh bed and falleth into the hands of Death which holdeth him with fearefull grippes Then Death commeth with a colde sweate ouer-running all his bodie looketh him grimme in the face Then his jaw bones beginne to hang down and his face to grow pale and his cheekes wan Then his eyes water their stringes breake his tongue faltereth his breath shorteneth and smelleth of earth his heart lifteth his throate rattleth his joynts stiffen After that Death hath made a breach with the shot◅es of great artilerie whereby it hath beaten and broken downe all the noble partes of the bodie Death commeth in like a strong man and grippeth so the hearte of the poore man that by diuerses gaspes hee maketh his heart-strings to leape asund◅ * That done the ruinous house of man falleth and his Soule leapeth out with his gaspes which in an instant must compeare before its Iudge either
to the whole world before the comming of Christ Others of the Learned tak these words to be spokeÌ„ properlie And for to cleare their opinion to bee true they alledge the words of S. Peter as a Commentarie vpon Christs wordes The Heauens shall passe away saith hee with a great noise and the Elements shall melt with feruent heat the Earth also and the works that are therein shal be burnt vp And a little after hee subjoyneth Looking for and hasting vnto the comming of the day of God wherein the heauens beeing on fire shal be dissolued and the Elementes shall melt with feruent heate The sicke Man These bee wonderfull wordes of wonderfull workes yee will bee so good as to make them mâ—…e cleare The Pastour First it is said That the heauens shâ—…l passe away praeteribunt not that they shal be turned to nothing or shall â—…o passe away that they shall bee no more but they shall passe away in that they shall bee changed According to this the Psalmist speaking of the heauens saith That all of them waxe olde as doeth a garment As a vesture shalâ—… thou change them and they shall bee changed Though in our life-time because it is so shorte wee cannot sensiblie perceiue any decay in the heauenlie influences yet it is certhat taine the heauens are but cretures ordained for the seruice of maÌ„ creatures subject to faile weare and waxe olde bee The sicke Man What a change Sir thinke yee that that shall bee The Pastour It shall bee a change altogether for the better All the Elementes shall be melted as mettell into a furnace whereby it is refined After that they are melted they shall bee â—…ast into a new mould for to receiue such a â—…orme as it shall please the most High to giue vnto them I compare all these great creatures of the world as the Heauens and foure Elements to an olde peece of money stamped so long since that hardlie can it bee knowne whoâ—…e superscription is in it all the Letters being worne off with the vsing It is euen so of the Heauens and of the Elements in these latter dayes It is so loÌ„g since they were stamped that the letters of Gods name vpon them are growne dim are not so legible as they were wont to bee But in that last day the Lord shall make the old Heauens and this olde Earth all to melt into a fire and thereafter shall stampe them like a newe stricken Crowne Then hee shall giue them such a temper that they shall neuer waxe olde any more Gods first impression on his creatures hath by sinne beene dimmeded and darkened but this secunda cura the second coyning of these creatures shall be so durable that nothing shall be able to deface it For God then shall bee All in all Then Tempus edax rerum Time that eateth all things yea all times as yeeres moneths days nights houres lik floods shall all runne in into the sea of eternitie where they with all such vnconstant things shall bee swallowed vp in victorie The sicke Man What is that to say That the Heauens shall passe away with a great noise What sort of noise shall that bee The Pastour The worde in the originall is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which the French hath termed auec vn bruit siflant de tempeste that is the roaring of a tempest which commeth with such a thudde that it casteth downe both Trees and Houses making all to shake and also lifting vp dust and straes and all in the aire as with a whirle wind Erasmus termeth it In morem procellae like a Tempest Such a Tempest was neuer heard since the world was founded It shall bee a Tempest which shall shake the worlde of its foundation Aboue and below all shall bee shaken with such a roaring and cracking tempest that no mortall heart can conceiue The Heauens the Earth the Waters the Aire the Sunne the Moone and Starres shall bee so shaken with that tempest as though they were but pickles of dust and caried with a whiâ—…le wind My minde is in a maze to think vpon the greatnesse of that day My pen while I haue beene writting of it hath fallen out of my hand so haue I beene rauished with admiration of that day O what a day shall that be when all that euer God made shall bee sette on fire The Heauens being sette one fire saith the Apostle shall bee dissolued and the Elements beeing set on fyre shal melt with feruant heate Isaiah saith That the Heauens shall vanish away like smoke What fearfull tempest must that bee which shall put all the worlde into a burning flamme All shall bee sette on fire the Heauens aboue the Earth beneath the waters also must be burnt and melted into that wonderfull furnace By this fire all things must bee purged The sicke Man It would seeme by Scripture that those heauens which are now shall bee altogether abolished The Lord saith in Isaiah Loe I will create new Heaâ—…ens and a new Earth and the former shall not â—…ee remembered nor come into minde To create a thing is properlie to mak something of nothing What then â—…hall the Heauens and Elements which are now bee redâ—…cted to nothing The Pastour It is most certaine that they shall not bee put to nothing but according to their earnest expectatioÌ„ they shall bee deliuered at the last day from the bondage of corruption into the glorious libertie of the Sonnes of God It is not Gods custome so to reward his old seruants as to put them from their beeing that so hee may bee quite of them As for that which Isaiah saith that he will create new Heauens and newe Earth and that the former shall not be remembered it is not to bee vnderstoode of the last day The Lord by these wordes did onelie declare this to that people that hee would so alter change the state of his Church at the comming of the Messias that it should seeme to dwell into another world The sicke Man I took euer that passage otherwise but I hold that exposition best But behold what S. Iohn saith concerning the Heauens the Earth and the Sea I saw a new Heauen and a new Earth for the first Heauen and the first Earth were passed away and there was no more Sea What is that to say The Pastour The first Heauen and the first Earth are said to haue passed away not that their substaÌ„ce was no more but as one sayth well because alia ejus videbatur facies it was so changed that men would thinke that it could not bee that cloudie Heauen and clattie Earth which was before The Sea also was no more such as it was before The sicke Man But S. Iohn sath That hee saw a white Throne and One sitting on it from whose face the Heauen and the Earth fledde away and there was found no more
shall bee so pure that no vncleane inclination shall be able by any juggling feat of conueiance to cogge in it selfe into our heartes any more O the foolishnesse of mans blind and bewitched heart that for a moment of toylesome time should losse that Eternitie of joye The sicke Man Thinke yee that in Heauen wee shall bee of diuerse ages Children men or olde men as wee were here when wee deceased The Pastour It is hard to tell wee must not swerue from the wisedome of Gods word Scripture heere is silent But seeing Heauen is the place of perfection it is probable as some Diuins thinke that in Heauen all shall bee in greatest perfection Seeing say they that infancie is imperfection and olde age is defection none of two are conuenient for bodies that are perfectlie glorified As the Sunne taketh the mid course of Heauen so shall the godlie who shall shine like Sunnes abide in the middest beeweene the Poles of all extremities for there shal be the perfection of Vertue Age Stature Beautie and of all that shall concerne them All shall bee content for all shall drinke their filles out of the Riuer of the vnmixed pleasures perfections of God which neither Man nor Deuill the strength of Hell or length of eternitie shall euer bee able to trouble or make drumlie The sicke Man There is one thing which earnestlie I desire to know viz. Whether or not wee who on earth haue liued together and loued one another shall know each other into Heauen The Pastour It is thought that so shall be and that because of the presence of God in whom is such a Light that by it wee shail see and know these whom wee neuer did see or know on earth When Christ was transfigured vpon mount Tabor down came Moses Elias whō the Apostles had neuer seene of before Though they had neuer seene them before that yet by the light of Christes transfiguration they were so inlightned that they did perfectlie know what they were If the sight of that figured light gaue such a knowledge vnto sinners that they knew these whom they had neuer seene what shall it bee when all obscure figures and also our sins which maketh all good thinges obscure shall bee remoued and God shall bee All in all But though we should all know one another as I thinke indeede we shall all these carnall respectes which are heere as of Father Mother Wife Childrē shall all fall from vs lik the mantle of Elias before wee enter into Heauen for to enjoye these Empyrian pleasures which are so far aboue the fadome and reach of all changable mortalitie Wee thinke much now of such earthlie respectes which are indeede Coagulum hujus vitae the verie curding and joyning together of greatest naturall contentments But seeing all such things are but things of Child-hoode they shall not enter into our thoughtes when wee shall bee perfect men into the Heauens the presence-Chamber of our God When I was a Childe saide S. Paul I spake as a Child I vnderstood as a Child I thought as a Childe But when I became a man I put away childish things So long as a man is into this world if hee be compared with that which hee shall bee hee is but a Child hee vnderstandeth as a childe hee speaketh as a Child and hee thinketh as a Childe All the dearest naturall respects that are heere are but childish things Seeing they are so when we shall come to Heauen where we shall bee perfect men they all shall bee put away I will let you see this in a natural figure In this world we haue that which wee call Child hoode and that which we call the perfection of a man Now tell me I pray you should it be seemelie for a graue Senatour sitting before his Prnce and confering vpon the most weightie matters of the Kingdome to beginne and speak what he did with this Child and that Childe with whom he was wont to ride vpon Reedes Would hee beeing a wise man at such a time beginne to discourse how with these little companions hee builded vnder a bowre little houses into the sand or how in their childish conuentions they made their litle feastes of Pieres Nuts and Apples Would a wise man thinke ye in the presence of his Prince put off the time with such purpose No not When the foolish Child is become a wise man hee speaketh no more as a Childe neither vnderstandeth hee as a Childe neither thinketh he as a Childe Such childish thinges in Heauen shall not so much as once come into his thought for that were to thinke as a Childe That which is now in part shall bee done away at the comming of perfection which shall bee in that Coronation day Because we are heere but children wee cannot now vnderstand the wisedome of the words thoughts that wee shall haue aboue Languages then shall cease One shall not speake English and another French and another Spanish That Babylonish confusion of tongues shall bee taken away and wee all shall speake the Language of the Lambe God then shall speake no more vnto his people with stammering lippes and with another tongue Then shal be no difference of contrie-men or estates whether they were borne in Asia Europe or Affrica There shall it not bee looked to whether they were Kings or Subjects Masters or Seruants bond or free In the Heauens is neither Greeke nor Iewe Circumcision nor vncircumcision Barbarian Scythian bond or free But Christ shall bee All in all What can bee laking vnto man where God shall bee vnto him All in all yea and the Soule of his Soule As the Soule is in the whole man whollie in euerie part so shall the whole diuinity in the heauens informe the whole mysticall bodie and bee in it whollie and that into the least member thereof God beeing All in all Then and not till then we shall bee satisfied aboundantlie with the fatnesse of Gods house and drinke of the Riuers of his pleasures yea and our Soules shall feast themselues by all our senses vpon vnmixed joyes free from the mudde and distemper of all displeasures In a worde our heartes shall bee fastened to our God with such cords of loue which no thing aboue or below shall bee able to vntwine Heere is our journeyes end heere is our resting place from our labours and toilesome trauels Heere is absence of all euill and presence of all that is good Heere the Lambe is the Temple and the Light and the Tree of Life that bringeth foorth fruite euerie moneth euer new joyes without perishing of the olde euer new pleasures without any loathing of the former euer new light without any darkning euer new life without any dying euer new delightes without any dolours euer new Glorie without any grudge euer new mirth with out any mudde of miserie * Bodilie pleasures worke a
great desire aye till they bee gotten But spirituall delights as a Father said Cum non habentur sunt in fastidio Cum habentur sunt in desiderio Before they bee gotten they are loathed But are they gotten they are loued So long as our Soules are led hoode-winkt in this our moody and mistie mortalitie wee cannot thorowlie perceiue this O that wee had heartes to consider O that wee could rightlie mind the thinges that are aboue O that our hearts were wained froÌ„ this our natiue soile a place of hunger and cold a place of nakednesse sicknesse and sorrow that wee might earnestlie desire to bee into that holie Land where wee shall feast on the Tree of Life and drinke of that Crystall Riuer with pleasures for euermore So long as wee are in this our mortalitie wee must bee still looking till our change come which being once made wee shall neuer change anie more O then the sweetnesse of the Crowne shall for euer allay the sowâ—…enesse of the Crosse. The sicke Man Mine heart is wonderfullie rauished with such purpose I finde my Soule silent within mee that it may hearken and giue good heede to that which ye say Blessed be he who createth the fruite of the lips O Lord come let thy Spirite take houseroume into mine heart Now let vs come to our purpose againe So farre as I can obserue your minde is that we all shall know one another in Heauen but without regard to anie carnall consideration whether they were our Father oâ—… Mother or our Sister The Pastour It is euen so For if any particular respect should be had to any it should be of a man to his wife or a wife to her husband who must leaue both father mother and cleaue vnto another for to become one flesh Yet so it is that in Heauen there shal be no more particular respect betweene them than these whom they had neuer seene before The Lord hath made this plaine The Saducees who scorned the Resurrection hauing told Christ that there had beene seuen brethren in Israel which all had married one wife one after another and that last of all the woman died also Now said they In the Resurrection whose wife of them shall shee bee Iesus answered and saide The children of this world marie and are giuen in marriage But they that shall bee accounted worthie to obtaine that world and the resurrection from the dead neither marrie nor are giuen in marriage Neither can they die anie more for they are equall vnto the Angels and are the Children of God beeing the Children of the Resurrection Certainelie at that day none of these seuen brethren will claime any more acquaintance vnto that woman than vnto her whom they had neuer seene before that day What created thing can allure the eyes of the creature where the Creator is visiblie seene as hee is Whom haue I in Heauen but thee said the Psalmist As the Sunne by his beames at his first rising darkneth all the glorious stars of light so that they seeme to flie away from his presence quite out of the heauens So shall the loue of God himsâ—…lfe like a greater Light darken and dazle all other desires whatsoeuer No by-respects shall bee able to hinder vs to haue ouâ—… eye to the maine Wee shall loath all thinges that we may feast on his facâ—… wherein is fulnesse of joye The sicke Man I desire Sir to know of you whether or not there shall bee degrees of Glorie in the Heauens or if all shall bee alike in honour The Pastour The most part are of that opinion that there shall bee diuerse degrees their opinion is founded vpon these words There is one glorie of the Sun and another of the Moone and another glorie of the Starres For one star differeth from another star in glory So also is the Resurrection of the dead it is sowen in corruption it is raised in incorruption Some of the Learned who esteeme that there shall bee diuerse degrees of glorie in Heauen think that no such thing is intended in these wordes but onelie as one Starre differeth from another in glorie so shall the bodie after the Resurrection differ farre in glorie from the estate wherein it was in this life according to this it is said It is sowen in corruption it is raised in glorie for to declare the different estate of the godly heere and heereafter For this assertion concerning degrees of glorie this seemeth to bee most cleare which is said by Christ to his Apostles Behold saide Peter wee haue forsaken all and followed thee What shall wee haue therefore And Iesus said vnto them Verilie I say vnto you that yee which haue followed mee in the regeneration when the Sonne of man shall sit on the Throne of his Glory yee shall also sit vpon twelue Thrones judging the twelue Tribes of Israel The sicke Man Before yee proceede I pray you to cleare these words That yee which haue followed mee in the regeneration when the Sonne of man shall sitte on his Throne yee also shall sitte vpon twelue Thrones I vnderstand not well what the word Regeneration signifieth there To follow Christ in the regeneration what can that bee The Pastour These wordes bee diuerslie read Some reade them this way Yee who haue followed mee in the regeneration Others reade them after this maneâ—… joyning there-with the following words In the regeneration when the Sonne of man shall sitte on his Throne yee also shall sitte If the words be so joyned Yee who haue followed mee in the regeneration 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the word Regeneration is taken as the most Learned esteeme for the preà ching of the Gospel which Christ brought into the world whereby a new creation or regeneration of mens heartes and Soules hath beene made in the world So to follow Christ in the Regeneration is to embrace his Gospel whereby we are regenerate But in the opinion of the most part 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Regeneration heere is rather to be joyned with the words following after this manner In the regeneration they shal sit vpon Thrones according to that In regeneration is as if he had said In renovatione mundi vel post renovationem mundi in alterò seculo That is In the renewing or after the renewing of the World Indeede regeneration here seemeth â—…hieflie to signifie the Resurrection and restoring of our bodies The sicke Man It would appeare by that saying of Christ in S. Matthew that the Apostles shall sit vpon twelue Thrones in greater dignitie than anie others The Pastour It would seeme so to be As for Moses Enos and Elias and so many worthie Prophets most glorious instrumeÌ„ts of Gods grace in this world it would seeme that their glorie there should bee greater than that of common persons Manie of them that sleepe in the dust of the earth shall
the shortest and the Sunne farthest from vs in the dead of winter we are comforted with this that the day at once will grow longer and that the Sunne will returne to vs by the degrees by which hee went away Your day now Sir is at the shortest tarrie but a little ye shall shortlie perceiue a Spring Ianuar of joy after this dead Decēber of distresses The more wintrous the Season of the life hath beene looke for the fairer Summer of pleasures for euermore Haue patience a little The Euening of your sorrowes is almost past the day is at the breaking your reward is a bright morning starre of joy At the dawning of these joyes your night cloudie and darkest dolors shal decease God with some ray or beame of his reconcealed face shall lighten you the way to heauens glorie This sinfull life of man is like a surgefull sea tossed with many blasts and billowes Whiles the floodes and waues of wrath so catch a man till all the bowels of his bellie begin to wamble all that is within him will be in a strange stir while he is as it were with Ionah downe in the bellie of hell at the rootes of the mountaines hauing for his best garland the weeds wrapt about his head in such a pittifull plight hee will bee tempted to say to God with Ionah I am cast out of thy sight so darkened will the eye of his Conscience bee But if so bee that in the jawes of his anguish with Ionah hee can say to his God in his deepest plunge yet I will look againe toward thine holie Temple which I may call the godlie mans Pole the directer of the Christian course hee shall be saued If while his Soule fainteth within him hee can with the weake eye of Faith behold that Pole of peace and with the Mariners in the Psalme cry vnto the Lordin his trouble the Lord shall deliuer him out of his distresses He who by speaking vnto the Fish made it to vomite out the prisoner by a word of his mercy shall hale him out of such seas of sorrows shall softlie swiftly bring him thorow the swelling surges to the hauen of peace rest and quietnesse euen of pleasures for euermore Waite on a little and your God shall store you with spirituall comforts The sicke Man But Oh for the present I am in the extremitie of anguish which any created nature can possiblie endure My sillie Soule is lashed with a seuere whip of double cordes knottie at the end Gods custome is to hādle his own nicelie and softlie like glasses for feare of crackes But I am crushed vnder the milstones of his wrath which are readie euerie houre to settle downe vpon my Soule for to sinke it from the brimme to the bot tome of hell O the length and breadth of that flying roll and volume of wrath that is comming vpon mee for to curse mee with the Theefe and the swearer There is such a freting canker into sinne that in my judgement if it could reach vnto the verie starres it should mak them to roust by staining their brightnesse and polish colour I thinke that if sinne could attaine therevnto it should rotte these faire celestiall bodies In my judgement it should strike the Sunne and Moone the two eyes of the world with a catarict suffusion or with a sort of gutta serena so that the world should goe blind All this woe is most justlie befallen mee because while Gods long suffering inuited me to repentance by delaying the day of my death I turned his grace into wantonnesse while I was threatned by his Iustice I strained racked his mercy beyond his truth and promise I wonder not now that Gods judgements make me to reele to and fro and stager like a drunken man But heere is my griefe and most piercing paine I cannot think that GOD would suffer any of his owne Children to bee chaissed with such bloodie bickerings and not incontinent runne to his helpe Can a mother forget her Childe though shee should God cannot forget these that are his Gods wrath continueth still against mee my sinnes are mounted vp to his eares with a noyse and hee hath taken notice Behold and consider if there bee anie sorrow like vnto my sorrow The Pastour These bee the paines of new birth In such spirituall trauailing the Soule will bee in a wonderfull distresse like Rachel of whom it is written that in trauailing She was in hard labour The hardest labour of the first birth is soft beeing compared to the labours of the second No sorrow in the flesh is able fullie to expresse it I see a shadow of such sorrowes in that mourning of Hadadrimmom in the valley of Megiddon This is a mourning joyned with fasting making man and wife for a space to shed beds that the man may mourne in one place and the wife in another The familie of the house of Dauid apart and their wiues apart The familie of the house of Nathan apart and their wiues apart The familie of the house of Leui apart and their wiues apart The familie of Shimei apart and their wiues apart All the families that remainc euerie familie apart and their wiues apart All this mourning is wrought in mans heart by a Spirit which Zacharie calleth the Spirit of grace Behold see Sir what it is of this your great griefe It is a sure token that the Spirit of Grace hath beene powred vpon your Soule Too too manie vndera smilling countenance haue a smarting Conscience while the wieked laugh their heart is sorrowfull-Rejoyce in such a tribulation after this short seede-time of sorrow if yee can haue patience ye shall reape the quiet fruite of righteonsnesse after the darke cloudie night of sorrow the day will dawne At the breaking of the Skye a starre of comfort shall arise which shall neuer sette vnder a night cloud of waterie teares Man naturalliè is so impatient that he cannot waite in a stayed temper till the Lord hath ended his work The sicke Man I vnderstand not such working I euer heard preached that God was mercifull to his owne and that hee did proportion euen at an haires breadth their tryals and troubles to their spirituall temper neuer surcharging any aboue their force in their greatest darknes his custome is to lighten them the way to relieue with some ray or beame of a fatherlie fauour But mine heart is altogether soacked and sacked with sorrow Mine heart is nothing but a gulfe of griefe The Pastour The hand of our God is wonderfullie in his workes as for vs wee cannot worke vpon a Creature but by the helpe of another As for God while hee worketh it often befalleth that either there is nothing or that which would seeme to bee contrarie to his working In the Creation hee brought some thing out of
workes may easilie ouertoppe all your sins iniquities God will haue man with his narrow bowels of mercie to forgiue his brother seuen times in a day if hee shall returne seuen times in a day saying It repenteth mee If God requireth such mercie of man whose bowels in the widest are not of a span breadth what shall hee doe whose compassions are rouled together into bowels broader than the Sea yea wider than the heauens If ye can repent Sir God can forgiue When man ceaseth to spurne God beginneth to spare The sicke Man I take God to witnesse that I am sorie for my sinnes and so ashamed that with the Publicane I cannot lift vp mine eyes to the heauens I would be content to kisse the ground a thousand times for to get but one kisse of the feete of him who is the on◅ lie helpe of the conscience and the health of the countenance I finde myselfe deepe to the Chine in a gulfe of miserie Tell mee truelie Sir I pray you Thinkeyee that if with a mourning heart I confesse my sinnes to God that hee will haue pittie of me I am sore perplexed the deepe thoughts of mine owne guiltinesse strike men with such a set silence that I am not able to vtter my griefe My feare is that I bee of the familie of hell an haire of horrour and vtter woe Be free with mee I pray you Thinkeyee th◅t such an hord of miserie as mine can euer meete with his mercie The Pastour It is great ignorance Sir to thinke that anie miserie of man can ouer reach the infinite power of his pitie and boundlesse compasse of his compassions It were more easie to turne the Sunne from his course than God from shewing mercie to repenting sinners both his Name and Nature is mercie See wee not out of what myres of miserie Gods mercie hath deliuered repenting sinners In Scripture wee may read long Catologes of pardoning sinnes Consider well I pray you thinke deepelie vpon the mercies of your God Look well what hee hath done to others Could the adulterie of Dauid the incest of Lot the drunkennesse of Noah the murther of Simeon Leui the persecutions of Paul the perjurie of Peter or any other like sinne hinder God to be mercifull to the◅ so soone as they repented * Wherefore wereall these pardons printed into God Booke but for to tell all ages that no man were hee neuer so sinfull should despaire of the mercie of his God As I liue saith the Lord take no delight into the death of sinners but rather that they should repent and liue These bee his owne words If words beare no weight behold effects God hath so loued the world that hee hath giuen his onelie Sonne that whosoeuer belieueth in him should not perish but haue euerlasting life This is not a verball loue when a man giueth his best beloued for to die for another God hath not spared his onelie Sonne that by his satisfying sufferings his Iustice beeing payed hee might shew mercie to man his poore vnworthie creature not onelie the Father hath loued the world but also the Sonne out of vnspeakable loue was as desirous to die for man as the Father was to send him This out of his owne mouth hee declared that no loue could ouer-reach his loue No man said hee hath greater loue than this than when a man layeth downe his life for his friend The highest of mans loue is to die for his friend But Christs loue was greater hee died for vs euen when wee were his enemies In another point behold the loue of Christ scarselie saith the Apostle for a righteous mā wil one die yet per aduenture for a good man some would euen dare to die But God commendeth his loue towardes vs in that while wee were yet sinners Christ died for vs Who shall doubt of this loue which the Lord hath registred on earth with the dearest blood of his onelie begotten Sonne There is such a loue in the Father and such a loue in the Sonne and such a loue in the holie Ghost toward the Saluation of man that all the heauens are filled with loue of our well so that at the conuersion of one sinner on earth there is more joy among the Saints and Angels than for fourescore and ninteene righteous who neede not repentance * If Sir yee would haue the heauens to rejoyce cast your selfe into the armes of your God with these words Lord doe with mee what thou wilt though thou shuld slay me yet will I true in thee If yee would see the picture of Gods mercy ye must draw aside the curtaine of all carnall surmises The sicke Man Oh that I might cast my Soule into his Armes But how can I doe this The Lord hath turned his backe on mee shall I cast my selfe into a consuming fire At the first sight of his angry face my Soule will die for feare The Pastour Men often are deceiued So soone as Manoah had seene the Angel hee said to his wife Wee shall surelie die because wee haue seene God But his wife answered more wiselie If the Lord were pleased to kill vs hee would not haue receiued a sacrifice from vs As shee said to him so say I to you If the Lord were pleased to kill you hee would not haue giuen his Sonne in a Sacrifice for you * I is a greater loue token that God hath giuen his Sonne in a Sacrifice for you than that hee should receiue any sacrifice from you It is the Apostles argument that since God hath giuen vnto vs his owne Sonne hee will not refuse vs any other thing that may doe vs good Christ alone is the sinners refuge hee is a Rocke of comfort which cannot bee shaken a Rocke which commandeth all seas of sorrows the pole of our peace Be earnest in prayer with God cry till he hea◅e The sicke Man I am wearied with crying to God my prayers may be called The voyce of my roaring But what shall I say I cry but there is none that maketh answere God hath couered himselfe with a cloude that my prayers should not passe thorow hee hath stopped his eares that my prayer should not bee heard This is a most fearefull blast and blow in his bloo die battell The Pastour Deceiue not your selfe often our prayer framed and followed by the Spirit of grace is heard though the fense of grant bee not yet brought to vs God for causes will let a time goe betweene seeking and finding After this the Angel spake vnto Daniel At the beginning of thy prayer God heard thee and now I am come to tell thee See how a space will interceede betweene Gods hearing of mans prayer and mans knowledge that God hath heard him Though yee as yet know not whither God hath heard you or not yee must not
wicked will refraine from outward scandals yea they may preach yea prophecie with Saul Cajaphas and Iudas so that they will bee wondered at like Soul among the Prophets or lik Simō magus to whom the world for a space gaue heede from the least to the greatest saying This man is the great power of God Manie hauing but this superficiall glistering of grace applaud and content themselues thinking that they are wise while they indeede are fooles By this Spirit also they will taste the good gift of God but an one they spite it out againe * Meate tasted in the mouth onelie and not let downe to bee digested in the stomacke is vnprofitable for nourishment By this same Spirit also they will bee inlightened so that they will loue the deare Sainctes of God and will reuerence them as King Herod did Iohn But heere is their stay they haue euer an Herodias which they will not forsake Some one reigning sinne or other like pestilent canker cleaueth fast vnto them and beareth rule into their mortall bodies Either one sinne or other secret or publicke must be their Darling And this againe like a mother sinne must haue a dancing daughter called Hatered of reproue whose chiefest sute is that the preacher were he an Iohn either want the head or else bee silenced This is the verie border of the wicked mās progresse with all his might and maine in the way to glorie Further I cannot see that hee can winne but onelie to a taste in the mouth of the goodnesse of Gods giftes and to a certaine or rather incertaine liking of that which is good which at last shall losse the head with the Baptiste before hee losse his pleasures with Herod Thus as ye see manie are deceiued with the false flashes of an euil grounded assurance that they are in the readie and right way to Heauen when as indeede they are but faggots prepared for euer lasting burnings The sicke Man There bee one passage in Scripture which hath often affrighted my Soule in it I see a Reprobate to ma◅ such a progresse in the way to Hearen that hardlie can I thinke that euer I did match him The Apostle saith 1. That hee will bee inlightened 2. That hee will taste of the heauēlie gift 3. That he will be made partaker of the holie Ghost 4. That hee will taste the good word of GOD. 5. That he will taste the powers of the world to come And yet for all that hee shall fall away so that hee can not bee renewed by Repentance and so shall die a Reprobate and last after death shall bee caried with the wicked into the same streame till he fall downe into the gulfe and poole of perdition I intreat you Sir to giue mee some light for the clearing of these wordes for often haue they troubled my Soule and dryuine it deepe into the dumps * At the first view of these wordes it would seeme that a man may get seisin of Heauen and yet thereafter bee diss◅ised by some sinnes and iniquities and depriued of all hope of eternitie The Pastour The Lord inlighten my mislie minde that I may cleare these your doubts to your well and contentment I confesse that at the first sight of these words I my selfe was amazed so that I did wonder how all that could bee Indeede at the first view as ye say it would seeme that a man may get seisin of Heauen and yet thereafter bee diss◅ised by one sinne or other whereby all his former vert◅es shall losse their grace But let a man lift vp his heart to God in prayer and thereafter consider well the words and weigh them in the Ballance of the Sanctuarie hee shall easilie perceiue that a Reprobate may bee endewed with all these giftes and after all bee debarred from entering into glorie In the words ye haue obserued fiue difficulties vnto which God willing I shall make answere seuerallie First of all it is said that the Reprobate who is but a Bellie blind will bee inlightened For to stād vnder this yee must first cōsider that into that place of Scripture the Apostle speaketh of Apostats that is of men that haue forsaken the true Religion which once they did professe for to become professors of lyes mē who haue reuolted from the Trueth after that the windowes of their Soule were shute close for to barreout the Light and that willinglie and of set purpose First then it is said That they were inlightned that is once they knew the Trueth For knowledge is light But because that hauing light they wanted loue God sent them strong delusions to belieue lyes S. Paul speaking of these that had but the light of nature the twilight of reason said That they were inlightened in such a sort that thereby they knew God But because that when they knew God they glorified him not as God neither were thankefull but became vaine in their imaginations how grieuous was their punishment A little after both their sinne and their punishment is more plainely ser downe Euen saīth hee as they did not like to retaine God in their knowledge God gaue them ouer in a Reprobate minde That is hee put out and quenshed that little light of Nature which once they had as hee tooke the Talent from the idle man that rolled it vp into a napkin The greater that light bee within a mā if it be abused the greater is the punishment which is for to ensue But to come to that Light wherewith a Reprobate brought vp in the Church may be inlightened The Light of knowledge within a man who hath not the loue of the Trueth is but like the light of a blazing Comet which shortlie dyeth out and filleth the world with a pestiferous stinke An Apostate on earth is lik a Comet in the heauens a star but in appearance Such men with all their apparent eminences of zeale and dazeling shewes bee but blazing starres such as the Dragon is said to sweepe downe with his taile * S. Iude calleth them wandering starres they keepe not their Station They are Planets in their motion and Comets in their substance not fixed in the heauens but kindled meteores in the aire which seeme to bee in the heauens and therefore they losse at last their light so that as S. Iude saith To them is reserued blacknesse of darknesse Such may haue the spirit of illumination for the good of others without the Spirit of Sanctification for the good of their own Soules Though they haue some light of knowledge yet in loue and life they walke by the darke side of the cloude with the Egyptians There is Loue and Light in the life of all true Israelites whose course is by the light side of the fierie Pillar The wicked for the most parte are with the Sodomites either stricken with blindnesse or if they see they
see as these Syrians saw that came to apprehend Elishah at Dothan they saw indeede but their judgement was so troubled that though they saw yet they could not perceiue till out of Dothan they were entered into Samariah the citie of their enemies That was the figure whereof this is the substance Heare yee indeede but vnderstand not and see yee indeede but perceiue not O how the eyes of the Soule of man are dimmed with the mistie vapours of vanitie thorow which it is hard euen for the godlie often to see anie glimmerings of grace But to the purpose obserue well what I say The godlie and the wicked will both be inlightned But the godlie is inlightned like a starre fixed into the heauens whose light is firme and constant But the wicked inlightned is but lik a blazing Comet which for a space will haue a greater glaunce than a true starre into the eyes of the ignorants But the learned Philosopher knoweth it to bee nothing but a bundle of filthie matter kindled into the Aire which shall shortlie bee quenched Thus as ye see the wicked like a Comet will bee kindled with some strange fire hee will bee so inlightened that he will giue light vnto others for a space with his hoarie beames But this Siella crinita hoarie starre because hee is not fixed into the hea uens by faith hee not beeing in the same Firmament with the Sunne of righteousnesse within some fewe Moneths hee dyeth out leauing nothing behind him but the pestiferous smoke and stinke of an euill name and of filthie scandales a cause pest where with many are infected Thus as yee see many like a Comet or a Candle will for a time blaze with beautiefull brightnesse beeing full of godlie shewes without any life of grace but at last dye out with a filthie smell The twilight of Nature is no light but darkenesse Let therefore euerie man trie his Light by his loue Though a man should know Christ neuer so well if hee cannot say to him as Peter said Lord thou knowest that I loue Thee the light of that man shall not continue but soone or since with one sinne or other it shall be put out as with a dampe Then many shall wonder what can bee worde of such a blazing professour when they shall see all his rootlesse graces withered and wasted Now Sir examine well your selfe If yee finde a loue in your hearte with your light a loue of God not so much for his benefites as for himselfe who is most loue worthie be not affrighted to heare that Reprobates may bee inlightened All their graces at the best are rootlesse glorious glances foolish flashes euanishing in a moment Let mee yet a little illustrate the matter that it may appeare how Reprobates are said to bee inlightened The Godlie the Reprobates are both said to bee inlightened but diuerslie the Godlie are inlightened like the Sun but the wicked are like the Moone In the Sunne as all know the Light is rooted and fixed so that not onelie doeth it shew light vnto others but also it hath light within it selfe As for the Wicked they are inlightened like the Moone which sheweth light vnto others beeing darke within like a Glasse which in the sight of the Sunne will glance with some beames vnto others hà uing no light within it selfe In this the wicked also are like the Moone that while they are in plenilunio in their fullest light in the midst appeareth some blacke spottes In the greatest light of the wicked if men can looke vp and behold they shall perceiue often one grosse sinne or other where the light haue no reflexe which is like the blacke spot of the Moone Thus as yee see all the light of the Wicked is but in an outward reflexe whileas they are darke within But the Godlie are like Iohn the Baptist whom Christ called a burning and a shinning light Not onlie shine they outwardlie vnto others but also they burne within themselues like these Disciples whose heartes while Christ spake did burne within them in going to Emaus these were their words Did not our hearts burne within vs while hee talked with vs by the way The Wicked may well blaze without but neuer burne within God may so dispence that like a burning Glasse they may make others to burne while like the burning Glasse they remaine themselues cold or at the best but lake warme Now I thinke that all men may easilie perceiue how the wicked are said to bee inlightened Such men I confesse are hard to bee knowne at the first A man at least for a month must be acquanted with the Moone before he can know that it is but a dark bodie which hath no light in it selfe but borrowed and outward A life-time is not often sufficient for to trye Hypocrites transformed like Sathan into Angels of light Such Moon-men beguile many with outward reflexes Though these which are outwardlie adorned with such colours blesse themselues with Laodicea as hauing neede of nothing yet their sins by the hand of Gods Iustice are written in the Register of their Conscience yea deepelie ingrauen as with the penne of a Dyamond Thus Reprobates cannot now vnderstand because their Conscienceâ—… are seared sensles they are in such a Slumber benummednes of CoÌ„science that they cannot consider nor make a sound search into the state of their Soules Nay though they could they would not for feare that there by they should bee enchained to melancholie a marr mirth of all their carnall delights Of such I will say some-thing I pray God that it may chasse them to seeke sinceritie Except that such who care onelie for colours shews of godlinesse for to be well thought of among men except say I they turne to God with true sound and timelie Repentance in my judgement hardlie shall they escape some fearefull and remarkable judgement euen in this life Cannot God appoint them to bee his owne executioners for to bee Burriors to themselues After that in his wrath hee hath kept an assise in their Conscience and hath made them with Iudas to cry out guiltie against them selues hee can make them hang vp themselues in the loupe of a corde for to bee spectacles of his wrath before the world Hee can mak them poyson themselues or powre out their life with their blood by sword or by knife This judgement shall cry to the liuing Thus shall it bee done with him who dallies with his God If hee escape that Woe woe woe vnto him on his death-bed where Sathan with hellish malice bloody cruelty shall wouÌ„d him with his empoysoned darts which hee shall fasten deeplie in his Soule Then with many a sore sigh shall hee cry that he is enthralled in the snaires fetters of the deuill Some I know will win out of this world without any seene
may the Lord send a change He can make the fruite of all his labours to be like an vntimely birth for whome the Mother hath suffered many woes and yet could neuer enjoye a sight there of aliue The greatest glorie of this world is like Hills which seeme highest a farre off Men in their solie may sav as Dauid said in his prosperitie I shall neuer be moued But O folie There is nothing permanent heere Man is tossed vp and downe as the Locust either with discountenance or disapointment breaking into foame his projects vpon the rocks of disgrace All is turned about with a continual change There is no Time but it passeth there is no Day but it darkneth there is no Fruite but it rotteth there is no Flower but it faddeth there is no Force but it faileth there is no Strength but it weakeneth there is no Beautie but it withereth there is no Garment but it weareth yea the Heauens themselues waxe olde as doeth a garment Behold how all that is aboue vs beneath vs about vs is full stuffed vvith vanitie this at last shall worldlings know to bee true when their laughter shall be madnesse in their owne eyes It is a wonder how men are so blind in this glorious Noone tide of the Gospel All that is most esteemed in this world the fooles Paradise is chieflie of those 1. Strength 2. Honour 3. Riches 4. Beautie 5. Pleasure 6. Wisedome 7. Children 8. Long life of these things may no man say with Niobe Excessere metum mea jam bona I neede not feare to losse them The sicke Man I desire to heare you discusse the vanitie of these eight thinges seuerallie for which men straine the vtmost vaine of their wits as if in this region of corruption such thinges were able to stretch themselues vnto eternitie The Pastour All such thinges are but broken staues of reede not to be relyed vpon To naturall eyes indeede such things are so glancing that they like a starre new created in the Skye will make them to gaze yea often it befalleth that the prosperitie of such things enjoyed by the wicked will not onelie drawe the eyes of the Godly vpon them but will bee eye-fore vnto them I was enuious at the foolish said Dauid when I saw the prosperitie of the wicked Let vs relish these eight thinges a little and orderly try what is their worth 1. STRENGTH As for Strength if Samson the strongest now could speak out of his Graue hee would teach the liuing that it is but a vaine thing What a vaine thing is this which in the highest degree that euer was in man might bee shauen from him with the lockes of his haire Let a Feuer but seaze vpon the strongest that euer breathed before it leaue him it shall teach him to know that all the force of flesh is vas nitie Reuben who was called by his Father The man of his might and the beginning of his strength and the excellencie of power is in the verse following called vnstable as water The Philistims great man the strength of Philistia the terrour of Israel was felled downe with a stone out of a Shepheards scrippe and slung There is no solide strength in flesh but hee who is strong in God of him shall bee said as was saide of Ioseph His bow abode in strength and the armes of his hand were made strong by the hands of the Almightie GOD of Iacob 2. HONOVR What is Honour which men in the hight of Spirit desire with the strongest straine What is it but like a King in a play when the play is done the ornaments are takeÌ„ from him To day man is a King and to morrow a Carrion The greatest pompe of King Agrippa his of Queene Bernice is caâ—…led in Scripture language a meere phantasie or euanishing shew Hee came downe with his Queene saith S. Luke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is he came downe with great phantasie As honours are changeable like a phantasie so often change they men so that they become phantasticke Honores mutant mores Honours change manners but oftest to the worse If men knewe the vanitie of this point they would not so eagerlie hunt after that wherein there is no contentment After that Alexander had fished the whole world with his herrie water-net what found he but follie euanishing shewes wherof the most pleasant rellish was like the white of an Egge wherein is no sauour Kings which are the most honourable men of this world are gods in name but not in Nature I haue said Yee are gods but yee shall die like men-King Herods flatterers cryed that he was god but Death belyed them crying that hee was but a man a god that could not resist the wormes often that which is highlie esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God God liketh not euer best these to whom hee filleth a full cup of temporall felicitie He whom God hath elected to bee a King in Heauen is often hidde like Soul among the stuffe or like Corne among Chaffe I haue obserued in reading the Booke of God that few Kings either of Iuda or of Israel receiued any great praise from Gods penne which can neither faine nor flatter Trueth will yeelde no ground thogh it should meete a Tyrant in the face O fainting flatterer who darre not preach but to pleasethy Prince Who art thou that thou should feare a mortall man which shall bee made as grasse By a wise graue godly reproofe thou might haue saued his Soule in whose blood thou hast embrewed thy selfe either by fearefull silence or flattering eloquence O how dangerous is the high estate of Princes vnto Princes themselues They are followed with such applause that often they are made to forget what they are I haue called you gods is the flatterers Text he cannot passe this point his Glasse is run and Time is spent before he can winne to the other part of the verse But yee shall dye like men Let vs heare what God himselfe speaketh of the Monarchs of his owne people Except a verie few there is not one but hee is either branded with this And hee did euill in the sight of the Lord or with this And hee followed the sins of Ieroboam the sonne of Nebat which made Israel to sinne Honour will not abide with Kings except that they abide with God While Nebuchadnezar was boasting of his Buildinges euen while the word was in the Kings mouth there fell a voyce from Heauen saying O King Nebuchadnezar the kingdome is departed from thee No King standeth so strong in his prosperitie but God can shake him and lay him on his backe King Dauid of this got an afterwit In my prosperitie said he I said I shall neuer bee moued But so soone as God beganne to hide his
for to heare Come or Depart Let your attention yet goe a little a long with mee See what it is of olde age Consider how feeble it is being a burden vnto it selfe a time vnfitte for anie affaire And yet most men in their youth swynishlie wallow in vncleannes thinking to keepe the old yeares for the amending of their life for all other spirituall adoes as repentance and returning vnto God as if a man beeing for to goe a farre and foule journey should lay the greatest burden vpon the weakest horse A good man regardeth his beast how much more should hee regard himselfe What regard is heere when a man in his youth rolleth his originall sinne like a snow-ball among actuall sins to such a huge greatnesse that in his strongest youth hee is not able to moue it and yet delayeth thinking that when hee is olde hee shall easilie remoue it and remeede it The sinnes of youth draw vpon old age deadnesse of heart and dulnesse of zeale It is good that man with a watchfull eye holde in perpetuall jealousie the cunning slightes and windings of the deceit of sinne in youth And therefore while it is youth time while God calleth while the wind serueth while the Sea is calme while the Shippe is sound let vs sette foorth in time to saile toward the port of Saluation the harberie of Grace in Glorie O vaine man who in thy youth turneth the grace of thy God into wantonnesse and thinketh to come home to God againe when thou is olde what shall God doe with thy blind lame olde age Is that a sacrifice for God Offer it vnto thy Gouernour saith Malachie If a blind or lame beast wil not please a man what shall God doe with that which is more blind than a beast The King of Babilon commanded Ashpenaz the master of his Eneuches to mak choise of Childrē in whom was no blemish such as had ability in thē to stand in the Kings Palace What shall the Deuill get the finest flower of our age the strength of our dayes and the abilitie of our Soule and thereafter shall God the King of Heauen bee serued with the blind and the lame such as the verie Soule of Danid did hate It is good afore hand to bee furnished with Graces which may be as the staffe of our old age * If we spēd our strēgth in our youth at the seruice of God he shall neuer cast vs off in our olde age But what shall I say nothing will waken foolish Virgines while they sleepe till that shrill voyce bee heard The Bridegrome is come When it is no more time mē who cōtented themselues with counterfeit shewes deceiuing shadowes arise run seeke for Oyle which they shall not be able to get either for buying or begging By all this my discourse Sir ye may perceiue that the long date of dayes bringeth men vnto dotage after dotage vnto dust from thence hee came Man of few yeares is foolish vnto fourtie a little after that folie hath left him dotage succeedeth which vnderstandeth no Precepts In this Mappe of the olde mans miserie yee may see whether or not man haue cause to bee greedie of many yeares Though the world were not vaine yet yee see that man is but vanitie in the world Let all men heere lay aside such doting vanities that bring too doolefull miseries Let all flesh learne that Nothing out of God can affoord sound joye and contentment If a man want God were hee an Emperour as high indeede as the King of Babylon was in conceite euen aboue the stars of God his life shall bee crossed with these th◅ee shrude companions viz. The griefe of thinges by past the paines of things present and the feare of after claps The sicke Man The thought of such thinges beginne to waine mine heart from the loue of all thinges worldlie I pray you yet a little to continue in that purpose concerning the vanities of things below The meditations therof lik sharpe keene spurs should prick and stirre vs forword from the loue of this vnto the loue of these lasting things which are aboue The Pastour The sight of this worlde is like that vision of Ezechiel wherein is often said Turne thee yet againe and thou shalt see moe abominations than all these So say I Sir Turne you yet againe heere and yee shall see greater vanities than either these of Strength or of Honour or of Riches or of Beautie Pleasure Wisedome or long Life Beholde a vanitie which is the cause of all these vanities viz. Sinne and iniquitie where vnto we are all subject so long as we liue in this world the region of corruption where if a man stand on Gods side he shall become the drunkards song with Dauid or a by-word with Iob among the chidren of Beliel Looke thorow this world and consider sin in all sortes of men sorrow following euer sinne at the heeles In this place behold Dauid making his bedde to swimme with his teares for his adulterie In that place againe behold Peter weeping b◅tterlie for his denyall In this place againe behold Lot vexing his righteous Soule from day to day for the vnlawfull deedes of the wicked In that place behold S. Paul groaning vnder a dead bodie of sinne euen a bodie of death No man is able to hunt all the corners of mans corruption From particular men let vs come to whole Churches defiled with spots and blemishes Heere is the Church of Ephesus which hath left her first Loue. There is Smyrna where some of Gods best seruantes are cast into prison Heere againe is Pergamus defiled with the doctrine of Balaame and of the Nicolaitanes In Thyatira the whoore Iezabel sat as a Prophetesse teaching and seducing Gods seruants to committe fornication to eate things sacrificed vnto idoles Sardis had a name to liue and yet was dead Laodicea was neither cold nor hote so that God threatned to spewe her out of his mouth Among all the seuen Churches onelie Philadelphia kept the word of his patience and yet her life was not without feare to losse her Crowne Behold I come quicklie said the Lord hold that fast which thou hast that no man take thy Crowne But long since hauing neglected this precept shee is bereaued of that comfort Crowne Where nowe are all these most flourishing Churches of Asia where now are all these Churches of Grecia most glorious in Constantius dayes Because they helde not fast that which they had they haue all lost their Crowne By deare Experience haue they learned what vanitie is Behold and see how this world is like a working sea wherein sinne like a gall winde or strong Tyde carrieth many tribulations and destructions from Countrie to Contrie All is made thereby
the jâ—…yes of Heauen The Pastour Such a matter is verie vnpleasant yea very fearefull to a naturall man It is written that while as S. Paul reasoned of Righteousnesse Temperance and Iudgement to come Felix who was but a naturall man tremblâ—…d all while hee heard him and therefore desired him to leaue off preaching any more and to goe his way till a more fitte and conuenient time Thogh the wicked tremble at this discourse yet it is coÌ„fortable profitable into the godly I wish at God that I had that tongue of the Learned that thereby I might produce these reasons of S. Paul which hee vttered while hee reasoned vpon this matter before Felix This Sir yee must first know that the day of Iudgement shall bee a great day a day of Law when all the Sonnes of Adam must compeare before the eyes of him who seeth our thoughts a farre off euen to the very depths of our heart The sicke Man First of all I desire to heare of the time that Christ shall come into the Cloudes for to judge both quicke and dead The Pastour As for the particular time of that great and glorious comming of the Lord no man can define wheÌ„ it shall bee whether in the night or in the day at mid-night or cock-crow It was a time hid from Christ himselfe as man while hee was heere in the dayes of his flesh neither thought hee shame to tell it His vvords and his counsell concerning that are of great weight But that day said hee and that houre knoweth no man no not the Angels which are in heauen neither the Sonne but the Father Now what was his Counsell therevpon Take heede said hee watch and pray for yee know not when the time is For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey who left his house and gaue authoritie to his seruantes and to euerie man his work commanding the Porter to watch Watch ye therefore for ye know not when the Master of the house commeth at Euen or at mid-night or at the cock-crowing or in the morning lest comming suddenlie hee finde you sleeping And what I say vnto you I say vnto you all watch S. Peter saith that hee shall come as a Theefe in the night By all this it euidentlie appeareth that no man can designe the particular time of the comming of the Lord vnto Iudgement No tongue can tell whether his comming shall bee in the night or in the day in the morning or in the euening at the prayer or at the preacing * Watch yee therefore saide Christ and this he doubled againe And what I say vnto you that I say vnto you all watch The sicke Man What can bee the cause wherefore God hath kept vp to himselfe the particular knowledge of that great day The Pastour God in great wisedome hath hidde from all flesh the time of his comming as hee hath concealed from all men the houre and forme of their death that all may striue to be readie at all times The sicke Man Though this Day bee not particularlie knowne thinke yee not but it is verie neere The Pastour S. Iames in his dayes saide The comming of the Lord draweth neere The sicke Man But since hee said that it is more than a thousand and fiue hundreth yeares and yet all thinges remaine euen as they were haue I heard some men say The Pastour These bee the words of them whom S. Peter calleth Scoffers Knowing this first saith hee that there shall come in the last days scoffers walking after their owne lustes And saying where is the promise of his comming for since the Fathers fell a sleepe all things centinâ—…e as they were from the beginning of the Creation This is as much as if they had said If there were a God indeede for to come to judgement hee would not bee so slacke in his comming But what saith S. Peterâ—…o â—…o that The Lord is not slacke concerning his promise as some meÌ„ count slacknes but is long suffering to vs ward not willing that any should perish but that all should come to Repentance The sicke Man I see now that no man can be certaine at what time Christ shall come It is a secret which God hath kept vp from all the liuing into his owne bosome The Pastour Indeed Sir it is such a secret thaâ—… may not bee searched Christ after his Resurrection said a wise word to his Apostles It is not for you 〈◊〉 knowe the times or the seasons which the Father hath put in his owne power This is the wisedome of God who hath concealed such things from the knowledge of all men as well learned as vnleaâ—…ned as well Kinges as Subjects that all flesh at all times be in readinesse when the Lord shall come to judgement This made the Lord so carefullie to waine his Disciples to watch The sicke Man The Lord graunt that wee may euer haue our loynes girded ouâ—… Candles in our hands waiting for the comming of that Lord. The Pastour That should be our daylie prayer This should teach vs not to lye downe to sleepe like foolish Virgines without Oyle in our Lampes leâ—… before wee waken the Bridegrome come vpon vs vnprouided enter in his Chamber while we shall bee seeking that which we shal not find The sicke Man Now Sir I pray you proceed and declare to mee howe the Lord shall come downe from Heauen for to judge this world wherein we dwell The Pastour He shall come downe not as King Agrippa his Queene Bernice came down 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with much phantasie or vaine shew which is nothing indeede but a foolish phantasie But O the vnspeakable Glorie that shall bee seene at the comming of the Lord. The sicke Man I requeast you earnestlie to continue into that purpose for it affecteth mine heart verie much The Pastour I reade in the Gospel that while Christ was sitting vpon the Mount of Oliues his Disciples came vnto him priuatelie saying Tell vs when shall these things be and what shall be the signe of thy comming and the end of the world Christs answere was That they should take heede that no man deceiue them because saide hee many shall come into my Name saying I am Christ and shall deceiue many The sicke Man But did hee not declare anie particular signes or tokens that should appeare before his comming The Pastour The Lord hath declared that before that great terrible day come The Sunne shall bee darkened and the Moone shall not giue her light and the Starres shall fall from heauen and the powers of heauen shall bee shaken The sicke Man I wish to heare the exposition of these words for they seeme to bee full of difficulties The Pastour Some think that these words are but an allegorie of the callamities that were to befall to the Church and
trauell together vntill now The sicke Man O the great secrets of God! I pray you Sir to let me vnderstand these wordes by some breefe exposition First what is that which hee calleth the earnest expectation of the creature which waiteth for the manifestation of the Sonnes of God What creature is that What expectation can that bee The Pastour By the creature are not vnderstood these little creatures as Frogs Flees Midges Beastes Fowles Fishes Such creatures haue none expectation of better things to come for in the world to come there shall bee no vse for them But by the the creature is to bee vnderstood the whole worlde viz. The Heauens and all the Elements as Earth Fire Water Aire which now are all so knit in loue that euery one as it were taketh another into its bosome Because they are so fast coupled together and so neere to other that nothing can come betweene them for this cause as if they were all but one thing they are called in the singular number the creature As for it expectation it is called by the Apostle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a stretched out of the hand In which word the waiting of the world for the comming of the Lord is set out like a woman standing vpon her tip-toes stretching out her head for to see if she can see her husbaÌ„d comming a farre whom shee looketh longeth for hourelie See howe liuelie the Apostle declareth the secret instinct of the worldes desire for the comming of Christ Iesus In a most powerfull word hee letteth vs see the Heauens and the Earth and all the Elements all as it were a man or a woman standing vpon their tip-toes and holding vp their heads for to see if Iesus bee comming according to his promise All the Faithfull who are the Spouse of Christ groane within them selues sighing till they see their Sauiour in the Cloudes so also this creature hath the owne groanes and sighs till Christ come for its deliuerance And as the Churches desire maketh Her to cry Come Lord Iesus come so in this creature there is a secret instinct and earnest expectation which moueth it in the own language to cry for Christes comming The sicke man What vnderstandeth the Apostle while hee saith That the creature was made subject to vaniue not willinglie but by reason of him that hath subjected the same in hope First how is it said That it is made subject to vanitie Can the Heauens and the Earth bee saide to bee subject to vanitie The Pastour The most Learned thinke that by this subjection of the creature to vanitie is to bee vnderstood ejus fluxa evanida conditio that is a condition subject to change corruption wearing away or waxing olde As for the Earth it is euident as for the Heauens Scripture is plaine They waxe olde as doeth a garment This is the vanitie of these creatures Heere is also another vanitie wherevnto they are subject in that they are made seruants to these that will not serue God whoÌ„ they serue That the beautifull Sunne should furnish light to these that delight in Spirituall darknesse it is a vanitie and a drudgerie wherevnto the Sun is subject That the Earth should beaâ—…e and bring foorth fruites for to feede the blacke mouthes that blaspheme its Maker is a great vanitie wherevnto it is made subject The Sea groaneth vnder the Shippes of Pyrats and Robbers See what an vproare was in that Element for Ionahs rebellion So long as he was in that Shippe Gods scourged the winds with his worde of command The windes scourged the Seas the Seas scourged the Shippe wherein Gods Rebell did lye till hee was cast out The Sea euer seethed with the fire of Gods wrath the waues euer tumbled vp and down breaking one vpon another with rushing and roaring till it tooke order with the rebellious man there was no resting for its waues The sicke Man But how is this that it is said that the creature is subject to vanitie but not willinglie It would seeme by that that they obey God but against their will The Pastour The Heauens or Earth properlie haue neither a willing nor a nilling but onelie a secret instinct which is like a will This secret instinct which God hath put into his creature is that Omnis natura conservatrix suiest euerie creature striueth to keepe maintaine it selfe Now while by God it is made subject to such changes weakening and wearing which is against the working of that instinct it is said in Scripture language to bee subject to vanitie but not willinglie Neither for that must wee thinke that the creature in that rebelleth or repineth against God in any wise as if it had a will striuing against Gods will no not But in some measure it may bee saide to haue an instinct like that will of Christ at the drinking of the bitter Cuppe Christs Naturall instinct was that the Cuppe should passe from him and yet for all that his prayer was Not my will but thy will bee done It is euen so in some manner of the instinct of the Heauens and of the Earth They naturallie shrinke from bondage abuse as also they incline to keepe themselues froÌ„ corruption and vanitie neither for that is their will contrarie to Gods will Hee who is called a seruant should not care for it But yet if hee may bee made free the Apostles direction is That hee vse it rather The sick man may will life and seeke cure for to preserue his life though Gods will bee that hee die if so bee that he submit vnto Gods will his whole desire as Christ did euen while hee desired the Cuppe to depart which hee knew to haue beene put into his hand for to drinke it A will that is diuerse from Gods will if it bee subacted subjected vnto Gods wil may bee free of sinne So the Heauens and the Earth are subject vnto vanitie but not willinglie because they incline to bee free of the bondage of mans corruption But seeing it is their Lords will that they beare the burden and bee subject to such changes they become subject but withall they are euer groaning and longing for their redemption As a woman in trauell naturallie desireth to be deliuered and yet submitteth her selfe to Gods wil as naturallie these creatures of God haue an instinct to bee deliuered from the burden of their bondage But seeing their instinct or desire to bee made free is not so soone effectuate neither can bee before the world end the Lord their good and kinde Master for to encourage them vnder the burden of their bondage lest they should faint hath giuen vnto them another secret instinct which the Apostle calleth their hope For to cleare this to you in a word There is in this world groaning vnder the corruption of the wicked a certaine instinct like Hope
reason lik heauenlie powers are shaken so at last man like an olde house all decayed falleth downe into his dust As this little worlde decayeth so doeth this great world wherein wee liue all is failing about vs aboue vs till at last the verie voutes of heauen shall bee rent 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with a noyse and shall bee melted with fire and as it were cast into calmes whereout of shall come a new world which shall neuer any more waxe olde The sicke Man That is well said for the generall I perceiue now that the Lord by his infinite power shall spread the Heauens like paper or parâ—…hment and that they shal be melted like mettall Let me now 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 these wordes of S. Luke as they are written into his Gospel First hee saith Thiâ—… there shall bee sigues in the Sunne and in the Moone and in the Starres What signes shall these be The Pastour Some of the Learned thinke that these signes shal be 〈◊〉 whereof God from these heauenlie bodies shall make a shew vnto then vpon the earth Some thinke that this is spoken of great and strange â—…clipes that shall goâ—… before that day Some thinke that there shall bee such a great and glorious light that shall goe before Christes comming that both Sunne and Moone shall bee darkened as the Starres in the morning are darke 〈◊〉 at the rising of the Sun so that they cannot any more bee seene beeing obscured by a â—…ater light Some by an allegorie referre these great ecclipses to great learned men great lights in the Church making defection and Apostasie from the Trueth The sicke Man But S. Matthew sayeth That the Starres shall fall from Heauen The Pastour These words also be diuerslie interpreted Some by these fallen stars vnderstand glorious professours of the truth falling away by Apostasie such Starres are these whom the Dragon is said to draw downe with his taile These bee the words of S. Iohn And there appeared another wonder in Heauen and behold a great red Dragon And his taile drew the third part of the starres of heauen and did cast them to the earth By these starres as a learned man saith well are vnderstood these whose names in outward appearance were written in Heauen lik the Angel of Sardis who had a name to bee liuing and yet was dead Wicked men for a space may blaze like Comets and seeme to bee starres fixed in their orbe and yet at last proue to bee nothing but a bundle of filthie matter like these shote starres that come not from Heauen but from the Aire whereof the Deuill is the prince Others are of the opinion that this bee spoken of the starres of heauen viz. That they shall fall downe The sicke Man But seeing one starre is so many times bigger than the whole Earth as Philosophers esteeme how can they fall Or if they fall whither shall they goe The Pastour One answereth verie well to that that it is verie difficile to pronounce but the day of the Lord shall reueale all In my judgement by the falling of the stars with other such like things is vnderstood the decaying and passing away of the Heauens which shall in that day as S. Peter testifieth passe away with a noyseâ—… An house while it is olde and readie to bee taken downe will all bee full of cliftes and riftes so that the olde â—…yling that was once fast joyned together with nailes will begin to cling and then to gape the nailes also will become loose and hing out All signes and tokens of an hastie ruine It shall bee euen so of that heauenlie house when it is decayed and neare a fall the stars which are like golden nailes into the â—…yling of the world are said to bee loosed and to fall downe for to declare the falling and ruine of the world Some thinke that the Starres reallie shall fall downe like the leaues of a tree nipped with a winter frost S. Iohn speaking of that strange change and perturbation that shal be both aboue and below before that great day saith That the starres of heauen shall fall downe vnto the earth euen as a figge tree casteth heâ—… vntimelie figges when shee is a shaken of a mightie wind In these wordes wee see first the infinite power of that Majestie who shall shake the fixed starres out of their firmameÌ„t againe obserue that the starres are said to bee shaken like vntimlie and greene figges and not like figges that as wee say are drop ripe which droppe downe of wâ—…ll without any violence By this it wold appeare that this world might stand loÌ„ger than it shall stand I think that if the Lord shuld suffer the heauens to turne about some hundreth thousands of yeares that then the stars should fall downe to the earth nor like greene figges but like fruite that is ripe at the falling But the Lord as wee see will shake the starresâ—… ere they bee ripe and that as some thinke for the Elects sake For the Elects sake said Christ these dayes shall bee shortened In the Greeke it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 decurtabuntur which is to shorten or mutilat I know that the most Learned interpret these wordes of the calamities of the Iewes which God would not suffer to bee distressed for many yeares The sicke Man Mine hearte wonders at these words of the Reuelation concerning the starres which shall fall downe to the earth like vntimelie figges shaken with a mightie winde I thinke your obseruation therevpon verie pleasant The Pastour Indeede Sir the words are wonderfull but the worke shal be more wonderfull For in all appearance the heauens beeing dissolued that is all shaken asunder and the stars shaken loose falling downe to the earth and all the Elements beeing melted together in all appearance Starres Sunne and Moone Clay Water Fire and Aire shall become for aspace like a Chaos a confused lump or masse without forme as they were at the first and that till the God of order hath refined and purified all by his refining fire Some thinke otherwise but the day of the Lord shall reueale all The sicke Man That shall bee a terrible worke Now let mee know what S. Luke vnderstandeth by these words That vpon the earth shall bee distresse of Nations with perplexitie The Pastour That is men of all Nations shall bee so troubled at the sight of such thinges that like a man in a straite they shall not wotte to what hand to turne them euen as Dauid was wheÌ„ he said I am in a great strait that is perplexity As for that which S. Luke saith of the Sea viz. The sea and the waues roaring by these words hee declareth that the sea shall be all stirred to the bottome so that theâ—… waters and all shall bee muddie anâ—… drumblie The word Salum turened heere 〈◊〉 signifieth properlie mare turbatum a raging troubled and
tempestuous Sea All these things that shall appeare are called Fore runners sent before to tell all the Faithfull that when they shall see them that they lift vp their heades and looke vp for to see their Redemption that is neere S Luk compareth the time of all these things that appeare before the Lords comming to the spring time when trees begin to budde When the buds shoote foorth saith hee yeâ—… know that Summer is at hand So likewise yee when yee see these thinges come to passeâ—… know that the Kingdome of God is nigh at hand The sicke Man All these fore-said things bee buâ—… buds as I see forewarning vs of the Summer season wherein the Lord shall come But what is that which S. Matthew saith that after all these thinges shall appeare the SIGNE of the Sonne of man in Heauen What is that which hee calleth the SIGNE of the Sonne of man in Heauen What SIGNE thinke yee that to bee that shall bee seene in Heauen after that the world shall bee made new The Pastour The interpreters varie much in their opinions concerning this Signe what sort of Signe it should bee Some thinke that it shall bee the signe of the Crosse vpon which the Lord hang This SIGNE as some think shal be seene into the Aire before the comming of the Lord Such a signe as some write was that which Constantine saw in the Aire while he was going to battell against the enemies of Christ With this signe was heard a voyce vttered in these words IN HOC SIGNO VINâ—…HS Others thinke that by the SIGNE of the Sonne of man is to bee vnderstood Christ Himselfe who is called The Signe of the Sonne of man as Circumcision in Scripture Language is called The signe of the Circumsion I incline rather to thinke with Beza that that signe shall bee some great Majestie and vnspeakable glorie aboue all compasse of comparison glorious which shall appeare whereby the comming of that Lord shall bee knowne to all not to bee the comming of a creature but of Him who is Lord of all the creatures hauing a name aboue all names The Kings and Princes of the earth while they are among the multitudes of their Subjects by some glistering jewell will be discerned from all the rest or by the great respect that is carried to their persons by these that are about them All sheaues fell down before Iosephs sheaues So all creatures at his approach shall fall downe before him As before Ioseph in his progesse was a cry Abrech how the knee so at the comming of this Lord the Angels in a manner shall cry Abrech At his Name euerie knee in Heauen and Earth and vnder the Earth shal bow Before behind and aboue that Bodie of God both white and ruddie the chiefest among ten thousand shall bee such a glorie and throng of Majestie as shall bee a certaine signe that it can bee none other but the Prince of Eternitie hee being among his most bright and glorious Angels like a Sunne among the Starres The wordes of the Earth cannot beare such a signification as may expresse the glorie of this Signe Mine hearte is without mee while I think vpon the glorie of that Lord whom all cyes shall see that day with his golden Head and busâ—… Lockes Christ shall bee clothed in his triumphing apparell with such a brightnesse that the Moone shall be confounded and the Sunne ashamed as these who beeing clothed in course rayment are ashamed to be seene among these who are pasmented with gold In a word at his presence all powers shall shake and all creatures at his bâ—…cke shall obey The sicke Man After that that Signe shall appeare What thinke yee shall bee done The Pastour When Christ the desire of all Nations shall bee readie to come Hee shall send before him his Angels with a great sound of a Trumpet and they shall gather his dispersed and despised Elect from the foure winds from one end of Heauen to the other S. Paul saith That the Trumpet shall 〈◊〉 and the dead shall arise This shall not bee a brasen Trumpet but a â—…stiall which shall found so shrill with a princelie noise that all the creatures on Earth in Heauen and Hell shall heare it S. Paul hath three notable sayinges concerning the sound that shall bee heard at Christs comming First hee saith That hee shall descend with a shoute Secondlie With the voyce of the Archangel Thirdlie With the Trumpet of God The sicke Man The remembrance of that shout maketh mine eares to tingle and my heart stringes to tremble What a shout thinke ye that that shall bee The Pastour Some thinke that it shall bee a great noyse dinne such as is heard into hudge great assemblies It may bee a shout of victorie or of praise The Angels and millions of Sainctes who sing his praise continuallie cannot keepe silence that day They shal be all about Christ that day shouting for the joy of that desired day The worde shout in the originall is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which properlie signifieth that sounding voice which the Mariners vse to others euerie one for to moue another to row Others thinke it to be like a cry of Souldiers qualis est militaris convasatio while they trusse all their baggage for to remoue The sicke Man For what cause chieflie shall this shout bee To whom shall it bee directed The Pastour It shall bee chieflie for the Glory of God It shall bee directed to the dead who are to bee raised vp by the power of God and by the meanes of his Seruants the Angels who at the raising vp of all creatures shall shout like Mariners heauing vp that which is heauy by force of their armes What Archangel that shall be or what shall bee that voyce One saith verie well Dies Domini revelabit The day of the Lord shall reueale it The Lord prepare vs for it O what a Glorie when Christ shall appeare with hands as gold rings set with the Berill and with a bright Bellie ouer laid with Saphires The sicke Man Is it your judgement that Christ the Iudge of the World shall come downe from Heauen with a great Majestie The Pastour It is certaine of the day of his comming againe may well bee said that which was said of his first comming This is the day which the Lord hath made In that day hee himselfe shall come downe in a Charet of a Cloude as hee ascended into a Cloude All the Glorie of Heauen shall bee seene that day The Father shall bee there in vnspeakable Glorie The Holie Ghost shall bee there with vnspeakable Majestie All the Saintes and Angels shall bee about Him like burning Lampes and glistring Suns The sicke Man What passage of Scripture letteth vs see clearlie the Glorie of his comming to judgement The Pastour That passage of Daniel
dead That is in the faith of the Resurrection of the dead For these who were to be baptized first did rehearse the Creede and when they came to the Resurrection of 〈◊〉 dead at these words they were baptized Others of the Learned take the wordes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 about the dead The custome beeing of olde that these who were baptized were baptized about the Graues where the dead did lye for to testifie that they did belieue the Resurrection from the dead Some by baptising heere vnderstand that washing and ablution of dead bodies After this signification Cuppes are said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to be baptized or washen This washing of the dead bodies before their buriall as some thinke was common to the Iewes who in hope of the Resurrection did both them and make them cleane This was also a custome among the Pagans to wash and anoint the dead bodies Such were called Pollinctores This also appeareth to haue beene done in the dayes of the Apostles by the Christians In the Actes it is written of Tabitha that being dead they washed her and layed her in an vpper Chamber All these baptizings and washings were in hope of the Resurrection As for the Pagans they wrought the wroke as Peter on Tabor spake not knowing what hee said or as Cajaphas prophesied not vnderstanding the prophecie which hee preached This by the moste Learned is approued Others interprete to bee baptized for dead not for the dead or about the Graues of these that are buried but for dead say they that is as dead to sinne for to destroy and mortifie sinne which is the chiefe ende of Baptisme This say they is a maine argument for to proue the Resurrection For if there were no Resurrection to what purpose should men crucifie their sinnes Behold how these few words To bee baptized for dead hath troubled so manie braines Where wee may learne the shallownesse of mans witte God with that little Greeke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hath giuen all the Doctours of the Church a taske that may teach them humilitie an Antidote for to cure our swelling knowledge The sicke Man That which ye say is trueth Oh that men were wise in this point that they could consider the weaknesse of their wits But to come to our purpose concerning the Resurrection Manie a time haue I in my Spirit wondered at the greatnesse of that worke The Pastour It shall be a great worke indeede But if anie Saducean spirit would doubt of it it must also doubt more of the creation I take the creation to haue beene a greater worke It is more to haue made our bodies of nothing than to gather their dust together which is now but dispersed This was a Fathers argument Vtique idoneus est reficere qui facit quare miramur quarenon credimus Deus est qui fecit Considera authorem tolle dubitationem That is It is easie for God to mak ouer againe that which he hath once made why marueill wee yea why belieue wee not God hath made all Consider the Maker and doubt no more The sicke Man Let mee heare some-thing out of Scripture concerning this point The Pastour There bee many moste famous passages for the probation of that great worke both out of the olde and New-Testament I know said Iob that my Redeemer liueth and that hee shall stand at the latter day vpon the earth and though after my skinne wormes destroy this bodie yet in my flesh shall I see God whom I shall see for my selfe and mine eyes shall beholde and not another though my reines bee consumed within mee Daniel is cleare in this Many of them that sleepe in the dust of the earth shall awake Some to euerlasting life and some to shame and euerlasting contempt The Prophet Ezekiel by way of similitude setting the deliuerance of Israel pointeth at the Resurrection Behold O people saith hee I will open your Graues and cause you to come vp out of your graues Christ in the New-Testament made numbers of the Sainctes to come out of the dust of death What they were no man can tell their names whether it was Moses or Ioshua Samuel Dauid Iosaphat Iosiah or who no tongue can tell But this wee know that after Christ arose by the power of his Resurrection hee made manie to come out of their Graues The graues were opened and manie bodies of Saints which slept arose and came out of the graues after his Resurrection and went into the holy Citie and appeared vnto manie The sicke Man O but that was wonderfull Think yee that after that they did returne to their Graues The Pastour The most Learned esteeme that they neuer did returne back to dust but that they waited on Christ vntill the day of his Ascention in which day they did accompanie him vp to the Heauens where with their Head Christ they were receiued into Glorie with the great applause of all Angels and Sainctes whose Spirits aboue are desiring continuallie to see the day when Soule and bodie shall bee joyned for to bee glorified together for euer The sicke Man After that the dead are risen and the liuing changed what thinke ye shall immediatelie follow before we meete with the Lord himselfe The Pastour In the judgment of some so soone as the dead shall bee raised and the liuing changed before that we shall meete with Christ into the cloudes there shall be a sore mourning both among the Godlie and the wicked for the piercing of that Lord Euery one of the Godlie in that day shall say as the Butler said to Pharaoh I 〈◊〉 remember my faultes this day Such a mourning was neuer heard since the world was founded as shall be heard that day for a space Christ himselfe hath declared this saying Then shall all the Tribes of the earth mourne when they shall see the Sonne of man comming into the Cloudes All shall bee agast at the first sight of that High and loftie One that inhabiteth Eternitie S Iohn saith Behold hee commeth with Cloudes and euerie eye shall see him and they also which pierced him And all the Kinrides of the Earth shall waile because of him The Prophet Zacharie compareth this mourning to the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon for the death of good Iosiah Some thinke that onelie the wicked shall mourne in that day In my judgement it is the most true opinion Others by reason of these foresaid passages thinke that all both Godlie and vngodlie at the first sight of Iesus shall uaile with great lamentations while they shall behold him whom they haue pierced All at the sight of him who was pierced for and by our sinnes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 plangent that is shall strik their brests with their hands the signe of great doole After that the Lord hath suffered his to mourne for a space in
saith S. Iude with ten thousand of his Saintes to execute judgement vpon all and to conuince all that are vngodlie among them of all their vngodlie deeds which they haue vngodly commited and of all their hard speeches which vngodlie sinners haue spoken against him The sicke Man After what forme thinke ye that Christ shal come downe from Heauen at doomes-day that great judiciall day The Pastour In the most glorious forme that is possible to him with whom nothing is impossible That glorious King shall bee accompanied with all the Armies of heauen Before him in die illo decritorio in that judiciall day shall bee heard a shout a voice of an Archangell The most shrill Trumpet of heauen shall sound so high with a rebounding noise that the dead in their Graues shall awake and arise out of their beddes like sleeping men that are wakened in the morning with the sound of the Drumme or fift houre Bell At that sound all the dead must come out of their Graues as men after sleepe arising out of their beddes None then must lye still with the Sluggard who turning himselfe on his bed as a doore on its hinges saith Yet a little sleepe a little slumber a little folding of the hands to sleepe No not At the first shout at the first voyce of the Archangell at the first blast of the Trumpet all shall arise and compeare before the face of that Iudge in the day of that great general Assemblie wheÌ„ God shal comfort his owne and mak a speedie riddence of the wicked whom he shall denoure by the fyre of his jealousie None shall bee able in that day to award his blowes There shall bee such paines which no damned Soule shall bee able to auoide or abide But the Godlie most gladly like Eagles about dead bodie shal flock about their Lord. The sicke Man I heare by your discourse that the LORD shall come downe in great pompe and magnificence After that hee is come downe into his Charet with his thousand thousands what shall bee done next The Pastour Daniel saith that the Iudgement shall bee set and the Bookes shall bee opened After that Christ by his power hath cast downe all the little thrones of Emperours and Kings he himselfe shall sitte downe vpon a Throne of infinite Majestie His Garments shall bee white as snow and his Haire like pure wooll This is said by Daniel for to let vs see that the Iudge of the world shal be vpright spotlesse in his Iugdement To this is subjoyned by the Prophet That the judgement was set The sicke Man I vnderstand not well these last words What is that to say That the Iudgement was set The Pastour It is in the Hebrew Dinaiethib In the Latin Iudicio considonte or as Arius Montanus hath turned it Iudicium sedit that is The Iudgement sat downe that is as who would say The Session sat downe By this Iudgement some of the Learned vnderstand Christ and his Saints with him as Assessours in that jurie all sitting Christ for to judge they for to approue his Iudgement This then know That when the Sonne of man shall come in his Glorie not with a scornefull Reede in his hand but with a celestiall Scepter hee shall separate the Godlie and the wicked one from another His God head which in the dayes of his flesh did lurke shall in that Session most ardentlie appeare with such a brightnes as shall make the eyes of deuils to dazle The Iudgement beeing thus orderlie set the Bookes shall bee opened The sicke Man What Bookes are these which shall bee opened The Pastour S. Iohn speaking of that last Session day saith I saw the dead great and small standing before God and the Bookes were opened and the dead were judged out of these thinges that were written in the Bookes according to their workes Your desire is to knowe what Bookes these bee which shal be opened in that great Day In my judgement there shall bee two Bookes opened that day The first is that golden Booke of the Godlie called The Booke of life which in the Chapter following is called The Lambes Booke of life These whose names are written in that Booke are said in Isaiah to be written among the liuing in Ierusalem This is that Booke whereof Moses spake when hee said to God If thou wilt not forgiue this people blotte mee I pray thee out of the Booke which thou hast written This may bee called The predestination Booke which is kept in Heauen Rather reâ—…oyce said Christ to his Disciples that your names are written in Heauen The sicke Man Thinke yee Sir that God hath anie matteriall Booke wherein the names of his Saintes are written The Pastour No not But as one saith well Infallibilis Dei memoria aeterna ad vitam electiò liber dicitur That is The infallible memorie of God and his eternall electioÌ„ vnto life is called a Booke Wherefore that Will ye say because that which is written in our Booke is most surelie kept If we haue a thing to day in our memorie wee may forget it incontinent But if it bee well written in our Booke wee are sure of it According to this God for to shew vnto his deare Ones how well hee remembereth them hee saith That hee hath written them vpon the palmes of his hands This is that Booke of rememberance whereof speaketh Malachie One of the Learned calleth well the Booke of Life Symbolum electionis the signe or badge of our election This is that which the Prophet Ezekiel calleth The writting of the house of Israel and secret of the Lord. The sicke Man But how is it said That this Book shall bee opened The Pastour The Book of Life or of predestination is said to bee opened when it shall appeare to all the world who they are whoÌ„ God hath predestinate So long as the Godlie are heere they are Gods secret Ones no more knowne to the world than a man is able to read that which is within a closed Booke While it shal be seene by all what they are then that Booke is said To bee opened When these off-scourings of the world the most despised among men shall bee seene vpon Thrones shining like Sunnes about their God the Sunne of righteousnesse then shall all the wicked read as in an open Booke that these whom they once did despise were truelie the Saintes of God The Booke of predestination is like that Booke of the Reuelation which was so fast sealed that no man could open it but the Lyon of the tribe of Iudah without the force of a Lion such seales could not bee lifted vp The sicke Man I haue heard concerning the Book of the Godlie Now let me know what be these Bookes wherein were written all the workes of the wicked according to which S. Iohn saith that they shall
owne seeing it is said That the Father is he who shall put all things vnder his feete The Pastour The most learned Diuines haue considered that the Apostle there speaketh not of Christ as hee is Filius Dei eternus simpliciter simplie the Sonne of God but as hee is in the fo◅me of a seruant for that cause as is well remarked by the best wits none can affirme that in Christ is Secundaria divinitas a Diuinitie of a baser rancke * This wee must all know that Christ the Sonne the Father beeing but one GOD worke with one and the selfe same power As God the Father and hee are one so what power Christ man hath in subduing his enemies it may bee said to bee from the Father Because the Trinity is such a deepe mysterie as no humane Wit can search it thorow so the actions of the three Persons are such as no man can clearelie discerne them It is much for our shallow-wits to know the borders of Gods ways It is good in Gods mysteries s◅pere ad sobrietatem that our wisedome bee sober and not drunke with a giddie curiosity neither must wee d◅aw to the other extremitie as to flatter our selues in a sluggish dulnesse hauing no care to search the Scriptures with the men of Berea for to knowe that which it hath pleased God to reueale to vs It is good to seeke out carefullie though not curiouslie the knowledge of Gods reuealed will so farre as can make for the comfort of our Soules The sicke Man Certainelie the knowledge of such things is verie needfull for the comfort of these that are for to leaue this world And therefore I who loo◅ not for long sojourning heere desire to know the more earnestlie what good things the Lord hath prepared for his owne into that other world The hope of Glorie is like a strong hold against the feare of Death O◅ that I were that which I would bee There is now resting only one difficultie in the words of the Apostle which I neuer as yet could well vnderstand It is said That when all things shal be subdued vnto the Father then shall the Sonne also himselfe bee subject vnto him that put all thing◅ vnder his feete Is not the Sonne euen now subject vnto the Father If not how is it said That hee shall bee then subject vnto him The Pastour Christ as God is not at all subject vnto the Father but all the Godlie are subject both to Him and to the Father But as man Christ is with vs subject vnto the Father According to this a Father said well Christus in quantum Deus est cum illo nos subjectos habet in quantum sacerdos nobiscum illi subjectus est That is To Christ as God wee are subject as to the Father but as Christ is our Priest hee is with vs subject vnto the Father Moreouer it may bee saide that after the last Iudgement Christ shall bee subject vnto the Father because then all the Faithfull which are his Mysticall bodie shall bee perfectlie subject to the Father Christ the Head of the Church since his incarnation hath in his owne Person bene subject vnto the Father perfectly and so is hee yet But in his mysticall members below there is a miserable rebellion of flesh against the Spirit But when all shall bee gathered together in one Bodie into Glorie thē shall Christ be perfectlie subject vnto God both Quoad naturam suam tum quoad corpus mysticum In his humane Nature and in his mysticall Bodie which are the faithfull When all the Elect with their Head Christ shall be perfectlie subject vnto God then shall Christ bee fullie and finallie subject to the Father This seemeth to bee the true meaning of the wordes This is made cleare by the wordes following viz. That this subjection shall bee that God may bee All in all But this wee must vnderstand that this subjection of Christ and of his mysticall Bodie is not anie disgrace or disparagement to our Head Christ or to vs The trueth is that it is a moste Princelie honour to bee the Prince of Heauens subject It were better to bee the least subject of Heauen than the greatest commander of Hell The seruice of our God is greatest libertie The more perfect this subjection be the greater is our Glorie The subjection of a creature to God is the verie Image of God in the creature Gods Image in Adam was chieflie in his subjection to Gods will which was defaced by his rebellion which is the verie Image of the Deuill The sicke Man Wee are much beholden to our God who in his great mercie hath reuealed vnto vs all these things into his word His word may well bee called A Lanterne vnto our steps a light which enlighteneth the eyes burning clearer thā any Cresset-light warning from dangers The Pastour Indeede Gods word is a word of life and of light It is a sauing word the power of God to Saluation This power is onelie peculiar to the mightie operation of this word There bee in the creatures words and lines of words for to declare vnto man that there is a God that so man may be without excuse Day vnto day vttereth speach and night vnto night sheweth knowledge Their Line is gone out through all the earth and their words to the end of the world But all these wordes and lines are but lines of words concerning the creation All that they can say is but that there is a God a mouer a primum ens a first Be-ere whereby all things haue their beeing But in all these lines of words there is not one word of Christ the Redeemer There is not a day where the Gospel shinneth not that can vtter any speach or shewe any knowledge of that which concerneth mans Saluation wrought with the bloodie sweate of God There is not a word let bee a line in any worke of Nature concerning the great mysterie of Godlinesse Christ manifested in the flesh justified in the Spirit seene of Angels preached vnto the Gentiles beleeued on in the world and receiued vp into glorie The sicke Man O words worthie to bee written with the point of a Dyamond Seeing it is so this should mak vs to esteeme so much the more of the glorious Gospel which is the power of God to saluation of all beleeuers The Pastour The Gospel indeede is like a m◅st rich treasure digged into a fielde for which a man that hath found it will goe and sell all that hee hath that hee may buy that fielde for the treasures cause This Gospel is like a Sunne newly created in the heauens which shineth both day and night both in life and death with most glistring wholesome Beames wherby the vnwholesome cloudie night aire of iniquitie is rarified scattered and dispersed As the Sun in the heauens by its heate maketh al
arrows of thy wrath which thou hast made to stick in his ribbes the poyson whereof hath drunken vp his Spirit O how fearefull haue thy terrours set themselues in aray against him Beginne Lord and continue to slacke thy wrath Be with him now in thy great mercy O LORD and conuoye him by the graces of thy Spirit thorow the snakie field wildernesse of this world wherein hee hath beene like a Pilgrime or a Traueller passing from Towne to Towne till hee come into his Inne where he hopeth by thy mercie to bee exempt from all mixture of miserie Hee is now in the heate of his journey Let some cooling droppes of thy comforts bee send vnto him for to coole and quench his drougth in the scorching heate of this spirituall skirmish Thou who made waters to rush out of the jaw bone for the refreshing of Samson after his fight with the Philistimes giue vnto this wearied soule a drink of that water whereof if a man drink hee shall neuer thirst any more And now seeing in all appearance he is not for to remaine manie dayes vpon this Earth make him to be still looking all the dayes of his appointed time till his changing come grant that when it shall come hee may change for the better and that for the glorie of thy great Name and for the euerlasting rest peace and joye of his sillie sorrow beaten Soule O crush the head and breake the heart of euerie sinne that lurketh within his breast left they choke the Soule of this thy Turtle Doue Bee no more sowre vnto him If thou should appeare grieslie with a sterne countenance vnto sinners how soone should they bee out-faced if thou straitlie m◅iniquitie who shall stand But O mercie is with thee Let that mercie that is with thee come to him wherby all his floating thoughts may bee made to sink soake into the Blood of the Lambe the softner and soupler of stiffe and hardened heartes In the darkest houre of death bee thou the comfort and darlling del◅ght of his heart O Pastour of Israel now put an end to all the cloudie and darke dayes of his distresse Tak in this silly Soule thy little Lambe within the compasse of thine heauenlie folde till it winne there refresh it with a baire in its journey let no meanes bee deficient til in it thou crowne thy graces with thy glorie LORD blesse thy Church vniuersall the deare Spouse of Iesus as they are all members of one Body make them all to bee of one heart that in an heauenlie harmonie they may all thinke one thing Stop the mouth of the red Dragon from spewing out the red bloodie floodes of persecution against Her if not giue Her the winges of Faith whereby Shee may flee to the wildernesse for Her escape O cloth her Priests with Saluation that all her Saints may shout a lowd for joye Giue them one mind and one mouth But alas Icabod where nowe is that glorie Preserue our gracious SOVERAIGNE with his Royall Match Send down a princelie Spirit vpon him Keepe them as the Apple of thine Eye As thou hast bund their bodies into the bond of wed locke so bind their Soules into the bandle of life Make the Heauens to rejoyce at her Majesties conuersion Loue Her LORD as thou loued Lidea by the opening of her heart Make both Crowne and Court seruiceable to thee the greatest Majestie aboue Sanctifie all our Nobles make them lik the men of Berea couragious for the Trueth Plants of renowne Guide vs all in the way of righteousnesse and weane vs from the loue of this Worlde Prepare vs for the last Battell of the Soule Suffer neuer Sathan with the mood of his temptations to trouble or distemper the cleare Riuers of thy comforts wherwith thou refresheth thy beloued Ones Suffer neuer that prince of darknesse to put out with his dampes the glorious Light of thy Gospel which now most orientlie shineth among vs. LORD perfume all our vnwhorthie prayers with the sweete smelling righteousnes of Iesus Christ our Lord Master in whose most blessed Name wee pray as hee hath pleased him to teach vs Our Father which art c. By Gods grace Sir I shall returne the Morrow earelie The Spirit of Iesus print into your heart the best comforts of his Treasures Remember Sir that all our goodnesse is of him for naturallie wee are hewen out of a sinfull rocke All our guises are but guile till we bee cast into another mould by the Spirit of regeneration Striue more and more to bee constant and couragious till this bitter Battell bee ended For euerie Battell of the Warriour is with confused noise and garments rolled in Blood Now the night is fallen downe while deepe sleepe falleth on mē strin◅ to bee acquainted with the Teacher of the reines in the night season If the paine of your sicknes rob your eyes of sleepe cause read vnto you this night Dan. 7. 1. Cor. 15. 1. Thess. 4. The LORD pul off your Soule al the filthie menstruous cloutes of your corruptions and cloath you with the most rich invaluable Robe of Christs righteousnesse The Lord fill your heart with the inspirations of the Almightie His Grace bee with you THE SIXT DAYES Conference of Heauens Glorie The Pastour ACcording to my promise Sir I am heere come againe for to see what it shall please God to doe with you at last waite constantlie on your God His mind is to doe you good in the latter end I earnestlie now desire to know what the meditation of the last judgement hath wrought into your heart this night bygone The sicke Man Except that a man bee well occupied in the day his heart in the night will swarme with worthlesse witlesse thoughts Sathan the lord of the night is euer busie by secret foisting in of corruptions into mans thoughts to justle out of his heart all holie and heauenlie meditations All this night it seemeth vnto me that I heard the shrill sound of the last Trumpet sounding most fearefullie the Alarum of the Resurrection at the second and sudden comming of our Lord All Saintes and Angels seemed to bee present at that great Iubile I thought in my sleepe that I saw the Sonne of man enuironed with innumberable Charets of fyre comming downe with vnspeakable pompe Glorie and Majestie I thought him more glistering than the Sun while he sbineth in his greatest force Mine eyes were dazeled with the brightnesse of his Beames All thrones made roome vnto his Throne Mine heart was neuer so rauished as it hath bene this last night by-past In the thoghts of mine heart in the night while deepe sleepe falleth on mā there came into my memorie some passages of Scripture concerning heauens glorie wherof most gladlie I desire now to heare The Apostle S. Paul speaketh of this with great power Wee faint not said hee but though our outward man perish
him that is a Being which causeth all beeings From motions men in nature will come to motions till they clime vp to Primus motor the first Mouer On him will they looke as a man in an high Feuer to whome this man that man will say Know yee mee know ye mee The sight of the braine is so dazeled that it is paine much labour but to heare these three words Knowe yee mee Braine sicke Nature can by no meanes know God till the Feuer of nature bee cooled with Grace After that the coole of Grace hath broght a sweate wherwith the Soule is purged from the rotten humours of iniquitie then the Soule becommeth like a man after a Feuer come to himselfe againe According to this it is said oâ—… the Forlorne that he came to himselfe after that hee was cooled of his foolish Feuer Till we come to our selues by Grace wee shall neuer be able to know the Lord by Nature All that the most wise Pagans culd doe by the whole helpe of Nature was to come from beeingâ—… to him that is the cause of all beeing and from motion to the first Moueâ—… But who that Mouer was the feuerof Nature made their braine so giddie that they could not discerne him When all the Clergie of Atheâ—… into that Famous Colledge of Greâ—… had sought out this God to feele 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and finde him they wandred 〈◊〉 and downe in their imaginationâ—… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sodomites about Lots 〈◊〉 noâ—… beeing able to finde it All their 〈◊〉 knowledge which was but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 could no wiâ—…e reach vnâ—…o him For this cause they set vp an 〈◊〉 into their moste learned Citiâ—… with this inâ—…tion written into great Letters TO THE 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * Behold where the true God was vnknowne euen in the Citie where Socrates Plato and Aristotleâ—… the great lights of Nature had reached publicklie The verticall pointâ—… all their knowledge could I neuer reach vnto the borders nay not vnto the base of the Gospel Behold and see where Science was to be sold in greatest aboundance there was a profession of the ignorance of the true God written vpon their Altar in great Letters for by the greatnesse of the Letters to declare the grosse dulnesse of their ignorance Hee who knoweth not God were hee neuer so learned what can hee speake of Heauen 〈◊〉 What should Heauen it selfe bee without the presence of God but like a Citie laide wast or like an olde Dungeon not inhabited where Iim and Zijm resort As for vs blessed bee God we know that there is a God into the Heauens the sight of whose backe partes made the face of Moses so to shine that no eye vndazeled culd behold him What a Majestie must this bee whose backe-partes printed such a light into the face of a man that no man could behold the face of a sinner stamped with a second impression This is he who as Scripture teacheth dwelleth into an inaccessable light of which a learned Pagan hauing seene some light impression not in the face of Moses but onelie into the face of Nature said a great word Lumen est vmbra Dei Deus est lumen luminis All light which wee see is but a duskie shadow of God But God is the Light of light a liuing Light the Life of light the Sunne that shineth to the world aboue and the Candle of Heauen Christ the Sunne of righteousnesse in Heauen shall bee without any shadow of the Earth which is the cause of ouâ—… night Hee shal be a Sun which shall shine continuallie both round about and in all the partes of the Heauen for there shall bee no night there For to come thither man should bee content to pluck out his right eye euen his sweetest bosome delights The sicke Man Mine hearte is wained from the loue of the base lump of this Earth I desire to heare some-thing more coÌ„cerning these celestiall buildings which Scripture calleth euerlasting Tabernacles the resting place of all created desires Seeing there after Death wee must sojourne eternallie let mee heaâ—…e of the Glorie of these heauenlie MansioÌ„s prepared for Gods most precious jewels O these blessed burnished vauts all beset with diuine Dyamonds Let mee heare a description of that Palace The Pastour The matter is high Our creeping wordes of Babel cannot reach to the ancles of such loftie matters are but of yesterday and know nothing As I know I shall in my stammering tong and mussling speech doe what I can for to allure you to the loue thereof As for the structure furniture and beautie of that Palace of our God it is wonderfull By no skill can any mortall hand chalk them out There is that blessed Bridegroomes chamber garnished with an azured Curtaine which is embrodered and spangled with starres of light as with golden studs whose beautie no mortall tongue is able fullie to expresse Well may wee say and sing of that Citie that which Dauid sang of its figure Glorious thinges are spoken of thee O thou Citie of our God nay let mee rather say of the figured Citie such glorious things are in thee that they cannot bee spoken O thou Citie of our God All the glories we see without are but sparkles of these infinitlie bright blazing perfections which are within euen things which eye neuer sawe eare neuer heard and which cannot enter into the heart of man One said verie well Res verae sunt in mundo invisibili in mundo visibili vmbrae rerum That is In Heauen the invisible world is the substance of thinges indeede but in this visible world on earth is nothing but shadowes of thinges which are lesse than accidents The greatest glorie that wee see in the out-side of the Heauens is but a vaile that couereth the glorie that is within as the Badgers skinnes couered the Arke of glorie and the Tabernacle But because wee are in this world as childreÌ„ in the wombe wee cannot conceiue what can bee without this world wee haue made a great conception if wee can conceiue that it cannot bee conceiued wee muse well of Heauen if while wee muse we bee amazed counting all joye pleasure profite and preferment below to be both losse doung in comparison of thinges that are aboue which infinitlie goe beyond all created comprehensions If these who goe downe to the deepes see the wonders of the Lord what wonders shall they see who are in the hights of eternitie What rest can a man looke for till hee bee into the Heauens There the blasts of winds and tempests of tongs terrours of CoÌ„science are not there the Church the Lords Lillie is no more among the thornes There the heart of man is no more greiued nor ouer clouded with lowring Melancholie all is in peace within All is calme cleare There is
with Iaphet in the Church of God Amen The sicke Man I haue heard sufficientlie concerning the earthlie Ierusalem diuerse parts of the holie Land that with griefe of heart because in that Land where God once was well knowne now the enemies of God dominire The cry of Christs Blood is yet still against it so that it hath spewed out the ancient inhabitants Lord make all Nations by its example learne to stand in awe to prouoke so great a Majestie Now let vs come to that Ie◅usalem which is aboue the Palace of the great King where God is seene of his Sainctes face to face In what place of Scripture is mention made of it The Pastour In the two last Chapters of th◅ Reuelation that heauenlie Ierusalem is described The sicke Man How can that bee seeing it is said that Iohn saw that heauenlie Ierusalem descending out of heauen from GOD. The Pastou◅ As Ierusalem Gods Church heere below is call◅d Ierusalem which is aboue because her heart is in heauen with a great desire to bee there So Ierusalem the triumphing Church aboue may bee said To descend out of heauen because of the great desire they haue to see vs all well heere below Daylie they pray in Heauen for the Sainctes heere fighting on earth vnder the bloodie Banne◅ of Christ Iesus They pray fo◅ them all in generall which cannot bee without great affection descending from the reflexe of their loue toward our God If by some Angel they heare the report of the conuersion of sinners there is great joy◅ in Heauen That good will and affection they beare vnto the Sainctes below in Scripture language is called a descending out of Heauen The sicke Man O but ae I thinke that Citie must be glorious The Pastour No glorie is comparable to that which is there That Citie is called an holie Citie Holinesse is the chiefest beautie that is This was good Moses his prayer Let the beautie of the Lord our God bee vpon vs that is true holinesse This most excellent beautie of the heauens is typified by the most bright glauncing of precious stones Her light saith S. Iohn was like vnto a stone most precious euen like a Iasper stone cleare as Crystall two creatures colour greene and cleare most pleasant for the sight of the eye By all this this Citie had twelue gates and at the gates twelue Angels whom I may well call Coelestes Ianito◅es the blessed doore keepers of Heauen The building of the wall was of Iasper and the Citie was pure Gold like vnto cleare Glasse The foundation stones which are laid in our buildings are but of the commonest sort But all the foundation stones of this Citie vnder whose Vaults wee sojourne here are most precious stones as Iasper Saphir Chaleedonie Emerald Sardonix Sarduis Crysolite Berill Topas Iacinct Amethyste If such glorious stones bee the foundation stones what glorie must bee aboue in the Palace top where is the busking of Beautie As for the gates The twelue gates were twelue Pearles euery seuerall ga◅ was of one Pearle Wonderfull gates of wonderfull Iewels for who euer on Earth sawe a Pearle so great as an Apple Behold and wonder how the greatest doore of Heauen should bee of one Pearle As for the streetes of the Citie they were pure gold as it were transparent glasse This Glasse one calleth it Aliquid auro nobilius quod non est inrerum natura That is Some thing more precious excellent than gold which thing is not in this worlde to bee found O mercifull God what stupiditie is this in man that hee cannot so feruentlie loue this God who hath builded for his Soule bodie such a pleasāt Palace where he shal sojourn for euer in most happy immortality O mercifull God what a deadnesse dulnesse is this in our spirits that we cannot but after many reasons arguments be content to remoue from these our sinfull Tabernacles of clay for to goe dwell with our God in his golden Citie Palace of siluer where the Lord for euer shall feast vs with the joyes of his countenance among these purer Spirites his excellent Ones the Angels of glorie The sicke Man It is certainelie a great blindnesse Lord put the eye salue of Grace to our carnall naturalleyes that our sight beeing cleared thereby wee may get some glimpse of these Palaces and Pleasures that are aboue O Lord hoise vp mine heart raise it out of the muck of this earth mak the relish of Heauen to dash out of mine heart all earthlie desires It is marueilous how the Soule of man shuld be such a stranger to heauen When I consider howe the Soule that diuine proportion so noblie furnished with powers of great e◅euation euen of most high contemplation should so deba◅e it selfe among myre and dirt not hauing a face to behold the heauens it putteth mine heart into a wonderfull maze What can a Soule find either in heauen or earth except God alone which is able to satisfie the desires of its so wide Capacitie O the beautie of these celestiall buildinges all Gold and Azure But rather O the beautie of GOD himselfe in whose presence is the greatest glorie of that painted Palace O the beautie of beauties of him whose mercifull presence shuld turne the hels of paine into heauens of pleasures for euermore O let the beautie of the Lord our God bee vpon vs * O what a fickle follie is this for man to losse eternitie of happinesse for the minute of a miserable life in worldlie pleasures wherein is more sensible paine than joye that can bee enjoyed But to follow out our purpose intended concerning heauens glorie I haue Sir alreadie heard of the beautie of that Citie nowe let mee heare of its Boundes None as I thinke shall bee there troubled for want of Elbow-roome The Pastour * O the vnspeakable bounds that bee there S. Iohn saith that it was measured with a golden reede The measure thereof as the word of God testifieth was Twelue thousand furlongs which is more than fifteene hundreth myle Numerus indefinitus pro definito A Citie greater in boundes than who should joyne together in one that great Niniuie Paris Rome London Venise Alexandria Constantenople and that great Alcaire or Babylon a citie containing in circuite foure hundreth foure score furlongs Nay joyne all the Cities of the world together in one and they shall in no way bee comparable vnto this Citie of our God as it is ◅et downe in the Cart of the Reuelation Let a man behold the Cart of the world and in it hee shall easilie couer with his hand all the bounds of Europe But behold how the Heauens in that Cart of God occupie more than fifteene hundreth myles What I pray you is all this Earth in comparison of these heauenlie Mansions but an hand-breadth in
fire and Candles in the night time as in any other Citie But to Ierusalem aboue God hath said The Sun shall no more bee thy light by day neither for brightnesse shall the Moone giue light vnto thee But the Lord shall bee vnto thee an euerlasting light and thy God thy Glorie Thy Sunne shall no more goe down neither shall thy Moone with-draw it selfe for the Lord shall bee thine euerlasting Light 5 In the earthly Ierusalem often in place of Iustice was a seat of malice But in the new Ierusalem euill judges shall haue no sitting but the Throne of God and of the Lambe shall bee in it an appointed seat for the righteous Lord who shall lay judgment to the line and righteousnesse to the plummet The sicke Man O but my Soule is going to a pleasant Palace O thou my Soule rejoyce within mee that God hath prepared such pleasures for thee O how ami◅ble are thy Tabernacles O Lord of hostes Mine heart is in heauen Glorious things are spoken of the◅ O thou Citie of our God The Pastour It is certaine that mans heart can not conceiue the beautie of these buildings within If the house of God on earth seemed so pleasant to King Dauid that hee counted this the one thing hee would seeke that hee might dwell into it what shall wee thinke or say concerning Gods Palace in the Heauens One thing said hee haue I desired of the Lord that I will seeke after that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the dayes of my life to behold the BEAVTIE of the Lord. Lords mercie what dulnesse and deadnesse of heart is this that wee seeke not after the same should not this be our one thing euen our onelie hearts desire to dwell with God aboue for to behold that BEAVTIE of the Lord these euer g◅eene pleasures in his celestiall arbours There is nothing heere below which can bee sufficient for to expresse the image nay not the shadowe of these things that are aboue In the most glorious creatures which are below as Gold Glasse Crystall Pearles and precious Stones we may see some thinges like shadowes of these glorious thinges aboue But there is no creature heere which can carrie to our imagination the shadow let bee the image of the glorie that is vp into that Holie of holies O but God is wonderfull in counsell and excellent in working But our Soules are so sleepie and sluggish that they cannot consider The fancies and folies of the earth bring vs quite out of conceite with celestiall pleasures Alas in the best of vs the seedes of grace lye buried vnder the thornes shamefullie ouertopped by them The little dramme of goodnesse in our hearts is waighed down with weightie talents of wickednes a mighty streame of earth◅y thoghts and worldlie desires lik a Torrent carieth our Soules down the hill from all heauenlie contemplations The clawing flatterers of our worldly affections whisper vnto vs that it is good for vs to bee heere The sicke Man The Lord subdue the master sinne which like a Ring-leader and head of all wickednesse maketh all our purest conceptions of heauen to be come moodie and drumlie O Lord let thy graces in mee bee presentlie vp in armes for to remoue all such earthlie mindednesse from mine heart by the power of thy diuine Armerouse vp this drousie soule that it may seeke thee afresh by a renewed act of Faith and Repentance Make mine heart to detaste all earthlie pleasures which are but rotten at the heart Kindle in mine heart a loue of thy Palace aboue stirre vp all my desires with a foretaste of the pleasures that are there that finding the comfortable relish thereof I may most willingly desire to be dissolued and to bee with Christ in the heauens for euer O Lord in stead of all meanes both outward inward supplie mee aboundantlie with the presence of thy Spirit Waine my Soule from the loue of the earth that thou may winne it to the loue of the Heauens O happie they who studie to pietie and puritie for no vncleane thing shall bee able to enter into these mansions O Lord let vs not bee like these who after that they haue seemed to disgorge their stomackes most filthilie with the Dogge swallow vp their owne vomit againe O shelter mee and saue me from the vnsoundnesse and vnsettlednesse of a deceitfull heart that I lash not out into the excesse of supperfluitie of wickednesse now while wee are speaking of the heauens make all the loue of the earth hencefoorth to bee cryed downe into my Soule The Pastour Lord heare thou in Heauen I am rejoyced that while we are speaking of the heauens the Spirite of grace furnisheth you with such heauenlie prayers which would hearten any man to runne thorow hell to Heauen except that hee bee of the number of these who thinke it but a tricke to goe to hell The sicke Man I pray you now Sir to continue into that purpose concerning the glorie of Heauen for it affecteth much my Soule Your powerfull speach maketh my minde to stay in a feeling meditation vpon these beauties that are aboue If I heard not such good purpose my mind would either feede vpon dull and fruitlesse melancholie or else should gade and runne ryot in reuellings and in a world of foolish and fond imaginations The thoughts of man cannot runne long without rubor interruption in Spirituall things except that God in mercie both support them outwardlie and sinew them inwardlie by the finger of his Spirit The hearts of men are so light in their gading that moste easilie are they moued to glide ouer the best things and either swinishlie to wallow infilthinesse or furiouslie to follow these whose whole pregnancie of witte is spended vpon trifles Thus mirrilie they passe away that tyme wherein they should redeeme the time that is past I wish that mine heart by your discourse were confined to celestiall meditations Proceede now I pray you where yee left at last The Pastour My speach was that all the most glorious creatures that wee can either see aboue or below are lesse thā shadowes types or figures of things that are within the Heauens In them as in a Glasse we see weaklie the invisible things of God As a man not beeing able to face the Sun beholdeth him in a Basen full of water and yet not without some dazeling of his sight That weakened light will mak his eyes to water and teares to trickle downe If the glory of one of Gods seruants be so glistering in robes of light that no man can behold him but into the glasse of another creature and that also with great paine It is certaine that God must put many moe creatures betweene himselfe and vs that the glorie of his beames beeing weakened by diuerse reflexes from one creature to another man with his weake tender eyes may looke
vpon his light If a man cannot beholde the Sunne in the day hee may in the night behold his beames vpon the bodie of the Moone If his sight yet cannot suffer that hee may behold him in his second reflexe by beholding the Moone in a glasse If as yet his sight dazle there is a third and weaker reflexe By another glasse thou may gette the reflexe of that glassen reflexe Certainlie there must bee manie reflexes of Gods brightnes from one creature to another before that his invisible things can bee seene by vs What glorious beames of Gods face thinke yee be these which shine within that highest Heauen called Coelum Empyrium the fierie Heauen not that there is fire but because as the most Learned thinke it is purer than al the other heauens as much as the fire is purer than the other Elements O what shining brightnesse of God is to be seene there where all is more glauncing and cleare than that fire which Moses saw in the Bush. Let vs come down from thence to behold the glorious Stars the twinckling eyes of Heauen laughing vpon the godlie with their celestiall smyles O these bright and peerelesse Pearles Let vs from thence come downe to the two great Gouernours of the day and of the night from thence descend to the cleare pureaire so glauncing with the light of the Sunne as if it were all of Azure Come downe yet and vnder that are Aquae limpidae the cleare waters the mother of Pearles and of precious gold for the weakest eye there is terra opaca that thicke da◅ke duskish and lumpish masse of earth which a bleare eyed Leah may behold for in it to see without watering eyes the invisible thinges of God were it by looking vpon a Lillie or a Rose or vpon a Snaile or a Snaike Behold the goodnesse of God who hath sette his creatures by degrees in distance from the place of his inaccessible light that thereby the bleared eyes of men may get some glimpse of the shadowes of his invisible thinges which are of truest worth But O O O what a glorie and matchlesse fairenesse is there where God the King of Glorie is seene face to face O the glorie of the God-head The knowledge of the least sparkle of that glorie is not attainable by any carnall capacitie Because of that brightnesse that was in Moses his face by the reflexe of that Light which hee had seene but in IEHOVAHS backe partes it behoued him to couer his face with a Vaile when hee came for to speake vnto men Was the skinne of the face of a sinner so inlightened with bright beames from the Back of God that no man could behold it nor looke toward it till it was couered with a Vaile How many Vailes must God put betweene his face ours lest we should be dazeled with his glorie I take all the circles of the heauens the Fire and Aire aboue vs to bee as many obscuring Vailes which the Lord hath cast betweene the Glorie of his face the eyes of sinful man And yet in the Sunne hee hath fastened such a sparkle of his glorie that by his heate his brightnes he will cause man the king of creatures to bee ashamed to behold him Hee will cause him flie vnto the shadowes and goe with Gogle eyes of Glasse for to saue his eyes of flesh from the reflexe of his beames thogh blunted vpon the darke and duskie element of the earth See how mans sight is so weake that it cannot abide an earthlie blunted reflexe of that celestiall creature What shall I say more of the heauens which are so farre aboue vs Let vs come downe and learne humilitie at the feete of creatures below as at the feete of a Gamal◅ euen in this elementare Region of corruption Behold there is such a whitenesse into the snow which is but frozen and congealed blacke water that it will mak the dull sight of man so to dazle that when hee is entered into his owne house hee is not able to know the faces that are his owne yea many by such brightnes at last haue lost their sight Let mee yet come to an obscurer bodie The small printed Letters which wee read must be darkened with the blacknesse of inke and yet because the whitenes of the Paper scattereth so the sight it must bee gathered with the greenish colour of glassen Spectacles Now I pray you how should man behold that passing glory of his God who cannot behold the whitnesse of Paper but with borrowed eyes of Glasse Let men heare learne in his weaknesse to bee humble and to reuerence him that hath made so many creatures which for brightnesse he is not able to behold If poore man cānot behold the apparrell of Gods creatures clothed with light or with colours not seene without light If such a little glaunce is able to dazle his sight how should hee bee able to behold the King of creatures euen the great Creator him selfe whose backe partes are brighter than tenne thousand Sunnes Because of this great weaknesse caused into man by sinne man is remoued farre from the presence of this King lest hee should bee destroyed by the brightnesse of his beames If while the Sunne shineth with his beames darded directlie down the creatures are so parched with heate below that they are constrained to gaspe what should become of vs if Gods glorie should appeare at our verticall point without the interposition of many other creatures betweene him and vs If a little sparkle of his Glorie in the Sunne many thousand myles from vs maketh a man to faint sweate and gaspe what should become of vs if God himselfe the consuming fyre should approach vnto vs If the Sunne which seemeth to bee but of an hand-breadth hath such light and heate what should it bee if all the heauens were inlightened like the Sunne Though all the heauens were turned into a Sun they should not be of such brightnesse as are the backe-parts of IEHOVAH The Sun with all his light and heate may mak the face of man more obscure and duskie but cannot inlighten it But the backe partes of God printed such light into the face of a man that for brightnesse no man could behold it Mercifull God what stupiditie is this in man that hee will not consider what a Majestie this must bee whose obscurest parts are more bright than the Sunne and who with all is not confined with natural dimensions as with breadth or length but is aboue the Heauens infinitlie with infinite bounds and brightnesse the least sparkle whereof is more bright than if the whole Heauens were wholie tarned into a shining Sunne If men knew the pleasures that are there they wold not losse them for the painefull pleasures or rather vnpleasant paines of this sinfull life Alas that we are so carelesse of the attainment of such a weight of glorie
joyes that are aboue the Heauen of heauens Hee who with penne and inke would set out the greatnes of that glory which is to bee seene within that blessed Building should bee as who would foolishlie tak paines to paint the Sun with a coale In vaine shall a man prease to expresse that which cannot be spokē but into vnspeakable words Words come shorter than thoghts and thoughts come shorter infinitly than the thing it selfe The sicke Man I haue heard with great ioye of the vnspeakable glorie of God himselfe of the beautie of his Princelie Palace I desire now to heare some thing more at large concerning the estate of the Sainctes wherein they shall be when they shall dwell with God after the resurrection The Pastour It is most certaine that they shal be there into a farre better estate than wee can imagine For if Da◅id thought one day in Gods earthly hous◅ better th◅ a thousand else where what shall it bee when wee shall bee in Heauen the Citie of our GOD whereof God is the House and the Temple The Saincts shal be in such glorie there as that no earthlie tongue can tell If in this world by be holding in a glasse the glorie of the Lord wee are changed into that same Image from glorie to glorie what a change shal bee made when we shall see not Gods Image not in a glasse but himselfe face to face If the sight of his Image in the glasse of his Gospel hath such a working power as to change vs into the same Image heere on earth what a change shall bee made of vs in the Heauens when we shall see God euen as hee is All the godlie Gods warriours then shall liue in peace and rest As their life on earth was a continuall battell so shall their life in Heauen bee a perpetuall triumph Then the winter of their affliction shall bee past The stormes of their miserie shall blowe no more On Earth joyes and sorrowes are combined together In Hell is sorrow without any joye In Heauen shall bee joye without anie sorrow There they all in bleached coats of righteousnes shall blaze brighter than the Sunne God beeing in them shall burne in them as hee did in the Bush They shall burne but not bee consumed While S. Iohn was rauished in the Spirit he behelde a great multitude which no man could number all standing before the Lambes Throne cloathed in white robbes which had beene bleached from their blemish by the blood of the Lambe hauing the testimonie of two Senses he reporteth what hee saw and heard With his eyes hee saw them cloathed with white robes and Palmes in their hands The one was their innocencie the other was their victorie With his eares hee heard the songs of their triumph They cryed said hee with a loude voyce Saluation to our God which sitteth vpon the Throne With them were Angels Elders roūd about the Throne all falling down vpon their face and singing Blessing and glorie and wisedome and thankesgiuing and honour and power and might bee vnto our God for euer and euer Then with vncōquerable comforts shall all Christes crouding Turtles bee loueinglie comforted Then shall all their sighes bee turned into songs Then joyes vnspeakable shall fill all their senses without any surfet Euerie Sense shall receiue more than all mortal hearts can conceiue But which is of all good things the sweetest relish there shall bee such vnspottednesse of life and loue among the Saincts as the heart of man here cannot conceiue Euery one shall rejoyce of anothers wel as much as they shall doe of their own felicitie The enuious man seeds-man of all strife debate shall not be there All selfe-loue which is of a niggardlie nature enuious of the good of others shall be quite away in the place therof shall come such an heauenlie loue that shall make all the joyes of Heauen to be common As was in the primitiue Church so shall bee there but in greater perfection a communitie of goods One shall not say This is mine or that is thine But as wee shall bee all in Christ Christ in vs so shall wee bee all one in another filled one with anothers joye All state of strife then shal be farre away In Ierusalem aboue an euerlasting peace is within her walls and perpetuall prosperitie within her Palaces All the godlie glistering like starres shall rejoyce one into anothers light Euerie one of them by twinkling and be◅kning vnto other with celestiall smiles shall bend all their force for to giue glorie to the Sunne of righteousnesse the fountaine of all their light All Soules there shall bee most wonderfullie beau◅fied with internall externall and eternall happinesse There God onelie shall speake peace vnto his people and vnto his Sainctes who shall neuer returne againe to their folies Mans chiefe contentment in the heauens shal be in loue first with God and then of one with another O these euerlasting streames of contentmentes which shall flowe into these blessed breastes sequestred for euer from all doole and distresse The sicke Man Lord make all these thinges to liue freshlie in our memories My Soule is inflammed with loue to heare of that loue which shall bee betweene God and his Saincts and among the Sainctes themselues Your discourse Sir with a plausible and pleasant insinuation windeth it selfe into the affections of mine heart It hath alreadie winne mine heart to him to whome it most justlie belongeth Blessed bee his Name for euer Seeing yee were speaking of that vnspeakable loue that shal be between God and vs and also among our selues I pray you to say some thing more concerning that matter The Pastour I shall doe what I can brieflie As for God euery Soule shall loue him better than it selfe because it shall then perfectlie know that God hath loued it more than euer it was able to loue it selfe As for all the Saints wee shall loue them equallie with our selues as beeing all members of that mysticall Bodie Then and not till then shall bee the perfect practise of that second great command the summe of the second Table which is to loue our neighbour as our selues If the Soule of this naturall Bodie in the toyle of our pilgrimage hath such a commande ouer our naturall affections that it maketh vs to loue all the members and euerie member to worke equallie well for the good of another O mercifull God what greater loue shall proceede from that Spirite of Loue which shall bee in the Heauens euen the Soule of that mysticall bodie of all the Elect Looke how much grace surpasseth Nature and Glorie surpasseth Grace the Spirit of God which shall animate this bodie shall so much more straitlie make the members thereof to liue in Loue The holier the Soule bee within a man the greater loue concord is betweene his members
But if the Soule be not holie all the members will shortlie discord The one Hand will cut off the other The Hand will wound the Heart or cut the throat and the Mouth will bite the Fingers But O what loue shall bee then among the members when our Sanctification shall bee made so perfect that nothing more can bee added vnto it O what loue peace and concord shall bee there where God who is loue like a more powerfull and noble forme shall in an vnspeakable manner informe all the members of that mysticall bodie Wee all then shall accord to one thing All our wils shall bee according to Gods will And eue◅ie one of our wills with another shall bee like our two eyes whereof the one cannot so soone turne but the other must follow after it for to behold the same object Wee cannot now comprehen◅ this For mans reason heere on earth is like a riuen vessell which can not containe the discourse of immortalitie Our mindes are so drossie ◅mpish that they cannot conceiue euerlasting matters Wee speake now of Loue O but Loue now is litle among men we may say of it in this last age as Lot said of Bel◅h Is it not a little one Though it bee little now it shall bee great in these dayes Then shall it defie all sickle and foolish changes In this worlde belowe three graces dwell into the Soule of man like three sisters viz. Faith Hope and Charitie two of them conv◅ye the godlie Soule vnto the doores of Heauen viz. Faith and Hope but Charitie entereth in The Lord openeth his Doore to Loue Faith beeing a substance of things not seene so soone as the Soule commeth to sight it ceaseth to be because there is no such substance there Hope being of things to come so soone as the future is become present it hath no more a doe But Loue entereth in and as fyre posteth vp to fyre so Loue swiftlie flieth to God for God is Loue and for to speake so the verie element of Lou◅ Till Loue bee at him it is like a thing out of its element the place of its ◅ost there shall our soules feede on his Loue In such a feeding they shall bee as if they were euer hungrie and as if they were euer satisfied As the heauens hunger is without any laking so is its fulnesse without any loathing On Earth as it is said Voluptates commendat rarior vsus Single vse maketh pleasures the more agreeable But in Heauen the more our Soules shal haue the more they shall desire The more they shall desire the more they shall receiue So by an infinite multiplication joyes and pleasures and contentments shal be heaped vpon godlie Soules for euer like fyre in fuell which suppone the fuell be infinite can neuer die out but day lie increasseth as it were from a sparkle to a flame What shall I say more There shall bee such a fulnesse of all good thinges that no Soule shall bee able to receiue a greater desire of more All shall bee content all shall bee vnspeakablie glorious and made perfect There shall be no blemish into our bodies nor sinne in our Soules Iaacob shall not halt Mephibosheth shall goe straight blind Isaac then shall see Leah shal no more be bleared the deafe shall heare the dumbe shall speak The lame man shall leape as an Hart and the dumbe mans tongue shall sing Then shall these words bee perfectlie performed There shal be no more a pricking briar vnto the house of Israel or any grieuing thorne of all that are round about them Then shall our wearied Soules find aboue the highest circumference of Heauen the Centre of our rest God then shall bee our Sanctuarie in whom we shall haue joye and gladnesse without feare of ending O folie folie folie Why should we for such earthlie toyes losse such celestiall joyes Hee that for so little pleasure losseth that which Christ hath bought with so great paines as said a Father Stultum Christum reputat mercatorem That is Hee thinketh Christ to bee a foolish buyer while indeed he himselfe is a most foolish seller When one day with prophane Esau he shall bitterlie repent his bargane then shall hee know what a pennie-worth hee hath of all his pleasures The sicke Man Alas that men cannot consider O my God master and mortifie all such corruptions within mine heart that they be not able to lay my soule open to Sathans temptations But to proceede in our purpose what thinke yee shall bee the chiefe exercise of Soules in Heauen The Pastour It shal be to sing Psalmes of praise and to follow the Lambe whether soeuer hee goeth from East to West or from South to North. The sicke Man Alas that for this pricke of earth men should doe that which shall debarre them from that Palace of pleasure Our bodies as yee thinke shall not then bee wearied in following the Lambe were it to goe neuer so farre The Pastour O not Then shall our Soules bee refined from the drosse of sinne Then shall wee bee free of all this lumpishnesse of clay caused by sinne wherewith now wee are both cloyed and clogged Our motion then shall bee swifter than the Sunne in his course As with a◅thought our hearts will compasse the Heauens so shall wee goe most swiftlie whether wee desire As by the motion of the Eye wee looke from East to West or as the Sunne beames while he ariseth are suddenlie darted from the one end of Heauen to the other so shall it be of our motion then for we shall bee carried with the infinite power of God which shall not be subject to the Lawes of naturall motions below As for example here can be no motion without resistance All motions whether from aboue or siō below or ouerthwartlie finde enemies by the way opponing themselues to that which is moued as Edom did to the Israelites saying Thou shalt not passe by mee The stronger the opposition bee the motions are the slower Man cannot wade thorow waters so swiftlie as runne thorow the aire vpon the earth because the partie is stronger which is against him all things goe so below but aboue no bodies shall oppose themselues to the Children of God What euer bee aboue all shall goe with them they shall bee like shippes before the winde carried with a mightie gale There is nothing heere like vnto that that shall bee into that celestiall Fabricke But not bee curious to diue into such deepes This is certaine that the Sainctes shall bee carried there with the force of an vnspeakable power and that without anie wearinesse They shall runne saith the Prophet and not bee wearie they shall walke and not faint What can these want who beeing companions of the blessed Angels shall abide with him in whose face is fulnesse of delight There all our pleasures
when it shall please his Majestie That which is the gift of Gods good pleasure is not a thing which a man may haue wheÌ„ he pleaseth Youth is lik the time of the stirring of the poole a gracious time if it be wel imployed Christ I knowe may cure a Soule that hath beene sicke of the palsey of sinne eight and thirtie yeeres but that must bee counted a most rare miracle Late repentance is seldome sound But alas though a man were assured that in his olde dayes he should repent truelie of all the folies of his youth how bitter a thing is that which Gods word calleth Repentance A Pagan hauing gotten some little glimpse thereof while he conferred the pleasures of sin with the paines of repentance refused to bargaine for his pleasures saying plainelie Non emeâ—…im tanti poenitere that hee would not buy repentance so deare Most men in the heat of their sinnes lay about them to finde some pretence for the lessening therof lest they seeme vgelie Oh that youth would bee wise our youth is either a great friend or a great foe vnto our olde age If we get a fill of Gods mercie in the morning of our age wee shall bee glad and rejoyce all our dayes The rememberance of a well spent youth is in olde age lik the casting of the Eagles bill whereby its age is renewed O the siluer coloured gray head of that olde man who from his youth in the maine of his life hath walked in the wayes of righteousnesse Grace froÌ„ the Cradle is of great expectation Happie is that youth which is old in grace If yee get grace to your youth yee shall get glorie after age God it is who giueth both grace and glorie which two I may call the euerlasting twinnes conceiued into the breast and bowels of that Mercie that is aboue Take heede my Children In your first dayes striue to bee like the Auncient of dayes A good Conscience well kept in youth is a perpetuall feast for olde age That mans youth is a great friend to his old age who can say with Obadiah I feare the Lord from my youth A well spent youth is a blessed seede time for Heauen A well spent youth is spirituall physicke vnto olde age which of it selfe on Earth is a sicknesse drawing vnto Death As the well spent youth is a friend vnto old age so if it bee euill spent it is a most fearfull foe a foe full of woes woe to him whose old bones are sores with the sins of his youth the Lord hath taken the penne in his hand wherewith after he that hath narrowly searched his wayes hee shall write bitter thinges against him and shall make him possesse the iniquities of his youth * Beware therefore to set your corruption to worke for to giue the Prime of your life vnto pleasures Bee wise in time lest Sathan shely foist in and closelie conuay corruptions into your young and tender heartes by tickling and tempting you to folie It is more easie while it is time to spend well the time than after to redeeme the mispent time Why would yee trouble your olde age with young folies If yee sawe the seede of folie in your youth ye shall vndoubtedly reapesheaues of sorrows in your old age It is a sore troublé to sow in laughter reape in teares In the best man that liueth there is sufficient mater of mourning for his cloudie and rainie yeares The old man hath enough to suffer vnder sicknes though hee had no cumber of his sinnes O how pleasant is the bitter haruest of a foolish youth O folie hath not olde age paines sufficientlie in the bodie though it bee not surcharged with the troubles of the Spirit What wisedome is this to surcharge the weakest age with the heauiest burden Thinke chieflie vpon this seeing the goodnesse of God followeth the whole life of man from his mothers bellie to his buriall it is reason that his whole life as well youth as olde age bee framed for to expresse his thankfulnesse My first and chiefest direction to you is that yee giue to God the first fruites of your age Suffer not sinne in your tender yeeres to get hold haunt in your heartes A godlie Youth hath a speciall promise 〈◊〉 God these that seeke mee earelie 〈◊〉 finde mee This parable was forged in Hell young Saincts old Deuils that is A good Lad will bee an euill man And this is turned ouer againe by the prophane world viz. An euill Lad will bee a good man Nay but an euill Lad is in the way to proue an olde wag-string A young scoffing Ismael will become an olde swaggering reueller Children in Scripture are called Plants If in the Moneth of May a 〈◊〉 bee without leafes or buddes we conceiue little good hope of anie fruites to bee had in the haruest time thereafter will a tree bring foorth fruites before it flourish When flourish time is past without anie blossome shall wee looke for anie fruite for that yeare Learne of the trees to know your seasons Solomon sent the sluggard to Doctour Pismires schoole for to learne wisedome to prouide for the euill day Striue with the trees in your youth to get a spring of grace which may appâ—…are in the sprout and blossome of dispositions vnto vertues Muâ—…ium est assâ—…escere a teneris To beginne well or euill is to bee in the midst of the journey Most powerfull are the first impressions lik the loue of women which ordinarlie is greatest towards her first Match the guide of her youth who tulit primos amores hath gorten the prime of her loue It is hard to fall from her first loue See what a liking these who are in Kings Courts will haue to remember of the Cottage or rurall village whereinto they were borne and brought vp The secret draught is so powerfull that hardlie can anie expresse the cause This made a Pagan to say Nescio qua natale soluÌ„ dulcedine cuÌ„ctos Ducit immemores non sinit esse sui By this yee may see how by a certaine secret instinct wee euer loue the places where wee haue beene borne brought vp Obserue the lesson of this if yee passe your youth in sin in the pleasures therof hardly shal yee euer forget that company doe what ye can ye shall euer haue a certaine secret loue which your Soule darre not auouch toward that which yee once loued while ye were yong If your sinnes bee your Companions in your vouth they will bee your Counsellers in olde age Rehoboams fall was in this that he took counsell of the young men that were growne vp with him If sinne bee brought vp with you in your youth there is danger that ye take its counsell in your olde age The time of youth is most dangerous for in it the affections
shall ye bee Mans life at the longest may bee measured with a spanne Behold said the Psalmest thou hast made my dayes of an hand-breadth Mine age is as nothing before thee Our life is but a vapour and a wind which once passeth away returneth not againe It should therefore bee your best in time to prepare your selues for a better life and not with many to relye securelie vpon a possibilitie of pardon If yee bee wise venter not vpon such broken staues which faile in greatest neede The carnall Friend Thinke not the worse of mee Sir if I desire you to be honoured with the best in Buriall bee not too precise I hope that wee all shall come to heauen at last wee are all sinners I hope before I die to repent mee of all my sins The sicke Man S. Augustins wordes are of great power Metuendum est ne te occidat spes cum multum speres de misericordia incidas in judicium It is to be feared that while men hope for nothing so much as mercy euen then they fall into damnation I pray God that such hopes deceiue you not Many foolishlie make a packe horse of Christs merites and Gods mercies not caring what burdens they lay on A broken heart is onelie an heart qualified for the pardons of heauen If Christ Iesus his wordes bee of anie credit among men this wee must hold that none shall come to heauen but by the narrow way Sathan with his temptations hath bored out the eyes of many as the Philistins did to Samson But alas who hath the courage of Samson to seeke to be ledde to the chiefe pillars that he may pull them down for to bee reuenged vpon his foes Alas this is the fashion of this world men like the sluggard liue in delayes in steepe and in sloth Yet a little while and yet a little while No man will build an Arke vntill the floode come Lot himselfe did linger to saue himselfe from a brime stone fyre Men haue no leasure to bee saued so hard is it for the most part to pluke their feete out of the clouches of this world If wee could ouercome the loue of this worlde which is the great Goliah of our enemies then shuld we easilie ouercome the pride of the Philislins and the feare of Israel But carnall men know not what it is to mortifie olde Adam with his corrupt lustes Fooles feede on folies and tickle their fond fancies with imagined contentments not knowing the strick narrow course of sanctification Such mens speach is often both vnseemelie and vnseasonable Blessed bee my God who hath giuen mee the staffe in the hand and the stone in the scrippe wherewith I haue stricken all my strongest corruptions in the temples Sathan is tread vnder foote my flesh is subdued mine heart is in Heauen I care for the worlde no more neither desire I to speake anie longer of clay or of anie thing below My minde is aboue farre from the dirt drosse of all earthlie thoughts O my heauenlie Father wrap my Soule wrappe it vp in the righteousnesse of thy Sonne Let that bee the white long robe of my Soule while my body wrapt in its winding sheete shal lye rotting into the graue O my God fill my fainting heart with a joyfull confluence of the precious sufferings of Iesus of the promises of life of the joyes of heauen mak mine ende with that of the vpright man to bee peace Bee not cast downe my Soule neither bee thou disquieted within mee Hope in God for I shall yet praise him who is the health of my countenance and my God Oh but mine heart is sicke Oh where is my deare and louing Pastour His conference is most comfortable vnto my Soule The Pastour I am heere Sir waiting till I see the end of your Battell I haue heard all your wordes with great contentment I haue plainelie perceiued that Gods Angels these noble Spirits attend both to guide to guarde you God by the arme of his power hath brought you out of the thicket of thornes and pricking thistles of monie temptations He who hath made all things in number weight and measure hath not surcharge your Soule aboue that which he hath made you able to beare God in great grace hath made you first to know your selfe in your offences and miserie and after that to know him in his Majestie and mercie The Lord God in great kindnesse hath furnished you with firme Faith constant Hope and sincere Loue He hath led you thorow many trauerses and perplexities Now haue ye passed the most dreadfull darkest houre of all your temptations Now the dawning of a new day approacheth now labour might maine to be prepared for you God within a short space Christ the Sun of Righteousnesse that day spring from on high shall arise vpon your Soule neuer for to goe downe Continue in your prayers to God that he wold possesse your Soule with true hearted holinesse without which no Soule shall see Gods face What now Sir are yee doing The sicke Man My sillie Soule is heere waiting till Death come and open the prison doore that she may flee to her God to her Contrie from whence she came Fogs mists arise before mine eys O my God from the Throne of thy Grace râ—…ine downe vpon my wearied Soule the refreshing showrs of thy most iender mercies Vouchsafe vpon mee some crummes of thy comforts Oh that I had the wings of a doâ—…e for to flee to the woundes of Iesus as to the holes of the Rock My poore Soule in this bodie is like a Bird in a Cage looking through the wyres Faine would it bee free of this sinfull captiuitie O but my Soule panteth fast after my Sauiour What now shall stay mee from my God from my Christ from my Father my brother and my Comforter my dearest Darling of delight I long to bee in Heauen the place of my rest My desire is to goe to Goshen the Land of light of Life and of Libertie Mine heart is fast linked vnto Christ in loue O Lord what is man that thou art so mindfull of him O man what is God that thou art so forgetfull of him O my GOD prepare mee to meete thee with a bruised Spirit Melt my sinnes into sighes and my troubles into teares Let thy good Spirit leade mee into the Land of vp rightnesse Lord let neuer this clay returne to clay till my Spirit be readie to goe to him that gaue it O quicken sharpen my care of heauen dulled and blunted with earthlie thoughts Make sound wisedome and discretion to bee life vnto my Soule and grace to my necke Make my Soule trimme with that costly wedding Garment bought with thy Blood O Iesus the blessed Bridegroome who hast by thy Gospel of Grace betrothed my Soule vnto
vp nowe to the Heauens Thou hast alreadie past all toyle and turmoyle The way that rests vnto the Kingdome is both smooth euen without anie rubbe of opposition thou shalt enter into immortalitie O the showres of grace and mercie which raine downe vpon vs both Farewell till that desired day of the Resurrection come The Pastour His eyes stirre a little they are full of teares the tribute of Repentance He beginneth to shake he now seemeth to bee wakened out of his traunce I will inquire what his minde is set vpon What meditations are these Sir that yee are vpon Yee seeme to haue beene in some good motion The sicke Man My Soule Sir and my bodie after a blessed agreement haue beene taking their adewes one from another They haue bene blessing each other beâ—…ause they haue serued God together they looke to bee one day both glorified together A sea of comfortes hath rained downe vpon my Soule from the Heauens in most sweete and pleasant showers The Pastour Surelie that is a worthie exercise Such good motions are plants of God and impressions of his finger Happie are the Soule the bodie that can serue God together with one shoulder At that last day they shall haue a joyefull meeting they two shal be clasped together in loue with such contentmentes as tongues of Angels are not able to expresse But O when the vvicked soule shall returne from hell to take vp its bodie for to carie it to euerlasting torments then shall they curse each other with manie a woe for their Fornications Adulteries Lyes Deceits Ryot Drunkenesse Then would the bodie if it could haue intelligence of the soules comming wish that a rock or a mountaine would fall vpon it for to hide it from the Soule that beeing voyde of life it might bee free of feeling But the decree is come foorth of necessitie they must bee joyned together O but they then shall looke one to another like Lyons Their feede shall receiue none agreement no not They shall neuer agree in anie thing but in this to 〈◊〉 together that their comfortlesse dolours may bee doubled This is a deare pennie-warth so little pleasure for so much paine In that day all the wicked shal bitterlie repent such barganes Now happie is your Soule Sir and your bodie both that are so well resolued to depart Yee are certainelie blessed that euer yee were borne Behold nowe yee rest in hope of the resurrection which shall bee in that great day of Gods generall assemblie when all that euer tooke breath shall compeare before Christ the Iudge of the World for to receiue that which they did in the flesh bee it good bee it euill Now Sir seeing yee are an inrolled Citizen of Heauen and an adopted haire of God vp still with your heart towarde that heauenlie Heritage with sighes and grones beate on still at the doores of Gods mercie God giueth vnto prayer victory against himselfe Nowe the time draweth neere Sir your houre is come to a quarter fight out the good fight fixe the eyes of your Faith vpon the bloodie wounds of Iesus Lay hold on him listen to his voyce ere it bee long yee shall heare these words of joye Come faithfull seruant and enter into thyÌ„ Masters joye O Lord the giuer of grace and of glorie out of the blessed bowels of thy mercie bath and wash this Soule with that arteriall blood which sprang thorow the pierced filme of the heart of his Redeemer At the beginning of this Battell Lord thou did see howe his poore Soule was scorched with the flames of hellish temptations which did burne the verie marrow out of his bones this is thy ordinarie dealing with thine owne Hell on earth is for the heires of Heauen But heauen on earth is the portion of the heires of hell Now Lord from his hell bring him to thine Heauens Mak his Soule more clearelie to look vp toward the blessed bloodie wounds of his Sauiour wherein hee may perceiue the props of his protection Make his Soule now to be fullie possessed with an entire loue to the fairenesse of thy face wherein are pleasures for euermore The sicke Man Lord Iesus make clay againe with thy Spittle for to anointe my dimmed eyes that clearelie with Simeon my Soule may see thy Saluation We in our life receiue but the first impositioÌ„ of handes like the man that saw men walking like trees Now Lord at death giue mee the second imposition that I may see thee euen as thou art The Pastour Lord heare thou in Heauenâ—… Maintaine the life of his loue towards thee Now vvater the seede vvhich thou hast sowne Weede out the tares vvhich Sathan hath sowne Pittie and pardon Lay all his sinnes vpon the Sonne of thy loue Now let his feete be shod for the journey which hee is making to a better place Inspire his Soule with the spirit of grace till his life bee expired Saue him by thy blood which saued theÌ„ that spilt it The sicke Man I finde Death besieging my heart with seÌ„sible blowes O bring out my Soule out of this bricke of bondage of the bodie Mine heart stringes are so racked within mee that they are like to breake The hope that is deferred is the fainting of the Soule Lord helpe mee in this heauie houre The Pastour Lord heare thou in heauen and satisfie his hearts desire The sicke Man Pray pray that the Lord vphold mee in the throng of these throes wherewith mine heart is gripped lest I be whollie swallowed vp of despaire The Pastour O Sauiour of mankinde who out of thy meere mercie and loue came vnder the charge of his accounts Mak now answere for him as his Aduocat before that high Tribunall before which his poore Soule is now arraigned to coÌ„peare Turne all thy wrath in mercie and thy Iustice-seat in a Throne of grace Call home all his wandering thoughtes settle and them vpon thy selfe Maintaine the life of his loue Make death to him a Messenger of mercie and his paines a meane to bring him to thy pleasures O Captaine of his Saluation vnder whose bloodie banner hee hath in his life made warre against the enemies of thy glorie at death ouercome thou all the enemies of his Saluation With thy Trumpets and Lampes terrifie all these merciles Midianites Make them like a wheele as the stubble before the winde Graunt the victorie vnto thy weake Seruant heere that in the Heauens thou may crowne his Soule with glorious garlands of immortalitie Lord heare vs for the sake of thy Sonne vnto whom with thee and the Spirite of Grace bee all glorie and honour Amen Now Sir vp with your heart to the Father of mercies Fight out couragiouslie the fight of Faith Christ now is holding out the Crowne your Saluation is sealed yee neede not feare yee haue your warrant vnder the Broad Seale of the King of Heauen The sicke man O My deare
custome of God as we see to put his dearest Ones to the hardest proofe as wise Builders put the greatest timber and the heart of the Oake to the greatest stresse Manie thinke that Heauen standeth hard by their Bed-side and that a light Lord haue mercie will make the doore of Heauen to goe wide open to the wall no not Through man◅e tribulations we must enter into that Kingdome As Aprill showers goe before the May flowers so must our teares trickle before our Triumphs Wee must smert before we smile and grone before wee glorie All Christian Soules like Christ himselfe must enter by the port of paines vnto the palace of pleasures for euermore No co-reigning without a co-suffering O let vs consider what paines this godlie man hath suffered in this fierie tryall since this Battell beganne O with what difficulties hath hee swimmed thorow so many temptations If the righteous scarcelie bee saued where shall the vngodlie and the sinner appeare O sowre Apple of Adams pride many teeth hast thou set on edge The Sparrow by wandering the Swal low by flying may escape but where sin hath beene once there must also be sorrow before that the sinner can come to joye It is not so easie as manie men thinke to winne in at the doores of heauen as though one Gods-mercy were enough for to doe the turne Before that a man be able to winne in at the straite gate for to enter into his euerlasting rest hee must be buffeted with diuerse temptations and broken with sorrowes till his heart become contrit that is grund bruished small as if it were corne in a Querne There is none entrie into rest for man before that in great griefe hee hath pluckt out his right eye euen his dearest darling best bosome pleasure Hee that would lodge with God in eternitie muste heere lay holde on his Kingdome with an holie violence What wonder that he auen be hard to win seeing with all the infernall powers of darknesse legions of our owne corruptions combined oppose might maine the grouth of Gods graces in our Soules Manie foolishlie in the idle rowings of their braines content with a blush of zeale thinke that Heauen may bee winne with wishes and therefore in their life skippe wantonlie ouer the threatnings of the Law in hope that easilie at death they may catch at the promise of the Gospel But who had seene this holie man of GOD vpon the painefull racke of repentance would count all the perishing pleasures of sinne too deare bought pleasures Sinne at the beginning is like poyson in perfume pleasant at the first but not long after it worketh deadlie except that it be repelled with some stronger Antidote The way to heauen as wee see is not like the way to great ma◅ket Townes easilie discerned by the multitude of footesteppes Our good Friende is nowe in the verie panges of death A patient and Lambe like death is this His life is on his lippe This wearied Traueler is nowe neare the ende of his journey Seeing that the ende of a worke crowneth it let vs conceiue a Prayer whereby wee may lay his Soule into the bosome of his God who shall refresh him with euerlasting comforts O Lord by the vigour of thy Spirit giue wings to our groueling prayers A Prayer for the sicke Man approaching vnto Death O GOD of mercle and of mans Saluation who thinketh nothing too deare for a repēting soule were it to giue it a draught of the heart Blood of thy Sonne wee heere vpon the knees of our hearts humbled againe before the foote-stoole of the the Throne of thy Grace put vp to thee our most humble sute for this thy seruant who is nowe comming to thee His words now faile him but thou Lord wilt neuer faile him In stead of wordes let the crouding sobbes the Turtle finde roome into thine eares Heaue vp his heart to thy mercie seate with the requests of thy Spirit in sighs which cannot bee expressed O charitable Almes giuer open the hand of this Begger and thrust the money of thy mercie into it Seale fast vp in his heart the remission of all his sinnes in the blood of Iesus Burie all his transgressions in Christes Burial Establish thy free Spirit within him Take from him all dulnesse and deadnesse of spirit all secure and hardened thoughts all that may hinder him from comming vnto thee Continue his comfortes begunne Bee thou the ende and the ender of his worke Lorde disapoint Sathan who by his charmes and cunning traines hath gone about both by force fraud to catch this Soule of thy seruant Now Death is approaching To thee belongeth the issues of death Thou killest thou makest aliue thou bringest downe to the graue and againe thou raisest vp Now as euidentlie appeareth thou art for to remoue this thy seruant from the Land of the l◅uing and thy will must bee done Wee could haue wished the continuance of his Christian fellowship with the lengthening and enlarging of his dayes But most humblie wee submitte all our affections vnto thy good pleasure and will O Father of mercies in whose boundlesse bowels are moste pittifull compassions without anie passion shew thy selfe mercifull louing and kinde towardes this Soule which in the dayes of its fleshe hath beene with thee but a stranger and ◅ sojourner His Soule now is saying to thee with Iohn his two Disciples Rabbi Master where remaineth thou Answere it as thou answered them louinglie Come and see and after that tak it home to thine own house as Iohn tooke home thy Mother O deare Father of our Sauiour by Nature O our dearest Father by adoption bee fauourable to this thy seruant euen for that blood wherewith thou art passing lie pleased Forget and forgiue all his sinnes whatsoeuer Lay now thy louing Armes about him Claspe him hard to thy bosome and keepe him fast till hee be surelie and softlie placed into the heauens Now Lord thou hast begunne to loofe this Soule out of its prison Let earth goe to earth and his Spirit returne to thee that gaue it Place it into one of these heauenlie Mansions which thy Sonne is gone to prepare for these that are thine Strengthen him now at the last and highest point of his tryall O Great IEHOVAH who neuer hucketh to giue mercie to heart broken sinners let him finde more and more that thy bowels ouerflowing with mercie are readie to receiue him In the bottomelesse sea of thy mercie make his sinnes all to bee choaked and his Soule deliciouslie to be bathed with euerlasting comforts And because Sathan in his last assaults is most furious bee thou most powerfull in him by the vertue of thy Spirite Blunt so the edge of all his temptations that they bee not able any more to wound his Spirit Let thy secret loue bee vnto his Soule lik a Secret or jack in this bloodie battell
whereby he may be shielded from the bloodie blowes of a most cruell aduersarie Put on him Lord the compleate armour of God that hee may bee able to with-stand in this euill houre and hauing done all to stand Before this Battell end make him with stomacke and courage to runne all his enemies throgh with the two edged sword of thy Spirit Haue now Lord a speciall care of him Hemme in all his thoughts within the compasse of thy will Possesse him so with the fulnes of thy presence that in him there be found no roome for any ill motions Furnish him with the supplie of all these graces which thou knowest to bee wanting into him Let thy Spirit make residence in his heart as in an house of God Now Lord while it is time to saue saue the Soule of thy Seruant which is now readie to remoue Open vnto it that euer-flowing fountaine promised to the penitent of the house of Dauid for to tak away sinne and vncleannesse O Fountaine of Grace wash him and wash him throughlie with the blessed Blood of thy satisfaction After that thou hast made him perfectly cleane hold out thy succouring helpful armes vnto this Soule and take it into thy bosome Let it there taste of the honie of thy Compassions In this time of gloummines darknesse of death inlighten his Soule with the light of thy countenance Turne thy face now vnto it Hitherto it could see nothing but the Back-parts of Thee that Great IEHOVAH which bringeth joye but in parte From such parts now bring him vnto the fulnesse Turne thy selfe vnto this Soule that it may fullie see thy face wherein is fulnesse of joye And seeing no man can see thy face liue let this thy Seruant now see thy face and die that after death hee may liue with thee for euer in the Heauens Let neither the loue of life nor the feare of death turne his eyes from the prize of the high calling of God Make him now with a long steppe from the earth to the heauens to step in into immortalitie Now Lord engraue deepelie this Soule into the palmes of thine hands Set it as a seale on thine heart Wrap it within the Mantle of thy mercie warâ—…e it within the bowels of thy loue lappe it in thy bosome with that vnspeakable joye which Christ hath purchased with vnspeakable paine euen through the bloodie merites of his most bitter passions His wordes now are failed Square thou all his thoughts by the rule of thy Spirit of grace Lord make these our weake prayers to mount vp lik Pillars of smoke parfumed with the mercifull merites of thine onelie Sonne To him with thee his Father and with the Spirit of Grace be all Glorie Praise Power and Dominion for euer AMEN The spirituall Friend O deare Friende whome I haue seene a sorrow beaten sinner Rejoyce now in your Sauiour whose mercies haue beene the Bane of all your sinfull miseries Cleaue still fast vnto your Sauiour Let not him goe whom your soule loueth till ye come to Peniel where yee shall see him face to face The Lord refresh your wearied soule with the soft sweete breath of his Spirit The Lord kned into your heart these spirituall meditations which are of the purest straine O Father of mercies giue vnto this soule a most sure Infefâ—…ment of heauen by the hand of thy Spirit Make some drops of thy Myrrhe to enter in by some litle creuice of his heart Put in thine hand by the keye hole of the doore that his bowels may bee moued for thee Let such a strength now repare from thee vnto him that the world may see that thy strength is made perfect in weaknesse It shall bee expedient that nowe yee his Pastour in a short prayer recommend him to God againe Behold him now at the last gaspes his eye stringes are broken The water of death trickleth downe ouer his cheekes His life is now drawen to an haire O Lord while bodilie sight and senses faile make spirituall sight and sense succeede in a greater perfection Make a spaite of thy grace with a mightie streame to carrie him to glorie O deare Friend vp with your heart to your God Nowe all your sins shall die with your sicknesse The Rocke of your Saluation Iesus hath shiuered them in pieces There is 〈◊〉 condemnation to these that are in Christ who out of the pangs of loue suffered that paines of hell for mans RedeÌ„ption His Angels Sir are heere waiting vpon your Soule for to carrie it to pleasures for euermore Yet a little while and loe yee shall bee at the vpshotte of all your woe Yee are nowe vtterlie out of the reach of all the powers of hell euen vpon the borders of euerlasting pleasures vnmixed pleasures which shall turne all your teares into triumphes The Pastour Now Sir Gird vp the loynes of your minde make haste to your God who shortlie shall put into your haÌ„d the palme of victorie Sathan is chained vp now for doing you anie more harme The night of your trouble is past Christ that blessed Day spring hath brought a morning mercie vnto your Soule His graces in you hath shined more and more and so shall doe vntill the perfect day euen vntill your Soule carried on Eagles winges reach the hight of Heauen where without teares or tediousnesse are pleasures for euermore Though your tongue now faile you Sir let your heart be busie with God in prayer hee will hearten and encourage you in all the businesse Your taske is at an end Heaue vp your heart to Christ crucified with vs and that with sighes and sobbes the groanings of his owne Spirit Though your bodie now be cold the Spirit of Iesus shall by a free and vitall operation maintaine the heate and vigour of your Soule The Spirit of comfort conueye vnto your soule the warmest blood that euer heated the heart of Iesus Let vs pray The last prayer for the sicke Man in the verie jawes of death O LORD whose mercies are aboue all thy workes it was neuer thy custome to send away a broken heart without comfort Now heare the secret gâ—…oanes and sighes of thy seruant whose soule is ready in this gasping agonie to come out of its Tabernacle for to coÌ„peare before thee Thou who hast giuen him thy Son for a ransome giue him thy Spirit for a pledge Furnish him with force for to fight and finish this Battell in victory As thou hast bene at the beginning of his beeing euen the beginner of his beeing so now bee thou the ende at which hee aimes euen the ende of all his woes And seeing hee is now in the narrow throat of death helpe him by thy power till hee hath past this passage Put now into him a fresh liâ—…e that in a strong vigour hee may runne with the feete of the Hinde till hee come to thee in eteâ—…nitie Make him now supple and nimble
Iudge his Consistorie The day of this life wherein onelie wee can worke declineth a pace The fearfull night cloud hath taken post So soone as it shall come man shall bee discharged to worke any more It is good often to consider le◅ wee should dote and dreame of Immortalitie heere that the short threed of this life will bee soone drawne out to an end that by such thoughts we may learne in time not to bee taken vp with abortiue earthlie pleasures which perish in the budde What is this earth but a muddie myre What is poore mans life on this earth but a map of miserie The best of it is white and blacke checker work mixed with paines pleasures lashes and laughters Euen in laughter the heart is sorrowfull and the end of that mirth is heauinesse This godlie mans death should bee warning for vs Death knocking at our neighbours doore should remember vs of our mortalitie There is no case of humane calamitie but it is insident to all In this our old friend wee may see and reade that we haue none abiding heere Hee is nowe gone to his long home by the way of all flesh Aboue the rolling circumference of heauen hee hath found the center of his rest Natures necessitie subjecteth all flesh to mortalitie Hee is gone before vs from the land of the shadowe of death thorow the valey of the shadow of death vnto euerlasting felicitie and we all soone o◅ since must all treade the same way Let vs prouok our watchfulnes with this that wee shall goe to him but hee shall no more come to vs Let vs worke while the day lasteth Before wee bee benighted by death let vs wot where we shall get a lodging So long as wee haue breath and being let vs like Moses bee instant with God in prayer that hee would so teach vs to number our few and euill dayes that vvee may apply our heartes to vvisedome and to vvell doing Wee haue all great neede to goe to this Schoole for the learning of that lesson because death in this narrow passage of mortalitie stealeth vpon vs all with insinsible degrees The course of our dayes is like the course of the Sunne the ruler of the Day whom our owlish eyes cannot perceiue to moue though hee rejoyce as a strong man to runne a race we know him to be more swift than winde yet while wee behold him in his course wee cannot perceiue his motion It is euen so of our life Our dayes runne fast away but wee perceiue not how It is not long that wee stand but when wee beginne to fall wee are like the Yce which thaweth sooner than it froze Our life like smoke or chaffe is carried away as with a gale winde and yet we cannot consider Oh that this meditation like the Rowell of a Spurre could pricke vs forward in our voyage from grace to glorie Nature hath taught the ◅sillie Birdes the Cranne Storke and Swallows our winter strangers to know their seasons As if they had numbered the dayes of their absence they come precisely at their appointed Spring The Salmons also in their season returne to the place where they were spawned They like skilled Airthmeticiens number well the dayes of their absence and for no rubs in the way will they be moued to cracke their tryst All this haue they learned in the Schoole of Nature But men who should haue grace with Nature forget to desire to returne to their God who at the first spawned or as Scripture speaketh breathed within them their liuing Soules Men are often worse than the beasts who wold faine know their duety but cannot Many mē can but will not lik these whom S. Peter calleth Willinglie ignorant The God of grace giue vs wisedome that before our day bee spent and our Sunne set wee may weigh well and consider how wee may so liue to die that wee may die to liue Happie is the man whom God his white man hath in this life marked with the mourning marke The way to Heauen is not so easie as manie dreame Oh how many lets bee within vs and without vs Oh howe manie weightes hang ◅o fast on whereby the vnstable Soule of man is tossed and swayed hither and thither Seeing this holie man of God such a strong Oake hath beene so sore shaken what may we poore little shrubs expect O but we haue great neede to coffer vp some comfortes against the euill day All worldlie helpes depart from vs when we depart out of this life but Gods fauour faileth neuer When all thinges haue forsaken vs then onelie hee will stand by vs and at last will draw vs out of this myrie lake of miserie Happie and thrise happie is the man that is holie heere whome the Spirite of God may point out with an Ecce Behold a true Israelite Such a man after death shall obtaine a name which shall giue him after death a second life O thrise blessed is hee whom God in mercie remoueth in time that his eyes should not see the euill to come The world now is come to its dregs From little to little our zeale is come to its last gaspe Now if euer the Church is a Lillie among the thornes Our sinnes are become like Oakes but our vertues are pinched smal lik graines of mustard seede Wee look in drumblie waters and therefore we cannot see our sinfull blots and blamishes Lord teach vs to grow better that so long as we sojourne in these mansions of dying wightes wee may striue without guile to glid thorow this world that at last following this our olde deare friend wee may come to him and to all the Sainctes into to that celestiall Palace a place of plentie peace and pleasures for euermore Another discourse of the same sort O How hard a thing is it for the liuing to remember that wee are but weedes of a day fading and flying vanities Wee are all heere like poore Trauellers who haue farre to goe and little to spend In our most constant estate below we are like Ionahs gourd that sprang vp into a night withered into another euen a ◅oish vanitie This life said a Father is miserarable Our death is vncertaine If it surprise vs vnawares whither shall wee goe where shal we learne that which wee haue neglected heere Men for the most part wallowing in their sins while they looke most for life are by their expectation surprised of Death But Oh then whether shall they goe Alas that we cannot consider while we haue time and breath Man naturallie is so dull and dumpish that hee cannot imagine that he is possest with a melting mortalitie The best of vs in spirituall matters are pure blind Wee cannot see farre off no that which is neere euen this mortalitie among vs yea within vs That which hath breath can
mans life is but a winde in a worme * O happie is that man in whose heart Christ hath grauen deepe the shape of himselfe in this world when Death shall come then shall he know what blessed treasures of contentment God hath stored vp for his beloued When the Soules of the faithfull which on earth haue beene endued with a matchlesse concurrence of diuine graces shall come out of their bodies Christ the Father of mercies shall cast the armes of his cōpassions about their necks At their first entrie into Heauen hee shall giue them the comfortable kisses of peace Lord soften our stonie hearts enlighten our mistie minds that all our joye may bee in enjoying thee in whom is fulnesse without dislike O satisfie vs yearely with thy mercie the fairest flower of the Garland of thy Majestie While wee remember the death of others make vs carefullie to studie vnto newnesse of life that in this life wee dying vnto sinne may after death liue vnto Thee and with Thee vnto the vtmost bound of the euerlasting Hills AMEN FINIS A. H. THE LAST BATTELL OF THE SOVLE IN DEATH 2. Volume Carefullie digested for the comfort of the Sicke By Mr. ZACHARIE BOYD Preacher of Gods Word at Glasgow Bernard in Serm. Novissima sunt quatuor MORS IVDICIVM GEHENNA GLORIA Quid horribilius morte Quid terribilius judicio Quid intolerabilius gehenna Et quid incundius gloria Idem Senibus mors est in ianuis Iuvenibus vero in insidijs Printed at Edinburgh by the Heires of ANDRO HART 1629. TEMPVS TO THE MOST EXCELLENT PRINCESSE ELIZABETH Queene of Bohemia c. MADAME IN corporall troubles let vs seeke for spirituall Comfortes Dayes of sorrow are dayes of drousinesse For the remeede of such sorrowes heere followeth a Discourse of heauens Happinesse with diuerse other Christian comforts which I must humblie and heartilie dedicate to your Majestie If MADAME I were more able to present your Majestie with some matter◅ of greater worth my will should not bee deficient to mine Abilitie Thus presuming out of your Royall bountie that this little Offer from One of SCOTLAND your Majesties natiue Soyle shall bee graciouslie accepted I most humblie present it to your Majestie for to bee receiued and shrouded vnder your Royall safe-gard and louing protection After manie feruent and vnfained prayers made to God for the esta blishment of the Crowne vpon your Majesties Royall Heads and also for spirituall Graces to bee aboundantlie powred vpon you and vpon the rest of these Royall Plants which by the great mercie of God haue branched from You both I humblie take my leaue Your Majesties most humble and most obedient Oratour and Seruant M. ZACHARIE BOYD Preacher of GODS word at Glasgow From Glasgow the 12. day of Februrie 1629. THE QVEENES Lamentations for the death of her Son O But GOD is most terrible when hee is angrie He hath called as in a solemne day my terrors round about surelie against mee is he turned hee turneth his hand against mee all the day My flesh and my skinne hath he made olde hee hath broken my bones Hee hath builded against mee and compassed mee with gall and trauell He hath set mee in dark places as they that bee dead of olde Hee hath hedged mee about that I cannot get out Hee hath made my chaine heauie Hee hath turned aside my wayes and pulled me in pieces He hath made me desolate He hath bent his Bow set me as a marke for his arrowes He hath caused the Arrowes of his Quiuer to enter into my reines Hee hath filled mee with bitternesse Hee hath made mee drunke with worme-wood The verie Sea monsters are carefull for their young ones They drawe out the breast to giue them sucke How should I bee like the vnnaturall Ostrich which leaueth her egges in the earth and forgetteth that the foote may orush them or that the wild beast may breake them Shee is hardened against her young ones as though they vvere not hers God hath depriued her of wisedome neither hath hee imparted to her vnderstanding Alas alas the joye of our heart is ceased our dance is turned into mourning The crowne is fallen from our head Woe vnto vs that wee haue sinned for this our heart is faint for these thinges our eyes are dimme Wherefore Lord doest thou forget vs for euer forsake vs so long time Thou hast vtterlie rejected vs Thou art verie vvroth against vs O that mine eyes were a liuelie Spring of teares which day and night might trickle downe for the lamenting of my losse O yee Daughters of Britaine my natiue Soile Conueene your selues together Come all and joyne your sorrowes with mine Come contribute teares in aboundance that wee may deplore our domage Come come and helpe mee to mourne for my first Borne It is Gods will it is Gods commandement that yee mourne with these that mourne With whom will yee mourne if yee refuse to mourne with mee O noble Ladies of Britaine think vpon my sorrows My griefe is great mine heart is broken mine eyes doe faile with teares Come yee all and condole with mee Cast off your Rayments of joye And thou BOHEMIA with the PALATINAT mak to your selues new Robes of doole Fill al the Lāds with mourning like that mourning in Zacharie The mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon for the death of good Iosiah Mine heart is sore gripped with griefe Iam lik the Pelican in the vvildernesse Mine eyes doe faile with teares my bowels are troubled my Liuer is powred vpon the earth I was at ease but hee hath broken mee asunder Hee hath also taken mee by the necke and shaken mee to pieces and set mee vp for his marke His Archers compasse mee round about Hee cleaueth my reines asunder and doeth not spare Hee powreth out my gall vpon the ground Hee breaketh mee with breach vpon breach Hee runneth vpō me lik a Gyant My face is foule with weeping and on mine eye-lids is the shadow of death My Friendes scorne mee but mine eye powreth out teares vnto God When a few yeares are come then I shall goe the way whence I shall not returne The Lord hath made me as a by-word of the people Mine eyes are dimme by reason of sorrow and all my members are as a shadow Know now yee all that God hath compassed mee with his net Hee hath fenced vp my way that I cannot passe and hee hath set darknesse in my pathes Hee hath stript mee of my Glorie and taken the Crowne from mine head Hee hath destroyed mee on euerie side and I am gone and mine hope hath hee remoued like a tree His troupes come together and raise vp their way against mee and encampe round about my Tabernacle He hath put my brethrene far from mee My Kins-folke haue failed and my familiare friendes haue forgotten mee Haue pittie vpon mee O yee my Friendes for the hand of God hath troubled mee
nothing within troubleth them Their peace indeede is nothing but a dead benum nednesse of spirit their Conscience beeing Seared is not capable of feeling I shall giue you two speciall marks whereby yee shall discerne a true Peace and quietnesse of Conscience from the dead benummednes which the wicked haue First a Conscience which hath Gods Peace is awfull of sinne wittinglie and willinglie for a world it would not despite the Spirite of grace But the wicked who is in a false peace flitteth from sinns to sinne as a Flie from scab to scab laying all his burden securelie vpon the broad shoulders of Gods mercie Secondlie the seared dead Conscience of the wicked hath but a part of that which is called Peace Their heartes will bee senslesse of all euill they will haue no warre within no sorrow is there But as they haue no spirituall sorrow for their sinnes committed neither haue they anie spirituall joye for the sense of their sinnes remitted Heere then know the true Peace of God in the Conscience The vnspeakable griefe for sinne is asswaged the fearefull qualmes are calmed the raging and roaring tempests are allayed the swelling seas are fallen and ebbed God is come in the calme not onelie for to wype away the teares of sorrow frō their eyes but also for to fill their mouthes with laughters of joye So not onely are they voyd at last of the sense of most terrible horrors but they are sensible of a joye which will make them to daunce with Dauid before the Arke yea to laude the Lord at a Stake amidst tarrie poudered flames of fire This is that continuall feaste which cheareth the godlie Soule amidst the bloodie bickerings of Sathan and burning persecutions of mercilesse missacrours Let all men try their Peace at this Touchstone if not onely they finde their former paines lessened but also a joye in GOD whereby their Soule is feasted with such contentmēt that for all the gold of Ophir they wold not losse it their estat is doubtlesse happie Who euer hee be that findeth this hee may sing to GOD Glorie be to God in the highest heauens peace on earth and toward my Soule good will The sicke Man Blessed be God who hath inlightened your eyes for the spying out of that remarkable difference betweene the true and false peace of mens Conscience Ineuer heard it so clearelie discussed O but Sathan is euer busie to mar this Peace of the godly who wil not war wage battel vnder his colours I haue seen these who are now godlie before their conuersion to be verie vaine light and wanton sinners while they thus did runne ryote in sinne with the wicked world I haue seene them most mirrie and solacious companie I often wondered to see them dance and sing roare reuell I could see no bands of sorrowes in their life They neuer complained of Satans malice against them But so soone as once they beganne to loue the Preaching of the Worde and to loath the carnall pleasures which once they loued I haue seene them againe so courbed downe with griefe and mainelie crossed as though it had no more beene they Sathan letteth them nor rest neither night nor day The Pastour In that is no wonder Sathan will bee verie loath to trouble his owne So soone as hee hath lulled them asleepe into the credle of securitie he will bee verie carefull that none waken them Out of a counterfeit loue hee will adjure the watch-men by the Roes and by the Hindes that they waken not his beloued till he please Hee will say of him as Christes Disciples said of Lazarus but in another sense If hee sleepe hee shall doe well See how carefull Sathan is for the rest of his owne lest that being wakned they runne away from him This Christ himselfe in the dayes of his flesh made cleare by a similitude When said hee a strong man armed keepeth his Palace his goods are in peace So long as Sathan like a strong armed man keepeth the palace of a wicked mans heart his alone so that none bee welcome but hee hee will let that man bee lest that by troubling and disquieting his peace hee grow sorie and mislike his seruice But if once hee perceiue the Soule to shrinke seeking an occation to bee quite of him hee will put all the powers of hell in armes and vproare and will driue furiouslie lik Iehu for to regaine it againe into his kingdome While a Theefe or a murtherer is in the stockes fast in fetters the Iaylor will bee merrie and will sing besides him as though hee were his friend but if the most secret houre of the night hee heare him knocking off his bolts and perceiue him to haue escaped hee will waken all the citie and pursew him with hue and with cryes Sathan is like the Iaylor a peaceable spirit so long as the Soule is fast in his fetters and clogged with his bolts in a deepe dungeon But if once hee perceiue that the Spirit of Iesus hath as the Angel did to Peter in the prison smot him on the side and raised him vp making all his chaines to fall from him and that the man ariseth vp quicklie and girdeth himselfe and bindeth on his Sandales and casteth his garment about him as Peter did for to runne and follow his God it is a wonder how that cruell Spirit will roare and rage like a Beare bereeued of her whelpes If hee gette a grippe of the poore man hee will cause him roare with gasping groans till God come with an helping hand The sicke Man Indeede Sir yee by your both plaine and learned discourse haue dispelled the mist of many difficulties The last difficultie wherein my Soule did sticke as yee may remember was concerning my Faith which I concluded not to bee because I had no peace of Conscience This did marre and deface all my comforts My ground was from the Apostle whose wordes are That beeing justified by Faith we haue peace toward God I haue heard you declare that a man may haue Faith yet for some space not to bee sensible of that peace O my God let thy mercie be closelie applyed to my Soule strengthen my Faith that I may grippe and apprehend it with a sure and euerlasting hold Oh that my soule might lye downe in that peace that passeth all vnderstanding I am sore troubled with a weake and wauering heart which is yet tossed and swayed to and fro with doubts and difficulties lik a feather in the wind Alas Sir I complaine of the weakenesse of my Faith That Faith must be strōg which is able to draw downe Saluation from the heauens and batter downe strong holds and ouerthrow principalities and powers and conqueare and subdue tame represse and repell our strongest corruptions Let mee see I pray you any partiticulare example of a weake Faith wherby any at any time haue beene
saued by the Light of Gods word dispell this mist of ignorance Make mee free of this shrewd temptation The Pastour That of Peter in the New-Testament is remarkable Christ himselfe called him A man of little Faith and yet who doubteth of his Saluation The other example in the Old-Testament was in type and figure when the Israelites were biten with the fierie Serpents their onelie remeed was to looke vp to the brasen Serpent All this was a type and figure of a Soule wounded with sinne looking vp vnto Christ with the eye of Faith Now it is certaine that some in Israel were bleared and some of a weaker sight than others but the weaknesse of their sight could not hinder the cure nay the olde man with his dimmed eyes beholding as thorow a mist that type of Christ was as soone and soundlie cured as hee whose eyes were in their greatest vigour The meate taken with a paralitick trembling hand will not refuse nourishment to the bodie no more than if it were taken with a strong and stable arme Faith is the eye of the Soule whereof the Israelites eyes were but a figure Christ is the trueth of the brasen Serpent Though this eye bee dimmer into some yet if it see that sight is Saluation Faith is the hand of the Soule Christ is the foode Though this Faith tremble Christ trembleth not the palsie is not in the foode Bee of good courage Sir feare not this trembling feare the work of Saluation cannot bee wrought but with feare and trembling Though ye feare yet despaire not there is meâ—…cie with God in a vnspeakable measure In one Psalme it is said againe and againe vnto sixe and twentie times that his mercie endureth for euer This mercie I confesse is whiles concealed from the godlie for ends best knowne vnto their heauenly Father Who is he that often shall not spie at diuerse times his minde to bee dulled or ouer-cast with some cloud of Milancholie While this humour domineeres Sathan maketh choise of it for therein to set a seate for grimme and grieuous temptations While he perceiueth the bodie to bee troubled and distempered hee quicklie afresh representeth vnto the veiw of our Soule the greatest most greiuous sins of our vnregeneration and that into their fullest and foulest shape By this meanes deepe gashes and wide gappes are made in mens Conscience Bee strong in God Sir saue his honour by putting your trust in him Shall Gods word cry to man sixe and twentie times that hee is a mercifull God shall man doubt of such a mercie If such mercies were but for some dayes â—…nners might thinke that in some dismall dayes of the yeare mercy by no meanes could bee found But behold the musicall twne of Gods mercie is vpon an euerlasting Note for his mercie endureth for euer Hee who doubteth of Gods fauour after so manie testimonies may prouoke the Lord against himselfe Moses by his doubting at Meribah made the Lords wrath to waxe hote against him While hee should haue spoken to the Rocke he scourged the Rocke more with these wordes of doubt shal we cause water come foorth than he did with the Rod That Rock was Christ Moses while by doubting hee scourged the Rocke hee scourged Christ for that Rocke was Christ Who would euer haue thought that Moses with his Law Rod would haue scourged Christ the substance both of Law and Gospel Who euer hee bee that doubteth thinking that God either cannot nor will not bee mercifull vnto him so farre as in him is hee scourgeth the Lord Iesus as these who by their euill life are said to crucifie to themselues the Sonne of God afresh and to put him to an open shame Beleeue be saued God is both mild and mercifull Is not his Command directeth vnto man that hee shew mercie with chearefulnesse Is he not called the Father of mercies Is it not written that hee is a God rich in mercie O these bleeding bowels of compassions What said hee at last while hee saw the great affliction of Ephraim How said hee shall I giue thee vp Ephraim How shall I deliuer the Israel How shall I make thee as Admah How shall I set thee as Zeboim After these foure How how how how Mercie in a manner did turne about hâ—…s heart with such a force that hee cryed out Mine heart is turned within mee my repentinges are kindled together If mercie be not in his diuine breast where shall it be found The sicke Man All that yee haue said Sir concerning the mercy of God in Christ belongeth on lie to repenting sinners who haue bewailed the errours of their life but not to such a varnished hypocrit as I am who haue remained fast rooted in the rottenesse of must filthie corruptions which I had neuer care to curbe or controle My secret sinnes like a consuming canker haue freted out the verie heart of Grace From my Youth I haue wandered from the way of happinesse and haue beene like an idle Begger in the way readie to goe which way so euer the staffe fell My greatest feare now is that I haue too long delayed the day of my repentance what know I if God will forgiue a man so grieuous sinnes not repented of till hee come to his death-bed Hardlie can I think that in so short a time a man can bind vp friendshippe with his God with whom hee hath beene at feede his whole life time O mercifull God melt my marble heart Put into my breast the precious pearle of Faith O that with vnspeakable groanes of griefe for my By past euill spent life I might redeeme the time which I haue so lauishlie mispent Oh that the moisture of my body were all melted into teares if therby I culd be perswaded that my sillie Soule were alreadie vtterly out of the reach of all the powers of Hell I haue too long most vainelie sported my selfe in Mesech and ruffled in the tents of Kedar If I had not so long delayed to returne to my God my Soule alreadie in hope should be feasting vpon the joyes of eternitie The Pastour Indeede Sir it is a verie dangerous thing for to delay repentance to the last gaspe or to one Gods mercie as many doe who neuer lay downe the weapons of rebellion till they can sinne no more Oh that men would vnderstand their danger Are not our enemies both strong and neare Hannibal ad portas the Deuill is at the doore But such is the madnesse of many were their Soules neuer so soiled with sinne that if once they can get out but these few wordes God bee mercifull to mee they thinke that they shall be in heauen before their feete bee colde Such men thinke that in death it is easie to consure the Deuill with a word It is but folie to put Saluation vpon such hap-hazard as