long as Satan possesseth the Palace all is in peace so long as a man is wholy vnregenerate all is in quiet Rebekah by the striving of the Twins in her Wombe knew she was with child the barren feele no such matter The Children of God know that there is Spirit within them as well as flesh because these doe so lust strive one against another There cannot be a greater argument that a man or woman are altogether carnall and unregenerate and earthly than that they have no experience of this spirituall warfare conflict but rather glorie that they never doubted of Gods love remission of sinnes and salvation but were ever assured of those things not doubting but if any be saved they shall Oh it is most wonderfull to heare the vild and strange presumption of men and women who yet are most sinfull and wicked in their lives and conversations and thereby proclaime that there is no true knowledge feare nor love of God in them Oh this is a fearefull condition indeed a flat argument of a reprobate sense of a benummed yea a seared and cauterized Conscience therefore tremble to thinke of this but reioice in the other Thirdly this storme will over it never endureth longer than this life seldome if ever so long Heavinesse may endure for a night but joy will come in the morning Christ hath said ye shall weepe and lament but the world shall rejoice and ye shall be sorrowfull but your sorrow shall be turned into joy and your joy shall no man take from you How many thousands of Gods Children who have beene in their times tossed with waves and billowes of discomfort and distresse who have now found eternall rest to their Soules and praise God day and night who lead them thorow fire and water into such a wealthy place Lastly know that Christ is in thy Soule in all this thy dolefull estate and condition he will not leave thee nor forsake thee no more than he did this Ship in the Tempest he may be as on sleepe and make as if he heard not and regarded not the more to try thy faith and patience but he is a sure and a faithfull friend never neerer than when he seemeth furthest off never will doe a man more good than when he seemeth least to regard him in his good time he will rebuke Satan and thy rebellious Lusts and send a most gracious calme That thou maiest say with David now returne to thy rest oh my Soule the Lord hath well rewarded thee Yea thou shalt be compassed about with Songs of deliverance Oh but how might we procure this happie calme I answer that many times it is the evill temper and disposition of the body as melancholy that causeth such troubles and stormes in the Soule and in such case the Physitian is to be aduised with and his counsell direction followed But which way soever it doe arise the context will teach you there are three waies and meanes for the quieting and calming of the troubled soule viz. First their owne prayers You see in this tempest the Disciples goe to Christ and pray to him So hath God commanded Call on me in the day of thy trouble and I will heare thee Is any afflicted let him pray Iam. 5. 15. Thus did David in his distresse give himselfe to prayer and got him to his Lord right humbly and prayed My God my God looke upon me So did Christ My God my God why hast thou forsaken me and put up his supplication with strong crying and teares So did Ionah Out of the belly of hell I cried unto thee Neither let any of Gods children be discouraged though they cannot expresse their wants or desire supply of grace as they would or as they heare others The Apostles did but pray Lord save us we perish and Christ heard them and rebuked the winds and seas The Publican did but pray Lord be mercifull to me a sinner and went home iustified The penitēt theefe on the crosse did but pray Lord remember me when thou commest into thy kingdome And Christ promised that night he should be with him in Paradise If thou canst but say feelingly fervently Lord save mee Lord have mercy on mee Lord give me peace of conscience Lord quiet my mind Lord rebuke Satan Lord helpe mine unbeleefe Lord assure my soule of thy love euen such are most powerfull prayers with God Neither yet let them be discouraged because they are not presently heard but many and many times they have prayed and receive no answer Remember it was Davids case I crie all the day long and thou hearest not It was the woman of Canaans case who received many discouragements from Christ and his Disciples yet still continuing her praier in the end received a gracious answer O woman great is thy faith be it unto thee even as thou wilt Let us not prescribe God his time or meanes when or how but still with Iacob wrestle and resolve he shall still heare of us till he doe helpe us and assuredly he hath a good time when he will speake peace to our Soules The storme shall not continue for ever in the meane time he will be sure to keepe from drowning Secondly note that in this storme some one doth not goe of himselfe neither doe they make one or two as Peter or Iohn their Deputies or Committies to goe and awaken Christ and to pray him save them but the Text saith the Disciples went to him So the second way of comfort which God hath appointed that sinners sinke not into despaire is confession of our case and condition and to crave the helpe and comfort of others praiers and good counsels and above all the comfort of the Ministers absolution in the name of Christ pronouncing remission to everie true penitent Oh there is nothing more dangerous to the Soule or that Satan more laboureth than that a sinner should keepe his counsell and by no meanes make his griefe or disconsolate estate knowne for verily even in making it knowne the Tempest is halfe calmed Howsoever then the Papists namely a sometime rotten member of this body to make us and our profession odious to the world declaime against us as enemies to praying fasting virginitie good workes confession yea that the people in our Church are deprived of a great comfort that though their Soules be never so oppressed and disquieted through sinne they have none to goe and confesse unto that hath the seale of secresie We give all the world to understand that we neither write or speake against any of the former workes of pietie and godlinesse but against their corruptions not against praier but performance of it in a strange Tongue for custome not of conscience according to the number of Beads not sense of want Wee speake not against fasting but the Pharisaicall abuse of
God Let Ionah be cast into the sea and devoured of a Whale and he will pray out of the fishes belly and crie by reason of his affliction Let the woman of Canaans daughter be grievously vexed with a Devill and shee will pray to Christ yea follow after him and take no deniall Let there arise a storme that the Disciples are all like to be drowned and then you shall heare their prayers Lord save us c. Let Pharaoh be plagued and if he cannot pray himselfe he will intreat Moses and Aaron to doe it for him And surely amongst others this is one singular benefit of affliction that it provoketh prayer than which there is nothing more pleasing to God or profitable to our selves yea this is not the least benefit from the great troubles which have befallen the Church and people of God that God hath received many a sigh sob groane teare and prayer which else he had not knowne Well if Affliction be the Mistresse of Prayer surely never were Gods people more taught to pray than in these daies such warres and rumours of warres troubles distresses perplexities on everie side Oh pray for the peace of Ierusalem But alas herein we are generally too cold and negligent how are publike humiliations and solemne assemblies in fasting weeping mourning and confessing of sinnes laid aside and as it were worne out of date How justly may God complaine of us as sometimes he did of his owne people I called to fasting weeping mourning baldnesse and girding with sack-cloth But behold joy and glad nesse slaying oxen and killing sheepe eating flesh and drinking wine Let us eat and drinke for to morrow we shall die Or who in private is so affected with the calamities of their brethren as feelingly and fervently to pray for them in the words of my Text Lord save them No no in stead of fasting and praying we feast and play we wanton and riot it still we thinke our selves out of danger in sure harbour and are therefore senslesse of the miseries of our brethren few as they ought doe pray for them a sinne which once God threatned This is revealed in mine eares surely this iniquity shall not be purged from you till yee die saith the Lord God of hoasts Oh arise and call upon God in this troublesome time that we perish not Secondly hence we may learne how powerfull even a short prayer is with God so it be fervent yea therfore short praiers commonly most powerfull because commonly most fervent The counsell of Salomon is Let thy words be few The counsell of Iesus the son of Swach iâ— Make not much babbling when thou prayest Yeâ— Iesus â—he Son of God and wiser than Salomon biddeth When we pray to use no vaine repetitions In all which long prayers are not simply forbidden discommended or disgraced so they be with fervenâ—â— of spirit and without opinion of being heard for much babbling sake A great part of the day at a publike fast was spent in prayers and confession of sins And though our Saviour Christ many times were very briefe yet he spent whole nights in prayer And a large Chapter is but one of his prayers therefore most sweet and powerfull are the long prayers of Gods people when time place and occasion serve but because even Moses his hands grew heavie and though the spirit be never so wiling the flesh is weake and quickly dulled and distracted and no prayer is further heard or pleasing to God than it is fervent therefore the Scripture prayers which have most prevailed with God are most short and but as holy ejaculations Moses cried but spake never a word Annah powred out her soule and wept sore but spake not The prayer of the Leper was Lord if thou wilt thou canst make me cleane The prayer of the blind men O Lord Sonne of David have mercy on us The prayer of Christ for himselfe Father if thou wilt let this cup passe from me and againe the same words and for his enemies Father forgive them they know not what they doe The prayer of the Publican God be mercifull to mee a sinner The prayer of the father of the sicke childe Lord helpe mine unbeleefe The prayer of the penitent theefe Lord remember me when thou commest into thy Kingdome The prayer of Saint Stephen for his persecutors Lord lay not this sinne to their charge The prayer of the Disciples here because the time was short death at hand place inconvenient and distractions many they beg all in a few words and couch a great deale of devotion in a little roome Lord save us we perish All which I observe for the speciall comfort of such as mourne in their soules because of their want in this kinde and are much assaulted with this temptation that they cannot pray and therefore cannot be Gods children because they have not Gods spirit Indeed the Spirit of God is called the spirit of supplication and it is an excellent gift of the Spirit and much to be desired whereby a man or woman when times places and occasions serve are able to lay open their wants and in Scripture phrase to expresse their desires but yet the Apostle saith The Spirit doth helpe our infirmities with sighes and grones which cannot be expressed yea if thou canst say no more but as thou hast heard Lord save us Lord have mercy Lord remember Lord helpe mine unbeleefe If faithfully and fervently these are most powerfull prayers with God yet strive to increase in this grace for God may accept at the beginning what he will not afterwards be content withall yea whosoever useth this gift aright shall doubtlesse finde a gracious increase therein And so much be said of the petition in generall now let us view it more particularly It is short and in most languages that I know hath but three words I say in most for such is the elegancie of the Hebrew Language affixing the Pronounes that in it here are but two yet in Greeke Latine and English three Which three words containe so many vertues in this and in all godly composed prayers The first noteth the partie to whom all prayers are to be made Lord. The second the blessing they crave salvation The third communitie and love us Lord save us For the first they pray to the Lord not to the Lady to change the Gender is Popish wickednesse A Reverend Bishop hath truly observed that it is a sufficient challenge to all the Papists that in so many prayers of both ancient and righteous Patriarcks Prophets Iudges Kings registred in the Booke of God and in an hundred and fiftie Psalmes an hundred whereof at least are prayers and supplications and in all the devout requests that the Apostles of Christ and other his disciples sent into Heaven if they take the
the great wisdome of God glory shame power and weaknes majestie infirmitie so twisted mingled together that if the one trouble and offend the other may comfort and content He was borne but it was of a Virgin He was borne in a stable and laid in a manger but the Angels proclaimed him Herod sought to kill him but Kings came from the East to adore him He was baptised of his servāt but his Father gave testimonie and the Holy Ghost descended from heaven in likenesse of a Dove and rested upon him He was hungry in the Wildernesse but rebuked Sathan He sate on Iacobs Well weary but told the woman of Samaria that came to draw water all that ever shee did He wept for Lazarus but bade him come forth of the grave and he did so He did spit on the ground and made clay but with it he cured a man that had beene borne blinde He hanged on Crosse betwixt two theeves but the Sunne was darkned and the earth trembled He slept but rebuked the wind and sea Remember your question What manner of man is this A man but an extraordinarie man Remember your answer This man is the Sonne of God and that doth the reason of the question shew which commeth now to be considered viz. That even the winds and the sea obey him In which words the Reason both of their Admiration and Interrogation as the cause and effect is rendred To which purpose the words in the Originall are very significant For first there is a double particle which in the former place is augmentative translated even etiam as else-where also With authoritie commandeth he even the uncleane spirits and they doe obey him q. d. What manner of man is this that not only men women children birds beasts but even the very uncleane spirits and even winds and sea obey him The word in the Hebrew copie translated obey doth also signifie to hearken diligently to intend earnestly and to obey readily and perfectly The Greeke word also signifieth no lesse that winds and seas did heare intend and speedily and faithfully obey the voice of Christ Here then is represented unto us the soveraigne dignitie power and authoritie that Christ hath over all creatures and which all creatures though never so sturdie rebellious or senslesse doe acknowledge It is a Doctrine I have already handled but suffer me suffer me willingly I beseech you to inlarge my meditations and ampliate my discourse What sweeter Argument can I handle or you heare What Subject doth not delight to speake of the majestie dominion power wealth and glory of his King And can I speake of any Argument more pleasing and delightfull than of his kingdome majestie dominion glory seeing all these he hath for our good Oh that my tongue were as the pen of a ready writer to indite his honour yea that I had the tongue of an Angell to speake of the glory of thy kingdome and to talke of thy power to make knowne to the sonnes of men thy mighty acts and the glorious majestie of thy kingdome Thy kingdome is an everlasting kingdom and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations Yea I should have an hand to write a tongue to speake if with Solomon I had an heart as large as the sand for of the abundance thereof both hand doth write and tongue doth speake Oh that I could say with the Apostle Mine heart is inlarged and my mouth opened but alas I am straitned in mine owne bowels Oh that I had the spirit of David when hee penned that most excellent curious Alphabetical and Encomiasticall Psalme How did he abound in zeale when he said I will extoll thee my God ô King and I will blesse thy name for ever and ever Every day will I blesse thee and praise thy name for ever and ever Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised there is no end of his greatnesse One generation shall praise thy works to another and declare thy mighty acts They shall abundantly utter the memoriall of thy goodnesse Oh that I had the spirit of S. Augustine when he wrote upon that Psalme wherein if ever he exceeded himselfe Shall Christ in such a famous miracle set forth his glorious majestie and dominion and shall wee thinke and speake so little of it We must be content here to wish and desire hereafter we shall enjoy here to serve God according to the weaknesse of the flesh hereafter according to the perfection of spirit here to praise God in briefes and semibriefes hereafter in larges and longs here but to tune our Harps and instruments when ever and anon a string breaketh or starteth and causeth an harsh jarre sweet shall be the musick in the Quire of heaven when Angels and Saints shall without wearisomnesse or end praise him whose glory and dominion hath no end As there is no end of his greatnesse number of his wisdome nor measure of his bounty so shall there be no end number or measure of our praise But now alas our spirit is strait wit dull speech dumbe that we may justly complaine with the Apostle when we take even the best dutie in hand To will is present with me but how to performe that which is good I finde not As Christ said of his Disciples it is most true in the best of us Though spirit be willing flesh is weake Wherein this is our comfort that we serve so good a Master as accepteth of that we have and so there be a willing minde it is accepted Let me then expresse my willingnesse striking once againe upon the same string for a close but varying in the descant from that you have heard already Herein Lord Iesu leade me with thy good spirit as thou art the King of Maiestie as well as of mercy untie my stammering tongue that thy name may be glorified by thy weakest creature and a worme of the earth may speake wisely of thy Maiestie who art King of Kings Prince of the Kings of the earth and hast on thine head so many Crownes yea the winds and seas obey thee Amen First let us see how this great King of heaven hath commanded all creatures to serve for the temporall good of his children according to his gracious promise They that feare the Lord shall want nothing that is good they that seeke the Lord and his kingdome shall have all earthly things even cast upon them Blessed are the meeke for they shall inherit the earth Being Christs all is theirs All will helpe nothing hurt them Doe they want bread or flesh The clouds shall raine it Do they want water The rocke shall be a fountaine Doe they want apparell Sheepe with fleece and skin shall clothe them Doe they want gold or silver God hath laid it up in veines of the
Antichrist all light of Ecclesiasticall Order shall lie buried the Priests lament the Church emptie the Altars forsaken and none come to the Lambs solemnitie Many others as Pererius Suarez Ovandus and others speake to this purpose I conclude with that of the Rhemists It is verie like that the externall state of the Roman Church and publike entercourse of the faithfull with the same shall cease With what face then can the Romanists denie our Church to be the true Church of God because of the covering or obscuritie thereof whereas they doe acknowledge their owne subject to the same Thirdly note that it is said the ship was covered with waves but not broken or dashed in peeces or sunke into the waves No no the waves may tosse and shake and cover but cannot breake nor sinke this Ship Your third lesson then is Persecutors may by cruell and bloody practices warres murthers and massacres trouble and disquiet the Church lessen the number of professors hypocrites falling away as the Corne which wanteth moisture withereth when Sunne shineth hot They may destroy for a time the visibilitie of the Church and make such as have publikely served God in his Temple now either serve God privatly in their Houses or Chambers or in Wildernesses Woods Caves Dennes and solitarie places All this they may doe but to destroy the true people of God they cannot They may cut them off and put hundreds and thousands of them to death but as they fall by unities they will rise by multitudes The blood of the Mattyrs will be the seed of the Church Nothing more dangerous to the Church than prosperitie Herem is the Proverbe true the Daughter devoureth the Mother Religion bringeth prosperitie and prosperitie destroieth Religion Gods Church is like the Aire the more it is fanned with the Winds the sweeter it is like Water the more it runneth on Stones the wholsomer like Gold and Silver the oftner tried in the Fire the purer it is like Camomill the more troden on the deeper it rooteth and thicker it groweth like the Lawrell the more oppressed with waight the further it spreadeth like the Vine the nearer cut the more Fruit it beareth like Spice the more it is beaten and bruised the sweeter it smelleth The more the Aegyptians sought to destroy the more the people of God multiplied being like the Bush all in flaming fire but consumed not After the cruell decree of Haman that all the Iewes should be destroied many of the people of the Land became Iewes Never so glorious a Church for zealous profession in England as immediatly after the daies of Queene Mary in whose daies Gods people had beene as dry Stubble before the flaming Fire and one would have thought but few left Never more Protestants in France then since their massacre nor never more Protestants in the Christian world then since the league for to destroy them and that the Iesuites have so farre prevailed with Princes to seeke utterly to root them out and destroy them These are the Israel of God that may truly say Often they have afflicted me from my youth up but they have not prevailed against me Christ is in this Ship and though on sleepe yet it is great weaknesse in Faith to feare the drowning of it But all other Ships though sailing faire for a while shall suffer shipwrack Atheisme Arrianisme Turcisme Iudaisme Anabaptisme Libertinisme Papisme and if there were as many Religions in the world as there are Orders and sorts of Friers in Rome yet shall they all consume and vanish nothing shall continue and abide in the waves and outride all stormes and tempests but the pure Religion of the Gospell of Christ So saith Christ in another Metaphor Every plant which mine heavenly Father hath not planted shall be rooted out Such Trees may for a time yea a long time take deepe root and flourish and spread but the Axe is at the root they must downe and into the fire To conclude seeing Poperie is no plant of Gods planting but a wilding a composition of novelties a miscellanie of heresies brought in by packing and ambition of some God may suffer it to spread and flourish to saile faire for a while but it shall one day be overturned with the breath of God and sinke into the waves Christ is in the Feild with all his Armies the Beast and false Prophet shall be taken An Angel standing in the Sun hath bid the guests to the supper of the great King and told them their cheere even the flesh of Kings and Captaines All Kings that make warre against the Gospel must to it To shut up all in a word know that not one drop of water can come into the Ship but according to Gods pleasure and therefore that he suffereth such a storme and tempest as the Ship even to be covered with waves is doubtlesse for his glorie and the spirituall good of his Church No affliction saith the Apostle for the present is joyous but grievous Oh Lord how grievous and enough to draw teares from that heart which is not harder than the neather Mill-stone that enemies should come with Fire and Sword to ruinate and waste whole Countreys and Provinces take away the liues of so many and utterly undoe moe make many a widow and fatherlesse child But see the good of it by this meanes he hath made many smite on brest and thighes and shed many a teare breathe out many a sigh powre out many a praier which otherwise God had never heard of How doth the miserie of Gods Church covered with waves abroad cause in England Scotland Ireland and other places where by Gods mercy they enioy a calme to be thankfull and pray Verily if the covering of the Ship with waves do not wonderfully affect you and doe you good it is not well with you but I trust it doth and the Lord turne it to more good So much for the first circumstance aggravating their danger The ship was even covered with waves The second followeth But he was asleepe Sleepe properly taken signifieth the rest of the bodie and is a sweet blessing of God as David saith He giveth his welbeloved sleepe yet ordinarily caused by naturall meanes For as the Physitians say the evaporations of meats from the stomacke being condensate and thickned with the cold of the braine doe stop the passages of the spirits and so locke vp the senses from execution of their functions and stay all the parts and members of the body from their labour And this is that sweet dew of nature the repast of the body and the greatest comfort that nature hath and without which no liuing creature can long continue And sleepe hath two degrees either it is weake and remisse such as in sicke persons or aged people who as Salomon saith awake at the chirping of the bird this is called a
lesson is That even the Godly are sometimes much afraid of bodily death You see your example is plaine The disciples thinking they should presently be drowned crie out we perish so did Peter their mouth in that excellent confession of their faith seeing the wind boisterous he was afraid and when he began to sinke he cried Lord save me The Doctrine is sufficiently confirmed and so I might leave it But because many of Gods children are herewith greatly troubled and Satan assaulteth their soules suggesting that they have not faith nor true peace of conscience nor are in good estate with God because they are so fearefull to die give me leave a little to inlarge my selfe for their comfort and for illustration of this Doctrine present unto you foure glasses and thorow which it is that men and women looking Death is so fearefull or comfortable The first is the glasse of Nature the second of Fortune the third of the Law and the fourth of the Gospell In the three first Death appeareth fearefull only in the fourth comfortable Yea fearefull in the glasse of Nature more fearefull in the glasse of Fortune and most fearefull in the glasse of the Law God would have all the wicked to behold Death in the three first that through feare of Death they may repent of their sinnes and flie to Christ who saveth from it and hee would have the godly to behold Death in the glasse of the Gospell that having found grace to beleeve and repent they may die comfortably But Satan who seeketh mans destruction well knowing how remarkable the sicknesse and deaths of men are and what deepe impressions the last ends of the dead make in the minds of the living laboureth to invert this order And whereas God would have his children to behold death in the glasse of the Gospell he as much as he can hideth that from their sight and shuffleth in the other before them that he may terrifie them with the dread and horror of death and if it be possible draw them into impatience and to speake unadvisedly which the wicked hearing and seeing are thereby animated in their evill courses saying You see such and such an one great professors and holy men yet you see how impatient in sicknesse how fearefull to die And on the other side when the wicked are sick readie to die so much as he can he hideth the three first glasses and only presenteth the fourth and if in the time of health they have heard any comfortable sentences he will helpe their memories to rehearse them to the end they may lie patiently and die resolutely and cheerefully then doe such sinners boast Loe such a man though in his health a good-fellow a drunkard a whore-master gamester swearer c. yet he died like a lambe wagged neither hand nor foot I desire to make no better end which I hope I shall doe though I walke in his waies Oh see the juggling of Satan where God doth not over-master him Be wise yee that feare God Doe yee see a most wicked and prophane liver to die quietly and well condemne him not sometimes a good death may follow a bad life but it is to be feared Satan hath abused him and presented a wrong glasse before him therefore say I will not hazard mine estate upon so desperate a point I will not walke in his waies I will live well and then I shall die well and doe you see such an one as hath lived godly and well and approved himselfe to the consciences of such as knew him to be an honest man fearing God and eschewing evil yet lieth hardly impatiently bearing his visitation tossing tumbling sweating it may be talking idly and raving Alas this may befall the best of Gods children partly through the malice of Satan and partly through the weaknesse of flesh and bloud and strength of his disease But let not these things trouble thee That of Saint Augustine is most sure Non potest malè mori qui bene vixerit He cannot die ill that liveth well Yea Thou art thy selfe sick and in danger of death and thou art much troubled to thinke how soule and bodie must part friends and all be left thy body which thou hast kept so delicately clothed and fed so deliciously must be laid in a place of darknesse and cold become meat for wormes and see corruption but thou art more troubled to thinke how thou must leave thine houses lands offices wealth and honour thou knowest not to whom it may be to enemies leave a desolate widow and fatherlesse children to the mercy of the world thy selfe being cut off in the midst of thine age and deprived of all thine hopes but thou art most troubled to thinke how Death came into the world that it is the wage of sinne the seale of Gods anger malediction of the Law and portall of hell thy minde can thinke of nothing else so as now thou art even distracted with feare and wouldst give all that ever thou hast for life Oh if thou beest a penitent beleever suffer not Satan thus to abuse thee say unto him Avoid Satan thrust away these glasses from thee let not thy minde meditate on these things call for the glasse of the Gospell wherein thou shalt see the sting of Death taken away yea Death it selfe swallowed up in victory thou shalt see the nature of it changed being the end of sicknesse sorrow sinne labour and all miserie and the beginning of full happinesse and glory thou shalt see the Angels carrying soules into Abrahams bosome thou shalt see the happinesse of heaven into which the soule immediately upon departure hence entreth and such as all the wealth glory and comforts of this life are but dung in comparison of there shalt thou see God in his holy habitation a Father to the fatherlesse and Husband to the widow yea there shalt thou see thine owne mortall and corruptible body rise in glory Oh behold Death in this glasse of the Gospell and thou shalt die most comfortably and even desire to be dissolved and be with Christ I beseech you marke well my discourse of Death this day and labour to remember at the least the principal passages therof you know not how soone you may have occasion to make use of it It is appointed for all once to die but when this day or to morrow this yeere or the next where on sea or land at home or abroad how by fire or water ordinary sicknesse or pestilence naturally or violently we know not these things if preserved by you may stand you in some stead in time of need Wherefore what I have delivered in the grosse I will now more particularly unfold and from the holy Scriptures inlarge my Discourse severally The first glasse is the glasse of Nature I meane of Nature corrupted for it is the wage of sinne i◠Adam had not sinned there had not beene death Thorow this all the wise Gentiles and Heathen
neighbour either we flatter him and say All is wel or never rebuke saying Why doest thou so or else with scorne contemne despise and reject him never considering our selves that we also may be tempted But marke how meekely mildly and lovingly he reproveth them not one word of any sharpnes rigour or asperitie no nor so much as affirme This is your great sinne to be fearefull but as God asked Ionah a question about his anger Dost thou well to be angry So he only asketh them a question about their feare Why are yee fearefull intimating their feare was excessive and causelesse and so the reproofe tended rather to comfort and encourage them q. d. Be not so afraid you have no cause of such feare Oh it is the gentle reproofe the milde and loving objurgation and crimination which pierceth deepe The Lords servant must be gentle towards all This is the reproofe that David so much desired Let the righteous smite me friendly and reprove me And the Apostle biddeth us restore such an one as is overtaken in a fault with the spirit of meekenesse But for want of love it commeth to passe we reprove not at all or with such fiercenesse gall and bitternesse as tendeth not to restore but harden sinners Oh let us from this Example learne to be gentle and meeke towards poore and weake sinners and if any be too fearefull because themselves or the people of God are in any great danger let us labour to comfort them to strengthen the weake hands and comfort the feeble knees Speake to the heart of Ierusalem Feare not thou worme Iacob though thou be but a worme And againe Feare not ye men of Israel I will helpe thee saith the Lord thy Redeemer So much for generall observations Now more particularly consider what was it he reproved Fearefulnesse not simply feare for that is ingraffed in our nature neither did Christ goe about to rob them of their affections that they should no more feare danger than the mast of the ship yea Christ himselfe had our affections and namely this of feare but our Saviour reproveth the excesse of it called fearefulnesse The word in the Originall is of harsh signification both amongst prophane Authors as miserable weake and wicked and in the Scriptures for such as shall die the second death such a feare as God hath not given his children the Spirit of a feare which maketh men miserable weake and feeble in minde wicked in practise to use any meanes to escape the evill they feare the high way to hell and that timiditie which the wise Heathen have opposed to the vertue of Fortitude and therefore reproved Why are yee fearefull Wherefore this reprehension must teach us both by divine and humane praier and all worldly wise meanes to bridle and restraine our passions that they exceed not measure nor we be transported with the violence of them to say or doe that which is evill but to remember the Apostolike caution Be angrie but sinne not be merry but sinne not be sory but sinne not be afraid but sinne not If you give way unto it it is a most painfull passion yea as Saint Iohn saith Such feare hath torment and maketh men bondslaves Heb. 2. 15. Christ had passions but blamelesse because his nature was most holy and pure And therefore as a glasse of snow-water though never so much shaken yet abideth cleare and pure but the glasse of muddie water though whilest it standeth still the mud sinder to the bottome and the top is cleare yet no sooner is shaken but the mud ariseth and all is defiled So howsoever in times of peace health and prosperitie our passions be moderate and calme and seeme cleare yet no sooner are troubled but they grow muddie yea defile our selves and all that come neare the raging sea did not more cast up mire and dirt than their troubled affections spirituall defilements for which cause Christ here reproved them Why are yee fearefull The second particular observation is What was the object of this feare Was it God or his judgements No they did feare a temporall not the eternall death water but not fire sea but not hell drowning but not burning a creature not the Creator they may truly say with David The terrors of death are fallen upon us fearefulnesse and trembling are come upon us and horror hath overwhelmed us Which our Saviour reproveth Why are yee fearefull And he teacheth us that Gods people should not immoderatly feare no not any manner of death A lesson which it behoveth us in these daies specially to take out for as the Apostle said If the word spoken by Angels was sted fast and every transgression and disobedience received a just recoÌ„pence of reward how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation So if these Disciples having heard and seene but a little and being now in such great perill yet are reproved for immoderate feare how much more shall wee be reproved to whom the Gospell of Christ hath beene so clearely revealed who have seene so many workes of Gods goodnesse mercy power as the Passion Resurrection and Ascension of Christ into heaven Here is therefore a good lesson for us to labour that we be not immoderately afraid of death I say not not afraid of death at all for the best of Gods servants mentioned in holy Scripture as Moses David Iob Eliah Ezekiah and the rest have been I may say of them all as the Apostle saith of Eliah they were subject to this passion as wel as we Therefore he doth not say Why are yee afraid but fearefull yea as if the word were not sufficient to expresse the measure of their coÌ„sternation which yet is very significant as you have heard hee addeth thereunto an Adverb of affirmation So qâ—d Why are yee so exceedingly fearefull so fearefull beyond bounds and measure This being that he reproved in them and is reproveable in all his disciples viz. immoderate and excessiue feare of death Let us now see by what meanes Gods children may moderate the feare of death in them wherein I doe specially commend unto you these foure things viz. 1. A good cause 2. An honest life 3. A strong faith 4. Godly meditation on the good of Death First a great meanes to suppresse immoderate feare of death is to die if not for yet in a good cause Blessed is that servant whom his Master shall finde well doing Matth. 24. 46. It is a true saying It is not the punishment but the cause maketh a Martyr Christ hath not absolutely pronounced all blessed that suffer persecution but all such as suffer persecution for righteousnesse sake This was the joy of the Saints in old time that they could truly say Lord for thy sake are wee killed This caused the holy Martyrs of Christ in