are counted as sheep for the slaughter Nay in all these things we are more then conquerours through him that loved us From these holy presidents we may learn how to master our afflictions and to sweeten our persecutions and to deem them as the embrioes of eternal life We may bear them with all spiritual joy if we look not on them but on him that imposed them on us who without doubt was the Father Almighty without whose Providence not a hair can fall from our heads and therefore let us with Moses esteem his rebukes greater riches then the treasures of Egypt Heb. ii 26. having respect unto the recompence of the reward 1. ANd now O Saviour of the world how great a compass wentst thou in this act of our redemption before thou didst bring it to this happy Period from thy swathing to thy shrowding from thy cold lying in a manger to thy cold dying upon the Cross what didst thou do and suffer Nay what didst thou not do and suffer for us The work of our Creation was great but this far greater That was done with a Fiat with the breath of thy mouth thou speakest the Word and all was done here was a miraculous conjunction of God and man in one person maid and mother in another when it was but begun thy omnipotencie indeed appeared in the first but thy mercy and justice in the latter such a work didst thou finish here that neither Man nor Angels or thy deity alone could well accomplish Oh! Thou that didst so much for us teach us to do somewhat for thee Thou that madest thy self a perfect victime for our sins grant that we may sacrifice our sins and mortifie all carnal concupiscences that so our souls and bodies may be offerings of a sweet smelling Saviour in thy Nostrils Thou that didst conquer the Prince of this world and all the enemies upon the Cross assist us against the conflicts and temptations of our spiritual adversaries save us from the roaring Lyon that he may never prevail O thou that art the Lion of the tribe of Judah But because we are ignorant of our selves what to do aright 1 Cor. 12.6 we pray thee guide us with thy Spirit thou Isa 28.21 who workest all in all work thy work in us and bring to pass thy act thy strange act whatever it be Let us perform what thou requirest of us and that is let us do justly shew mercy and walk humbly with thee Mic. 6.8 and walk humbly with thee our God Preserve thy Church that issued from thy side on thy Cross thou art her husband O Christ save thy spouse thou art her head save thy body protect her as thine from infidels hereticks and schismaticks from bad men and Devils from all errours and dangers Make her unto thy self glorious without spot or wrinkle holy and without sin Ephes 5.7 And though like thee shee sorrows and suffers often while militant here yet make her triumphant with thee in the world to come Let every member of her profess thy name to the end with courage and constancy after thy glorious Examples let us not be carried away from our duties to thee with the vanities of the world or the enticements of the flesh or the suggestions of Satan O thou that art immutable without shadow of change Yesterday to day and the same for ever fix our fickle thoughts on thy fear and establish thy holy Spirit within us that we may alwayes praise thee who never ceasest to bless us By the grace and merits of him who finished the grand works of eternal redemption for us living and dying to save us Lord make us live and dye thy servants that we may be partakers of that happiness which by his blood he hath purchased for us in the Kingdome of Bliss Amen The seventh and last Word LUKE 23.43 Father into thy hands I commend my Spirit ANd well might he call him Father because he had merited the name of an obedient Son to the last minute of his life and therefore most worthy to gain attention But here a doubt occures what we are to understand by the hands of God are we with the Anthropomorphites to ascribe the form and lineaments of man unto God Theod. l. 4. c. 10. as if he had eyes and ears and hands and other parts and faculties like unto us far be it for God is a spiritual substance of an invisible and indivisible nature without body parts or passions of infinite power wisdome and goodness but for the better explanation of this and the like expression in holy Writ we must make use of that known adage of the Hebrew Doctors Lex loquitor linguam filiorum hominum That is the holy Ghost in the Scripture descends to the capacity of man speaks man's language that is so as he would be understood by man and therefore presents him in the faculties of the mind of man and in the lineament of the body of man not that he hath really either of them for he is a most pure and a most simple entitie without any corpority or composition And so the hands of God do denote unto us his wisdom and power or which fals into one meaning his intellect knowing all things and his will enabling all things for with these two as it were two hands God did all things The will of God is his power for all things whatsoever he would he did in heaven and earth My Spirit There are divers significations of this word Spirit in Scripture which if not rightly apprehended may occasion divers errours it is spoken of God or of Angels or of men or of inferiour creatures Of God it is spoken sometimes Essentially sometimes Personally God is a Spirit Jo. 4.24 and they that worship him must worship him in Spirit and truth So also Isai 31.3 So also The Egyptians are men and not Gods and their Horses flesh and not spirit for if they were God they were Spirit so God altogether and considered in his essence is a Spirit but when the word Spirit is spoken not essentially of all but personally of one then that word designeth the holy Ghost Matth. 28 19. Go and baptize all in the Name of the Father and Son and the Holy Ghost Rom. 8â— 6 And the Spirit it self beareth witness c. And as of God so of Angels also it is spoken in two respects of good Angels sent forth to minister for them that shall be heirs of Salvation And evil Angels Heb. 1.14 The lying Spirit that would deceive the King by the Prophet 1 Kin. 22.22 Hosea 4.8 The spirit of whoredom when the people asked counsel of their stocks And spiritus virtiginis the spirit of giddiness or perversities which the Lord doth mingle amongst the people in his judgment Of man also is this word Spirit spoken two wayes sometimes for the Soul sometime for those animal spirits which conserve us in strength and vigour
the last day 1. The uncertainty of its time It was the policy of Julius Caesar never to acquaint his Army aforehand with the time of their march that they might be ready on all occasions and such is the wisdom of our God that he hath concealed this day from us that we might alwayes stand upon our guard and be ready 2 No time is secure As no place no Sanctuary can exempt us from deaths approach it may come to us in the Church in the Street in our beds c. so no time can priviledge from its arrest in the night as well as in the day in youth as well as in old age 3. Sometimes when men least think of it it comes Whilst the Crocodile sleeps the n = * A kind of a Rat. â—cknewmon getteth in and â—eateth his bowels whilest the Theban Centinel was nodding Gen. Epiâ—ninondas came and thrust him through 4. All the time alotted before that day is little enough for so great a work We have scarce time to learn how to live well saith the Philosopher but we are streightned with time to learn the art of dying well saith the Divine 5. Thy Preparation for will be no Acceleration of the day Our death will not be the nearer but sweeter the blow will not come the sooner foreseen Premeditati mali malis ictas but it will be the easier thy life and death will be the more comfortable 6. That day will be most dismal and Exitial to all unprepared persons like that of the man whom when the King came in found without a wedding garment who was bound hand and foot and cast into utter darkness Mat. 22.13 Oh! that any or all of these Considerations might awaken our security and keep us from sleeping in those sins which will deprive us of Eternal life LORD We admire the deepness of the riches of thy mercy and goodness who wouldst condescend to be thus ignominiously tortured between two grand Malefactors for our sakes How thou didst abase thy self for our pride and humble thy self on earth to advance us to glory Teach us Lord who are but dust and ashes to be lowly-minded and never to exalt our selves before or against thee least by our pride we be excluded with the Angels out of Heaven or with Man out of Paradise But among all thy Attributes we most extol thy Mercy which was so transcendent to this poor penitent thief whom thou didst rescue from the jaws of hell through thy infinite Merits It had been enough O God if thou hadst but promised him to be with thee for where had been ill with thee or where had it been well without thee but thou hast crowned him with bliss and glory in the highest heavens By this we are taught Lord not to despair of thy Clemency for though Cherubins keep thy Paradise and thy gate of Mercy be guarded by Angels yet thou hast opened the door of it to as very sinners as our selves Though we have sinnes more numerous then the sands of the sea or the stars of the firmament yet is thy mercy more and above measure No stains or guilts can make us so vile but thy Sons blood can wash them off David Peter Magdalen Paul and this good thief were cured by the power of that mercie and virtue of that blood But because Lord we are too prone to presume of thy mercy which is so eminent over al thy works we therefore entreat thee to keep us from carnal security from a Lethargy in sin and the delayes of all religious duties When ever we fall into sin do thou Lord by thy Grace raise us up to a newness of life to a true and timely repentance lest we sleep and lie in our iniquities until we feel the horror of eternal death Raise us with David from the sin of wilfulness with Peter from those of infirmity with Paul from those of ignorance Thou calledst this penitent but once and he obeyed thy voice repented and was saved but Lord how often are we called how often wouldst thou have gathered us as a hen doth her chickings under thy wings but we would not O grant then that me may be either allured by thy mercies or terrified by thy judgments or converted by thy Word or won by thy Spirit that we may hate sin and forsake it love thee and never leave thee until thou hast brought us to that heavenly Paradise where thy Saints and Angels sing daily Halalujahs to thy blessed Name Grant this Father of Mercies and God of Grace even for his sake who suffered with sinners and dyed for our sins Jesus Christ The Third Word JOHN 19.26 27 He saith unto his mother Woman behold thy Son and to the Disciple Behold thy Mother A Question is here to be discust Why S. John did affirm the three women to have stood near the Cross of the Lord when S. Mark 15.40 and S. Luke 23.49 write they stood afar off But this is soon salved S. Aug. lib. 3 de Consen Evang. they may be said to have stood afar off in relation of the guard and souldiers who did even touch the Cross near because they could easily hear Christ Or they may be said to have stood afar off at the instant of Crucifixion the multitude hindring them but when his suffering began to be completed many giving way they might make a nearer approach The sum of the words is this Being I am now to pass from this loathsome world to my glorious Father and knowing thee to be destitute of all humane assistances I commend thee to my most loving Disciple John he shall be to thee a Son and thou shalt be to him a Mother The command was most pleasing to them both and S. John speaks of himself in the following words and from that hour the Disciple took her home But S. John was one of them who by his Masters mandate had relinquished father and mother all relations and possessions to follow Christ how comes he now having forsaken his own to take the charge of another mother Mat. 4.22 The resolve is easie The Apostles that they might follow Christ dismist father and mother as they were a hindrance to the preaching of the Gospel either in regard of carnal affection or worldly commodity but in what concerned their care and solemn duty they left them not and upon that account the Virgin Mary was committed to him having no other visible worldly support God without mans assistance could by the administration of Angels have procured her a livelyhood and protection but it was our Saviours pleasure to have it done by John as well in regard of an honour to him as a love to her God sent Elias to be fed by a widow not that he could no longer feed him by Crows as formerly but by this action he seemed to vouchsafe a blessing to the widow so it pleased the Lord to recommend his mother to this Disciple S. Aug Serm.
Christ's Valedictions OR SACRED OBSERVATIONS On the LAST WORDS Of our SAVIOR delivered on the CROSSE By JENKIN LLOYD Minister of the Gospel and Rector of Llandissil in Cardigan shire LONDON Printed by D. M. son D. Pakeman at the Rainbow in Fleeâ—â—â—â—â—et 1658. To the READER I Here present thee with such Pious and Plain Observations as I could collect on what our Saviour uttered on Mount Calvary where he consummated the grand Work of mans salvation through the blood of his Crosse Those precedent sufferings of his life were but introductions to his last great Passion nor did he ever produce more and greater miracles then even in his extreme weakness and when death seemed to be his conqueror Miracles on earth were too low to attend a business of so high concernment signs from heaven must descend to seal the infinite merit of his Passion which before the Jewes did most importunately desire but that transcended all other wonders that when he was enthralled to the black confines of death he most triumphantly returned from the furies of hell and by an inexpressible power re-enlivened his bemangled and wounded body and adorned it with the glorious dresses of an eternal life And now in the heat of his great sufferings he so pierced the hearts of his persecutors with such pithy and feeling sentences that many of them at length returned through an infusive knowledg of their owne guiltiness striking their brests and had they not so relented at those cruelties the very rocks would have stood up in condemnation of their injustice The Words are in number seven whereof three were spoken about the sixth hour before the obscuration of the sun which we shall first consider and then the other four that were delivered about the ninth hour when God had withdrawn those dismal curtains and reenlightened that great Luminarie of heaven For methods sake I use first an explanation of each word that the true sense of the holy Ghost may be rightly apprehended and therein I do endeavour to hold forth such a construction as may be most conducible to the glory of God to the Analogy of Faith the exaltation of Devotion and the conservation of peace and union among us so that if happly I may in some things differ from others I desire their charity to leave me to my liberty if I do but differ from them and not from fundamental truths After that I have laboured to satisfie thy judgment with the true meaning of the words my next work is to stir up thy affections by laying down the consequent duties with proper motives to induce us to the performance of them so that you want not those Doctrines and Vses that naturally flow from each Text. But because in vaine doth Paul plant and Apollo water unless God gives the increase I do therefore conclude each part with certain Ejaculatory Prayers pertinent to the precedent discourse that by the influence of Gods grace the whole may be fruitful and salvifical to our souls for indeed that is the chief end for which it is exposed to publick view neither as I believe shall I miss of my aim if fear reverence attend the perusal of the Treatise Thus have you the Occasion Method and Scope of the Work all that is desired of thee is That having the Idaea of Christs charity before thy thoughts as thou shalt track it in each page of this Book thou wouldst in some measure endeavour to parallel so divine a pattern and judge charitably of me the unworthy Author JEN. LLOYD ERRATA Page 9 line 9 read reason p 10 r cloud p 22 r by p 51 r deliciousness p 74 r that p 77 r solved p 104 r 1652 p 119 r of God p 134 r we p 145 r Euripus p 147 r woman p 149 r nourisheth p 159 r seem p 170 r hear p 174 r accurately ibid. r nefarious p 180 r Sun p 190 r occurres p 191 r loquitur p 204 r an Almighty p 211 r mactatur Christ's Valedictions OR SACRED OBSERVATIONS On the Last Words of our Saviour delivered on the CROSSE The First Word LUKE 23.34 Father forgive them for they know not what they do ALl Nations did ever in Nature acknowledg not only a guiltiness of sin but some means of Reconciliation to their gods in the remission of sins For they had al some formal Ceremonial Sacrifices and Expiations by which they thought their sins to be purged and washed away and the people of Israel were prescribed by God himself what and how to offer their religious Victims But the proper and true Propitiatory Sacrifice to take away the sins of the world was only Jesus Christ the Incarnate Word of the Eternal Father who much Coveting that Ineffable work of man's Salvation thought it not only enough to suffer but before he submits himself to those great undertakings deemed it also expedient to win the hearts of the people as well by Doctrine as Miracles His whole Life was a continued Lecture and Method of teaching and because the words of a dying man works commonly a great impression on the affections and judgments of the hearers therefore being now to seal the Lease of that inestimable purchase with his own blood on the Cross he delivered such divine Legacies such Soul-livening words as ought to survive in the hearts and actions of all true Christians The first whereof was this Father forgive them c. The Explication He called him Father not God or Lord because he well knew in this condition to be needful the Benignity of a Father not the Severity of a Judge the Smiles of Compassion not the Frowns of Justice And because to bend God to a Lenity who was without doubt much incensed for such grand iniquities it was convenient to present the amiable title of a Father the words seem to imply thus much I who am thy suffering Son do pardon them pardon thou also O Father their impieties and forgive me thy Son this offence though they deserve it not Take it to thy compassionate Remembrance that thou art their Father by Creation and Preservation O then let thy Paternal favour shine upon them for though they are evil yet they are thy sons though they are sinners thou art merciful The word Forgive which is the sum of the Petition may as well be referred to the Punishment as the Fault if to the Punishment this Prayer was heard whilst the Jews for this present iniquity deserved instant revenge yet was it defer'd for forty years and if in that interim they had repented they had remained safe and untouched but because they did not God permitted an Army of Romans Vespasian then Governing to come against them who overthrew their Head City and destroyed the Jewish Nation some by the Sword some by Famine some sold the rest Exiled into divers places of the earth as foretold by the Parable of the Vineyard and of the Kings inviting of guests to the marriage of his son
and enforce the wicked to such an obedience that the just may lead a quiet and peaceable life But if Humane Justice should sometimes sleep yet the Providential eyes of God are still open who never suffers the evil to go unpunished nor the good unrewarded and through an admirable way when the wicked think they vex and torment the good he makes these the more famous the more illustrious Saevisti persecutor in Martyrem Leo. Ser. de S. Laur. saevisti auxisti palmam dum aggeras Poenam The Rage of a Tyrant adds to the Glory of a Martyr nothing made Joseph so renowned as the persecutions of his brethren Gen. 40 Some to avoid the shadow of a little disreputation among men and to preserve the smoke of honour will rather persecute then forgive their enemies thereby displaying themselves to be void of true wisdom when as they to shun a lesse evil fall into a far greater It is an undenyable axiome pronounced by the Apostle Rom. 3. â— Evil things may not be done that good may come He that receives an injury falls into the evil of punishment he that revengeth falls into the evil of the fault betwixt which two there is no Symmetrical proportion for the punishment makes a man but miserable the guilt and fault makes a man as well evil as miserable the first deprives a man of Temporal felicity the other robs him as well of Eternal as Temporal Besides it is generally held an argument of a noble mind to pardon and a sign of a mean Pusillanimous spirit to revenge Julius Caesar that victorious Emperor of Rome excelled more in Pardoning then Conquering his enemies of whom Cicero gives this high Eulogie That he forgot nothing but injuries O let not a Heathen under the Law of Nature surpass us in clemency and charity under the Law of Grace But that which makes men most averse from doing good and praying for their enemies is their difference about holy things Religion which should be the grand motive to Peace and Unity is now become the main occasion of such rents and divisions among us as our Ancients never heard of and Posterity will scarce believe The Jews were so infatuated in their counsels that they knew not what they did and many of the Christians are in such a confusion they know not what to hold some for Paul some for Apollo some for they know not whom And that which is most to be lamented is that for some diversities in opinion they should pronounce such an heavy sentence upon one another as is that of Damnation If God should censure us as we censure one another I know not who should be saved But my hope and praier is That the Lord will be more merciful to all dissenters then they are to one another The seven Churches of Asia were all the Churches of Christ he walkt in the midst of them Rev. 1.13 Chap. 2.1 even in that Luke-warm Laodicean he held the seven Stars in his right hand and though some were more perfect then others yet hath he a particular charge against the best of them Chap. 2.4 14. Let the Romanists tell us never so much of their unerring Chair and Infallibility and let the Cartharists tell us never so much of their Purities yet there is no Congregation so spotless but Christ may find a blemish in her no Church so blameless but that he hath few things to urge against her Let us not then judge of others but learn to reform our own errors nor study how to dispute but to live well to that purpose the Apostle's counsel is very pertinent Put on as the elect of God Col. 3.12 13. 14. 15. holy and beloved bowels of mercy kindness humbleness of mind meekness long suffering forbearing one another forgiving one another If any man have a quarrel against any even as Christ forgave you even so also do ye And above all things put on Charity which is the bond of perfection and let the peace of God rule in your hearts Ejaculations 1. THou God of Love and Peace we are in such blindness and distractions that we know not what we think speak or do we are at such deadly few'd among our selves that like Herod and Pilate we joyn together and muster up our forces against thee and all friends to Peace Profaneness Hypocrisie and Ingratitude towards thee Malice Hatred and Revenge towards one another are the reigning vices of our Times Pardon thou those against thee and give us grace to forgive these against our selves 2. We are taught Lord there is one fin irremissible Mat. 12.31 1 Joh. 5.16 and incapable of mercy and therefore not to be prayed for but being we know not who that sinner is and hope to find him no where therefore we make prayers and supplications for all men 1 Tim. 2.1 even for our enemies We have Thee for a President and thy Word for a Precept 3. Thou prayest their pardon that are shedding thy blood shall not we forgive those that do us injuries Thou art merciful to thy Enemies shall we be cruel to our Brethren How grievously do we provoke thee every day to thy face one of our offences against thy infinite Majesty is more then we are capable to receive from all our enemies on earth yet how silently dost thou pass by all our hainous affronts and bidst thy Sun to shine and thy rain to fall as well upon our grounds as thy holiest owners Thou dost graciously invite us to thee with new mercies and do we call our selves the sons of that Father whom we will not imitate Do we daily pray to thee To forgive us as we forgive others whiles we resolve to forgive none whom we can plague with revenge 4. Shall we hear a Cato say That he could and did pardon all offenders but himself and shall we pardon none but our selves Shall a Pagan without God have such rule over his Passion and shall a Christian who professeth a more divine Phylosophy give the reins to the wild and unruly erruptions of his rage 5. And what Lord though we differ in Judgments yet let us not vary in Affections What though our Brains be diverse yet let our Hearts be one 6. We all believe in thee O God and in the same Christ and are all Baptized into him and look to be saved by his sufferings We agree in that one and only Foundation we all embrace the two Testaments and as I hope the three Creeds and many other very material points why should we vary about the superstructures and circumstantials of Religion 7. We believe thy mercy to be of that extent Act. 2.21 Rom. 10.13 that whosoever shall call upon thy Name shall be saved why should we then be so uncharitable as to exclude so many millions of weak but true believers out of the Church below or out of heaven above for no other reason but because they are not of our judgments
infamous punishment of the Cross to immortality by a bloody death and how he would still honor them that honor him What fools then are those who relinquish Christ the giver of all goodness and sacrifice to Mammon the author of all evil 2. We have here also represented unto us the power of Gods Grace and the Imbecility of the Humane Will This good thief was a remarkable sinner and persevered so even to the punishment of the Cross and in so eminent danger of Damnation there was none present that could afford him either the solace of advice or assistance For though he was most near the Saviour of the world yet he heard the high Priests and Pharisees affirming him to be a seducer ambitious and an usurper of anothers Kingdom and he heard his fellow thief as it were barking at him and there was none that bestowed a word of comfort on him or Christ but behold the prevalency of Divine Grace when he was thus bereft of all humane aid and seemed to have no hope of Salvation being on the next step to perdition the Spirit of God shined on him in a miraculous manner and in an instant so beautified and changed his heart that upon a sudden he confessed Christ to be an innocent sufferer and the King of the world to come and checkt his presumptuous companion and perswaded him to repentance and before the staring multitude committed himself to the protection of a dying Saviour Whereas the other Malefactor in whom is expressed to life humane infirmitie was not at all moved at the strangeness of those accidents not at the charity of Christ who prayed for his persecutors nor at his extreme sufferings nor at the admonition and example of his fellow thief nor at the unwonted darkness nor at the cleaving of the Rocks asunder nor at those who through just astonishment returned home striking their brests all which hapned after the conversion of the good thief yet was he not at all changed though he had the helps of so many perswading arguments Obj. But why was the one inspired at that instant with saving Grace the other not both were equally great sinners before that time and but one now a Saint Sol. No other reason can be assigned then why God loved Jacob and hated Esau but because it was the will of God we must be satisfied with that All other reasons are shut up in the secret Ark of God which we must rather admire in a divine honor and humble silence then endeavour to unlock or touch Shall the thing formed ask the Potter Rom. 9.80 Why hast thou thus fashioned me Shall not the Creator of all make some vessels of honour some vessels of dishonour yet all to his glory which is as much manifested in the condemnation of the bad as the salvation of the good There can be no iniquity with him for though his judgments are occult yet are they not unjust 3. But this Caution we are farther taught by the words Though we must embrace the example of the holy thief in our Consolation yet not in our Imitation It may minister this comfort to a sad and despairing Soul That God hath and can pardon a true penitent be his sins never so great but it must not lead us to defer our repentance until the utmost period of our lives The conversion of Saul the persecutor and this thief upon the Cross is become Proverbium Peccatorum the Sinners Proverb and serves him Gregor and satisfies him in all cases But thou presumptuous sinner that puttest off thy amendment upon confidence of these examples dost but delude thine own Soul It is not safe concluding out of single instances there is much disparity between thy case and this thief's 1. Thy time is not the same When thou canst find such another day look for such another mercy A day that cleft the grave-stones of dead men A day that rent the Temple it self A day that the Sun durst not see A day that saw the Soul of Christ depart from his body there shall be no more such dayes therefore presume not of that 2. Besides thou maist look at the thief as on a Turk or Heathen newly entred into Christianity Baptized from sin Confirmed by Christ so dying and saved but how often hast thou broke thy Baptismal vows and with Copronimus defiled thy Font Eccl. Hist by rejecting those means which God hath given thee to secure thy interest and hopes of heaven 3. The thief was not converted at last but at first Cyril Non in fine sed in prineipio conversus latro as soon as God afforded him any Call he came But to how many calls hast thou stopt thine ears O sinful man How often hath God called thee with a voice of Terror by Thunder and Lightning by Wars Plagues Famine and other Judgments How often hath he sweetly called thee by the pleasant promises of the Gospel by the motions of his Spirit and by the temporal blessings of peace and plenty Thou shalt find here that although it hapned to one to receive Grace in his very last gasp which was a Miracle of Mercy a Prodigie of Providence yet the other found his judgment the one Blessed the other Blasphemed so the one was Saved the other was lost And whosoever shall peruse Histories Sacred or Humane and observe Quotidian events shall find very few to end their dayes well that have loosly ran the whole course of their lives And as they can hardly escape the furie of a Divine Justice that have acted a negligent and a vicious life so there are but few after a life well spun but die in Gods fear and are made partakers of his Glory Begin then betimes O man to become a new man n = * Omnâ—m crede diem â—ibi deluxisse supremum Hor. make every day thy last day that thy last may be happy The Indian Gymnosophists caused their graves to be made before their gates that at their ingress and regress they might be put in mind of their last day and happy were we if in the daies of our youth and vanity we spent some time in the meditation of our Mortalitie and of the account we are to make at the day our Souls and Bodies are divorced For that day may be sudden and give us no time or distracted and take away our senses or cursed and keep away Grace Chrysologus Gregor a man as full of sin as he was of wealth being on his death-bed in a bitter Agony cryed out Inducius velusque mane truce but till the morning and with those very words breathed his last 'T is not a tear or a groan then can expiate the sins of a whole life nor every one that saith Lord Lord Mat. 7.21 shall enter into the Kingdom of heaven but he that doth the will of our Father which is in heaven Let these Reasons then move thee further to avoid all delayes in preparing thy self against
the patience to learn the following Article he might hear of his Triumphant Ascension into heaven and sitting there in Majesty and power on Gods right hand all the consolation of a Christian consists in this principally that after a troublesome warfare here he shall be carried to Abrahams bosome the Celestial Paradise to the durable Jerusalem to his Masters joy to an inheritance immortal undefiled reserved in the heavens to a rest from his labours and to behold the glory of God O how it behoves each man then to secure his interest in those felicities and daily and hourly commend his soul to that God that made it We are all careful enough when death approaches to put our houses in order and dispose of our temporals but few take a thought for that which is spiritual We had rather with King Asa seek to the Physitian then to the Lord 2 Chr. 16. when seized with sickness or with the Pharisees tithe mint and cummin and leave the weighty Matters of the Law undone but so we do but present God with maim not perfect with dead not living sacrifices Nothing can enter into the Kingdom of heaven but what is pure and immaculate and therefore our chiefest care should be if we desire to have admission there to prepare our souls by true faith and timely repentance without which our prayers and tears will nothing avail for without holinesse no man shall see the face of God He made our souls spirits let us not then make them carnal by feeding on corrupt lust He made them immortal let us not murder them with our sins and deprive them of eternal life He made them noble and after his own image let us not make them brutish and earthly by doting on the pleasures and vanities of this transitory world For what shal it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his own soul or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul TO thee therefore O thou Father of our Spirits do we make our humble addresses that thou wouldst be pleased to be a Protector of our souls and bodies both here and to all eternity Thou art our Rock and our Fortresse therefore for thy Names sake defend and guide us We have no confidence in saints or Angels for thou hast charged the best of them with folly but in the multitude of thy mercies for thou alone hast redeemed us O Lord God of truth Thou that didst shew thy power in weakness and shake the foundations of the earth when suffering on thy Cross make us to tremble through the horror of our sins and to fear thy judgments for them which we justly merit As thou didst then cleave the Rocks and rend the vail of thy sanctuary so melt our stony hearts with the beams of thy grace that they may receive the impressions of thy favors and that we may enter into the Holy of Holies above which thou hast prepared for thy chosen The height of our love is but to lay down our lives for our dearest relations but thou didst depose thy precious life for thy enemies that rebelled against thee Lord who by thy active and passive obedience wouldst leave nothing undone or unsuffered for our salvation O teach us to obey thy word to embrace thy metions to practise what thou commandest Let our wills be wholly resolved into thine and make us conformable to thee as thy saints and angels in heaven are We confess Lord that the wages of sin is deaeth and that we justly deserve to be reduced to our first nothing but O let not death which is the work of the divel have dominion over thy creatures who are the work of thine own hands Before we receive a summens to our end we pray thee furnish us with all requisite graces that we may be clothed with the wedding garment of holinesse and righteousness to meet thee the sweet Bridegroom of our souls Let us not commend unto thee foul sinful spouses but clean and sorrowful spirits for thou despisest not Lord humble and contrite hearts At the hour of death Lord speak comfortably to our souls and seal in our hearts by thy holy Spirit the pardon of all our sins Assist us with thy presence against all the assaults of our spiritual adversaries for if thou wilt be with us we shall neither fear nor feel any evil though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death And grant that though our souls and bodies be separated by death for a short space they may be re-united at thy great day and by vertue of thy Resurrection be raised to live in thy ever blessed eternity Grant this for his sake who lived and dyed and rose again for our salvation Jesus Christ Amen FINIS