of death It is a going to our fathers But then wee must take heed what fathers wee imitate here take heed who are our patterns while we live for if wee do not imitate them here wee cannot live with them in heaven when wee are dead Therefore it is a very necessary item in Heb. 13.7 Look to them that rule over you that speak the word whose faith follow Considering the end of their labour Let us look before what kind of men those have beene that wee desire to live with in heaven and mark the end of their conversation for such as we delight in and frame our carriage to here such we shall live with hereafter We must not think to live with Nero and die with Paul to live Epicures and die Christians to live dissembling and falsly in our places and to die comfortably and to go to the blessed soules at the houre of death and at the resurrection No God will gather our soules with wicked men if wee fashion our carriage to wicked men such as wee delight in and live with and set as patterns before us with such we shall live for ever hereafter Hee was gathered to his fathers One signe of a man that shall be gathered to beleeving fathers to his good fore-fathers besides imitation is this to delight in the congregations of just men here A man may know he shall go to the congregation of perfect soules in heaven if he delight in the congregations of Gods Saints here for surely he that hath a confidence to bee in the proper heaven heaven that is so blessed he will have a care while he lives as much as he can to be and delight in the heaven upon earth Now the chiefe heaven upon earth is the Church of God Oh how amiable is thy dwelling place oh Lord where many soules meet together to joyne in speaking to God and in hearing God speak to them Those therefore that delight not in the congregations that delight not in the service of God what hope have they to bee gathered to the congregation of the faithfull when they are gone so much for that he was gathered to his fathers And he saw Corruption IT is an Hebraisme for he felt Corruption he had experience of Corruption All other senses are attributed to sight that being the principall of all the senses they have their terme from it because sight is the most excellent the most capacious and quick sense therefore I say the actions of all the other senses are attributed to it as wee say see how he speaks and so here he saw Corruption that is he had experience of it because sight is a convincing sense He could not properly see when he was dead but the meaning is he had experience of Corruption the truth is this in a word that The best and greatest men in the world when they are gone they are subject to corruption David was a King and a Prophet a man after Gods owne heart yet this could not keepe Davids body from Corruption The reason is wee are but dead men here this is not the life that Christ hath purchased for us wee are going to death our naturall life is but Cursus ad mortem a continuall going to death We are alive now but alasse our life is nothing but a continuall dying every day cuts off a part of our life It is a statute that all must die And it is our perfection to die we cannot otherwise see God enjoy our Crown Death indeed is nothing but misery but when we die we go to live The best must see Corruption Therefore this should bee an argument to support the soule when we think of the rottennesse in the grave and of that place and time of horrour when wee shall bee no more here upon earth It is no otherwise with us than it hath beene with the best in the world they all saw Corruption in their time Again considering we have but corruptible bodies here bodies that must see corruption let us take care for the better part He is a mad man that having two houses one free-hold the other a rotten tenement ready to fall about his eares that shall take delight in that and neglect his owne inheritance which is a goodly thing it is for want of wit and it is as much want of grace when we having a double life the life of grace that ends in glory the life of the soule the life of God as Saint Paul saith and then the life of the body which is communicated from the soule to the body which is corruptible our bodies are but tabernacles of clay whose foundation is in the dust for us to take care of this vile body as the Apostle calls it Phil. 3. Who shall change our vile body and make it like to his glorious body according to his mighty power to take care of this vile body and to neglect our precious soules It is the care of most such is the carnall breeding of men and they follow those that bred them in this brutishnesse as if they had no soules as if there were no life after this their care is what they shall eat and what they shall drink and put on what to commend themselves by in the outward man to the view of others all their care is for their outward man Alas what is it but a corruptible vile body it is but the case of the soule they forget the Iewell and look all to the Casket which is a base body take it at the best while we are here And take heed we be not ensnared with the bodies of others This is the corruption of men to gaze in this kind You see wise Salomon and others were much troubled with temptations in this kind Consider that body that thou dotest on now and which is made by the Divell a snare to thee what will it bee ere-long so noysome that thou wilt not indure the presence of it it is but a flower and it is fading fresh in the morning and dead at night All flesh is but grasse it is a corruptible body If thou wilt needs love bee acquainted with such as have excellent spirits that shall live eternally Oh there is an object of love indeed that is the true love and acquaintance that is spirituall Many things may be lovely in the outward person but see that there be a heavenly spirit that is mounting up that savours of good things a spirit that hath life begunne in it that shall be for ever happy in heaven unlesse there bee this there cannot bee a fit ground for the love of any wise man To end all you see here a short story of a good life and a blessed death let us make this blessed man of God exemplary to us in both Let our whole life be nothing but a service of God and let us consider the generation wherein wee are to take
BEAMES OF DIVINE LIGHT Breaking forth from severall places of holy Scripture as they were learnedly opened In XXI Sermons The III. first being the fore-going Sermons to that Treatise called The Bruised-Reed Preached on the precedent words By the late Reverend and Iudicious Divine RICHARD SIBS D.D. Mr. of Katharine Hall in Camb and sometimes Preacher at GRAYES INNE Published according to the Doctor his owne appointment subscribed with his hand to prevent imperfect Coppies ESAY 60 3. The Gentiles shall come to thy light and Kings to the brightnesse of thy rising PSALM 84.11 For the Lord God is a Sun and shield the Lord will give grace and glory and no good thing will be withhold from them that walke uprightly LONDON Printed by G.M. for N. Bourne at the Royal Exchange and R Harford at the guilt Bible in Queenes-head Alley in Pater Noster-Row MDCXXXIX TO THE RIGHT HONOVRABLE IOHN LORD ROBERTS Baron of Truro AND TO THE RIGHT HONOVRABLE THE LADY LVCE his pious Consort Grace and Peace from Jesus Christ. Right Honourable and truly Noble IT was not so much the Nobility of your blood as that of Grace given unto you from the divine hand which did so much interest you in the love and esteeme of that worthy Servant of Christ and Author of this worke in whom Vrim and Thummim met whose whole course being a reall and vitall sermon sweetly consonant to the tenour of his teaching made him amiable living and honourable dead in the opinion of as many as well knew him This was the thing I suppose which wrought unto him from you as well as from many others of your Noble Stock and Ranke more then an ordinary esteeme and this is that which maketh me in nothing to doubt but that his labours made publique under your names shall be very welcome unto you the worke is answering unto the man and therefore worthy you and your acceptance onely this is the disadvantage that though these Sermons had his owne toung to preach them yet they want his owne pen to commend them unto your Honours I well know that the expressions of holy truthes from a gratious heart by lively voice doe breed deeper impressions in thirsting and reverent hearers then any publishing of them in dead letters can doe yet this we finde in experience that holy and necessary truths this way comming abroad into the Churches of God doe get the advantage to continue longer and to become a more generall good they may stirre up the affections and set on-wards in the course of holinesse where the comforts are sure and the honours honouring everlasting In these ensuing Sermons you have variety the mother of delight and such notable descriptions of the person offices love and life of Christ that by them you may not only be setled in divine assurances to your further comforts but also directed and incouraged both in your inward and outward conversation to follow the example of Christ the most blessed and unerring example unto all Christians This Champion I beseech you both to follow unto your lives end make it your worke to set up Christ and his Religion both in your hearts and in your houses Acknowledge none but Christ in matter of salvation and none to Christ in point of affection let Christ be Christ with you and then if Christ and if not Christ nothing can be worth any thing he will make you worthy indeed he will proove unto you in life and death a Sun a shield even a full and an answerable good with this Christ I leave you and with you these ensuing Sermons to be read and observed for your spirituall furtherance in the enjoyment of eternall life by Iesus Christ desiring the great God of Heaven and Earth to looke upon both you and yours in much grace and mercie giving unto you all the comfort and crown of Religion here on earth and hereafter in Heaven I rest Your honours to be commanded JOHN SEDOVVICK To the Reader Christian Reader THE Word of God is given us as a most pretious treasure and that not for our selves onely but for our children after us and therefore is called Jsraels Jnheritance Deut. 33.4 Moses commanded us a Law even the Inheritance of the Congregation of Iacob All the wealth in the world is but as dirt and trash in comparison of the Word to the people of God Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage for ever for they are the rejoycing of mine heart saith David Psal. 119.111 And therefore as they rejoyce in their owne enjoying of it so they doe what they may to assure it to their children when they are dead that it may be entailed upon them and their posterity after them Yea so they doe also with the knowledge of divine truths which they have found in the Word which is not indeed found out by men all at one time but by degrees as Gold is found in Mines as men come to search farther and farther and to dig deeper and deeper for it It was not they know imparted to them for their owne use onely but for the benefit of others the manifestation of the Spirit is given to profit withall 1 Cor. 12.7 and therefore as it comes to them from Heaven they hand it to others that so it may be continued in the Church the ground and pillar of truth for the good of those that shall live in future times This was I hope the chiefe aime of those that have published these Sermons of that worthy Light of our Church Dr. Sibs And surely we have great cause in this regard thankfully to acknowledge their care and paines who both tooke them so exactly from his mouth as he delivered them and then kept them so charity as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a precious thing committed to their trust and have now published them for the common good of all that will make use of them For by this meanes what was delivered to a few may now build up many to farther degrees of knowledge and grace even all the Land over and they that never saw his face may be made sharers in those his labours which only a few were so happy as to heare Being my selfe one amongst others that have found the advantage hereof I was not so hardly wonne as otherwise I should have beene to commend these Beames of divine Light to the respect of others Diverse truths of greatest consequence are exactly handled in the severall Sermons here presented to you as concerning the misery of our naturall estate and the blâ—sse and happinesse of those that are quickned by Christ concerning the necessity of the Word our spirituall Food the Zealous Violence of the Faithfull impressing after it concerning the divers both joyes and sorrowes complaints and Triumphs of Gods children here when they are blacke though comely Cant. 1.5 and concerning their happinesse in death and glory after it and many other whereof these few are onely a taste The study of the Scriptures
should labour to be convinced of our wretched estate without Christ the danger we are in if God should take us hence on a suddaine this will force every day a fresh appetite and stomacke in the soule to feed on Christ. Secondly if we would sharpen our appetites to this foode wee must purge our stomackes which naturally surfet of earthly things purge the soule by a consideration of the vanity of all other things that draw us from Christ the reason why we have no better relish of Christ and heavenly things is because we cleave in our affections so much to earthly things we set up Idols in our hearts instead of Christ and wee cleave in an adulterous and false affection unto them Let us set before us arguments of the vanity of all things but Christ and there can be no better argument then here is set downe they are all perishing things that which the soule neglects Christ and Heaven and happinesse for and is so madly set upon alas they are all base in respect of the soule the whole world is not worth a soule they are all perishing things of lesse continuance then the soule is we should purge our soules by such considerations as these Then againe thirdly Exercise getteth a stomacke let us every day spend our spirituall strength in spirituall exercises in resisting tentations in withstanding the snares of Satan in bearing those daily crosses that God laies upon us live as Christians should live and the exercise of a Christian life will inforce us to goe unto Christ to feed on him to fetch from him spirituall strength when in our daily exercise we shall see the continuall neede wee have of pardon for daily sinnes of comfort and strength against daily corruptions and infirmities this will make us feede on Christ and on the promises made in him not onely on the promise of forgivenesse but on the promise of a supply of necessary grace on that sweet promise that he will not quench the smoaking flax nor breake the bruised reede feede on him as a King to subdue our corruptions c. the daily exercise of a Christian life will force us unto Christ. Againe to whet our appetite after Christ consider the necessity wee have of spirituall strength and comfort when a man considers that he hath a journey to take hee will eate to enable him to his journey as Elias was bid to rise up and eate because he had a journey to go we are all to take a journey as farre as Heaven and we are to travell through the wildernesse of this world and wee shall be daily assaulted besides our inward corruptions with divers tentations and therefore we had need every day to fetch strength from Christ and consider that sicknesse will come and death will surprize us and if we have not Christ we are wretched creatures without him and though we have applied Christ to our selves and made him our owne yet a time of deseition a time of tryall will come Thus the necessity of spirituall strength will force us to feede upon Christ. Againe to get us a stomacke to these things let us converse with those that are spirituall with those that are heavenly minded that have tasted of heavenly things when we see them delight in reading delight in hearing when we see them contemplate of Heaven and heavenly things on Christ and the benefits wee have by Christ on the blessed condition of a better life and of the world to come when wee see these persons that are better then our selves that have lesse cause then we take such paines for their soules we will be ashamed of our own neglect and it will be the discourse of a soule presently with it selfe surely there is some excellent strengâ—h and comfort in these things some extraordinary sweetnesse and refreshment that these men find that they so fall to them it is a great advantage to converse with those that are spirâ—tuall And lastly to put an edge to our dull appetites after this food consider we know not how soone this table that Christ hath spread these dainties that wisedome hath provided for us in the Ministry of the Word may bee taken from us therefore let us fall too while we have them We should doe as those doe that being at a feast and have neglected feeding at the latter end when they see all ready to be taken away fall too a fresh we know not how long we may enjoy these blessed opportunities therefore now with Ioseph let us lay up against a time of scarcity there will a hard winter come therefore let us imitate the wisedome of that poore creature the Ant to provide against winter Now while the Iubile is let us take out a pardon there is a time of spending to come now let us get oyle in our Lamps Now is the seed time now are the waters stirred in the poole of Bethesda Now is the acceptable time of grace wee know not how long it shall continue therefore now let us labour for the food that endureth to everlasting life I never knew any repent of the paines they had taken for their soules but many that have lamented and bewailed the precious time they have spent and that they have not beene good husbands for their soules It is one speciall point of heavenly wisedome to take advantage of our precious time to fill it up with holy exercises let us often offer this consideration to our soules wherefore was I sent hither into this world what is the end why I live heere is it to scrape together perishing things and so to perish with them or am I not rather sent hither to get out of the state of corruption wherein we all are by nature to get into Christ to make him mine own to be turned into him to feed on him to get joy and comfort and strength from him is not this the end why I live heere But to goe on and to make an use of triall whether we have as wee should doe relished and tasted Christ whether wee have fed on this meate or no. How shall we know that I answer we may easily know it For first of all if wee have relished Christ and the good things by him we disrelish all other things we begin to have a baser esteeme of all earthly things It is with the soule as it is with a Ballance when Christ is high in the soule other things are low and when other things are high Christ is low in the soule Christ was high in Pauls soule therefore he esteemed all as dung in comparison of the excellent knowledge of Christ. The poore Woman of Samaria when shee had heard Christ and tasted the sweetnesse that was in him downe goes her water-pot and shee runs to the City and tells them I have seene a man that hath told mee all things is not this the Messiah Zaccheus when he had tasted of grace and had the pardon of his sinnes by Christ halfe my
as it may displease God to balk and avoid all temptations in our callings out of Religious respects it is a service of God our whole life not only in the Church but in our particular places may bee a service of God as it is said here David served God Oh if wee could thinke of this wheresoever wee arâ— wee would take no liberty to offend God in any thingâ— wee would not thrust Religion into a corner into a narrow roome and limit it to some dayes and times and actions and places and then take liberty to defraud and dissemble to abuse our selves this way and that way is this to serve God to serve God is to carry our â—elves as the children of God wheresoever we are so that our whole life is a service of God A Christian is no Libertine no man of freedome hee is a servant Indeed wee have changed our Master wee are set at libertie from the slaverie of sinne and Sathan but it is not that wee should doe nothing to bee Belialls without voake but it is to serve God we are taken from the service of Sathan to be the Lords free-men and indeed it is to that end we are delivered that wee might serve God therefore all the actions of our life should be a service to God To make this a little clearer how can this bee will some man thinke that every common action should bee a service of God I will make it cleare by an instance the beasts and other creatures and wee have common actions such as wee doe in common as to eat and to drinke and to move the beast doth this and man doth it when a man doth them they are reasonable actions because they are guided with reason and moderated by reason but when the beast doth them they are the actions of a beast because hee hath no better faculty to guide him So common actions they are not a service of God as they come from common men that have not grace and the Spirit of God in their hearts they are meere buying and selling and going about the actions of their callings as the actions of a beast are the actions of a beast But let a Christian come to doe them he hath a higher life and a higher spirit that makes them spirituall actions that are common in themselves hee raiseth them up to a higher order and ranke Therfore a Christian serveth God in all that hee doth hee hath an eye to God that which another man doth with no eye to God but meerely in civill respects Wee say of policie it is an ancient observation which is good and very fit The knowledge of a common wealth it is a building knowledge a commanding knowledge for though a States-man doth not build hee doth not buy and sell and commerce but hee useth all other trades for the good of the State It is a knowledge commanding all other inferiour Arts and Trades in a common wealth to the last end they should all bee serviceable to the common-wealth and if they bee not away with them So Religion and the knowledge of Divine things it is a commanding knowledge it commands all other services in our callings c. It doth not teach a man what he shall doe in particular in his calling but it teacheth him how to direct that calling to serve God to bee advantageous and helpfull to his generall calling to further him to heaven to make every thing reductive to his last end which hee sets before him that is to honour and serve God in all things to whom hee desires to approve himselfe in life and death hee hath a principle the holy Ghost in him and he labours to reduce every thing to the maine end oh that wee were in this temper And as wee must labour to imitate holy David in doing so likewise in suffering We must bee carefull that nothing of Gods displease us as we are carefull for our selves that nothing of ours displease God In doing we ought to be carefull that nothing of ours displease God in suffering that nothing of Gods dealing displease us for there is rebellion in both in passive obedience as well as active There is rebellion when wee murmure and will not bee as God will have us as if we were wiser than he to appoint our owne condition whereas wee should resigne our selves as David here I am let the Lord do as it pleaseth him and as they said in the Acts The will of the Lord be done and as we pray in the Lords prayer Thy will be done insinuating not our owne We must bee content to stoup in our sufferings obediently to God because he is righteous in all his wayes and holy in all his works in all the courses he takes with us we should bee ready to justifie God in all things Now how did hee serve God for the manner of his service The manner of his service was as it should bee and so he was exemplary to us all in that amongst others his serviâ—e was First universall to God and to men every way Secondly it was uniforme hee was good in all conditions a good Sheepheard a good King he was good in his family c. So the service of the children and servants of God it must be uniforme in all estates to know how to want and how to abound c. And then his service was cheerefull wee see how oft hee rouseth up himselfe in the Psalmes awake my Harp and Lute c. And lastly his service was sincere It was to God you may know his sincerity by this he cared not for scoffings he practised duties that were scorned at That is an evidence of sincerity when in ill times the children of God stand to God and Religion When Micholl mocked him saith he I will be yet more vile for God When God may have glory and Religion defence for men to stand for God in ill times it is a signe of sincerity an hipocrite will never do so David did at all times in his Generation And then it was a signe of sincerity that he would appeale to God Trie me Lord if there be any way of wickednesse in me when a soule can go to God and say Lord if there by any way of wickednesse in me any secret lurking corruption in mee that may endanger the state of my soule that I know not of discover it to me that is a signe that a man is in league with no sin but his service is sincere A man that is not sincere hath no comfort so much sincerity so much comfort If a man do not things to God in sincerity all is lost to God a man may have commendations of the world as the Pharises had which is nothing but a kind of curse you have your reward that is you have it here and shall lose it hereafter So much concerning the life of David in those words