Again Let us hear we that have large possessions that be Rich in the Earth we that are fill'd with Worldly enjoyments that as it were have the World at our beck we that are at ease in our pleasure that command the World with our Wealth we that flatter our selves with hopes of perpetual bliss and some of us that think this false Joy will never come to an end be ye advis'd and consider 1 Kin. 10.17 I have had most boundless possessions and made Silver as plentiful as stones in the street yet I see the vanity of all these empty enjoyments how short they be in yeilding true and lasting Peace Could they so have done I should have been bless'd above all but now rest sensible of the insufficiency and uncertainty of them Riches make themselveâ— wings and flie away they cannoâ— deliver in a day of Trouble therefore let them be no longer as strong hold in your imaginationâ— neither take them for the upholder of a lasting Peace for I know how little safety can be repos'd in them and further 1 Tim. 6.7.10 that they are more oâ—ten Snares by which Men are entangl'd than they be useful or conducing to their good Let such thoughts and considerations say the Preacher incline ye to say with me Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter c. Eccles 12.1 Our excellent Preacher having in the precedent part of the Chapter given some tender admonition to the younger People none concludes to all with so full a compendium of Humane duty as nothing in such a relation is excluded wherein appear'd not only hiâ— great and spacious Knowledge buâ— also his reform'd apprehension of the future estate of Men as well â—s a sensible demonstration of his â—esubmition to his great Creator against whom he had transgress'd by his subjection to the Power of concupiscence But this as 't is beleiv'd being of a posteriour edition proves him a partaker of the promised respite of affliction justly â—aid upon him I will for this afflict the Seed of David but not for ever I will chastise him in Judgment 2 Sam. 12 16. Psal 89.30.36 but my loving kindness shall not be taken away and therefore I doubt not but he by resignation and repentance was blest with a restoration of his unparrallel'd Wisdom because the meekness humility and charity compris'd herein seems no other than the ejaculation of a Spiritualliz'd Man the effect of divine mercy alone to which also must be imputed the efficient cause of all attention to this conclusion of the whole matter which is to Fear God and keep his Commandments A Reverend and Holy Fear an entire and Godly awe a meek and submissive dread of Spirit is required Fear God keep his commands let no Worldly considerations let no mean and Earthly cogitations be restrictive but remember that the great and most excellent Creator whose presence fills Heaven and Earth 1 Kings 8.27 2 Chron. 2.6.6.18 the Heaven of Heavens cannot contain him of Justice is worthy to be feared reverenc'd and submitted to He is the Fountain of all our good from whom all our mercies flow whose Loving Kindness never fails whose Truth and Goodness sustains the World whose secret and most wise providence orders and disposes of all Vacat exiguis rebus adesse nostrâ— Jovi Curat noster Deus sui alieni He is not only a far off but a God near at hand to support the weak and to comfort the afflicted to give Joy for Mourning Isa 61.3 the garment of praise for the Spirit of heaviness Beauty for Ashes Peace and Tranquillity for trouble and sorrow of mind 2 Chron. 6.18 He is an omnipresent being nothing can be hid from his Eyes he beholds the secret actions of all the private deceipts of Men be not unknown unto him the dark workers of Iniquity cannot conceal themselves He is most boundless in power all Nations are but as the dust in the ballance in his Hand Isa 40. â—2 17 he that by his powerful Wisdom produc'd this worldly frame into a being can by the same consume it into nothing let the Wisdom of this World deny its production out of nothing let it be employ'd in searching for Prima materia and causa Vniversalis We know that our God is Omnipotent that as he was able out of nothing to constitute all things so can he reduce all things into nothing again the fallen Wisdom of Man Arestotle not apprehending divine Wisdom conceiv'd the world Eternal and shall we render our selves as weak by dis-believing the omnipotency of our great Creator Oh! no but let us with chearful Hearts yeild honour and reverence to his Glorious Name who as all have plentifully received of his favours and mercies so requires a faithful and grateful acknowledgment thereof by fearing him and obeying his commands whereby is perform'd through the assistance of divine Grace that only acceptable Sacrifice of pure and hearty Obedience First by fearing is render'd our private worship and adoration of God and Secondly by obeying him or an active observance of his righteous Law our duty in respect to our Neighbours which is to love them as our selves Rom. 13 9 10. Gal. 5.14 herein is contain'd as saith the Preacher the whole duty of Man But seeing our sad experience gives us to know the great aversion there is lodg'd in our hearts to the desires of and much more seeking after our good which is to fear God and keep his Commands how carfully then should we seek for the means of extirpating this so powerful an inclination to evil and declination from any thing that may be in the least conducing to our chiefest good and of attaining to such a frame and estate of mind as that we may be in a capacity to perform the duties required of us May we not sorrowfully remember how that our first Father Adam the master-piece of the whole Creation an Epitome of the World in whom was center'd an Abreviation of all things and who was constituted Lord of all the Creatures Gen. 1.26 27. as being endued with Righteousness Knowledge and true Holiness yet by Transgression to the Righteous Law of God by disobeying his Holy precepts Gen. 3. Rom. 8.20 2 Cor. 11.3 Eccles 25 24. by reason of vain hope by harkning to the Allurements of the Woman by yeilding to the Seducements of the Serpent and by Eating of the prohibited Fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of go d and evil Gen. 3.14 to the end became deprived of his serene and pure Felicity lost the gracious benefit of a sweet and immediat communion with his Maker together with his Soveraignity over the whole Creation Rom. 5.12 Yea Sin and death by Sin entred the world thereby and the faculties of his soul being infected and depraved Darkness and Corruption seized his guilty Conscience the pure Image of the Deity was defaced its passions and affections perverted
shed for me there was no need of any thing for me to doe so that whatsoever Fruits of Piety and Holiness should through thy power be produced by me would be of no regard Therefore relying upon thee trusting in thee and believeing that thou would'st not look upon me as I am in a state of uncleanness and corruption but through Christ as I am in him I cast my self upon thee and trust wholy in the merit 's of a crucified Saviour who came into the World to save Sinners But to such an exclamation what will the Righteous God reply Surely he will not say I have chosen you respectively in my good will and pleasure that you may Glorifie me World without end and have ordained to Destruction the greatest part of your fellow Creatures not by reason they are worse or you more worthy but that they may Glorifie me in Hell and you in Heaven and as I have mercy on you so will avenge my self on them that have in the Loins of Adam Sinned against me Mat. 25.12.41 But he will say in that day to those that have not fear'd and obey'd him Depart from me ye workers of Iniquity I know ye not with what confidence can you look for admittance into my Kingdom when you know your selves unworthy and unfit for such a Glorious place Rev. 21 27. where no unclean thing can enter or nothing that is defiled how can you expect that I should hear your Cries when you would not hear mine no no. Prov. 1.24.30 Because I have called and ye refused I have stretched out my hand and no man regarded But ye have set at nought all my Counsel and would hear none of my reproof I also will laugh at your calamity I will mock when your fear cometh when your fear cometh as desolation and your Destruction cometh as a Whirl-wind when distress and anguish cometh upon you Then dismal and terrible will it be at that time shall they call upon me but I will not answer they shall seek me early but they shall not find me And mark the just occasion of it For that they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord. They would hear none of my counsel and despised all my reproof Thus will the Righteous God plead with the workers of Iniquity who are covering themselves Isa 30.1 and not with the Spirit of the Lord that presume to say we are cover'd with the Righteousness of the Lamb justified by the Blood of Christ when they are inwardly ravening Wolfes corrupted and in a state of abomination and have not come so far nay have not Faith to beleive they ever can be able as to know the Blood of Christ to purge their corrupt and defiled Consciences from dead works perform'd without a renewed Heart to serve the living God in pure and hearty obedience to all his holy Laws Such are ready to forget or at least don 't solidly think that they must be called before the Judgment seat of God there to give an exact and strict account of the deeds done in the Body 2 Cor. 5.10 and to receive a reward according to them for every secret Action for every hidden Thought must they reckon And all that cannot stand this fiery Trial must be consumed by it Therefore came the word of the Lord to the Prophet after this manner Isa 33.13 16. Hear ye that are a far off what I have done and ye that are near acknowledge my might The Sinners in Zion are afraid fearfulness hath surprised the Hypocrites who among us shall dwell with the devouring Fire who amongst us shall dwell with everlasting Burnings He that walketh Righteously and speaketh uprightly He shall dwell on high his place of defence shall be the munition of Rocks Bread shall be given him his waters shall be sure Oh the Blessed estate of the Righteous who is it will not cry Oh that I might die the death of the Righteous Oh that my latter end may be like unto his He shall lay down his Head in Peace and nothing shall make him affraid in a peaceable and quiet Conscience shall he leave the world no terrours of Soul shall assail him But in a certain assurance of endless Peace his Soul is sweetly resign'd to the will of his merciful God he takes his leave of the world without reluctance or trouble in Spirit and why so Oh who can declare that comfort and sweet consolation that he feels to abound in his Soul He is ready to lanch forth into that boundless Ocean of never ending joy Rev. 7. where the Wicked cease from troubling and all sorrow is done away Such a Man overcomes that unwillingness to die which is inherent to our Nature and how so He is sure that when his Earthly Tabernacle is dissolved 2 Cor. 5.1 there 's an Habitation provided for him eternally in the Heavens for this he grones earnestly and desires to be clothed with that Mortality may be swallowed up of Life 1 Cor. 15.55 then can he say Oh Death where is thy sting Oh Grave where is thy Victory whilst he is at home in the Body is absent from the Lord from the full and boundless enjoyment of his Love and Light and walking by Faith not by sight is willing to be absent from the Body and present with the Lord. But with the Wicked it is not so he has spent his days in contempt to the Lord in despight to his holy Laws but the time of his departure is at hand and now he begins to remember how he hath provoked a just and merciful God who would have had mercy upon him and would have reclaim'd him from the evil of his ways but he slighted his Visitations set at nought his counsel would none of his reproof persever'd in his impious courses and did not consider his latter end wherefore has terrour and torture already seised his Soul the Judgments of a Righteous God begin to take hold upon him now his Conscience more then a Thousand witnesses doth condemn him and God who is greater doth condemn him also Now he feels an Hell upon Earth that once had his Heaven here Now he that had as much of Heaven as he desired hath more of Hell than he can bear now he begins that work of repentance which here should have had end Now he cries for a longer time that has so greivously spent his own now I 'le part with all to have peace to my tormented Soul that would not once part with the least of my pleasures for it But ah remember thou in thy Life time Luke 16.25 how did the Lord strive to do thee good how many years did he call unto thee before he gave thee over to a reprobate mind he called and thou would'st not hear now he will not hear thy woful cries but will execute his terrible Judgments upon thee and none shall be able to deliver Destruction comes as a Whirl-wind desolation and misery surrounds on every side now the sight of his Friends that once rejoyc'd help to aggravate the greif of his Soul he spent his time in jollitry with them and forgot the Lord his maker and now he sorrowfully warns them that as he must to all Eternity be cursed with an inevitable woe so must they beware Luke 16.28 lest they come into this place of Torment now Hell is no longer feign'd to deterr him but dismally felt to damn him now Religion is no longer a Poâ—iâ—ick design but the neglect proves perpetual Damnation now ther 's an overruling God that will bring all into Judgment for he feels the weight thereof sinking his Soul down into everlasting pangs now he that enjoy'd the unbouaded pleasures of this world is enjoyn'd to bear the never ended plagues of another The thoughts of which may lay us low and humble and cause us to seek him that will secure us from such a deplorable condition of which too many are insensible but 't is to be fear'd will undergoe at last What else can the Wicked look for but the fearful Judgments of a revenging Fire which will burn up all the proud and workers of Iniquity they shall be all as stubble in this terrible day of the Lord Mal. 4.1 2. But to you that fear my name behold the repeated promises of joy to them that fear God shall the Sun of Righteousness arise with healing under his wings c. And we know that he is risen according to his promise and by the brightness of his appearance hath dissipated the darkness of our Hearts and discover'd the corruption of them and by the vertue of this his arising is healing administer'd to our diseased Souls he hath cured us of our Infirmities and made us strong in the Lord and in the power of his might So that we who have embraced him in this Spiritual appearance are enabled to run the way of his Commandment with great delight having open'd to him who brings refreshment with him Spiritual food and nourishmâ—â—â— will sup with him hath he â—â—â—mis'd and he with me Rev. 3.20 and we encourag'd in this our travel to 〈◊〉 on our course and keep our Faitâ— because we are assured that a crowâ— of Righteousness 2 Tim. 4.8 will the Lord to Righteous Judge give to all the that love his appearing And wâ— can without presumption glory 〈◊〉 God in the highest bear an experâ—mental testimony to the words 〈◊〉 the Holy Psalmist Psalm 1.1 2 3. Blessed is the Man that walketâ— not in the counsel of the ungodly nor standeth in the way of Sinner nor sitteth in the seat of the Scornfuâ— But his delight is in the Law of tâ—â— Lord and in his Law doth he medâ—tate day and night And he shall 〈◊〉 like a Tree planted by the Rivers 〈◊〉 water that bringeth forth his Fruâ—â— in his Season his Leaf also shall nâ—â— wither and whatsoever he doeth shall Prosper THE END
RELIGIOUS MEDITATIONS ON Ecclesiastes Chap. 12. Vers 13 14. Let us hear the Conclusion of the whole matter Fear God and keep his Commandments for this is the whole Duty Man For God shall bring every work into Judgment with every Secret thing whether it be good or whether it be evil I will Meditate in thy Precepts and have respect unto thy ways I will delight my self in thy Statutes I will not forget thy word Oh how I love thy Law it is my Meditation all the day Psal 119. Vers 15 16.97 LONDON Printed in the Year 1699. DEDICATION TO THE Piously affected Young Man My Beloved Friend AS it hath pleased the God of Infinite Mercy to incline our heart to seek after him in our tender years and to give us a clear perception of those things which pertains to Eternal Life and Salvation so hath be also Glory to his Name in the Highest given us cause to testifie to the truth of that promise Pro. 8.17 Those that seek me early shall find me And altho' secular concerns may sometimes be ready to prevail yet in retired and serene Speculations of mind the vanity of all created obâ—ects is discerned and the Soul meeting with nothing of Satisfaction here below Soars aloft to a Supream being its proper center and place of rest from whence is beheld the World with all its fulness as only filth and dregs and unworthy for an Immortal Soul to be wholy imployed in In such contemplations being exercis'd amidsts various occasions for thoughts of another kind I have many times been fully sensible of the blindness that is over the Hearts of Men who are preferring transitory and earthly Goods to real and durable Riches and that are seeking more earnestly for Treasure here below Matth. 6.19 20.33 than to lay it up in Heaven where Moth or Rust cannot corrupt nor Theif break through and Steal and desires have been rais'd to obey the precepts of Jesus who said First seek the Kingdom of Heaven and the Righteousness thereof c. And that such desires may be strengthen'd and encourag'd let us wait upon the Lord let us trust and repose all our confidence in him and he will provide for all our wants all our necessities of what relation soever shall be supplied and we shall be upheld through all occasions of falling that we may pass through But Oh that we may not presume to think of security by a God that we do not know let us feel after him in whom we live move and have our being Acts 17.22.31 he is not far from any altho' they may be wholy Ignorant of it But he is imperceptable to the Carnal in Heart they are wholly strangers to him he beholds them a far off But let us meditate on his Laws that we may be partakers of his Blessings and let us be low and humble that we may inherit his Glory Prov. 3.34 35 who scorneth the scornful and giveth Grace unto the lowly in Heart To the improvement of my received Talent are these following Meditations produc'd and I expose them to publick view not to be taken for a Methodical comment or learned exposition For as I am too young and uncapable were there occasion for such a Work so am I Old enough to see that too many of the Books abroad in the World of such a kind prove more to the confusion then confirmation of the Readers especially when they treat of places hard to be understood But those comprehensive words that I make the Subject of my thoughts Eccles 12.13 14. as it is one of the most full so t is of the most easie and intelligable places of Scripture which I chose to exercise my privat Meditations on not designing at the first that they should appear in this publick manner And if any remote from God should hereby he induced to approach the throne of his Grace and return from the evil of their ways then shall I think the Publication hereof to be done in a happy Hour But if it be so unsuccessful as to work no such effect yet my comfort is that it has been a greater benefit to my self than it can be a hurt to any And that thou Pious Reader maye'st be further encouraged I present thee with these following metucally exprest Cogitations Contemn the World its Glory all desise It is too base for noble minds to prize How vain and empty is its three fold Treasure Compris'd in Honour Profit and in Pleasure We know such Honours base and such esteem Is set not as we are but as we seem T is like a new Blown but a fading flower Of small continuance and of smaller power It gives no real content no lasting peace But as a blast of Wind doth puff and cease If lean'd upon 't is but a broken reed And only doth our crasy fancies feed But not our Souls they must have food Divine That 's suiting to their 〈◊〉 els they pine And then for profit how can we obtain A real sufficient and a sollid gain That will to such a lasting profit â—end As will not fail to be a comfort in the end This lower Region will not yeild I 'm sure One grain of gain that always can endure We know such Earthly peâ—â—'s esteem'd for Wealth That can't afford our crasy Bodies Health Much less can all its combin'd force prevail To yeild content when final fears assail The troubled Soul which rowls in sorrow now And from its high flown Seat in forc'd to bow To th' pale attacques of Death whose mighty power No strength of Riches can defer an hour But Pleasures limits seem of most extent As to afford a joy without relent And Peoples minds are wrapt so far therein As not to deem the worser of 'em Sin So swiming in this Sea of vain delight Are plung'd into that dark and dismal night Of an Eternal Woe a just reward To those that think their Souls not worthy of regard But Oh let 's flie the cause of such neglect That so we mayn't be cursed by its sad effect And with an Elevated Soul aspire Above these mean delights to something higher That to a Soul enflamed with Celestial fire Seems worthy of pursuit and of a great desire And as one glimps thereof does Elevate the Soul In what an extasie will all our Spirits roul When that most dazeling Glory shall appear To Principate our joy and end our fear Then shall we sound eternal Hymns and Lays Of Anthems Songs and never ending Praise Unto our great Creator whom we must Admire at in his Love to make of Dust Poor Creatures and at last to make 'em blest By the enjoyment of an Everlasting rest By John Mosse Jun. Aetat Anno 19 20. Baldock Hertford-shire the 20th of April 1699. RELIGIOUS MEDITATIONS On Eccles Ch. 12. Ve. 13 14. THE Wise Preacher 1 Kings 3.9.13.10.23.4.30 2 Chron. 1.10.12 Eccles 12.9.10 whose Supplication was for Wisdom which the Lord not only