a Pit that all the Creation can't fill and 2. an impossibility of being fully satisfied with but Grace it self Grace I say which is but a short antepast to them to stay their stomachs and appetites of Glory the Glory which alone is their satisfying feast Psal 17.15 You would see Sirs 3. you would see their Cravings and Pantings for Incorruption and freedom from Poverty Violence Sickness c. for Honor and such brightness and splendor as that of Christ was in his Transfiguration fairer than the Sun for Power and Vigor perfect freedom from all impediments and for Spirituality no need of Cloathing or Food or any animal Provisions all these do Saints crave for their very Bodies 1. Cor. 15.42 43 44. And what then for their Souls Hear a few hints Saints for their Souls crave 1. Full Sight of God as he is and face to face with such perfection as leaves no Desire unsatisfied or Capacity unfilled 2. Full Possession of God with all the Faculties of their Souls as full of him as the Sun 's of Light or Sea of water 3. Full Conformity unto Christ 4. Full Complacence and Delight in the sight enjoyment and likeness of God and Communion with him Angels Patriarchs Prophets Evangelists Apostles Martyrs all Gods and our own Godly dear Relations to everlasting Ages Being men of such Desires Desires so unfillable till Jesus comes what wonder if Hope delay'd make the hearts of Saints sick and sick of Love to pray Come Lord Jesus come quickly who knows not the quickning force of enlarged Desires M. 5. Saints Loves of God and hearty Desires of his Glory do eminently and excellently urge them to join their Amen to Christs coming quickly Attend you Sirs 1. God is the dearly beloved Father of Saints the Trinity is their one God 2. This Holy and beloved Trinity is in the world forgotten scorn'd hated rebell'd against wish'd out of Heaven yea out of Being Most of the Nations of the earth by far make Professedly other gods The Jews Curse our Blessed Jehovah-Jesus every day The Turks prefer a filthy impostor Mahomet before him The Papists generally go neer the Jews in their doctrines and the Pagans in their manners Especially the Italian Spanish and Irish Papists Protestants if they must be so call'd how many Hypocrites how many Profane Socinians and Quakers hereticks knownly odious in Doctrine and Life to God and Saints how do they swarm how very little is the flock of true Israelites And in this little flock it self how very great sins be there and dishonours to God as hath been foresaid Saints see their Father hath a small income of Honour here but Dishonour every minute of time unexpressible And 3. They so Love God that they can't see it unconcernedly No Rivers of tears it stood David in Psal 119.136 139. They know in the day of Christ it must be that their Father is I was about to say any thing worth a speaking of Glorified in his very saints themselves 2 Thes 1.10 They themselves can do but little at that work before others be sure will do contrarily Wherefore as dear Children impatient of their Fathers dishonour by themselves and others desirous of his Glory longing to have it shine forth and to behold him Honouring and Magnifying himself upon his Friends and Enemies too they pour out Amen and Amen to the quick approach of the day thereof In the former Considerations eye was had to their own Good and divine Glory therein In this the respect of Saints is purely to the Glory of their Father And I am perswaded many there be so concerned for his Glory that were the Day of Christs coming to be a day of their Annihilation yet they would wish for it and wish it straightways come rather than Gods name and Glory should any longer be such sufferers in the world I hope no man will say But is 't not fit we should wait Christs own time If any ask so weakly I answer yes surely it is so And 't is with holy submission that Saints upon all these Motives do pray Come Lord Jesu Also that 't is with Prayer of his first accomplishing his Promises too unto his elect This Doctrine is of excellent Vse among others unto these Purposes Vse 1. It turnes out all our carnal-minded earthly-spirited Professors from the number of Christs-members and declares them to be but whiter incarnate Devils than Swinish Drunkards and filthy Whoremongers c. They Christs members and Bride and careless for yea pleased with his absence A likely matter I am certain that as many of you as Love inordinately this world you wish it would last for ever and that you could for ever dwell in it and consequently that Christ were never to come and no Judgment-day to be and so by consequence again that there were no God And let your Consciences say then is it just we should esteem you Converts to God and members of Jesus Christ or can you think your selves such I 'm perswaded your hearts tell you that 't is as proper to a Saint to Pray and Desire Christs coming as 't is to a loving Wife when her house is every day so pestered with the Clamors of Outrages of Violent men upon her self and her whole family that she scarce knows where to be to Desire her Husbands return Especially if her Chastity be assaulted her Life endangered and her only Hope of rescue be in his return I Pray let the same hearts of yours then tell you that if you can lye hugging the world and brook it's troubles and temptations and suffer your sins and be listless of Glory in Heaven and unconcern'd for the Dishonour done to God in the world and pour out no sincere Amens to Christs coming you are then no members of his You are strangers enemies Anti-Christs for all your Orthodoxie for all your shadows and shapes of Godliness for all your presumptions and others Opinions of your being Well-inclin'd Good or whatever it be I am sure St. Paul stretches the promise of the Crown of Righteousness no further than to the Lovers of Christ's Appearance 2. Tim. 4.8 And I know not any ground they can have to expect that Crown who wish not cordially for that Appearance Blessed Luther says plainly Tom. 5. fol. 507. He 's no Christian nor can he without lying say the Lords prayer that wisheth not for Christs coming and that with all his heart Vse 2. It sounds an alarum unto Heart-search and enquiry how it is with you Whether you can say say truly and with any fervency Amen to Jesus his speedy Coming †We should not conclude overhastily or by any means lye at uncertainties in this thing You are Certified that Gods true Church doth say Amen! and that you if of that number must say so too I Charge and beseech you by the tender mercies of God and all the regards you bear to Sanctification and Salvation go labour to certifie your selves whether you can and
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Christians earnest Expectation anâ— Longing for the glorious Appearing oâ— the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ Set forth in a DISCOURSE Occasioned by the Decease of that Excellent Christian and Minister of Christ Mr. NOAH WEBB Lately of Sandhurst in the County of Berks. By Daniel Burgess Minister of the Gospel The Prophets do they live for ever Zech. 1.5 I have fought a good fight I have finished my course I have kept the Faith Henceforth there is laid up for me a Crown of Righteousness which the Lord the righteous Judg shall give me at that day and not to me only but unto them also that love his Appearing 2 Tim. 4.7 8. Printed for O.C. 1675. To the Lady Martha Merryn Wife of the right Worshipful Sr. Audley Merryn Mrs. Hester Whitfield Wife of my Honoured Uncle Henry Whitfield Esq and Mrs. Elizabeth Briscoe my justly Honoured Dear Mother-in-law My Excellent and very Dear Friends OTher Readers probably will mistake But I pray do not you Here 's no Epistle Dedicatory I prefix your Names here for nothing else but to make me place to shew you that I Forget you not nor my great Obligations to you I and mine do commemorate often in England your goodness to us in Ireland And being you see on what Occasion now prevail'd with to appear in publick it liked me thus to have our Gratitude appear too You will look on the following Pages for the Author's sake And you will prize them for the Subjects sake I beseech you set your selves to the Duty they commend for God and your Souls sake I believe I shall never see you more till Jesus comes Oh! may we then meet him and each other with joy And in the mean time all our Days keep providing for that great and if not provided for Terrible one T is Death in your Thoughts must put Life into your Actions said Blessed Vines And Mr. Baxter himself could say of Heaven in Vines his Elegy Sin doth not only keep me thence But makes me loth to go from hence Look well to your selves My Invaluable dear Friends You have sundry excelent Monitors by you Singularly my thrice dearest Dr. T. H. whose life and labours the Lord continue to Dubâ—in I commend you and all your dearest Ones to divine Tuition and Grace it 's most incorruptly that I profess my self Your most Affectionate Remembrancer to the Lord Dan. Burgess From my House in Bayden neer Malbrough Wilts Aug. 30. 1675. Vpon the much Lamented Decease of Mr. Noah Webb who Died Aug. 14. in the 42d. year of his Age A. D. 1675. Blest God! OH Turn the glorious lamp of Heaven the Sun To darkest Darkness Let his Course be done Nor let the Queen of Heav'n the Moon take 's Light And with it colour any future Night Black thou the Milkie way Blow out the Stars No more to twinkle signs of Peace of Wars Our Waters turn to Blood to Lice our Dust The World to Ashes if 't bee thy righteous Lust For Pitie's sake thus Curse us Righteous Lord Rather than Take the Teachers of thy Word From thy afflicted Church Church dare I say 'T is Hell not Church without such Lights as they Much rather had we Jesus strait should come Then let the World more Aggravate their Doom Did there ten thousand Worlds to ruin fall One God could Save one Christ Redeem them all Well sang Orinda Grace who doubts divine One Spirit could infufe and all Refine Thou could'st Oh Blessed Trinity without One of the Ministers thou sendest out Convert Build up Confirm and make t' Increase Thy Church in Faith in Purity and Peace But oh thy Will 's thy Law Teachers we know Must be Co-workers ' cause thy Will is so And seeing Faith by Hearing them must come The day of their Loss must b' a day of Doom Thrice direful Doom The World may better sparâ— The Elements Mat. 5.13 14. Rev. 2.1 Heb. 13.7 2 Cor. 5.20 1 Cor. 4.1 1 Cor. 3.9 1 Cor. 4.15 Joh. 21.15 1 Cor. 3.10 Heb. 13.17 and Isai 52.8 2 Kings 13 14. than the Church spare them that aâ— Her Lights Salt Angels Rulers Legates and Stewards of thy both Heav'nly house and land Husbandmen Fathers Shepheards Builders and The Watch which for thy Flocks Oh Jesu stand Horsemen and Chariots of thy Israel In whom her Safeties and her Glories dwell Oh then allow us Lord to Sigh and Groan Under the Loss of this Excelling One Smite smite the Rocks too that insensate be Of its portending great Calamity The stop of Noah's preaching did of yore Portend a Judgment th' in-dwelt World o're Thy snatching our deer No'h into thine Ark Affrights us all and chiefly such as mark How fast our Alleines Janeways and our Blakes Our Barrets and our Webbs thy Hand up takes And do observe what Sin and Strife be brewing For England's Europe's yea the World 's undoing Next unto Sin Oh God! that 's Strife with thee Our mutual Strifes speak imminent Misery They both in Gath and Ascalon are known One hath the bitter last thus sweetly shewn The Cross must now against the Cross be spread Beaumont in Psych Blush oh ye Heavens at this and they who are Under the King of Peace all Marshalled Be Barbarized by a mutual War Tearing the precious gentle Legacie Their Lord bequeathed to their Custodie They who by Mystick Union are knit Under one Head no other Foes do seek But their Fraternal members and forget That whilst on them their savage spight they wreak The tender Head feels every Wound and will Score up each drop which of his Blood they spill Weep all good eyes which see this dreadful Shame Os Christians digging Christian 's bowels up Sure streams of Blood deserve your briny stream Weep then and let your Bottels never stop Till you have wash'd away this purple stain ' Gainst which all Powers without your Tears are vain Had but the thousandth part of this dear blood Adventur'd to be broach'd in Palestine Quite overwhelm'd by its exuberant flood Had Mahomet's wide spred Contagion bin And woful Greece had not enslaved lain Under the bondage of a Pagan chain Or had that Power of Policy and Wrath Of Arms of Horse of Men of stronger Gold Which in our self-destroying Brittain hath Of late bin lavish'd out when England sold Her peace to misery with provident And pious Zeal in Syria been spent Our guilty Swords had not now Blushed in Fraternal blood nor had our Palms and Bays With any English curse deflowred bin But Salem her sad Head had 'gan to raise Fleeing from her long pressed Neck the yoke Of Ottamanick Barbarism broke Oh Thou who when thou didst ascend on High God in Christ hath committed to us the Word of Reconciliation 2 Cor. 5.19 Didst give thine own Peace-teaching Ministry A Gift whereof thy Church doth humbly Boast As greatest next the Gift of th' Holy Ghost Thy Church fill with those Teachers and
's worse as 't is a Pest-house without one Room or part of it but hugely full of Noisom fumes and without any one Person in it but infected and infectious and without possibility of being lived in for the infection any longer than you use strong Antidotes and high Cordials Were you lock'd into such an house and could not get out you and your dearest ones till some good Freind came home would you not say Amen! to his speedy coming Sirs Sin is the Plague of Plagues The World 's a Pest-house of it Where 's that spot of ground on it but the Flesh Devil and Devilish men will be infecting one with it Nay where 's the man in it that is not infected himself with it and apt of Wickedness or weakness to infect one with it and tempt one into it Can you live sinless a minute without Gods preservatives Without Gods Antidotes can you keep out Disobedience or without his cordials keep off Distrust Saints are Souls that know the defiling damning nature of Sin and know the deceitfulness of their own hearts the bewitchingness of the Worlds favors and frowns and customs as also the Devils devices snares wiles darts depths and find so much ado to keep a flood of Hell out and a spark of Heaven in them that they can't forbear longing for Christ to come and carry them into Heaven and put them up above the Gunshot of Hell and hellish men and lusts They know Davids and Peters and Pauls can no longer stand than they Fight in this world and they know Jehovah-Jesus when he comes will find them a place where the weary are at rest and the wicked Devils men Objects and Lusts cease from troubling as Job speaks Job 2.17 M. 3. Saints Sins are yet the sharpest goades in their sides and quickening motives in their hearts to pray for Christ's coming Patience will make Troubles and divine Valour makes Temptations Tolerable though not Pleasant But for Sin Oh what can a holy heart say or do Other mens sins the World's the Kingdom 's wherein he lives the Town 's Congregation's the Family's Oh how do all join in with his own to cut his Soul in meditation His own weakness of Grace strength of Corruption Frequency of offending and grieving God the Holy Ghost to the gratifying of damn'd Devils what daggers are these in a gracious heart Saints consider further before Conversion that they do nothing but sin that after it they do nothing without sin that if they should also live a thousand years yet more still sin against God they should more or less as long as their pulses beat And this makes heart-ake and Soul-smart this is a Scorpion Look into your Bibles Brethren yea look into Houses where Saints are to be seen You shall learn in the History of former ones and so in the Observation of the living ones this day that sin is no such Flea-bite to them as Formalists imagin They know 't is a Renouncing of the Blessed God yea a striking at him as far as Sinners can reach and as the Schools say well a murdering of God his Essence Soveraignty Perfections Laws all together virtually They know sin 's as evil Objectively as God is Good and therefore infinitely evil They know that it hath effected dismal things in Heaven Earth and Hell that it turn'd Angels into Devils that it even one sin damn'd the whole World brought Gods wrath and curse on Mankind and all the Creatures for our sakes that it founded Hell kindled and set flaming all the Fire there that to expiate it it cost the Eternal God's becoming man the Blessed God's being made a Curse the Lord of Life's enduring Death the Prince of Glory 's lying under Shame with a load of his Fathers wrath upon it hotter and heavier than ten thousand mountains of melted scalding Lead And the sight of this cursed Quality this evil of evils sin the sight of it daily in themselves their hearts and their Lives this overwhelms and but for a great God Mediator a Jehovah's righteousness would sink into distracting raving despair Especially considering as I know not what kind of Saints they be that do not consider that there still cleaveth a Body of Sin a heavy Noisome stinking carcass of it and there dwelleth still within a busie stirring active Rebel-sin never in this Life to be quite expel'd But is it thus may some say with very Saints I say read Rom. 7th Ch. and judg Ask the Godliest Souls alive and hear what they say †Observe on Saints do also know that except but the sin against the Holy Ghost there 's no sin but they may and being left by God to themselves they are most ready to fall into even the foulest ones that very graceless Moralists themselves would abhor They know and shake in their thoughts Aaron himself fell into foul Idolatry David into Adultery and Murder Joseph's Brethren the Patriarches were in a sense Murderers of him Sampson so sinful that had not God numbred him among Saints men might justly have doubted his being one Peter Lied Sware Cursed not Christ indeed I judg but himself he cursed most dreadfully The Original word 's such that makes it as if he said in the late dialect of Hell God Damn him or God Curse his Soul Saints I say know this and stand justly affected with Sollicitousness and Care lest their feet slide even so far away and lest their sins in dwelling like Snakes lurking in the holes of a dunghil when 't is cold should crawl out and come into Act upon the gloom of Temptation Shall I add Satan and their own hearts rise up sometimes and suggest that they are from eternity Reprobates be now but Hypocrites and one time or another before they dye will prove Apostates and poor gracious hearts frighted first into a discomposure and disability to make a judgment reasonably of themselves by and by faint under the doubt nay sometimes fall to stark raving in the dread that 't is indeed and 't will be so with them †These things my Brethren and what wonder stimulate and provoke Saints many of your selves I hope to abound in hearty Amens to the speedy coming of the great God and our Saviour of him I say who when he appears will make his Saints like himself 1 John 3.2 and set them far above and out of the reach of Sorrow Temptation and sin and sinful Doubts and Fears Yea will also satisfie them with his likeness Psal 17.15 Ult. make them joint possessors of Grace and Glory with himself Rom. 8.17 and for ever hold them in an undisturbed Possession M. 4. Saints innocent yea gracious earnest Covetousness of the best things adds to all their foresaid incitements and incentives to say Amen to their Lords coming †As they are heart-weary of Troubles Temptations and sins so are they heart-sick for better things Could you look through their breasts and to the pit of their hearts you would see there 1.