AN ANTIDOTE Against the Sinfull Palpitation of the Heart OR Fear of Death Humbly offered to mens serious Thoughts because sadly occasioned by That Dreadfull PLAGUE And those horrid Fears of Death that have seized This present Generation in England whom either greater Sins or weaker Graces or both together have rendred more then ever Timorous MADE UP OF That Singular and Soveraign Scripture Hebrews 2.15 And deliver them who through fear of Death were all their life time subject to Bondage By Robert Tatnall M. A. Sometimes Fellow of Trinity Colledge in Cambridge and lately Minister of the Gospel at St. John Evangelist's LONDON Isa 9.14 15 16 17. For all this his anger is not turned away but his hand is stretched out still Rev. 1.17 18. I am the first and the last I am he that liveth and was dead and behold I am alive for evermore Amen and have the keyes of Hell and of Death Psal 68.20 He that is our God is the God of salvation and unto God the Lord belong the issues from Death London Printed by J. Hayes and are to be sold by S. Gellibrand at the gilded Ball and S. Thomson at the Bishops Head in St. Pauls Church-yard 1665. Perlegi hunc Libellum cui Titulus An Antidote against the fears of Death in quo nihil reperio Doctrinae Disciplinaeve Ecclesiae Anglicanae aut bonis Moribus contrarium Joh. Hall R. P. D. Episc Lond. Ã Sac. Domest July 6. 1665. TO THE TRULY CHRISTIAN READER IT is not a time now if ever to complement with dying men and women that poor aid which any serious Christian can endeavour to give in such a publick Calamity as we all now do or should deeply lament The unworthy Labourer in this small Piece of Service must acknowledge so much concerning himself only for his Apology That having been some time till of late imployed in London as a Minister He cannot but weep over it in some Conformity to his Great President 's weeping over Jerusalem And lisp that tender Affection which he cannot express to so great a City For it is belov'd of all and a City once much in and 't is hop't not now out of God's favour To be sure not left out of the hearts of some few who as formerly do still most affectionately pray for her though they can do little else The Plague rages amongst us Good men as well though I hope not as much as bad men are obnoxious to this visitation The latter understand little of the Duty or Comforts manifested in Scripture Spiritually knowing nothing at all Such if they will may hear the sounding of Gods Bowels and tender Mercies to them as in some other instances so not least of all in those Comprehensive though SHORT INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE SICK with some other very lately made publick by an Eminent Labourer in the Gospel which with his leave may be stil'd His repeated Call to the Unconverted in Epitome or their Now or Never indeed The Lord make those Instructions as effectual as they are most opportune and importunate too with mens souls Surely the endeavouring of sinners conversion especially at the brink of the Grave must needs be a work of Sage Prudence and an Apostolick Spirit But who is sufficient as for that so for the rest of the Labour viz. The Edification and Building up of Souls in their most holy Faith when their bodies are near ruine Truly be that now questions who is must answer for himself that he of all men is not Who yet counts it his great Duty to deplore it as well as to confess it And whilst he laments his own evident insufficiency to rely upon that sufficiency which is of God both to Direct Assist and Bless the meanest of all his Labourers As for good men and women who are so though they can scarce themselves think so yet they are Christs flock And the Sheep and Shepherds too cannot but chiefly tender their good Now 't is clear that Death is near them as well as others Yea some of Gods most pretious Children have been sick of the Plague none that I know do much doubt it to be King Hezekiahs sickness unto death Nay some have dy'd of it as a most Eminent Minister of this City not long ago And 't is not question'd by some considerable Divines but that many of the converted Corinthians dyed of the Plague as well as others of them were much visited with it so that many were sick and many weak Whereupon some may say there may be no peremptorily asserted ground for a good mans looking on himself as unconcern'd and exempted in a common danger and calamity But however it must be remembred that a good man hath no reason to fear the fear of the wicked whilst he hopes not their hope He having more reason then any wicked persons have to wait upon God for a special Protection if the ninty first Psalm be a part of his Charter as no doubt it is Yet notwithstanding I find a great Terrour upon this Plague even possessing Good as well as Bad men Which I am the more troubled at because as good people have less cause to sink and faint away so Christ by their dispondency hath the less Honour Which two inconveniencies much sadder then a Plague O that I could as a poor Instrument if not remove yet abate at least in some O let Saints bear up and stand in the Gap or Breach Aaron you know ran into the midst of the visited Congregation and stood between the Dead and the Living making atonement for them till the Plague was stayed Numb 16.47 48. Hath Christ made his people a Royal Priesthood to offer up Spiritual Sacrifices acceptable by Jesus Christ and shall such run from the Congregation I mean from their Duty their Calling their Charge their own people yea God and all in vain O let Christ be honoured for the increase of whose Kingdom by the consciencious labours of Gods Children in their places The world both doth and shall stand through Gods mercy remembred in all his Judgments even till the great and general day of the Lords Tribunal There are indeed no greater Motives to any good Action or endeavour then the advance of Christs Honour and of the Holiness and Happiness of poor souls who may if they be wise become with Abraham strong in Faith and so rewarded with strong Consolation that believing so with him they might rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory not only after but also before their death All which is plainly intended in the Subject or Scripture here presented to such as would be serious and safe Which Design of God and interest of man if it be sincerely espoused in the ensuing Discourse God will I hope in mercy pardon and every good person pity his infirmities who in pity prayes for a blessing of God upon this and all other means to be used by such as are sick of the fears of Death before they are
Truly God-man the Son of God and of man who is what he is as a Christ a Jesus a Saviour for the real and effectual good of all his people who cannot if they will but sooner or later in some measure as really partake of every vertue and benefit of Christs death which they stand in need of as ever Christ did partake with them of the same flesh and bloud For as Mediator he is obliged to save to the uttermost 1 Cor. 1.30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus who of God is made unto us as Wisdom Righteousness Sanctification so Redemption Christ cannot and will not deny any real Saints that universal and full Redemption and deliverance which God hath made over to them in and with his Son The world out of Christ cannot claim a comfortable interest in Gods power whom they have perfectly disobliged and can by no manner of proper merit oblige him again But now Saints may claim an interest in Christs power to save them to the uttermost because he is made of God to them Redemption without any exception of so considerable a Redemption as this is from the fears of death or indeed without possibility of any such exception For if Christ be made to the Saints Righteousness the Law is satisfied the sting of Death sin and the strength of sin the Law is all quite taken away by a pardon given us through Christs satisfactory and meritorious righteousness If Christ be made Sanctification to us the power of sin is also much subdued so that the hearts courage is no more so weakened by sin nor such an enmity against and thereupon such a suspicion of Gods wrath maintained as before nor in a word such a spirit of bondage again to fear as formerly And then if Christ be made wisdome to us he gives us light whereby to discover the truth and benefit of all this grand provision for our souls peace and rest What then can his being made Redemption to us be more over and above or less Then his rescuing our hearts and consciences from the slavish and foolish fears of any damage by Death that penalty of the Law the wages of sin the worst that can come Christ removing the guilt of sin as our Righteousness and the power of sin as our Sanctification and also removing our ignorance of deaths impotency in such a case to hurt us as our Wisdom hath left nothing to be done more or in the next place as our Redemption but the removing also the impotency of our hearts in such unreasonable fears of Death which he hath so disarmed not only of weapon but of power also to hurt us Now all this he is obliged to do for the Saints For how is he made all this to them if it reach not their souls Separate not what God hath conjoyned in your Saviour one and all in some measure is every Saints portion They cannot ask more of each than is prepared for them in the fulness of Christ Nay not more than they have clear title to as much now as ever any Saints had in any former ages because Christ is made of God to all Saints in full Wisdom Righteousness Sanctification and Redemption Poor souls power in God for your good you can hardly conceive sith by reason of sin he that made you by his power may refuse to save you by his power well yet power laid up in Christ for you may well encourage you God hath therefore lodged power in Christ God-man to let poor Saints believing in him see their interest in it and marriage claim to it to let them know he would have his power actually deliver and save them to the uttermost Go to God by him and he is not only able but obliged to carry you to God without fears in the way It being his very Office as Gods High Chamberlain one set over the house of God for this purpose Heb. 10.21 22. But to support this with another Consideration Thirdly As Christ is able and obliged so willing and faithful as willing as able and as faithful as obliged thus to deliver Truly this with the first I mean his willingness faithfulness and his ability which was first mentioned might easily be granted by any that consider the Person God-man here spoken of yet because it makes much to this present purpose I must shew you some Scripture that commands us to consider this in him as Heb. 2.17 Wherefore it behoved him in all things to be made like unto his brethren that he might be a merciful and faithful High Priest Merciful He took our nature our very flesh that he might be more tender of and merciful to us in our danger and fears of dying which by reason of flesh and bloud are incident to us And then faithful that is so sensible of every thing tender and pitiful as faithfully to improve his great Ability to save and deliver to the uttermost As his power is large to the uttermost of our misery and fear so his faithfulness is as large as his power He must then of necessity be an actual deliverer of his people in all points not only from their Enemies but from their servile fear of them As from Deaths misery so from the fear of it that they serve God without any such horrid fear in righteousness and holiness all their daies And the reason is cogent for in him concur sufficient ability to save and an indispensable obligation thereto from the immutable purpose and appointment mutual agreement and mercy both of his father and himself and also particularly a great obligation from the power of his Sympathy with those whose natures and flesh he took up and then as sufficient ability and indispensable obligation so infallible faithfulness meet gloriously in this blessed Jesus and speak him an Almighty Deliverer of his people from the fears of Death Doth not all this appear He dyed Who could who would so dye Before his death he cryed Let this cup pass that so no Saint might fear its approach He at his death cried out My God my God why hast thou forsaken me That so no Saint might at his own death cry out fearfully as forsaken of God Those his cries proceeded from mighty and meritorious pangs Thus each peculiar pain was appointed for our particular healing as these mentioned for the curing us of the painful fears of our death and they are also great demonstrations of Christs mercy and faithfulness unto us unto the last Who else might easily have had more than twelve Legions of Angels to have rescued him from the rest of his Passion but he was cruel to himself merciful and faithful to us Fourthly Christ is a Deliverer of his people from the fears of Death because he cannot but be faithful as to his childrens good so to his own glorious design Where Power and Resolution and unchangeableness meet what can hinder the accomplishment of a design Christs power of delivering from the fears
spiritual swooning away but in their coming again to themselves be like them not only in their desertions or dejections but their more usual assurance of Gods love Oh labour to speak the Dialect of Gods Children with David either in the phrase of Psal 3.7 or 119.94 either thus Save me O MY God Or thus I AM THINE save me Sixthly Rely on nothing else Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not to thine own understanding Pro. 3.5 That is to the devices of thy heart for security refuge help preservation in danger Some trust in horses saies the Psalmist and some I may say in Country houses and air Go to them in time of Pestilence they may but only in case duty and necessary business bind them not to the contrary He that flees the Plague and runs from his Duty may most likely but rush into the Plague as I may say or worse whatever he now thinks Some trust to their invention of Antidotes against the Plague to their own or other mens devices for help and succour in time of danger use them they may but trust to them and their danger is a hundred times the greater for cursed is man that trusteth in man much more that trusteth in himself that leans to his own understanding for he that doth so would if he prospered which it is pity therefore he should I say he would sacrifice to his own net as well as lean to his own understanding Seventhly Praise God much even with thy soul and all that is within thee under the greatest Judgments It is a duty most of all seasonable necessary and advantagious to thee Art thou alive Praise God as the living the living should do especially I say in time of danger Therefore Jacob in his time of danger and fears began his prevalent and successful prayer for deliverance with Less then the least of all Gods mercies For a thankful and chearful acknowledgment feeds faith and hope with former good experience and dispels fear of evil to come with a joy in the Lord who is the presentest and the greatest good Be careful for nothing saies the Apostle How so What remedy against disquieting care and fean Truly Prayer and Supplication with Thanksgiving In dangers and troubles I judge it very fitting to begin our Prayers with Thanksgivings thanking God for what we have when all seems to be a going and we our selves too who are less then the least of all Gods mercies But especially because by Praises in the beginning of our Prayers we sing out our fears and tune our hearts to pray in faith But seeing both Praise and Prayer are so useful to increase faith and blast fear I will never contend for the priority of either e'n put them together let them never go asunder To conclude then Oh pray much The admirablest way under heaven by Christs blessing to conjure all base fears quite out of the heart For if ever faith be emboldened it is in prayer Prayer it is the improver as of all grace so especially of faith Psal 62.8 Trust in the Lord at all times But how shall we do that It follows Ye people pour out your heart before him then he adds God is a Refuge for us That is certain as the Prophet thinks Oh the confidence in God that they arrive to who in danger can pour out their hearts before him Faith when we pray aright doth in every Petition get faster and faster hold of God Thus the soul in Prayer works it self even into Gods arms of mercy and Christs bosome of love Thus in danger we nestle closer into the Clefts of our blessed Rock till the indignation be overpast You know that excellent Counsel Isa 26.20 Come my people enter thou into thy Chambers and shut thy doors about thee hide thy self as is were for a moment untill the indignation be overpast Wouldst thou be so safe Then as Christ counsels Mat. 6.6 Do thou when thou prayest enter into thy Closet and when thou hast shut thy door pray to thy Father which seeth in secret and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly There is to this purpose a very edifying inference may be easily gathered from 1 Tim. 5.5 Where you have the Apostle's good widow mentioned and that she trusted in God but that is not all It is not a poor rash flourish I trust in God and I hope in the Lord Jesus which is but a dream nay a vain and empty breath the poor ignorant prophane perfons hope which quickly gives up the Ghost But saies the Apostle The good widow she trusteth in God and continueth in supplications and prayers night and day Thus she upholds her Confidence in God both day and night Woe be to those that say they trust in God day and night and yet scarce pray at all in good earnest day nor night The Apostle saies indeed that this good widow is desolate hath none to help her but yet to facilitate her faith you know God hath especially revealed his tender care of widows yet their even their trust in God if they will make any thing on 't must be raised and enlivened through continual supplications night and day So must every one of us do who make God our refuge in times of danger I think every one of our hearts tells us without asking what need we have to trust in God under this sad Visitation and sore Judgment of the Plague we may quickly sit in our Families as a desolate widow yea how quickly may we be shut up in them as many are at this time Well if we would approve our Consciences to God in this duty of trusting in him which is our wisest and safest practice let us be exceeding fervent yea constant too in our supplications and prayers day and night It is the use you sadly know as of old when a poor forlorn Family is shut up for the Plague to make upon the door a Red Cross and to write over or by it Lord have mercy c. But as you love your lives both before and after infection instead of that Red Cross have faith in the bloud of Jesus get your souls well sprinkled with it And that which effectually cures the Plague of the heart can more easily and quickly cure the Plague of the body And so Christ may be your Passeover indeed the destroying Angel may pass over you and not touch those that are careful by faith to get their hearts well sprinkled with the bloud of this immaculate Lamb of God And then instead of that short Lord have Mercy do you pour out your souls before the Lord who poured out his heart bloud for poor sinners And to encourage you in the whole even in all your labours to attain such a faith and confidence in Christ as may by his power work out of your hearts the slavish fears of Death Take that excellent place of Scripture Nahum 1.7 The Lord is good A strong hold in the day of trouble AND HE KNOWETH THEM THAT TRUST IN HIM to be sure that trust in him like Job though he stay them Be assured of it your Father which seeth in secret in the secret Closet nay in the secret Chamber and house shut up he that seeth in secret will reward you openly So that if you do indeed firmly believe in God and believe also in Christ you shall be able to say and that from some sweet and great experience that in very deed When his Wrath is kindled but a little blessed YEA THRICE BLESSED are all they that put their trust in him FINIS