crazâ— Bodies that needed to be propped up by Aâ—â— have now no need of such helps the lame shaâ—â— leap the blinde see the weak shall be strong thâ— crooked strait they which were in deaths oft shaâ—â— be never in danger O happy alteration thâ— Grave will refine and alter our Bodies and theâ— shall there bury all imperfections and this mortâ— shall put on immortality and this corruptible incorruption There the weary shall be at rest Esa 61.3 33.24 60.18 Job 3.17 5. The blessedness of the deceased Saints consisteâ—h in their perfect freedome from all wants and fear of want Here they have their daily want and in the sweat of their brows they must eat their Bread The World in its best estate is made up of vanities and troubles How much need have we of the help of our fellow-creatures we can't live without the use of their bodies and lives we want their service to till our Grounds and to carry our weak Bodyes that can sometimes scarce go under their own burden What shift could we make if the influences of the Sun Moon and Stars were suspended what lamentable complaint should we make if God should seal up the Fountains of Water how soon should we faint if he should make the Heavens as Iron and the Earth as brass What Element can we want what Creature could we well spare But the time is coming that Day will shortly begin whose brightness will make the Sun dark and the Moon to disappear and all the Stars to leave their Spheres as useless O unbelief how miserably dost thou rob us of the comforts which the very fore-thoughts of that hour might bring in Dwell O my trembling Soul upon the Meditation of these things Is there no truth nor weight in â—hose Scriptures Es 60.19 Es 21.29 Give in thy Answer Why then art thou cast down O my soul and why art thou disquieted within me Wait upon the Lord and be of good courage wait I say upon the Lord. 6. This happy Man shall be quite freed of whatsoever may argue an imperfect state Some of those very graces that are now so useful and necessary when their work is done shall be laid aside as useless I mean Faith Hope Patience desire all which speak something of imperfection shall then be swallowed up of love They now help to lead the Soul out of Egypt conduct thorow the red Sea and Wilderness and send Spices into Canaan and bring good tidings out of that Land they see Sihon Og and Amaleck discomfitted and their Power broken they go to the Borders of the promised Land nay they get up to Pisga and upon Mount Nebo there they bid the Soul farewell Faith like a skilful Pilot keeps close to the Ship till it see it out of danger Faith like loyal Barzillai brings in abundant provisions for the Soul in all its streights and comes with it to the banks of Jordan to the brink oâ— eternity but there there it takes its final leave and sends over young Chimham to wait upon the King at Jerusalem it sends love over into Heaven tâ— dwell there with the Lord for ever O blessed state when faith shall be swallowed up of sight Here we live by faith and not by sense or sight in glory we shall live by sense and sight and not by faith The shaddow shall vanish when the substance is come hope patience desire and fear shall all pass away and be swallowed up with an eternal fruition possession and security Happy are the People that are in such a case their clouds are quite blown over they need neither Wind or Sails now they are safe landed What think you now of a Child of God is it worth the while to be religious is holiness a folly now and yet this is not all come a little further and I will shew you greater things still All this is buâ— the privative part of their happiness I come now to touch a little upon the positive part but what an Ocean am I now lanching into who can tell all the priviledges of a Citizen of Zion what Pen can describe the honour and dignities of the Sons of God But that I may heighten your spirits and a little antedate your comforts I shall in the next place shew something of the positive part 2. The blessedness of those which dye in the Lord consists positively First in this that they shall enter into the Society of the Angels they shall leave any longer conversing with mortals and instead of weeping friends see themselves compassed with singing Angels How do you think that Lazarus was affected who instead of Beggars Crippels and Dogs had a Guard of Angels waiting upon him What an extasy of joy was he surprized vvith Luk. 16.22 This honour have all the Saints We think the sight of a King the look of a Prince the company of a Lord a great matter what are they it compared with the least of the Captains of the Lord's Host How vast is the difference between Flesh and Spirit and yet this favour the Lord is pleased to confer upon the least of his Children And how glad are the Angels themselves of the society of the poorest Saint they are glad even here to be doing offices of love for them many a danger they delivered them from many a mercy they conveyed from their Father to them but these earthly Bodyes were scarce capable of communications with such noble and spiritual Creatures but at Death they shall know their old friends and fellow-servants and bless God with them and for them for ever Heb. 12.22 And these Chariots and Horsemen of Israel shall carry up Joseph to his Fathers House and there the Sons of God shall shout for joy Time was the sight of an Angel would make a Saint tremble but then it shall make them to Triumph and what stories will they tell them of the providences of God toward them and joyn with them in the high praises of his goodness and love But all this is but little to what follows 2. At Death the souls of believers are made perfect in holiness How will they in a moment see themselves as white as Snow how glorious shall the Kings Daughter be when her beauty is perfect how lovelily will she look when she 's clad with innocent purity how excellent when her royal Husband the Lord Christ shall be infinitely taken with her Will he not then say thou art all fair my love there is no spot in thee Come with me from Lebanon my Spouse with me from Lebanon from the top of Amana from the top of Shenir and Hermon from the Lyons Dens from the Mountains of Leopards Thou hast ravished my heart my Sister my Spouse thou with one Chain of thy Neck How fair is thy love my Sister my Spouse c. Cant. 4.7 8 9 10. If the Lord see so much beauty here in his Church what will he do hereafter when he shall have wash'd away all her
witness to a lye Will goodness it self put a cheat upon poor Creatures and that in a matter of such vast consequence as Eternity Can we conceive that he which commands us not to deceive our Neighbour should deceive us Shall any that calls himself a Christian entertain such blasphemous apprehensions of the blessed Jehovah Well then if it be so that Children of God love solid and unexpressible joys many times even on this side Glory Doth not this then prove that hereatter they shall be happy and that beyond the apprehensions of Men and Tongue of Angels For the Saint in his greatest dimensions fullest enjoyments and tallest stature on this side the Grace is but a Childe a Dwarf a Worm in comparison of what he will be the next moment after his dissolution For the proof of this you may read over these and other Scriptures Psal 16.11 Psal 42.5 Luk. 16.22 2 Cor. 4.7 Revel 13.14 3. May I not bring in the wicked themselves as witnesses of the Saints happiness and their own misery the Saints wisdom and their folly what else is the meaning of Balaam's wish Why should he be so desirous to dye the death of the Saint and to have his latter end like his if he were not thorowly convinced of this that holiness were no madness piety no fancy and religion no delusion What is it that makes those in Mat. 26.8 to cry out so importunately Give us of your Oyl for our Lamps are gone out I am perswaded that all the Reprobates in Hell will one Day justifie the Children of God for their seriousness and wish a thousand times that they had had their scornes losses torments It is no unusual thing for them which have to do with dying Persons to hear them crying out with anguish when their time is spent and their sands are run out O you are happy O that I were but in the condition of the poorest and miserablest Saint upon Earth O that I had but prayed with fervency heard with seriousness and minded my Soul in good earnest Happy are they that have not all their work to do in a dying Hour O happy are they that have some Cordial to comfort them in a time of such distress O a Christ a Christ ten thousand Worlds now for that Christ which I despised These are things we are acquainted with Well then our Enemies themselves being Judges an Israelite indeed is a Person of true worth and without controversie his estate is and shall be comfortable blessed and glorious 4. How great are the absurdities that else would follow Would not the Devil boast that he hath done more for his followers than Christ hath done for his Would it not follow that Saints are the most miserable fools in the World then it would be to no purpose to deny ones self to fight with Beasts at Ephesus to bear the contradiction of sinners then Christ dyed for nothing or hath done his work by the halves then there is no credit to be given to the Bible God is worse than his word and the Scripture promises are false then Paul's confidence was madness and his boasting made void then all preaching is a cheat and the Ministers of Christ are Impostorâ— and the wicked are in the right then David would have better reason to say he hath cleansed his hands in vain and that his frequent devotions were to no purpose and his Songs at Mid-night but the dotages of an extravagant fansie and hours which were spent in Prayer and Meditation were purely lost What saist thou to this O Christian Would not this be sad news indeed if all thy hope should come to this But be of good cheer this is the doctrine which the Devil and his Ministers do preach as long as God is true you shall not be deceived as long as he is happy you shall not be miserable and till Hell hath got above Heaven you are well enough Go on therefore resolutely and let nothing daunt thee 't is but yet a little while and you shall see all this and more than this a thousand times made good to thee Fear not 't is God who hath spoken it and he commanded his Servant John to write and Jeave it upon Record That they which dye in the Lord are blessed and they shall rest from their labours and their works do follow them 3. The next thing which I promised to speak to was to shew wherein the blessedness of departed Saints doth consist But what work am I now about Who is sufficient for these things What Tongue can utter the least part of that Glory What Heart imagine its transcendent excellency And what Ears can bear it should such a one as Moses Enoch or Elias come sparkling in his Robes in the habit of a glorified Saint and should he but tell you what a sight he hath seen what melody he hears what imployment he is ingaged in what possessions he enjoys where would he endure it I am perswaded if in this mortal state God should let in the Soul the hundreth thousandth part of that Glory which Saints enjoy in Heaven it would in a moment sink a Man and make such Bodies as ours now are wither to dust I have seen a great many fine things in my time I have heard of more but I can easily imagine more than ever all the Princes of the Earth in their greatest splendour enjoyed and yet here I am at a loss and no wonder For it is beyond the reach of Saints and Angels in Heaven fully to conceive what their own happiness is and I believe it is no small part of their joy that they serve a Master who loveth to out-doe not only deserts and expectations but even the imaginations of his Creatures How then can such a poor Worm as I am mannage such a work as this is because I can't say all must I say nothing and pass this over with silence and admiration because this is a great deep which our Plummet can't fathom an Ocean that hath no shoar shall we therefore never sail in it God forbid O may it be my work in time and to Eternity to praise that infinite boundless excellency that is in my God Though these are matters which one would think should command attention and affection both yet if we consult the lives of all yea the highest experiences of the best notwithstanding these things are so frequently inculcated and so passionately recommended to our consideration yet where is the Man or Woman to be found that lies under the lively impressions of these things And therefore I shall think it not impertinent if I dwell upon that an Hour which will be the subject of your Meditation and Foundation of your comfort if ever you understand what Christianity in the life of it means This only by the by a little to quicken your attention I come now to my business to shew you wherein the Saints happiness after death consists 1. It consists in a
and my poor soul to be reconciled and oh my soul what if these be so already or what if one had told thee of these things some five years agone certainly they would then have been too great for thy belief but what shall they now be so small as not to be worth thy praise oh disingenious soul Oh Lord pardon my unthankfulness oh that all the Angels in Heaven should rejoyce and bless God for what he hath done for thee even for thee for my poor soul And what canst not thou find in heart to endeavour to set forth his praises as much as thou art able that so it may be known that at least thou desirest to give all the glory to God and not to dare to take any to thy self oh my soul what sayest thou What say I oh I say again not unto me not unto me but unto the great and glorious Jehovah be all the glory given And because I hope thy desires are greater than thy expressions therefore fail not my soul to shew forth thy love and praises by giving up thy self wholly to serve and love fear and admire that God who hath done such great and wonderful things for thy soul that passeth thy understanding My Beloved is mine and I am his oh how art thou sure of that What is the peace concluded oh happy Conclusion oh blessed Conjunction shall the Stars dwell with the dust or the wide distant Poles be brought to mutual embraces and co-habitation but oh my soul here the distance is infinitely greater And now Rejoyce O Angels shout O Seraphims and all the friends of the Bridegroom prepare an Epithalamium be ready with the Marriage Song loe here is the wonder of wonders For Jehovah hath or is about to betroth himself for ever to his poor Captive my poor soul And is he so indeed as I hope he is then he owns the Marriage before all the World and is become one with me and I with him And now O my Lord and my God cauâ—â— thy face to shine on the soul of thy â—â—â—vant and shew him more and more 〈◊〉 vileness that he may lye very low even in the Dust and be humbled at thy feet and let the work which thou hast begun in the heart of thy poor Servant be established for ever and do more for me than I can require that thy name may be Magnified for ever and that all that hear of this may say The Lord of Hosts is the God of Israel Amen Hallelujah FINIS These Books with several others are Printed for and to be sold by Dorman Newman at the Chirurgions Arms in Little-Brittain near the Hospital-Gate Folio A Relation in form of a Journal of the Voyage and Residence of Charles the Second King of Great Brittain c. in Holland By Sir William Lower Knight Memoires of the Lives Actions Sufferings and Deaths of those noble Reverend Personages that suffered by Death Sequestration Decimation or otherwise for the Protestant Religion and the Great Principle thereof By David Lloyd A. M. sometime of Oriel Colledge in Oxon. Mr. Knox his History of the Reformation of the Church of Scotland A Treatise of Justification By George Downam Doctor of Divinity Spencers History of Ireland Brathwaits English Gentleman and Gentlewoman Austins Meditations Review of the Council of Trent Babingtons Works Jermin on the Proverbs and Ecclesiastes Quarto THat Excellent Piece of Mr. George Swinnocks Christian-mans Calling in three Volumns Directing the Christian how to make Religion his Business in all Relations Conditions and Occurrences that may fall out in his whole life Faiths Universal Usefulness with the Excellency of a Spiritual Life By that famous man of God Master Matthew Lawrence of Ipswich Mr. Elborough's Sermon on the Fire There is now extant that much expected Book of Mr. Jeremiah Burroughs Entituled Gospel Remission Wherein is discovered First the many and great Gospel-Mysteries therein contained Secondly the glorious effects proceeding from it Thirdly the mistakes that are made about it Fourthly the true Signs and Symptomes of it Fifthly the way and means how to obtain it The Virtue and Value of Baptism Catechetically propounded as Antidote against all Baptism-despising Dicrates By Mr. Zach. Crofâ—on That much expected Piece of Mr. Durham Minister in Scotland his Exposition upon the whole Book of Canticles or Song of solomon is now Printed with Dr. Owens Preface and Mr. Durhams Epistle Dr. Hamptons Sermon before King James Lesley's Sermon tending to Unity Hampton's Three-fold State of man A Sermon before King James History of the Gentle Craft Dod and Clever on the Commandments Souls Sentinels Spicers Elogie on Sir Arthur Chester A Discourse upon Prodigious Abstinence Occasioned by the Twelve Moneths Fasting of Martha Taylor the Famed Derbyshire Damosel Proving that without any Miracle the Texture of Humane Bodies may be so altered that Life may be long Continued without the supplies of Meat and Drink With an Account of the Heart and how far it is interessed in the Business of Fermentation Humbly offered to the Royal Society By John Reynolds The Quakers Spiritual Court Proclaim'd Being an exact Narrative of two several Tryals had before that New-High-Court of Justice at the Pcele in St. John's Street Together with the Names of the Judges that sate in Judgement and of the Parties concerned in the said Tryals Also sundry Errors and Corruptions in Principle and Practice among the Quakers which were never till now made known to the World Also a Direction to attain to be a Quaker and Profit by it All which with many new matters and things of Remark among those Men are faithfully declared and testified By Nathaniel Smith Student in Physick who was himself a Quaker and conversant among them for the space of about XIV Years Octavo THe Life of Cardinal Woolsey that famous Lord Chancellour of England c. With the Remarks upon those Times not unworthy the perusal of ours The Excellency of the Pen and Pensil exemplifying the Uses of them in the most Exquisite and Mysterious Arts of Drawing Etching Engraving Limbning Painting in Oyl washing Maps and Pictures Also the way to cleanse any old Painting and preserve the Colours Furnished with divers Copper Cuts A guide to Ladies Gentlewomen and Maids how to behave themselves in all Estates Relations and Conditions By Hannah Wolley A guide to the True Religion Directing how to make a wise Choice of the Religion men Venture their Salvation upon By J. Clapham M.A. The Christians great Interest or a short Treatise divided into two Parts The first whereof containeth the Tryal of a Saving Interest in Christ The second pointeth forth plainly the way how to obtain it wherein somewhat is likewise spoken to the manner of Express Covenanting with God By W. Guthry late Minister of the Gospel in Scotland The Fifth Impression Justification only upon a Satisfaction or the Necessity and Verity of the Satisfaction of Christ as the alone ground of Remission of sin asserted and opened against the Socinians By Robert Fergirson Minister of the Gospel in London The Pastors Love to a Loving People By Mr. William Thompson Minister of the Gospel in London A Synopsis of Quakarisme or a Collection of the Fundamental Errors of the Quakers With a brief Refutation of their most Material Arguments and particularly W. Pen's in his late Sandy Foundation shaken and an Essay toward the Establishment of private Christians in the Truth opposed by those Errors By Thomas Danson sometime Minister of the Gospel in Sandwich in Kent The Laws and Canons drawn up and agreed upon by the General Assembly or Meeting of the Head of the Quakers from all parts of the Kingdom Phanatick Primer for the Instruction of Little Ones in order to perfect reading By H. Adis Rebukes for sin by Gods Burning Anger by the burning of the City the burning of World and the burning of the Wicked with a Discourse of Heart-fixedness By Thomas Doolittel Minister of the Gospel The Life of Dr. James Usher late Arch-Bishop of Armagh and Primate of all Ireland A most Comfortable and Christian Dialogue By Mr. William Cooper Spare Minutes Or Resolved Meditations and premeditated Resolutions By Arthur Warwick Clarissimi Viri Adriani Heerchoordi Philosophiae professoris Ordinarii Disputationum de Concursu Examen a Johanne Stearne M.D. Institutum ad Amicum suum Johannem Rawlineum An Excellent Oration of that late famously Learned John Raynolds D. D. and Lecturer of the Greek Tongue in Oxford very useful for all such as affect the Studies of Logick and Philosophy and admire Profane Learning Archers Jests Heaths Transubstantiation Sejanus Owen's Epigrams King James meditations None but Christ Four Select Sermons upon several Texts of Scripture wherein the Idolatry and Will-worship of the Church of Rome is laid open and confuted By Mr. Will. Fennar of Rochsord never before published Mr. James Maltons twenty Sermons preached on several Texts viz. Mans Petition and Gods Compassion shewed on Psalm 138.3 Mercy despised and God provoked thereby on Psalm 106.24 Christs Pretiousness on 1 Pet. 2.7 The necessity of Humiliation on Acts 16.29 30. Christ the Bread of Life on John 6.35 Christs two Disciples doers of Gods will on John 7.17 Fear of losing Salvation and the way to obtain it on Heb. 4.1 The Persevering Saint shall be crowned Saint on Rev. 3.11 Walking in Christ a sign of our right receiving of Christ on Col. 2.6 Light Discovered and Man Recovered on 1 Tim. 1.10 Christs Temptation the Saints Supportation on Heb. 2. and the last Verse Christs provision for mans Direction on Isa 40.11 Heaven upon Earth or the Best Friend in the Worst Times By James Janeway Unhappy Prosperity expressed in the History of Aâ—lius Sejanus and Philippa the Catamian The Practice of Quietness directing a Christian how to live quietly in this troublesome World The CHURCH MILITANT Historically continued from the Year 33. to the Year 1640. By Sir William Vaughan Knight A most Comfortable and Christian DIALOGUE between the Lord and the Soul By William Cooper Lord Bishop of Galloway The Vertue Vigour and Efficacy of the Promises Displayed in their Strength and Glory Duly methodised and fitly applyed to every Christians particular Case and Condition In a Soliloquy wholly Scriptural between the Soul and the Comforter With a Divine Rapture of the Soul now resting satisfied by the Spirit of the Holy Promise By Thâ— Henderson Hollingworths Justification In Duodecimo FINIS
Death Unstung A SERMON Preached at the Funeral of THOMAS MOWSLEY An Apothecary who died July 1669. With a Brief Narrative of his Life and Death Also the manner of Gods dealings with him before and after his Conversion Drawn up by his own hand and Published By James Janeway Minister of the Gospel O Death where is thy sting Come and hear all ye that fear God and I will declare what he hath done for my soul Psal 66. v. 16. LONDON Printed for Dorman Newman and are to be sold at his shop near the Lame-Hospital in Little-Brittain at the Chyrugions Arms. 1669. TO My Beloved HEARERS Especially Those of the Younger sort Grace and Peace Men Brethren and Fathers GOD that made your souls sets a very high value upon them and Christ that bought them though they cost his heart-blood thought them worth his purchase and that eternal glory or misery that is prepared for souls speaks them not to be inconsiderable Vpon this account it 's impossible that you and I should use too much diligence in the securing these souls for this cause the Ministers of Christ can easily over-look prisons banishment and faggots so that they may but be instrumental for the saving of souls and delivering them from the wrath to come This I hope is the ground that I am carrying on in this ensuing Discourse This may speak when I may not when I cannot I might give many reasons of my appearing thus in print I might tell the world of the desires of many that by reason of the multitude could only see but not hear I might speak of the want of time to deliver the fourth Part of what is here presented to you I might tell you of the importunity of some of the young men that would gladly write after this Coppy But I must profess all this would have signified little with me did I not find by that account which some give of the work of grace upon their hearts that the Lord hath owned my poor papers formerly Among others that poor penitent Murtherer Thomas Savage which makes me not without hope that the same Spirit which breathed life into my other Writings may please also to give a blessing to these I will not stand now to answer the Objections that may be made against the Publication of this Sermon I never met with this that it is impossible that it should be subservient to the salvation of a soul and therefore I think the cost answerable I must confess had it not been for a necessary Caution or two I should have eased you of the trouble of reading and my self of writing this Epistle The first is this Be not offended if you find in the Young Mans Evidences some expressions that may sound somewhat harsh and some tautologies remember that they are word for word from his own papers as he wrote them hastily consider also that he was but young and a servant too so that it seems almost incredible that one that had so much business should be able to redeem so much time as to do what he did of this nature Secondly I would it might be a little considered what a hurry I was in when this task was laid upon me and how little time to peruse my own Coppy I beg you therefore candidly to over-look many mistakes As for you my dear friends I suppose a pardon is easily granted As for others scorn not holiness contemn not the future blessedness and make sure of happiness in the life to come and then I can easily bear your slighting of me Young Men I may be bold with you I charge you as you value the comforts of another life forget not what an excellent example this precious Brother of yours gave you Read this ensuing Discourse with seriousnesness and let it be read again in your lives Brethren you are my Joy and Crown and if you stand fast I live O make not my boasting void How can I bear to think that any of you should perish For Gods sake and for your souls sake falsifie that Proverb A Young Saint and an Old Devil Brethren my hearts desire is that I may see you all with that blessed Saint at the right hand of Christ Remember your sands run apace and you are hasting into Eternity O make sure of that which will stand you in some stead when you die O secure somewhat to live comfortably upon in another world let your lives bespeak you persons resolved for Christ and Heaven upon any terms Let your loyns be alwaies girt and your lamps be burning Whatch ye be strong quit you like men Remember Christ Heaven and Glory are before you Sit not still till you are safe in the bosom of Christ Consider that many set out fair and look as if they were bound for Zion and yet founder in the way I say again make sure Sirs I expect ere long to pass upon Eternity let me beg of you as you hope for our good meeting in another world that you make Religion your business and labour to get every day nearer Heaven Endeavour not only to be Christians but solid experienced and examplary Christians that so you may prove the glory of your generation the credit of Religion and the Joy of gray-headed Saints Sirs you are now my hope your-love zeal and union my comfort go but on at this rate and you are made for ever Know this now the eyes of the world will be upon you nay that which is more the eye of God is upon you and will take notice how you improve such a Providence as this I beseech you look about and let the world understand that you are not nominal Christians but real Saints Will any of you send me sorrowing into the grave shall I lose my hopes and comforts and you your souls can you easily forget what was the practice of this Young Man do you remember what was the usual subject of his discourse did you not observe how holily meekly and diligently he served his great Master is there no weight in a Crown of Glory is there no desireableness in happiness is it a small thing to live in the society of God Saints and Angels I am perswaded you think these things considerable Well then act as persons that long for possession which that all of you may enjoy is and shall be the prayer of one that desires not to count his life dear so he may but finish his course with joy and meet you with comfort hereafter James Janeway July 28. 1669. Death Vnstung A Funeral SERMON Rev. 14.13 And I heard a Voice from Heaven saying unto me write blessed are the dead which dye in the Lord from hence-forth yea saith the Spirit that they may rest from their Labours and their Works do follow them IT is none of the least works of a Minister of Christ to disparage sin and incourage holiness to set Life and death before our People and to present as much as in us lies
Touchstone and not to be satisfied till he findes that he hath got more than ever any Hypocrite yet had or can have The best of God's Children are most suspicious of themselves and afraid of their own deceitful hearts Do but see how David carrieth it in Psal 139. What is his great request that he must have granted or he can't be satisfied Is it not that God would deliver him from mistakes in matters of everlasting consequence so Psal 119.80 Pardon this tediousness upon these things if most of the Professors of the World did not split upon these Rocks I should pass these things over with silence Fourthly All that dye quietly are not happy after Death It 's no unusual thing for the wicked to carry their false peace with them to the Grave I have heard indeed many poor People boasting of their deceased Friends and pleasing themselves to think how happy they were Because they dyed like Lambs to use their own expression Alas alas how many thousands are there that dye like Lambs that are but Swine and have the Devil 's Brand upon their Foreheads It 's dangerous arguing from peoples carriage upon a Death-bed what their state is in another World such is the hardness of Mens hearts so dreadful the searedness of their Consciences and so great the subtilty of Satan that many are carried very quietly to Hell and fear nothing till they feel and are not brought to their senses till unspeakable horror and anguish doth it And on the other side how many of the precious Sons of Zion have seat in a Cloud how many of the dear Children of God may go out of the World thorow a painful Death are not their intellectuals sometimes impaired their reason Clouded and their Bodyes upon the Rack and yet in a moment they feel themselves swallowed up of that Glory and the doleful antecedents of their happiness did but make their rest more sweet and welcome and put an accent upon their bliss The truth of it is it hath not a little puzled some as well as David to construe God's dispensations to see the wicked dye quietly Psal 73.4 and the godly to have a strange Death but God will shortly resolve this Riddle and I think it were no very difficult thing for a serious understanding Man to give himself considerable satisfaction in this business May not the wicked dye quietly because his Conscience is quite seared and he may perswade himself that he hath made an agreement with Death and Hell may he not hope that there is no such place as Hell or if there is that it is tolerable may he not make himself believe that the Word of God is not true and invisibles are all but fansies or that God is so merciful as that he will not damn him and many such things the Devil helps his Servants with that so his service may not be disparaged and that he may have the better advantage to tempt others There is much also in the nature of the Disease and it may be God may try his own Children with acute pains and let Sathan buffer them to manifest the excellency of his Power and their Grace to try others of his Children whether for all this they will serve him and some Persons of admirable attainments and great experiences while in health may have some considerable Tryals upon a Death-bed that poor Christians which were ready to fear because they had not their enjoyments that therefore they had nothing at all might see that great Saints have their Tryals as well as they but I shall be far briefer in other things I come now to shew you who they are that are blessed at their Death and to give them a brief Description of those which dye in the Lord. First They are such who are made thorowly to understand that they were sometimes quite dead in sins and trespasses that they were Aliens from the Common-wealth of Israel and strangers to the Covenant of Grace Secondly They are Persons which are convinced of that misery of such a state and made to know that if they dye in their sins they must be buried in Flames Thirdly Vpon this they are out of love with their most beloved sins and count that which was their life joy and pleasure to be a very Death misery and Hell whereupon they set themselves in good earnest against sin as the greatest evil in the World they believe now That if they live after the Flesh they shall dye but if through the Spirit they mortifie the deeds of the Flesh they shall live Upon this account they use all the means that they can to get their corruptions weakned an inward principle Divine Life Now he begins to act them which is as contrary to Sin as Heaven to Hell a Spirit of ingenuity restrains them How shall they do this and sin against God They now see sin in its colours as it is contrary to the best good God they can see its killing and damning Nature in the Agonies and Sufferings of Christ and they feel the doleful effects of sin in their Soul and body both and upon this account they can say what have I to do with Vanity any more Shall I still hug this Serpent shall I still Sail with this Jonah in my Vessel and shall I after all this keep this Dalilah in my Bosom No but O that I could hate it Ten Thousand times more than I do There is an enmity raised in the Soul against sin which can't be satisfied till it see the Death of Sin now this is a Person that is fit for Death and Death it will as you shall hear afterwards do him a World of kindness in shewing him the Heads of all his Enemies 4. An other quality of this Person which is like to make such a blessed end is this he is one that is dead to the World Faith hath discovered a better Country to him it hath spyed that new Jerusalem and those blessed Regions and now the Soul thinks the World scarce worthy of a serious thought or look he takes himself to be a kind of Prisoner here and the whole World but a Dungeon if compared with that state of liberty and glory he now joyns with David and says Whom have I in Heaven but thee and there is none upon Earth that I can desire beside thee This is the Man that is like to be a gainer by Death he who contemns Earth and makes Heaven his choice shall never finde himself a loser 5. Another property of the Man which shall be blessed at Death is this he is one that takes Christ for life and happiness Time was indeed he was of an other mind sin was his delight and none so despicable in his Eye as Christ but God in free and rich grace hath taken away the Scales from his Eyes and healed him of his miserable blindness and let him see such a loveliness in the Lord Christ as that now he is able to say
full everlasting freedom from evil or any imperfection 2. It consists in a compleat perfect and eternal enjoyment of all the good that our natures are capable of First It consists in a full and everlasting freedom from evil or any imperfection And here I shall insist upon some of those evils and imperfections which a Child of God shall be freed from as soon as ever Death hath let the Soul out of the Body First The Saint is free from all sin The Bolts shall be knockt off the Prison walls broke down and the poor Captive set at liberty O blessed Jubilee How glad would Paul have been if when he cryed out in such an agony O wretched Man who shall deliver me if he had heard a voice from Heaven saying thy groans have pierced the Clouds thy Prayer hath reached the Heavens thy Petitions shall be granted immediately would not this have been grateful news When before a few days be at an end this shall be the condition of every one of God's People Now indeed if you lissen to their Closets you should hear how dolefully they bemoan their condition if you follow them into their Families what is it that they would most desire of God is it not freedom from sin what complaints do they make of themselves that there should be so great an unsutableness in them to God that their hearts are unsensible of the worth of divine things that they should have so little love to the Lord Christ and be so little taken with the kindness of the Redeemer How weak and faint how cold and dull in duty how ready to betray their Lord how cowardly in the cause of God But death will for ever silence these complaints death tares off Joshua's rags and presents him before the Lord without spot or wrinckle or any such thing sin indeed accompanyeth the ungodly into another World he rests from his pleasures and his wicked works follow him but it is far otherwise with the godly sin was his burden and Death shall unload â—im sin shall be confined to Hell Heaven enterâ—ains no such deformity This Tyrant shall no more inslave any of Christ's subjects The house of Saul and the house of David shall no longer â—ontend that bloody conflict between the flesh and spirit shall then be determined by a final Victory then the Soul will say farewell my hard heart farewell unbelief farewell ingratitude then thou shalt never entertain an unkind thought of God more the lame and the blinde and the Jâ—busites shall be smitten when King David comes to make his Palace in Zion thy sins must dye when the Lord cometh to take the full possession of this Fort Royal confession of sin shall shortly be needless no darkness shall cloud the understanding no perversness the will no disorderliness in the affections no treachery in the memory the Eyes shall be better employed than in beholding of vanity the Eares shall not be locked against truth the Hands far from violence the Tongue from deceit and the Feet from walking in ways of wickedness And seems this a light matter to you who have gone bowed all your dayes under the pressure of sin is it nothing to you to have all your iniquities done away as a Cloud and your transgressions as a thick Cloud Thus see what a kindness that formidable enemy doth to all the subjects of Christ's Kingdom what prayers teares and groans did gradually it doth at one blow Thus the oppressed is delivered the mourner made to rejoyce and the great make-bate between God and the Soul for ever discarded and turned out of Doors Eph. 5.27 Es 44.22 2. When a Christian ayâ—th he shall be freed from all the temptations of Sathan Death sets the Soul out of the Devils reach this Angel hath nothing to do in Heaven this Serpent shall not come into the higher Paradise nor Sathan creep into this Eden Now indeed he goes up and down like a roaring Lyon seeking whom he may devour novv he sets his Ginnes every vvhere to catch the unvvary Christian he useth his stratagems to surprize them but then this adversary shall be trod under Foot his Fiery Darts shall be quenched and his designes broken O happy Day vvhen will it come vvhen the Devil shall be as unlikely to tempt as our hearts to close vvhen vve are got once safe to rest the Devil shall as easily shake God's Throne as our happiness Death turns the Key Bolts and Bars this Enemy out then O then thou shalt see this Pharaoh cast dead on the shore and for ever disabled from making any resistance against thee or in the least disturbing thy peace Rev. 20.10 3. The blessedness of the People of God consisteth in their being freed from the frownes and flatteries of the World In life time thou art fain to fight thy way to peace to dispute every step thou goest and canst never have a quiet Hour vvhile thou hast such ill Neighbours There is an old quarrel between the Seed of the Woman and the Serpent and the enmity is radicated and the â—end can be cooled with nothing but Death Christian expect not as long as any of that Cainisâ— Generation breath that thou shouldest be long â—â—cure In the World you shall have tribulation â—ut be of good cheer Christ hath overcome the World Joh. 16.33 What though they speak â—â—eat words Prison Halters Faggot Thou shalt â—e long ride in state to glory and then let them 〈◊〉 their worst When thou art in Heaven they â—ay curse and increase their own misery but â—â—ey shall not in the least diminish thy tranquillity â—â—d as for their flatteries they shall signifie nothing thing the beauty of this inseriour World will be darkned by the brightness of that Light which Death leads thee into its excellencies will be quite eclipsed its allurements will lose their power Who can choose but contemn the Earth that knows what Heaven meaneth O how low an esteem have the most experienced Men here oâ— the World Honours and riches are accounted very inconsiderable things to them which understand the difference between finite and infinite the disproportion between time and Eternity Death bloweth the dust out of our eyes it pluckâ— off the Vail and shews one quickly the glory oâ— both Worlds and so it is not lest long to determine which is to be preferred dross or silver brass or gold a dunghil or a Palace there wiâ—â— be no thought of returning to Egypt or Gosheâ— either in them which know the fruitfulness of thâ— spiritual Canaan the accommodations of the neâ— Jerusalem the pleasure of the holy Court 4. At Death he shall rest from all his pains there is no fear of sickness sorrowes and achâ—â—â— The Stone Gout and Plague are Distempers thâ—â— none labour with there that Aire is clear anâ— sin which infecteth other places never got footing there they that scarce know what a Dayâ—â— ease now means shall then forget their sorrow their constitutions shall be mended their
to the Bar. Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting Fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels And now my beloved the Cloud is quite gone come now into my Armes I will never frown more come away my love my Dove my undefiled and rejoyce in my love you and I will never part more what I have is yours I am well pleased in my choice my Father loves you as I do you shall be where I am and have the same pleasures that I have and live as I do to Eternity Amen hallelujah even so come Lord Jesus come quickly Mat. 26.81 c. John 17.24 Rev. 21.9 c. 1 Cor. 15.33 54. Daniel 12.2 3. Mal. 8.16 17 Mal. 4.1 1 Thes 4.14 15 16 17 18. And is not this a sufficient reward for those poor services which the believer doth perform while he lives upon the Earth Is there nothing in all this Seemeth it to you a small matter to be free from sin Is it no favour to be secured from Saâ—han Is not that a desirable place vvherein there is so much glory that the World in its best dress looks like a deform'd ugly thing â—o it Who would not be glad to have all Diseases cured pains removed and wants supplied Will not that be a Day of comfort indeed when Faith shall be ended in sight hope in enjoyment desire in a delightful and Eternal fruition vvhen patience shall have done all its work when an everlasting Jubilee shall put a period to all sorrows Is it no honour to be conveyed into Heaven by a Guard of Angels Do you count it an inconsiderable favour to see King Jesus in his Throne Have you no desire to be with all your good friends and to know all the Favourites of Heaven Would you not reckon it a great mercy to have all your Prayers answered to the full Will there be no pleasure in the beatifical Vision Would not all this be the more considerable if it might last alwayes Is it no satisfaction to you to know that your Body shall be raised like Christ's Body and that your Body and Soul shall be publickly acquitted owned and blessed before the great Court and after this live in the same glory that Christ lives in If all this be worth the having then the departed Saint is no loser and we may well say Blessed are the Dead which dye in the Lord. Thus I have shewed who are they which dye in the Lord and proved that such are blessed and shewed wherein their blessedness doth consist I now come to make some Improvement of this Doctrine USE I First by way of Information that holiness is no such silly thing as the World thinks it to be Sure if there be any thing in rest happiness and glory then the Saint scarce deserved the imputation of Fanaticisme They which have received their Wages vvill say that the service of God is not unprofitable and they finde themselves to be no loosers though credit estate and blood were spent in the cause of Christ Should you ask them who thorow may Tribulations have entred into the Kingdom of Heaven Whether they repent of their diligence for Heaven whether God hath not paid them double for their self-denyal losses and kindnesses VVould they not cry out truly God is good to Israel how great is that Treasure that is laid up for them that fear him Never let any grutch to serve God cheerfully for verily he is a rewarder of them which diligently seek him USE II If the Saint be so happy in another World then let us all examine whether we are in the number of those Persons for whom such things are prepared Consider sirs that this is not like to be every Mans portion all Men and Women are not Kings and Queens nor all the Sons of Adam Heirs of such an Inheritance few run so as to obtain few fight so as to conquer and get the Field few act as if this blessedness were worth the minding and let me tell you Heaven is not got with a vvet Finger most do their work by the halves and though the Spirit move them the Word providence call them the Ministers beseech them yet all will not do they will not be perswaded but a few lazy wishes will do as well as all the seriousness in the World and thus they will put things to the venture and count a hazard in the matters of their Souls and Eternity but a trivial thing VVe can't for our lives get Men to be in good earnest but they will bless themselves though God curse them and take it for granted that all is well when God knows they are in as sad a condition as can well be imagined on this side of Damnation We tell them that most mistake and that mistake here is the most deplorable and yet still Men are asleep and what if this should be thy condition O Sinner that comest hither for fashion sake and sits there very trim and cheary VVhat sayst thou Man art provided for Eternity What title hast thou to glory Dost thou knovv what it means to be convinced of sin Was it ever made loathsome to thee And canst thou say thou hatest it with a perfect hatred and that not only as contrary to thee and as it brings Hell Misery and Damnation with it but as it is contrary to God abusing his goodness hating his purity dethroning his Majesty hath sin ever looked you in the face besmeered with the blood of Christ Were you ever made to understand your absolute need of Christ Did you ever make a compleat resignation of your self to him and hath it been your business to act for him and have you felt any strength coming from him enabling of you to bring forth fruit meet for repentance and to dye unto sin and to live unto righteousness and yet after all this have you looked upon your self as an unprofitable servant what experience have you in these things put this question home to thy conscience say am I acquainted with such things or no are these things Riddles to me or do I know what they mean well now have you done as I bid you and what saith conscience is it altogether silent or doth it put you off till another time why then speak again and again and ask it whether this be not a serious question and a business of some importance but because People for the most part trifle in this great business I shall speak something by way of Lamentation and conviction USE III It is so that they are blessed that dye in the Lord then what a case are they in which live and dye out of Christ if none but the friends and Children of God be thus happy what will become of them which are aliens from the Common wealth of Israel that live without God in the World Where shall the wicked and ungodly appear O what a lamentable condition are most of the World in if we could see all the dead Souls in
do for thee what shall I say unto thee I could be contented that these lines were writ with my very heart blood so that they might affect thee O I had rather dye than receive another such letter from you I could not relish it it was bitter I could not see the name of dear Jesus in it how can I think of your blind superstition and not mourn and lament over a dead soul you say you are sorry and you are troubled What is the matter are you sorry that I should concern my self about my soul and about yours you would not trouble your self about these things now if not now I pray when will you at the hour of death at the day oâ— Judgement O then it will be too late O now oâ— never delayes are dangerous O Eternity Eternity O where shall yours and my soul dwell tâ— all Eternity Oh either in heaven or in hell either with Christ or devils the soul that siâ— shall dye your debt is great the justice of God must be satisfied and nothing can do it but thâ— blood of Jesus O for this precious Jesus make not light of Christ he is precious he is altogether lovely I would not for ten thousand world quit my share in him and in that which is the matter of your fear you complain that I have leâ—â— the wayes of our fore-fathers I seâ—â— you take the shadow for the substance what 〈◊〉 the Cross in Baptism without the Baptisme 〈◊〉 the spirit what good will the bowing at thâ— name of Jesus do them which persecute him iâ— his members and have him not formed in their hearts O that God would cut asunder your false hopes if Christ were in you yoâ— would rejoyce to think that he hath been aâ— work in my soul was I born with these principles which you read in my last Letters I am surâ— I was once of an other mind than now I am but blessed yea admired be free grace which hath made me to differ from my self and others 〈◊〉 am afraid you understand not my meaning wheâ— I speak of love to God and Regeneration as long as I only concerned my self about the World anâ— not my soul you kindly entertained my letters but no sooner did I speak of repentance and thâ— affairs of our poor never-dying souls but then you are troubled and cannot bear it I tell you I lay dead almost eighteen years and then I had a gracious wound from my dear God which made me cry out where am I I am undone I am undone my sin will damn me O what shall I do for a Christ And at this rate he goes on writing many letters which did all breath a divine spirit 6. He was very spiritual in his discourse and by that he put life into most of them that conversed with him how helpful was he to young Christians how ready to hearten them up in the wayes of God and how able to discover to them the policies of Satan he was scarce in his element but when he was doing or receiving of good he studied Mr. Herbert Palmer's little Book about making Religion ones business and he did in a great measure put it into practice To use his own expressions I did saith he labour to spiritualize common action and to serve God in serving my master with diligence cheerfulness and faithfulness O what resort was there of young ones to him for direction and advice in things which they did not think it so fit to trouble their Pastor with and how did he endeavour to season his fellow servants with grace When he went to any of his Masters Patients how diligent in using of means for their recovery and how careful to drop something that might tend to the health of their souls and as he had opportunity amongst the weaker and poorer sort he would pray with them and O with what vehemency of spirit with what fluency of expression and with what mighty affections would he do it I need not tell some of you how helpfull he hath been to the bodies and souls of the sick and upon this account he looked upon it as a great mercy that the Lord had called him to such an employment wherein he had such singular advantages to deal with poor souls about the affairs of Eternity I question noâ— but there are some standing here that have cause to bless God that ever they saw his face and I believe that some of you that are young and poor will quickly dearly miss him 7. He was exceedingly raised in duty and one that injoyed rare communion intimacy and acquaintance with God and for about five moneths as his own papers shew together he rarely came into the presence of God but he went away with some special tokens of his love so that he said he could have been contented to have left the world at a quarter of an hours warning Hear how his Papers speak My soul continued if my heart do not mightily deceive me in a thriving condition for five moneths O the comforts that I then had they are unspeakable I seldome went to duty but carryed my dear Saviour and brought him away with me every Ordinance was a visit of love my love to Jesus Christ and his members whereever I saw them was not to be expressed what hatred to sin what zeal for Gods glory what yerning of bowels towards poor souls in the state of nature how beautiful were the feet of the Embassadors of peace what a fulness and sweetness did I then see and feel in Christ ever hungring after him and ever satisfied with him and him alone what affections God-ward what despising of visibles what deep apprehensions of the Majesty and Attributes of God how did I walk unweariedly with him how did I rejoyce before him with fear and trust filially in him with trembling O what watchfulness over my thoughts words and actions Indeed I was often assaulted but I had a faithful Centinel which would give warning and admit of none but such as were friends to the Lord Jesus what low thoughts had I of my self and high prizings of a naked Christ Oh Sir in one word I made Religion my business and was taken up with that which concerned the glory of God every grace was at strife which should excell other in its actings I could never go to market but I could experience returns of Grace and Mercy In this I have not varied two words from his own writings in a letter that he gave me wherein he did grievously bewail the least departures of his heart from God as you shall hear in the next 8. He took special notice of his own heart and did mightily bewail any declinings from that vigour that sometimes he had and here I shall again use his words as they follow But this did not continue long it was as a calm before a storm for soon after my time being almost out I began to have some thoughts of my setting up and