and nationall finnes whereof the people of this Land are generally guilty such as are abundantly sufficient 〈◊〉 Gods actions were to be â—…â—…â—…nned to justifie his dealing towards us to acquit and cleere him when he is judged e 〈◊〉 For besides the sinnes common to us with other Nations there be some peculiarâ—… to us alone as namely our wretched unthankfullnesse unto God for the long continuance of his Gospell and our Peace our long peace bred us to security and we grew wanton with plenty we ranne into Ryot and excesse the noted proper sinne of our Nation and much intemperate abuse of the good creatures of God in our meats and drinks and disports and other provisions and comforts of this life The people of Israel required meat for their lust and the people of England nourish't their lust and appetite for their meate so as we became a by-word to the neighbour nations for gluttony and belly-cheare â—… And for Novelties in fashion in opinion Athens f it selfe was nothing so mad thereon as our English Nation witnesse our guises in apparrell so many times disguised the people so Cameleon-like transfashioned into the Italian Spanish French any forrein forme they had but seene in Countreyes where they traffiqued or travailed so as one might thence conclude Levity to be after a sort our Nationall sinne and for novelty in opinion it is too palpable our wantonnesse and toyishnesse of understanding hath almost corrupted the simplicity of our Christian Faith we have troubled the peace of the Church with aâ—… thousand nicâ—…ties and novelties and unnecessary wâ—…lings in matters of Religion we pitty the former Ages contending about leavened and unleavened bread keeping of Easter fasting on Sundayes and the like The future ages will doe the like for us and our bickerings about gestures and postures habits and attyres rites and Ceremonies and the like Now to these peculiars may bee added our carnall confidence and security in our woodden and watry walls our shipping Wee were a wealthy and a carelesse Nation our deliverances were great wee dwelt alone without feare of evill and were become the envyâ—… of those that were round about us Looke into the Church and there might bee 〈◊〉 many rather professing the forme then practising the power of piety our cheape and irreverent regard unto God's holy Ordinances of his Woâ—…d and Sacramâ—… and Sabbaths and Ministers our hearing of the Word our partaking of the Sacraments our praying and invocating God's sacred name were become both in Pastor and People for want of true devotion and the inward guidance of the holy-Spirit but as it were so many outward fashions formes and complements Walke into the courts of Judicature and there behold corruptionâ—… by sale of offices and enhancing of fees by making the petty penall Statutes like trappes to catch the weaker sort and the more weighty and materiall Lawes like Cobwebs for the abler and mightier to breake and passe thorow at their pleasure Step aside into our shops and ware-houses and see though I confesse it is hard to discover that mystery and handy-crast how our trades and traffique were become the practice of deceit while we made our gaine by lying and forswearing by false lights false weights false measures which are abomination to the Lord And to reckon no more our Incompassion to our brethren miserablyâ—… wasted with warâ—…e and famine in other parts of the World and our heavy oppressions of our bretheren at home in racking the Rents and grinding the faces of the poore g Wee were as the Prophet speaks h a wealthy nation which dwelt alone a secure people as eyther having no Enemies or fearing none Peace was within our walls and plenteousnesse within our Pallaces But when wee had caten and were full and had waxen fat we rose up aagainst the Lord our maker who had done so great things for us our heart was lifted up and we forgat our God and lightly esteemed the Rock of our Salvation â—… wee loathed the Manna that rained downe upon us Therefore the Lord hath recompenced our wayes upon our heads and suffered our destruction to proceede from our selves our wickednesse doeth correct us our backsliding doth reprove us and our iniquity is become our ruine The Lord hath broken us with a grievous breach his anger hath divided us and his fury hath dashed us one against another The sword is drunk with our bloud and wee are numbred to the slaughter the high wayes are unoccupied i ther 's not that commerce and intercourse of trading because men dare not travell in the high wayes forâ—… fear of enemies and robbers they forsake the beaten roads to escape the enemy the travellers walked through by-wayes or crooked waies the inhabiters of the villages ceased the unwalled Towns lay wast because the country people durst not dwell in them our goods are for a spoile and our substance to the robbers Now in all this k the way of the Lord is it not equall Is there any can taxe his actions with unjustice nay are not our waies unequall Shall I not visit for these things saith the Lord l Shal not my soul be avenged on such a Nation Lord thou hast visited us and that sharply say to the destroying sword It is now enough â—… Let our m sword blades be turned into plow-shares and our speare-heads into Scithes and our helmets into bee-hives Peace is a Compendium of all prosperity even the prosperity of war is called peace David demands of Uriah how Joab the Captaine did In the originall it is n how Joab's peace did and how the people did and how the war prospered As on the contrary war is the Master of all misery the Hebrewes they call war Milchama from eating because it devoureth all things Returne O Lord how long And let it repent thee concerning thy servants O satisfie us early with thy mercy that wee mayâ—… rejoyce and be glad all our daies Make us glad according to the daies wherein thou hast afflicted us and the yeares wherein wee have seene evill But how shall we either remoove present or prevent future judgements There is no way under Heaven but this to breake off our sinnes by a seasonable and serious repentance When the body is distempered and the bloud inflamed the Physitian ordereth the opening of a veine and the drawing out some ounces of bloud for the preservation of the whole The great Physitian of the State hath taken the like course with us wee ran into riot and excesse sinne was ourâ—… surseit and war is our disease and now her 's a deepe incisi on made in the maine body and it lies a bleeding Ther'â—… no way to stanch and stop this issue but by bewailing and abandoning our formeâ—… wickednesse and to diet our selves hereafter by abstinence from sinne lest otherwise our disease grow desperate Thou complainest of thesâ—… confused and tumultuarâ—… courses indeed they arâ—… lamentable and distracteâ—… times
A CORDIALL For a HEART-QUALME Or Severall Heavenly Comforts for all those who suffer any Worldly crosse or calamity By Simon Birckbâ—…k Bachelour of Divinity sometime Fellow of Queenes Colledge in Oxford And now Minister of Gods Word at gilling in Richmundshire London Printed for Richard Best and are to be sold at his shop at Grayes Inne Gate 1647. To the Right Worshipful Colonell Richard sbuttleworth of Galthrop in the County of Lancaster a Member of the Honourable House of Commons in this present Parliament 1646. Sir IT is too apparently visible how it hath pleased our only wise good God to suffer this poisonously infected Cup of heart-dividing distractions to be generally and strongly handed to most of this Kingdome yea and the dreggs thereof to seize upon the vitals of many which hath produced even very dangerous and unexpressible epidemicall Anxieties and Sincoâ—…s Upon serious and frequent meditation therof raysed through my owne sad experiences even in the midst of our greatest continuing miseries I heer have endeavoured to fit and prepare this discourse as a Coâ—…fectionary of spirituall Reliefe and Cordiall Comfort for all such as may faâ—…le and faint under the heavy pressures of any of this worlds Afflictions and now make bold to present them unto you not as ifâ—… any necessity in you called upon any such advertisements But that I very well know with what christian resolution and patience you have out passed the losse of 〈◊〉 hopeful and valorous son slain in the publike cause of Religion Kingdomes besides the danger of your own hazard and wounds of divers other your sons banishmeÌ„t from your own house family plundering of your goods and the continued want even untill this time of a part of your estate These I say may sufficiently testifie your proficiency in this more then Aesculapian Art Yet howsoever in tender of my due observance to your selfe hoping their shortnes may no way impedite your more serious imployments now of publick concernment and present agitation I dedicate this Cordiall and offer the perusall thereof unto you Desiring from my heart as they are by me intended they may strengthen the weake and feeble be oyle of joy for mourning and the garment of prayse for the spirit of heavinesse and so safely to usher us along in uprightnesse and holinesse heere that we all may receive eternall blisse and happinese hereafter through Christ Jesus our Lord which is the constant and fervent prayer of Yours ever bounden S.B. The Contents The Preface or Preparative to the Cordiall Pag. 1. Sect. Sicknesse the ordinary Harbinger of Death p. 1. SECT. I. Comforts for the sick-bed 3 Sect. 1. Comfort from the Author of sicknesse that God hath a speciall hand in it 1 Sec. 2. How and in what sense Affliction is good 7 Sect. 3. T is some comfort that Health and Sicknesse come by courses 8 Sect. 4. How to serve God inâ—… Sicknesse and Health 11 Sect. 5. The sweet fruit and effect of Affliction 12 Sect. 6. The benefit of Affliction Affliction is medicinall 15 Sec. 7. Affliction is a Trier 18 Sect. 8. Affliction weaneth us from the World 21 Sect. 9. Whether Affliction be desirable Of a three sold Affliction Punishments Chastisements Trials 23 Sect. 10. We shall meete with Crosses wee neede no selfe created Crosses 28 Sect. 11. God Corrects but we put the rod into his hand 30 SECT. II. Cordials Comforts gainst the lossâ—… of our goods 34 Sect. We want whose faultâ—… is it 36 Sect. 1. Consider how litle sufficeth Nature 37 Sect. 2. The Godly destitute not forsaken 39 Sect. 3. Consider the worst Condition of others 47 Sect. 4. Consider the benefit of a slender Condition 55 Sect. 5. The Cares that attend on wealth 57 Sect. 6. The Securitie of a small state 64 Sect. 7. The fickle nature of carthly goods 67 Sect. 1. Vncertainty of Riches their staying with us 70 Sect. 2. Vncertainty of our staying with them 72 Sect. 3. Vncertaine to whom we shall leave them 74 Sect. 8. Riches they are not ours but lent us 76 Sect. 9. Labour to be Content with a simple Condition not depending upon many things 79 Sect. 1. The Benefit of an Independent Condition 83 SECT. III. Comforts against Imprisonment 87 Sect. 1. We are free Prisoners the mind is at libertie 87 Sect. 1. The Saints Imprisoned 88 Sect. 2. Imprisonment not strange we are Imprison'd in the wombe the world the Body and the Grave ibid. Sect. 3. Hell a feareful prison theâ—… no light â—… no favour there no deliverie thence 89 Sect. 4. Pray we never be delivered to that Prison 92 SECT. IV. Comforts against Banishment 93 Sect. 1. We are all pilgrims Heaven is our Home 93 Sect. 1. The benefit of Remooveall 95 Sect. 2. Abraham enjoyned to leave his owne Countrey 97 Sect. 3. We have Right in any Countrey by the Lord's Title 98 Sect. 4. The Saints Banisht ibid. Sect. 5. God accompanieth His even in Banishment 99 SECT. V. Comforts against publique Calamities 100 Sect. 1. Of the â—…series of a Civil warre 100 Sect. 2. Comfort from the sence and sympathic of common evils 104 Sect. 3. Comfort from the justice of Gods proceedings 110 Sect. 1. Personall Corruptions 111 Sect. 2. National sins common and peculiar ibid. Sect. 3. Warre the Malady Repentance the Remedâ—…e 118 Sect. 4. Comfort from Gods over-ruling Providence 122 Sect. 1. Gods providence instanced in Ioseph 124 Sect. 2. To depend uponâ—… Gods Providence 128 Sect. 5. The Remedye our Particular and Generall Repentance 131 SECT. VI Of meanes to worke us to Patience under the Crosse 143 Sect. 1. Comforts from the greater sufferings of Holier men 144 Sect. 2. Our Sufferings short of our deserts 151 Sect. 3. Our Sufferings infevior to our Glory 152 Sect. 4. Looke on our Comfort as well as our Corrafive 156 Sect. 5. Compare our selves afflicted with our selves at ease 158 Sect. 6. Our good dayes more than our evil dayes 160 Sect. 7. Of patience in suffering 162 Sect. 8. God exchanges his blessings denyes vs wealth peace and deliverance and gives vs Conteâ—…ment Patience and Supportation 164 Sect. 9. We must be sitted for mercy and then 〈◊〉 166 Sect. 10. The vse of patience and the neede of it 169 SECT. VII Directions for the recovered Patient 174 Sect. 1. Be thankfull after Recovery 174 Sect. 2. See whether Affliction have bettered thee 176 Sect. 3. Take heed of Relapses they are dangerous 178 Sect. 4. Strive for a Blessing Prayer will procure it 181 A Cordiall for a Heartqualme The Preface or Preparative to the Cordiall DEath as a Job calleth him is the King of terrours who like some greate Commander hath large quarters and sends forth his Harbingers before him Affliction is the ordinary forerunner of Death taking up his billet and lodging almost in every house One crieth out b My head My head â—… with the Shunamites sonne another c my bowels my bowels as Antiochus another
be discouraged or faint under the weight of the Crosse hath sampled out the sufferings of his Saints men of our owne mould and subject to the like infirmities that wee are that have gone before us in the hardest duties of affliction What duty so harsh to flesh and bloud as to take up the Crosse and follow Christ What Crosse can be named which they have not borne and comfortably endured to the end It is hard you will say to part with our goods yet there have beene they that have taken joyfully the spoiling of their goods e not that the losse of their goods â—… was of it selfe and its owne nature joyfull to them but they were so farre from being dejected and disheartned with the afflictions they suffered for Christ as they accounted them matter or occasion of joy and why Both because they were counted worthy to suffer for the name of Christ f as also because of the blessed fruit g and issue of their affliction Tribulation as the Apostle saith h worketh patience Tribulation accustometh us to patience and patience assures us by experience of Gods mercifull sustentation and ayde and this experience of Gods goodnesse puts us in hope of his further mercy and seasonableâ—… deliverance besides this experience under the Crosse it confirmes and fastens this our Anchor-hope and this hope deceiveth us not it disappointeth us not it being grounded on the love of Christ shed abroad in our hearts Tribulation then worketh patience not that of it selfe and its owne nature it worketh so for it often produceth contrary * effects both in the wicked and the godly as in Job David and Jeremie but it doth so when God gives us a sanctified use of Crosses conforming i us thereby to our Head Christ Jesus It goes had to exchange hoped of advancement for rebukes k and reproches â—… and yet Moses chused it willingly and counted it an honour to him Moses was jeered for marrying the Aethiopian woman Joseph was nick-named a Dreamer in scorne This is the manner of ill minded men to set termes of reproach upon the religious so Christ was called a Galilean by Julian the Apostle Paul a babler l by prophane Phylosophers This Age abounds with such abusive appellations cast upon the best Christians by such as are of an Hereticall Religion or of no Religion at all the practice of this kinde of contumelie is ancient and the patience under it as ancient which may make us both to looke for it â—… and make light of it 'T is too much to leave Countrey and kindred and Fathers house and yet Abraham did so 'T is hardest of all to leave our sweet life especially by violent torments what death can wee thinke so full of shame and torture but it hath beene endured m by the Saints of God by the Prophets Apostles and Martyres some of them have beene put on gridirons others in boyling Cauldrons some on the spits others under the sawes some in the flames others crushed with the teeth of wilde Beasts some on the racks others in fiery furnaces most of them in such torments as in comparison whereof ourâ—… paines are but flea-bitings We doe but taste and sip of that cup of affliction which Christ and his Saints draâ—…ke sheere off as appeares by the Churches story the Martyrologies the Acts and Monuments of the Saints Why then doe wee grudge to wet our feeâ—…e where they waded over the foord even a red Sea of blood Wee should looke to others as good as our selves as well as to our selves and then wee shal see it is not our own case only who are we that wee should looke for an exempted condition from those troubles which God's dearest children are addicted unto Comparison to this end isâ—… very availeable Compare we our sufferings for Christ with his sufferings n â—…or us Compare we our momentany afflictions of this life with the endlesse torments of hell endured by others and deserved by our sinnes from which by those as meanes we are freed for we are chastened of the Lord o that wee should not be condemned with the world Wee are mercifully chastened by the Lord on purpose that we may escape that eternall condemnation which befals the wicked of the world and we shall finde that there is no proportion betwixt our sufferings and our deserts Alas the wages of every sinne is Death a double death of theâ—… body and of the soule both temporall and eternall Any thing the Lord sends belowe this is mercy We must not â—…ke so much at what wee â—…ele 〈◊〉 what we have deserved to seele What ever our crosses are or may be justly we are in them our sinnes have deserved that more so that we are to beaer Gods chastisement willingly siâ—…h wee have so sinned against him I will beare the indignation of the Lord with patience and humility because I have sinned against him saith the Prophet Micah p Compare wee our sufferings with our glory that shall be revealed our suffering is but for a moment our reward shall be great and gloriousâ—… farre aboue the proportion of all our service or suffering for our light affliction q which is but for a moment worketh for us a farre more exceeding and eternall weight of glory The afflictions of the godly are not light in themselves but Comparatively to the infinite and eternall weight of heavenly glory which our affliction worketh for us not by any merit of ours but out of Gods meere grace and mercy for Christ his sake Rom. 8. 17. 18. or they be called Light because God maketh them seeme light unto us by the strong support and comfort of his Spirit Rom. 8.37 I reckon saith Saint Paul r that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall bee revealed in us word for word it is the sufferings of this now season whereby the Apostle intimates that our tribulations and afflictions last but for a 〈◊〉 that is a moment in comparison Sâ—… Paul calâ—…s the afflictions of this life light and but for a moment Our sufferings our sorrow shall have an end â—…aec non dâ—…rabunt atatem as Aâ—…hanasius said of his troubles For his anger endureth but a moment s his corrections last but a while but his favour lasts all out life long our joy shall have no end St. Bernard t computing the timeâ—… of his owne asslâ—…ction and the Saints reduceth it to an houres space or thereabouts Opus meum vix unius est horae siplus prae amore non sentio my worke and labor is but an houres taske if it be more I am scarce sensible thereof by reason of the love I beare to my Saviour who hath suffered so much for me How gratiously hath the wisdome of our God thought fit to temper our afflictions so contriving them that if they bee sharpe they are not long if
off sooner but then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fall off alone The Lord willâ—… heare thee but it may be thou art not yet fit for the mercy not because he doth not heare thy prayer and tender thee in that case thou art in but thou art not yet fit Herein God deales with us as the Physitian with his Patient The Patient earnestly desires such and such things the Physitian wants not will to give them him but he resolves to give them as soone as he is fit and therefore he makes him stay till he have purged him and made him fit for it till he be fit for such a Cordiall for such a Medicine God heares the complaints of this our distressed Church and State it may be God staies us for this end wee are not yetâ—… haply in that capacity of mercy as is fit Twice was the Israelits the better part foiled by the men of Benjamin the lesse in number and such as had the worse cause The Israelits f they wept and fasted once or twice and adventured upon the Benjamits but prevailed not till the third time They were fitted and prepared when they fasted and wept and prayed three times T is to be feared wee are not yet fit there is somewhat more that must be done wee are not yet humbled enough Some Colts are so untamed they must needs be broken so some corruptions are so unruly that they will not beâ—… wrought out without great afflictions Wee shall have neede of Patience as the Apostle saith g to endure these penall and painfull evils Fulgentius a godly Father was often divers dayes before his death heard to cry out Domine da mihi modò patientiam postea indulgentiam Lord grant me patience heer and case heereafter Lord give us patience to bear and constancy to endure whatsoever it shall please thee to inflict And since this evill of paine this painfull evill must come heere or elsewhere say we with S. Austin Domine hic ure hic seca ut in aeternum parcas Lord feare us lance us heere let us smart heere so thou spare us hereafter And yet since wee must suffer for our sins have so deserved 't is our comfort that wee are under the protection of the highest and guided by such a providence as stoupeth to the lowest and wisely disposeth of whatsoever can befall us Let us then lay our hands upon our mouthes and command our soules an holy silence not daring to yeeld to the least rising of our hearts against God I was dumbe and opened not my mouth because thou did'st it saith David i That which Iâ—… could not attaine to by reason while I looked on the second causes now I have obtained by grace looking up to thee now I keepe silence Thus Aaron when he had lost his two sonnes both at once and that by fire and by fire from Heaven which carried an evidence of Gods great displeasure with it yet held his peace k In this silence and hope is our strength Flesh and bloud is proane to expostulate with God and to question his dealing as Gedeon l did If the Lord be with us why then is all this befallen us But after some struggling betweene the flesh and the spirit the conclusion will be â—… yet howsoever matters goe God is good to Israel m Truely God is good to Israel saith David though God may seeme to favour bad men because they prosper and to hate good men because they are crossed yet he assures himselfe that God in the end would blesse the godly and such as were not hypocrites Hold out faith and patience then and our worke will speedily be at an end and wee shall receive the end of our faith n even the salvation of our soules and through faith and patience o inherit the promise If wee strive but a little wee shall be happy for ever Here it will haply be expected that I should goe on to make up other Cordials for severall maladies but this is done to my hand by a rare Confectioner in his Balme of Gilead to whose store-house I referre the Patient SECT. VII Directions for the recovered Patient VVHen thou art cased of the Crosse be thankfull for thy recovery bee not like the unthankfull Lepers p or Pharaoh's cup-bearer q who admired Joseph in the jayle but forgat him in the Court Forget not God in thine health and prosperity whom thou pliedst with suites and promises in thine adversity even the wicked can be somwhatâ—… good whiles they are under the crosse and with Ahab hang downe the head like a bul-rush and bee humbled but take them off the rack case their paine and they run to their old Byas againe these are like Iron which is soft and will bow as the workeman will when it is in the fire but soone after it is drawne out it returns to the old hardnesse like hoggs that seldome looke towards heaven but when they are cast to ground and overturned which if they be let goe they begin to pore on the ground and roote in the earth Try thy selfe how the Crosse hath wrought with thee whether it hath bettered thee or no Thou callest it a visitation a correction how is it so if thou bee not corrected by it If the mettle bee put into the furnace and not refined it is but refuse If after thou hast been humbled under God's hand thou grow more faithfull and Conscionable in thy calling than before 't is a good token this is like Triacle out of the Viper and with Sampson to taste sweet honey out of the sowre carkasse of a dead Lion r now that thou art recovered and the Lord added to thy daies â—… as he did to Ezekiah s doe thou add Repentance and Amendement of life to thy daies as the Lord hath made thee young and lustie like an Eagle t renuing thy youth and strength like an Eagles beake doe thou likewise renue thy Repentance and pay u that now in thy health which thou vowedst on thy sick-bed to wit newnesse of life Sin no more w lest a worse thing come to thee to wit death naturall or spirituall Returne not with the Dogge to his vomit x or the Hogge that was washt to wallow in the puddle of thy former uncleannesse Fall not to thine old diet lest thou fall toâ—… thine old disease beware of a down-cast and be more precisely cautionate against spirituall Relapses Take heede of a Relapse Relapses are dangerous when I fell sick it was some comfort to me that I was but in the common condition of mankind now in my relapse I am barred hereof I charge the fault and that juftly vpon mine owne selfe mine owne carelesnesse and disorder I have pull'd downe a falling house on mine owne head I have marred what Physitians and friends under God had amended At the first grudging of myâ—… maladie I had some strength and