make a Christian a Dorcas to clothe and relieve to visit and refresh 2. To the Souls misery as ignorance of God impenitencie living in sin c. there mercy will be a counsellor to counsel them for God an instructor a reprover a builder pitying those blind Souls Briefly all misery is the object of mercy upon every occasion it has like Christ an open side to shew the bowels of compassion Use This will be of Use as if it were a Book with two leaves to let two several sorts of men read legibly in it their condition and estate thereby to learn what it is 1. If Righteous men be merciful men then here is a note to try our Righteousness by here in this Leaf mayest thou read thine estate towards God in thy piteous compassion towards man Art thou pitiful-hearted to any in necessity dost thou love to stretch forth thy hand reach out bounty to the poor Members of Christ Heb. 13.2 canst thou fee Christ in a stranger then art thou no stranger to Christ There are many notes of Righteousness the Lady and Queen of all is Faith yet Faith is dead if she want breath the breath of Faith is Love and Love is dead if it shew not Mercy How can any have a surer characteristick signe of his sins pardon than this that in injuries he can feelingly say I will pardon for Christ has pardoned me in poverty he can say I will help this miserable wretch for the Lord might have made me far more miserable Yea when he meets with these objects of pity The oppressor the only Cannibal by whom the poor and needy are crushed Amos 4.12 their skin pull'd from flesh and flesh from bones Mic. 3.22 chopt in pieces as flesh for the pot Mic. 3.3 eaten like a loaf of bread Psal 14.4 they are swallowed down like meat Amos 8.4 and quite devoured Hab. 1.13 he can say in himself Lo Christ has cast this man in my way to try my bounty and compassion I will not lose this opportunity If upon all occasions thou art ready to distribute to the necessity of Gods poor Children doubtless thou art one of Gods Children for he begets Sons like himself piteous and compassionate 2. If the Righteous be merciful then let us turn to the other leaf Look here churlish Nabal unmerciful Christian covetous Iron-bowel'd oppressor let me say as Christ What is writ in the Law how readest thou What is writ in this leaf this mayest thou read to the shame of thy face and terror of thine heart that such unmerciful men are unrighteous yea godless wretches Are there not some whom the Lord has filled with earths good things and yet the Box of Spikenard that those in necessity might smell the odour of Mercies Oyntment The Godly man puts his earthly trust in his hand Esa 3.15 it never comes in his heart the ungodly covetous put it in their hearts it never comes in their hands to distribute and can there be any room for Christ or his Grace in such earthly hearts where earthly metal takes up all the place Be not deceived you that have abundance and riot in that abundance never pitying nor rembring the afflictions of Joseph you that by oppression and hard dealing as Satans grindstones Oppessores Molaras Satanae do grind the faces of the poor shut your ears and hands at the cry of the needy and worse than Bethlemites will not help Christ in his Members to Stable-room you running in this course are strangers to righteousness Pro. 12.10 and enemies to mercy Doubtless such never tasted of Christ nor love Christ for who loves the Head which hates the Members If the righteous man be merciful to his beast then surely such are unrighteous and very beasts who will not shew mercy to man Learn of me saith Christ what will he teach pity compassion meekness love If we will not learn this of Jesus we may seek out another Master unmerciful men may go to School to Judas and profit under him he will of all men most unmerciful yet read unto them a Lecture of mercy might not this have been sold and given to the poor Joh. 12.5 sorry that the Oyntment was not better spent the lesson was good though his meaning was naught Little and slender are the hopes for Heaven who go on in the path of covetous mercilesness If unmerciful men ever come in Heaven then unrighteous men may come there also and then where will the truth of Gods Word appear Rom. 1. â—â— which threatens those who cast away all piteous affection anâ— consider not the cause of the pooâ— and needy Such may perswadâ— themselves with presumptuouâ— hopes that for all this they havâ— claim but sure they build 〈◊〉 goodly house which forget to laâ— the foundation Saint Paul hath herein given us the way to make sure hold and hopes of eternaâ— life 2 Tâ—m 6.18 19. by being rich in good works and ready to distribute this lays a sure foundation for time to come Mercy in one word marks us for God unmercifulness for Satan and is the cognizance of an unrighteous man Mic. 6.8 to do justly and love mercy and walk humbly with God must be found in him that belongs to God 2. Use Where might exhortation be better bestowed and largelier urged then in stirring up all men to let their light shine before men in works of mercy Col. 3.12 O that we would all put on these bowels of mercy â—and tender-heartedness clothes that wax not old which will keep us warm with a comfortable heat in the coldest day 〈◊〉 distress in life death and judgâ—ent The only way to be rich 〈◊〉 to be trading with the poor in â—cts of mercy and pity We take â—reat care to lay up our wealth â—ase it is never so safely laid up â—s when it is thus laid out in cloâ—hing the naked back and filling â—he empty belly and mainâ—aining the right cause of the Faâ—herless and Orphans So many â—s have been refreshed by our â—ounty are made our Intercessors â—n earth and are bountiful in â—heir prayers to us and for us that when we pray we have all their prayers joyned with an holy importunity overcoming God to grant our requests 2 Tim. 1.16 Happy was O ever nesiphorus that he lookt mercifully upon Paul in his Chain for he got Pauls prevailing prayer that for mercy to him the Lord would have mercy likewise on him at the last day Especially Learn we to pity sinners blind naked and beggarly Souls Save such ungodly wretches with fear Dubio procul flamma ignis five Gehennae intelligitur Phil. Pareus in Epist Jud. tom Jude vers 22 â—3 whâ— fear with fear lest thou suffâ— them to perish in their sins aâ— pull them out of the fire evâ— out of the fire of Hell towarâ— which every sin unrepented oâ— carries a man of such have coâ—passion by correcting them fâ— their evil course and
hurries the Soul to Heaven first giving it clusters of Canaans Grapes and then making it walk through Jordan to come into the promised Land and eat of all the fruits of blessedness to the full The second Tractate was after the cure of the Heel at the celebration of the triumph in the Head Jesus Christ Titulum frontis erade ut mutasit pagina quod sufficit loquatur materiam non loquatur autorem Sever. Sulpit. in Epist ad Histor D. Mart. We say no more of the discourses and treatises but that they may still be profitable even after the hours of their first hirth they are of age whether they can speak much for themselves or no I know not you may see no great desire there was in the Author to send them abroad though they have been desired They were conceived and born in the year 1632. when the Womb they came from could plead nothing but unripeness and youth and therefore hopes his pardon may be the sooner sued out it is now fifteeen years since almost Horoces noâ—um prematur in annum It hath the same matter and form it had unaltered only that â—f Esay has the Conclusions all â—andled and so suffâ—rs a little â—ddition of what was not spoâ—en to fill up the Text. I have â—â—me reasons why I make this walk in publick for first I owe so much to her memory my self 2. There is some need of â—eviving her graces for others that knew her among whom â—uch examples are rare living â—nd are rarely thought of when the parties are dead for we are very prone to bury good examples but evil examples have a dayly Resurrection 3. No great reason appâ—ars but that now when so many Wild Goose Quills are writing and so many Soul poysoning and Faith blasting Themes are dayly printed and published to the detriment of many Souls set out with the plausible and gay flourishes of new Truth and new Revelations but it will stand the servants of God in hand to put out something practical and sound to fill the hands of their â—riends with that which is wholesome though it be not so gloriâ—as to the eye and fancy We run like the Dromedary in the wilderness after Doctrines of new Theories and we forget the old rules of holy practical Theologie O that in Science we were more sober and in Conscience more sound It was a true censure of our and former times that the Primitive and foregoing servants of God had less Science Beza in Epist lib. Epist 1. Andreae Duditio and more Conscience and our men and age have more Science but less Conscience that is less integrity and simplicity of Consciscience the former times were full of Fire and ours full of Glow-worms That good Soul about whom these ensuing lines were might for a wakened and right Conscience challenge some praise to set her forth as exemplary specially to her rank that they might not strive to be called fine Ladies Ladies always in the fashion but what is better Ladies in the faith and as St. John's Elect Ladies But living she desired it not and dead she needs not any such thing Flatterly commonly and Wit sometimes has gone very far in the praise of things Pirkhaimerus laudavit podagram Janus Dâ—uza umbram Joannes Bruno Italus etiam Diabâ—lum Frid. Taubman in Virgil. Culic where all was an occult quality so hidden as could not be found Augustine saith of Julian the Pelagian that he was idoneus dicere panegyricum Satanae He was fit to make an Oration in praise of the Devil And one Bruno an Italian did expresly do it But away with such fancies it will be better for us to enquire after the great Rabbies and Mastors under which she tutor'd did and we also may profit and attain to exact holiness and they were three great Tutors Melch. Adam in vit Luth. that Luther writes make a compleat Divine Meditation Prayer Temptation Reader peruse ponder practise thou mayst find what rightly considered may teach thee to be a Christian Centinell to watch thy Soul and keep thy spiritual peace carefully lest thou come to the mournning and great cries of Ramath with Rachel to weep if not for the Children of thy womb yet for thy peace and assurance the Children of the Lords womb and be much troubled because they are not A right use of the departure of good Souls may be learnt so much the rather because it is so neglected as if there were no more thoughts of heart to be had about the withering of Roses then the cutting up of Nettles the departure of a Stephen and the death of a Cain Thou mayst if thou wilt receive some benefit if not this is one witness more against thee then thou knewest of before good things if they profit not they hurt I will not abuse my small leisure to a larger prodrom or extended Epistle lest as the lips of a fool swallow up himself Cicero de Accio In orationibus multus ineptus De legibus lib. 1. so my lines might be censured If this and such like Treatises may keep any from conversing in the frothy todder of Pamphlets idle and vain or if any Soul may hereby learn better to mind duty and either keep or recover sense of sweet mercy he shall rejoyce Who is The Churches servant in the Gospel T. C. HEART-SALVE FOR A WOUNDED SOUL PSAL. 143.7 Hear me speedily O Lord my spirit faileth hide not thy face from me lest I be like to them that go down into the Pit IN this Psalm we have the Picture of David without his Harp having laid aside all his pleasant Tools he is now in his poenitential plight sadness sorts not with Musick If we ask the reason of the metamorphosis of this holy man from his heights of joy to such depths of sorrow he may answer with him who was a Patriarch of the same Tribe of affliction Job 30.30 31. My skin is black upon me and my bones are burnt with heat my Harp also turned into mourning and my Organ into the voice of them that weep Or with the words of this Verse My Musick fails for my spirit fails Let the living rejoyce but I am as one dead and ready to be laid in the pit The Septuagint intitle the Psalm In Hieronym quadrupl Psalterio Quum furgeret Saulem Piscator A Psalm of David when he was persecuted by his son Absalom the Original has no such matter The ground of the former is fetcht from the 3 and 9 and last Verses of the Psalm True it is this wicked Son often made his Father sing with a heavy voice where David was deceived in imposing on him the name of Absalom his Fathers Peace his life signified no such thing he being Benoni a Son of sorrow and mischief to his Father whatsoever were the occasion the matter of the Psalm is evident the light of Gods countenance Gods audience of his Prayers the comforts of his
of the faithful which in the death of their bodies are gathered to the blessed number of the righteous Heb. 12.23 glorified in Heavens gathered to the rest of the spirits of Just men made perfect This taking away or gathering may be considered doubly as a gathering out or a gathering in This is selectio potius quam collectio First A gathering out which is when there is a mixture of things good and bad together when we pick out one sort from the other it is a gathering or selecting collection As when the Net catches all kind of fishes the good are pickt out and the bad cast away Sometimes they are thus gathered when danger is likely to seize on al together then that which is good gathered out that the danger may not fall on it Thus the righteous are mixt in this world with ungodly men and the Lord picks his Children from among the rest he is preparing plagues for the world and before hand he takes care for his by gathering them out of the danger so that phrase imports from the evil to come 2. A gathering in Both these gatherings in the Parable of the Draw-net Mat. 13.47 48. which is after the picking out to lay that which is good in a better place by themselves Thus the Righteous separated from the world by death are gathered like the good fishes into a vessel by themselves into one blessed society and unmixt company into heavenly glory where no wicked men shall enter among them any more And of this gathering is this Colliguntur they are thus taken away None considering Before none laying it to heart for so they are both taken one for another Consider your ways Hag. 1.5 in Haggai in the Original is set your heart on your ways A facie mali From the evil to come From the face or presence of evil From the evil of sin lest if he should live any longer he might be infected with the sins of wicked men But the truest is from the evil of punishment Wis 4.11 wherewith God means to plague the wicked world that they may not smart with the sinners When God has a quarrel with the earths Inhabitants he takes his Children from among them that he may be revenged upon those who have provokt him Thus the meaning of the words appearing the Prophet seems to speak to his people and in them to us after this manner O how great and graceless is our security Sum and Sense of words Which careless and sinful security is plain in the verse foregoing Esa 56.12 with what hasty feet do all men run to their pleasures How blinde are we that cannot see the Land falling under the hand of the Lords severe Judgment Do we not daily see the Lord fetching away by death his dearest and holiest Servants Surely therein he would signifie to us that his intentions are to bring punishments upon us he taking his own out of the way that they may not see nor feel the vengeance which the world has deserved and shall undergo Yet where is there a man that thinks of this or lays it to heart or takes notice what the Lord is about to do when he takes the righteous from among us From the words like clay thus tempered and prepared we may make up these five Vessels 5 Conclusions or Doctrines or extract these evident Conclusions First that Righteous and holy men are also merciful men Secondly Gods most Righteous Servants must die as well as others Thirdly The Souls of the Saints in their deaths are gathered to the Lord and by the Lord into blessedness Fourthly When the Righteous go from among us some Judgment is to be feared is coming towards us Fifthly The secure wicked world is little mov'd with the removal of the Godly None considers it none lays it to heart How easily these rise we need not fly to Reasons to demonstrate it Righteous men are merciful men 1 Doct. Our Saviour hath enjoyned it them and they lay up his sayings in their hearts Luke 6.39 Be ye merciful as your Heavenly Father is merciful These have received mercy of the Lord and are thereby transformed into such a merciful and pitiful nature as his is If we should ask fire why it burns It must be answered It is the nature of fire Why doth the Sun shine It is the nature of the Sun to do so How is it the Godly man is so merciful It is the nature of him I mean the new nature that is ingrafted in Christ to be like affected to the misery of othors as he has found Christ to him These may truly say We cannot but do it the love of God constrains us to it 2 Cor. 5 14. There are no Graces poured by God into a good mans heart as water into a Tub or Pond which keeps all to it self and lets the ground be dry about it but every gracious man is a Spring a Fountain that sends forth streams to water the eatth and feeds the rivulets that flow from it When we once come to Christ the great Spring he makes us little Springs to others Zac. 13.1 Joh. 4.14 The waters that I give saith Christ shall be in him that receives it a Well springing up to everlasting life yea might some say it springs up for himself yes and for others also for out of his belly shall these waters flow to the benefit of others The woman of Samaria had no sooner drunk of this water of Christs receiving her to mercy Joh. 7.38 but it burst and flowed out of her belly in pity she laboured the salvation of her Neighbours crying earnestly on them Come and see a man c. Come and taste of that mercy which I have tasted of in Christ Joh. 4. the Prophet David has the very words of this conclusihn the Righteous is merciful and liberal that is he shews his mercy by his liberality Elsewhere he sings the Marriage song of these two in God Psal 37.21 Mercy and truth are met together and as sweet is Righteousness and Mercy Piety and Pity conjoyn'd in a Christian A sweet pair and lovely couple of young Pigeons not the offering of the poor but this Offering to the poor which the Lord loves better than a fat Bullock laid on his Altar With such sacrifices of mercy for he loves mercy better than sacrifice is God well pleased Hos 6.6 Heb. 13.16 This mercy is an holy affection of the heart sympathizing with them that are in misery and a liberal and holy action of the hand helping and refreshing those in misery Piteous affection that is the root actions of liberal distribution and relief that is the fruit which like the fruit of the Vine Judg. 9.13 chears both God and man Misery which is the object of Mercy is corporal or spiritual 1. Mercy looks at them both to the bodies sickness nakedness poverty beggery there mercy will
Fathers when they died Gen. 23.9 Gen. 49.29 Gen. 50.25 Rut. 1.17 2 Sam. 19.37 for bodies as well as Souls because they purchased burial places for their family aapart So both Jacob and Joseph charged their Children to carry them out of Egypt and bury them with their Fathers and theiâ— own people in Canaan Whicâ— desire of theirs to be buried neaâ— their holy Kindred did 1. Shew their love to one another desiring their company being dead whom they loved living 2. They did it to testifie the faith in the Resurrection hopinâ— by this means at the last Resurrâ—ction they should all rise togetheâ— in glory 3. Not to mention a third sâ—perstitious reason by which pâ—â—haps they might be induced 〈◊〉 opinion of receiving some woâ— or acceptableness to God by â—â—ing near to those in the Graâ— who for holiness were dear to hiâ— and beloved of him Thus Jâ—ahs death was a gathering to his â—thers of his Body to the Sepâ—â—chres of his Fathers and of his Soul to the company of all the Holy Fathers that died in the same faith pose may be seen To this purin the knowledge of the words Sanctuaria Brandea Habeo sepulchrum super quod jaceam commenda biliorem Deo futurum est me credam quod super sancte corporis ossa requi escam Ambros de excessa fraâ— Saty. in cap. 2. Baron Annal how far this Superstition afterward grew which Scolars may inquire after Our Saviour tells of this happy gatering I say unto you that many shall come from the East and West and shall sit down with Abraham Isaac and Jacob in the Kingdom of Heaven Our departure out of this life wheresoever we live East West North South sends all holy Souls to sit at the same Table of Glory with all Patriarchs and Believers that have been since the beginning of the World Here we sit at Table hand over-head Judas has his hand in the same dish with Jesus Goats and Sheep go in the same Pasture good and bad are mixed but hereafter there shall be a seperation there shall be a society of the blessed where no unclean thing shall enter The Godly shall sit at a Table by themselves none shall come there without a wedding Garment Here is Mega Chaos a great confusion Habak 1.4 but there wil be a time when there shall be Mega Chasma a great Gulfe seperating distance whereby sinners anâ— Saints shall be kept from blending together Luke 16.16 That same last division which shall be made iâ— fearful to think on when Goat shall go among Goats and Sheeâ— with Sheep yea that we maâ— quake and tremble at it of thoâ—â— many hundreds that hear me thâ— day there shall be a divisioâ— some shall go to the right hanâ— other shall be gathered to the leâ— we are all gathered together herâ— there will be a seperation Mat. 24. â—â— 4â— yea two that sit in one Seat of tâ— that lie in one bed the one shâ— he taken and the other left the 〈◊〉 gathered to glory the other tuâ—bled into a lake of wrath neâ— to meet again To confirm tâ— doctrine of gathering we have the Parables of our Saviour of the Wheat and Tares which here grow together but at length shall be seperated Mat. 13. when Wheat shall be gathered to the Barn The Jews Liturgy print at Venice Of ancient this was the common Epitaph Sit anima cius in fasciculo viventium Hen. Kornmannus in lib. de mirac mhrtuor cap. 30. and Tares to burn The modern Jews have a prayer for their dead which has more of Babylon than Zion in it 1 Sam. 25.29 The Lord say they have mercy on the Soul of N. or such a one who is gone to his World therefore I vow to give alms for him that his Soul may be bound up in the bundle of life with the Souls of Abraham Isaac Jacob Sarah Rebecca Rachel Leah and the rest of the Righteous men and women Amen Though part of this prayer be foolishly superstitious to pray for the dead yet that which is for our purpose in hand is the phrase of the bundle of life which the Scripture acknowledges Which manner of speaking instruct us that God keeps all the Souls of his Saints bound up by themselves as it were in one blessed bundle A bundle it is called first to signifie that they were once disperst one from another here on earth but are there collected into one company and place 2. To signifie the unity of the blessed These flie not asunder in discord there is perfect agreement and concord A bundle a tied up Fagott a Wheat Sheaf is an embleme of unanimity 3. To signifie the firm perpetuity of their estate God has bound them up fast and surely and what can break Heaven's bundles 4. It notes their felicity and happiness it s a bundle of life and glorious immortality Thus are they gathered all the faithfuâ— Members one to another and alâ— to their Head Jesus Christ Deatâ— gathers Souls but the great gathering day is when Bodies and Souls shall all be gathered together unto Glory Why should not the Saints be gathered together by themselves they never desired the society of the wicked yea it is an heavy part of their Cross that there are Ishmaels in the same family with them Here living among the wicked their bodies are joyned but their affections heaâ—ts and wills are distinct and seperate Reason 2 They have had many gatherings by themselves Luke 10.20 1. They have their names and they only all written and gathered in one Book of Life by Election Mat. 24.11 2. They all flie and are gathered like Eagles unto one Carcase and food of life Jesus Christ to seed on him in Word and Sacraments 1 Cor. 19. Use 3. How far so ever they be separates they are all gathered into one common communion of Grace and why should they not be gathered at last into one communion of blessedness and Glory Are the Saints Souls gathered in death till then must there be a mixture This will meet with them who accurse the Moon for some spots they find in her such as will either throw away the Church or themselves out of the Church because the Fringes of her Coat are somewhere rent off all is not aright in her True it is and O that the Lord would purge his Temple and set up Pastors after his own Heart that there is something in the Church as black as Tents of Kedar Cant. 1. for which good hearts will mourn but withall in many other things she is comely as the Curtains of Solomon for which we owe the Lord much praise It is one thing to live where means of pure worship are wanting Greenh in his common place of religion chap. 13. Title the Church another to be where false worship is erected for the first we are not to flie the Church but by purges and patience to stay the