them fill With that most Holy Ghost if 't be thy will Send like of this our Brother took away More Shepheards in this Wolf-abounding Day So shall On Earth be Peace through GOD-MAN then Men shall b' at Peace with God and God with Men And as the whole Earth never shall again Be Drown'd thy Church too ever shall remain Safe from the Floods of Turk of Pope of Hell And all that ' gainst the Peace of Sion swell When the twelve hundred Sixty Days are gone Rome's Scarlet and our Sackcloth will be done Satan shall hang in Chaines Gentile and Jew Shall both pray Come Lord Jesus Holy True On winged Hours Oh hast that blessed Day Unanimous Saints and Angels Amen say With the Chief of Sinners And less than the least of Saints D. B. REV. 22.20 Amen! The whole Verse runs thus He which testifieth these things saith Surely I come quickly Amen! Even so come Lord Jesus To the Lord Jesus declaring that he will not let it be long e're he come to judg the world the Saints eccho back Amen! Men and Brethren THE very Apostles who saw our Lord Jesus his Transfiguration on the Mount which was a Rudiment and Specimen of that Glory wherein he shall appear at his second coming those Apostles all three of them as Junius thinks two of them as Grotius and all necessarily confess did in their time warn the world that he would soon be with them He is ready to judg the quick and dead said Peter adding that he was not slack concerning the Promise of his coming see 1 Pet. 4.5 2 Pet. 3.9 10. The Coming of the Lord draweth nigh the judg standeth before the door said James Jam. 5.8 9. It is the last time or hour the last time of the World the last Monarchy some construe it so said John There are more than sixteen hundred years expired and gone since and now certainly Christs Ministers may and with advantage re-urge those warnings He is at least sixteen hundred years nigher to Coming now Blessed Souls they that knowingly and sincerely and fervently too can say unto this Amen! That which is the Doctrine I offer from this word the Church of God doth Christs members say Amen so be it unto and cordially wish for his Coming to judgment according to his Promise Christs Members do so I say and knowingly none but they His Enemies wish no more for his Coming than Malefactors when surest of death wish for the Assizes Were it in their power to stop him he should never come But Christs Members all love his appearance as 't is 2 Tim. 4.8 and desire his Coming as Prisoners whose Friend is Judg and who have well-grounded hopes of releasement and liberty long to hear the Trumpets sounding Yet do they not all nay I 'm confifident not any at all times thus desire and long for Christs Coming Children of light walk sometimes in darkness nor are they always themselves as we use to speak But then they lament that so it is And mostly while they cannot it s an heart-ake to them that they cannot say Amen to their Lords Coming Still they have the wit though not always the Power to say it And 't is not the least Care and Business of their lives to seek and pray for Will and Power and Act too So that methinks they do in a sort say Amen when they do not and dare not Because though to Do they find not yet even then to Will is present with them to Will it I mean on the best terms And ordinarily he who gives that said Will is not long before he gives to Do also and so is this the keeping of the Churches song Amen! Come Lord Jesu come quickly †It 's well known how passionately the Church of old longed for his first coming weary of the Shades and Darkness She dwelt under sick of desire to see him in the flesh see Cant. 2.17 Godly Kings and Prophets would have given much t' have seen it In like manner the Church ever since hath and till he comes ever will pray Come Lord Jesu The Jews retain it as an old maxim That prayer wherein 's no mention of the Kingdom of God is no prayer It 's true whether meant of the Kingdom of Grace or Glory Christ teacheth to pray for the coming of the latter as well as the former Mat. 6.10 I understand that second Petition Thy Kingdom come principally if not wholly of the Kingdom of Glory Were it intended of the Kingdom of Grace I judg with them who think it would have been thus worded Thy Kingdom be promoted for come it is already that of Grace Many Learned and Godly Ancients and Moderns understand it purely of the Kingdom of Glory and with submission I think upon good grounds But pass we on to the Consideration of those grounds and motives which Saints have for the foresaid Amen These will singularly well make both for the proof and Improvement of the Doctrine offered I shall tender but these few of which some respect Saints themselves more neerly and others God himself the whole Trinity For the first M. 1. Saints Sorrows and Troubles in this world are true and just motives to them todesire their Lord's Coming They know that they shall never be without Sorrows of their own and others too never without Passions and Compassions Feelings of their own and Fellow-feelings of others miseries in this World They can't look upon inferiour Creatures without Trouble at their misery and Bondage for mans sin The Earth struck with barrenness and fruitfulness of things hurtful the Air how often with Pestilential fumes the Stars with malign influences that infect the Air the Sun and Moon with eclipses the tiresome drudgery of all poor Creatures for mans Necessity Pleasure yea and sinful Lust too these are Eye-sores and Heart-sores to Saints And so are much more all the Oppressions done under the Sun to mankind that is so full of them Their Contentions Wars Frauds and all methods of making one the other miserable disquiet and go to the hearts of Saints The Persecutions of Gods Church by professed Enemies by false Friends and sometimes too by mistaking erring Brethren these are gall and Wormwood to Saints Add hereto what they often suffer themselves in Soul Body Name Estate and Friends Sometimes because they have sin'd and sometimes because they will not dare not sin All these spur them up to pray for his coming who will deliver then the Creatures from their Bondage Rom. 8.21 and will wipe away all their Tears Rev. 7.16 17 and drive away Sorrow and Crying Rev. 21.4 yea will give fulness of joy and pleasures for evermore Psal 16.11 M. 2. Saints manifold Temptations and incessant ones unto sin in every place time and condition This world is no pleasant place under the first Consideration of it as 't is a great Hospital of sick and sad wretches and Bedlam of wild folks let loose and tearing each other But it
a Pit that all the Creation can't fill and 2. an impossibility of being fully satisfied with but Grace it self Grace I say which is but a short antepast to them to stay their stomachs and appetites of Glory the Glory which alone is their satisfying feast Psal 17.15 You would see Sirs 3. you would see their Cravings and Pantings for Incorruption and freedom from Poverty Violence Sickness c. for Honor and such brightness and splendor as that of Christ was in his Transfiguration fairer than the Sun for Power and Vigor perfect freedom from all impediments and for Spirituality no need of Cloathing or Food or any animal Provisions all these do Saints crave for their very Bodies 1. Cor. 15.42 43 44. And what then for their Souls Hear a few hints Saints for their Souls crave 1. Full Sight of God as he is and face to face with such perfection as leaves no Desire unsatisfied or Capacity unfilled 2. Full Possession of God with all the Faculties of their Souls as full of him as the Sun 's of Light or Sea of water 3. Full Conformity unto Christ 4. Full Complacence and Delight in the sight enjoyment and likeness of God and Communion with him Angels Patriarchs Prophets Evangelists Apostles Martyrs all Gods and our own Godly dear Relations to everlasting Ages Being men of such Desires Desires so unfillable till Jesus comes what wonder if Hope delay'd make the hearts of Saints sick and sick of Love to pray Come Lord Jesus come quickly who knows not the quickning force of enlarged Desires M. 5. Saints Loves of God and hearty Desires of his Glory do eminently and excellently urge them to join their Amen to Christs coming quickly Attend you Sirs 1. God is the dearly beloved Father of Saints the Trinity is their one God 2. This Holy and beloved Trinity is in the world forgotten scorn'd hated rebell'd against wish'd out of Heaven yea out of Being Most of the Nations of the earth by far make Professedly other gods The Jews Curse our Blessed Jehovah-Jesus every day The Turks prefer a filthy impostor Mahomet before him The Papists generally go neer the Jews in their doctrines and the Pagans in their manners Especially the Italian Spanish and Irish Papists Protestants if they must be so call'd how many Hypocrites how many Profane Socinians and Quakers hereticks knownly odious in Doctrine and Life to God and Saints how do they swarm how very little is the flock of true Israelites And in this little flock it self how very great sins be there and dishonours to God as hath been foresaid Saints see their Father hath a small income of Honour here but Dishonour every minute of time unexpressible And 3. They so Love God that they can't see it unconcernedly No Rivers of tears it stood David in Psal 119.136 139. They know in the day of Christ it must be that their Father is I was about to say any thing worth a speaking of Glorified in his very saints themselves 2 Thes 1.10 They themselves can do but little at that work before others be sure will do contrarily Wherefore as dear Children impatient of their Fathers dishonour by themselves and others desirous of his Glory longing to have it shine forth and to behold him Honouring and Magnifying himself upon his Friends and Enemies too they pour out Amen and Amen to the quick approach of the day thereof In the former Considerations eye was had to their own Good and divine Glory therein In this the respect of Saints is purely to the Glory of their Father And I am perswaded many there be so concerned for his Glory that were the Day of Christs coming to be a day of their Annihilation yet they would wish for it and wish it straightways come rather than Gods name and Glory should any longer be such sufferers in the world I hope no man will say But is 't not fit we should wait Christs own time If any ask so weakly I answer yes surely it is so And 't is with holy submission that Saints upon all these Motives do pray Come Lord Jesu Also that 't is with Prayer of his first accomplishing his Promises too unto his elect This Doctrine is of excellent Vse among others unto these Purposes Vse 1. It turnes out all our carnal-minded earthly-spirited Professors from the number of Christs-members and declares them to be but whiter incarnate Devils than Swinish Drunkards and filthy Whoremongers c. They Christs members and Bride and careless for yea pleased with his absence A likely matter I am certain that as many of you as Love inordinately this world you wish it would last for ever and that you could for ever dwell in it and consequently that Christ were never to come and no Judgment-day to be and so by consequence again that there were no God And let your Consciences say then is it just we should esteem you Converts to God and members of Jesus Christ or can you think your selves such I 'm perswaded your hearts tell you that 't is as proper to a Saint to Pray and Desire Christs coming as 't is to a loving Wife when her house is every day so pestered with the Clamors of Outrages of Violent men upon her self and her whole family that she scarce knows where to be to Desire her Husbands return Especially if her Chastity be assaulted her Life endangered and her only Hope of rescue be in his return I Pray let the same hearts of yours then tell you that if you can lye hugging the world and brook it's troubles and temptations and suffer your sins and be listless of Glory in Heaven and unconcern'd for the Dishonour done to God in the world and pour out no sincere Amens to Christs coming you are then no members of his You are strangers enemies Anti-Christs for all your Orthodoxie for all your shadows and shapes of Godliness for all your presumptions and others Opinions of your being Well-inclin'd Good or whatever it be I am sure St. Paul stretches the promise of the Crown of Righteousness no further than to the Lovers of Christ's Appearance 2. Tim. 4.8 And I know not any ground they can have to expect that Crown who wish not cordially for that Appearance Blessed Luther says plainly Tom. 5. fol. 507. He 's no Christian nor can he without lying say the Lords prayer that wisheth not for Christs coming and that with all his heart Vse 2. It sounds an alarum unto Heart-search and enquiry how it is with you Whether you can say say truly and with any fervency Amen to Jesus his speedy Coming †We should not conclude overhastily or by any means lye at uncertainties in this thing You are Certified that Gods true Church doth say Amen! and that you if of that number must say so too I Charge and beseech you by the tender mercies of God and all the regards you bear to Sanctification and Salvation go labour to certifie your selves whether you can and
do verily say it Away to your Closets and the places of your Retiracy and ask your Souls in such manner as this each of you Oh my never-dying Soul Qu. 1. Sayest not thou of this world of this valley of sin and sorrow and Temptation and absence from the Lord as Peter of the mount It 's good to be here Mat. 17.4 Qu. 2. Art thou not at ease in Sion fat at heart a Gallio and careless for the sins and miseries abroad in the world As of old Noah's Soul art thou vexed with them from day to day 2 Pet. 2.8 Qu. 3 Art thou looking expecting and waiting for that blessed hope and the glorious appearance of the great God and thy Saviour Jesus Christ Tit. 2.13 Dost look for and hasten to it as 't is 2 Pet. 3.12 Dost joyn with the Souls under the Altar in their cry for the cutting off all delays Rev. 6.10 Doth the Holy Spirit in thee and thou as Christs bride say come as 't is Rev. 22.17 Qu. 4. Dost thou live like one that doth and may say safely say Amen! How is that That is doing thy Gods will with diligence and suffering it with Patience and so Cleaving to Jesus a Saviour that thou mayst not need to fear him a Judg as St. Austin speaks Vse 3. It writes in Sun-beams the blessed Estate of the truly Godly 〈…〉 seems have in this world 〈…〉 that 's more worth than all 〈…〉 the wallings Enjoyments and have 〈◊〉 Coming beyond measure 〈…〉 imagination good They are Souls acquainted with and interested in the Heir of all things They have an assured Hope of a good Day of his bringing when Flames fed with rivers of brimstone and the wrath of God shall mercilesly devour all besides As well the formal Hypocrite and empty Professor as the Prophanest rakehel Helhound that ever lived Oh Blessed thrice Blessed Souls without peradventure If they can say Amen to Christs Coming and long even for that day of Fire tell me whereof they need be afraid or what in this world need they be very sollicitous for who are so well provided for the next I have with my own ears heard Persons of Honour and huge estate and substance in the world profess that they would give all and Life it self too for ability to say with the Church of God this Amen! Nor wonder I any more than if they should say they would give a pebble for a rock of Diamonds or a nutshel for the spice-Islands Sith the prophane and Hypocritical World have not the grace to Love Saints I will never wonder that they Envy them It can't be strange that a Happiness so great is Envied though 't is sad that it 's not rather learn'd and sought for Seek it oh my Brethren Wrestle humbly with God Fight flesh World and Devil Rest not till your Longings for Jesus his Coming are restless and Mr. Herbert's ejaculation stirs daily in and springs forth from your Souls to Jesus Christ Oh come thou down to me Or take me up to Thee Need you Motives hereunto Sirs your hearts are deceitful the World 's Temptation-full Devils that in Nature be spirits in Number be many in place be so neer you in Power be Lions in Policy be serpents in industry be restless in malice be implacable in Plots and all Projects be soul-strikers Devils I say are Opposition-full your Lives be short and most uncertain your Deaths be at hand Gods judgment is just and unavoydable Heaven's infinitely desirable Hell is as dreadful and Eternity is boundless to very astonishment Unto all which add you this The day of Grace is far spent The Night 's at hand wherein no man can work God is apace taking up to himself his Embassadors An Observation-worthy token that he intends not much longer to await your Motion The Prophets do not live for ever Zech. 1.5 Yea neither doth God suffer them many of them to live out so many years as the people ordinarily do Hereof the Servant and Minister of Christ whose Translation we lament * Mr. Noah Web. is an instance I need not superadd Blessed Jo. Alleine Janeway Hen. Blake Si. Barret and others Methinks the late Translation of the first named whose Memory is so justly Precious to you should be more than ordinary Impressive on you I hope you forget not but will ever remember how much his 1. Providential succession to the Chrysostom of this age and most Powerful Preacher driven from you his 2. Unwearied pains and heavenly Teachings among you also his 3. Conversation and holy Life so passing Exemplary to you how much all these do add to your Accounts at Gods bar 'T were a foul and fearful mistake if any should dream that they had answer'd all these by procuring and attending his Funeral Sermon Alas that must be done by holding in Mind and Practice his own more Powerful ones Nevertheless-of this in particular and all Funeral-Sermons I am of Renowned Ro. Bolton's mind which he hath left in these words Discourse of true happiness Pag. 63. Neither do I mislike Funeral Sermons I could rather wish that as the death of his Saints is precious in the sight of God So that it might be glorious in the eyes of men I could rather desire that the just Praises and true sincerity of the child of God were published by some seraphical tongue that both the Glory of his Graces might pass along and shine bright to all Posterity and that such a Zeal for imitation might be inkindled in the hearts of all the hearers especially the present occasion making their minds more capable of perswasion that they passing through the same course of Holiness might at length be made partakers of the same happiness with the Saints of God Indeed if this stroke of Providence taking away him who so often in Journeying and in Perils so much in Weariness Painfulness Watchings c. laboured to espouse you to Christ Jesus if this work not your minds into any more easie Perswadableness if due Consideracy of Blessed Mr. WEBS Sanctity kindle not in you any fire for Zeal of imitation I shall reasonably esteem it portending and judg 't highly probable that God will follow you with more such blows take away more of your Ministers who I can assure you are many of them very willing to be gone yea and by such Obduracy of yours will be made more willing The Obduracy of one Congregation within twenty miles of this place made a most excellent Minister of Jesus Christ profess to me that his Ejection in the year 1662. Mr. S. S was unto him as the taking off of a heavy burden from tir'd shoulders So weary so heavy-laden so broken was his gracious Soul for his peoples unbrokenness An eminent one in the City of Dublin in Ireland hath oft told me his heart and oft in these words Dr. D. R. I am certain I am as willing to die as God will allow me to be He himself I think feared I
's worse as 't is a Pest-house without one Room or part of it but hugely full of Noisom fumes and without any one Person in it but infected and infectious and without possibility of being lived in for the infection any longer than you use strong Antidotes and high Cordials Were you lock'd into such an house and could not get out you and your dearest ones till some good Freind came home would you not say Amen! to his speedy coming Sirs Sin is the Plague of Plagues The World 's a Pest-house of it Where 's that spot of ground on it but the Flesh Devil and Devilish men will be infecting one with it Nay where 's the man in it that is not infected himself with it and apt of Wickedness or weakness to infect one with it and tempt one into it Can you live sinless a minute without Gods preservatives Without Gods Antidotes can you keep out Disobedience or without his cordials keep off Distrust Saints are Souls that know the defiling damning nature of Sin and know the deceitfulness of their own hearts the bewitchingness of the Worlds favors and frowns and customs as also the Devils devices snares wiles darts depths and find so much ado to keep a flood of Hell out and a spark of Heaven in them that they can't forbear longing for Christ to come and carry them into Heaven and put them up above the Gunshot of Hell and hellish men and lusts They know Davids and Peters and Pauls can no longer stand than they Fight in this world and they know Jehovah-Jesus when he comes will find them a place where the weary are at rest and the wicked Devils men Objects and Lusts cease from troubling as Job speaks Job 2.17 M. 3. Saints Sins are yet the sharpest goades in their sides and quickening motives in their hearts to pray for Christ's coming Patience will make Troubles and divine Valour makes Temptations Tolerable though not Pleasant But for Sin Oh what can a holy heart say or do Other mens sins the World's the Kingdom 's wherein he lives the Town 's Congregation's the Family's Oh how do all join in with his own to cut his Soul in meditation His own weakness of Grace strength of Corruption Frequency of offending and grieving God the Holy Ghost to the gratifying of damn'd Devils what daggers are these in a gracious heart Saints consider further before Conversion that they do nothing but sin that after it they do nothing without sin that if they should also live a thousand years yet more still sin against God they should more or less as long as their pulses beat And this makes heart-ake and Soul-smart this is a Scorpion Look into your Bibles Brethren yea look into Houses where Saints are to be seen You shall learn in the History of former ones and so in the Observation of the living ones this day that sin is no such Flea-bite to them as Formalists imagin They know 't is a Renouncing of the Blessed God yea a striking at him as far as Sinners can reach and as the Schools say well a murdering of God his Essence Soveraignty Perfections Laws all together virtually They know sin 's as evil Objectively as God is Good and therefore infinitely evil They know that it hath effected dismal things in Heaven Earth and Hell that it turn'd Angels into Devils that it even one sin damn'd the whole World brought Gods wrath and curse on Mankind and all the Creatures for our sakes that it founded Hell kindled and set flaming all the Fire there that to expiate it it cost the Eternal God's becoming man the Blessed God's being made a Curse the Lord of Life's enduring Death the Prince of Glory 's lying under Shame with a load of his Fathers wrath upon it hotter and heavier than ten thousand mountains of melted scalding Lead And the sight of this cursed Quality this evil of evils sin the sight of it daily in themselves their hearts and their Lives this overwhelms and but for a great God Mediator a Jehovah's righteousness would sink into distracting raving despair Especially considering as I know not what kind of Saints they be that do not consider that there still cleaveth a Body of Sin a heavy Noisome stinking carcass of it and there dwelleth still within a busie stirring active Rebel-sin never in this Life to be quite expel'd But is it thus may some say with very Saints I say read Rom. 7th Ch. and judg Ask the Godliest Souls alive and hear what they say †Observe on Saints do also know that except but the sin against the Holy Ghost there 's no sin but they may and being left by God to themselves they are most ready to fall into even the foulest ones that very graceless Moralists themselves would abhor They know and shake in their thoughts Aaron himself fell into foul Idolatry David into Adultery and Murder Joseph's Brethren the Patriarches were in a sense Murderers of him Sampson so sinful that had not God numbred him among Saints men might justly have doubted his being one Peter Lied Sware Cursed not Christ indeed I judg but himself he cursed most dreadfully The Original word 's such that makes it as if he said in the late dialect of Hell God Damn him or God Curse his Soul Saints I say know this and stand justly affected with Sollicitousness and Care lest their feet slide even so far away and lest their sins in dwelling like Snakes lurking in the holes of a dunghil when 't is cold should crawl out and come into Act upon the gloom of Temptation Shall I add Satan and their own hearts rise up sometimes and suggest that they are from eternity Reprobates be now but Hypocrites and one time or another before they dye will prove Apostates and poor gracious hearts frighted first into a discomposure and disability to make a judgment reasonably of themselves by and by faint under the doubt nay sometimes fall to stark raving in the dread that 't is indeed and 't will be so with them †These things my Brethren and what wonder stimulate and provoke Saints many of your selves I hope to abound in hearty Amens to the speedy coming of the great God and our Saviour of him I say who when he appears will make his Saints like himself 1 John 3.2 and set them far above and out of the reach of Sorrow Temptation and sin and sinful Doubts and Fears Yea will also satisfie them with his likeness Psal 17.15 Ult. make them joint possessors of Grace and Glory with himself Rom. 8.17 and for ever hold them in an undisturbed Possession M. 4. Saints innocent yea gracious earnest Covetousness of the best things adds to all their foresaid incitements and incentives to say Amen to their Lords coming †As they are heart-weary of Troubles Temptations and sins so are they heart-sick for better things Could you look through their breasts and to the pit of their hearts you would see there 1.