place for them By this it would seeme that they shall bee altogether abolished The Pastour I answere that they shall not be abolished but they are said to flee away from the face of God as most learned Diuines thinke ad declarandum eorum terrorem animum ad fugam paratum for to declare their feare to compeare before the face of so great a Majestie till they be forbished scoured of the roust of their vanity wherevnto they haue beene made subject they thinke shame of their vncleannesse before such eyes of puritie It is said That there was no place found for them not that they wanted a place but because of such a Majestie they did goe about to hide themselues It is well said by a Learned interpreter vpon these words Quorum locus non reperitur illa latent occulta manent whose place is not found they lurke and remaine hidde not that they shall want a place but because no man can find out by searching what shall bee their place By this is onelie declared that till the Heauens and Elements bee reneued they shall in a manner goe and hide themselues from before the face of that heauenlie Majestie as a ragged man who thinking shame to compeare among those who are richlie arrayed withdraweth himselfe vnto some darke corner that hee should not be seene till he be better arrayed After that all shall bee made cleare and cleane by the fire they shall appeare before God in their appointed place The sicke Man Thinke yee that it shall bee a long time before that all can bee refined by that fire as also before that the dead bee raised vp and gathered together The Pastour * All this shall bee done in a moment In the twinkling of an eye the dead shall bee raised and the liuing shall bee changed where euer they bee found whether grinding at the Mile or walking in the fieldes or lying in their beddes they must all compeare either for to bee taken or to be forsaken all other thinges shall bee speedilie dispatched The sicke Man O but he is a great God who by his word keepeth in store the Heauens and Earth which are nowe reseruing them vnto fyre against the day of Iudgement Great must hee bee who shall kindle such a fire Nowe after that this fire shall bee quenched what shall bee done The Pastour After that by the fire the Lord hath cleansed all his creatures from their roust and scoured them from all their drosse hee shall forme them by his word the breath of his mouth As a maker of Glasses by the blast of his mouth formeth as hee pleaseth the soft melted liquour taken out of the fornace But wherevnto can we compare the most High in his most wonderfull workes Thē the Heauens which of before hee had rolled vp like a scrole shall bee vnfolded and put out of their roll and the Earth beeing purified and fined shall bee made a Lodging for righteousnesse according to his promise saith S. Peter Wee looke for new Heauens and new Earth wherein dwelleth righteousnesse The sicke Man What is that to say That righteousnesse dwelleth into the new Heauens and into the newe Earth These words seeme to bee difficile The Pastour The opinions of men are diuerse concerning the sense thereof some thinke that Righteousnesse shall dwell in that new Heauens new Earth vnderstanding by Righteousnesse the righteousnesse of Christ According to this S. Pauls greatest desire was that hee might bee found in Christ Not said hee hauing mine owne righteousnesse which is of the Lawe but that which is of the Faith of Christe the Righteousnesse of God by Faith Others by a Metommie vnderstand that righteousnesse dwelling on the new Earth to bee taken or all faithfull and righteous men who shall be the Citizens of that new Heauen and of that new Earth O if wee knewe the glorie of these new things they would surelie rauish our heartes so that wee would all cry Come Lord Iesus come These new Heauens shall neuer be ouer-cast with clouds there shall bee none ecclipsing of light any more As for the new Earth there shall be no more sweate of browes All toiles and turmoiles shall cease Sinne the cause of all our woe shall bee no more there The most barbarous and barren parte that is now on earth shall bee more pleasant than euer was Paradise for then God shall be All in all All the Earth shal be lik that Holie of holies but without a partition wall In that Holie of holies in Canaan none but one that but once in the yeare might enter But in the new Heauens and newe Earth all the Faithfull shall haue their perpetuall residence where they shall follow the Lambe whither-so-euer it shall please him to goe There shall they for euer bee courting his countenance Fye that men will not liue well for a little space that they may liue with the Lambe for euer among these pleasures for euermore Fye that men for stinking pleasures should losse the comfort of these places wherein nothing but righteousnesse shall bee able to dwell The sicke Man Seeing the heauens and the earth shall bee made new yee thinke that they shall change for the better The Pastour That is most certaine They haue in their owne kinde beene obedient seruantes vnto their God and God shal also glorifie them with a kind of glorie which his Wisedome shall thinke fittest for them The heauens like a garment are waxed olde at Gods seruice God will not cast off his olde seruants but after their seruice he will reward them If their cloths bee worne at his seruice hee will giue them a new coate If their first powers bee shaken he will put new powers into them againe It was truelie said by the father of lyes That none serue God for nought It shall not bee for nought that the Heauens by their motions and the Earth by its birth haue declared the glorie of God omnipotent The sicke Man But is it possible that such creatures haue any knowledge while they serue God that he will reward them at the last day that therby they may bee incouraged at his seruice The Pastour They haue indeede a certaine secret instinct from GOD which worketh in them a sort of longing for the last day which shall bee the day of rewardes the day of their deliuerance In this the Apostle is plaine For saith hee the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestatiō of the Sons of God for the creature was made subject vnto vanitie not willinglie but by reason of him that hath subjected the same in hope because the creature it selfe also shall bee deliuered frō the bondage of corruption into the glorious libertie of the Children of God For this cause the whole creation is said To groane and to
trauell together vntill now The sicke Man O the great secrets of God! I pray you Sir to let me vnderstand these wordes by some breefe exposition First what is that which hee calleth the earnest expectation of the creature which waiteth for the manifestation of the Sonnes of God What creature is that What expectation can that bee The Pastour By the creature are not vnderstood these little creatures as Frogs Flees Midges Beastes Fowles Fishes Such creatures haue none expectation of better things to come for in the world to come there shall bee no vse for them But by the the creature is to bee vnderstood the whole worlde viz. The Heauens and all the Elements as Earth Fire Water Aire which now are all so knit in loue that euery one as it were taketh another into its bosome Because they are so fast coupled together and so neere to other that nothing can come betweene them for this cause as if they were all but one thing they are called in the singular number the creature As for it expectation it is called by the Apostle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a stretched out of the hand In which word the waiting of the world for the comming of the Lord is set out like a woman standing vpon her tip-toes stretching out her head for to see if she can see her husbaÌ„d comming a farre whom shee looketh longeth for hourelie See howe liuelie the Apostle declareth the secret instinct of the worldes desire for the comming of Christ Iesus In a most powerfull word hee letteth vs see the Heauens and the Earth and all the Elements all as it were a man or a woman standing vpon their tip-toes and holding vp their heads for to see if Iesus bee comming according to his promise All the Faithfull who are the Spouse of Christ groane within them selues sighing till they see their Sauiour in the Cloudes so also this creature hath the owne groanes and sighs till Christ come for its deliuerance And as the Churches desire maketh Her to cry Come Lord Iesus come so in this creature there is a secret instinct and earnest expectation which moueth it in the own language to cry for Christes comming The sicke man What vnderstandeth the Apostle while hee saith That the creature was made subject to vaniue not willinglie but by reason of him that hath subjected the same in hope First how is it said That it is made subject to vanitie Can the Heauens and the Earth bee saide to bee subject to vanitie The Pastour The most Learned thinke that by this subjection of the creature to vanitie is to bee vnderstood ejus fluxa evanida conditio that is a condition subject to change corruption wearing away or waxing olde As for the Earth it is euident as for the Heauens Scripture is plaine They waxe olde as doeth a garment This is the vanitie of these creatures Heere is also another vanitie wherevnto they are subject in that they are made seruants to these that will not serue God whoÌ„ they serue That the beautifull Sunne should furnish light to these that delight in Spirituall darknesse it is a vanitie and a drudgerie wherevnto the Sun is subject That the Earth should beaâ—…e and bring foorth fruites for to feede the blacke mouthes that blaspheme its Maker is a great vanitie wherevnto it is made subject The Sea groaneth vnder the Shippes of Pyrats and Robbers See what an vproare was in that Element for Ionahs rebellion So long as he was in that Shippe Gods scourged the winds with his worde of command The windes scourged the Seas the Seas scourged the Shippe wherein Gods Rebell did lye till hee was cast out The Sea euer seethed with the fire of Gods wrath the waues euer tumbled vp and down breaking one vpon another with rushing and roaring till it tooke order with the rebellious man there was no resting for its waues The sicke Man But how is this that it is said that the creature is subject to vanitie but not willinglie It would seeme by that that they obey God but against their will The Pastour The Heauens or Earth properlie haue neither a willing nor a nilling but onelie a secret instinct which is like a will This secret instinct which God hath put into his creature is that Omnis natura conservatrix suiest euerie creature striueth to keepe maintaine it selfe Now while by God it is made subject to such changes weakening and wearing which is against the working of that instinct it is said in Scripture language to bee subject to vanitie but not willinglie Neither for that must wee thinke that the creature in that rebelleth or repineth against God in any wise as if it had a will striuing against Gods will no not But in some measure it may bee saide to haue an instinct like that will of Christ at the drinking of the bitter Cuppe Christs Naturall instinct was that the Cuppe should passe from him and yet for all that his prayer was Not my will but thy will bee done It is euen so in some manner of the instinct of the Heauens and of the Earth They naturallie shrinke from bondage abuse as also they incline to keepe themselues froÌ„ corruption and vanitie neither for that is their will contrarie to Gods will Hee who is called a seruant should not care for it But yet if hee may bee made free the Apostles direction is That hee vse it rather The sick man may will life and seeke cure for to preserue his life though Gods will bee that hee die if so bee that he submit vnto Gods will his whole desire as Christ did euen while hee desired the Cuppe to depart which hee knew to haue beene put into his hand for to drinke it A will that is diuerse from Gods will if it bee subacted subjected vnto Gods wil may bee free of sinne So the Heauens and the Earth are subject vnto vanitie but not willinglie because they incline to bee free of the bondage of mans corruption But seeing it is their Lords will that they beare the burden and bee subject to such changes they become subject but withall they are euer groaning and longing for their redemption As a woman in trauell naturallie desireth to be deliuered and yet submitteth her selfe to Gods wil as naturallie these creatures of God haue an instinct to bee deliuered from the burden of their bondage But seeing their instinct or desire to bee made free is not so soone effectuate neither can bee before the world end the Lord their good and kinde Master for to encourage them vnder the burden of their bondage lest they should faint hath giuen vnto them another secret instinct which the Apostle calleth their hope For to cleare this to you in a word There is in this world groaning vnder the corruption of the wicked a certaine instinct like Hope
Creator Praised be the Name of the most High who hath borne and broken that vnspeakable burden of wrath where with yee were surcharged at our first meeting The sicke Man Amen Amen Blessed bee the Name of Iesus At that Name the knees of my Soule bowe in a most humble manner to the ground for to kisse it with my mouth a thousand times vpon Conscience of my bygone miserie and of his present mercie All mine affections are set on foote and are so cheered and rauished with the loue of my God as no tongue can expresse O happie thrise happie change Once I feared damnation nowe Christ is my Saluation Once I sat in darknesse hee is now my Light Once I was in Death hee is now my Life Once I was in bondage hee is now my Libertie Once I was in want hee is now my Wealth Once I was in sicknesse hee is nowe mine Health Once I was in shame hee is nowe my Glorie What shall I say mo◅e Hee is mine onelie Deare and and dearest heartes desire Hee is my strongest Tower I haue none other Arke to saue mee from the flood Mine heart is prepared mine heart is prepared Oh that I were where without let I shall sing Halleluiah for euer where all earthlie objects shall seeme but filthie abjects in comparison of him Now Sir I intreat you to conceiue another Prayer that thereby as by the Charet of Elijah my Soule may bee carried vp into Heauen Commend my Soule into the hands of Christ the Redeemer Yee the Lords Priest stand still with the Arke till my Soule hath passed the Iordan for to enter into Canaan O Lord Iesus pittie this poore Soule that panteth at thy feete draw it out of this clogge of clay B◅e with mee vnto the end Graue thine owne shape deepe within mine heart that it may bee in judgement as a piece of euidence that the Heauens are mine heritage O look vpon mee who am heere waiting vpon that blessed hope Comfort refresh mee with the sweetest breath of thy blessed Spirit Set my sillie Soule upon Pisga the sight hill of Canaan Guarde mee with the invinsible troopes of thine Angels O thou whose Name and Nature is mercie take my wearied Soule and lull it sweetelie in the softest armes of thy most tender compassions Ioyne your prayers vnto mine The effectuall feruant prayer of a righteous man auaileth much The Pastour According to your desire Sir wee shall worsle with God in prayer that your end may bee peace The Lord gather all our scattered thoughts that beeing as twisted together into one threede they may be like the three-fold corde which is not easilie broken powerfull to draw downe Gods Graces from aboue Let vs pray A Prayer for the sick mā O Lord settle earnest prayer in our Soules vpon true sense of our neede Let not our prayers be tumultuous Tune thou our words by thy Spirit while our lips walke make our hearts to moue Preserue vs from vaine babyling lest our prayers bee turned into sinne O God the God of all Spirites who hast the keyes of Heauen and of Hell Thou steeketh and no man openeth Thou openeth and no man steeketh Open now thy mercifull doores vnto this poore Soule which panteth after thee as the chassed Hart panteth after the water brookes Let none of his sinnes stand betweene thy face and him for to ecclipse his Soule the light of thy countenance Seale vp in his heart by thy Spirit the free full forgiuenes of all his transgressions Thou who by the vertue of thy death made the vaile of the Temple to rent for to mak an open way to the Holie of holies mak also the partition wall of all his iniquities to cleaue from the toppe to the bottome that his Soule remoued from his bodie may get entrie to the Highest and holiest of the Heauens where thine honour dwelleth Make thy Graces in him to growe like Elias his cloud which at the first no bigger than an hand at last by and by did ouer spread the whole skie Sanctifie his Soule and soften his heart with the diuine dew of thy Grace Say vnto his Soule I am thy Saluation Behold Lord his Soule is seeking thee let nothing in his search carie him on the by Keepe fast in his remembrance the blessed bloodie passion of his Redeemer Iesus When Death shall come let him die with thy Christ in his Armes Strengthen and increase his desire to be dissolued assuring him that it shal be much better for him Furnish him with strength whereby he may row against the strictest streams of all temptations till hee arriue into the hauen of the Heauens the sole and safe harberie of Saluation And seeing no vncleane thing can enter into Heauen Lord wash this thy seruant and wash him throughlie that by the vertue of thy Blood his sinnes though they were red like scarlet and crimson may bee made white like wooll and whiter than the snow Pull off his Soule the menstrous cloath of his owne righteousnes and cloth him with the righteousnes of him whose statelie style is THE LORD OVR RIGHT TEOVSNES Thou who hast alreadie added strength vnto his Faith while it was scant like a smoking flaxe let not the sparkle which once thou hast kindled for euer bee quenched Amid the sight of his sins make him to lay hold vpon the merite and full satisfaction of his Sauiour Let him with all the Faithfull receiue of that fulnesse and grace for grace And seeing nowe Lord hee is comming vnto thee thorow the snakie fielde of manie temptations lette his feete bee shod with the preparation of thy Gospel Thou Lord wilt neuer suffer anie that trust in thee to bee confounded Hee followed thee constantlie in his life nowe let thy Spirit tryst him at the houre of death Hee disclaimeth all hope of helpe by anie other than by thy selfe alone Though hee knoweth not perfectlie what to say yet his eyes are on thee Thou who is Alpha and Omega hast begunne this good worke in him crowne it with the perfection of thy goodnesse Let him more more feele that hee is euerlastinglie acquite by the Blood of the Lambe from the terrors of Gods Tribunall Refresh his Soule more and more with celestiall spirituall joyes proceeding from the Spirit of Grace Let him feele himselfe assuredlie knit vnited to thee O thou preseruer of men that in and by thee hee may be presented blamelesse before thy Majesties Iustice-seate Furnish his minde with light and his memorie with strength that hee may vnderstand and remember that Christes death is an absolute and all sufficient Sacrifice for remouing the guilt of all repenting sinners Shewe him a signe of thy loue Multiplie in his heart the pledges of thy kindnes Make him faithfull vnto death that hee may receiue the Crowne of life Thou hast alreadie subdued in him alloue and liking of this world
O my Sonne my dearest Sonne is gone Hee is lost where shall I finde him O FREDERICK my Son where art thou Shall I see thee no more Shall I neuer kisse thy mouth againe Once did thou lye in my bellie neere vnto mine heart but now alas thou lyes sleeping in slime Now thy bedde is made among the crawling wormes Thy Princelie Bodie now lyeth in the place of silence O where is thy Coloure now Where is thy Countenance Long shall it before I see thy smilling Face and twinkling Eyes My deare Heart FREDERICK Long may I cry before that thou make answere How haue I lost Thee How past thou from mee When said thou thy last adewes What were thy last adews what were the last words thou spake vnto me Where saw I thee last Oh if I had knowne when I last saw thee that I would neuer againe see thee aliue Then would I haue kissed thee then would I haue more constantlie considered thy countenance I would haue said in my selfe Is this the Face that I shall neuer see againe Is this the Mouth that shall neuer speake againe Are these the Eares that shall neuer heare againe Are these the Eyes that shall neuer see againe That Mouth that Nose these cherrie Cheekes and lillie Lippes these Eares and Eyes would I haue kissed tenne thousand times kissed and ouer againe Alas that I should haue so journed so neere vnto the Waters Alas that euer I knew that mercilesse Element O cursed Waters O Waters of Marah full bitter are yee to mee O Element which of all others shall bee most detestable to my Soule I shall neuer wash mine handes with thee but I shall remember what thou hast done to my best beloued Son the Darling of my Soule I shall for euer be a friend to the Fire which is thy greatest foe Away Riuers away Seas Let me see you no more If ye were sensible Creatures my deare Brother CHARELES Prince of the European Seas should scourge you with his Royall Shippes with his thundering Cannons hee should pierce you to the bottome O Seas of sorrowes O fearefull Floods O tumbling Tempests O wilfull Waues O swelling surges O wicked waters O dooleful deeps O peartest Pools O botchfull butcher Boats was there no mercie among you for such an hopfull PRINCE O that I could refraine from teares and that because they bee salt water like vnto your selues Away with you Seas of sorrowe for yee haue robbed mee of my dearest Darling of account hencefoorth yee shall neuer bee able to repaire my losses O my Sonne FREDERICK my Son my Sonne FREDERICK would God I had dyed for Thee O FREDERICK my Sonne my Sonne A. H. TEMPVS mine or the water took away the life of my Children than that a bloodie Herod should cutte all their throats most cruellie embrewing himselfe in their blood While Dauid was in a great strait doubting of what plague to make choise at last hee resolued saying Let vs fall into the hand of the Lord for his mercies are great and let mee not fall into the hand of man O but will your Majestie say To die and to be suffocate in the waters that is a matter of great sorrow If he had died in a Battel honourablie that had affoorded mee some comfort Then would I haue heard of his valiantnesse The Colonels and the Captaines others of Martial Spirits had beene the Trumpeters of his praise so should hee haue died with great honour Let it please your Majestie to wiegh the matter well in the Ballance of the Sanctuarie Indeede MADAME to die in a Battell is by men accounted honorable To die fighting with a bloodie Sword in the hand is by men called The Bedde of honour But in my judgement it is better for the Soule to die in water than in war For in the one man is often in a rage thirsting like an Horse-leach after the blood of his Brother At that time there is nothing sound or settled within him All his thoughts are in an hurlie burlie If instantlie hee die the Sunne of his life goeth downe vpon his vvrath His whole desire is bended for to destroy his Brother But in the water his chiefest desire is for to saue himselfe To die in war is to die by the hand of man but Water is like the Pest which that great Warriour called The hand of God O but alas will your Majestie object such as die so get not space once to cry Gods mercie God forbid MADAME that our Saluation should depend vpon the last words of our life or vpon a prayer at the last gaspe Our Saluation is better fastened than so There is no condemnation to them which are in Christ Iesus Your Majestie knoweth that the day of Iudgment shall come in an instant vpon both the Godlie and the wicked Then shall they all bee changed in the twinkling of an eye Not one of all the men and women then liuing vpon earth shall get so much time wherin they might but say these few words God be mercifull to me a sinner yet for all that shal we think that that suddē change shall bring any prejudice to the Saluation of Gods Elect chosen ones God forbid Whom God loueth hee loueth to the end His giftes and graces are vvithout repentance I know that your Majestie would haue earnestlie desired that hee had bee found aliue and that a Preacher by a prayer had commended his Soule into the hands of his Sauiour For answere I am assured that that young Prince was so well trained vp by your Majestie in the Schoole of pietie that morning euening hee was accustomed to be earnest at his priuate deuotion It is the opinion of learned Diuines That who carefullie in the morning hath cast his Soule into the Armes of his God shall thereafter all the day finde the vertue of that prayer preuailing with God though at the moment of death hee bee not able with his tongue to speake vnto GOD The prayers that were conceiued before cry vp to God at the last gaspe for mercie peace grace and reconciliation through the blessed blood of Iesus which cryeth for better thinges than the blood of Abel Now seeing that without any doubting your Majestie is assured of his Saluation consider these joyes of heauen which his Princelie Soule now enjoyeth These joyes haue I described as I can in this second Volume of the Last battell which I haue dedicated to your Majestie There yee shall clearelie see that hee hath changeth for the better While hee was aliue hee was but a Prince on Earth and now the Lord hath made him a crowned King Thus intreating the most High to send vnto your Majestie the COMFORTER himselfe who can most cunninglie cure the wounded heart I humlie take my leaue Your MAIESTIES most humble and most obedient Seruant M. Z. B. From Glasgow the 12. of Februarie 1629. TO THE QVEENE Of BOHEMIA OVR
No man liuing Sir may absolutelie desire to be dissolued but vnder condition that it bee for the glorie of God and the Saluation of his owne Soule For two respects a man may desire to be dissolued First for to bee deliuered from the bondage of sinne which the Apostle calleth A bodie of death Secondlie for an earnest desire to bee with his God a man may desire to bee dissolued But for no reason must a man dissolue himselfe that were selfe murther If we may not kill our Neighbour whoÌ„ we should loue as our selues neither must wee kill our selues who are the rule and square of neighbourlie loue Man in this world is as a set Watch hee must not remoue till it please him by whom hee was set to command him to come Though lawfullie wee may desire death that we may bee deliuered from the bodie of death which is sinne for to bee with Christ which is meekle better for vs yet wee must not cry for death for some triflles of worldlie troubles as Ionah did for the lossing of his leafes Our desire of Death should bee chieflie grounded vpon a desire to bee with Christ and to bee fredde from the spirituall bondage of our sins well is him that can sincerly say from his heart Miserable man that I am who shall deliuer mee from this bodie of death That Soule is happie whose desire is vpon that which is meakle better for it To bee with Christ in Scripture stile is called meakle better What say ye now Sir doeth not your heart grone vnder this burden of sinfull death Doeth not your Soule long to bee out of this bodie for to bee with him where it shall bee meakle better for you The sicke Man I take vp the matter better than I did I see by your reasons that there is no reason wherefore a man should desire to die but for to bee with his Christ and to be deliuered from the bodie of bondage which is a death But alas The Pastour I see you yet Sir into a plunge I heard that word Alas Wherefore say yee Alas Yee looke yet as one who desireth to liue My wordes are not gifted with perswasion yee seeme to be afraide at that word dissolued What aileth you There bee doubtlesse some thing within that troubleth you The sicke Man I am sorie to goe out of this world wherevnto I am chained by diuerse respects In the cutting off of my dayes I will mourne with sicke Hezekiah in the words of his doole I am depriued of the residue of my yeares c. The Pastour I see Sir that yee are taking vp the Lamentations of Hezekiah I will striue to make answere to euerie sentence apart Yee are depriued saye yee of the residue of your yeeres Hee is not depriued that hath changed for the better The residue of your few yeeres shall bee turned into eternitie Hee who seeth many yeeres seeth many miseries and which is worse contracteth many sinnes the cause of all our woe Moreouer what is a residue of life Death is not farre when it is farthest The sicke Man But if I die I shall not see the Lord euen the Lord in the land of the liuing The Pastour This is your ignorance What can man see of the Lord in the land of the liuing What can a sinner see of that great IEHOVAH here What is to bee seene on Earth but the Backe-parts of IEHOVAH Into the Heauens wherevnto yee now approach yee shall see that great and glorious IEHOVAH face to face What are all men on Earth but a number of wormes crawling and creeping vpon a clat or clod of clay But againe what is this that ye call the land of the liuing What is all the Land yee see but a dead lump of earth where the most part of men are dead in their sins Doe not the best part die daylie vnto Sin which death is our best life and yet laden with a bodie of death Can ye now call this earth the Land of the liuing Call me not Nahomi pleasant said Nahomi but call me Marah that is bitter for the Almightie hath dealt verie bitterlie with mee So may the Earth say Call mee not the Land of the liuing No rather call mee a dungeon of death a place for the burying of the dead a place where all must needs die and bee as water spilt vpon the ground which cannot bee gathered vp againe The sicke Man But alas if I die I shall behold men no more with the inhabitants of the world The Pastour This heere is your griefe that death will strik you with a blindnes so that yee shall not bee able to see any more the faces of these whom yee loue best into this world as of Wife Children and of Friends of your old acquaintance This is your dâ—…lour theÌ„ that ye shall see them no more Let such thoughts Sir moue these to mourne who know not Death better than that Pagan who speaking of a slaine man said In eternam clauduntur Lumina noctem That is Death closeth mans eyes for euermore This is most false A true Christian knoweth that though both his eyes should sinke â—…owne into his head or droppe out like blobbes or droppes of water yet that with these same eyes runne into water hee and none othér for him shall see his Redeemer Though after my skin said Iob wormes destroy this bodie yet in my flesh shall I see God whom I shall see for my selfe and mine eyes shall behold and not another Lay this comfort to your heart Though your eyes were eaten out with the wormes if you die in the faith of Iesus yee shall see God and none other for you and that with these same eyes yee now looke vnto meeâ—… If yee bee perswaded that yee shall see your God in the Heauens in whose face is fulnesse of Ioye yee haue little cause of doole that yee shall no more behold man with the inhabitants of the world What are all the creatures of thiâ—… World but things that dwell in dâ—…st The Sainctes and Angels that dwell into these vpper Chambers whose feete are aboue ouâ—… head are so faâ—… in glorie aboue all the glorie of the world as the Heauens are aboue the Earth As Zebah and Zalmunah said of Gideons brethren so may we say of all these that dwell there euerie one of them is like the Sonne of a King What are all the Creatures below but beggerlie things The sicke Man But alas if I die mine age is departed and remoued from me as a Shepheards tent The Pastour What is your doole It is all then that yee must quite your shepheards tent Now poore man What haue yee lost Yee shall change a poore shepheards tent for the most pleasant Palace of your God a life mortall for a life that is eternall
workes may easilie ouertoppe all your sins iniquities God will haue man with his narrow bowels of mercie to forgiue his brother seuen times in a day if hee shall returne seuen times in a day saying It repenteth mee If God requireth such mercie of man whose bowels in the widest are not of a span breadth what shall hee doe whose compassions are rouled together into bowels broader than the Sea yea wider than the heauens If ye can repent Sir God can forgiue When man ceaseth to spurne God beginneth to spare The sicke Man I take God to witnesse that I am sorie for my sinnes and so ashamed that with the Publicane I cannot lift vp mine eyes to the heauens I would be content to kisse the ground a thousand times for to get but one kisse of the feete of him who is the on◅ lie helpe of the conscience and the health of the countenance I finde myselfe deepe to the Chine in a gulfe of miserie Tell mee truelie Sir I pray you Thinkeyee that if with a mourning heart I confesse my sinnes to God that hee will haue pittie of me I am sore perplexed the deepe thoughts of mine owne guiltinesse strike men with such a set silence that I am not able to vtter my griefe My feare is that I bee of the familie of hell an haire of horrour and vtter woe Be free with mee I pray you Thinkeyee th◅t such an hord of miserie as mine can euer meete with his mercie The Pastour It is great ignorance Sir to thinke that anie miserie of man can ouer reach the infinite power of his pitie and boundlesse compasse of his compassions It were more easie to turne the Sunne from his course than God from shewing mercie to repenting sinners both his Name and Nature is mercie See wee not out of what myres of miserie Gods mercie hath deliuered repenting sinners In Scripture wee may read long Catologes of pardoning sinnes Consider well I pray you thinke deepelie vpon the mercies of your God Look well what hee hath done to others Could the adulterie of Dauid the incest of Lot the drunkennesse of Noah the murther of Simeon Leui the persecutions of Paul the perjurie of Peter or any other like sinne hinder God to be mercifull to the◅ so soone as they repented * Wherefore wereall these pardons printed into God Booke but for to tell all ages that no man were hee neuer so sinfull should despaire of the mercie of his God As I liue saith the Lord take no delight into the death of sinners but rather that they should repent and liue These bee his owne words If words beare no weight behold effects God hath so loued the world that hee hath giuen his onelie Sonne that whosoeuer belieueth in him should not perish but haue euerlasting life This is not a verball loue when a man giueth his best beloued for to die for another God hath not spared his onelie Sonne that by his satisfying sufferings his Iustice beeing payed hee might shew mercie to man his poore vnworthie creature not onelie the Father hath loued the world but also the Sonne out of vnspeakable loue was as desirous to die for man as the Father was to send him This out of his owne mouth hee declared that no loue could ouer-reach his loue No man said hee hath greater loue than this than when a man layeth downe his life for his friend The highest of mans loue is to die for his friend But Christs loue was greater hee died for vs euen when wee were his enemies In another point behold the loue of Christ scarselie saith the Apostle for a righteous mā wil one die yet per aduenture for a good man some would euen dare to die But God commendeth his loue towardes vs in that while wee were yet sinners Christ died for vs Who shall doubt of this loue which the Lord hath registred on earth with the dearest blood of his onelie begotten Sonne There is such a loue in the Father and such a loue in the Sonne and such a loue in the holie Ghost toward the Saluation of man that all the heauens are filled with loue of our well so that at the conuersion of one sinner on earth there is more joy among the Saints and Angels than for fourescore and ninteene righteous who neede not repentance * If Sir yee would haue the heauens to rejoyce cast your selfe into the armes of your God with these words Lord doe with mee what thou wilt though thou shuld slay me yet will I true in thee If yee would see the picture of Gods mercy ye must draw aside the curtaine of all carnall surmises The sicke Man Oh that I might cast my Soule into his Armes But how can I doe this The Lord hath turned his backe on mee shall I cast my selfe into a consuming fire At the first sight of his angry face my Soule will die for feare The Pastour Men often are deceiued So soone as Manoah had seene the Angel hee said to his wife Wee shall surelie die because wee haue seene God But his wife answered more wiselie If the Lord were pleased to kill vs hee would not haue receiued a sacrifice from vs As shee said to him so say I to you If the Lord were pleased to kill you hee would not haue giuen his Sonne in a Sacrifice for you * I is a greater loue token that God hath giuen his Sonne in a Sacrifice for you than that hee should receiue any sacrifice from you It is the Apostles argument that since God hath giuen vnto vs his owne Sonne hee will not refuse vs any other thing that may doe vs good Christ alone is the sinners refuge hee is a Rocke of comfort which cannot bee shaken a Rocke which commandeth all seas of sorrows the pole of our peace Be earnest in prayer with God cry till he hea◅e The sicke Man I am wearied with crying to God my prayers may be called The voyce of my roaring But what shall I say I cry but there is none that maketh answere God hath couered himselfe with a cloude that my prayers should not passe thorow hee hath stopped his eares that my prayer should not bee heard This is a most fearefull blast and blow in his bloo die battell The Pastour Deceiue not your selfe often our prayer framed and followed by the Spirit of grace is heard though the fense of grant bee not yet brought to vs God for causes will let a time goe betweene seeking and finding After this the Angel spake vnto Daniel At the beginning of thy prayer God heard thee and now I am come to tell thee See how a space will interceede betweene Gods hearing of mans prayer and mans knowledge that God hath heard him Though yee as yet know not whither God hath heard you or not yee must not
reason lik heauenlie powers are shaken so at last man like an olde house all decayed falleth downe into his dust As this little worlde decayeth so doeth this great world wherein wee liue all is failing about vs aboue vs till at last the verie voutes of heauen shall bee rent 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with a noyse and shall bee melted with fire and as it were cast into calmes whereout of shall come a new world which shall neuer any more waxe olde The sicke Man That is well said for the generall I perceiue now that the Lord by his infinite power shall spread the Heauens like paper or parâ—…hment and that they shal be melted like mettall Let me now 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 these wordes of S. Luke as they are written into his Gospel First hee saith Thiâ—… there shall bee sigues in the Sunne and in the Moone and in the Starres What signes shall these be The Pastour Some of the Learned thinke that these signes shal be 〈◊〉 whereof God from these heauenlie bodies shall make a shew vnto then vpon the earth Some thinke that this is spoken of great and strange â—…clipes that shall goâ—… before that day Some thinke that there shall bee such a great and glorious light that shall goe before Christes comming that both Sunne and Moone shall bee darkened as the Starres in the morning are darke 〈◊〉 at the rising of the Sun so that they cannot any more bee seene beeing obscured by a â—…ater light Some by an allegorie referre these great ecclipses to great learned men great lights in the Church making defection and Apostasie from the Trueth The sicke Man But S. Matthew sayeth That the Starres shall fall from Heauen The Pastour These words also be diuerslie interpreted Some by these fallen stars vnderstand glorious professours of the truth falling away by Apostasie such Starres are these whom the Dragon is said to draw downe with his taile These bee the words of S. Iohn And there appeared another wonder in Heauen and behold a great red Dragon And his taile drew the third part of the starres of heauen and did cast them to the earth By these starres as a learned man saith well are vnderstood these whose names in outward appearance were written in Heauen lik the Angel of Sardis who had a name to bee liuing and yet was dead Wicked men for a space may blaze like Comets and seeme to bee starres fixed in their orbe and yet at last proue to bee nothing but a bundle of filthie matter like these shote starres that come not from Heauen but from the Aire whereof the Deuill is the prince Others are of the opinion that this bee spoken of the starres of heauen viz. That they shall fall downe The sicke Man But seeing one starre is so many times bigger than the whole Earth as Philosophers esteeme how can they fall Or if they fall whither shall they goe The Pastour One answereth verie well to that that it is verie difficile to pronounce but the day of the Lord shall reueale all In my judgement by the falling of the stars with other such like things is vnderstood the decaying and passing away of the Heauens which shall in that day as S. Peter testifieth passe away with a noyseâ—… An house while it is olde and readie to bee taken downe will all bee full of cliftes and riftes so that the olde â—…yling that was once fast joyned together with nailes will begin to cling and then to gape the nailes also will become loose and hing out All signes and tokens of an hastie ruine It shall bee euen so of that heauenlie house when it is decayed and neare a fall the stars which are like golden nailes into the â—…yling of the world are said to bee loosed and to fall downe for to declare the falling and ruine of the world Some thinke that the Starres reallie shall fall downe like the leaues of a tree nipped with a winter frost S. Iohn speaking of that strange change and perturbation that shal be both aboue and below before that great day saith That the starres of heauen shall fall downe vnto the earth euen as a figge tree casteth heâ—… vntimelie figges when shee is a shaken of a mightie wind In these wordes wee see first the infinite power of that Majestie who shall shake the fixed starres out of their firmameÌ„t againe obserue that the starres are said to bee shaken like vntimlie and greene figges and not like figges that as wee say are drop ripe which droppe downe of wâ—…ll without any violence By this it wold appeare that this world might stand loÌ„ger than it shall stand I think that if the Lord shuld suffer the heauens to turne about some hundreth thousands of yeares that then the stars should fall downe to the earth nor like greene figges but like fruite that is ripe at the falling But the Lord as wee see will shake the starresâ—… ere they bee ripe and that as some thinke for the Elects sake For the Elects sake said Christ these dayes shall bee shortened In the Greeke it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 decurtabuntur which is to shorten or mutilat I know that the most Learned interpret these wordes of the calamities of the Iewes which God would not suffer to bee distressed for many yeares The sicke Man Mine hearte wonders at these words of the Reuelation concerning the starres which shall fall downe to the earth like vntimelie figges shaken with a mightie winde I thinke your obseruation therevpon verie pleasant The Pastour Indeede Sir the words are wonderfull but the worke shal be more wonderfull For in all appearance the heauens beeing dissolued that is all shaken asunder and the stars shaken loose falling downe to the earth and all the Elements beeing melted together in all appearance Starres Sunne and Moone Clay Water Fire and Aire shall become for aspace like a Chaos a confused lump or masse without forme as they were at the first and that till the God of order hath refined and purified all by his refining fire Some thinke otherwise but the day of the Lord shall reueale all The sicke Man That shall bee a terrible worke Now let mee know what S. Luke vnderstandeth by these words That vpon the earth shall bee distresse of Nations with perplexitie The Pastour That is men of all Nations shall bee so troubled at the sight of such thinges that like a man in a straite they shall not wotte to what hand to turne them euen as Dauid was wheÌ„ he said I am in a great strait that is perplexity As for that which S. Luke saith of the Sea viz. The sea and the waues roaring by these words hee declareth that the sea shall be all stirred to the bottome so that theâ—… waters and all shall bee muddie anâ—… drumblie The word Salum turened heere 〈◊〉 signifieth properlie mare turbatum a raging troubled and
tempestuous Sea All these things that shall appeare are called Fore runners sent before to tell all the Faithfull that when they shall see them that they lift vp their heades and looke vp for to see their Redemption that is neere S Luk compareth the time of all these things that appeare before the Lords comming to the spring time when trees begin to budde When the buds shoote foorth saith hee yeâ—… know that Summer is at hand So likewise yee when yee see these thinges come to passeâ—… know that the Kingdome of God is nigh at hand The sicke Man All these fore-said things bee buâ—… buds as I see forewarning vs of the Summer season wherein the Lord shall come But what is that which S. Matthew saith that after all these thinges shall appeare the SIGNE of the Sonne of man in Heauen What is that which hee calleth the SIGNE of the Sonne of man in Heauen What SIGNE thinke yee that to bee that shall bee seene in Heauen after that the world shall bee made new The Pastour The interpreters varie much in their opinions concerning this Signe what sort of Signe it should bee Some thinke that it shall bee the signe of the Crosse vpon which the Lord hang This SIGNE as some think shal be seene into the Aire before the comming of the Lord Such a signe as some write was that which Constantine saw in the Aire while he was going to battell against the enemies of Christ With this signe was heard a voyce vttered in these words IN HOC SIGNO VINâ—…HS Others thinke that by the SIGNE of the Sonne of man is to bee vnderstood Christ Himselfe who is called The Signe of the Sonne of man as Circumcision in Scripture Language is called The signe of the Circumsion I incline rather to thinke with Beza that that signe shall bee some great Majestie and vnspeakable glorie aboue all compasse of comparison glorious which shall appeare whereby the comming of that Lord shall bee knowne to all not to bee the comming of a creature but of Him who is Lord of all the creatures hauing a name aboue all names The Kings and Princes of the earth while they are among the multitudes of their Subjects by some glistering jewell will be discerned from all the rest or by the great respect that is carried to their persons by these that are about them All sheaues fell down before Iosephs sheaues So all creatures at his approach shall fall downe before him As before Ioseph in his progesse was a cry Abrech how the knee so at the comming of this Lord the Angels in a manner shall cry Abrech At his Name euerie knee in Heauen and Earth and vnder the Earth shal bow Before behind and aboue that Bodie of God both white and ruddie the chiefest among ten thousand shall bee such a glorie and throng of Majestie as shall bee a certaine signe that it can bee none other but the Prince of Eternitie hee being among his most bright and glorious Angels like a Sunne among the Starres The wordes of the Earth cannot beare such a signification as may expresse the glorie of this Signe Mine hearte is without mee while I think vpon the glorie of that Lord whom all cyes shall see that day with his golden Head and busâ—… Lockes Christ shall bee clothed in his triumphing apparell with such a brightnesse that the Moone shall be confounded and the Sunne ashamed as these who beeing clothed in course rayment are ashamed to be seene among these who are pasmented with gold In a word at his presence all powers shall shake and all creatures at his bâ—…cke shall obey The sicke Man After that that Signe shall appeare What thinke yee shall bee done The Pastour When Christ the desire of all Nations shall bee readie to come Hee shall send before him his Angels with a great sound of a Trumpet and they shall gather his dispersed and despised Elect from the foure winds from one end of Heauen to the other S. Paul saith That the Trumpet shall 〈◊〉 and the dead shall arise This shall not bee a brasen Trumpet but a â—…stiall which shall found so shrill with a princelie noise that all the creatures on Earth in Heauen and Hell shall heare it S. Paul hath three notable sayinges concerning the sound that shall bee heard at Christs comming First hee saith That hee shall descend with a shoute Secondlie With the voyce of the Archangel Thirdlie With the Trumpet of God The sicke Man The remembrance of that shout maketh mine eares to tingle and my heart stringes to tremble What a shout thinke ye that that shall bee The Pastour Some thinke that it shall bee a great noyse dinne such as is heard into hudge great assemblies It may bee a shout of victorie or of praise The Angels and millions of Sainctes who sing his praise continuallie cannot keepe silence that day They shal be all about Christ that day shouting for the joy of that desired day The worde shout in the originall is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which properlie signifieth that sounding voice which the Mariners vse to others euerie one for to moue another to row Others thinke it to be like a cry of Souldiers qualis est militaris convasatio while they trusse all their baggage for to remoue The sicke Man For what cause chieflie shall this shout bee To whom shall it bee directed The Pastour It shall bee chieflie for the Glory of God It shall bee directed to the dead who are to bee raised vp by the power of God and by the meanes of his Seruants the Angels who at the raising vp of all creatures shall shout like Mariners heauing vp that which is heauy by force of their armes What Archangel that shall be or what shall bee that voyce One saith verie well Dies Domini revelabit The day of the Lord shall reueale it The Lord prepare vs for it O what a Glorie when Christ shall appeare with hands as gold rings set with the Berill and with a bright Bellie ouer laid with Saphires The sicke Man Is it your judgement that Christ the Iudge of the World shall come downe from Heauen with a great Majestie The Pastour It is certaine of the day of his comming againe may well bee said that which was said of his first comming This is the day which the Lord hath made In that day hee himselfe shall come downe in a Charet of a Cloude as hee ascended into a Cloude All the Glorie of Heauen shall bee seene that day The Father shall bee there in vnspeakable Glorie The Holie Ghost shall bee there with vnspeakable Majestie All the Saintes and Angels shall bee about Him like burning Lampes and glistring Suns The sicke Man What passage of Scripture letteth vs see clearlie the Glorie of his comming to judgement The Pastour That passage of Daniel
his sight Hee shall incontinent command them to come and by vertue of his word they shall all as with winges flie vp into the Aire there for to meete their Lord The strength of their heart the joye of their glorie the desire of their eyes and that whereupon they sette their mindes So soone as they shall come to him hee shall wipe all teares from their eyes Then shall these mourning Mordecais put off the Sack-cloth of their doole for to bee arrayed with the Kings royall apparell the White linnen of heauen the glorious Liuerâ—… of Christ Iesus These hauing celestiall Crownes vpon their heads shall glaunce in glorie like shinning Suns that all that euer took breath may see how it shall bee done to them whom the King of Heauen will honour When the Godlie shall see themselues so powerfullie deliuered from so fearefull dangers they shall cry to Christ as the Israelites said to Gideon Reigne thou ouer vs because thou hast deliuered vs According to their desire hee shall reigne ouer them in all prosperitie Then shall his curled Lockes bee fullie dryed of the Dew and doole droppes of the night of all afflictions The sicke Man When the Lord shall come to Iudgement in what place thinke yee that hee shall sit downe as Iudge for to pronounce his sentence The Pastour It is thought by some that Christ and all his Angels shall come down to the Earth that the sentence may bee pronounced in the presence of the wicked who for feare of distresse and destruction like creeping wormes shall striue to hide themselues vnder Rockes and Mountaines for to couer themselues from the face of the Lambe Glad would they be for to haue the cliftes of the rockes and the secret place of the Graue for a Shelter in that day That shall be a day of trouble and of treading downe a day of perplexitie and of crying to the mountaines Then shall the Wicked in fearefull qualmes of griefe beeing haltered with horrours wish that the Rockes and Mountaines would skippe like Rammes for to leape vpon them that thereby they might bee hid from the Lambe But from that Royall Presence there shall bee none escape * The Angels of great power shall haile them away by force before his great Tribunall where all the euill they haue committed and all the good they haue omitted both publicke scandales and secret sinnes shall bee ript vp and set in open view before all the world to their perpetuall infamie This is the trueth of Gods word Iudge nothing before the time saide S. Paul vntill the Lord come who both will bring to light the hidden thinges of darknesse and will make manifest the counsell of the hearts O mercifull God! what is this What can foolish man thinke in himselfe while hee concealeth his since Behold here it is written that at that day God shall make manifest the counsell of the hearts The world saith often that Thought is free But behold here how the verie euill thoughts of the wicked in that day shal be spread out and laide in broad-band before the face of God of Angels and of men What an awâ—…and should this bee for to make vs watch better ouer our most secret thoughts seeing in that great day before so many famous witnesses GOD Sainctes and Angels the most secret counsels of the heart shall bee made manifest O then then shall the blacke Mores hiddes and Leopardes spottes clearelie bee seene Then shall all the hidde murthers and all the counsels therof be made manifest Were hee a King hee shall not bee able to couer himselfe Then shall all the hidde Fornications and Adulteries yea the verie plots and counsels for such things though not effectuate all shall bee brought to light O yee most vyle hearts in that day ye shall bee vnboweled and anatamised before the eyes of all that euer breathed on earth What thinke yee O sinners who will not remember this Will yee not thinke vpon this that the day is fast comming except that by speedie repentance yee preuent the wrath God shall discharge vpon you the thunder-bolts of his vengeance Vengeance shall beate vpon your braines and breastes wherein your sinnes were bred The sicke Man Oh that men were wise for to lay such meditations neerest their heart alas such thoghts in our hearts are often but rawe and euill digested Wee oftest misse the corne and choose the chaffe such are the follies which are euer afloate in our braines But to come to the maine purpose which wee haue in hand let me see what warrand these haue in Scripture who say That Christ shall come downe to the Earth for to sit in his last Assise The Pastour They ground their Assertion vpon the wordes of Iob who saith I knowe that my Redeemer liueth and that hee shall stand at the latter day vpon the Earth In the French version it is Il demeurera le dernier sur laterre That is as our oâ—…version hath Hee shall stand the last vpon the earth By this it would appeare that Christ the Iudge shall come downe to the Earth where hee shall haue a Iudgement seate for to doe Iustice vpon that Element where sinne did most abound Other learned Diuines thinke otherwise viz. That Christs Throne wherevpon he shall sit that day shall bee erected in the Aire The sicke man Seeing some are of that opinion that Christ shall judge hee beeing vpon the earth what place thinke they that hee shall choose for to sit downe into The Pastour As for the particular place where that last Iudgement shall be giuen some think that it shal be into the â—…ire ouer the valley of Iehoshaphat neere by the Mount of Oliues which is not farre from Ierusalem Their chiefe ground is from that of Ioel I will said the Lord gather all Nations in the Valley of Iehoshaphat and will plead with them there There will I sitte to judge the Heathen round about The opinion of some is that where Christ was crucified and put to open shame and railed vpon there shall he chiefly in that day make manifest his Glorie This great Iudge in all appearance shall judge the world in righteousnesse and conuince the world of sinne and of righteousnesse where hee himselfe was most vnrighteouslie judged and condemned Many of the Learned Schoole men thinke that he shall come down toward the mount of Oliues Their ground is this That Christ ascended from the mount of Oliues and that there the Angels said vnto the men of Galilee that were gazing vp toward heauen that as they had seene him goe into heauen so should hee come againe These bee probable conjectures But in my judgment no man can assuredlie tell in what particular place this great Iudge shall sitte downe for to pronounce his Iudgement This is most certaine that hee shall come downe Behold hee commeth
day But alas what can the earth affoord simile aut secundum that is like vnto that joy which shall fill ouerflow all the hearts of the godly whē Christ shal bring vp to the Heauens his Church which is his Wife his faire Loue hauing Doues eyes within her Locks being cloathed and crowned with the glorie of himselfe what tong cā expresse nay what heart can conceiue what joy glorie shal be there where the Lambes Wife shall bee dected with her Husband Christ who shall enliue Her with marchlesse joye and glorious immortalitie This is that great wonder which S. Iohn in his Reuelations saw in Heauen viz. A woman cloathed with the Sun and the Moone vnder her feete and vpon her head a crowne of twelue Stars Behold consider the Lambes Bride all enuironed with Light clothed with Christ her Sunne and crowned with glistring starres of glorie heauenlie jewels diuine Dyamonds Behold her making a foote-stoole of the Moone the second great Light of Heauen See how shee treadeth vnder her feete that most inconstant creature for to declare that constancie of her loue toward her Lord which shall last for euer without anie change O the beautie of that Bride whose cheekes shall bee comelie with rowes of Iewels whose necke shall bee dected with the chaines of Christs merites The Angels themselues beholding this Bride so royallie attyred shall wonder at her beautie When these Noble Spirits shall see and consider that great familiaritie that shal be betweene Christ his Spouse they shall wonder shall say one to another Who is this that commeth up out of the wildernes leaning vpō her wel-beloued After that the Church the Lambs Wife who on earth was betrothed by grace shall in the Heauens bee maried by glorie and conuoyed vnto his euer greene bed all Eternitie shal be in the Heauens lik a mariage day decored trimed with all sortes of Flowers of Fruits of feastings of Musick and of all contentment that can be conceiued heard seene sauoured or touched by a creature There our wants shall bee turned into wishes That which there shall bee least shall bee many thousand degrees aboue all that anie mortall heart heere can desire All our senses shall be possessed and filled with pleasures our mind shall bee enlightened Our will shall bee contented All our affections shall bee satisfied The Angel in the Reuelation gaue a command vnto Iohn to write in a Booke concerning the Lambes feast prepared for his Mariage in the day of the gladnesse of his heart but not being able neither hee to indite nor S. Iohn to write all the dainties of that Feast he desired him to write that all were blessed which were called vnto it Write said hee Blessed are they which are called vnto the Mariage Supper of the Lambe Lest Iohn should haue doubted whether it was so indeed or not the Angel subjoyneth these are the true sayings of God Let vs conceiue this much of these pleasures that they cannot bee conceiued All that wee can conceiue shall bee lesse by manie degrees than the least thing wee shall receiue Then all our desires shal be enlarged made wider Open thy mouth verie wide I shal fill it vnto thee God himselfe beeing All in all all our desires shall bee fullie satisfied and though they shall bee alwayes satisfied they shall neuer bee cloyed All wordes heere are full of wants for these bee things which passe all humane sight and search The sicke man The consideration of such things enliueth my Soule looseth mine heart wonderfully frō the loue of all worldlie things and draweth my heart with a feruent desire of a sight of that day It is no wonder that the whole creation groaneth and trauelleth in paine together vntill now If wee had hearts to belieue we should finde into our hearts an earnest expectation and a waiting for the manifestation of the Sonnes of God Alas that our deuotion should bee so rotten and vnsound If wee could gette but a glimpse of our God heere behinde it should stirre vp all our desires to see his Face The Pastour That is most certaine By this desire shall a man know whether he bee a spirituall man or a carnall Hee that is but carnall neuer desireth to goe out of this world It is good for vs to be heere will he say as ◅eter said on Tabor But hee that hath receiued the Spirit will finde better motions in his heart Wee our selues saith S. Paul which haue the first fruites of the Spirit euen wee our selues groane within our selues waiting for the adoption to wite the redemption of our bodie The sicke Man Alas wee all are heere naturallie of a temporising temper wee linger and delay to returne to our God O Lord of eternitie be fauourable to vs that we may feare thee let thy grace worke such groans in our hearts that thereby we may know that wee haue certainelie receiued the first fruites of the Spirit So long as wee are heere make the current of our affections to runne the way of thy Commandements There is a difficultie now come in my minde whereof I gladlie desire to be cleared It is concerning Christ himselfe of him it is said That hee shall deliuer vp the Kingdome to God his Father after hee hath subdued all his enemies The Pastour I remember well where these wordes are written The Apostle speaking of the Resurrection of the last judgement saith Then commeth the end when hee shall haue deliuered vp the Kingdome to God his Father when hee shall haue put downe all rule authoritie and power For hee must reigne till hee haue put all his enemies vnder his feete c. And when all things shall bee subdued vnto him then shall the Sonne also himselfe bee subject vnto him that put all thinges vnder him that God may bee All in all The sicke Man These bee the wordes indeede of my difficultie I pray you to make mee vnderstand them What is that to say That hee shall deliuer vp the Kingdome to his Father and that after he hath subdued all things he himselfe must become subject to him that put all things vnder him It would seeme that Christ our Lord shall lose by this meanes For first it is said That hee must deliuer vp the Kingdome and rule no more Secōdlie that he must become subject to God the Father I desire you Sir to loose this knottie difficultie These who plowe with Gods Hyfer may easilie finde out the darkest Riddles The Pastour I shall loose these knots easilie By that change the Lord shall bee no loser As for that it is said That he shall deliuer vp the Kingdome to his Father after that hee hath put downe all rule authoritie and power It is not to be vnderstood absolutely that Christ there after shall reigne no more but that hee shall reigne
him that is a Being which causeth all beeings From motions men in nature will come to motions till they clime vp to Primus motor the first Mouer On him will they looke as a man in an high Feuer to whome this man that man will say Know yee mee know ye mee The sight of the braine is so dazeled that it is paine much labour but to heare these three words Knowe yee mee Braine sicke Nature can by no meanes know God till the Feuer of nature bee cooled with Grace After that the coole of Grace hath broght a sweate wherwith the Soule is purged from the rotten humours of iniquitie then the Soule becommeth like a man after a Feuer come to himselfe againe According to this it is said oâ—… the Forlorne that he came to himselfe after that hee was cooled of his foolish Feuer Till we come to our selues by Grace wee shall neuer be able to know the Lord by Nature All that the most wise Pagans culd doe by the whole helpe of Nature was to come from beeingâ—… to him that is the cause of all beeing and from motion to the first Moueâ—… But who that Mouer was the feuerof Nature made their braine so giddie that they could not discerne him When all the Clergie of Atheâ—… into that Famous Colledge of Greâ—… had sought out this God to feele 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and finde him they wandred 〈◊〉 and downe in their imaginationâ—… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sodomites about Lots 〈◊〉 noâ—… beeing able to finde it All their 〈◊〉 knowledge which was but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 could no wiâ—…e reach vnâ—…o him For this cause they set vp an 〈◊〉 into their moste learned Citiâ—… with this inâ—…tion written into great Letters TO THE 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * Behold where the true God was vnknowne euen in the Citie where Socrates Plato and Aristotleâ—… the great lights of Nature had reached publicklie The verticall pointâ—… all their knowledge could I neuer reach vnto the borders nay not vnto the base of the Gospel Behold and see where Science was to be sold in greatest aboundance there was a profession of the ignorance of the true God written vpon their Altar in great Letters for by the greatnesse of the Letters to declare the grosse dulnesse of their ignorance Hee who knoweth not God were hee neuer so learned what can hee speake of Heauen 〈◊〉 What should Heauen it selfe bee without the presence of God but like a Citie laide wast or like an olde Dungeon not inhabited where Iim and Zijm resort As for vs blessed bee God we know that there is a God into the Heauens the sight of whose backe partes made the face of Moses so to shine that no eye vndazeled culd behold him What a Majestie must this bee whose backe-partes printed such a light into the face of a man that no man could behold the face of a sinner stamped with a second impression This is he who as Scripture teacheth dwelleth into an inaccessable light of which a learned Pagan hauing seene some light impression not in the face of Moses but onelie into the face of Nature said a great word Lumen est vmbra Dei Deus est lumen luminis All light which wee see is but a duskie shadow of God But God is the Light of light a liuing Light the Life of light the Sunne that shineth to the world aboue and the Candle of Heauen Christ the Sunne of righteousnesse in Heauen shall bee without any shadow of the Earth which is the cause of ouâ—… night Hee shal be a Sun which shall shine continuallie both round about and in all the partes of the Heauen for there shall bee no night there For to come thither man should bee content to pluck out his right eye euen his sweetest bosome delights The sicke Man Mine hearte is wained from the loue of the base lump of this Earth I desire to heare some-thing more coÌ„cerning these celestiall buildings which Scripture calleth euerlasting Tabernacles the resting place of all created desires Seeing there after Death wee must sojourne eternallie let mee heaâ—…e of the Glorie of these heauenlie MansioÌ„s prepared for Gods most precious jewels O these blessed burnished vauts all beset with diuine Dyamonds Let mee heare a description of that Palace The Pastour The matter is high Our creeping wordes of Babel cannot reach to the ancles of such loftie matters are but of yesterday and know nothing As I know I shall in my stammering tong and mussling speech doe what I can for to allure you to the loue thereof As for the structure furniture and beautie of that Palace of our God it is wonderfull By no skill can any mortall hand chalk them out There is that blessed Bridegroomes chamber garnished with an azured Curtaine which is embrodered and spangled with starres of light as with golden studs whose beautie no mortall tongue is able fullie to expresse Well may wee say and sing of that Citie that which Dauid sang of its figure Glorious thinges are spoken of thee O thou Citie of our God nay let mee rather say of the figured Citie such glorious things are in thee that they cannot bee spoken O thou Citie of our God All the glories we see without are but sparkles of these infinitlie bright blazing perfections which are within euen things which eye neuer sawe eare neuer heard and which cannot enter into the heart of man One said verie well Res verae sunt in mundo invisibili in mundo visibili vmbrae rerum That is In Heauen the invisible world is the substance of thinges indeede but in this visible world on earth is nothing but shadowes of thinges which are lesse than accidents The greatest glorie that wee see in the out-side of the Heauens is but a vaile that couereth the glorie that is within as the Badgers skinnes couered the Arke of glorie and the Tabernacle But because wee are in this world as childreÌ„ in the wombe wee cannot conceiue what can bee without this world wee haue made a great conception if wee can conceiue that it cannot bee conceiued wee muse well of Heauen if while wee muse we bee amazed counting all joye pleasure profite and preferment below to be both losse doung in comparison of thinges that are aboue which infinitlie goe beyond all created comprehensions If these who goe downe to the deepes see the wonders of the Lord what wonders shall they see who are in the hights of eternitie What rest can a man looke for till hee bee into the Heauens There the blasts of winds and tempests of tongs terrours of CoÌ„science are not there the Church the Lords Lillie is no more among the thornes There the heart of man is no more greiued nor ouer clouded with lowring Melancholie all is in peace within All is calme cleare There is
with Iaphet in the Church of God Amen The sicke Man I haue heard sufficientlie concerning the earthlie Ierusalem diuerse parts of the holie Land that with griefe of heart because in that Land where God once was well knowne now the enemies of God dominire The cry of Christs Blood is yet still against it so that it hath spewed out the ancient inhabitants Lord make all Nations by its example learne to stand in awe to prouoke so great a Majestie Now let vs come to that Ie◅usalem which is aboue the Palace of the great King where God is seene of his Sainctes face to face In what place of Scripture is mention made of it The Pastour In the two last Chapters of th◅ Reuelation that heauenlie Ierusalem is described The sicke Man How can that bee seeing it is said that Iohn saw that heauenlie Ierusalem descending out of heauen from GOD. The Pastou◅ As Ierusalem Gods Church heere below is call◅d Ierusalem which is aboue because her heart is in heauen with a great desire to bee there So Ierusalem the triumphing Church aboue may bee said To descend out of heauen because of the great desire they haue to see vs all well heere below Daylie they pray in Heauen for the Sainctes heere fighting on earth vnder the bloodie Banne◅ of Christ Iesus They pray fo◅ them all in generall which cannot bee without great affection descending from the reflexe of their loue toward our God If by some Angel they heare the report of the conuersion of sinners there is great joy◅ in Heauen That good will and affection they beare vnto the Sainctes below in Scripture language is called a descending out of Heauen The sicke Man O but ae I thinke that Citie must be glorious The Pastour No glorie is comparable to that which is there That Citie is called an holie Citie Holinesse is the chiefest beautie that is This was good Moses his prayer Let the beautie of the Lord our God bee vpon vs that is true holinesse This most excellent beautie of the heauens is typified by the most bright glauncing of precious stones Her light saith S. Iohn was like vnto a stone most precious euen like a Iasper stone cleare as Crystall two creatures colour greene and cleare most pleasant for the sight of the eye By all this this Citie had twelue gates and at the gates twelue Angels whom I may well call Coelestes Ianito◅es the blessed doore keepers of Heauen The building of the wall was of Iasper and the Citie was pure Gold like vnto cleare Glasse The foundation stones which are laid in our buildings are but of the commonest sort But all the foundation stones of this Citie vnder whose Vaults wee sojourne here are most precious stones as Iasper Saphir Chaleedonie Emerald Sardonix Sarduis Crysolite Berill Topas Iacinct Amethyste If such glorious stones bee the foundation stones what glorie must bee aboue in the Palace top where is the busking of Beautie As for the gates The twelue gates were twelue Pearles euery seuerall ga◅ was of one Pearle Wonderfull gates of wonderfull Iewels for who euer on Earth sawe a Pearle so great as an Apple Behold and wonder how the greatest doore of Heauen should bee of one Pearle As for the streetes of the Citie they were pure gold as it were transparent glasse This Glasse one calleth it Aliquid auro nobilius quod non est inrerum natura That is Some thing more precious excellent than gold which thing is not in this worlde to bee found O mercifull God what stupiditie is this in man that hee cannot so feruentlie loue this God who hath builded for his Soule bodie such a pleasāt Palace where he shal sojourn for euer in most happy immortality O mercifull God what a deadnesse dulnesse is this in our spirits that we cannot but after many reasons arguments be content to remoue from these our sinfull Tabernacles of clay for to goe dwell with our God in his golden Citie Palace of siluer where the Lord for euer shall feast vs with the joyes of his countenance among these purer Spirites his excellent Ones the Angels of glorie The sicke Man It is certainelie a great blindnesse Lord put the eye salue of Grace to our carnall naturalleyes that our sight beeing cleared thereby wee may get some glimpse of these Palaces and Pleasures that are aboue O Lord hoise vp mine heart raise it out of the muck of this earth mak the relish of Heauen to dash out of mine heart all earthlie desires It is marueilous how the Soule of man shuld be such a stranger to heauen When I consider howe the Soule that diuine proportion so noblie furnished with powers of great e◅euation euen of most high contemplation should so deba◅e it selfe among myre and dirt not hauing a face to behold the heauens it putteth mine heart into a wonderfull maze What can a Soule find either in heauen or earth except God alone which is able to satisfie the desires of its so wide Capacitie O the beautie of these celestiall buildinges all Gold and Azure But rather O the beautie of GOD himselfe in whose presence is the greatest glorie of that painted Palace O the beautie of beauties of him whose mercifull presence shuld turne the hels of paine into heauens of pleasures for euermore O let the beautie of the Lord our God bee vpon vs * O what a fickle follie is this for man to losse eternitie of happinesse for the minute of a miserable life in worldlie pleasures wherein is more sensible paine than joye that can bee enjoyed But to follow out our purpose intended concerning heauens glorie I haue Sir alreadie heard of the beautie of that Citie nowe let mee heare of its Boundes None as I thinke shall bee there troubled for want of Elbow-roome The Pastour * O the vnspeakable bounds that bee there S. Iohn saith that it was measured with a golden reede The measure thereof as the word of God testifieth was Twelue thousand furlongs which is more than fifteene hundreth myle Numerus indefinitus pro definito A Citie greater in boundes than who should joyne together in one that great Niniuie Paris Rome London Venise Alexandria Constantenople and that great Alcaire or Babylon a citie containing in circuite foure hundreth foure score furlongs Nay joyne all the Cities of the world together in one and they shall in no way bee comparable vnto this Citie of our God as it is ◅et downe in the Cart of the Reuelation Let a man behold the Cart of the world and in it hee shall easilie couer with his hand all the bounds of Europe But behold how the Heauens in that Cart of God occupie more than fifteene hundreth myles What I pray you is all this Earth in comparison of these heauenlie Mansions but an hand-breadth in
comparison of fifteene hundreth myles What wonder seeing as the most learned Philosophers haue obserued the least fixed conspicuous starre which feemeth to bee but a golden naile fixed into this seiled house containeth the greatnes of the earth eighteene fold Others of the greater sort are esteemed to bee more than an hundreth sold greater than the whole earth It is most certaine that if the whole bodie of the earth were where a star is it should not appeare so great as that little blacke spot that we see into the Moone Nay certainelie though an hundreth Earthes as great as all this were joyned in a cluster or in one masse they should not there appeare so great as a little more in the Sun for seeing a star which is of such a bignesse and such a brightnes seemeth to bee but a sparkle as much of earth as would come to the greatnesse of a starre beeing corpus opacum a bodie darke and duskish shuld not in any way bee able to bee an object for our sight heere below Fye on foolish Atheimse that will not looke vp to the Heauens for to consider what an Arme it can bee which turneth about with a continuall whirling Bodies of such a quantitie The sicke man Oh that wee could vnder value our selues as wee should to acknowledge our stupiditie Hee is not a man indeede but a beasâ—… that can not say and thinke with that wise Agure Surelie I am more brutish than any man and haue not the vnderstanding of a man The Pastour Oh that wee were wise for wisedome is better than Rubies Oh that wee were wise for the man that wandreth out of the way of vnderstanding shall remaine in the congregation of the dead Wee are such muddie worldlings that wee cannot thinke of that immortalitie of pure and refined pleasures that are aboue The sicke Man But to the purpose Is there not a Temple in Heauen wherein the Sainctes conueene for the seruice of their God The Pastour S. Iohn saith That hee sawe no Temple therein for the Lord God Almightie and the Lambe are the Temple of it The sicke Man I vnderstand not howe the Lord God can bee said to bee the Temple thereof O Lord sette bounds and limiâ—…s to my curiositie Let the loue of thy selfe haue the preheminence in swaying all my desires A Temple or Church properlie signifie a particular house appointed for Gods seruice for so it is that such an house should not bee in heauen But the Lord himselfe shall bee to all the Sainctes in steede of such an house The Temple is a place properlie for offering vp of sacrifices for instruction of ignorants for comforting of these that are afflicted To declare vnto vs that there shall bee no neede of such thinges the Scripture teacheth that there shall bee no Temple but that the Lord and the Lambe shall bee the Temple that is shall bee in steede of sacrifice instruction comfort joye all other good things vnto his owne so that hee shall bee All in all No created Spirit is able to conceiue wade thorow such mysteries The sicke Man The summe of your discourse as I perceiue is that though that Citie want a Temple God himselfe by his presence shall bee in steede of all thinges which are helpefull vnto vs heere But it would seeme by another place of the Reuelation that in the Heauen there is a Temple There was giuen mee a reede like vnto a rod saith S. Iohn and the Angel stood saying Rise and measure the Temple of God The Pastour By that Temple is to bee vnderstood the Church of God on earth as the most Learned esteeme They also thinke that this Calamus mensorius measuring Reede is the rule of holie Scriptures wherby Sectes Heresies are discerned from the trueth of Religion By this Temple heere I say Wee must vnderstand the Church of Christ according to this it is said to the Faithfull Know yee not that yee are the Temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you The hearts of all the faithful are a Temple which God hath consecrate vnto himselfe for his Spirit to dwell in The sické Man O my God keepe still mine heart in an holie spirituall temper Soften and season it with the dew of thy Grace Inlighten the eyes of my mistie minde that beeing made quicke and nimble they may sharplie discerne and with a liuelie vigour apprehend their blessed object euen God himselfe the Soueraigne felicitie of my Soule O Lord of immortalitie make heauenlie meditations only to lodge into mine heart which may bread therein thoughts of a more noble and spirituall temper then ordinarlie arise and are fostered in earthlie minded men ' who drinke vp iniquitie like water and feede vpon it as the horse Leech vpon corruption The Pastour The Lord giue eare to your desires Oh that wee could consider how our drousie thoughts and dull affections are so glued vnto the vvorld as though Eternitie of happinesse were lodged vpon earth and the short time of pleasures had its residence onelie in the Heauens Such follies and fancies by the subtilitie of Sathan are moulded into vnstable and vnhallowed braines There is a secret influence of folie from the corruption of our Nature whereby except that Gods Grace stand in the gap and debarre it all the wisedome of God shall seeme to bee but follie vnto the Soule of man The sicke Man The Lord giue vs wisedome in all things But to follow our purpose seeing wee are now speaking of that heauenlie Ierusalem I would gladlie heare you declare the differences that are betweene the heauenly and the earthly Ierusalem The Pastour There bee many notable differences worthie our obseruations 1. The earthlie was builded into dust and now it hath the salt of Gods curse sown vpon it The other hath its foundation into the Heauens blessed for euer 2. That which is below had not a gate for euerie Tribe neither were all Israel free Denizens therein But as for the Citie aboue The gates thereof said Ezekiel shall bee after the name of the Tribes of Israel The name of the Citie from that day shall be IEHOVAH SHAMMAH The Lord is there S. Iohn saith That hee saw this Citie enuironed with a wall both great and high with twelue gates and at the gates twelue Angels and names written thereon which are names of the twelue Tribes of the Children of Israel 3 That which was earthlie was abhorred by the Gentiles and at last by them destroyed and now by Turkes possessed and subdued But as for Ierusalem aboue The Nations of them which are saued shall walke in the light of it the Kings of the earth doe bring their honour glorie into it 4 These of the earthlie Ierusalem could not see without the light of the Sunne by day and of the Moone by night It behoued them to haue
Alas that wee gaze so greedilie vpon the painted and varnished vanishing glorie of things below which all perish with the vsing If men knew what relish is into these dainties that are aboue prepared for the Sainctes they would not so glut themselues with the swinish â—…uskes of earthlie thinges but would reserue their lust for that whereof there is no loathing Fye on men that for follie should losse such an inheritance that fadeth not away In this world wee haue Bethel the house of God but aboue is Peniel the place of Gods face wherein are pleasures for euermore Below all pleasures ebbe and flow with discontent and comfort But aboue is an euerlasting full sea of joyes which could neuer enter into the heart of man Vnder the Law God was hid vnder a vaile In the Gospel wee see him in a glasse But in heauen we shall see him face to face and that indeede euen as hee is The sicke Man Mine heart by these wordes is possest with a secret louelier auishment Continue I pray you to declare what more beaucie is within that Paradise Let me heare of these pleasures which the Sainctes there haue in the presence of their God and what bee the order and chiefe ornaments of that Palace what bee the attyre of these that follow the Lambe what be the forme of their feasting at table with Abraham Isaac Iaacob The Pastour Such things are transcendent to all the wits of Nature and to all created inuentions It is good that wee beware to launch too farre into such a boundlesse and bottomelesse Ocean What is the compasse of mans braine little like a Nut-shell that it should containe conceptions of that which is infinit God who killed the Bethshemites for looking into his Arke and reproued the Galileens gazing vp to the Heauens will not allow men to pierce and prye curiouslie into his misteries which surpasse all created capacitie Our greatest wisedome shall bee to wonder at that which passeth the reach of all reason and reuelation It may well content the most curious Soule to bee of Gods Court though it be not of his secret Counsell In nothing mans reason appeareth more reasonable than to cease from reasoning in that which is aboue his reach The matter is heere so high that all words forsake mee as it were confessing that they are neither fit nor able to expresse such wonderfull misteries As the heauens could not bee measured but with a Reede of gold so cannot these heauenlie things bee declared but in the golden language of heauen which our sinfull mortalitie can neither speake nor vnderstand It is dangerous for man to be curious to learne what God esteemeth not necessarie to teach Man must not haue eares to listen where God hath not a tongue to speake Gods silence should teach all men sobrietie in searching In that royall Palace of pleasures aboue without doubt bee comfortes contentments yea and such I am perswaded as greater the Sunne and Moone the two eyes of Heauen neuer saw What say I greater The image of such thinges could neuer enter into the heart of man In my judgement all the Godlie at the first sight of heauens glorie shall bee like men in a dreame As it is written of Gods people When the Lord brought againe the captiuitie of Zion wee were like them that dreame All such glorie beautie and pleasure shall bee things so excellent and beyond expectation that for a space they shall seeme to the Saincts incredible for a space in my judgement the Godlie shall bee like these that dreame wondering how so great a glorie can possiblie bee My minde is now dazeled with such high considerations O O O these so vnspeakable beauties that are within that Holie of holies O the order that is there O the dainties that are on these Tables O the Table of that Ruler where all may take of all without Putting a knife 〈◊〉 their throat O the apparell of Gods seruaÌ„ts there O these fairest flowers which shall decke their garlands of Majestie O these peerelesse Pearles of price O these louelie Iemmes O these celestiall crownes spangled with jewles more glistering than â—…tarres O yee Angels and Archangels O yee all of that heaueÌ„ly Queire Cherubins Seraphins Princes Powers Thrones Vertues and Dominions all inflammed with most glorious diuine beames of light O yee Noble followers of the Lambe all decked with glorie and garlands of immortalitie O the amazing beauties of these celestiall Mansions O ye blessed eternized Denizens who liue there into an eternall vnitie of loue which no jarres strife or debate shall for euer be able to vntwine O purest Spirits purged from all drossie mood of sinfull mortalitie O Palace of pleasures wherin Angels Sainctes all around with celestiall Harpes make all to ring with Holie Holie Holie Halleluiah Halleluiah Halleluiah O yee purest pleâ—…sures of perfection which no fretting canker of time shall bee able to out-weare or to cancell the owlish eyes of my mind are not able to reach within the bounds of so bright an Horizon The most I can conceiue is lesse than the least and lightest glory that shall bee there where Soules are solaced without stresse or strife in immortalitie O glorie glorie glorie without any veine of vanitie Mine heart is rauished and is no more within me When the Queene of Shebah came to Ierusalem to see the glorie of Solomon after that shee had considered the meate of his Table and the sitting of his seruants and the attendance of his Ministers and their appâ—…rell his Cup bearers it is said That there remained no more spirit in her All her spirits in a manner ran out of her by the holes of her senses for to come sit downe wonder at the glorie of the man Thus wondering shee remained for a space as if shee had beene amazed till her stupified spirit returned into her againe then shee began to speake It was a true report that I heard in mine owne Land of thine actes and of thy wisedome howbeit I belieued not the wordes vntill I came and mine eyes had seene it And behold the halfe was not told mee Thy wisedome prosperitie exceede the fame which I haue heard Happie are thy men happie are these thy seruantes which stand continuallie before thee and that heare thy wisedome Consider how the glorie of a man in its greatest not comparable to the glorie of a Lillie drew the spirite so out of the Queene of Shebah that for a space shee was not able to speake Shee wondered at that which shee saw but what shee had seene shee could not vtter in words buâ—… onelie said in generall that shee had heard a true report which she could not belieue vntill shee came and her eyes had seene it And nowe wheâ—… shee hath seene shee declareth that the halfe had not beene tolde
But if the Soule be not holie all the members will shortlie discord The one Hand will cut off the other The Hand will wound the Heart or cut the throat and the Mouth will bite the Fingers But O what loue shall bee then among the members when our Sanctification shall bee made so perfect that nothing more can bee added vnto it O what loue peace and concord shall bee there where God who is loue like a more powerfull and noble forme shall in an vnspeakable manner informe all the members of that mysticall bodie Wee all then shall accord to one thing All our wils shall bee according to Gods will And eue◅ie one of our wills with another shall bee like our two eyes whereof the one cannot so soone turne but the other must follow after it for to behold the same object Wee cannot now comprehen◅ this For mans reason heere on earth is like a riuen vessell which can not containe the discourse of immortalitie Our mindes are so drossie ◅mpish that they cannot conceiue euerlasting matters Wee speake now of Loue O but Loue now is litle among men we may say of it in this last age as Lot said of Bel◅h Is it not a little one Though it bee little now it shall bee great in these dayes Then shall it defie all sickle and foolish changes In this worlde belowe three graces dwell into the Soule of man like three sisters viz. Faith Hope and Charitie two of them conv◅ye the godlie Soule vnto the doores of Heauen viz. Faith and Hope but Charitie entereth in The Lord openeth his Doore to Loue Faith beeing a substance of things not seene so soone as the Soule commeth to sight it ceaseth to be because there is no such substance there Hope being of things to come so soone as the future is become present it hath no more a doe But Loue entereth in and as fyre posteth vp to fyre so Loue swiftlie flieth to God for God is Loue and for to speake so the verie element of Lou◅ Till Loue bee at him it is like a thing out of its element the place of its ◅ost there shall our soules feede on his Loue In such a feeding they shall bee as if they were euer hungrie and as if they were euer satisfied As the heauens hunger is without any laking so is its fulnesse without any loathing On Earth as it is said Voluptates commendat rarior vsus Single vse maketh pleasures the more agreeable But in Heauen the more our Soules shal haue the more they shall desire The more they shall desire the more they shall receiue So by an infinite multiplication joyes and pleasures and contentments shal be heaped vpon godlie Soules for euer like fyre in fuell which suppone the fuell be infinite can neuer die out but day lie increasseth as it were from a sparkle to a flame What shall I say more There shall bee such a fulnesse of all good thinges that no Soule shall bee able to receiue a greater desire of more All shall bee content all shall bee vnspeakablie glorious and made perfect There shall be no blemish into our bodies nor sinne in our Soules Iaacob shall not halt Mephibosheth shall goe straight blind Isaac then shall see Leah shal no more be bleared the deafe shall heare the dumbe shall speak The lame man shall leape as an Hart and the dumbe mans tongue shall sing Then shall these words bee perfectlie performed There shal be no more a pricking briar vnto the house of Israel or any grieuing thorne of all that are round about them Then shall our wearied Soules find aboue the highest circumference of Heauen the Centre of our rest God then shall bee our Sanctuarie in whom we shall haue joye and gladnesse without feare of ending O folie folie folie Why should we for such earthlie toyes losse such celestiall joyes Hee that for so little pleasure losseth that which Christ hath bought with so great paines as said a Father Stultum Christum reputat mercatorem That is Hee thinketh Christ to bee a foolish buyer while indeed he himselfe is a most foolish seller When one day with prophane Esau he shall bitterlie repent his bargane then shall hee know what a pennie-worth hee hath of all his pleasures The sicke Man Alas that men cannot consider O my God master and mortifie all such corruptions within mine heart that they be not able to lay my soule open to Sathans temptations But to proceede in our purpose what thinke yee shall bee the chiefe exercise of Soules in Heauen The Pastour It shal be to sing Psalmes of praise and to follow the Lambe whether soeuer hee goeth from East to West or from South to North. The sicke Man Alas that for this pricke of earth men should doe that which shall debarre them from that Palace of pleasure Our bodies as yee thinke shall not then bee wearied in following the Lambe were it to goe neuer so farre The Pastour O not Then shall our Soules bee refined from the drosse of sinne Then shall wee bee free of all this lumpishnesse of clay caused by sinne wherewith now wee are both cloyed and clogged Our motion then shall bee swifter than the Sunne in his course As with a◅thought our hearts will compasse the Heauens so shall wee goe most swiftlie whether wee desire As by the motion of the Eye wee looke from East to West or as the Sunne beames while he ariseth are suddenlie darted from the one end of Heauen to the other so shall it be of our motion then for we shall bee carried with the infinite power of God which shall not be subject to the Lawes of naturall motions below As for example here can be no motion without resistance All motions whether from aboue or siō below or ouerthwartlie finde enemies by the way opponing themselues to that which is moued as Edom did to the Israelites saying Thou shalt not passe by mee The stronger the opposition bee the motions are the slower Man cannot wade thorow waters so swiftlie as runne thorow the aire vpon the earth because the partie is stronger which is against him all things goe so below but aboue no bodies shall oppose themselues to the Children of God What euer bee aboue all shall goe with them they shall bee like shippes before the winde carried with a mightie gale There is nothing heere like vnto that that shall bee into that celestiall Fabricke But not bee curious to diue into such deepes This is certaine that the Sainctes shall bee carried there with the force of an vnspeakable power and that without anie wearinesse They shall runne saith the Prophet and not bee wearie they shall walke and not faint What can these want who beeing companions of the blessed Angels shall abide with him in whose face is fulnesse of delight There all our pleasures
great desire aye till they bee gotten But spirituall delights as a Father said Cum non habentur sunt in fastidio Cum habentur sunt in desiderio Before they bee gotten they are loathed But are they gotten they are loued So long as our Soules are led hoode-winkt in this our moody and mistie mortalitie wee cannot thorowlie perceiue this O that wee had heartes to consider O that wee could rightlie mind the thinges that are aboue O that our hearts were wained froÌ„ this our natiue soile a place of hunger and cold a place of nakednesse sicknesse and sorrow that wee might earnestlie desire to bee into that holie Land where wee shall feast on the Tree of Life and drinke of that Crystall Riuer with pleasures for euermore So long as wee are in this our mortalitie wee must bee still looking till our change come which being once made wee shall neuer change anie more O then the sweetnesse of the Crowne shall for euer allay the sowâ—…enesse of the Crosse. The sicke Man Mine heart is wonderfullie rauished with such purpose I finde my Soule silent within mee that it may hearken and giue good heede to that which ye say Blessed be he who createth the fruite of the lips O Lord come let thy Spirite take houseroume into mine heart Now let vs come to our purpose againe So farre as I can obserue your minde is that we all shall know one another in Heauen but without regard to anie carnall consideration whether they were our Father oâ—… Mother or our Sister The Pastour It is euen so For if any particular respect should be had to any it should be of a man to his wife or a wife to her husband who must leaue both father mother and cleaue vnto another for to become one flesh Yet so it is that in Heauen there shal be no more particular respect betweene them than these whom they had neuer seene before The Lord hath made this plaine The Saducees who scorned the Resurrection hauing told Christ that there had beene seuen brethren in Israel which all had married one wife one after another and that last of all the woman died also Now said they In the Resurrection whose wife of them shall shee bee Iesus answered and saide The children of this world marie and are giuen in marriage But they that shall bee accounted worthie to obtaine that world and the resurrection from the dead neither marrie nor are giuen in marriage Neither can they die anie more for they are equall vnto the Angels and are the Children of God beeing the Children of the Resurrection Certainelie at that day none of these seuen brethren will claime any more acquaintance vnto that woman than vnto her whom they had neuer seene before that day What created thing can allure the eyes of the creature where the Creator is visiblie seene as hee is Whom haue I in Heauen but thee said the Psalmist As the Sunne by his beames at his first rising darkneth all the glorious stars of light so that they seeme to flie away from his presence quite out of the heauens So shall the loue of God himsâ—…lfe like a greater Light darken and dazle all other desires whatsoeuer No by-respects shall bee able to hinder vs to haue ouâ—… eye to the maine Wee shall loath all thinges that we may feast on his facâ—… wherein is fulnesse of joye The sicke Man I desire Sir to know of you whether or not there shall bee degrees of Glorie in the Heauens or if all shall bee alike in honour The Pastour The most part are of that opinion that there shall bee diuerse degrees their opinion is founded vpon these words There is one glorie of the Sun and another of the Moone and another glorie of the Starres For one star differeth from another star in glory So also is the Resurrection of the dead it is sowen in corruption it is raised in incorruption Some of the Learned who esteeme that there shall bee diuerse degrees of glorie in Heauen think that no such thing is intended in these wordes but onelie as one Starre differeth from another in glorie so shall the bodie after the Resurrection differ farre in glorie from the estate wherein it was in this life according to this it is said It is sowen in corruption it is raised in glorie for to declare the different estate of the godly heere and heereafter For this assertion concerning degrees of glorie this seemeth to bee most cleare which is said by Christ to his Apostles Behold saide Peter wee haue forsaken all and followed thee What shall wee haue therefore And Iesus said vnto them Verilie I say vnto you that yee which haue followed mee in the regeneration when the Sonne of man shall sit on the Throne of his Glory yee shall also sit vpon twelue Thrones judging the twelue Tribes of Israel The sicke Man Before yee proceede I pray you to cleare these words That yee which haue followed mee in the regeneration when the Sonne of man shall sitte on his Throne yee also shall sitte vpon twelue Thrones I vnderstand not well what the word Regeneration signifieth there To follow Christ in the regeneration what can that bee The Pastour These wordes bee diuerslie read Some reade them this way Yee who haue followed mee in the regeneration Others reade them after this maneâ—… joyning there-with the following words In the regeneration when the Sonne of man shall sitte on his Throne yee also shall sitte If the words be so joyned Yee who haue followed mee in the regeneration 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the word Regeneration is taken as the most Learned esteeme for the preà ching of the Gospel which Christ brought into the world whereby a new creation or regeneration of mens heartes and Soules hath beene made in the world So to follow Christ in the Regeneration is to embrace his Gospel whereby we are regenerate But in the opinion of the most part 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Regeneration heere is rather to be joyned with the words following after this manner In the regeneration they shal sit vpon Thrones according to that In regeneration is as if he had said In renovatione mundi vel post renovationem mundi in alterò seculo That is In the renewing or after the renewing of the World Indeede regeneration here seemeth â—…hieflie to signifie the Resurrection and restoring of our bodies The sicke Man It would appeare by that saying of Christ in S. Matthew that the Apostles shall sit vpon twelue Thrones in greater dignitie than anie others The Pastour It would seeme so to be As for Moses Enos and Elias and so many worthie Prophets most glorious instrumeÌ„ts of Gods grace in this world it would seeme that their glorie there should bee greater than that of common persons Manie of them that sleepe in the dust of the earth shall
drawe the desires of his heart to abide into that P◅lace of pleasures where there is Light without Darknesse Mirth without Sadnesse Health without Sicknesse Wealth without want Beautie without blemish For the sake of thy dea◅e Selfe seale vp into his Soule the assurance of thy loue that in all bol◅nesse through the bleeding bowels of Christes compassions hee may come to the Throne of thy grace frō thence he may enter into glory O LORD the comfort the joye and the glorie of Israel Bee fauourable to thy distressed Sainctes dispersed vpon the Earth Thy Church here below is like a shippe on the sea Though it floate aloft it is fore tossed to and f◅o with wind and with waue thou therin seemeth whiles to sleep Now LORD at last awake in these boisterous blastes Master Master saue vs for wee perish Awake O LORD and rebuke the winds Alas O LORD thou seemeth now to lowre in thy wrath by driuing all our petitions from Thee with a darke and cloudie countenance so that these that trust in Thee are cleane dashed out of countenance while they heare the scorninges of the aduersaries who nowe waste and hauocke thy Vine Arise O LORD as a man of war Awake as one out of sleepe and like a mightie man that shouteth by reason of Wine Smite thou all the enemies in the hinder partes and put them to a perpetuall reproach Take the Cudgell into thine hand and stricke a way these Dogges which follow Thee but for crustes Let vs neuer bee colde or carelesse in the distresse of others but for to assure vs that wee are all members of one Bodie giue vs this pledge of mourning with these that mourne Make vs all to bee grieued for the affliction of Ioseph Blesse our gracious SOVERAIGNE with the Spirit of Wisedome and of Grace Rescue Him from all dangers both bodilie ghostlie Thogh Hee bee a Prince among men yet Hee is thy Subject Thou who by Grace hast made Him to reigne ouer thy people on earth at the end of his appointed time when the dayes of His Reigne shall bee happilie finished exalt Him highlie in the heanens among thy Sainctes and Angels So long as Hee is heere let Him know that it standeth Him fast in hand to bee an Hornager vnto Thee Direct him so in all His cariage that His whole life may bee to all His Subjects an holy patronage of good example Let Him neuer retract nor repeale that vow which Hee made at His Coronation for to maintaine the puritie of thy Gospel and for to bee a louing Father vnto thy people Cloth his enemies with shame but vpon Himselfe make His Crowne to flourish Blesse His Royall Match Make Her to striue stretch all the powers of Her Soule by prayer in searching the sincere knowledge of thy truth LORD in Her carefull search make Her to say at last with the Spouse I haue found him whom my Soule loueth I will not let him goe Thou LORD louest Trueth in the inward partes and therefore so sanctifie Her Hearte that She may day lie thriue in the power of Godlinesse Though all outward meanes should faile Her bee Thou to Her in stead of all meanes aboundantlie supplying Her with the power and presence of thy Spirit Leuell LORD Her Heart directlie to the loue of Christ of him crucified that by a true liuelie Faith in him Shee may shine among the Sainctes in Heauen like one who in a great measure hath beene receiued in Grace on earth Let thy Preastes bee cloathed with righteousnesse Blesse all our Nobles mak them truelie noble not like Ephraim whose righteousnesse was like the morning dew Let them neuer for feede or fauour slinke or shrinke back from the puritie of thy Gospel established in this Land Giue vnto vs all courage for the Trueth that wee may bee bold to resist euen vnto the blood not beeing like these who at the first in an hote and hastie zeale promise faire with Peter but anone at the first womanlie temptation start aside like deceitfull bowes Suffer no sinne to goe current with vs without check Let vs neuer follow the sway of tymes with sewed Cushions vnder our Elbowes LORD abide with vs this night As thou hast drawne the night Curtaine of darknesse vpon the face of the earth so bee thou a pillar of the cloude betweene vs and our enemies Hide our soules from Sathans temptations as by the cloudie pillar thou hid the Israelites from the Egyptians Make vs this night to sleepe softlie and soundlie in thine Armes that our bodies beeing refreshed with sleepe may bee the better enabled to morrow for to sette foorth thy Glorie in the work of our Vocation LORD let these our weake prayers come vp before Thee like Pillars of smoke perfumed with the liuelie sauoure of thy Son To whom with Thee and the Spirit of Grace bee endlesse Glorie and Dominion for euer Now Sir wee haue recommended you God to who is stretching out the Armes of his mercie readie for to receiue your Soule into the bosome of his Loue Make you nowe readie for him for in all appearance ye are not farre from the doores of death Bee vigilant in prayer lest Satan yet put in his leauen into the Spirites dough and so by sowring it make it distastfull to the Lord By a little droppe of filth the pure webbe of the Spirit will become a menstruous cloath The sicke Man The lost Sheepe is found I giue you most heartie thankes for that feruent prayer I pray God that it be heard in the Heauen as Solomon prayed for these that prayed in the Temple which he had builded saying Then heare thou in Heauen Lord graunt that these comforts and contentments bee not deceiuable feelinges and flashings of joye O Lord let not the Spirit of Grace in this new birth recoyle as once Zarah in Thamars wombe Seeing God hath furnished me with a new spirituall strength I wish that I culd imploy it well for the short space that I haue to liue among mortall wightes in this region of corruption O Lord stirre all the streames of mine affections toward thy selfe Wound ward weaken wasle all my delightfull and darling sinnes that my whole joye may rest on Thee command confine all my thoghts to thy selfe that by Faith my Soule may seaze and lay hold on the merits of Christ the celestiall Pearles of price Disburthen my soule of euerie weight that hangeth so fast on lest that thereby it should bee swayed away from Thee I finde mine hearte stirred with a feruent desire to powre out it selfe in prayer before God I pray you all that sit by to joyne your affections with mine into this worke The sicke mans Prayer for himselfe O LORD the Father of mercies and GOD of all Consolation bee present in thy great mercie with mee thy vnworthie seruant into this time of trouble suffer mee earth and ashes to speake
Seruant fainting in great weaknesse of bodie But thogh flesh and friends health wealth and all should faile him thou LORD will neuer faile him Hee is thy Seruant he is thy Seruant the son of thy hand-maide Thou hast most powerfullie hitherto supported and vpholdeÌ„ him by thy mercifull hand Now leaue him not while he is drawing neare vnto his long home It is easie to perceiue that his age is departing from him like a shepheards tent and that thou art readie to cutte off his life like a weauer His desire LORD is to bee with Thee Thou hast heard the sighings of this prisoner and thou hast vnderstood the groanes of thine own Spirit As thou hast begunne the good worke in him so perfect it in due time As thou doest with the yeare crowne it with thy goodnesse with-draw not thy Grace from him till it bee made perfect in weaknesse Thou LORD hast manifested thy loue to him wonderfullie by putting into his minde and mouth such diuine preceptes and counselâ—… to his Friends Wife and Children that all that haue heard them haue beene forced to wonder at the glorie of thy grace Now deare Iesus let thy force be with him in his fainting but the nearer hee draweth vnto his end lâ—…t thy Spirit the Comforter enable him the more till victoriouslie hee hath put an end vnto this Battell As the strength of his bodie shall beginne to decrease let the comfortes of thy Spirit increase in his Soule Seale vp in his heart that peace which thou hast purchased by the blood of the Prince of peace Assure him of the rest of these joyes which are to bee reuealed whereof hee hath alreadie receiued the earnest O say vnto his Soule that thou shalt bee his Saluation In the silence of the night while deepe sleepe falleth on man make thou his reines to instruct him Suggest vnto his heart the sweetest wordes of thy comforts which may bee vnto him like apples of gold in pictures of siluer Waine his heart daylie more and more from the loue of things below Make thou his Soule to soare vp with Eagles wings towardes the heauenlie Mansions Prepare nowe his Soule to the last conflict Put vpon him all the Armour of God Strengthen his Faith that hee may holde fast by Thee yea so resoluedlie that though thou should slay him yet hee may trust in thee When the force of sicknesse shall tak away the vse of his tongue make his heart to groane vnto Thee in the secret language of thy Spirite â—…hat in thine hands he commenâ—… 〈◊〉 his Soule and that he desireth thee to come quicklie for his reliefe Let not the increasing throes and pangues of death discourage him In greatest anguish vphold his enfeebled heart with the hope of Glorie Look on him Lord with the eye of thy mercie incline thine eare to the sighes of his heart make haste to come for his Soule is longing for his appointed time till his change come As thou art the Lord of life so vnto thee belong the issues of death Let strength proceede from thee like vertue from Christes garment whereby hee may bee encouraged against the fearefull assaults of death which shortly in all appearance shall besiege his noble parts for to bring him vnto dust froÌ„ whence hee came Make thy Spirit to enter into his hearte for to vphold him against this feare smart of his last and most heauie houre Let him know that if the earthlie house of his Tabernacle bee dissolued that he hath a building of God an house not made with hand eternall in the heauen Make his Soule more and more earnestlie to groane for to bee cloathed vpon with his house which is from Heauen Seeing while hee is heere at home in the bodie hee is absent from the Lord make thou him confident and willing rather to bee absent from the bodie that hee may bee present with Thee in the Heauens Let the hope of the Resurrection vphold him against all the terrours of the Graâ—…e Perswade his Soule that at the sound of that shrill celestiall Trumpet his bodie shall arise and with these same eyes shall beholde his Redeemer and none other for him Innumerable euils Lord haue compassed him about Nowe the time approacheth that thou wilt deliuer him from all his feares Make haste Lord Come Lord Iesus come Rebuke Sathan wee intreat thee that in the darksome night he interrupt not the comforts of thy Spirit Suffer neuer that slie and craftie one to bereaue him of the pledges of thy loue Make him to holde fast that which hee hath that none bee able to take his Crowne O mercifull God take notice of all his wants and necessities and bee thou to him SHADAI GOD all sufficient for to supplie them Let him not want that Grace without the which hee cannot serue thee Through thy selfe make him to push downe all the enemies of his Saluation Through thy Name make him to treade them vnder foote that rise vp against him for he hath not forgotten the Name of thee his God neither hath hee stretched out his hands to a strange God While his eye-stringes shall bee broken and when the throes of death shall make his heart to tumble within him then bee thou the strength of his heart the health of his countenance and his God In his greatest griefes anoynt his Soule with some droppes of that oyle of gladnesse wherewith thou once anointed our Lord and Sauiour aboue his fellowes Let thy Graces like that precious ointment that ran downe vpon the beard of Aaron flowe down from thee aboundantlie vpon all the powers of his Soule Let spirituall vertues drop downe vpon him as the dew of Hermon and as the dew that descended vpon the mountaines of Zion O thou the perfection of beautie shine vpon his Soule Indue him with a melting and relenting heart Bee mercifull to thy distressed Church comfort Her in all Her teares and troubles Pittie Her deformities Adorne Her with Puritie and Vnitie Though Shee bee outwardlie 1. duskie because the Sun hath withered Her yet Shee is the Kings Daughter whose 2. whole glorie is within 3 Awake O North Wind and come thou South blow vpon Her Garden that the spices thereof may flowe out Declare vnto Her enemies that if they 4 touch Her they shall touch the Apple of thine Eye Let them all know that it is 5 hard to kicke against prickes and that if they perlecute thee Thou wilt throw them to the ground Bee mercifull to our gracious SOVERAIGNE the Kings Majestie as by thy Grace thou hast made him a King so by thy Grace make Him a good King Powre down a princelie Spirit vpon his Soule that Hee may haue courage for the Trueth Make Him answerable to his most honourable Style Defender of the Faith Vouchsafe thy mercie vpon his Princelie Spouse Let the beautie of the Lord Her God bee vpon Her Make Her like
Nowe graunt that the hope of that glorie which is to bee reuealed may bee so strong in his Soule that it may shield and fence him from the force and furie of the last assaults The nearer he draweth vnto death inlarge the chanell of thy graces like a Riuer which is broadest towards the end of its course Make his heart in the ◅orest pangs of death to bee still lifted vp towards thee And seeing Death and the Deuill mans two last enemies are euer busie the one for to fright the other for to tempt Prepare him Lord and furnish him so with thy Graces that hee may proue victorious in this last assault O gracious GOD assist him by thy force against the most violent blustering winds of the last and most fearefull temptations If Satan looke in at the doores of his heart seeking for an entrie let him neuer get so much as one chamber-roome set a part for his sojourning Make thy grace vnto him like a Sunne like a Bridegroome comming out of his Chamber to disperse the darknesse of his mistie minde Vnto his last gaspe direct him so by thy good Spirit that his Soule may cleaue so fast vnto thee that neither sinne nor sicknesse life nor death may bee able to separate him from thee Thogh thou shuld slay him yet wil hee trust in thee Faile him not now in time of neede vphold his heart in this heauie houre Let his Soule lurke vnder the winges of thy mercie till the tempest of wrath bee calmed past ouer Bee thou to him a shelter against the heauie showers of the last agonie O gracious Lord in wrath remember mercie In the multitude of thy compassions blot out his transgressions and that for the dearest drops of that sacred Blood that gushed vpon the cursed crosse Rinse and cleanse his heart from all vncleannes Giue him courage in his greatest fears Let not Death bee vnto him as a king of feare nor hee as one of the wicked whose hope doeth perish with their breath O Lord let thy Name bee vnto him like a strong tower for to hid him into the time of trouble Let this bee the cleare candle of his comfort neuer to bee quenched that Christ by his death hath for him and all the Faithfull ouercome Death and disarmed it of its sting Declare by the inward motion of thy Spirit to his Soule that the nature of death by the death of Christ is changed into a sleepe vnto all the friends of Christ who by the infinite power of his diuine Nature hath swallowed it vp in victorie and hath so digested it that now the bitternesse thereof is past As the Arke was to Noah and Zoar vnto Lot so bee thou a refuge to this faithfull Soule fighting thy battels not onelie against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers against the gouernours of darknesse of this world and against spirituall wickednesse in high places Let thy strength bee made perfect in his weaknesse As thou hast vp holden him hitherto by the strength of thy Spirit so continue with him vntill the end The battell is the Lords fight Lord for thine own cause euē for this Soule one of thy redeemed Ones obtaine thou the victorie and take the glorie to thy selfe O God both of grace and glorie seale surely vp in his bosome the pardon of all his iniquities Perfect the comfortes which thou hast begunne say vnto his Soule That heauen is not so high nor hell so low nor the world so wide as are thy mercies towards him All thy creatures haue their owne dimensions but thy mercie Lord like thy selfe is without measure Out of these infinite compassions make this sillie Soule partaker of the dearest mercies that euer rould together the relenting bowels of thy tenderest loue Heare vs Lord in all these our sutes and that for the sake of thy best beloued and onelie begotten Sonne the Lord Iesus Christ in whose Name and at whole command wee powre out our heartes to thee in that prayer which by his own sacred and most blessed mouth hee hath taught vs Our Father c. The sicke Man Lord heare thou in Heauen Blessed for euer be thy Name for such spirituall comfortes for so manie mercies I can rander nothing but the little mites of praise and thankesgiuing Mine heart is filled with songs of Gods mercie If his Spirit of grace had not vpholden mee in my first feares while as I thought I was wrapped into an infinite wrath I had certainelie beene swallowed vp with ouermuch sorrow But now blessed eternallie bee the Lord who hath made the earth to swallow vp all the floodes of temptations and tribulations which that red Dragon the Deuill a bloodie murtherer hath cast out of his mouth after mee for to carrie my Soule down head-longs to perdition Now finde I Gods word to bee true that hee is ouercome by the Blood of the Lambe Except that the Lord had beene on my side O in what a dumbe dumpe had my poore Soule beene driuen into ere now The Pastour Hee who followed Adam thorow the thicke bushes and Ionas in the bottome of the sea Hee who blessed the crooked man and made the barren fertile and the dumbe to speake the deafe to heare and the blind to see hath made his grace perfect in your weaknesse He best feeleth the pulse of our heartes and the force of our life Loth would hee bee to breake the bruised reede or to quench the smoking flaxe All men by nature are but like an vncleane Dung-hill of drosse their heartes at the first are but a den of Dragons But so soone as the Spirit of grace hath begunne to drawe the draughts and lineamentes of Gods image within the soule of a man nothing shall bee able to deface or mangle that liuelie image To all sorts of temptations Gods wisedome shall finde an out-gate Neither the traines of Sathan nor the treason of our bosome sinnes nor the terrors of hell nor the trashes of the world shall euer be able to preueale against Adirim Gods excellent Ones According as Zacharias filled with the holie Ghost prophecied It is granted vnto vs that wee beeing deliuered out of the handes of our enemies may serue him without feare The sicke Man I blesse God for such inestimable comforts Sathan hath shrewdlie assaulted mee but could not preuaile My corruptions haue beene subdued and awed by the Majestie of the Spirit of Iesus My Soule rejoyceth in GOD In the merites of Christ as in a glasse I see him a meeke a mercifull Father I am not now afraide to come to a tryall at his Tribunall I am no more dismayed for the vnquencheable flammes of the fierie lake I thinke certainelie that there was neuer a man so much beholden to my God as I am Truelie may I sing with the Psalmest I waited patientlie or the Lord and hee inclined vnto mee and heard my cry Hee
thinges to worke to the best of these that loue him Gods corrections are good directions With one crosse hee can worke two cures first a correction for by-past corruption and after a direction for times to come If God should not scourge vs betimes the reigning of the flesh should proue the ruine of the Spirit This was the vtter ouerthrow of the Sonnes of Eli God would not correct them because the Lord would stay thē As for that which ye speake concerning the changing amending of your life your resolution is good But seeing the houre of death is vncertaine it is good that yee bee presentlie prepared Death commeth vpon mā with stealing steps Let no man put far off the day of his death There is great danger that any man sooth himselfe with the vaine hope of this mortall life No man can tell how soone hee shall be arraigned to compeare before Gods Barre None said a Pagane is assured to liue vntill the morrow Nemo tam diuos habuit faventes Crastinum ut possit sibi polliceri It is good therefore daylie and hourelie to bee vpon our Watch-Tower preparing our selues for death which shall either be the end of all our miserie or the beginning of our euerlasting woe delay to prepare for death is a strong threed in the Deuils net A man will not die the sooner that he prepare himselfe to die If a man bee prepared to die and yet die not hoc sibi ponat in lucro that preparation is great aduantage vnto him But if hee die hee hath done that which hee should haue done What a dangerous venture is this to a man to delay to prepare himselfe to die because it may bee that yet hee may liue But may it not also bee that hee die It is a dangerous thing to perrell our Saluation vpon a may be which may as well no bee It is fearefull to bee hanged ouer Hell with the euill twined threed of a life that must end none can tell how where nor when No man is exeemed from this necessitie The post Pale Horse wherevpon Death is mounted caries his Rider thorow all Nations Cities and Houses pulling out of their beds Princes Prelats and priuate men without any respect of persons thus are their hopes cropped in their fairest flower It is good therefore that wee euer bee vpon our gard God offereth grace to day To day if yee heare his voyce But who promiseth to morrow well is him that feareth alwayes The sicke Man O the terrours of Death and of the Graue mine heart quaketh while I remember of these last strugglings that are in death It was not without reason that the Pagans called it terribilium terribilissimū of all fearefull things the most fearefull The Pastour If men knew what Christ hath made of Death the liuing would not be so afraid with the feare therof Isaiah saith that hee hath put it into his Stomacke hee hath swallowed it vp in victorie A wife man will not swallow ouer that which hee is not able to digest Christ hath swallowed Death and hath digested it perfectlie Nowe Death after Christs digestion hath lost all its poyson and is turned into a sleepe The name thereof is changed for to tell vs of the change of its nature Dead Lazarus in Christs language is called sleeping Lazarus Lazarus Our Friend sleepeth said Christ speaking of his death Hee that liueth and beleeueth in mee said Christ shall neuer die Death is not death to the Friends of Christ but a sleepe to their bodie a translation of their Soule from a prison to a Palace As by the grace of God it is made an Exodus of miserie so is it a Genesis of a better life the corruption of one thing beeing the generation of another What is this that men should so feare Death which is the end of the foule cōbersome way of our Pilgrimage Hath not God made death like a Chariote to a wearied man for to carie him to his euerlasting rest This was seene in a visible figure when Elijah in a firie Chariot went vp by a whirle wind vnto heauen The sicke Man All that is true Sir But yee know that death is fearefull to all flesh So soone as it commeth it maketh a Soule lyable to yeeld an acoūt for all the actions of the by-past life The bodie and the Soule are of olde acquaintance and haue not wil to part one frō the other I cannot expresse what a worsling I finde within mee there is such a working feare about mine heart that I tremble to thinke vpon it This maketh my words to wade in teares mine heart is cut with sobs of sorrow O death the enemie of Life is there no comfort against thee Is there no Balme in Gilead Of force then must I die The Pastour The woman of Tekoah said verie well Wee must all needes die and are as water spilt on the ground which can not bee gathered Death is an vnauoidable passage there is none entrie vnto Heauen but by it I will striue to let you see before that yee enter in at the doores of Death that your Soule hath no such cause to be afraide Indeed I confesse that death to these that know not Christ is indeede a most fearefull thing according to this Sathan said Skinne for skinne and all that a man hath he will giue it for his life See how a Naturall man would bee content that his skinne were pulled off him if it could bee a ransone for to saue his life Such is the feare of death that for to bee free of it a man would giue his skinne Agag called it a bitter thing Surelie said he The bitternesse of death is past The wilde Gourdes shred into the Prophetes pottage for bitternesse were called Death So soone as they had tasted them all cryed Death is into the pot The bitter torments of Hell are called so great a Death Dauid speaking of the pangs of death calleth them waues The waues of death cōpassed me See how death is compared to a raging Sea with rolling waues To this Dauid subjoynes The snares of death preuented mee Death indeed is fearfull armed with waues snares We in our weaknesse make it also fearfull painting it with bare bones with a skul girning with its teeth and with its sting like a flooked Dart for to pierce thorow the heart of man It is true that death is bitter in it selfe but hee that made sweetnesse to come out of the strong and meate to come out of the eater can bring both meate and sweetnesse out of death for the Christian Soule though no thing bee stronger than death the greatest eater of the world One saith well that there is in death but one bitter morsell to swallow The cheefe course that wee haue to tak for to win to
Let no man blesse himselfe with Micah because hee hath gods at home Though men by manie meanes may become rich and think that they shall leaue great wealth vnto their children God can by as many meanes disapoint them as by blood by shipwracke by fire by water by warre by banqueroupts by plea and by piracie c. He who to day was swaggering in his Silkes and swimming in his wealth speaking of nothing but of thousands within a little space behold him againe and loe all is changed The poore man he goeth and no man regardeth him he is hungrie nacked and colde but not so colde as the charitie of these that may helpe him These who were wont to eate at his table desire no more to see him The thoughts of olde obligations are to them lik letters of Caption for to enforce thē to giue some what to their olde distressed friend But cold are such comforts Heere beholde Sir as in a glasse what vanitie into these transitorie things which men think to make permanent to their posteritie But let a man be rich till he die After that he hath spoiled others to make himselfe wealthie shall his children bee his Heires No not The wealth of the sinner is laide vp for the Iust See how God maketh a Worlding to be as it were a drudge or a packe horse for to gather with the sweate of his browes that wherwith the righteous man may bee sustained As hee made the Rauens to flee and fetch flesh for the nourishing of his Seruant Elijah Some tims also it wil befal otherwise that thewe alth of the sinner shall be laid vp for one worse than himselfe that all the world may see and beholde what vanitie there is in such carking care O wil some say if hee that is dead saw such a man in his house Master of all his labours What would hee now thinke Thus God in a manner making deboched bare men like leane Kine prey vpon the wicked who while they liued wold not with the Oliue leaue their fatnes for to be Kings in Heauē letteth the world see what folie it is to put their trust in such transitorie trashes What say yee now Sir Are yee now free of such earthlie temptations The sicke Man I am miserablie vexed with this world Worldlie things doe what I can runne euer into my minde and trouble mee with carking cares The Pastour So long as a mans heart is clogged with this clay hee hath no power to stirre hand or foote to heauen-ward There is both gall and guile in earthlie mindednesse Well is him whose Soule can sore farre aboue this Region of corruption for to minde aboue all things the things that are aboue The sicke Man My minde alas is like Martha busied about manie things or rather buried in manie things The Pastour But Christ said One thing is necessarie Hee that said it is that which hee said euen that One necessarie thing Wee may passe to life eternall without any other thing But there is such a necessitie in Christ that without him wee can doe nothing Without mee said hee yee can doe nothing Christ is that Best part Maries choise Well is that Soule that maketh him its part He is onely that which shall neuer bee taken from vs But what worldlie thing is that that as yet troubleth you The sicke Man Mine heart Sir is ouer-burdened with the weight of manie cares concerning this Life The Pastour Our Sauiour hath set downe a particular Precept concerning that Take heede said hee to your selues least at any time your heartes bee ouercharged with surfetting and drunkennesse and cares of this life Such cares may snow downe white haires vpon our hairie scalpe But it is onelie the godlie care the care of the Life to come that worketh Repentance neuer to bee repented of But come to the pārticulars The sicke Man I haue latelie bought some heritage my seruants are plowing it before I die I would wish once to reape the fruites thereof The Pastour To bee worldlie minded is death The command is gone foorth ' none can plead ignorance Loue not the world nor the things of the world Well is him that so liueth heere that he may be counted worthie to enjoy that world It is no time now Sir to thinke of ploughes yee must now leaue all for to follow Christ like Elisha who left his plowing for to follow his new vocation Take now a kisse of your dearest friendes and follow this great Elijah the Lord Iesus the Chariot of all his chosen and the Horse-men of his Israel The sicke Man My Lands are laboured the Haruest draweth neere there is a plentifull croppe vpon the ground Cornes and wheat and all abound The Pastour There is no solide comfort in Wheat or in Corne but onelie in Gods countenance I compare all worldlie things to the Tallow of a Candle and spirituall thinges to the flamme thereof If the Candle bee right set that the flamme bee vpmost the Candle will shin clearelie and giue light But if yee turne the Candle and holde the flamme downe it shall at once drowne in its owne tallow Euen so if the Soule of man bee well set that spirituall thoughts bee vpmost and worldlie cōsiderations sanctified which haue beene melted strained from their drosse be vnder that Soule will shine in holie life before men But if the flamme of the Spirit bee turned downe it will drowne vnder the droppes of such earthlie tallowe By this at last all our light dyeth out like a Candle so that our hearts that were once enlightned become lik a dampish dungeon I confesse so long as wee are here the fire of the Spirit within the best of vs is like ignis in materia fire in an earthlie matter from whence commeth euer some filthie reeke But when once wee shall bee aboue all places wherevnto no reeke can reach this spirituall flamme abstracted from all earthlie matter shall shine most clearlie into the presence of God for euer Are yee not yet Sir resolued Is not your desire now to bee dissolued The sicke Man The world is yet still in my mind I haue takē much paines into it am now but beginning for to get some ease I haue builded an house gladlie would I dwell some space into it Mine heart is sore yea it bleeds for to leaue this Lodging and neuer to come to it againe I had trimmed it for my pleasure and now behold shall I bee disappointed The Pastour There is no great matter of griefe Sir when a man changeth for the better What are all the sieled Palaces of Princes on earth but like the house of a Spider How soone are they all sweept away with the besome of vengeance when God is angrie What are all our dwellinges on earth but Dungeons in a dunghill Let not your
heart Sir bee on your house It is now time to mind the things that are aboue Eye vpon clay and stones What are all the royall Palaces of the world to these statelie houses aboue whereof the floore or pauement glisters with thousands of Starres as with as manie golden nailes o◅ twinkling Dya◅onds There the Sun the Moone the two great Iewels of Heauen shall bee vnder your feete which are now aboue our heade What is within no mortall tongue can tell S. Paul saw there some-thing but hee neuer reuealed it neither was it lawfull for him to declare what he had seene This one thing wee may know seeing the out-side of Heauen is so beautifull how pleasant must it bee within Heauen is like the Kinges Daughter whose whole beautie is within There is profite pleasure health wealth honour happinesse beautie blesse In a word there bee thinges that eye neuer saw neither eare heard yea which neuer could enter into the heart of man The sicke Man But alas must I then forsake all my wealth and so leaue all my treasures behind mee The Pastour Such treasures are but traitours though they bee counted gods God said to Magistrats I haue called you gods But hee neuer called gold god To call gold god is Ashdodien language Gods of gold must be forsaken for to goe to the God of Glorie What are all these worldlie thinges whereon naturall men so doe gaze What are they but idoles lying vanities To ouercome the loue of such lyers is the triumph of Trueth If Gods Arke be within our heart such Dagons will fall downe Turne therefore your eyes from such clay and minde the things that are aboue Manie gather riches as hee that earneth wages to put it into a bottomlesse bagge The first lesson of Christianitie is selfe denyall The Sicke Man How is it then Sir that a man must goe through this world for to come to Heauen The Pastour Euen as the Israelites desired to goe through the Land of Sihon the King of the Amorites for to come to Canaan the figure of Heauen Let mee goe through thy Land said Israel Wee will not turne aside into the fieldes nor into the vineyards neither drinke of the waters of the wells wee will goe by the Kings high way vntill wee be past thy Countrey It is so that wee must passe through this world for to come to that heauenlie Canaan we must not turne asid into the faire fields of pleasure nor drink our selues drunke in its vineyards But wee must follow directlie the rule of Gods Law the King of Heauens high way that so we may enter into Canaan What say ye Sir Is it not time to bee resolued The sicke Man Mine heart is pined within mee It is like to breake for sorrow when I looke to my little Children Who shortlie shal be fatherlesse Alas hard shall their estate be when I shall bee away who will take care of them The Pastour That which Christ said to Peter may bee said to you O man of little Faith why hast thou doubted Hath not God promised to shew mercie vnto thousands of these that loue him If the King of this Land should now come himselfe to your bed-stocke and say Iames or Iohn heere I giue to you mine hand befor God and good witnesse that I shall bee a Father to your Children after you and shall so prouide for them that they shall want nothing that may doe them good If yee heard such a man make such promises I thinke that yee should not bee in paine for the estat of your childrē And yet what is a King but a man But so it is that all men are lyares or may lie But God who can not lie hath giuen his Hand and his trueth to the faithfull man yea hath oblished himselfe by an oath and hath taken Heauen and Earth to bee witnesse that hee shall neuer forsake the godlie man nor his seede his promise is to thousands If yee beleeue God to bee true relye vpon his promise Let not the care of Children trouble you any more prepare your selfe for God and let Death bee welcome Put your house to an order in time Discharge your selfe of all worldlie burdens denude your hands and your heart of all temporall affaires that your Soule haue nothing to doe but to waite vpon your God It is not time to bee combered with the world while the whole heart should bee taken vp with heauenlie meditations It is now high time to thinke earnestlie vpon that life wherevnto yee are going by Death It would seeme Sir that yee are not contentas yet for to remoue What can this be that troubleth you shuld not your heart rejoyce to goe vnto your God The sicke Man I finde contrarie draughts within mee Your wordes indeede Sir beginne to worke vpon mine heart and to draw vp my Soule toward the pleasures that are aboue But againe I finde the desires of this life like weightie paisses drawing mee downe to the ground againe This is my regret Alas must I then leaue this world and the light thereof and neuer see it againe any more Shall I beholde man no more with the inhabitants of the worlde Shall I neuer see after this into the Land of the liuing any of all these whom I haue loued so well The Pastour Sir it shall bee your farre best to suffer the loue of Christ swallow vp the loue and all other considerations of worldlie thinges as Moses his serpent swallowed vp the serpents of the Magicians What euer seemeth pleasant into this world vnto the naturall eye it is but by juggling of the senses If we haue the grace of God this grace shall be indeede like as a foure nooked Clauer is in the opinion of some viz a most powerfull meanes against the juggling of the sight If wee could seeke this grace it would let vs see the vanitie of such thinges which beguile the naturall senses The eye of a mans Soule is betimes like the eye of a man come out of a bilious feuer all things seeme to him to bee yellow because of the bile which haue peruerted his sight Sathan can forge temptations like glasse of whatsoeuer colour hee pleaseth wherethorow all things seeme to bee of the colour of his temptations Thorow one glasse a mans owne spouse will seeme to be filthie Thorow another a bordel-whore will seeme to bee pleasant Thorow one the world will seeme to bee glorious thorow another the brightest heauens will seeme to bee but cloudes Thorow one fables will seeme to be Scripture thorow another Scriptures will seeme to bee but fables Thorow one if a man feast as Christ did hee will seeme to bee a glutt◅n thorow another if hee feast with the Baptist hee will seeme to bee a deuill The chiefe gripe of your temptation is in this that
knowledge the practise of his passions that which he had before only in contemplatiō is now also knowne vnto him by suffering that which he knew Others say That hee learned obedience by his sufferings that is Re ipsa expertus est quid sit patrem habere cut p◅rendum sit Hee knew by Experience what it was to haue a Father to whom obedience was due Thus Christ while hee learned obedience by his sufferinges hath teached all the faithfull to suffer patientlie As for that which yee said concerning Iob that his afflictions were only blowes of probation of tryall yee deceiue your selfe they were also for his sins Whenfore is the liuing man sorrowfull said Ieremie The answere is peremptorie man suffereth for his sinnes The sicke Man That seemeth not euer to bee true While Christs Disciples saw a man that was blind from his birth they asked Christ saying Master who did sin this man or his parents that hee was borne blind Iesus answered Neither hath this man sinned nor his Parents but that the workes of God should bee made manifest in him Oh that I were that borne blind that I were not afflicted for my sinnes but that the works of Gods mercy might bee manifested in mee The Pastour These words of Christ are not to bee taken so strictlie as though God would lay any affliction vpon a man in whom is no sinne This could not stand with the Iustice of God If Adam his Children had neuer sinned not one of them could haue beene stricken either with blindnesse or deafenesse This blind man then was not afflicted for his sins only or especially or as if he had bene a greater sinner thā others but chieflie this disease came vnto him that the workes of Gods power and mercie might bee made manifest by his cure So Dauid was sore afflicted for his adulterie and murther but chieflie for to stoppe the mouthes of these enemies of God whom hee by his scandle made to blaspheme God as yee see may afflict you for your sinnes and yet not chieflie for them but for to take a tryall of your patience or for to make others feare to sin when they shall perceiue by you how great paines a godlie Soule will suffer before that it can bee well reconciled vnto God againe The sicke Man I confesse Sir that ye speake with the tongue of the Learned But for all that I finde such temptations tumbling within mee that I may compare them to the swelling of Iordan My sinnes alas hudge in greatnesse stand vp like mountaines betweene mee and my God They are so high that they hide Heauen from my Soule What shall I doe Sir If euer yee helped mee helpe mee now with your comforts The Pastour Though these mountaines be high yet yee must clime the mount with Moses if ye would see Canaan So long as Moses was in the valey he could not see the typ of Heauen We must all clime vp the Hill Wee cannot see Christ before wee bee lifted from the Earth Wee are all but men of little stature like Zacheus Wee must therefore vp the tree with him and vp the mount with Moses before wee can see either Christ o◅ Canaan that place of promise Ye are sorie for your sinnes But sanat confessio morbi A sinne well confessed is healed But what sinnes be these Sir whose toppes reach so high that they hide the Sunne from you The sicke Man Alas for the sinnes of my Youth my Riot and my Drunkennesse my Chambering my wantonnes my strif and enuy Fye on my Fornications and Adulteries my lying and deceiuing Hypocrisie So I had a lampe of profession I cared not for oyle in it my chiefe care hath euer beene for the outward shell of my duetie but neuer for the Kernell Gods graces in mee haue beene like a pure liquor in a fustie vessell The Pastour I am glad to heare of these buffets of your Conscience such griefe is from grace I know what shall bee the euent euen Repentance neuer to bee repented of But say on The sicke Man This is my greatest griefe that I sinned into the light with Absolom euen in the cleare Sunne shine of the Gospel Now may I well be ranked with these who counted it pleasure to riot in the day time It were more easie for mee to number the sand than my sinnes The Pastour There is no sinne either of omission or commission in the light or in darknesse that can hinder God to bee mercifull to a sinner if the sinner can repent God who is infinit in mercie can forgiue the riots of the day sinnes of knowledge as well as night sinnes which are sins of ignorance There is one sinne of ignorance which shall neuer bee forgiuen euen to despaire of Gods mercie What ignorance is this that any Creature should thinke it selfe more sinfull than God can bee mercifull To make our sinnes to ouerreach his compassions were to make the Center to containe the Circumference If your sinnes bee in number like the sand Gods mercies are without number The greatest number that mans braine can inuent either by telling or by ciphering in comparison of that which is infinite is not so much as a droppe of a Bucket compared to the great Ocean The sicke Man I haue alas beene an impudent sinner who with my sinnes haue buffeted my God on euerie side It were now righteous with God that hee should buffet me with his judgements I slept in sinne and could not bee wakened While Christs Cocke crowed my Soule lay fast asl◅epe Yea while hee crowed againe I had past the third deny all And though I was forewarned I had none hoe in euill doing While God was in my mouth he was farre from mine heart O that bloodie scarlet scrole of so manie iniquities The Pastour As yee reason with your selfe and with mee so let it please you to reason but a little with your God Come now said the Lord let vs reason together Though your sinnes bee as scarlet they shall bee as white as snow though they bee red like crimsin they shall bee as woll There is no sin so red though it were double dyed but the vertue of Christs Blood can cause it cast its colour The sicke Man I haue no Faith to applie anie salue to my sore I heare your explication of Gods mercies But there is none application within mee What better will a man bee that yee set much meate downe before him on the Table if hee cannot eate it The Pastour Manie haue sit downe at Table hauing their appetit so bound vp at the first that they abhorred to see meate yet litle litle haue beene broght on first to taste thereafter to eate a little last of all one piece bringeth on another till they recouer their appetit This is but a disease in
hold and heaue vp like a buckler betweene Gods wrath and our sinfull Soules In what case finde yee your Conscience to bee for the present The sicke Man One deepe calleth to another deepe at the noyse of Gods water Spouts My sorrow is like the Sea it ebbeth and it floweth As I haue swimmed thorow one deepe temptation I fall into another that is deeper My braine is turned with a whirling giddinesse The Pastour There is no such deepnesse either in our sinnes or in our troubles but the mercie of God in Christ shall bee able to ouer-reach it by innumerable fathomes S. Paul said that hee was assured that neither high nor depth shall bee able to separate vs from the loue of God Though affliction raine downe vpon vs like water falling from spouts they may well wash vs but shall not bee able to drowne vs A godlie man should not be afraide for a spoâ—… full of bitter waters Though thâ—… waters of the sea roare be troubled Though the Mountaines shake with the swelling thereof yea though the surges thereof should boast the cloudes heere is the faithfull mans comfort There is a riuer the streames whereof shall make glad the Citie of God Thogh the Mediterranean Sea yea the great Ocean with its surges should boast Gods Ierusalem a little riuer or brooke a Kidron of Gods grace sending out streames of comfortes like the waters of Siloe shall make glad the Citie of God The sicke Man But how shall I passe thórow to Canaan behold before mee what floodes of iniquities ouerflowing their bankes as in the swelling of Iordan Such fearefull floodes ruâ—… betweene me and Heauen 〈◊〉 place appointed for my 〈◊〉 The â—…our 〈◊〉 â—…oake with the garment 〈◊〉 Christes righteousnesse will diuide the floodes of Belial as Elisha diuided the Iordan by striking it with the mantle of Elijah that hee might safelie passe thorow Christes merits are like the Arke which made the Iordan to goe backe for to make a way for Israel vnto Canaan Our heartes like the Priestes must stand hard by the side of this Arke till all our affections the Lords Armies be come thorow the swelling Iordan of grieuous afflictions The sicke Man While I beholde my selfe I abhorre my selfe The eye of my God seeth mee and what am I but like a bemired Dogge trodde by Sathan into the puddle of perdition Alas when good motions came into â—…e heart I crosed them with my lustes Now cursed be my lusts I am so filthâ—… â—…hat I abhorre my selfe my sinnes are so 〈◊〉 that nothing is able to make them 〈◊〉 The Pastour Know yee Sir what God said of olde in Isaiah Come now and let vs reason together though your sins be as scarlet they shall bee as white as snow though they be red lâ—…k crimsin they shall bee as vvoole If yee could but reason a little with God ye should find this to be true There is no sinne which Christes blood is not able to purge What euer your sinne be if yee can repent he can forgiue Christ can doe anie thing butthis hee cannot saue him that will not repent Seeing yee know him to bee infinite in mercie haue all your recourse to him Take once a proofe of his mercie Humble your selfe at his feete and see whether or not there bee mercie with him that hee may bee feared The seruants of Benhadad knowing that the Kings of Israel were mercifull Kings Put sack-clotâ—… vpon their loynes ropes vpon their heads for to seeke mans mercie which also they found Shall man finde merâ—… into the narrow bowels of a man and 〈◊〉 hee bound the holie One of Israel Christ who is not onelie true but Trueth it selfe hath said Whatsoeuer yee shall aske in my Name that vvill I doe Hee who is true may lye but Trueth can not lye The sicke Man That is trueth While I consider your comfortes for the distressed Soule I thinke that all your purpose pointeth chieflie at Christ as though hee alone were the ground of Grace Let mee heare I pray you more at large what Christ is vnto vs. The Pastour Hee is Emmanuell God with vs God with man God in Man God-Man In Him God and Man are but one Person Our life is hid with Christ in God Because wee did eate of the forbidden Fruite Hee was hanged vpon a cursed tree Hee hath borne vs such a loue as is vnspeakeable What tongue 〈◊〉 forme wordes sufficieâ—…â—…or to expresse the least part of the same By the conduite pype of his Humanitie Grace for Grace hath beene conueighed to our graceles Soules who can expresse his Loue hee loueth vs to the end and of his Loue there is none end This I will say That hee hath borne to man such a loue that hath made all mankind like a Banquerupt so farre vnable to pay the principle that though man should loue his Sauiour withall his might and his minde yet should hee not pay so much as the interest of so great a loue No though hee should giue his bodie to bee brunt for the honour of his Name No though he should for his sak haue his name if it were possible scraiped out of the Booke of Life Though all our Soules should suffer for his honour the euerlasting paines of the damned all these paines were not to bee counted the interest of his paines for vs It is more that a Prince get a deadlie hurt in a Battell thaÌ„ that a thousand common Souldiers were slaine It is more that the Prince of Heauen suffered vpon the crosse but an houre than that a thousand worlds had beene cast into a thousand hells for to bee tormented for euer There is no proportion in suffering betweene the creature him who was both God and Man into one person O then what can be the interest of that principall loue that moued God to die for man Let this bee like a Bell ringing for to waken your drowsie Soule Let your Soule like Iohn leane vpon the blessed bosome of Iesus Haue euer your eye vpon this Mercie-seat The sicke Man Is it onelie then in Christ Sir that Saluation is to bee found All Scripture would yee say doeth leauell at him The Pastour The Scripture is plaine There is none other Name giuen vnder heauen among men whereby wee must bee saued Hee is full of the bowels of loue Hee is that onelie Sauiour pointed out by both the Testaments Like as the two Cherubims though seuered one from another yet looked one towards another and both vpon the Mercie seate Euen so the Olde and New Testament looke one towards another yet point at one the same Christ the marrow and kernell of mans Saluation All Religion is in this that wee know Christ This is mans Saluation to know Christ and him crucified
By his Blood the Bill and Bond of the Law is crost and cancelled Hee is that Carkasse wherevnto all faithfull Soules like Eagles must resort Hee is our refuge against the dint of Gods wrath The Spouse could not come vp from the wildernesse but by leaning vpon her beloued Christ. As the Propitiatorie couered the Tables of the Law that were in the Arke so Christ couered our sinnes against these Tables As the cloud couered the Israelites from the fight of Pharaoh hotelie following after them so Christs righteousnesse like a cloud couered vs from the judgements of God his fierie wrath pursuing vs. Let men couer themselues neuer so carefullie still some part of them shall peepe bare vntill Christ come with the couering of his righteousnesse If by the temptations of Sathan your Soule hath beene ruffled or galled vpon the sore The best balme that euer dropped from the pen of Gods Spirit vpon the leaues of his Sacred Booke is the Historie of Christs Bloodie passion There wee may see the dearest mercies that euer moued the relenting bowels of Gods tenderest compassions Behold the Sacred Blood of that vnspotted Lambe which saued the Soules of those that spilt it If yee bee pined with Corrasius of terrour in him are Cordials of compassions the onelie salue for the sores of the Soule Though ye were couered with scarlet abominations heere is vertue whereby yee shall be made whiter than the snow Did hee not pray for them yea did hee not saue them who by bitter railing discharged vpon him the vtmost of their gall The sicke man Such men at last were pricked in their heartes they truelie repented Their sighes and sobs were supported sinewed with the strength of Grace Such men became godly indeede But I did neuer passe the pitch of formall pietie I euer desired more to seeme godlie than so to be I haue beene betimes sore shaken with awfull terrours But I neuer yet could say that the softening blood of Iesus did melt my marble heart What euer had I but some light of reason glimmerings of generall grace which cannot soare so high as to conuoy the soule to the doores of Heauen The word of sauing grace implanteth it selfe into the heart of the godlie man Hee onelie is furnished with a resolute vnswayed vprightnesse Alas alas alas mine heart is throwen with a sore wringing There is a large haruest for Hell many called but few chosen The Pastour What shall I say Mans thoughts are framed into a sinfull mould The sillie sonnes of Adam are wonderfullie tossed with the contrarie Tyd◅ of Satans temptations Some he benumeth with the sweetnes of Sec◅ritie others hee troubleth with the tartennesse of terrours O but Sathans Balow is sweete to the Soule in the craddle of Securitie But O how dreadfull shall hee bee when hee appearing grieslie and fierce vnto the Soule shall waken it with a cry and a glowre saying Damned soule come out to fire faggot come out to vnqueancheable brimstone beames come out to weeping and gnashing of teeth A man after this manner wakened in conscience is like a man wakened out of his sleepe on a sudden At the first hee is in such a maze that till hee bee better wakened he cannot well vnderstand what is said to him All his thoughts are into an hurlie burlie Then his outward rebellions and his inward repynings with all his abominations seeme to fall downe vpon him like cloudes of blood There bee no comforts that can settle his feares till the Spirite of grace appeare vnto him in the calme Looke vp with your eye Sir and seeke a blinke of the face of Iesus Hee onelie is the Prince and Pryce of our Peace our joye and our libertie If the Sonne make vs free wee shall bee free indeede Wrestle with him vse violence in an holie boldnesse vis Deo grata In him are the lasting treasures of mercie and immortalitie Hee it is onelie who can make this biting Conscience to bee toothlesse he onelie can command this raging sea I know Sir that your sorrowes are sore and my Soule pittieth you for I see you in the verie pangs and terrours of the new birth I perceiue your Soule gasping for grace as the drie and thirstie ground for droppes of raine The sicke Man O the boisterous blastes of temptations able to make the tallest and deepest rooted Cedars to stagger yea the Sirion to skippe like an Vnicorne What shall I doe The Pastour Seeing Christ alone is our protection and perfection let all your courage bee in him In him yee must bee valiant for none but the valiant can by violence enter into the Kingdome of God If a man know Christ well hee shall not be discouraged though hee were cast into a raging sea of temptations Though a mā were cast into a gulfe of twenty fathome deepe if hee can keepe his head aloft he cannot be drowned So as long as Christ our Head is aboue wee his members may well bee dowked but wee cannot bee drowned All Christian comforts runne vpon him like the title of a Booke wherein is contained the substance of the whole If Christ Sir bee yours yee cannot perish Hee who is rooted in him can neuer bee rooted out The sicke Man But how can Christ bee mine seeing I am but a bagge of corruption a bodie of Death What hath mine heart beene but like a vipers bellie filled with a deadly brood Miserable man that I am will Christ euer daine to looke vpon such a vile wretch as I am who hath turned my Christian libertie in a fleshlie licence The Pastour These who are least into their own eyes are in greatest account with him When yee heare of the wandring sheepe brought home and of the lost groat found and of the forlorne Sonne returned to his Father Ye should cast your figure say Of whom is this written but of mee for whom is it written but for mee If yee sticke fast by him no perrell shall make an haire of your head to perish Bee of good comfort for your life is hid with Christ in God The sicke Man I am so vile that hardlie darre I presume to think that Christ would die for such a filthie rotten creature as I am who from the sole of tbe foote to the crowne of the head is filled with botches boiles and putrifying sores When I behold my selfe into the glasse of Gods Law I abhor the monstrous face of my Soule I am one of those in whom Satan hath parbreaked and spewed the spawne of all sorts of sinne Of all sinners I am the first For I haue not sinned of ignorance but of knowledge against the light of my mind against the voyce of my God against the workings of his Spirit against the cryes of
mans journey vnto Heauen Read into it That thorow manie tribulations wee must enter into the Kingdome of Heauen euen thorow burning Riuers of Brimstone The sicke Man But alas they come thorow all their troubles were at last deliuered But I see none appearance that God will doe the like to mee I haue beene prodigall of the peace of my Conscience my sinnes doubled doe daylie ripen Gods wrath against mee In all liklie-hood Gods decree is gone out that I should porish * My Faith faileth mee Hope is flowne away Oh for that peace in belieuing The Pastour As by bitter Succorie the burning blood is cooled and refreshed so by such bitter bloodie blowes the pride of life is subdued hemmed within a compasse By such to◅turing and tormenting feares The good Lord is working for your well that thereby hee may driue you from all selfeconceate◅nesse partiall ouervaluing of your own worth It is Gods custome by such means to doublem as zeale to blow at the smoaking flaxe till the weak reeking sparkle of grace bee kindled into a bright burning flam By such troubles and temptations the good Lord keepeth your Soule in watchfulnesse Many in this world sleepe soundlie in their sinnes beeing fullie stuft and swelled therewith and for all that neuer waken till they be wakened in ye◅re of Hell Others who are troubled with some inward checkes runne◅ to Tauerns for to drowne their sorrow for sinne by powring in of strong drinke Others thinke to smoke it out by the ◅eeke of Tabacca Some runne to the di◅ne of the vvorld among loud laughters As the Israelite◅ in Tophe◅ sounded their Drummes that they should not beare the squeeles of their Infants burning in the fire so so go some about by the noise of sports worldlie joyes to deafen so their Soules that they should not heare the shrighes of their troubled Conscience But all such comforts and companiourie are like that red wine giuing colour in the cuppe and mouing it selfe aright But what is the end of all Such things may seeme to coole refresh for a space lik as when a burnt finger is dipped into cold water vvhere one qualitie encirculoth another But shortlie after that little an◅iperistasis is past in come doubled dolours with all the anwels of the principall summe at last all such drunke comforts bite like a Serpent and sting like a Cockatrice as doeth the drunkards best claret wine Well is that Soule which God in mercie exerciseth daylie either vvith one crosse or other not suffering it to be rocked and lulled with Sathans balowes in the cradle of Securitie Rejoyce then in tribulation put all your trust in God yea though hee should slay you inwarpe your selfe in the Mantle of his mercies Relye vpon him with vvhō nothing is imposible He vvho can make the great Camell passe thorow the needle eye can open the narrow gate and let your Soule enter into his Rest. Learne of the Father of the faithfull to belieue in hope against hope God thinketh himselfe most glorified vvhen men belieue in him while there is least outward appearance His delight is to allure in the wildernesse vvhere is least appearance Forget neuer that couragious words of Iob Though he should slay mee yet will I trust in him Not to haue Faith except vvee feele and see is to be faithlesse vvith Thomas vvhile hee said that hee vvould not belieue till hee vvas assured by the tvvo vvitnesses of his senses viz. Sight and Feeling Christ out of pittie granted to him contentment of ◅enle but with a sore a nipping checke Because thou hast seene mee thou hast belieued blessed are they that haue not seene and yet belieued If yee would bee blessed belieue before yee either feele or see Hee who brought meate out of the de◅ourer and light out of darknesse can inlighten your mistie minde The sicke Man What then would yee me to doe Sir while within and without I can perceiue no token of comfort none appearance of fauour seeing hee hath hid his countenance from my Soule what thinke yee best that I should doe The Pastour Doe as Isaiah did I will said he waite vpon the Lord that hideth his face from the house of Iakob and I will looke for him God is like a Mother that cannot forget her Child She may hide her selfe a little and let it get a knocke that it may feare and learne to beware of greater dangers Though God gloume in outward countenance at the faultes of his Children yet in his heart are euer thoughts of peace and of mercie Of this Dauid produced two witnesses Once I heard saide hee yea twise that mercie belongeth to God Once in all appearance hee heard this read or preached by the Prophets and another time by the Spirit the inward teacher of the Soule Behold how the Spirit and the Word once yea twise both outwardlie and inwardlie haue testified that mercie is with God yea as a thing which most properlie belongeth vnto him In your more sober moode and cold blood yee shall confesse this to bee true God for a space will seeme to bee vncouth Hee as Naomie bade Ruth returne home with her Sister ◅rpah will bidde a sinner goe seeke his comforts in his bypa◅t pleasures But if with Ruth hee see him stedfastlie minded he will incontinent leaue off such speaking The sicke Man I know that God is full of mercie Of this the Deuils did neuer doubt Within the compasse of his compassions is mercie for a thousand worlds but what is that to mee How shall I come by it The Pastour The Scripture is plaine Aske said Christ and yee shall receiue seeke and yee shall finde Sticke to him with a truely Christiā vnshakē resolutiō What euer yee shall seeke from the Father in my Name said Christ hee will giue it vnto you If yee beleeue Christ to bee true practise his precept Take once but a proofe of his promise seeke in the Name of Iesus whatsoeuer thing may doe you good and see whether or not God shall proue faithf◅ in his promise * Before that a man will distrust another hee will first at least bee beguiled once Vpon Christs words then with freedome of Spirit Aske seeke and knocke and see whether or not your Soule shall bee answered with these three viz receiuing finding and opening There is a worthie historie in the Gospel which pointeth at this that we should doe what Christ Commandeth though there be litle appearāce of any good successe After that Christ had teached the people out of Peters ship the Sermon beeing ended the Lord said vnto Simon Launch out into the deepe and let downe your nettes for a draught Simon answered said vnto him Master we haue toiled all the night and haue token nothing neuerthelesse at thy word
â—…aging yet the Soule hauing peace with God is at last after a litle space made free of all its fearâ—… is made sensible of that truce atonement euen of that Peace which passeth all vnderstanding The sicke Man I would earnestlie learne of you how a man whose Conscience is troubled may recouer that Peace which once hee had The Pastour The best methode I know is that a man ripe first vp his Conscience and spy what mot of sinne is fallen into his Conscience which is the eye of the Soule The eye beeing hurt will water powre out teares so must the Conscience bee sore grieued for offending of God Secondlie out of this griefe it must sigh before the Lord in feruant prayer first for forgiuenesse chieflie of that sinne which lyeth heauiest vpon the heart Thirdlie and last of all the Soule must sute earnestly for the restoring of that joye After this manner Dauid did proceede in that penetentiall Psalme First of all he was exceedinglie grieued which griefe did burst out in wordes watered with teares Haue mercie vpon mee O God according to thy louing kindnesse c. Thus after hee had cryed for to bee washen purged with Hysope hee cryed that God would restore vnto him the joys of his Saluation Aboue all thinges let such a person bee often groaning to God in prayer for to catch some blinke of Gods reconcealed face in Iesus his bloodie woundes That blood of sprinkling is the onelie Salue for the sores of the Soule To all this let not these helpes bee neglected viz. that such troubled Soules make vse of good Bookes by whose helpe their deuotion may bee roused vp for to remember the dayes of olde My chiefe counsell is that such persons fixe stedfastlie the eye of their Faith vpon Iesus bleeding on the Crosse wherevpon hee payed our ransome and triumphed ouer all the enemies of our Saluation This is the trueth whereof Israel had the typ in the brasen Serpent which healed al the be holders My counsell also is that such troubled persons frequent the Sermons of powerfull Preachers and seeke conference with them whom God hath stamped with a powerfull gift of Teaching and integritie of life men who haue had great experience in the wayes of God and who haue smarted themselues at other times by such fearefull nipping checks men who are not ignorant of the Deuils deuices It is said of Christ himselfe the Orient and Day-spring That in all things it behoued him to bee made like vnto his Brethren that hee might bee a mercifull and faithfull high Priest in things pertaining to God to make reconciliation for the sinnes of the people For in that he himselfe hath suffered being tempted hee is able to succour them that are tempted See how it behoued Christ himselfe for to suffer temptation that hee might bee able to succour vs in our temptations While the troubled sinner is in doing all these dueties he must carefullie watch ouer all his wayes that by no sin either in thought word or deede hee grieue the Spirit of God againe For a new sinne thrust vpon the hearte will make all the closed woundes of the Conscience to gap and to bleed afresh A Soule that is become relaps shall finde God harder to bee intreated than of before not without much adoe shall it get peace that after by any knowne sin it hath quarrelled againe the Spirit of comfort But indeede hee or shee whose Conscience hath beene once well lashed with Gods whip and battered with his blowes had rather run throw a fire than anger the Lord againe At the first appearance of a temptation they will start for feare and with a sigh will cry to God with a trembling voyce O my God how should I thinke this wickednesse let bee to doe it Who knoweth the power of thy wrath According to thy feare so is thine anger Too too many in this Nation affect this sicknesse of Conscience as beeing onelie the disease of the holiest This they will vtter as ye would thinke with bleeding groanes before men while indeede they are but scorning the world sporting wantons laughing vnder a painted maske of miserie Their teares are praeficarum lachrymae teares without trouble water sold for the wind of mans praise They are spots in the Church which make the wayes of God to bee euill spoken of such open a wide doore vnto Atheisme The sicke Man Fye vpon hypocrisie God will not bee scorned there is nothing so secret but at last it shall bee made manifest I am assured that who for to caâ—…ch mens applauses faine a mourning for their sinnes the Lord shall suffer them to fall either in some scandalous sinne or other fearefull inconuenient whereby they shal be forced in earnest to mourne to their shame In my judgment there is no such bitter and comfortlesse mourning as is that of these for their manifested sinnes who once did most faine deepe groanes for catching of applauses The Pastour To such may well bee applyed that of the Prophet Thine owne wickednesse shall correct thee thy back-slydings shall reproue thee know therefore and see that it is an euill thing and bitter that thou hast forsaken the Lord thy God and that my feare is not in thee saith the Lord God of Hostes. Let no man sport in secret sinnes were it in a thought for that which hath wings will declare the matter The sicke Man I haue often beene seeking out the reason wherefore the wicked in the world for the most part know not what trouble of Conscience meaneth What thinke yee The Pastour Their heauen is on earth Dauid seeing their peace and prosperitie did beare them at enuie yea so that his feete were almost gone They are not in trouble said hee in trouble like other men neither are they plagued like other men c. Euen at their death he could perceiue no bands of any vehement paines after that the whole space of their life they had enjoyed morethan their heart could wish How euer it bee that they prosper in this world yet certainlie if a man will goe and seeke God in his Sanctuarie there hee shall tell him that hee hath sette them in slipperie places and that when hee awaketh hee shall despise their image There is a hell for them after the heauen of this earth The sicke Man I would gladlie bee instructed of you that I might discerne betweene the true solide Peace of conscience which the godlie enjoye and that senslesse benummednes of the wicked wherein they beeing deceiued cry Peace peace euen while God is putting the fierie lunt vnto the mosine of their sudden destruction Let mee heare of the peace both of the one and other I thinke all men should studie to marke the difference The Pastour The Reprobates who haue their portion in this life will seeme indeede to haue that true Peace of Conscience because
nothing within troubleth them Their peace indeede is nothing but a dead benum nednesse of spirit their Conscience beeing Seared is not capable of feeling I shall giue you two speciall marks whereby yee shall discerne a true Peace and quietnesse of Conscience from the dead benummednes which the wicked haue First a Conscience which hath Gods Peace is awfull of sinne wittinglie and willinglie for a world it would not despite the Spirite of grace But the wicked who is in a false peace flitteth from sinns to sinne as a Flie from scab to scab laying all his burden securelie vpon the broad shoulders of Gods mercie Secondlie the seared dead Conscience of the wicked hath but a part of that which is called Peace Their heartes will bee senslesse of all euill they will haue no warre within no sorrow is there But as they haue no spirituall sorrow for their sinnes committed neither haue they anie spirituall joye for the sense of their sinnes remitted Heere then know the true Peace of God in the Conscience The vnspeakable griefe for sinne is asswaged the fearefull qualmes are calmed the raging and roaring tempests are allayed the swelling seas are fallen and ebbed God is come in the calme not onelie for to wype away the teares of sorrow frō their eyes but also for to fill their mouthes with laughters of joye So not onely are they voyd at last of the sense of most terrible horrors but they are sensible of a joye which will make them to daunce with Dauid before the Arke yea to laude the Lord at a Stake amidst tarrie poudered flames of fire This is that continuall feaste which cheareth the godlie Soule amidst the bloodie bickerings of Sathan and burning persecutions of mercilesse missacrours Let all men try their Peace at this Touchstone if not onely they finde their former paines lessened but also a joye in GOD whereby their Soule is feasted with such contentmēt that for all the gold of Ophir they wold not losse it their estat is doubtlesse happie Who euer hee be that findeth this hee may sing to GOD Glorie be to God in the highest heauens peace on earth and toward my Soule good will The sicke Man Blessed be God who hath inlightened your eyes for the spying out of that remarkable difference betweene the true and false peace of mens Conscience Ineuer heard it so clearelie discussed O but Sathan is euer busie to mar this Peace of the godly who wil not war wage battel vnder his colours I haue seen these who are now godlie before their conuersion to be verie vaine light and wanton sinners while they thus did runne ryote in sinne with the wicked world I haue seene them most mirrie and solacious companie I often wondered to see them dance and sing roare reuell I could see no bands of sorrowes in their life They neuer complained of Satans malice against them But so soone as once they beganne to loue the Preaching of the Worde and to loath the carnall pleasures which once they loued I haue seene them againe so courbed downe with griefe and mainelie crossed as though it had no more beene they Sathan letteth them nor rest neither night nor day The Pastour In that is no wonder Sathan will bee verie loath to trouble his owne So soone as hee hath lulled them asleepe into the credle of securitie he will bee verie carefull that none waken them Out of a counterfeit loue hee will adjure the watch-men by the Roes and by the Hindes that they waken not his beloued till he please Hee will say of him as Christes Disciples said of Lazarus but in another sense If hee sleepe hee shall doe well See how carefull Sathan is for the rest of his owne lest that being wakned they runne away from him This Christ himselfe in the dayes of his flesh made cleare by a similitude When said hee a strong man armed keepeth his Palace his goods are in peace So long as Sathan like a strong armed man keepeth the palace of a wicked mans heart his alone so that none bee welcome but hee hee will let that man bee lest that by troubling and disquieting his peace hee grow sorie and mislike his seruice But if once hee perceiue the Soule to shrinke seeking an occation to bee quite of him hee will put all the powers of hell in armes and vproare and will driue furiouslie lik Iehu for to regaine it againe into his kingdome While a Theefe or a murtherer is in the stockes fast in fetters the Iaylor will bee merrie and will sing besides him as though hee were his friend but if the most secret houre of the night hee heare him knocking off his bolts and perceiue him to haue escaped hee will waken all the citie and pursew him with hue and with cryes Sathan is like the Iaylor a peaceable spirit so long as the Soule is fast in his fetters and clogged with his bolts in a deepe dungeon But if once hee perceiue that the Spirit of Iesus hath as the Angel did to Peter in the prison smot him on the side and raised him vp making all his chaines to fall from him and that the man ariseth vp quicklie and girdeth himselfe and bindeth on his Sandales and casteth his garment about him as Peter did for to runne and follow his God it is a wonder how that cruell Spirit will roare and rage like a Beare bereeued of her whelpes If hee gette a grippe of the poore man hee will cause him roare with gasping groans till God come with an helping hand The sicke Man Indeede Sir yee by your both plaine and learned discourse haue dispelled the mist of many difficulties The last difficultie wherein my Soule did sticke as yee may remember was concerning my Faith which I concluded not to bee because I had no peace of Conscience This did marre and deface all my comforts My ground was from the Apostle whose wordes are That beeing justified by Faith we haue peace toward God I haue heard you declare that a man may haue Faith yet for some space not to bee sensible of that peace O my God let thy mercie be closelie applyed to my Soule strengthen my Faith that I may grippe and apprehend it with a sure and euerlasting hold Oh that my soule might lye downe in that peace that passeth all vnderstanding I am sore troubled with a weake and wauering heart which is yet tossed and swayed to and fro with doubts and difficulties lik a feather in the wind Alas Sir I complaine of the weakenesse of my Faith That Faith must be strōg which is able to draw downe Saluation from the heauens and batter downe strong holds and ouerthrow principalities and powers and conqueare and subdue tame represse and repell our strongest corruptions Let mee see I pray you any partiticulare example of a weake Faith wherby any at any time haue beene
was the chiefe entiser of him vnto sinne by bearing him in hand that it was an easie thing after many sinfull pleasures enjoyed to returne vnto God whose fauour and kindnesse might bee procured by and by without anie labour But now Father while he seeth his day declining the Sun of his life neare its setting of an Entiser hee is become an Accuser striuing by all meanes to cause him make shipwrack vpon the bankes of despare Night and day hee vexeth and teareth his Soule by whispering into his eare most impudent lyes against thy Trueth viz. That hee is so miserable that thou art not able to be mercifull vnto him He suggesteth most craftily that it is in vaine for him to sue to thee for thy grace that there is none hope of mercie left for such a sinner that there is none accesse vnto the Throne of Grace for the prayers of such a miserable wretch and that it is no purpose for him to pray But what LORD thou who art Trueth it selfe wilt thou suffer this father of lyes to trouble still thy Seruant Wilt thou heareanie longer thine infinite mercie thus reproached and reuiled as though thou were not able to paâ—…don the faultes of thine owne poore creature What is that to say but that God shall cease to be that God whose mercie is aboue all his workes O LORD most mercifull can the sinfull scarlet rednesse and the Crimsin colour of mans corruptions bee â—…o dyed that it cannot bee washen away with the Blood of thy Lambe O seale vp the sense of thy loue in his heart make thy Spirit to whisper in his eare that mercie is with thee that thou may bee both feared and loued Shall anie thing LORD withhold the heart broken sinner from the Throne of Grace Is not this the voyce of thy Spirit Come vnto mee all ye that are wearied and ladened with sinned Is not thy promise written in thy Booke that thou wilt ease them O most louing Father euen in despite of Sathan and his most despitfull suggestions make his Soule bolde and confident that it may aduenture it selfe to the mercifull Throne of thy Grace Cleare and cleanse his eyes from the Spirituall goare of sin that with Simeon he may see thy Saluation which thou hast prepared before the face of all people O deare IESVS deliuer his Darling from the power of the Dogge Incline thine eares and heare the grieuous groanes of this poore prisoner Make him a prisoner of hope Turne thee now about and refresh his wearied heart with a blinke of thy mercie Shew him the light of thy Countenance and hee shall bee saued Enlarge his heart that thy Graces finding a spacious roome may plentifully harbour in his soule Alas LORD what shall we say if thou shalt say to him I haue no delight in thee Behold heere hee is doe to him as shall seeme good in thine owne eyes Thou hast not forgotten neither can thou forgette but that thy delight is in mercie Where sinne doeth abound shall not there thy Grace abound much more Thou LORD hast often bathed this sillie Soule in most bitter brimie teares Thou hast hid thy selfe from it and it hath beene troubled Now amid the vexations of so many temptations blinke vpon him with a reconcealed face O GOD of Battels in this Bartell of the Soule send downe thy strength for to guarde him against the assaultes of Satan who pursueth him so eagerly with most sharpe and fearefull afâ—…aultes like a Dogge hunting after a sillie straggling sheepe Though for a space thou suffer him to bee buffeted with a messenger of Sathan yet let him know that thy Grace shall bee sufficient for him Let thy right hand hold him vp and let thy gentlenesse make him great Renew his heart with the power of thy Spirit reinuest him with the image of thine holinesse which once hee lost in Adam Cast his Spirit againe in thine owne mouâ—…d At last LORD put Sathan to silence let thine owne Spirit speake vnto this Sicke in his inward partes Say vnto his Soule I am thy Saluation Make thy good Spirit of comfort to whisper in his eare that thou aâ—…t well pleased and that thou hast receiued a ransome Such wordes of mercie will bee a blessed Balmeâ—… wherby thou shalt heale this sorrow beaten Soule stung with a checke and smart for his sinnes Though LORD hee hath but some poore beginnings of Grace in a time wee confesse when thy graces in him should haue beene ripe for that glorie which is now shortly to bee reuealed vnto him yet notwithstanding let it please thee of thy meere mercie to pittie and â—…don Remember thy mercies of old which were neuer wont to break the bruised reede nor to quench the smoaking flaxe If thy great mercie be not his strength and stay he must needs bee ouercome For whom hath hee in Heauen but thee Or who is on earth whom hee can desire besides thee O Thou whom his Soule loueth tell him where thou makest thy flock to rest at Noone in the greatest heate of affliction Seeing he seeketh after thee onelie let him bee refreshed with thy comforts for why should he turne aside by the flockes of thy companions Consider well wee pray thee LORD how bene he hath vexed and d squieted with many fearfull temptations now at last come with thine helping hand come and abate the force and furie of all his enemies whether within or without subdue their raging and reigning power that when the houre of his departing shall come hee may with Simeon depart in peace Stand LORD fast by him forsake him not in this perelous time Let thy Spirit guide and leade him in the Land of righteousnesse Let thy grace be vnto him a Sunne by day a Moone by night Take all impedimentes out of the way bridle so curbe all his vnrulie affections that they may fold vnder thine obedience Suppresse all his carcing heart deuiding cares whyp out of his heart all treacherous temptations Embalme his hearte with the sweetnesse of thy new fresh graces Settle in his Soule that godlie sorrow which cause Repentance neuer to bee repented of This sillie Soule LORD hath beene fearefullie tossed to and froe with the waues of thy wrath Let it please thee to command a calme Settle thou his heart and stablish it with thy free Spirit Mercifull GOD thou knoweth how Sathan hath sought to sift and to winnow him but of thy mercie thou shalt neuer suffer his Faith to faile Build vpon the Rocke which cannot bee shaken Through thy fauour giue him peace in belieuing and joye in the holy Ghost that by the grace and power of thy Spirit hee may finish his course with comfort Let in now be made manifest that his life hath beene hid with Christ in God Thou who hast numbered his haires obserue his griefe his groans pittie the crouding of thy Turtle-Doue Tak thou to heart the
wicked will refraine from outward scandals yea they may preach yea prophecie with Saul Cajaphas and Iudas so that they will bee wondered at like Soul among the Prophets or lik Simō magus to whom the world for a space gaue heede from the least to the greatest saying This man is the great power of God Manie hauing but this superficiall glistering of grace applaud and content themselues thinking that they are wise while they indeede are fooles By this Spirit also they will taste the good gift of God but an one they spite it out againe * Meate tasted in the mouth onelie and not let downe to bee digested in the stomacke is vnprofitable for nourishment By this same Spirit also they will bee inlightened so that they will loue the deare Sainctes of God and will reuerence them as King Herod did Iohn But heere is their stay they haue euer an Herodias which they will not forsake Some one reigning sinne or other like pestilent canker cleaueth fast vnto them and beareth rule into their mortall bodies Either one sinne or other secret or publicke must be their Darling And this againe like a mother sinne must haue a dancing daughter called Hatered of reproue whose chiefest sute is that the preacher were he an Iohn either want the head or else bee silenced This is the verie border of the wicked mās progresse with all his might and maine in the way to glorie Further I cannot see that hee can winne but onelie to a taste in the mouth of the goodnesse of Gods giftes and to a certaine or rather incertaine liking of that which is good which at last shall losse the head with the Baptiste before hee losse his pleasures with Herod Thus as ye see manie are deceiued with the false flashes of an euil grounded assurance that they are in the readie and right way to Heauen when as indeede they are but faggots prepared for euer lasting burnings The sicke Man There bee one passage in Scripture which hath often affrighted my Soule in it I see a Reprobate to ma◅ such a progresse in the way to Hearen that hardlie can I thinke that euer I did match him The Apostle saith 1. That hee will bee inlightened 2. That hee will taste of the heauēlie gift 3. That he will be made partaker of the holie Ghost 4. That hee will taste the good word of GOD. 5. That he will taste the powers of the world to come And yet for all that hee shall fall away so that hee can not bee renewed by Repentance and so shall die a Reprobate and last after death shall bee caried with the wicked into the same streame till he fall downe into the gulfe and poole of perdition I intreat you Sir to giue mee some light for the clearing of these wordes for often haue they troubled my Soule and dryuine it deepe into the dumps * At the first view of these wordes it would seeme that a man may get seisin of Heauen and yet thereafter bee diss◅ised by some sinnes and iniquities and depriued of all hope of eternitie The Pastour The Lord inlighten my mislie minde that I may cleare these your doubts to your well and contentment I confesse that at the first sight of these words I my selfe was amazed so that I did wonder how all that could bee Indeede at the first view as ye say it would seeme that a man may get seisin of Heauen and yet thereafter bee diss◅ised by one sinne or other whereby all his former vert◅es shall losse their grace But let a man lift vp his heart to God in prayer and thereafter consider well the words and weigh them in the Ballance of the Sanctuarie hee shall easilie perceiue that a Reprobate may bee endewed with all these giftes and after all bee debarred from entering into glorie In the words ye haue obserued fiue difficulties vnto which God willing I shall make answere seuerallie First of all it is said that the Reprobate who is but a Bellie blind will bee inlightened For to stād vnder this yee must first cōsider that into that place of Scripture the Apostle speaketh of Apostats that is of men that haue forsaken the true Religion which once they did professe for to become professors of lyes mē who haue reuolted from the Trueth after that the windowes of their Soule were shute close for to barreout the Light and that willinglie and of set purpose First then it is said That they were inlightned that is once they knew the Trueth For knowledge is light But because that hauing light they wanted loue God sent them strong delusions to belieue lyes S. Paul speaking of these that had but the light of nature the twilight of reason said That they were inlightened in such a sort that thereby they knew God But because that when they knew God they glorified him not as God neither were thankefull but became vaine in their imaginations how grieuous was their punishment A little after both their sinne and their punishment is more plainely ser downe Euen saīth hee as they did not like to retaine God in their knowledge God gaue them ouer in a Reprobate minde That is hee put out and quenshed that little light of Nature which once they had as hee tooke the Talent from the idle man that rolled it vp into a napkin The greater that light bee within a mā if it be abused the greater is the punishment which is for to ensue But to come to that Light wherewith a Reprobate brought vp in the Church may be inlightened The Light of knowledge within a man who hath not the loue of the Trueth is but like the light of a blazing Comet which shortlie dyeth out and filleth the world with a pestiferous stinke An Apostate on earth is lik a Comet in the heauens a star but in appearance Such men with all their apparent eminences of zeale and dazeling shewes bee but blazing starres such as the Dragon is said to sweepe downe with his taile * S. Iude calleth them wandering starres they keepe not their Station They are Planets in their motion and Comets in their substance not fixed in the heauens but kindled meteores in the aire which seeme to bee in the heauens and therefore they losse at last their light so that as S. Iude saith To them is reserued blacknesse of darknesse Such may haue the spirit of illumination for the good of others without the Spirit of Sanctification for the good of their own Soules Though they haue some light of knowledge yet in loue and life they walke by the darke side of the cloude with the Egyptians There is Loue and Light in the life of all true Israelites whose course is by the light side of the fierie Pillar The wicked for the most parte are with the Sodomites either stricken with blindnesse or if they see they
vices masked with the appearance of vertues Such formal holie persons come farre short of being in Christ Iesus in whom all true goodnesse is most liuelie incorporate The sicke Man I haue heard you Sir discusse verie pertinentlie foure difficulties the fift and last and greatest is behind Often haue I wondered what could bee the true sense meaning thereof the words are these Hee will taste of the powers of the world to come What can a Reprobate haue to doe with the world to come I vnderstand not well these words The Pastour Indeed Sir they want not difficulty Some of the Learned thinke with S. Chrysostome That by the powers of the world to come are to bee vnderstood the powerfull working and miracles vnder the Gospel which in respect of the Lawe vvas called The world to come as if the dayes of the Gospel were the dayes of a new world since Christ that Day spring from on high and most glorious Sunne of Righteousnesse did appeare for to inlighten euerie man that commeth into this world But in my judgement that bee more subtile than solide I had rather thinke that Reprobats are said to taste of the powers of the world to come when they finde some sort of sweetnesse in God with a kind of desire to bee out of this world for to bee with God into the Heauens Such a desire betimes will make their heartes flutter vp toward these heauenlie Mansions But such fluttering desires wanting the feathers of Faith incontinent come short and fall downe againe with a jumpe Hee hath not a settled constancie nor well grounded resolution God at some times will let the Wicked see some glimpse of his glorie as it were a lightning that passeth most swiftlie avvay vvhich for a little space in the darke night letteth a man see that vvhich is before him But so soone as it is past his eyes become more dazeled and darkened thā they were of before such powers are but painted powers They are indeede like the liuing powers as an Image is like a man but they want the heart of godlinesse Thus according to my knowledge in a serious and impartiall search is all the vvicked mans progresse toward the kingdome of glorie All the best graces that hee hath are but glances of graces and dreames of glorie euen extreme pouertie glorious sinnes beautifull abominations These be Gods limets who hath said to him as hee said to the proud vvaues Hitherto shall yee come and no further Such a man in his best estate and conceit is but an Hypocrite lurking vnder the Canopie of a counterfeit profession His best estate is both broken and bankerupt in spirituall thinges For a space such a man may goe pleasantlie like a Shippe before the vvind but at last downe commeth a blast of judgment and sinketh him downe irrecouerablie into the bottome of hell The sicke Man I am glad to haue heard the solutions of these fiue difficulties which often did trouble my minde By all your discourse I perceiue that the Reprobates at their best feele but some generall good motions and that all their perswasions that they shall at last come to heauē are nothing but imaginations and vaine dreames of glorie Many in mine opinion are deceiued in this world who like these that dreame thinke they awake while they indeede are fast asleepe Many in this world as I see thinke to bee saued whose thoghts shal proue to be but dreames Some obscure printes of vnsound joyes though for a space they may be of good acceptance with the most godlie and clappe their owne hands as if they were in the passage to Paradise They are in end disappointed because they want true inward holinesse without which no man shall see Gods face The Pastour It is most true Sir for◅s men for the most part desire to bee flattered by others so tak they delight to flatter themselues feeding vpon fond fancies and phantasies lik Hypochondriackes or braine sicke who cannot bee perswaded but that they are Kings while indeede they are but Beggers The sicke Man This is a terrible disease But to leaue the Reprobates and come to the Elect I desire now to know of you what bee that speciall spirituall working which is onelie peculiar to the Elect and chosen Ones of God I vvish to heare of the proceedings of Gods Spirite working into the hearts of the godlie vnto their Saluation The godlie I am assured are of a more noble and heauenlie temper full of the Spirit of Grace The Pastour In my judgement where the Spirit of God worketh to the Saluation of the Soule of a sinner before it come to a full perswasion hight of assurance there is first a tempest of wrath against sinne going before the comming of God in his mercie viz. A shaking wind a trembling earthquake a burning fire vvhich lik three grimme posts come running before to tell that God is comming into the calme Before that God shew his presence into the still voyce hee proceedeth by steps and degrees First hee rebuketh the sinner of sinne and wakeneth his Conscience with some sight of his iniquities vvith some sense of that vvrath which sin hath deserued From this ariseth a great heauinesse into the heart vvhich breaketh forth both in speach countenance so that the vvorlde which know him of before will vvonder at his change as if he vvere a creature cast into another mould After that God hath thus prepared the Soule of men with thundering tempests and tremblings with blasts and vvith burnings and thereby hath made them more afraid of sin than they were of before of sinne it selfe At last he commeth vnto them into the calme of his mercie first giueth vnto them grace to flee all occasions of sinne and after that to hate the verie garment spotted with the flesh Hee vvho in despight can gnash his teeth against that vvherein once hee tooke pleasure to displease his God is not a sholler of flesh and blood not a naturall man that is content vvith ciuell outwardnesse After that the Spirit hath vvrought a detestation and hatered of sinne into the heart he putteth a cry into the heart for mercie with sighes and sobbes which cannot bee expressed Some times these sighes vvill breake out into such vvords that both speaker and hearer will vvonder vvherefrae they come After that the Spirit in his motions by a sweete and silent inspiration goeth forward in his progresse into the heart by little little with Life Light Libertie and peace of Conscience euen that peace vvhich passeth all vnderstanding and so cannot be expressed in humane words Now am I come Sir as yee heare ad metam non loquendi that I can say no more It were but folie for mee to dyue so deepe in Gods vvorkings as for to take vnto mee to declare vnto you that vvhich passeth all vnderstanding The new
face and hee beganne also to bee troubled * That is notable which Isaiah saith concerning the King of Babylon who in his fond conceit did reach the hight of heauē as being at league with al contrary powers Thou hast said in thine heart I will ascend into Heauen I will exalt my Throne aboue the Starres of God I will ascend aboue the hight of the Cloudes I will be like the most High What saith God to that It shall not bee so O Lucifer Sonne of the Morning I shall take thee at the trip though thou should soare aboue the Skyes of heauen yet thou shalt bee brought downe to hell to the sides of the pit They that see thee shall narrow lie looke vpon thee and consider thee saying Is this the man that made the earth to tremble that did shake king doms This is the end of all flesh irreuocablie concluded by the KING of Kings decree Dust thou art and vnto dust shalt thou returne The way of greatest Monarches is from the Palace to the Pit Were a man neuer so high in Honour hee must say at last with King Dauid I goe the way of all the Earth If Princes in their pompe could practise Memento mori Selfe-conceit should not bee able to poppe in it selfe with pufts of pride which make many to quarrel with the reprouers Hee is like a Phenix who beeing in Honour can digest a reproofe and finde it good with Hezekiah who while hee was sore threatned said Good is the word of the Lord O how easilie doe faile flattering vvordes cogge in themselues by slie and craftie juggling into the hearts of these that are in high places Tell them that all goeth well and that this vvorld shall last and that in their prosperitie they shall neuer be moued such Preachers will please But if a Ieremiah come in with his woes some Pashur shall not misse him vpon the cheeke Ahab could not abide to heare good Micaiah Wherefore I hate him said hee for hee doeth not prophecie good concerning mee In this vvas all the distemper But vviselie and godlie vvas it replyed by good Iohoshaphat Let not the King say so Well is that King who in his honour reputeth this his greatest Honour to honour him from vvhose Grace he hath his Crowne his praises shall not bee silent vvhile hee shall lye in the place of silence sleeping into slyme The Lord make the praise of our Gracious SOVERAIGNE to sound like that of Iosiah And hee did that which is right in the sight of the Lord and walked in all his wayes and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left AMEN AMEN What shall I say more of the vanitie of Honour and Preferment among men I am assured of this that it is no sure token of Gods loue for euen they that worke wickednesse are set vp Of these oftest is said O they are made euen while they are madde The most naughtie and most vnworthie whose valorous acts and vertuous deads no man can record haue often found a roome where they may drinke in a full cuppe of temporall happinesse many will wonder to see them steppe with a graue and stayed ciuilitie Haue not many seene such in Kings Courtes with great applouse runne vp without any rubbe as it were to the toppe of Tabor where to many who knew them before in a base estate they will seeme to bee transfigured The Lyers and the Flatterers will gather about the Gallant and were it not the feare more of Lyce than of God while hee speaketh they would cry The voyce of God and not of man While hee is thus wise in his greatest pride princelie mounted gallopping vpon the highest hills imperiouslie dominearing reuelling in the world down commeth a thunder-bolt with fierie flashes of a diuine wrath ouer-turning and downe throwing horse man from the steepest of all his Preferments Thus to all at last he becommeth a spectacle of amazement Take vp now our Minion with all his honours which once hee did so eagerlie hunt after The fairest blossomes of his glorie are blasted as with mildew Beholde nowe all his honours rolled in the dust the higher he was mounted the greater is his fall who but Haman to day thryuing in this world and raising vp himselfe a Paramour of a Prince By his outward gliste◅ing hee maketh mens eyes to dazle Now he hath the wind at will and saileth as he pleaseth with flaunting sailes amid his greatest jollitie But tarrie a little looke vp to the weather-cocke The winde is turned the head is where the taile was Haman is disgraced his louers are Apostats no man darre auouch him his honours is taken from him This is his Princes will Caput obnubito arbori infoelici suspendito Couer his face◅ And seeing hee was the chiefe of a knot of knaues let him haue the highes◅ pin of fiftie cubits high By thus hee becommeth a man of high degree Thus hee to whom once many were glad to hold the basō as to a darling of account proueth at last to bee one of this worlds fooles which care not what bee their end so that their way bee pleasant At last after all such pleasures profites and prefermentes the vngodly man with great shame with a rotten name is grieued and gaul◅d with sorrow Though hee both chaffe and fiet yet of necessitie must hee packe him to the abhorred Regions of Death This is no new thing vnder Heauen and yet alas how few are these that in their carriage can considder that hee that thinketh hee standeth should take good heede lest hee fall Prosperitie striketh most men blind on this eye vntill the current thereof bee cutte or crossed with some disaster While men are exalted hardlie can they dreame of a change Sathan is euer most busie to stickle and stricke the bargaine betweene them Death and Hell and all sorte of disgrace Let vs also say some thing of the Leuites which are the King of Heauens fauorites and if it may be said his best beloued Minions Their Honour is great if with the shining Vrin of sound and solide Doctrine they joyne the Tummim of a good life the Lord alloweth on them double Honour But if either by a foule decay of Grace they bee Loiterers and will not Labour or labour in Doctrine but not in life their double Honour shall bee turned in double disgrace Of all Leuites the Lowne Leuite is the greatest There is nothing but it may bee good for some-thing but vnsauorie Salt is good for nothing While other most haynous sinners shall swimme like Corke on the brimme and vpper swarde of Hell these that haue poysoned these whom they should haue seasoned both with life and doctrine shall lik Egyptian Lead sink downe to the lowest of the Gulfe Thus as ye see Honour in
to the whole world before the comming of Christ Others of the Learned tak these words to be spokeÌ„ properlie And for to cleare their opinion to bee true they alledge the words of S. Peter as a Commentarie vpon Christs wordes The Heauens shall passe away saith hee with a great noise and the Elements shall melt with feruent heat the Earth also and the works that are therein shal be burnt vp And a little after hee subjoyneth Looking for and hasting vnto the comming of the day of God wherein the heauens beeing on fire shal be dissolued and the Elementes shall melt with feruent heate The sicke Man These bee wonderfull wordes of wonderfull workes yee will bee so good as to make them mâ—…e cleare The Pastour First it is said That the heauens shâ—…l passe away praeteribunt not that they shal be turned to nothing or shall â—…o passe away that they shall bee no more but they shall passe away in that they shall bee changed According to this the Psalmist speaking of the heauens saith That all of them waxe olde as doeth a garment As a vesture shalâ—… thou change them and they shall bee changed Though in our life-time because it is so shorte wee cannot sensiblie perceiue any decay in the heauenlie influences yet it is certhat taine the heauens are but cretures ordained for the seruice of maÌ„ creatures subject to faile weare and waxe olde bee The sicke Man What a change Sir thinke yee that that shall bee The Pastour It shall bee a change altogether for the better All the Elementes shall be melted as mettell into a furnace whereby it is refined After that they are melted they shall bee â—…ast into a new mould for to receiue such a â—…orme as it shall please the most High to giue vnto them I compare all these great creatures of the world as the Heauens and foure Elements to an olde peece of money stamped so long since that hardlie can it bee knowne whoâ—…e superscription is in it all the Letters being worne off with the vsing It is euen so of the Heauens and of the Elements in these latter dayes It is so loÌ„g since they were stamped that the letters of Gods name vpon them are growne dim are not so legible as they were wont to bee But in that last day the Lord shall make the old Heauens and this olde Earth all to melt into a fire and thereafter shall stampe them like a newe stricken Crowne Then hee shall giue them such a temper that they shall neuer waxe olde any more Gods first impression on his creatures hath by sinne beene dimmeded and darkened but this secunda cura the second coyning of these creatures shall be so durable that nothing shall be able to deface it For God then shall bee All in all Then Tempus edax rerum Time that eateth all things yea all times as yeeres moneths days nights houres lik floods shall all runne in into the sea of eternitie where they with all such vnconstant things shall bee swallowed vp in victorie The sicke Man What is that to say That the Heauens shall passe away with a great noise What sort of noise shall that bee The Pastour The worde in the originall is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which the French hath termed auec vn bruit siflant de tempeste that is the roaring of a tempest which commeth with such a thudde that it casteth downe both Trees and Houses making all to shake and also lifting vp dust and straes and all in the aire as with a whirle wind Erasmus termeth it In morem procellae like a Tempest Such a Tempest was neuer heard since the world was founded It shall bee a Tempest which shall shake the worlde of its foundation Aboue and below all shall bee shaken with such a roaring and cracking tempest that no mortall heart can conceiue The Heauens the Earth the Waters the Aire the Sunne the Moone and Starres shall bee so shaken with that tempest as though they were but pickles of dust and caried with a whiâ—…le wind My minde is in a maze to think vpon the greatnesse of that day My pen while I haue beene writting of it hath fallen out of my hand so haue I beene rauished with admiration of that day O what a day shall that be when all that euer God made shall bee sette on fire The Heauens being sette one fire saith the Apostle shall bee dissolued and the Elements beeing set on fyre shal melt with feruant heate Isaiah saith That the Heauens shall vanish away like smoke What fearfull tempest must that bee which shall put all the worlde into a burning flamme All shall bee sette on fire the Heauens aboue the Earth beneath the waters also must be burnt and melted into that wonderfull furnace By this fire all things must bee purged The sicke Man It would seeme by Scripture that those heauens which are now shall bee altogether abolished The Lord saith in Isaiah Loe I will create new Heaâ—…ens and a new Earth and the former shall not â—…ee remembered nor come into minde To create a thing is properlie to mak something of nothing What then â—…hall the Heauens and Elements which are now bee redâ—…cted to nothing The Pastour It is most certaine that they shall not bee put to nothing but according to their earnest expectatioÌ„ they shall bee deliuered at the last day from the bondage of corruption into the glorious libertie of the Sonnes of God It is not Gods custome so to reward his old seruants as to put them from their beeing that so hee may bee quite of them As for that which Isaiah saith that he will create new Heauens and newe Earth and that the former shall not be remembered it is not to bee vnderstoode of the last day The Lord by these wordes did onelie declare this to that people that hee would so alter change the state of his Church at the comming of the Messias that it should seeme to dwell into another world The sicke Man I took euer that passage otherwise but I hold that exposition best But behold what S. Iohn saith concerning the Heauens the Earth and the Sea I saw a new Heauen and a new Earth for the first Heauen and the first Earth were passed away and there was no more Sea What is that to say The Pastour The first Heauen and the first Earth are said to haue passed away not that their substaÌ„ce was no more but as one sayth well because alia ejus videbatur facies it was so changed that men would thinke that it could not bee that cloudie Heauen and clattie Earth which was before The Sea also was no more such as it was before The sicke Man But S. Iohn sath That hee saw a white Throne and One sitting on it from whose face the Heauen and the Earth fledde away and there was found no more
whereby it looketh for to bee made free from the bondage and burden of this corruption as a woman in trauell is comforted with hope of deliuerance This is that whereat the Apostle pointeth when hee saith that God hath subjected the creature in hope The sicke Man In my judgement vee speake pertinentlie In that difficultie I haue full satisfaction But what is this that is subjoyned vnto the verse following I vnderstand not the words well They are these The creature at last shall bee deliuered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious libertie of the Children of God What is this libertie of the Sons of God or how can the Heauens and the Elements bee said to bee made partakers of that liberty which belongeth to the Children of God I confesse mine ignorance heere in this point I desire to bee instructed The Pastour This is the libertie whereof they shall bee partakers with the Childrē of GOD they shall then haue all their will they shall no more be subject to that whereof they would desire to bee free Not willinglie shall bee no more in them in all their subjection They shall bee no more slaues to serue sinners but shall serue God and his Saintes which is true libertie Thus in so farre as they shall bee free of all that foresaid bondage they are said to be deliuered into the glorious liberty of the Children of God This shall bee a part of the libertie of Gods Sainctes in Heauen not to bee subject to the wicked any more not to wearie nor waxe olde all this shall they haue commond with the creature But O what a glorie shall the Children haue greater than all the creature shall receiue Euen a farre more and exceeding weight of Glorie The sicke Man I will not now inquire concerning that weightie glorie I reserue it to afterward God-willing One thing I desire to know whether or not the Lord shall come downe before the World shall bee refined with fire or if it shall bee after The Pastour In my judgement before that the Lord come down the Heauens shal be new and the earth all shal be new As a Citie before the entrie of a King prepareth all before hand maketh the wayes cleane and causeth sweepe off the streets the dung-hils so all the steertes of the Heauens and of the Aire and of the Earth muste bee made cleane before the comming of the Sonne of man While in the dayes of his flesh hee entered into the Citie of Ierusalem in qualitie of a King riding vpon an Asse-Colt all the streetes were couered with cloathes greene branches of trees so that the foote of his Asse scarclie culd touch the ground all that was there range with the sound of Hosanna Hosanna * Euen so in my judgement when that great Lord shall make his entrie into the world as a King from Heauen the world shall all bee made new it shall look with another face then it doth at this day If our gracious Soueraigne King CHARLES whom I pray the Lord to blesse with a prosperous reigne were comming from Londō for to enter into this Citie we would all cloth our selues in comely apperall we wold receiue him with great applause all shouting GOD SAVE KING CHARLES Would we doe this to a sinfull man Whose breath is in his nostrils What thinke yee then shall these creatures doe whose neckes are yoked vnder the bondage of corruption euer till the Lord IAH our God come downe riding vpon the Skie with sound of libertie for euermore Mine heart here faileth me while I thinke of that great applause and welcome to the world that Christ shall get when hee shall bowe the Heauens and come downe into the Aire Shal he who in the days of his flesh in the dayes of his disgrace was so honoured at his Royall entrie in Ierusalem not bee much more honoured at his Royall entrie into the worlde which is groaning after that houre of his comming as a woman in trauell earning after the houre of her deliuerie At his second comming all his wayes shal be prepared and the Hosanna Hosannahs of Ierusalem shall bee turned into Halleluiah Halleluiah Before Christ came first to appeare among men hee sent a Messenger to prepare his ways The voyce of One crying in the wildernesse Prepare yee the way of the Lord mak his paths straight Euerie valley shall bee filled and euery hill and mountaine shall bee made low and the crooked shall bee made straight the rough ways shal be made smooth Seeing in his humilitie his wayes were prepared before his comming there is greater appearance that before hee come backe to this worlde againe with his millions this new earth and all shall bee prepared It is a disgrace for a Citie to be cleansing streetes while the King is alreadie within the portes It is but rusticke manners to sweepe an house after that an honest man hath entered whereby the dust that is vnder his feete is carried vp to his hat and betweene his shoulders The sicke Man It is your opinion then that all shall bee cleansed with a fire before the Lord come downe The Pastour It is indeed And it seemeth also to haue some ground into Scripture for Christ while hee was declaring in the Gospel the things that should be fall before his comming hauing said That the Sunne and Moone should bee darkened and that Starres should fall from Heauen which declared the change of this world In the next verse hee declareth that after that appeared the signe of the Sonne of man in Heauen The sicke Man According to your discourse it would seeme that before the comming of the Lord at the renewing of this world there shall be a strange stirre among all the Creatures The Pastour That is most certaine and that both aboue and belowe S. Luke saith That there shall bee signes in the Sunne and in the Moone and in the Starres and vpon the Earth Pressura gentiū distresse of Nations with perplexitie the Sea and the waues roaring Mens heartes failing them for feare and for looking after these things which are comming on the Earth for the powers of Heauen shal be shaken Thē shal they see the Sonne of Man comming in a cloud with power and geart glorie The sicke Man All these wordes bee wordes of great weight It would please you to giue mee the intepretation thereof The Pastour In these words the Euangelist letteth vs see howe this bigge olde world shal be broken downe for to bee made new againe Some of the Learned expound these wordes by way of similitude taken from man the little world while as hee is olde and failed the humours of his body like elements are troubled and shaken together His two eyes like the Sunne and Moone are darkened and his other senses like the Starres fall downe and decay His minde and his
is verie formal 〈◊〉 beheld said hee till the Thrones were cost down and the Ancient of dayes did â—…ite â—…base Garnâ—… was white as snow and the Haire of his Head lik the pure wool 〈◊〉 Throne was like the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and his wheeleâ—… as burning fire A fieâ—…e streame issued and came foorih from before him thaâ—… sand thousands ministred vnto him 〈◊〉 ten thousand times 〈◊〉 thousand stood before him S. Iohn faith that the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand and thousand 〈◊〉 thousands Let these brutish 〈◊〉 phemers here by 〈◊〉 way â—…ak a 〈◊〉 son who say That if many be damâ—… ned God shall ride with a thinne Court words 〈◊〉 to bee scourged with a thousand hels Away yee barking blasphemers God hath no neede of you nor of your like Hee who could of stones raise vp seede vnto Abraham and make stones to cry Hosanna Hosanna needeth not waÌ„t multitudes of these that will sing his praises But hath he not Angels in Heauen alreadie who are in number tenne thousand times tenne thousand and thousands of thousands But though they were none but himselfe is hee not that great SHADAI God al sufficient who hath neede of none of whome all haue neede If I were hungrie said hee I would not tell thee for the worlde is mine and the fulnesse thereof The sicke Man This would I learne of you viz. If when the Trumpet of the resurrection shall blow these that are then liuing shall die first The Pastour The Scripture saith That they shall bee changed This change which shall bee into the twinkling of an eye shall stand vnto them in steade of death In that is the word fulfilled It is appointed to all men once to die The sicke Man Thinke yee that these that then shal be aliue shall win first to Christ It would seeme that they haue a fore start of these who are rotten in the Graue The Pastour The Scripture is plaine This we say vnto you by the word of the Lord that wee which are aliue and remaine vnto the comming of the Lord shall not preuent them which are asleepe Some gather vpon these wordes that these who are dead shall preuent them who are aliue and shal be sooner at Christ than they viz. That Adam and Eue shall bee with the first and in the first ranke and so that at that Conuention these who first were dead shall preuent them that shall bee aliue But that hath no sure ground in Scripture for though it bee said That these who shall bee aliue shall not preuent these which are asleepe it will not follow that these which are asleepe shall preuent these which are aliue The Apostle himselfe saith That we shall all be caught vp together in the Clouds As for who shall bee formost Dies Domini revelabit The day of the Lord shall declare it The sicke Man I see theÌ„ that your opinion is that all flesh that day must arise and compeare before God and that none must be excepted But how is it that the Godlie onelie by Christ are called The Children of the resurrection By that it would appeare that none shall arise but the members of Christ The Pastour It is most certaine that all shall arise All that are in the graue shall heare his voyce and shall come foorth they that haue done good vnto the Resurrection of life and they that haue done euill vnto the resurrection of damnation As for the Godlie indeede properlie they are the Children of the Resurrection because they shall arise willinglie out of their beddes and because by the vertue of Christs Resurrection they shall arise hee being the Head and they the members which must follow after that Head As for the wicked they shal be scourged out of their Graues the force of wrath shall draw them out that as Malefactors they may come heare their doome pronounced against them The sicke Man I heare you say according to Gods worde that all that are in the graues shall heare his voyce and shall come foorth If that bee where shall the little Children that died without Baptisme bee The Romane Church teacheth that such goe to a prison where they shall neuer see the face of God Shall not their bodies come out of their Graues If the Heauens and the Earth passe away what part can they be in where they shall not see Gods face The Pastour Indeede Sir your reason refuteth that errour sufficientlie For certainelie their bodies must come out of their Graues It is not possible but in that day they shall see Christ. Truelie to put such into an euerlasting prison for such a cause were to blame the Lord himselfe of injustice The Lord hath said The sonne shall not beare the iniquitie of the father What if the father by negligence shall neglect to cause baptize his Childe shall the Childe for his fathers negligence be clapped vp into euerlasting prison If that were should not the prouerbe bee true The fathers haue eaten sower grappes and the Childrens teeth are set on edge It was well said by Bernard Non privatio Baptismi sed contemptus damnat That is not the want but the contempt of Baptisme condemneth If any condemnation bee the Father who contemneth and not the Childe who contemneth not shall bee damned S. Ambros speaking of Valentinian who disceased before he culd come to him for to bee baptized said Quem regeneraturus eram amisi sed ille non amisit gratiaâ—… quam poposcit That is I haue lost him whom I was for to regenerate but hee hath not lossed the grace which he sought None but baptizers of Bells will be against this trueth The sicke Man I am well satisfied in that point I wonder much howe men should goe so farre astray Where shall these bodies of little Children bee in the day of the Resurrection if they shall not compeare before Christ the Iudge I thinke this argument can hardlie bee answered vnto Another difficultie heere may be moued concerning Baptisme which the Apostle taketh as an argument to proue the Resurrection What shall they doe saith hee which are baptized for the dead if the dead rise not at all why are they then baptized for the dead The wordes seeme verie difficle The Pastour Indeede Sir they want not difficultie Some interprete the words for the dead That is Vice loco mortuorum The custome was among the Christians as S. Ambros recordeth that if any dyed without Baptisme some of the liuing came to the bed where they were dead or to their Graue and there were baptized for them Chrysostome and Epiphanius declare that this was a custome among the Marcionites which they reproue as a vaine inuention Others interprete these wordâ—… of these who on their death-beds were baptized that thereby all by-gone sinnes might bee purged away Others interprete To be baptized for the
dead That is in the faith of the Resurrection of the dead For these who were to be baptized first did rehearse the Creede and when they came to the Resurrection of 〈◊〉 dead at these words they were baptized Others of the Learned take the wordes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 about the dead The custome beeing of olde that these who were baptized were baptized about the Graues where the dead did lye for to testifie that they did belieue the Resurrection from the dead Some by baptising heere vnderstand that washing and ablution of dead bodies After this signification Cuppes are said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to be baptized or washen This washing of the dead bodies before their buriall as some thinke was common to the Iewes who in hope of the Resurrection did both them and make them cleane This was also a custome among the Pagans to wash and anoint the dead bodies Such were called Pollinctores This also appeareth to haue beene done in the dayes of the Apostles by the Christians In the Actes it is written of Tabitha that being dead they washed her and layed her in an vpper Chamber All these baptizings and washings were in hope of the Resurrection As for the Pagans they wrought the wroke as Peter on Tabor spake not knowing what hee said or as Cajaphas prophesied not vnderstanding the prophecie which hee preached This by the moste Learned is approued Others interprete to bee baptized for dead not for the dead or about the Graues of these that are buried but for dead say they that is as dead to sinne for to destroy and mortifie sinne which is the chiefe ende of Baptisme This say they is a maine argument for to proue the Resurrection For if there were no Resurrection to what purpose should men crucifie their sinnes Behold how these few words To bee baptized for dead hath troubled so manie braines Where wee may learne the shallownesse of mans witte God with that little Greeke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hath giuen all the Doctours of the Church a taske that may teach them humilitie an Antidote for to cure our swelling knowledge The sicke Man That which ye say is trueth Oh that men were wise in this point that they could consider the weaknesse of their wits But to come to our purpose concerning the Resurrection Manie a time haue I in my Spirit wondered at the greatnesse of that worke The Pastour It shall be a great worke indeede But if anie Saducean spirit would doubt of it it must also doubt more of the creation I take the creation to haue beene a greater worke It is more to haue made our bodies of nothing than to gather their dust together which is now but dispersed This was a Fathers argument Vtique idoneus est reficere qui facit quare miramur quarenon credimus Deus est qui fecit Considera authorem tolle dubitationem That is It is easie for God to mak ouer againe that which he hath once made why marueill wee yea why belieue wee not God hath made all Consider the Maker and doubt no more The sicke Man Let mee heare some-thing out of Scripture concerning this point The Pastour There bee many moste famous passages for the probation of that great worke both out of the olde and New-Testament I know said Iob that my Redeemer liueth and that hee shall stand at the latter day vpon the earth and though after my skinne wormes destroy this bodie yet in my flesh shall I see God whom I shall see for my selfe and mine eyes shall beholde and not another though my reines bee consumed within mee Daniel is cleare in this Many of them that sleepe in the dust of the earth shall awake Some to euerlasting life and some to shame and euerlasting contempt The Prophet Ezekiel by way of similitude setting the deliuerance of Israel pointeth at the Resurrection Behold O people saith hee I will open your Graues and cause you to come vp out of your graues Christ in the New-Testament made numbers of the Sainctes to come out of the dust of death What they were no man can tell their names whether it was Moses or Ioshua Samuel Dauid Iosaphat Iosiah or who no tongue can tell But this wee know that after Christ arose by the power of his Resurrection hee made manie to come out of their Graues The graues were opened and manie bodies of Saints which slept arose and came out of the graues after his Resurrection and went into the holy Citie and appeared vnto manie The sicke Man O but that was wonderfull Think yee that after that they did returne to their Graues The Pastour The most Learned esteeme that they neuer did returne back to dust but that they waited on Christ vntill the day of his Ascention in which day they did accompanie him vp to the Heauens where with their Head Christ they were receiued into Glorie with the great applause of all Angels and Sainctes whose Spirits aboue are desiring continuallie to see the day when Soule and bodie shall bee joyned for to bee glorified together for euer The sicke Man After that the dead are risen and the liuing changed what thinke ye shall immediatelie follow before we meete with the Lord himselfe The Pastour In the judgment of some so soone as the dead shall bee raised and the liuing changed before that we shall meete with Christ into the cloudes there shall be a sore mourning both among the Godlie and the wicked for the piercing of that Lord Euery one of the Godlie in that day shall say as the Butler said to Pharaoh I 〈◊〉 remember my faultes this day Such a mourning was neuer heard since the world was founded as shall be heard that day for a space Christ himselfe hath declared this saying Then shall all the Tribes of the earth mourne when they shall see the Sonne of man comming into the Cloudes All shall bee agast at the first sight of that High and loftie One that inhabiteth Eternitie S Iohn saith Behold hee commeth with Cloudes and euerie eye shall see him and they also which pierced him And all the Kinrides of the Earth shall waile because of him The Prophet Zacharie compareth this mourning to the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon for the death of good Iosiah Some thinke that onelie the wicked shall mourne in that day In my judgement it is the most true opinion Others by reason of these foresaid passages thinke that all both Godlie and vngodlie at the first sight of Iesus shall uaile with great lamentations while they shall behold him whom they haue pierced All at the sight of him who was pierced for and by our sinnes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 plangent that is shall strik their brests with their hands the signe of great doole After that the Lord hath suffered his to mourne for a space in
the earth in the Spring to grow greene and the Cornes to come vp at the first with small green points and after to shoote vp to the shot bled after that to come to the Seede that at last beeing cut downe in a white ripenesse it may be lay◅e vp into Girnels Euen so the Gospel like a Sunne shining from the heauens commeth after the colde frostie season of the dead Winter of our Nature and by its Beames warmeth vs and wakeneth vp the seede of grace sowen into our heartes by the good hand of God After that with its heate by little and little it ripeneth these sowne graces at last while wee are ripe and while the graces of God in vs are come to their perfection the Lord sendeth his seruāt Death to cut vs downe with a sickle After that by Death we are cut downe the Lord treasureth vs vp into euerlasting Tabernacles the Girnels of the Prince of Heauen farre from the keene rasors of lying tongues Now seeing the day is f◅r spent here I shall pause leauing that which hath bene said to your nights meditations By that grace of God I shal returne in the morning earelie He that made Peter safelie to walk vpon the swelling waues vphold you so that ye sinke not at the rising of any boisterous blaste of temptation Gods Children in this world are lik these three Children in the fierie furnace though such fire seeme to bee a consuming fyre it shall not bee able so much as to sindge their apparell The sicke Man But before yee goe Sir according to your good former custume by your deuote prayers committe my Soule to the armes of my Sauiour I euer feare that my false heart giue mee the slippe As God hath giuen you a diuine tong so Lord giue me a sanctified eare the sweetest spirituall musick and harmonie of Gods seruice Oh that with Peter I could gird my coate and swimme thorow all the swelling seas of temptations that I might come vnto my Lord. Offer vp I pray you Sir for mee the Christian sacrifice of prayer Resigne my Soule into his mercifull hands Oh that I could with you homage mine heart vnto God in feruent supplications wee are not able as I see to stand a moment in the right way without Gods vnderpropping hand Alas Sir I finde in my prayers great distractions which wonderfullie blunt the edge of my deuotion while my mouth is speaking to God my minde is speaking with follies and phansies If a man speaking vnto a Prince should nowe turne him vnto this man and now to that man would not that Prince at last commaund him silence enjoyning him with all speed to packe him out of his presence as being a man who knoweth not what is matchable to such a Majestie Many a time alas haue I at prayer babled out with my lippes many sauourles words which haue wrought nothing but the sadding and grieuing of Gods Spirit O Lord make this meditation of mine owne vnworthinesse bee like a whet-stone to my prayers that by helpe thereof I may pray better than euer I did before Giue mee grace at all times but speciallie in prayer to keepe watch and ward ouer my thoughts that I neuer let loose the bridle vnto them as most foolishlie often I haue done rushing my Soule ouer head and eares into the myres of earthlie mindednes Now good Lord make mee fresh and nimble in my Spirit for prayer Oh for that Spirit of spirituall groans which maketh intercession for the Sainctes according to the will of God I desire your helpe in prayer The night is noysome I lye downe I say when shall I arise and the night beginne I am full of tossing vnto the dawning of the day The Pastour I rejoyce with my Soule to heare you I know no surer token of Gods Spirit within a man than a ben◅nes to prayer Reprobates with Herod may gladlie heare Preachers But they all in Scripture are branded with this blot They call not vpon God Desire of conference with God is a most sure token of friendship betweene God and man Can two walke together except they bee agreed Can two speake together except they be friendes Hypocrites I knowe will make long prayers which are but lip labour which our Lord calleth much babling But their heartes in their prayers wander from God goe to worldly toyes so that while they are speaking one thing with the mouth their hearts are vpon another subject Thus Scripture calleth A drawing neere to God with the mouth while the heart is farre off * God cannot bee scorned but knoweth howe much is behind though Ananias would seeme to bring all Hee who can pray from his heart by his prayer as with a piercing keye is able to vnlocke the celestiall treasures of God where out of hee will draw comfortable cordials for distressed Soules in their gasping agonies Let vs now bend our knees most humblie before our Maker and worship him both with heart mouth the most pleasant harmonie of a Christian Soule The Lord set all our hearts rightlie on worke For the heart of man in prayer is most bent to play reakes in wandering from God A Prayer for the sicke Man O Great and Omnipoten◅ GOD whose Eyes are ten thousand time brighter than the Sunne at Noone Day Our sinnes cannot bee hidde from The◅ Faine would wee confesse them but alas for this hardnesse of hear◅ Smite O LORD smite these our hearts of yron soften them with the fire of thy Spirit till my sighs sobs they melt within our boweles O◅ LORD who shall not feare thee to whom is giuen all power both in heauen and earth When we remember thy last Sessions which shall bee in that great last judiciall day it maketh all the haires of our head to start vp Wee are instructed by thy diuine Word that the fashion figure of this world shall passe away and that all Thrones shall bee remoued that that most Royall glorious Throne may bee erected for the comming of the Son of man O LORD in that great and terrible day all thinges must compeare naked before Thee Then shalt thou bring to light the things which were hidde in darknesse and shalt make manifest the most secret counsels of mens hearts From thy face nothing shall bee able to procure escape Happie shall that Soule be on whom in that day thou shalt bleink with a reconcealed face O gracious GOD whose goodnesse is bottomlesse and greatnesse immeasurable Now speake home to the hearte of thy seruant heere who in his fainting weaknesse hath desired me to powre out this prayer for him All his desires are toward thee stampe vpon his Soule the Image of thy selfe Giue him a pawne and a pledge of thy fauour make him assured that in that day hee shall finde thee a fauourable Iudge who shall cry on him among the rest of thy Children Come
arrows of thy wrath which thou hast made to stick in his ribbes the poyson whereof hath drunken vp his Spirit O how fearefull haue thy terrours set themselues in aray against him Beginne Lord and continue to slacke thy wrath Be with him now in thy great mercy O LORD and conuoye him by the graces of thy Spirit thorow the snakie field wildernesse of this world wherein hee hath beene like a Pilgrime or a Traueller passing from Towne to Towne till hee come into his Inne where he hopeth by thy mercie to bee exempt from all mixture of miserie Hee is now in the heate of his journey Let some cooling droppes of thy comforts bee send vnto him for to coole and quench his drougth in the scorching heate of this spirituall skirmish Thou who made waters to rush out of the jaw bone for the refreshing of Samson after his fight with the Philistimes giue vnto this wearied soule a drink of that water whereof if a man drink hee shall neuer thirst any more And now seeing in all appearance he is not for to remaine manie dayes vpon this Earth make him to be still looking all the dayes of his appointed time till his changing come grant that when it shall come hee may change for the better and that for the glorie of thy great Name and for the euerlasting rest peace and joye of his sillie sorrow beaten Soule O crush the head and breake the heart of euerie sinne that lurketh within his breast left they choke the Soule of this thy Turtle Doue Bee no more sowre vnto him If thou should appeare grieslie with a sterne countenance vnto sinners how soone should they bee out-faced if thou straitlie m◅iniquitie who shall stand But O mercie is with thee Let that mercie that is with thee come to him wherby all his floating thoughts may bee made to sink soake into the Blood of the Lambe the softner and soupler of stiffe and hardened heartes In the darkest houre of death bee thou the comfort and darlling del◅ght of his heart O Pastour of Israel now put an end to all the cloudie and darke dayes of his distresse Tak in this silly Soule thy little Lambe within the compasse of thine heauenlie folde till it winne there refresh it with a baire in its journey let no meanes bee deficient til in it thou crowne thy graces with thy glorie LORD blesse thy Church vniuersall the deare Spouse of Iesus as they are all members of one Body make them all to bee of one heart that in an heauenlie harmonie they may all thinke one thing Stop the mouth of the red Dragon from spewing out the red bloodie floodes of persecution against Her if not giue Her the winges of Faith whereby Shee may flee to the wildernesse for Her escape O cloth her Priests with Saluation that all her Saints may shout a lowd for joye Giue them one mind and one mouth But alas Icabod where nowe is that glorie Preserue our gracious SOVERAIGNE with his Royall Match Send down a princelie Spirit vpon him Keepe them as the Apple of thine Eye As thou hast bund their bodies into the bond of wed locke so bind their Soules into the bandle of life Make the Heauens to rejoyce at her Majesties conuersion Loue Her LORD as thou loued Lidea by the opening of her heart Make both Crowne and Court seruiceable to thee the greatest Majestie aboue Sanctifie all our Nobles make them lik the men of Berea couragious for the Trueth Plants of renowne Guide vs all in the way of righteousnesse and weane vs from the loue of this Worlde Prepare vs for the last Battell of the Soule Suffer neuer Sathan with the mood of his temptations to trouble or distemper the cleare Riuers of thy comforts wherwith thou refresheth thy beloued Ones Suffer neuer that prince of darknesse to put out with his dampes the glorious Light of thy Gospel which now most orientlie shineth among vs. LORD perfume all our vnwhorthie prayers with the sweete smelling righteousnes of Iesus Christ our Lord Master in whose most blessed Name wee pray as hee hath pleased him to teach vs Our Father which art c. By Gods grace Sir I shall returne the Morrow earelie The Spirit of Iesus print into your heart the best comforts of his Treasures Remember Sir that all our goodnesse is of him for naturallie wee are hewen out of a sinfull rocke All our guises are but guile till we bee cast into another mould by the Spirit of regeneration Striue more and more to bee constant and couragious till this bitter Battell bee ended For euerie Battell of the Warriour is with confused noise and garments rolled in Blood Now the night is fallen downe while deepe sleepe falleth on mē strin◅ to bee acquainted with the Teacher of the reines in the night season If the paine of your sicknes rob your eyes of sleepe cause read vnto you this night Dan. 7. 1. Cor. 15. 1. Thess. 4. The LORD pul off your Soule al the filthie menstruous cloutes of your corruptions and cloath you with the most rich invaluable Robe of Christs righteousnesse The Lord fill your heart with the inspirations of the Almightie His Grace bee with you THE SIXT DAYES Conference of Heauens Glorie The Pastour ACcording to my promise Sir I am heere come againe for to see what it shall please God to doe with you at last waite constantlie on your God His mind is to doe you good in the latter end I earnestlie now desire to know what the meditation of the last judgement hath wrought into your heart this night bygone The sicke Man Except that a man bee well occupied in the day his heart in the night will swarme with worthlesse witlesse thoughts Sathan the lord of the night is euer busie by secret foisting in of corruptions into mans thoughts to justle out of his heart all holie and heauenlie meditations All this night it seemeth vnto me that I heard the shrill sound of the last Trumpet sounding most fearefullie the Alarum of the Resurrection at the second and sudden comming of our Lord All Saintes and Angels seemed to bee present at that great Iubile I thought in my sleepe that I saw the Sonne of man enuironed with innumberable Charets of fyre comming downe with vnspeakable pompe Glorie and Majestie I thought him more glistering than the Sun while he sbineth in his greatest force Mine eyes were dazeled with the brightnesse of his Beames All thrones made roome vnto his Throne Mine heart was neuer so rauished as it hath bene this last night by-past In the thoghts of mine heart in the night while deepe sleepe falleth on mā there came into my memorie some passages of Scripture concerning heauens glorie wherof most gladlie I desire now to heare The Apostle S. Paul speaketh of this with great power Wee faint not said hee but though our outward man perish
in Thessalonica in that they receiued the word with all readinesse of minde and searched the Scriptures daylie whether these thinges were so As for difficulties we acknowledge that there bee many and great in Scripture but as for that which is absolutè simpliciter absolutelie simplie necessarie for our Saluation it is clearelie set down in Scripture if there be any difficulty in one place that which is there obscure will bee made cleare in some other parte of Scripture This much by the way concerning the obscuritie of Scripture Now to come to the wordes of S. Paul In the first verse it is said For wee know that if the earthlie house of this Tabernacle were dissolued wee haue a building of God an house â—… made with hand eternall in the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Some after this manner expourâ—… these words after that this body like a Taber nâ—…ele is takeÌ„ away from 〈◊〉 Soule the Soule shall bee in a beâ—… estate euen in euerlasting Glorie â—… to the Heauens The French marginall note vpoÌ„ this is that that eternall house in the he 〈◊〉 is the bodie after the resurrectionâ—… So long as we are here in the sinfull bodie the bodie is but like a Tubernacle vnconstant weake fraâ—… But in the heauens it shall be like 〈◊〉 house that is constant firme strong So corpus gloriosa ejus conditio the bodie and its glorious estate in thâ—… opinion of some is heere called 〈◊〉 house by that house then wee must vnderstand the glorie that is prepared for the Sainctes in he iuen which for its constancie and commoditie â—… called an house According to thâ—… the Apostle in the secoÌ„d verse saith That wee groane earnestlie desiring to bee cloathed vpon with our house which is from heauen That house from heauen is that Glorie which is from heauen Others of the Learned interpret that worde Superindui to bee cloathed vpoÌ„ vt siquis indâ—…tus est thoracâ—… superinduitur pallio Puâ—…o autem sic Explicanâ—…um ex versa 4 Sancti capiunt corpore câ—…lesti it â—… indui vt noâ—… prius exvantur corpore mortaliâ—…sed superinduantur câ—…lesti Sâ—… immortali hoc est â—… per 〈◊〉 transâ—…tationem absorbiator 〈◊〉 ab immortalitate Thus would hee say That the Sainctes beeing huing at the end of the world desired not to cast their mortall bodies from them but desire them to bee changed and cloathed aboue with immortalitie Mortalitie is one 〈◊〉 which must be put off that immortalitie may bee put on Others thinke that there be mention heere made of a double cloathing Alijs placet saith Beza primam vestem dici Christi justitiam alteram vero illius justitiae praemium quorum sententiae nolim praejudicium afferre the one they make to bee the righteousnesse of Christ the other the glorie purchassed by that righteousnesse S. Ambrose speaking of these words In this wee groane c. If so bee that beeing cloathed wee shall not bee found nacked saith Vt haec sit sententia destruendum quidem hoc tabernaculum morte sed ita tamen ut non pâ—…reat Imo ut corruptibilitate deposita restituatur nobis immortalitate induendum That is The Tabernacle of this bodie shal be dissolued by Death not so that it shal perish but that all corruption being taken away it may put on incorruption euen euerlasting glorie For if the bodie did perish then in that case the Soule should bee naked Now while wee are in the Tabernacle of the bodie beeing burdened with sinne and corruption wee grone not desiring to bee vncloathed that is altogether to want our bodie but that putting off the corruptions of the bodie wee may bee cloathed with immortalitie of life which shall swallow vp mortalitie with all cumbers and inconuenients whatsoeuer The Soule of man hath an ardent desire to bee clothed with immortality but hath not will to want its bodie without which it thinketh its selfe naked according to this the Apostle saith In this we groane earnest lie desiring to be cloathed vpon with our house which is from Heauen That is With glorie and immortalitie fast firme like an house If so bee that beeing cloathed wee shall not bee found naked That is Shall not want the cloathing and couering of our bodies The sicke Man My braine is so sore troubled that I cannot bend my Spirits so high for the vnderstanding of these things which are so far aboue my reach Happie is hee who with Dauid is not exercised in great matters which are too high for him Lord inlighten my mistie minde and make mee to know thee and thy Son Iesus Christ and him crucified Lord also helpe mee in the knowledge of all that may increase the knowledge of him into my Soule I haue heard you Sir at large vpon the last judgement and all the proceedinges thereof Yee haue also cleared some difficulties which this night did runne into my minde Nowe lest vaine thoughts should draw mine heart aside vnto toyes let â—…t please you to turne your purpose concerning the joyes of Heauen While I did behold but the outâ—…id of Heauen mine heart was euer rauished at the sight of that Tapestrie embroydred like most glorious Arrasse cloath O what Glorie muste bee within where the Lord himselfe is with all his endenized Citizens of glorie Let me heare you a little therevpon There by the grace of my God I hope to bee within a little space O what place of perfection and blisse my Soule longeth to dwel into that azured Palace Let mee heare of its Glorie The Pastour The prince of Philosophers most subtile in Naturall Science speaking of the heauens said That it was much to get any little knowledge therof All his knowledge câ—…ld reach no further but from motion to motion till hee come to the fiâ—…st Mouer who by the force of his Almightie arme turneth about these relestiall bodies But hee knew no more the great Mov â—… thâ—…n yee would know a man a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vpâ—…n the toppe of an Hill displaying aâ—… Ensigne or Standart While the Mouer were casting his Standart yee might perceiue the motion of a Banner and by that motion yee might easilie judge that there bee a Mouer and yet for all that be ignorant not knowing the man who is the caâ—… of all the motion whether he were your foe or your friend The Pagans saw the motions of the heauens as wee see the shaking of a tree moued by the winds I see the Tree shaken and the Branches rushing one vpon another I heare also the noyse I also know that the Mouer is that which wee call the Wind But whence this mouer commeth and whether it goeth or what moueth it no earthlie tongue can tell Pagans which haue not Gospel writteÌ„ in quicke Letters by the dead knowledge of Nature will come from ens to ens that is from beeing to being till they come to ens entium
day without night heauens without cloudes mirth without mourning joy without sorrow and beautie without blemish All good thinges muste abound there where God shall bee All in all When wee shall bee there our God shall enlighten our minde and shall giue our will its will without controlement Then shall no man say I doe the euill that I would not and doe not the good that I would doe nay but wee shall doe all the good wee would beeing in no wi◅e troubled with the euill wee would not Then shall wee rest from all our labours refreshed vnder the euerlasting shadowes of Christ that most pleasant Apple Tree whose fruite is sweete to the taste Nothing in a word shall bee inlaking that may rejoyce all the senses of our body without all the faculties of our Soules within All the Godlie these blessed Denizens of Heauē shall euer in a Quire sing the praises of the Lambe Halleluiah Halleluiah vpon the loud Cymbals Harpes Organes and Timbrels of God O Lord one day in thy Court is better than a thousand else where said the Psalmest speaking but of the figure of heauen Is it so of the figure of heauē what shall it be thē to be in heauen it selfe euen in these new heauens Let it be but the tenth better according to that one day in Heauen shall bee better by ten thousands times than the best day that euer man did see on earth There is no serenitie below which is not ouer clouded with some dumpes of heauinesse while the flesh is vpon the Soule it shal be sorrowfull Pure sincere joys cannot dwel in the valley of teares in this muddie mortalitie One day aboue is more bright and better than tenne thousand below Is it so of one day in Heauen Mercifull God what shall it be thē of these dayes without number euen of that euerlasting of dayes euen that eternal day of light life libertie cleare without all g◅mie clouds of sicknes of sorrows O for a sight of the light of that countenance a light of continuance which no mistie vapour shal for euer bee able to ecclips O Day neuer to be darkened with a following light O euer fresh pleasures which no sorrow shall bee able to fret waste or weare out O Eternitie Eternitie neuer to haue an end O that faire heritage vnto all these that are there The lines are fallen in pleasant places If wee had heartes to belieue the thoughts of such Glories should waine our heartes from the milkie transitorie trashes below which worldlings dreame to bee an heauen not to bee changed with any such preached pleasures O when shall our Soules get them with the Spouse to these high Mountaines of Myrrhe and hills of frankincense The consideration of this happinesse made Ignatius a Scholer of S. Paul to defie all the tormentes that cruell Burrios could inuent for the tormenting of his bodie Fire Gallowes beasts said he Crushing of my bones quartering of my members breaking of my bodie Let all the torments of Sathā seaze vpon me together I care not for them so that I may enjoye my Lord and his righteousnesse O that all the thoughts of our heartes were made subordinate and contributarie to such spirituall and diuine desires The sicke Man O Lord in the multitude of thy thoughts within mee thy comforts delight my Soule Cōtinue your speach I pray you concerning the beautie of the Heauens within which is the Presence-Chamber of the great King The Pastour S. Iohn describes it with such wordes as men are able to vnderstand or imagine The vnderstanding of man concerning the beautie of a Place reacheth no further than to Gold Glasse Crystall Pearles and precious stones which indeed are nothing but like Coales or drosse in comparison of these heauenlie bodies * Before that the man of God beganne to declare what hee had seene of Heauen hee said that there came vnto him an Angel that carried him away to a great high mountaine shewed him the great Citie the holie Ierusalem a type and figure of Heauen Glorious thinges are spoken of thee O Citie of our God euen of thee Ierusalem Because that Ierusalem was a type and figure of Heauen I shall first speake a little thereof As for the earthlie it was a Citie in Iudea builded as some thinke by Melchisedec Otherwise it was called Salem and Iebus or Iebusi After that it was called Aelia from Aelius Hadrianus the Emperour who builded a part thereof and enuironed Mount Caluarie Christes Sepulchre and Golgotha with a wall This Citie had two parts the vpper part and the lower The vpmost part thereof with the Temple was builded vpon mount Moriah Because in this Citie the Lord had his residence and did shew himselfe more familiarlie than into any other part of the world it was called The perfection of beautie and joye of the whole earth It is written that in circuite compasse it was foure miles In forme it was foure square hauing twelue gates Ioseph recordeth that it was Dauid that first called the Citie Ierusalem In the time of Abraham said hee it was called Solyme Some also say that Homere called it Solyme which in the Hebrew tong saith Ioseph signifieth a Fortresse Thus much concerning the earthlie Ierusalem which now is in bondage with her Children the most cursed Citie in the world since that desperate voyce of blasphemie was heard in it His blood bee vpon vs and vpon our Children The sicke Man That is a fearefull desolation The Pastour Great was that desolation It is called The abomination of desolation a desolation abominable or foresignified by an abomination The sicke man I remember well of these words of that Gospel This I remember that Christ did speake them with a Nota Who so readeth let him vnderstand Often while I did reade these words I found my selfe secretelie accused of negligence in that I tooke paines to vnderstād the saying which Christ desired the Reader to vnderstand I pray you Sir let mee vnderstand the words The Pastour The wordes are these When yee therefore shall see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the Prophet stand in the holie place who so readeth let him vnderstand Then let them which are in Iudea flie into the mountaines The wordes of Daniel are these And after threescore and two weekes shall Messiah bee cutte off but not for himselfe And the people of the Prince that shall come shall destroy the Citie and the Sanctuarie and the ende thereof shall bee with a floode and vnto the end of the warre desolations are determined And hee shall confirme the Couenant with many for one weeke and in the midst of the weeke hee shall cause the oblation and the sacrifice to cease and for the ouer spre◅ding of abominations hee shall make i◅ desolate euen vntill the consummation and that determined shall
bee powred vpon the desolate These bee the wordes of the Prophet of which Christ said Who so readeth let him vnderstand The meaning is this By this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 abomination of desolation The most learned vnderstaÌ„d that Romane armie which vnder Vespasian and Titus fearefullie wasted the land of Iudea sacked the Citie of Ierusalem It was said To stand in the holy place that is in the holie Land of Iudea neare vnto Ierusalem the holie Citie In these wordes Christ foretold of the ruine of that Citie according to Daniel who of before had particularlie set downe the time Thus as yee see the Romane armie was called The abomination of desolation that is Abominatio desolans seu vastans abominablie destroying This is more cleare in S. Luke When yee shall see Ierusalem compassed with Armies then know that the desolation thereof is neare When that destroying and abominablie desolating Armie compassed that holie Citie then did the abomination of desolation stand in the holie place Some of the Learned interpret this abomination standing in the holie place to bee that profanation of the Temple Collocata ibi Aquila multis patratis quae per legem non licebant vnde etiam mâ—…x sequutum est Templi vrbis geniâ—… excidium By placing therein the Eagle the Romane Ensigne and by doing diuerse other thinges forbidden by the Law wherevpon the desolation of Temple Citie and of Nation did ensue The sicke Man I thinke now that I vnderstaÌ„d by you that which by reading hitherto I haue not vnderstood What other thing could ensue but an abomination of desolation where the Messiah was cut off If for the blood of Cain vengeance was to be taken on the murtherer seuen-fold for the blood of Lâ—…mech if his brags were true seuentie and seuen fold what vengeance must bee taken vpon the shedders of the Blood of God which not onelie with the blood of Abel did cry vnto God from the ground but also from the heauens wherein the Sun cloathed in doole wrapped for a space in his mourning weede would not looke vpon that creature wherevpon his Master was slaine But for to leaue this Ierusalem which is now abominablie desolate Let me heare something of the spirituall Ierusalem The Pastour The spirituall Ierusalem is called Ierusalem which is aboue also the Citie of the liuing God the heauenlie Ierusalem and also the holie Ierusalem descending out of heauen from God The sicke Man Thinke yee that in all these passages of Scripture Ierusalem bee taken after one sense The Pastour I answere that the spirituall Citie Ierusalem in Scripture is taken two wayes either for the Church below wherein God as in a Citie calleth the Godly to immortalitie and happinesse Or it is taken for the heauens where the Godlie actuallie possesse that which they had heere but in hope In the first sense the Church militant on earth is called Ierusalem aboue and the heauenlie Ierusalem The sicke Man Seeing by that Ierusalem is vnderstood the Church heere below wherfore is it called Ierusalem aboue and the heauenlie Ierusalem I thoght euer that such a Ierusalem did signifie the heauens The Pastour It is called Aboue and heauenlie because all the true Godlie the denizens thereof minde the thinges that are aboue Though their bodies bee heere their heartes are into the Heauens For our conuersation as S. Paule saith is in heauen For this spirituall exaltation of heartes the Church in the New-Testament is called The mountaine of the Lords house established in the top of the mountaines exalted aboue the hill One speaking of this Ierusalem which S. Paul called Ierusalem aboue the mother of vs all noteth quickelie these things In hoc quod dicitur sursum originis altitudo Quod Ierusalem Pacis multitudo Quod mater Foecunditatis amplitudo Quod nostrum omnium Charitatis latitudo It is called Aboue from the highnesse of its Kinred aâ—…d pedegree It is called Ierusalem from aboundance of peace It is called Free from its great liberties It is called â—… Mother because of its fruitfulnesse It is called the Mother of vs all to teach vs charitie and loue Are wee not all the Children of the Church our Mother Why then as Ioseph said to his brethren See that yee fall not out by the way The sicke Man I haue often heard of Ierusalem that most famous Citie of the Land of Iurie but I could neuer well know wherfore it was so called Bethlehem Bethel Bethauen are easilie known by their significations viz. House of Bread house of God house of wickednesse But as for Ierusalem I vnderstand not its signification The Pastour Learned men are of diuerse opinions concerning the name thereof Some thinke that it bee so called from Iebus which was its name while the Iebusiens dwelt there Hierom thinketh that it is so called from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Greeke word which signifieth holy according to this in Scripture it is called The holie Citie others are of the opinion that Sem the sonne of Noah called it Salem that is Peace and that Abraham called it Iehouah Iâ—…eh The Lord will prouide or see Thus at last Salem Iireh put together by Dauid made IerusaleÌ„ that is Vision of Peac while it was called Salem Melchizedech was King thereof called by the Apostle King of Salem The sicke Man Let mee heare a little of the situation of that Citie and of that Land of Canaan The Pastour From Britaine it lyeth toward the South East One calleth it Centrum terrae vmbilicus the Center nauell of the Earth In it were two mouÌ„taines of great renown mount Sion mouÌ„t Moria Sion like an halfe Circle as writters record did lye at the South side of Ierusalem On it was builded the strongest Fortresse of the Citie There before Dauid's tyme was the strong Hold of the Iebusites so strong as they thoght that blind lame meÌ„ were able to keepe it against whomsoeuer This Mountaine was higher than all the rest Sion signifieth drynesse because the Hill was dry without any myre or dirt As for mount Moriah this was the Hill wherevpon that Temple was builded Then Solomon beganne tâ—… build the house of the Lord at Ierusalem in mount Moriah The ground wherevpon that statelie House did stand was that threshing floore of Ornan the Iebusite which Dauid wold buy from him for the full price The occasion was this Dauid hauing caused number the people the Lord was exceeding wroth so that in reuenge hee sent out his Angel who killed with the sword of Pestilence threescore and ten thousand men At last Dauid lifting vp his eyes saw the Angel betweene the heauen and the earth with a drawne sword stretched out ouer Ierusalem which hauing seene hee and the Elders of Israel cloathed in sacke cloth fell vpon their faces At
fire and Candles in the night time as in any other Citie But to Ierusalem aboue God hath said The Sun shall no more bee thy light by day neither for brightnesse shall the Moone giue light vnto thee But the Lord shall bee vnto thee an euerlasting light and thy God thy Glorie Thy Sunne shall no more goe down neither shall thy Moone with-draw it selfe for the Lord shall bee thine euerlasting Light 5 In the earthly Ierusalem often in place of Iustice was a seat of malice But in the new Ierusalem euill judges shall haue no sitting but the Throne of God and of the Lambe shall bee in it an appointed seat for the righteous Lord who shall lay judgment to the line and righteousnesse to the plummet The sicke Man O but my Soule is going to a pleasant Palace O thou my Soule rejoyce within mee that God hath prepared such pleasures for thee O how ami◅ble are thy Tabernacles O Lord of hostes Mine heart is in heauen Glorious things are spoken of the◅ O thou Citie of our God The Pastour It is certaine that mans heart can not conceiue the beautie of these buildings within If the house of God on earth seemed so pleasant to King Dauid that hee counted this the one thing hee would seeke that hee might dwell into it what shall wee thinke or say concerning Gods Palace in the Heauens One thing said hee haue I desired of the Lord that I will seeke after that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the dayes of my life to behold the BEAVTIE of the Lord. Lords mercie what dulnesse and deadnesse of heart is this that wee seeke not after the same should not this be our one thing euen our onelie hearts desire to dwell with God aboue for to behold that BEAVTIE of the Lord these euer g◅eene pleasures in his celestiall arbours There is nothing heere below which can bee sufficient for to expresse the image nay not the shadowe of these things that are aboue In the most glorious creatures which are below as Gold Glasse Crystall Pearles and precious Stones we may see some thinges like shadowes of these glorious thinges aboue But there is no creature heere which can carrie to our imagination the shadow let bee the image of the glorie that is vp into that Holie of holies O but God is wonderfull in counsell and excellent in working But our Soules are so sleepie and sluggish that they cannot consider The fancies and folies of the earth bring vs quite out of conceite with celestiall pleasures Alas in the best of vs the seedes of grace lye buried vnder the thornes shamefullie ouertopped by them The little dramme of goodnesse in our hearts is waighed down with weightie talents of wickednes a mighty streame of earth◅y thoghts and worldlie desires lik a Torrent carieth our Soules down the hill from all heauenlie contemplations The clawing flatterers of our worldly affections whisper vnto vs that it is good for vs to bee heere The sicke Man The Lord subdue the master sinne which like a Ring-leader and head of all wickednesse maketh all our purest conceptions of heauen to be come moodie and drumlie O Lord let thy graces in mee bee presentlie vp in armes for to remoue all such earthlie mindednesse from mine heart by the power of thy diuine Armerouse vp this drousie soule that it may seeke thee afresh by a renewed act of Faith and Repentance Make mine heart to detaste all earthlie pleasures which are but rotten at the heart Kindle in mine heart a loue of thy Palace aboue stirre vp all my desires with a foretaste of the pleasures that are there that finding the comfortable relish thereof I may most willingly desire to be dissolued and to bee with Christ in the heauens for euer O Lord in stead of all meanes both outward inward supplie mee aboundantlie with the presence of thy Spirit Waine my Soule from the loue of the earth that thou may winne it to the loue of the Heauens O happie they who studie to pietie and puritie for no vncleane thing shall bee able to enter into these mansions O Lord let vs not bee like these who after that they haue seemed to disgorge their stomackes most filthilie with the Dogge swallow vp their owne vomit againe O shelter mee and saue me from the vnsoundnesse and vnsettlednesse of a deceitfull heart that I lash not out into the excesse of supperfluitie of wickednesse now while wee are speaking of the heauens make all the loue of the earth hencefoorth to bee cryed downe into my Soule The Pastour Lord heare thou in Heauen I am rejoyced that while we are speaking of the heauens the Spirite of grace furnisheth you with such heauenlie prayers which would hearten any man to runne thorow hell to Heauen except that hee bee of the number of these who thinke it but a tricke to goe to hell The sicke Man I pray you now Sir to continue into that purpose concerning the glorie of Heauen for it affecteth much my Soule Your powerfull speach maketh my minde to stay in a feeling meditation vpon these beauties that are aboue If I heard not such good purpose my mind would either feede vpon dull and fruitlesse melancholie or else should gade and runne ryot in reuellings and in a world of foolish and fond imaginations The thoughts of man cannot runne long without rubor interruption in Spirituall things except that God in mercie both support them outwardlie and sinew them inwardlie by the finger of his Spirit The hearts of men are so light in their gading that moste easilie are they moued to glide ouer the best things and either swinishlie to wallow infilthinesse or furiouslie to follow these whose whole pregnancie of witte is spended vpon trifles Thus mirrilie they passe away that tyme wherein they should redeeme the time that is past I wish that mine heart by your discourse were confined to celestiall meditations Proceede now I pray you where yee left at last The Pastour My speach was that all the most glorious creatures that wee can either see aboue or below are lesse thā shadowes types or figures of things that are within the Heauens In them as in a Glasse we see weaklie the invisible things of God As a man not beeing able to face the Sun beholdeth him in a Basen full of water and yet not without some dazeling of his sight That weakened light will mak his eyes to water and teares to trickle downe If the glory of one of Gods seruants be so glistering in robes of light that no man can behold him but into the glasse of another creature and that also with great paine It is certaine that God must put many moe creatures betweene himselfe and vs that the glorie of his beames beeing weakened by diuerse reflexes from one creature to another man with his weake tender eyes may looke
vpon his light If a man cannot beholde the Sunne in the day hee may in the night behold his beames vpon the bodie of the Moone If his sight yet cannot suffer that hee may behold him in his second reflexe by beholding the Moone in a glasse If as yet his sight dazle there is a third and weaker reflexe By another glasse thou may gette the reflexe of that glassen reflexe Certainlie there must bee manie reflexes of Gods brightnes from one creature to another before that his invisible things can bee seene by vs What glorious beames of Gods face thinke yee be these which shine within that highest Heauen called Coelum Empyrium the fierie Heauen not that there is fire but because as the most Learned thinke it is purer than al the other heauens as much as the fire is purer than the other Elements O what shining brightnesse of God is to be seene there where all is more glauncing and cleare than that fire which Moses saw in the Bush. Let vs come down from thence to behold the glorious Stars the twinckling eyes of Heauen laughing vpon the godlie with their celestiall smyles O these bright and peerelesse Pearles Let vs from thence come downe to the two great Gouernours of the day and of the night from thence descend to the cleare pureaire so glauncing with the light of the Sunne as if it were all of Azure Come downe yet and vnder that are Aquae limpidae the cleare waters the mother of Pearles and of precious gold for the weakest eye there is terra opaca that thicke da◅ke duskish and lumpish masse of earth which a bleare eyed Leah may behold for in it to see without watering eyes the invisible thinges of God were it by looking vpon a Lillie or a Rose or vpon a Snaile or a Snaike Behold the goodnesse of God who hath sette his creatures by degrees in distance from the place of his inaccessible light that thereby the bleared eyes of men may get some glimpse of the shadowes of his invisible thinges which are of truest worth But O O O what a glorie and matchlesse fairenesse is there where God the King of Glorie is seene face to face O the glorie of the God-head The knowledge of the least sparkle of that glorie is not attainable by any carnall capacitie Because of that brightnesse that was in Moses his face by the reflexe of that Light which hee had seene but in IEHOVAHS backe partes it behoued him to couer his face with a Vaile when hee came for to speake vnto men Was the skinne of the face of a sinner so inlightened with bright beames from the Back of God that no man could behold it nor looke toward it till it was couered with a Vaile How many Vailes must God put betweene his face ours lest we should be dazeled with his glorie I take all the circles of the heauens the Fire and Aire aboue vs to bee as many obscuring Vailes which the Lord hath cast betweene the Glorie of his face the eyes of sinful man And yet in the Sunne hee hath fastened such a sparkle of his glorie that by his heate his brightnes he will cause man the king of creatures to bee ashamed to behold him Hee will cause him flie vnto the shadowes and goe with Gogle eyes of Glasse for to saue his eyes of flesh from the reflexe of his beames thogh blunted vpon the darke and duskie element of the earth See how mans sight is so weake that it cannot abide an earthlie blunted reflexe of that celestiall creature What shall I say more of the heauens which are so farre aboue vs Let vs come downe and learne humilitie at the feete of creatures below as at the feete of a Gamal◅ euen in this elementare Region of corruption Behold there is such a whitenesse into the snow which is but frozen and congealed blacke water that it will mak the dull sight of man so to dazle that when hee is entered into his owne house hee is not able to know the faces that are his owne yea many by such brightnes at last haue lost their sight Let mee yet come to an obscurer bodie The small printed Letters which wee read must be darkened with the blacknesse of inke and yet because the whitenes of the Paper scattereth so the sight it must bee gathered with the greenish colour of glassen Spectacles Now I pray you how should man behold that passing glory of his God who cannot behold the whitnesse of Paper but with borrowed eyes of Glasse Let men heare learne in his weaknesse to bee humble and to reuerence him that hath made so many creatures which for brightnesse he is not able to behold If poore man cānot behold the apparrell of Gods creatures clothed with light or with colours not seene without light If such a little glaunce is able to dazle his sight how should hee bee able to behold the King of creatures euen the great Creator him selfe whose backe partes are brighter than tenne thousand Sunnes Because of this great weaknesse caused into man by sinne man is remoued farre from the presence of this King lest hee should bee destroyed by the brightnesse of his beames If while the Sunne shineth with his beames darded directlie down the creatures are so parched with heate below that they are constrained to gaspe what should become of vs if Gods glorie should appeare at our verticall point without the interposition of many other creatures betweene him and vs If a little sparkle of his Glorie in the Sunne many thousand myles from vs maketh a man to faint sweate and gaspe what should become of vs if God himselfe the consuming fyre should approach vnto vs If the Sunne which seemeth to bee but of an hand-breadth hath such light and heate what should it bee if all the heauens were inlightened like the Sunne Though all the heauens were turned into a Sun they should not be of such brightnesse as are the backe-parts of IEHOVAH The Sun with all his light and heate may mak the face of man more obscure and duskie but cannot inlighten it But the backe partes of God printed such light into the face of a man that for brightnesse no man could behold it Mercifull God what stupiditie is this in man that hee will not consider what a Majestie this must bee whose obscurest parts are more bright than the Sunne and who with all is not confined with natural dimensions as with breadth or length but is aboue the Heauens infinitlie with infinite bounds and brightnesse the least sparkle whereof is more bright than if the whole Heauens were wholie tarned into a shining Sunne If men knew the pleasures that are there they wold not losse them for the painefull pleasures or rather vnpleasant paines of this sinfull life Alas that we are so carelesse of the attainment of such a weight of glorie
her Consider well I pray you If the beholding of the glorie of an earthlie Prince so rauished the heart not of a rusticke that will easilie wonder at any thing but of a Queene yea and so that no more spirit remained in her what should it bee if we should get but as through the graâ—… one sight thorow the heauens of that great God of Solomon sitting vpon his Throne If but for the quarter of an houre wee might see the meate of his Tablâ—… and the standing of his seruants the attendance of his Ministers Saincts Angels casting downe their Crownes at his feete if I say wee could see these things as they are this our Spirit shuld be caried toward him witâ—… such a strong bent affection thaâ—… 〈◊〉 should not tarie within vs but being rauished should runne out of this body of clay for to goe abide with him that made it among pleasures perfectlie abstracted from paine If God as hee is should appeare vnto vs were it neuer so little the bonds of our bodies should not be able for to fetter so our Soules but at the first sight of God they with a most flagrant desire should flutter out of sinfull clay for to enjoye his most amiable presence wherein are pleasures exempted from all hazard of surprysall That which I say giueth some light to these wordes which God said to Moses No man can see my face and liue As for the wicked I giue this interpretation that the sight of Gods face shuld kil them as light killeth darknes or as the day is the slaughter of the night But God who killeth not but quickeneth the killed of his owne chosen if by them hee were seene in the face on earth they shuld dye not a violent death but they should die for loue to bee at him At the first sight of his Face their Soules would not remaine any more in clay but loathing their bodies they should make haste for to flie to their God So soone as Steuen saw the Heauens opened the Son of man standing at the right hand of God his Soule tooke post to the heauens Albeit the Burrios thought that they chaised it out with stroakes and with stones yet it is certaine that fra once hee got that sight his Soule was more desirous to bee out of his bodie for loue of Heauen than the Soule of the most wicked man can bee desirous to abide still within for feare of Hell There is such an attractiue loue in Gods countenance that if the Soule in flesh could once see it the bodie should not bee able to keepe it any more within no not for the space of a moment As the load stone draweth vnto it the yron by a secret and vnspeakable draught so in the face of God there is such an attractiue force that of neede force the godlie Soule at the first sight of it must flie vp vnto it As the Sun by the force of his beames raised vp the vapours towardes heauen euen so if God would but turne his face to anie Soule with the least blinke thereof hee should draw vp that Soule vnto himselfe like a vapour raised vp by the force of the Sunne Consider how the sight but of his backe partes maketh many a well resolued Christian to cry vp vnto him Cupio dissolvi I desire to bee dissolued What is that but the faithfull Soule haling like an Hawke for to flie from the mortall heart as from the hand of a stranger for to come home to her Lord in eternitie O thrise happie hee whose name is in the Booke and whose Soule is in the bundle of life O the gaine that wee haue by the mercie of God in the fall of Adam In Paradise man might liue or die On earth hee now liueth and must die But in Heauen wee shall so liue that wee can no more die O blessed life of eternitie neuer to haue an end into that other world Oh that wee could spend this life in a sacred violence in pursute of that celestiall crowne of immortalitie Happie is hee who keepeth a narrow watch ouer all the stirringes and imaginations of his heart in consideration of that day Happie is hee who maketh all his joys pleasures and all his best beloued thinges below to bee by standers waiting on the seruice of that one thing which onelie is necessarie The sicke Man My Soule is so rauished with youâ—… speach that it flutters within mee â—… haleth to bee away from this mortalitie for to goe dwell into these heauenlie Mansions with the God of glorie Our best thinges below in their verie quintessence are defiled with the moode of home bred corruption All haue neede to be renewed in the verie spirit of their minde Let it please you Sir yet to continue in describing the beautie of Paradise The Pastour If man oâ—… Earth could belieue the beautie of the Heauens to be in any measure such as it is hee would bee glad at his heart to forsake the moulding cottages of clay Seeing the out-sid of heauen is so glorious what must bee the in side Solomons Temple was a type of Heauen The further a man went in he saw the greater beautie In the out most Couâ—… was but an Altar of brasse for the sâ—…crificing of beastes Into the inward Court stood an Altar of Gold for offering of incense of sweet persumâ—…s But that which was in most viz Sanctum Sanctorum the Holie of holies was all full of Glorie There God himselfe was heard in a voyce beetweene the Cherubins There was the Ark called The Glorie wherin were the Tables of Gods word Aarons flourished Rod the Manna There was the Word for the instruction of the Soule There were the Almond floorishes like a pleasant Spring for rejoycing of the eye There also was Mannah for meate the type of that euerlasting Soule feast in the Heauens Behold a compend of the three most pleasaÌ„t seasons of the yeare First there was the seed of the word after that the Summer flowers of pleasure in the flowrishing Rod And last there was the fruitfull haruish of Manna for meat In a word in that Holie of holies the figure of Heauen was the Mercieseaâ—… the speciall place of Gods residence But all the beautie of that Temple were not sufficient to expresse the shadowe of these that are aboue the starres S. Paul after that hee had beene rauished vp to the third heauens got a charge from God that hee should not tell what hee had heard or seene there Onelie this hee declared after that hee was come downe that vp into Paradise hee had heard vnspeakable words which no tongue of flesh could bee able to pronounce But though such words had beene speakable the Apostle declareth that it was not lawfull for a man to vtter them Alas what can the earthlie low creeping worâ—…s of our highest eloquence expresse of these
joyes that are aboue the Heauen of heauens Hee who with penne and inke would set out the greatnes of that glory which is to bee seene within that blessed Building should bee as who would foolishlie tak paines to paint the Sun with a coale In vaine shall a man prease to expresse that which cannot be spokē but into vnspeakable words Words come shorter than thoghts and thoughts come shorter infinitly than the thing it selfe The sicke Man I haue heard with great ioye of the vnspeakable glorie of God himselfe of the beautie of his Princelie Palace I desire now to heare some thing more at large concerning the estate of the Sainctes wherein they shall be when they shall dwell with God after the resurrection The Pastour It is most certaine that they shal be there into a farre better estate than wee can imagine For if Da◅id thought one day in Gods earthly hous◅ better th◅ a thousand else where what shall it bee when wee shall bee in Heauen the Citie of our GOD whereof God is the House and the Temple The Saincts shal be in such glorie there as that no earthlie tongue can tell If in this world by be holding in a glasse the glorie of the Lord wee are changed into that same Image from glorie to glorie what a change shal bee made when we shall see not Gods Image not in a glasse but himselfe face to face If the sight of his Image in the glasse of his Gospel hath such a working power as to change vs into the same Image heere on earth what a change shall bee made of vs in the Heauens when we shall see God euen as hee is All the godlie Gods warriours then shall liue in peace and rest As their life on earth was a continuall battell so shall their life in Heauen bee a perpetuall triumph Then the winter of their affliction shall bee past The stormes of their miserie shall blowe no more On Earth joyes and sorrowes are combined together In Hell is sorrow without any joye In Heauen shall bee joye without anie sorrow There they all in bleached coats of righteousnes shall blaze brighter than the Sunne God beeing in them shall burne in them as hee did in the Bush They shall burne but not bee consumed While S. Iohn was rauished in the Spirit he behelde a great multitude which no man could number all standing before the Lambes Throne cloathed in white robbes which had beene bleached from their blemish by the blood of the Lambe hauing the testimonie of two Senses he reporteth what hee saw and heard With his eyes hee saw them cloathed with white robes and Palmes in their hands The one was their innocencie the other was their victorie With his eares hee heard the songs of their triumph They cryed said hee with a loude voyce Saluation to our God which sitteth vpon the Throne With them were Angels Elders roūd about the Throne all falling down vpon their face and singing Blessing and glorie and wisedome and thankesgiuing and honour and power and might bee vnto our God for euer and euer Then with vncōquerable comforts shall all Christes crouding Turtles bee loueinglie comforted Then shall all their sighes bee turned into songs Then joyes vnspeakable shall fill all their senses without any surfet Euerie Sense shall receiue more than all mortal hearts can conceiue But which is of all good things the sweetest relish there shall bee such vnspottednesse of life and loue among the Saincts as the heart of man here cannot conceiue Euery one shall rejoyce of anothers wel as much as they shall doe of their own felicitie The enuious man seeds-man of all strife debate shall not be there All selfe-loue which is of a niggardlie nature enuious of the good of others shall be quite away in the place therof shall come such an heauenlie loue that shall make all the joyes of Heauen to be common As was in the primitiue Church so shall bee there but in greater perfection a communitie of goods One shall not say This is mine or that is thine But as wee shall bee all in Christ Christ in vs so shall wee bee all one in another filled one with anothers joye All state of strife then shal be farre away In Ierusalem aboue an euerlasting peace is within her walls and perpetuall prosperitie within her Palaces All the godlie glistering like starres shall rejoyce one into anothers light Euerie one of them by twinkling and be◅kning vnto other with celestiall smiles shall bend all their force for to giue glorie to the Sunne of righteousnesse the fountaine of all their light All Soules there shall bee most wonderfullie beau◅fied with internall externall and eternall happinesse There God onelie shall speake peace vnto his people and vnto his Sainctes who shall neuer returne againe to their folies Mans chiefe contentment in the heauens shal be in loue first with God and then of one with another O these euerlasting streames of contentmentes which shall flowe into these blessed breastes sequestred for euer from all doole and distresse The sicke Man Lord make all these thinges to liue freshlie in our memories My Soule is inflammed with loue to heare of that loue which shall bee betweene God and his Saincts and among the Sainctes themselues Your discourse Sir with a plausible and pleasant insinuation windeth it selfe into the affections of mine heart It hath alreadie winne mine heart to him to whome it most justlie belongeth Blessed bee his Name for euer Seeing yee were speaking of that vnspeakable loue that shal be between God and vs and also among our selues I pray you to say some thing more concerning that matter The Pastour I shall doe what I can brieflie As for God euery Soule shall loue him better than it selfe because it shall then perfectlie know that God hath loued it more than euer it was able to loue it selfe As for all the Saints wee shall loue them equallie with our selues as beeing all members of that mysticall Bodie Then and not till then shall bee the perfect practise of that second great command the summe of the second Table which is to loue our neighbour as our selues If the Soule of this naturall Bodie in the toyle of our pilgrimage hath such a commande ouer our naturall affections that it maketh vs to loue all the members and euerie member to worke equallie well for the good of another O mercifull God what greater loue shall proceede from that Spirite of Loue which shall bee in the Heauens euen the Soule of that mysticall bodie of all the Elect Looke how much grace surpasseth Nature and Glorie surpasseth Grace the Spirit of God which shall animate this bodie shall so much more straitlie make the members thereof to liue in Loue The holier the Soule bee within a man the greater loue concord is betweene his members
shall bee so pure that no vncleane inclination shall be able by any juggling feat of conueiance to cogge in it selfe into our heartes any more O the foolishnesse of mans blind and bewitched heart that for a moment of toylesome time should losse that Eternitie of joye The sicke Man Thinke yee that in Heauen wee shall bee of diuerse ages Children men or olde men as wee were here when wee deceased The Pastour It is hard to tell wee must not swerue from the wisedome of Gods word Scripture heere is silent But seeing Heauen is the place of perfection it is probable as some Diuins thinke that in Heauen all shall bee in greatest perfection Seeing say they that infancie is imperfection and olde age is defection none of two are conuenient for bodies that are perfectlie glorified As the Sunne taketh the mid course of Heauen so shall the godlie who shall shine like Sunnes abide in the middest beeweene the Poles of all extremities for there shal be the perfection of Vertue Age Stature Beautie and of all that shall concerne them All shall bee content for all shall drinke their filles out of the Riuer of the vnmixed pleasures perfections of God which neither Man nor Deuill the strength of Hell or length of eternitie shall euer bee able to trouble or make drumlie The sicke Man There is one thing which earnestlie I desire to know viz. Whether or not wee who on earth haue liued together and loued one another shall know each other into Heauen The Pastour It is thought that so shall be and that because of the presence of God in whom is such a Light that by it wee shail see and know these whom wee neuer did see or know on earth When Christ was transfigured vpon mount Tabor down came Moses Elias whō the Apostles had neuer seene of before Though they had neuer seene them before that yet by the light of Christes transfiguration they were so inlightned that they did perfectlie know what they were If the sight of that figured light gaue such a knowledge vnto sinners that they knew these whom they had neuer seene what shall it bee when all obscure figures and also our sins which maketh all good thinges obscure shall bee remoued and God shall bee All in all But though we should all know one another as I thinke indeede we shall all these carnall respectes which are heere as of Father Mother Wife Childrē shall all fall from vs lik the mantle of Elias before wee enter into Heauen for to enjoye these Empyrian pleasures which are so far aboue the fadome and reach of all changable mortalitie Wee thinke much now of such earthlie respectes which are indeede Coagulum hujus vitae the verie curding and joyning together of greatest naturall contentments But seeing all such things are but things of Child-hoode they shall not enter into our thoughtes when wee shall bee perfect men into the Heauens the presence-Chamber of our God When I was a Childe saide S. Paul I spake as a Child I vnderstood as a Child I thought as a Childe But when I became a man I put away childish things So long as a man is into this world if hee be compared with that which hee shall bee hee is but a Child hee vnderstandeth as a childe hee speaketh as a Child and hee thinketh as a Childe All the dearest naturall respects that are heere are but childish things Seeing they are so when we shall come to Heauen where we shall bee perfect men they all shall bee put away I will let you see this in a natural figure In this world we haue that which wee call Child hoode and that which we call the perfection of a man Now tell me I pray you should it be seemelie for a graue Senatour sitting before his Prnce and confering vpon the most weightie matters of the Kingdome to beginne and speak what he did with this Child and that Childe with whom he was wont to ride vpon Reedes Would hee beeing a wise man at such a time beginne to discourse how with these little companions hee builded vnder a bowre little houses into the sand or how in their childish conuentions they made their litle feastes of Pieres Nuts and Apples Would a wise man thinke ye in the presence of his Prince put off the time with such purpose No not When the foolish Child is become a wise man hee speaketh no more as a Childe neither vnderstandeth hee as a Childe neither thinketh he as a Childe Such childish thinges in Heauen shall not so much as once come into his thought for that were to thinke as a Childe That which is now in part shall bee done away at the comming of perfection which shall bee in that Coronation day Because we are heere but children wee cannot now vnderstand the wisedome of the words thoughts that wee shall haue aboue Languages then shall cease One shall not speake English and another French and another Spanish That Babylonish confusion of tongues shall bee taken away and wee all shall speake the Language of the Lambe God then shall speake no more vnto his people with stammering lippes and with another tongue Then shal be no difference of contrie-men or estates whether they were borne in Asia Europe or Affrica There shall it not bee looked to whether they were Kings or Subjects Masters or Seruants bond or free In the Heauens is neither Greeke nor Iewe Circumcision nor vncircumcision Barbarian Scythian bond or free But Christ shall bee All in all What can bee laking vnto man where God shall bee vnto him All in all yea and the Soule of his Soule As the Soule is in the whole man whollie in euerie part so shall the whole diuinity in the heauens informe the whole mysticall bodie and bee in it whollie and that into the least member thereof God beeing All in all Then and not till then we shall bee satisfied aboundantlie with the fatnesse of Gods house and drinke of the Riuers of his pleasures yea and our Soules shall feast themselues by all our senses vpon vnmixed joyes free from the mudde and distemper of all displeasures In a worde our heartes shall bee fastened to our God with such cords of loue which no thing aboue or below shall bee able to vntwine Heere is our journeyes end heere is our resting place from our labours and toilesome trauels Heere is absence of all euill and presence of all that is good Heere the Lambe is the Temple and the Light and the Tree of Life that bringeth foorth fruite euerie moneth euer new joyes without perishing of the olde euer new pleasures without any loathing of the former euer new light without any darkning euer new life without any dying euer new delightes without any dolours euer new Glorie without any grudge euer new mirth with out any mudde of miserie * Bodilie pleasures worke a
before the Lord Let vs all humble our selues heere before our Maker A Prayer for the sicke Man O LORD prepare our heartes to prayer Let vs not be rash with our mouth nor hastie with our heart to vtter any thing before Thee O glorious GOD and all mercifull Father which art the true Physicion both of Soule and bodie we must humblie bend our knees before Thee intreating thee to be with thy seruant heere whom thou hast now laide into this bedde of languishing Let not his sinnes whereof hee hath beene guiltie from his youth vp prouok thy wrath any more against him Knit them all in a bundle and cast them all behind thy mercifull back burie them al into the bottomlesse sea of thy compassions that they neither bee able to accuse him any more in this worlde nor yet to condemne him in the world to come Though his sinnes LORD were like Scarlet and Crimsin there is vertue into the Blood of thy Lambe to make them white like woole and whiter than the Snow For thy Sonnes sake remoue all his transgressions as far frō him as the East is from the west Hell LORD Destruction are before thee how much more the hearts of the Sonnes of men Thine All seeing Eye pryes most clearelie into the in-most closet of mans heart Look with the Eye of thy compassions within the Doores of this wearied heart of thy Seruant Looke in and proclaime mercie and pardon vnto his sillie Soule Let him know that neither Death nor Life shal be able to separate him from thy Loue O LORD assist him and stand fast by him in this houre Desert him not in his greatest last agonie Let thy Spirit possesse him so fullie that there be none entrie or roume for Satans temptations whē the Temper is bufiest let thy Spirite bee strongest Arme him with all Pieces against the last conflict of this bloodie battell Honour him with the Lawrels of victorie Let thy strength be made perfect in his greatest weak nesse Doe the turne by thine owne force and take all the glorie to thy selfe By the vertue of thy Christ crucifie into him the olde Man and his vvorkes Make him to die into him that hee may liue to Thee vvho to all the Faithfull is aduantage both in life and death Hee is now LORD walking betweene thy Mercie and thy Iustice through many-temptations Gouerne thou his steppes vvith such vvisedome that the feare of Iustice may keepe him from presumption and the hope of mercie may preuent despaire Increase his patience vvith his paine Sanctifie his Sickenesse make it as Bellowes to thy graces that thereby they may be kindled and blowne vp to a greater flame Enamour him vvith the loue of thy goodnesse Powre in the oyle of thy mercie into his bruissed hearte which hath bene filled with mournfull groanes And seeing now thou art calling him to repetitions to see vvhat hee hath profited in thy Schoole cast into his rememberance all the good things that hitherto hee hath heard or meditate for to comfort this houre Bee strong in him now in this time of tryall Applye vnto his wounds the Balme of Gilead Hee is weake and therefore O LORD forbea◅e him in thy mercie O pittie this wounded man as did that Samaritane Powre Oyle into his wounds bind them vp and take him to thine Inne For thy mercies sake remember him Forthy Sonnes sake pittie him For thy promise sake forget him not Free his Soule f◅ the maze of all worldlie cares Inspite into him the life of grace with a most fresh vigout and feruent heate of zeale to thy Glorie Hee LORD in his most piercing paines knoweth not what to doe but his eyes are on Thee In thine handes is both Life and Death Thou bringest to the Graue and bringest backe againe In thy greate mercie O LORD make all his bedde in his sicknesse make his bedde to be a Schoole vnto him wherein hee may not onelie learne the hudgnesse of his owne miserie but also the greatnes of thy mercie Let neither Death fright him nor the Graue grieue him Let him knowe that Death is but a sleepe for the friendes of Christ and the Graue a bedde for the resting of their wearied bones Let not the weight of mortalitie beare downe his Spirite frō minding the things which are aboue Make him content to quite gladlie all earthlie pleasures and contentments for to goe dwell with Thee his GOD in immortalitie Let neither the sweetnesse of the Figge nor the grapes of the Vine nor the fatnesse of the O liue hinder his desire to reigne in heauen Against the feare of death comfort him with hope of the glorious Resurrection Assure his Soule though his bodie goe to bee eaten of the wormes that hee in that bodie againe shall see his Redeemer and none other for him Furnish him with spirituall courage vnto the end Giue him boldnesse to march without feare thorow the valey of death for to come to Thee yea to run were it thorow Hell for to come to Thee in Heauen Tell vnto his Soule that his paines dismay him not seeing his trauell is to bring foorth eternall life Let thy Iustice seate trouble him no more seeing Christ hath payed his debts Let him not bee afraide to come before the Face of his Iudge seeing the Iudge himselfe is his Brother who hath both cut cancelled that hand-writting of the Law which no flesh was able to performe Pittie him LORD pittie him for loe hee is nowe in thine handes looking pittifully vp to Thee for thy mercie Some of thy setters are yet vpon him none can loose him but the hands which haue bund him Pittie good LORD and pardon set vnto this Soule the seale of thy pardons by the Spirit of adoption Heale and sweetlie close vp the wounds of his Spirit by the vertue of thy most blessed Blood This is our confidence that thou who hast stricken him is able to heale him and will also doe it if it bee for thy glorie and his well if not Lord in judgement remember mercie If it bee his best that after some dayes sicknesse he depart out of this mortall life let these paines which hee suffers nowe bee like Ionathans arrowes which were not shot for to ◅urt but to giue warning Giue him grace that like an obedient Childe hee may as w◅ll kisse thine hand while it beateth as while it blesseth If thy decree be come foorth that hee must remoue from this World assure him of a better place where pleasures are in greater number th◅ the starres Teach him by thy Spirit that by death hee shall change a mortall habitation a dungeon of darknes◅◅ cage of corruptions for euerlasting T◅bernacles most heauenlie sacred M◅sions where constant peace vnmi◅ joyes remaine Weane his heart from the loue of all things that are vnder the Sunne Let the beautie and glorie of the Heauens whereof hee hath heard at length this day
with thy mercie In the multitude of thy compassions blot out my transgressions wash me throghlie from mine iniquitie and cleanse mee from my sinnes where by the seed of thy grace within mine heart hath beene choaked and starued Let the depth of thy mercy swallow vp the deepes of my miserie Bridle my sinnes and spurre forward thy graces within mee Set all mine affections on foote that they may follow after Thee Put a fairer flame into my smoking slaxe and more strength into this bruisedreede that the bones which thou hast broken may re◅oyce O Lord with thine eye salue cleanse and open the eyes of my poore Soule that I beholding these things that are aboue may gladlie desire to be dissolued for to be there with my Lord and Sauiour Lord let thy Spirit carrie still a strong hand ouer me Furnish mee with such measure of thy graces whereby I may patiently waite vpon thy will Except that by a speciall fauour thou vphold mee I shall neuer bee able to secure my feete in so slipperie ground While I haue beene hearing most glorious speaches of the Heauens the shadowes of earthlie things haue ecclipsed my minde like a Moorie O make such shadowes to flie away that the horizon of my spirituall sight beeing cleared I may in some measure see thy backe partes whereby my Soule may bee enlightened like the face of Moses Though often I haue beene deafe at thy preachinges bee not thou dumbe at my prayers O Father of mercies listen vnto the groanes of my drooping spirite assailed with diuerse temptations Heare the sighes and crouding of thine owne Turtle Doue O LORD leade mee into the Land of vprightnesse and make thy grace to seat it selfe into mine heart Store my memorie with these good lessons which I haue heard preached in mine health Let mee neuer ouer-pryze anie good thing that is within my selfe Though Iames and Iohn bragged that they were able to drinke of thy cuppe scarce could they abide to see Thee drinke it O Lord make mee euer to vnder-value thy greatest worth that thorow the valey of humilitte I may come to these euer lasting exaltations Come LORD for loe thy seruant commeth I am willing Lord helpe my vnwillingnesse If it bee thy will to loose me out of this sinfull prison when I shall leaue this earth to earth appoint thine Angels to carrie my Soule vnto Abrahams bosome where I may sing with thy Saincts Halleluiah for euer Come Lord now and seeke thy lost groate Fetch home vpō thy Shoulders this wandering Sheepe and make all the Heauens to rejoyce Despise not that which in the creation thou diddest ennoble with thy liknesse Giue mee a warrand and a token to bee admitted within the Gates of thine euerlasting Tabernacles Till I come there make my Soule to burne still in holie feelings Lord heare mee for the deare sake of thy Sonne to whom with Thee and the Spirit of grace as it is most due wee render all praise glorie and dominion for euer AMEN The Pastour Blessed be God Sir who maketh his Spirit to worke so powerfullie within you Wee are all greatlie refreshed with your comforts It hath beene a great joye to vs all to heare that most sweete feruent prayer full of the groanes of the Spirit of Iesus In you haue wee seene the trueth of that Text The Spirit helpeth our infirmities for wee know not what wee should pray for as wee ought But the Spirite it selfe maketh intercession for vs with groanings which cannot bee vttered I am assured that that same Spirite hath made intercession for you with groaninges in that prayer which now yee haue vttered And againe while I consider in what weakenesse and faintnesse I found you at the first I wonder at such a vigour of Spirit which I petceiue now to be into you Truelie the word of God is most true God giueth power to the faint to them that haue no might hee increaseth strength Euen the Youths shall faint and bee wearie and the young men shall vtterlie fall But they that waite vpon the Lord renewe their strength They shall mount vp with winges as Eagles Many in their afflictions either desparatelie rage or weaklie wa◅le But God in great mercie hath at last filled you with true Christian courage and comfort in your greatest smart Hee hath listened to all your desires beeing moued with that sacred Loue which alwayes burneth in his bosome His Grace like the Notherne Pole hath giuen you aime and direction whether to bend your course Now the darkenesse of the night beginneth to ouer-cloud the earth By Gods grace I shall returne in the Morning so soone as the birdes shall begin to chirpe at the spring of day Because while the spirit of man is idle it weareth and wasteth it selfe away with barren and lumpish melancholie While yee shall awake cause reade Scripture vnto you and particularlie these places Psalme 27. Psalme 84. Psalme 87. 1. Corinthians 15. 2. Corinthians 12. Reuelation 21. Reuelation 22. His Grace bee you THE SEVENTH DAYES Conference The sicke Mans last wordes to his Pastour Friendes Wife and Children The Pastour THE Lord blesse you Sir According to my promise yester-night I am come againe earlie All this night mine heart hath earned to knowe of your estate How haue yee passed this night The sicke Man O the mercie of my God towards mee that hath moued you to take such paines for mee an vnworthie worme By your most holy Sermons yee haue furnished and supplied my minde with store of holie and heauenlie meditations Ye haue beene both a Paul for to plant mee in the true Faith and an Apollos for to water mee Christ the Master builder by the Finger of his Spirit hath laide the foundation of his Temple within mine heart Hee hath made choise of you a skilefull Workeman to aduance the worke till in mercie at last hee shall roofe his graces in mee with celestiall Glorie By the word of God yee haue comforted mee that is onelie the word of comfort Of all other words were they neuer so eloquent I will say with a Father In a thousand talents of worldlie wordes a man shall hardlie finde an hundreth pence of spirituall heauenlie wisedome This life is like the Haw thorne more pricking than pleasant Ye haue rauished my heart with desire of immortalitie aboue I blesse God Sir that euer I saw you The Pastour All these good things are to bee ascribed to the working of GODS Spirit All the juice and sappe whereby the branches spring and liue ensueth and riseth from the roote of the tree We who are Pastours are but the Lords Spouts and Cocks of his Conduits wherby his graces are conuoyed vnto the heartes of our hearers If the Spirit of God mak not a mans Saluation sure hee will incessantlie reele from one doubt to another from one temptation to another like a drunken man from wall to wall It is
shall ye bee Mans life at the longest may bee measured with a spanne Behold said the Psalmest thou hast made my dayes of an hand-breadth Mine age is as nothing before thee Our life is but a vapour and a wind which once passeth away returneth not againe It should therefore bee your best in time to prepare your selues for a better life and not with many to relye securelie vpon a possibilitie of pardon If yee bee wise venter not vpon such broken staues which faile in greatest neede The carnall Friend Thinke not the worse of mee Sir if I desire you to be honoured with the best in Buriall bee not too precise I hope that wee all shall come to heauen at last wee are all sinners I hope before I die to repent mee of all my sins The sicke Man S. Augustins wordes are of great power Metuendum est ne te occidat spes cum multum speres de misericordia incidas in judicium It is to be feared that while men hope for nothing so much as mercy euen then they fall into damnation I pray God that such hopes deceiue you not Many foolishlie make a packe horse of Christs merites and Gods mercies not caring what burdens they lay on A broken heart is onelie an heart qualified for the pardons of heauen If Christ Iesus his wordes bee of anie credit among men this wee must hold that none shall come to heauen but by the narrow way Sathan with his temptations hath bored out the eyes of many as the Philistins did to Samson But alas who hath the courage of Samson to seeke to be ledde to the chiefe pillars that he may pull them down for to bee reuenged vpon his foes Alas this is the fashion of this world men like the sluggard liue in delayes in steepe and in sloth Yet a little while and yet a little while No man will build an Arke vntill the floode come Lot himselfe did linger to saue himselfe from a brime stone fyre Men haue no leasure to bee saued so hard is it for the most part to pluke their feete out of the clouches of this world If wee could ouercome the loue of this worlde which is the great Goliah of our enemies then shuld we easilie ouercome the pride of the Philislins and the feare of Israel But carnall men know not what it is to mortifie olde Adam with his corrupt lustes Fooles feede on folies and tickle their fond fancies with imagined contentments not knowing the strick narrow course of sanctification Such mens speach is often both vnseemelie and vnseasonable Blessed bee my God who hath giuen mee the staffe in the hand and the stone in the scrippe wherewith I haue stricken all my strongest corruptions in the temples Sathan is tread vnder foote my flesh is subdued mine heart is in Heauen I care for the worlde no more neither desire I to speake anie longer of clay or of anie thing below My minde is aboue farre from the dirt drosse of all earthlie thoughts O my heauenlie Father wrap my Soule wrappe it vp in the righteousnesse of thy Sonne Let that bee the white long robe of my Soule while my body wrapt in its winding sheete shal lye rotting into the graue O my God fill my fainting heart with a joyfull confluence of the precious sufferings of Iesus of the promises of life of the joyes of heauen mak mine ende with that of the vpright man to bee peace Bee not cast downe my Soule neither bee thou disquieted within mee Hope in God for I shall yet praise him who is the health of my countenance and my God Oh but mine heart is sicke Oh where is my deare and louing Pastour His conference is most comfortable vnto my Soule The Pastour I am heere Sir waiting till I see the end of your Battell I haue heard all your wordes with great contentment I haue plainelie perceiued that Gods Angels these noble Spirits attend both to guide to guarde you God by the arme of his power hath brought you out of the thicket of thornes and pricking thistles of monie temptations He who hath made all things in number weight and measure hath not surcharge your Soule aboue that which he hath made you able to beare God in great grace hath made you first to know your selfe in your offences and miserie and after that to know him in his Majestie and mercie The Lord God in great kindnesse hath furnished you with firme Faith constant Hope and sincere Loue He hath led you thorow many trauerses and perplexities Now haue ye passed the most dreadfull darkest houre of all your temptations Now the dawning of a new day approacheth now labour might maine to be prepared for you God within a short space Christ the Sun of Righteousnesse that day spring from on high shall arise vpon your Soule neuer for to goe downe Continue in your prayers to God that he wold possesse your Soule with true hearted holinesse without which no Soule shall see Gods face What now Sir are yee doing The sicke Man My sillie Soule is heere waiting till Death come and open the prison doore that she may flee to her God to her Contrie from whence she came Fogs mists arise before mine eys O my God from the Throne of thy Grace râ—…ine downe vpon my wearied Soule the refreshing showrs of thy most iender mercies Vouchsafe vpon mee some crummes of thy comforts Oh that I had the wings of a doâ—…e for to flee to the woundes of Iesus as to the holes of the Rock My poore Soule in this bodie is like a Bird in a Cage looking through the wyres Faine would it bee free of this sinfull captiuitie O but my Soule panteth fast after my Sauiour What now shall stay mee from my God from my Christ from my Father my brother and my Comforter my dearest Darling of delight I long to bee in Heauen the place of my rest My desire is to goe to Goshen the Land of light of Life and of Libertie Mine heart is fast linked vnto Christ in loue O Lord what is man that thou art so mindfull of him O man what is God that thou art so forgetfull of him O my GOD prepare mee to meete thee with a bruised Spirit Melt my sinnes into sighes and my troubles into teares Let thy good Spirit leade mee into the Land of vp rightnesse Lord let neuer this clay returne to clay till my Spirit be readie to goe to him that gaue it O quicken sharpen my care of heauen dulled and blunted with earthlie thoughts Make sound wisedome and discretion to bee life vnto my Soule and grace to my necke Make my Soule trimme with that costly wedding Garment bought with thy Blood O Iesus the blessed Bridegroome who hast by thy Gospel of Grace betrothed my Soule vnto
dreadfull visitatations of Conscience His Soule hath bene sore racked with the pitifull perplexities of a vexed minde Now death is approaching Sight senses all are failing but thou Lord will neuer faile him While the naturall eyes of his bodie beginne to growe dimme then cleare thou the spirituall eyes of his soule that hee may with Stephen see the heauens opened and the Sonne of man readie to receiue him And alwayes Lord as the time of death shall approach so let his Soule draw nearer vnto thee that while sicknesse shall take away the vse of his tongue his heart may cry to thee Come Lord Iesus come in thine hands I resigne my Spirit Nowe Father of mercies seeing thy Girnels are prepared for him by the power of thy grace fanne this Corne cleane from its chaffe that it may bee treasured vp therein Put his life in a readinesse that hee may giue thee a chearefull account of all wherein hee hath imployed thy Talents Let him heare these words of joye Faithfull seruant come and enter in thy Masters joye Long hath his Soule beene wooing the heauens with weake fluttering desires Nowe open the window of thine Arke and let in this wearied Doue crouding for thy Rest Manie depthes bee betweene vs and heauen One deepth calleth vpon another deepth for flesh and blood there is no possibilitie of passing thorowe But Lord that which is impossible with men is possible with thee Let therefore the vertue of thy death be to him like a Bridge for to sette him safe ouer all the gulfes of miserie In his journey to thy Kingdome remoue all rubbes out of the way O Lord listen to our cry Put these our vnworthy prayers into thy golden Censer Perfume them with the incense of thy righteousnesse and offer them vp to thy Father vpon the Altar of thy diuinitie And thou Fatherof mercies for the merites of thy Son his all sauing death which hee hath suffered for al repēting sinners Receiuein mercy this Soule which Sathan hath sought to sift Receiue the deare price of the Blood of thy Son Let thy Iustice say I am satisfied Let thy mercie so smile vpon him that it may bee the health of his countenance and the comfort of his Conscience While hee shall finish his course finish thou his Faith with perfection whereby hee may die hauing a settled assurance of that blessed Inheritance and massie Crowne of immortalitie which Christ hath conquised by his bloodie merites To whom with Thee and the Spirit of Grace bee all Glorie honour dominion and euerlasting power for now and euer Amen The sicke Man Lord heare thou in Heauen O blessed God and Father of eternity seeing my time nowe is short giue mee grace to manage it well Shute not thine eares to my sighes while my tong in the jawes of death shall cleaue fast to the roofe of my mouth O follow me with thy fauours euē thorow the valey of the shadow of death O Lord because thou art faithfull cannot lie I look shortlie to receiue in hand that which I haue in hope O come now and put an ende to the dayes of my vanitie The Pastour Blessed magnified be the Lord of eternitie for such wonderfull mercies towards you He most powerfullie most wonderfully hath brought you back from the corrupt course of Nature as a Boat rowed against the streame by the force of Armes and of Oares Behold now ye approch vnto your Heauen Be of good heart Sir ye are neare vnto your rest the place of pleasures for euermore Nowe seeing the ende draweth neare yee haue to remember well if yee haue anie grudge against anie that before yee decease they may be fetcht and friended with you The sicke Man I wish all men to be well I hope that no man wisheth otherwise to mee My desire was neuer either to reuile or to reuenge I am readie to satisfie where I haue failed and to forgiue where I haue receiued the greatest wrong Mans wronges against mee are but light in comparison of my wickednes against God Hee is not worthie that God shuld forgiue him his sinnes who will not forgiue his neighbour an injury My good God hath forgiuen mee all As hee hath forgiuen mee so I forgiue all men and desire the lik to be done by others vnto mee My Soule abhorreth these words of ranckour I may forgiue him but I will not forgete him The softning Spirit of God cannot dwell where there is such stonie steelie hardnesse of heart O Fountaine of Grace powre the powers of thy Spirit within my breast that my Soule may bee refreshed with thy blessed balmie comfortes of sauing grace Draw vp my spirit toward the Tabernacles of immortalitie O when shall I come and appeare before God! Put to the Spure to this dull jadde of my foggie flesh that I may make more haste in my journey The Pastour Lord heare thou in heauen Seeing God hath blessed you with Wealth I doubt not but that ye will doe some thing for the well of Colledges Hospitales Colledges are the Seminaries or seede-plotes of vertues out of which come these who become Rulers of the Church Common-wealth Hospitals are shelters for the poore the friendes of Christ Christs counsell to the rich is that they make friendes of the Mammon of vnrighteousnes Such words were not spoken by our Lord without great and weightie reasons The sicke Man All these things were done in my Testament while I put mine house to an order I haue not forgot that point of duetie Hee is not worthy to be called a faithfull man who leaueth not behind him some fruits of his Faith That Faith which cannot justifie a man by good works before men will neuer justifie his soule before God Remember mee O Lord cōcerning this wipe not away my good deedes which I haue done for thy glory Let men dreame of Saluation as they please S. Iames his precept is that men shewe their Faith by their workes Though Pharisees doe all that they doe for to bee seene men must not in mens sight forbeare to doe well Because Hypocrites come to preaching prayers publicklie true Israelites for that must not sitte at home The Godlie must not bee so base in heart as to abstaine from all publicke good because the wicked worshippe but outwardlie Shewes without substance in some should not bee able to banish the shewes of substance from others The Pastour Indeede Sir yee speake wiselie As the tree is first seene in the budde and then in the flourish and after in the fruite so muste the life of man bee Because the barren figge tree had nothing but leaues the fruitfull tree must not grow bare the leaues of the tree haue their owne vse among the fruites So haue godlie shewes good vses when they are joyned with true substance The Faith of a Christian should not think shame to shew
her faire face because Hypocrisies face seemeth to be faire while it is fairded No not God will haue true faith to come out that the world may see her into works Shew mee thy Faith by thy workes Christ who desireth that the niggard or ambitious left hand know not or see not the liberalitie of the charitable right hand commandeth that wee let ouâ—… light so shine before men that they may see our good works and glorifie our Father which is in heauen The graces of Gods Spirit in a man are like a light candle No man light a Candle and put it vnder a bushell but on a Candle-sticke it giueth light to all that are in the house The good life of the godlie man should bee like a Citie sette on an hill which cannot bee hid The labourer soweth not his seede on the ground that it may still remaine hidde vnder the cloddes neither doeth God sow his graces in our heartes that there they may luâ—…k still abide secret I like not these who feare to seeme godlie left they should bee thought to be Hypocrites Euen in that are they Hypocrites that for feare they seeme to affect godlinesse will not doe good that may bee seene which would moue the true Israelits to glorifie our Father in heauen yea and also allure these to come to God who as yet are strangers from the Common-wealth of Israel I confesse that fewe bee troubled with such a feare It is a sin whereof verie few in this Land are guiltie yet seeing it is a sinne it would bee carefullie auoided Because Papists whollie relye on their workes Protestants with great scandale will onelie bragge of their Faith Thus both the one and the other against the truth of doctrine separate that which God hath joyned together The sicke Man O Lord GOD of gods O Father of euerlasting compassions whose blessed bowels did bleede vpon the crosse for to saue sinners pittie heere a fraile feeble creature yet tugging and wrestling in the Barras of this sinfull flesh Furnish mee with strength whereby I may surmount and vanquish all difficulties which are betweene my Soule and the place of its euerlasting rest I am weake forbeare mee Lord in thy great mercie Ioyne thy Grace with my griefâ—… O that I were with my Christ the Marke whereat I aime the Port whereto I saile the rest of my desires Let thy good Spirit O Lord assist mee Let thy fauour and grace bee my vade-mecum till I come to thy Glorie O who shall giue to my soule the wings of a Doue that it may flee out of the Douket of this bodie vp to its God O deare Sauiour set mee as a seale vpon thine heart Draw mee and wee shall runne after thee Holde mine heart aloft that it may onelie minde the things aboue The Pastour Lord heare thou in heauen and grant the sute of thy seruant I feare Sir that yee bee wearied with speaking As I perceiue yee force your selfe in your words aboue the reach of your strength Seeing yee trauell thus in paine of your speach spend the little space of life that resteth in holie meditations concerning the bloodie wounds of Christ your Sauiour The sicke Man Christ now is onelie my comfort I loue him with the best bowels of mine heart In the bowels of his mercie I reade by the eye of Faith most faire lines of his loue all written in great Capitall letters of an heauenlie impression Christ is to mee in stead of all for alreadie in my neede hee hath stood mee in more stead than all O in what a pitifull plight my sillie and forlorne Soule was once into Blâ—…ssed bee hee for euermore who in so great kindnesse hath shined vpon me with the blessed bright and vnspotted beames of his mercy O but my Soule panteth after him Oh how this heart of mine is euill to breake What a piece of clammie teugh clay is this that settereth so my Soule that by no meanes can it bee loosed from it that it may soare vp to its God from griefe to glorie O that I were with him with whom I shall not want the thing that I can wish Now Lord the time is come pull off mee the dull wiede of sinfull mortalitie and cloath my soule in white with the Robe of Christes righteousnesse that it may followe the Lambe O but I am wearied My Soule longeth to see the Face of my God The Pastour Waite vpon the Lords will when it is time hee will open the prison doore and let your Soule flie vp to your Glorie Thinke on Heauen still Mount vp your minde to your Maker who shall shortlie roofe with Glorie the graces which hee hath reared vp into your heart Let the hope of these thinges hearten you in the mudde and myre of this sinfull mortalitie The sicke man O Lord pittie this Soule which I haue defiled and defaced with scarlet transgressions and crimsin iniquities Thou hast begunne the good worke in me It is now neere to perfection Put to now the last hand and perfect the worke Rub out perfectlie with the Blood of thy Lambe the least staines which sticke in my Soule that while thou shalt look vpon mee thou may know mee to bee thy redeemed one by the stampe of thine owne Image O Lord fixe mine heart so into thine owne heart that nothing bee able to pull it out without pulling out thine owne It hath beene like a crooked twigge O writh it so nowe the right way that it may bee according to thine owne heart The Pastour Lord heare thou in Heauen and graunt the sute of thy Seruant Let nothing bee able to tickle tempt or trouble his Soule Be of good heart Sir the Battell is neare an end Fight out the good fight finish your course and keepe the Faith hence-foorth is laide vp for you a Crowne of righteousnesse which the LORD shall giue you at that day Make now full proofe of your courage which shall shortlie be couered with a Crown Hold out still in your holie exercise till your change come The sicke Man I wearie of this cottage of claye I am at a point with all that is vnder the Sunne I care not for this worlds fauour no more for its frowne But O but my Soule longeth to be with my Lord that I may see his face with fulnesse of joye O thou with whom nothing is impossible make the scales of mortalitie to fall from mine eyes that I may fee thee before euen as thou art My Soule longeth to be out of this myry lak of miserie for to dwell with thee into the Pallace of immortalitie O when shall I get ridde of these sinfull bonds O Sauiour of mankind giue eare vnto my sute Deliuere mee from this seeming life that I may die to liue the life of pleâ—…sures for euermore O drawe drawe out this Soule entombed into this bodie Before
him And because I haue deferred my repentance till this houre whereby my Saluation is cutte off if I should die suddenlie Loe how my God in his mercifull prouidence to preuent my destruction calleth mee by a lingring sicknesse which stayeth till I bee readie and prepareth mee to mine ende like a preacher and maketh mee by wholesome paines wearie of this beloued world lest I should depart vn willing like them whose death is their damnation So hee loueth mee while hee beateth mee that his stripes are plasters to saue mee therefore who shall loue him if I despise him This is my whole office nowe to strengthen my bodie with mine heart and to bee contented as God hath appointed vntill I can glorifie him or vntill hee glorifie mee If I liue I liue to sacrifice and if I die I die a sacrifice for his mercie is aboue mine iniquitie Therefore if I should feare death it were a signe that I had not Faith nor hope as I professed but that I doubted of Gods trueth in his promise wh◅ther hee will forgiue his penitent sinner or not Hee is my Father let him doe what seemeth good in his sight Come Lord Iesus for thy seruant commeth I am willing helpe mine vnwillingnesse Heere is the end of that godlie mans speach As at that Brydell in Cana the best wine came last so shall it be heer◅ After the words of a godlie man I shall let you heare the words of God spoken by a man inspired by his Spirit euen the last words of Dauid the man whose praise is this that hee was a man according to Gods owne heart The last words of Dauid Dauid the sonne of Iesse said and the man who was raised vp on high the a◅ointed of the God of Iaacob and the sweete Psalmist of Israel said The Spirit of the Lord spake by mee and his words was in my tongue The God of Israel saide the Rocke of Israel spake to mee Hee that ruleth ouer men must bee just ruling in the feare of God And hee shall bee as the light of the morning when the Sunne riseth euen a morning without cloudes as the tender grasse springing out of the earth by cleare shining after raine Although mine house bee not so with God yet hee hath made with mee an euerlasting couenant ordered in all things and sure For this is all my Saluation and all my desire although hee make it not to growe But the sonnes of Belial shall bee all of them as thornes thrust away because they cannot bee taken with hands But the man that shall touch them must be fenced with yron and the staffe of a speare and they shall bee vt◅er lie burnt with fyre in the same place Alittle before his death at the inauguration of his Sonne Solomon he spake manie notable words among others these bee of great weight O Lord wee are heere but strangers before thee and so◅ourners as were all our fathers Our dayes on the earth are as a shadow and there is none abiding O Lord God of Abraham Isaac and of Israel our Fathers keepe this for euer in the imagination of the thoughts of the heart of thy people and prepare their heartes vnto thee That hundreth and two Psalme is excellent It is intituled a prayer of the afflicted when he is ouerwhelmed and powreth out his complant before the Lord. Heare my prayer O Lord and lette my cry come vnto thee hide not thy face from mee in the day when I am in trouble incline thine eare vnto mee In the day when I call answere mee spe◅dilie For my dayes are consumed like smoke and my bones are burnt like an hearth c. Seeing as wee see that nothing is stable in this world but as it is in that Sermon of the Preacher vanity of vanities and all is vanitie wee haue to intreate the Lord earnestlie as Moses did a little before his death That hee would so teach vs to number our dayes that we may applye our hearts to wisedome and to well doing All things below wither and decay our best beauties are w◅ithed and wrinkled by time But the beautie of the Lord is of euerlasting continuance Let the beautie of the Lord our God bee vpon vs. O the beautie of the things aboue O the beautie of the Firmament O these azured Curtaines spangled with stars of light What jewels of joy are within no mortall tongue can tell Looke vp nowe Sir with the eye of your Faith and visite these heauenlie Mansions and blessed buildinges for immortaltiie Yee are shortlie for to change for the better So long as our sillie Soules are here they are but poore Soules reading and meditating the mercies of God within a cottage of clay hauing nothing to see with but the weak light of the small Candle of grace a light dimmed and darkened with the reekie smok of our sinfull corruptions But so soone as wee shall bee dissolued by Death we shall come to the euerlasting Beames of a Sunne which by nothing is able to bee ecclipsed alight which knoweth no darknesse euen that Light which bringeth light out of darknesse Now Sir vp with your heart saile out your course Be like the Pylot who while hee hath hand on the Helme hath his eye fixed on the heauen Take now the Cuppe of Saluation the great Mazer of his mercie and call vpon the Name of the Lord Hee is worthie to bee praised for his vnspeakable fauour toward you He in great mercy hath toward you turned all the sharpe corrasiues of the Law into most sweete cordials of the Gospel He hath now made you free of all these terrours whereinto yee found your selfe once lyable Oh Lord how did once the sharpe edge of thy Law laide to his mourning heart cutte him thorow the verie gall But blessed bee thou who in thy great mercie hast cut the Cartropes of his sinnes where with hee was once kept fast vnder the most heauie bondage of Hell What say yee now Sir How is it of all Haue yee heard all these words and laide them vp into your minde The sicke Man I haue heard them all that with great comfort now mine heart is in heauen Christ by the vertue of his vnualuable Blood-shed hath takē away the gall of my guiltines Now my bodie is wholly dead to its paine and my Soule is whollie aliue to its glorie I see a Crowne of immortalitie which my Soule would not sticke to fetch thorow the brimstone beames of hell My Soule seeth the face of its Redeemer Christ with a soft hand is now loosing all the bondes of my miserie His most sacred Blood hath melted my marble heart Nowe come Lord Iesus come Long haue I looked for thy Saluation Nowe let thy seruant depart in peace for mine eyes haue seene thy Saluation O my deare Soule I summond thee with all thy powers and faculties to
custome of God as we see to put his dearest Ones to the hardest proofe as wise Builders put the greatest timber and the heart of the Oake to the greatest stresse Manie thinke that Heauen standeth hard by their Bed-side and that a light Lord haue mercie will make the doore of Heauen to goe wide open to the wall no not Through man◅e tribulations we must enter into that Kingdome As Aprill showers goe before the May flowers so must our teares trickle before our Triumphs Wee must smert before we smile and grone before wee glorie All Christian Soules like Christ himselfe must enter by the port of paines vnto the palace of pleasures for euermore No co-reigning without a co-suffering O let vs consider what paines this godlie man hath suffered in this fierie tryall since this Battell beganne O with what difficulties hath hee swimmed thorow so many temptations If the righteous scarcelie bee saued where shall the vngodlie and the sinner appeare O sowre Apple of Adams pride many teeth hast thou set on edge The Sparrow by wandering the Swal low by flying may escape but where sin hath beene once there must also be sorrow before that the sinner can come to joye It is not so easie as manie men thinke to winne in at the doores of heauen as though one Gods-mercy were enough for to doe the turne Before that a man be able to winne in at the straite gate for to enter into his euerlasting rest hee must be buffeted with diuerse temptations and broken with sorrowes till his heart become contrit that is grund bruished small as if it were corne in a Querne There is none entrie into rest for man before that in great griefe hee hath pluckt out his right eye euen his dearest darling best bosome pleasure Hee that would lodge with God in eternitie muste heere lay holde on his Kingdome with an holie violence What wonder that he auen be hard to win seeing with all the infernall powers of darknesse legions of our owne corruptions combined oppose might maine the grouth of Gods graces in our Soules Manie foolishlie in the idle rowings of their braines content with a blush of zeale thinke that Heauen may bee winne with wishes and therefore in their life skippe wantonlie ouer the threatnings of the Law in hope that easilie at death they may catch at the promise of the Gospel But who had seene this holie man of GOD vpon the painefull racke of repentance would count all the perishing pleasures of sinne too deare bought pleasures Sinne at the beginning is like poyson in perfume pleasant at the first but not long after it worketh deadlie except that it be repelled with some stronger Antidote The way to heauen as wee see is not like the way to great ma◅ket Townes easilie discerned by the multitude of footesteppes Our good Friende is nowe in the verie panges of death A patient and Lambe like death is this His life is on his lippe This wearied Traueler is nowe neare the ende of his journey Seeing that the ende of a worke crowneth it let vs conceiue a Prayer whereby wee may lay his Soule into the bosome of his God who shall refresh him with euerlasting comforts O Lord by the vigour of thy Spirit giue wings to our groueling prayers A Prayer for the sicke Man approaching vnto Death O GOD of mercle and of mans Saluation who thinketh nothing too deare for a repēting soule were it to giue it a draught of the heart Blood of thy Sonne wee heere vpon the knees of our hearts humbled againe before the foote-stoole of the the Throne of thy Grace put vp to thee our most humble sute for this thy seruant who is nowe comming to thee His words now faile him but thou Lord wilt neuer faile him In stead of wordes let the crouding sobbes the Turtle finde roome into thine eares Heaue vp his heart to thy mercie seate with the requests of thy Spirit in sighs which cannot bee expressed O charitable Almes giuer open the hand of this Begger and thrust the money of thy mercie into it Seale fast vp in his heart the remission of all his sinnes in the blood of Iesus Burie all his transgressions in Christes Burial Establish thy free Spirit within him Take from him all dulnesse and deadnesse of spirit all secure and hardened thoughts all that may hinder him from comming vnto thee Continue his comfortes begunne Bee thou the ende and the ender of his worke Lorde disapoint Sathan who by his charmes and cunning traines hath gone about both by force fraud to catch this Soule of thy seruant Now Death is approaching To thee belongeth the issues of death Thou killest thou makest aliue thou bringest downe to the graue and againe thou raisest vp Now as euidentlie appeareth thou art for to remoue this thy seruant from the Land of the l◅uing and thy will must bee done Wee could haue wished the continuance of his Christian fellowship with the lengthening and enlarging of his dayes But most humblie wee submitte all our affections vnto thy good pleasure and will O Father of mercies in whose boundlesse bowels are moste pittifull compassions without anie passion shew thy selfe mercifull louing and kinde towardes this Soule which in the dayes of its fleshe hath beene with thee but a stranger and ◅ sojourner His Soule now is saying to thee with Iohn his two Disciples Rabbi Master where remaineth thou Answere it as thou answered them louinglie Come and see and after that tak it home to thine own house as Iohn tooke home thy Mother O deare Father of our Sauiour by Nature O our dearest Father by adoption bee fauourable to this thy seruant euen for that blood wherewith thou art passing lie pleased Forget and forgiue all his sinnes whatsoeuer Lay now thy louing Armes about him Claspe him hard to thy bosome and keepe him fast till hee be surelie and softlie placed into the heauens Now Lord thou hast begunne to loofe this Soule out of its prison Let earth goe to earth and his Spirit returne to thee that gaue it Place it into one of these heauenlie Mansions which thy Sonne is gone to prepare for these that are thine Strengthen him now at the last and highest point of his tryall O Great IEHOVAH who neuer hucketh to giue mercie to heart broken sinners let him finde more and more that thy bowels ouerflowing with mercie are readie to receiue him In the bottomelesse sea of thy mercie make his sinnes all to bee choaked and his Soule deliciouslie to be bathed with euerlasting comforts And because Sathan in his last assaults is most furious bee thou most powerfull in him by the vertue of thy Spirite Blunt so the edge of all his temptations that they bee not able any more to wound his Spirit Let thy secret loue bee vnto his Soule lik a Secret or jack in this bloodie battell
hee had time hee liued in pleasures and feasted while others fasted His seuen yeares of plentie are past now let him smart vvith the Glutton into hell Let him there bee refused of a drop by him to vvhom heere hee refused a crumme Can God looke vpon his iniquities and not kindle a consuming fire in his vvrath against such a varnished hypocrite vvhose vvhole religion vvas in a mouth filled with great swelling words of vanitie In such deceitfull cunning colouring hee among all did carrie away the Bell. The Angel Michael God will neuer looke vpon his iniquities for hee hath cast them all behind his backe God beholdeth none iniquitie in Iacob neither doeth hee see peruersenesse in Israel The Lord judgeth not his Children by the remnant of their olde corruptions but by the beginnings of his renewing grace The mercifull God is more pleased vvith a dram of grace then prouoked with a pound of iniquitie Sinnes are not sinnes before God except that they bee done vvith pleasure That which I say is from that trueth Hee that is borne of God sinneth not Auoyde Sathan Thou art euer couered vvith rage as vvith a rayment When thou seest anger kindled thou art euer readie to adde tinder to that fyre Thou art cunning and craftie to clok thy bloodie massacres vvith pretences of seeking justice Sathan What say I but trueth His whole delight vvas in sinne While he was in health and strength he did weare my Liuerie Who did euer see him beare Christes cognisance All his godlinesse vvas but cloake and colour vvithout life and vigouâ—… Thogh hee sinne not now there vvhere hâ—…e lyeth he hath not left sin but sin hath left him If his tongue could speake hee could not for his heart denye it Scribitur in facie Beholde his fierce and kill-bucke countenance While he had youth and vigour hee obeyed no lawe but his lawlesse appetits Was hee challenged Then hee fathered his sinnes vpon mee The Angel Michael Thou in thy fond humour hast euer byting corrasiues for bleeding Consciences In his members I confesse there was a lawlesse law indeed but in his minde vvas Gods Lawe warring against the law of his members From his heart hee hated that law of his members But his whole delight was in the Law of the Spirit After that hee had sinned he 〈◊〉 cast the first stone at him selfe Sathan All these be but faire cloakes and couers for to hide his transgressions But they will not preuaile The heauens know that he was but the carrion of a Christian aglozing hypocriâ—… hauing the carkase of knowledge without the life of loue the power of practise euer fickle lik a Chameleon Hee is nowe in his good moode but if he shuld yet liue a space all shuld soone see that in his heart is nothing souÌ„d settled sincere what need I more this Soule must bee mine hee hath sinned and therefore hee muste bee cursed and so hee must bee mine Behold his Band and Obligation By the Lawe of God hee is mine Now must hee runne into ruine Let mee giue him a girke with my rodde The Angel Michael Avoid that bloody Bande hath bene cancelled by the blood of God that Obligation long since hath beene â—…uen with the nailes of the Crosse of Iesus That which the Law had 〈◊〉 hath beene loosed by the Gospel What his workes could not doe Gods grace hath perfected By fauour the mercifull Lord hath chosen him out of the lost masse of mankind Seeing his ransome hath cost God his blood all accusations must bee sealed with silence In despite of the vtmost rage of all infernall force this Soule shall bee saued Though all the powers of hell prodigiouslie madde should rage rampe and roare they shall not be able to vnâ—…ye the knot of Faith and Loue where with hee is vnited vnto his Sauiour Sathan I feare fore now that hee slippe the collar and goe from mee At least seeing in his whole life I haue beene his Master let him bee diuided let mee haue any part and let God take his choice in the partner-ship The Angel Michael Auoyde Sathan with thy wittie wickednesse whereby woluishlle thou woulde worrie this redâ—…emed Lambe Thy shaire is not with God Thou hast neither parte nor lot in this matter The whole man is Christes who hath bought him with a price Away with thy gun-pudered humour Attempt no more to touch him Thou shalt neuer grippe him any more within thy cruell clouthes nor inwrap him in thy snaires Woâ—… to that Soule that serueth thee It is like a Bird on a bush which is smitten in her song of the Archer for whom shee had tuned her song In the vtmost of all crueltie thou hast discharged the vtmost of thy gall vpon this wearied heart I will enter no more in parley with thee Now come our thou fillie Soule vnto him that breathed thee in that bodie Come to thy rightfull owner Come into mine armes that I may carrie thee vp the Ladder of Iaacob vnto blesse Christ thine Advocat hath pleaded for thee and hath winne the cause Come now Soule out of that body flie like an Eagle vp to the blessed Carcase of thy Lord where is constant peace vnmixed joye and blessed immortalitie Now thou art Christs Christ is thine HearkeÌ„ heare the cry of thy Spouse Rise vp my Loue my faire One and come away Rejoyce wearied Soule lift vp thine head Saluation is come The Heauens are opened goe enter into thy rest The Battell of the Soule is now ended Now deare Soule come out to eternity come out to thy Bridegrome who now calleth thee Bee clothed with royall apparell Put on the massie bright crowne of immortalitie with the glorious Garland of celestial Lawrels spangled with Iemmes of joye Come out wearied Traueller from doole dolour and distresse for to enter into pleasures for euermore FINIS A COMFORTABLE Speach for the Widow of the defunct M. WEE daylie may see the trueth of that in Iob Man that is borne of a woman is of few dayes and full of trouble Hee commeth foorth like a flowre and is cut downe He fleeth also as a shadow and continueth not Of this is a necessitie For it is appointed vnto all men once to die The decree is come foorth against all flesh All flesh is as grasse c. The grasse withereth the flowre fadeth because the Spirit of the Lord bloweth vpon it Surelie the people is grasse All must goe to the vast gulfe of the Graue Be cause all haue sinned all are mortall without exceptioÌ„ of persons prince people great and small all must goe to Golgotha To great men God hath said Yee are gods but yee shall die like men What man is hee said the Psalmist that liueth and shall not see death Were a man Monarch of the whole world Iob saith That his dayes are determined the number of his mâ—…neths are with God Hee hath
will God bring with him For this wee say v◅to you by the word of the Lord that wee which are aliue and remaine vnto the comming of the Lord shall not preuent them which are asleepe For the Lord himselfe shall d◅scend from heauen with a shout with the voyce of the Arch Angel and with the Trump of God and the dead in Christ shall rise first Then wee which are aliue and remaine shall bee caught vp together with them in the cloudes to meete the Lord in the Aire And so shall wee bee euer with the Lord. VVherefore comfort one another with these words Consider well and weigh these words which that great Pen-man of God hath set downe with a precept that with them wee should comfort one another while wee are in doole for the dead Finallie this M. yee must know that all earthlie sorrowes were they neuer so sharpe will at last growe blunt and will bee meekened and skinned ouer by time Nowe that which Time can doe to a Pagane let Grace doe it to a Christian. I intreate the Lord of all Grace and kindnesse to cast downe his compassionate eye vpon your afflicted grieued case that your mourning beeing tempered with mercie ye may in your greatest griefe rejoyce in your God Amen A compendious Epitaphe fit for a godlie Man deceased To long Eternitie from toylesome Time His Soule is past his Body sleepes in Slime A COMFORT for the fatherlesse MY deare heartes bee not dismayed in this grieuous affliction But take it in patience seeing it is from the Lord who maketh all thinges to worke to the best of th◅se that loue him As Father Iob said while hee was made Childlesse so muste yee say while yee are made fatherlesse The Lord hath giuen the Lord hath taken away and blessed bee the Name of the Lord. If yee can blesse him for the remouing of his blessinges hee shall double his blessinges vpon you and shall make them to meete you at euerie turne The fatherlesse Children of the faithfull whether their Fathers haue beene poore or rich haue a rich Legacie left vnto them ◅or to them belong that promise of shewing mercie vnto thousands Such as bee blessed of him saith the Psalmist mist shall inherite the earth In another place hee saith The generation of the righteous shall bee blessed Wee knowe nothing on Earth more tender than a mother toward the fruit of her wombe This made the Lord to say Cā a mother forget her sucking Childe that she should not haue compassion of the fruite of her nombe But what answered the Lord to that question Yea said hee they ◅ay forget yet will I not forget thee Behold I haue grauen thee vpon the palmes of mine hands This was Dauids greatest comfort that though his Father and his Mother should for sake him yet the Lord would take him vp If yee would heare of sensible Experience My flesh said hee and mine hearte faileth But God is the strength of my heart and my portion for euer Thus as yee see Father and Mother Sister and Brother flesh and Friendes Heart Health and Wealth and all will faile vs but our God is onelie and euer fast hee is the strength of our heart and our portion for euer Seeing it is so let your hearts relye vpon your God alone What euer your distresses bee as Abraham said to his Sonne The Lord will prouide Will yee heare Experience I haue bene yong said Dauid and now am old yet haue I not seene the righteous forsaken nor his seede begging their bread Though the children of the godlie bee but Children of poore fathers yet heere is their comfort their godlie fathers before they die treasure vp for them many prayers in Heauen and leaue vnto them the rich Legacie of Gods fauour Yee knowe certainlie that your Father was one that feared the LORD from his heart whereof to all our comforts hee hath giuen a good proofe And ther◅fore yee may boldlie by the hand of faith laye holde on the promises of God which belong to all the faithfull and to their Children vnto many generations Ye may know by the writen word howe God feedeth the Rauens and clotheth the Lillies Though they neither toile nor spinne and though they neither sowe nor reape and though they neither haue store-house nor Barne yet are they sufficiently prouided How much more are ye better than Fowles or flowers Christs precept is of profitable practise Seeke first the Kingdome of God and the righteousnesse therof and all other things shall bee cast vnto you Pray the Lord not coldlie and careleslie but most earnestlie that hee would cleanse scoure your hearts from all these worldlie cares of what yee shall eate and vvhat ye shall drink and vvhat yee shall put on Learne in time to cast your burden vpon the Lord who desireth you so to doe and that with a promise that hee shall sustaine you A little with Gods blessing is enough It is like that Widowes handfull of meale and little oyle which failed not The vessels of Gods grace are like that other VVidowes pot of oyle which yeelded out oyle continuallie so long as there were vessels to receiue If yee bee earnest with God in prayer hee will not repell your prayers with a deafe eare The Lord himselfe hath taken vpon him to bee your Iudge and defender If anie goe about for to molest you by a violent boisterous course he will certainelie bee their bane like dung hee sh◅ll swee◅e them away from the face of the Earth Seeing then yee haue such faire promises of GOD made both to your faithfull Father and to you also in the day of your Baptisme beware by a lewde life to forfeite such Bandes and Obligations Beware to followe the euill examples of this Worlde in following the droue which either by secret hypocrisie or publicke prophaning biddeth Battells to all the Preceptes of Gods Lawe Sharpe is that sauce which commeth after the sweet◅st worldlie pleasures Let them bee as pleasant as yee please there is an Hooke in the Bate The most part of this world is but a rabble of Reprobates an hoste of damned sinners rushing vpon their owne destruction Their cleanest Garments are spotted with the flesh They are more clammie than pitch None can touch them and not bee defiled Bee euer earnest to doe well Though ye come faire short of that you should and also would doe yet bee not discouraged Gods strength at last shall bee made perfect in your weaknesse It cannot bee auoided but manie will trouble you by fraud by cusenage and by other diuerse afflictions Though such things bee tedious to the flesh and goe against the streame of your affections yet in the latter end all shall worke both to your well contentment Let not sorrow ouerwhelme your hearts Mourne not as these that haue none hope
of the Resurrection Let the meditations of Gods mercie and promised fauour rouse vp your Soules from that lumpishnesse and melancholious drowsinesse which may creep in into your hearts in this troublous time Striue to bound and fence your heartes about deligentlie with the thoughts of Gods Fatherlie fauour who shall neuer leaue you fatherlesse Though your father be dead yet God is aliue Now Sir yee who aâ—…t the elder bee yee the more thankfull to God who hath giuen you the first place Shew good example vnto the yonger Oppresse them not but rather bee a father vnto them By your good counsell striue to make them plyable and frameable to Gods will reuealed in his word As for you who are yonger ones bee not discouraged for often grace maketh the yonger to bee the elder and sinne maketh the elder the yonger So Iacob found the blâ—…ssing though Esau was the first borne It is Vertue that maketh the Heire Let your heartes therefore relye vpon the Lord Let him bee the caruer of all your cares If yee depend on him yee shall not want Hee who created the world without matter and preserueth it without meanes is God all sufficient who can easilie finde out meanes for the maintenance of al these that by faith can laye claime to his promise If wealth bee expedient for you the Lord will giue you a large allowance till hee make your Cuppe to ouer flow But if otherwise hee hath appointed to exercise you with pouertie know that he who hath the hearts of all men in his hands can easilie for your comfort stirre vp some who by their liberalitie towards you shall prouide themselues bags vvhich waxe not olde If yee can bend your whole endevour to the seruice of your God hee shall satisfie you with the prouisions of his mercie But if otherwise yee become lewde and prophane haunting euill companie the verie canker and cut-throate of all godlinesse yee shall neuer prosper no not though by a painefull drudgerie ye should draw out the verie life-blood of your hearts It is not earlie rising noâ—… late going to bedde but Gods blessing that enricheth Now the Lord of grace blesse you mine hearts The Lord teach you to set seale these comforts with prayers patience vpon your hearts And seeing the dayes are now euill euen the dregges of dayes I intreate the most High to graunt you grace hour lie to renâ—…w and strengthen your watch that your hearts spirits may be preserued vnblamable and that vntill the day of his most glorious appearance AMEN A diuine and heauenly discourse fit to be read to these that are conueened in the house of mourning that thereby the liuing may be remembered of their mortalitie DEarlie Beloued this our godlie Friend one of Gods excellent Ones is now deceased that peacâ—…ablie like a Lambe into the armes oâ—… his God who hath euer lasting lie fast bund his Soule in the bundle of life The death of such is often a fearfull preâ—…age of much anger and euill to come His Soule is now glorious in the Heauens like a Starre new created in the Skie It is now liuing the life of God aboue where it is filled with the infusion of that 〈◊〉 which wee haue heere on earth 〈◊〉 by imputation Hee hath now alâ—… God and all that is in God in â—…speakable perfection beeing in that place where God is all in all At last after sore fighting and bitter bickering as diuerse godlie persons haue seene through the bent browes of an angrie Iudge hee hath seene the yearning and relenting bowels of a louing Father Now after his Battell ended he hath 〈◊〉 the Spirit Clepsydrâ—… 〈◊〉 his houre glasse is now runne out and his Soule is come to its wished home where it is free from the fetters of flesh Nowe from the â—…hanging turnes of time hee is at last come to Eternitie Thorow many seas of â—…orrows both bitter and brimie hath he sailed before that hee could ariue at that blessed Port. Our hearts cannot be but sorrowfull to bee depriued of such comfortable companie as was â—…is But here iâ—… our comfort and the matter of our joye hee is well and shall bee so for euer By the mercie of his God hee is now passed ouer thâ—… knoppes of the mountaines of miserie and thorow the muddie myres of sinfull mortalitie thorow fearefull tryals and troubles euen from the dyets of grace to the dainties of glorie from the Villages of this world vnto euerlasting 〈◊〉 farre aboue the rolling wheele of all changeable pleasures and smarting paines Poore mans life on earth is like a restlesse whirle-gigge whirled about The mouing heauens are the place of our rest and the resting earth is the place of our restlesse motions The way of this life as wee may see is not adorned with Violets and Roses No not It is full of rubs and thornes and pricking whinnes of piercing griefe O with what paines hath his sillie Soule sought vp the sweete streames of Gods mercie 〈◊〉 to the Fountaine it selfe which is 〈◊〉 to the Heauens God in great mercie hath now 〈◊〉 last after manie dolours and bitter bickerings put his Spirit into the acâ—… tuall and full possession of his 〈◊〉 all joyes Through fyre and water 〈◊〉 Lord hath broght him out into a 〈◊〉 place Now he is free from the bodie of bondage which did hang so fast 〈◊〉 His Soule is set out of the reach of 〈◊〉 troubles and sublunary toyes Now blessed bee our God hee is no 〈◊〉 lyable to our sinfull mortalitie into this earth a gulfe of corruption God at last hath recompenced his light affliction with an euerlasting weight of glorie O but he hath had a painefull time in his sicknes with manie deepe sigh and heauie groane hath hee beene heard in his feares His face could neuer bee dryed for teares continuallie trickling ouer his cheekes Happie is hee now for all the cloudes of his sinnes haue bene dissolued by the raine of mournâ—…full teares where with all Soules must be baptised before that they can be members of the Church Triumphant Now blessed bee God all his teares and his trauels are turned into triumphes If men shedde not â—…eares on earth God cannot wypt them away in heauen All as wee must fight the good fight before â—…hey can catch the Crowne Let vs all learne in him and in â—…his House of mourning to see and conâ—…der the end of vs all that while wee are liuing wee may lay it to our hearts and make it a matter of our nights meditations Happie and thrise happie is hee that can practise that saying of Iob All the dayes of mine appointed time will I waite till changing come It is good that wee euer bee watchfull vpon our guarde well prepared for our last departure and finall accounts No man can â—…ll how soone hee shall bee arraigned in the great
Iudge his Consistorie The day of this life wherein onelie wee can worke declineth a pace The fearfull night cloud hath taken post So soone as it shall come man shall bee discharged to worke any more It is good often to consider le◅ wee should dote and dreame of Immortalitie heere that the short threed of this life will bee soone drawne out to an end that by such thoughts we may learne in time not to bee taken vp with abortiue earthlie pleasures which perish in the budde What is this earth but a muddie myre What is poore mans life on this earth but a map of miserie The best of it is white and blacke checker work mixed with paines pleasures lashes and laughters Euen in laughter the heart is sorrowfull and the end of that mirth is heauinesse This godlie mans death should bee warning for vs Death knocking at our neighbours doore should remember vs of our mortalitie There is no case of humane calamitie but it is insident to all In this our old friend wee may see and reade that we haue none abiding heere Hee is nowe gone to his long home by the way of all flesh Aboue the rolling circumference of heauen hee hath found the center of his rest Natures necessitie subjecteth all flesh to mortalitie Hee is gone before vs from the land of the shadowe of death thorow the valey of the shadow of death vnto euerlasting felicitie and we all soone o◅ since must all treade the same way Let vs prouok our watchfulnes with this that wee shall goe to him but hee shall no more come to vs Let vs worke while the day lasteth Before wee bee benighted by death let vs wot where we shall get a lodging So long as wee haue breath and being let vs like Moses bee instant with God in prayer that hee would so teach vs to number our few and euill dayes that vvee may apply our heartes to vvisedome and to vvell doing Wee haue all great neede to goe to this Schoole for the learning of that lesson because death in this narrow passage of mortalitie stealeth vpon vs all with insinsible degrees The course of our dayes is like the course of the Sunne the ruler of the Day whom our owlish eyes cannot perceiue to moue though hee rejoyce as a strong man to runne a race we know him to be more swift than winde yet while wee behold him in his course wee cannot perceiue his motion It is euen so of our life Our dayes runne fast away but wee perceiue not how It is not long that wee stand but when wee beginne to fall wee are like the Yce which thaweth sooner than it froze Our life like smoke or chaffe is carried away as with a gale winde and yet we cannot consider Oh that this meditation like the Rowell of a Spurre could pricke vs forward in our voyage from grace to glorie Nature hath taught the ◅sillie Birdes the Cranne Storke and Swallows our winter strangers to know their seasons As if they had numbered the dayes of their absence they come precisely at their appointed Spring The Salmons also in their season returne to the place where they were spawned They like skilled Airthmeticiens number well the dayes of their absence and for no rubs in the way will they be moued to cracke their tryst All this haue they learned in the Schoole of Nature But men who should haue grace with Nature forget to desire to returne to their God who at the first spawned or as Scripture speaketh breathed within them their liuing Soules Men are often worse than the beasts who wold faine know their duety but cannot Many mē can but will not lik these whom S. Peter calleth Willinglie ignorant The God of grace giue vs wisedome that before our day bee spent and our Sunne set wee may weigh well and consider how wee may so liue to die that wee may die to liue Happie is the man whom God his white man hath in this life marked with the mourning marke The way to Heauen is not so easie as manie dreame Oh how many lets bee within vs and without vs Oh howe manie weightes hang ◅o fast on whereby the vnstable Soule of man is tossed and swayed hither and thither Seeing this holie man of God such a strong Oake hath beene so sore shaken what may we poore little shrubs expect O but we haue great neede to coffer vp some comfortes against the euill day All worldlie helpes depart from vs when we depart out of this life but Gods fauour faileth neuer When all thinges haue forsaken vs then onelie hee will stand by vs and at last will draw vs out of this myrie lake of miserie Happie and thrise happie is the man that is holie heere whome the Spirite of God may point out with an Ecce Behold a true Israelite Such a man after death shall obtaine a name which shall giue him after death a second life O thrise blessed is hee whom God in mercie remoueth in time that his eyes should not see the euill to come The world now is come to its dregs From little to little our zeale is come to its last gaspe Now if euer the Church is a Lillie among the thornes Our sinnes are become like Oakes but our vertues are pinched smal lik graines of mustard seede Wee look in drumblie waters and therefore we cannot see our sinfull blots and blamishes Lord teach vs to grow better that so long as we sojourne in these mansions of dying wightes wee may striue without guile to glid thorow this world that at last following this our olde deare friend wee may come to him and to all the Sainctes into to that celestiall Palace a place of plentie peace and pleasures for euermore Another discourse of the same sort O How hard a thing is it for the liuing to remember that wee are but weedes of a day fading and flying vanities Wee are all heere like poore Trauellers who haue farre to goe and little to spend In our most constant estate below we are like Ionahs gourd that sprang vp into a night withered into another euen a ◅oish vanitie This life said a Father is miserarable Our death is vncertaine If it surprise vs vnawares whither shall wee goe where shal we learne that which wee haue neglected heere Men for the most part wallowing in their sins while they looke most for life are by their expectation surprised of Death But Oh then whether shall they goe Alas that we cannot consider while we haue time and breath Man naturallie is so dull and dumpish that hee cannot imagine that he is possest with a melting mortalitie The best of vs in spirituall matters are pure blind Wee cannot see farre off no that which is neere euen this mortalitie among vs yea within vs That which hath breath can
her bellie to swell None but humble and godlie grieuances shall bee noted in Gods Register for to be asswaged and allayed with comforts By all that which wee haue saide M. yee see that yee haue licence to mourne like these that haue hope Ye haue indeede nowe to mourne but first for your sins which might haue beene some occasion of his remoue from you What is the best of our hearts but a filthie sinke-hole and stinking dung-hill That done first ye may mourne thereafter for 〈◊〉 losse If the first yee doe sincerelie God in his appointed time shall bee the repairer of your losse with doubled contentmentes as hee did to Iacob who mourning sore for Benjâ—…mine in a clap recouered both Iâ—…seph Benjamin But how can that bee will yee say For him whom I haue lossed can I neuer in this world recouer Know yee not what Elkanah said to his Wife Hannah weeping for want of Children Why weepest thou said hee and why eatest thou not and why is thine heart grieued am not I better to thee than ten Sonnes Shee is not worthie to bee comforted who thinketh not God to bee better to her than ten thousand Husbands Hath not the Lord who sitteth at the Sterne ruling all thinges aboue and below proclaimed himselfe to the worlde to bee that great IAH The Father of the fatherlesse a Iudge of the Widowes Dauid was confident in this 〈◊〉 my father and my mother for sake me â—…aid â—…e then the Lord will take mee vp As for your childreÌ„ lay fast hold vpon the promises of your God who hath oblished himselfe in a Precept of his Law to shew mercie vnto the posteritie of the godlie and that vnto thousands There is Gods Obligation whose word is faster than all the writs of men subscribed with a thousand Noters Such is his loue to the posteritie of the godlie that though the Mother shuld forget the fruit of her womb yet can hee not forget them whom hee hath printed vpon the palmes of hiâ—… hands Hee who hath made the Egyptian to fauour his people and caused the fiâ—…rie flint to yeelde water for the thiâ—…stie moued the deuourer to affoord foode Though he suffer the Lyons to lack and suffer hunger They that seeke the Lord shall not want any good thing All worldlie comforts may deceiue vs as a Brooâ—… as the rising of the Riuers they passe away But God whose bowels are euer earning ouer vs is euer fast and sure With him is no shadowe of change This comforted the Psalmest in the failinges of his flesh and heart God said hee is the strength of mine heart and my portion for euer This may vvell content vs except that wee bee heartlesse cowards I know and am fullie perswaded that yee would gladlie haue still enjoyed your Iewell for some number of yeares euen vnto the last date of mans dayes euen vnto his threescore and tenth yeare or to four score the vtmost feare of sinfull life set for these in whoÌ„ is the reason of strength This I know would haue bene your desire But bee yee thankefull to God for the blessed time yee haue enjoyed him alreadie How many bee Widowes before that their first yeare bee ended And yet though so should haue beene done with you or with all these that liue godlie A good marriage were it but for a day it is in Gods Count Book reckoned to bee of long continuance Many dayes make not the long life but well spent dayes A Childe of God though an Infant of dayes dieth an hundreth yeares olde but the sinner an hundreth yeares olde shall bee accursed hee is but as of yesterday As for your Husband M there is no neede now of lamentations for him for he is well He is now among these ransomed of the Lord obtaining joye and gladnesse where sorrowe and sighing haue none abode God in great mercie hath taken him away that hee should not see the euill to come This was a fauour granted to good Iosiah that he should be remoued in peace before the breake of weather Behold said the Lord I will gather thee vnto thy fathers thou shalt be gathered into thy graue in peace thine eyes shall not see all the euill which I will bring vpon this place In these last Dreggie dayes of the world the dead could speake to the liuing they might well say to them as Christ said to the weeping women of Ierusalem Weepe not for vs but weepe for your selues for behold the dayes are comming c. In all appearance behold in this Age the dayes are comming fast on wherein that of Ieremiah shal be said to the liuing Weepe yee not for him that is dead neither bemone him but weâ—…pe for him that goeth away for hee shall returne no more nor see his natiue Countrie There bee such fearefull calamities now brewing for this Land that by all liklie-hood when yee shall drinke the cup of wrath our griefes shall so goe beyond all such sorrow lik that of Ezekiel that neither shall the Husband mourne for his Wife nor shall the Wife waile for the Husband at their buriall Beholde a Paterne Sonne of man said the Lord Behold I take away from thee the desire of thine eyes with a stroake Consider well the sodainnesse the increaser of griefe yet neither shalt thou mourne nor weepe nor teares runne downe Forbeare to cry make no mourning for the dead Bind the tyre of thine head vpon thee and put on thy shooes vpon thy feete and couer not thy lippes and eate not the bread of men All this was to declare that such calamities shulâ—… ouer-take that people that all such mourninges for the death of Husbands Wâ—…ues Children c. should be swallowed vp by a greater griefe This is plaine by the wordes following Yee shall not mourne nor weepe but yee shall pyne away for your iniquities and mourne one towardes another Let vs speake in Conscience May not the Lord most justlie as he did threaten there take from vs our strength the joy of our glorie the desire of our eyes that whervpon we set our minds euen the Gospel the Arke of his couenant O let vs die before that euer that Glorie depart from this Israel This consideration may sufficientlie teach you and vs all moderat mourning in so mercifull a visitation It shall therefore bee your best in your deepest doole to Behaue and quiet your self lik a child that is wained of his mother The choisest argument of comfort which the Apostle could finde concerning the dead is founded vpon the Resurrection the day of the generall meeting of all Saints I would not said hee haue you ignorant concerning them which are asleepe that yee sorrow not euen as these which haue none hope For if wee belieue that Iesus died rose againe euen so them also which sleepe in Iesus