happy day to spend O sleep no longer in your sins while God stands over you lest before you aâ—e aware you awake in Hell Patience and mercy have their appointed time and will not alway wait and be despised O let not your Teachers be forced to say We would have taught them publikely and privately but they would not We would have Catechized the ignorant and exhorted the negligent but some of them would not come near us and others of them gave us but the hearing and went away such as they came If once by forefeiting the Gospell the Teachers whom you slight be taken from you you may then sin on and take your course till time and help and hope are past The Providence that called me to this work was soâ—e warning to you Though it was not the calling away your Teacher it was a removing of his Helper a pattern of meekness and godliness and charity and he is left the more disconsolate in the prosecution of his work God hath made him faithfull to your souls and carefull for your happiness He walks before you in humility and self-denyall and patience and peaceableness and in an upright inoffensive life He is willing to teach you publikely and privately in season and out of season He manageth the work of God with prudence and moderation and yet with Zeal carefully avoiding both ungodliness and schism or the countenancing of either of them Were he not of eminent wisdom and integrity his name would not be so unspotted in a place where Dividers and Disputers Papists and Quakers and so many bitter enemies of godliness do watch for matter of accusation and reproach against the faithfull Ministers of Christ As you love the safety and happiness of your City and of your souls undervalue not such mercies nor think it enough to put them off with your commendations and good word It is not that which they live and preach and labour for but for the Conversion Edification and salvation of your souls Let them have this or they have nothing if you should give them all you have The enemies of the Gospel have no wiser Cavill against the painfull Labourers of thâ— Lord then to call them â—â—â—elings and blame them for looking after Tythes and great matters in the world Bâ—t as among all the faithfull Ministers of this Countrey through the great merâ—y of God thâ—se adversaries are now almost ashamed to open their mouths with an accusation of Covetousness So this your Reverend faithfull Teacher hath stopt the mouth of all such calumnie as to him When I invited him from a place of less work and a competent maintenance to accept of less then half that maintenance with a far greater burden of work among you he never stuck at it as thinking he might be more servicâ—able to God and win that which is better then the richâ—s of this world And if now you will frustrate his expectations and disappoint his labours and hopes of your salvation it will be easier for Sodom in the day of judgement then for you Alas how sad is it to see a faithfull Minister longing and labouring for mens salvation and many of them neglecting him and others picking groundless quarrels and the proud unruly selfish part rebelling and turning their backs upoâ— their Teachers when ever they will not humour them in their own wayes or when they deal but faithfully with their souls Some even of those that speak against disobedience conventicles and schism turn away in disdain if their Children may not be needlesly baptized in private houses and if that solemn Ordinance may not be celebrated in a Parlour Conventicle How many refuse to come to the Minister in private to be Instructed or Catechised or to confer with him about their necessary preparation for death and judgement Is not this the case of many among you Must not your Teacher say He sent to you and was willing to have done his part and you refused Little will you now believe how heavy this will lie upon you one day and how dear you shall pay for the causless grieving and disappointment of your guides It is not your surliness and passions that will then serve turn to answer God Nor shall it save you to say that Ministers were of so many minds and wayes that you knew not which of them to regard For it was but one way that God in the holy Scripture did prescribe you and all faithfull Ministers were agreed in the things which you reject and in which you practically differ from them all What are we not all agreed that God is to be preferred before the world and that you must first seek the Kingdom of God and his Righteousness and that no man can be saved except he be converted and born again and that he that hath not the Spirit of Christ is none of his Mat. 6.33 John 3.3 5. Mat. 18.3 Rom. 8.9 and that you your housholds should serve the Lord Josh 24.15 Are we not all agreed that the Law of the Lord must be your delight and that you must meditate disable Death to terrifie and discourage us and raiseth us above our Natural fears and sheweth us though but in a glass the exceeding eternal weight of glory which churlish Death shall help us to So that when the eye of the unbâ—liever looketh no further then the grave believing souls can enter into Heaven and see their glorified Lord and thence fetch Love and Hope and Joy notwithstanding the terrors of interposing death The eye of Faith foreseeth the salvation ready to be revealed in the last time and causeth us therein greatly to rejoyce though now for a season if need be we are in heaviness through manifold temptations And so vicâ—orious is this Faith against all the storms that do assault us that the tryal of it though with fire doth but discover that it is much more precious then Gold that perisheth and it shall be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ whom having never seen in the flesh we Love and though now we see him not yet believing we rejoyce with unspeakable glorious joy 1 Pet. 1.5 6 7 8 9. and shall shortly receive the end of our Faith the salvation of our souls Thus Faith though it destroy not Death it self destroyeth the malignity and enmiâ—y of death while it seeth the things that are beyond it and the time when death shall be destroyed and the Life where death shall be no more Faith is like Davids three mighty men that brake through the host of the Philistines to fetch him the waters of Bethlehem for which he longed 2 Sam. 23.15 16. When the thirsty soul saith O that one would give me drink of the waters of Salvation Faith breaks through death which standeth in the way and fetcheth these living waters â—o the soul We may ever Psal 15.4 and have contemned the ungodly as vile persons though they had been of your side The
Mortality as it signifyeth a posse mori a natural capacity of dying was naturall to us in our innocency or else Death could not be threatened as a penalty And if I grant as much of a naturall disposition in the Body to a dissolution if not prevented by a Glorifying change it will no whit advantage their impious cause But withall man was then so far Immortall as that he had a posse non mori a naturall capacity of not dying and the morietur vel non morietur the actuall event of Life or Death was laid by the Lord of Life and Death upon his obedience or disobedience And man having sinned Justice must be done and so we came under a non posse non mori an impossibility of escaping death ordinarily because of the peremptory sentence of our Judge But the day of our deliverance is at hand when we shall attain a non posse mori a certain consummate Immortality when the last Enemy Death shall be destroyed And how that is done I shall next enquire SECT II. YOU have seen the ugly face of Death you are next to see a little of the Love of our great Redeemer You have heard what sin hath done you are next to hear what Grace hath done and what it will do You have seen the strength of the Enemy you are now to take notice of the victory of the Redeemer and see how he conquereth all this strength 1. The Beginning of the conquest is in this world 2. The perfection will not be till the day of Resurrection when this Last Enemy shall be destroyed 1. Meritoriously Death is conquered by Death The Death of sinners by the Mediators Death Not that he intended in his Meritorious work to save us from the stroke of death by a prevention but to deliver us from it after by a Resurrection For since by man came death by man also came the Resurrection from the dead I Cor. 15.21 Forasmuch as the children were partakers of flesh and blood he also himsâ—lf likewise took part with them that he might destroy him through death that had the power of death that is the Devil and deliver them who through fear of death were all their life time subject unto bondage Heb. 2.14 15. Satan as Gods Executioner and as the prosperous tempter is said to have had the power of death The fears of this dreadfull Executioner are a continuall bondage which we are lyable to through all our lives till we perceive the deliverance Which the Death of the Lord of Life hath purchased us 1. By Death Christ hath satisfied the Justice that was armed by sin against us 2. By Death he hath shewed us that Death is a tolerable Evil and to be yielded to in hope of following life 2. Actually he conquered Death by his Resurrection This was the day of Grace's triumph This day he shewed to Heaven to Hell and to Earth that Death was conquerable yea that his personal Death was actually overcome The blessed souls beheld it to their Joy beholding in the Resurrection of their Head a virtual resurrection of their own Bodies The Devils saw it and therefore saw that they had no hopes of holding the Bodies of the Saints in the power of the grave The damned souls were acquainted with it and therefore knew that their sinfull bodies must be restored to bear their part in suffering The Believing Saints on earth perceive it and therefore see that their bonds are broken and that to the righteous there is hope in death and that our Head being actually risen assureth us that we shall also Rise For if we believe that Jesus dyed and Rose again even so them also which steep in Jesus will God bring with him 1 Thes 4.14 And as Christ being raised from the dead dyeth no more death hath no more dominion over him So shall we Rise and die no more This was the beginning of the Churches Triumph This is the day that the Lord hath made even the day which the Church on Earth must celebrate with joy and praise till the day of our Resurrection We will be glad and rejoyce therein Psam 118.24 The Resurrection of our Lord hath 1. Assured us of the consummation of his satisfaction 2. Of the truth of all his Word and so of his promises of our Resurrection 3. That Death is actually conquered and a Resurrection possible 4. That believers shall certainly Rise when their Head and Saviour is Risen to prepare them an everlasting Kingdom and to assure them that thus he will Raise them at the last A bare promise would not have been so strong a help to faith as the actual Rising of Christ as a pledge of the performance But now Christ is Risen and become the first fruits of them that sleep 1. Cor. 15.20 For because he Liveth we shall live also John 14.19 3. The next degree of destruction to this Enemy was by the gift of his Justifying and Sanctifying grace Four special benefits were then bestowed on us which are Antidotes against the Enmity of Death 1. One is the gift of Saving Faith by which we look beyond the grave as far as to eternity And this doth most powerfully disable Death to terrifie and discourage us and raiseth us above our Natural fears and sheweth us though but in a glass the exceeding eternal weight of glory which churlish Death shall help us to So that when the eye of the unbâ—liever looketh no further then the grave believing souls can enter into Heaven and see their glorified Lord and thence fetch Love and Hope and Joy notwithstanding the terrors of interposing death The eye of Faith foreseeth the salvation ready to be revealed in the last time and causeth us therein greatly to rejoyce though now for a season if need be we are in heaviness through manifold temptations And so vicâ—orious is this Faith against all the storms that do assault us that the tryal of it though with fire doth but discover that it is much more precious then Gold that perisheth and it shall be found unto praise and hoour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ whom having never seen in the flesh we Love and though now we see him not yet believing we rejoyce with unspeakable glorious joy 1 Pet. 1.5 6 7 8 9. and shall shortly receive the end of our Faith the salvation of our souls Thus Faith though it destroy not Death it self destroyeth the malignity and enmity of death while it seeth the things that are beyond it and the time when death shall be destroyed and the Life where death shall be no more Faith is like Davids three mighty men that brake through the host of the Philistines to fetch him the waters of Bethlehem for which he longed 2 Sam. 23.15 16. When the thirsty soul saith 0 that one would give me drink of the waters of Salvation Faith breaks through death which standeth in the way and fetcheth these living waters to the soul We may say
of death as it is said of the world 1. John 5.4 5. Whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world and this is the victory that overcometh the world even our Faith who is he that overcometh but he that believeth c. For greater is he that is in us then he that is in the world 1 John 4.4 The believing Soul foreseeing the day when Death shall be swallowed up in Victory may sing beforehand the triumphing song O Death where is thy sting O grave where is thy Victory 1 Cor. 15.54 55. For this cause we faint not though our outward man perish our inward man is renewed day by day For our light affliction though it reach to death which is but for a moment worketh for us a far more exceeding eternall weight of glory while we look not at the things that are seen but at the things which are not seen for the things which are seen are temporall and therefore not worthy to be looked at but the things that are not seen are eternal and therefore more prevalent with a believing Soul then either the enticing pleasures of sin for a season or the light and short afflictions or the death that standeth in our way 2 Cor. 5.16 17 18. Heb. 11.24 25 26. 2. A second Antidote against the Enmity of Death that is given us at the time of our Conversion is The Pardon of our sins and Justification of our persons by the blood and merits of Jesus Christ When once we are forgiven we are out of the reach of the greatest terror being saved from the second death Though we must feel the killing stroke we are delivered from the damning stroke Yea more then so it shall save us by dâ—stroying us It shall let us into the glorious presence of our Lord by taking us from the presence of our mortal friends It shall help us into Eternity by cutting off our Time For in the hour that we were justified and made the Adopted sâ—ns of God we were also made the Heirs of Heaven even Coheirs with Christ and shall be glorified with him when we have suffered with him Rom. 8.17 As Death was promoting the Life of the world when it was killing the Lord of Life himself So is it hastening the deliverance of believers when it seems to be undoing them No wonder if Death be that mans terror that must be conveyed by it into Hell or that imagineth that he shall perish as the beast But to him that knows it will be his passage into Rest and that Angels shall convey his Soul to Christ what an Antidote is there ready for his faith to use against the enmity and excess of fears Hence faith proceedeth in its triumph 1 Cor. 15.56 57. The sting of death is sin and the strength of sin is the Law But thanks be to God that giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ Let him inordinately fear death that is loth to be with Christ or that is yet the heir of death eternall Let him fear that is yet in the bondage of his sin and in the power of the prince of darkness and is not by Justification delivered from the curse But joy and holy triumph are more seemly for the Justified 3. A third Antidote against the Enmity of death is the Holiness of the soul By this the Power of sin is mortified and therefore the fears of death cannot actuate and use it as in others they may do By this the Interest of the flesh is cast aside as nothing and the flesh it self is crucified with Christ and therefore the destruction of the flesh will seem the more tolerable and the fears of it will be a less temptation to the Soul By this we are already crucified to the world and the world to us and therefore we can more easily leave the world We now live by another Life then we did before being dead in our selves our life is hid with Christ in God and being crucified with Christ we now so Live as that it is not we but Christ Liveth in us the life which we Live in the flesh is by the faith of the Son of God that hath loved us Gal. 2.20 The things that made this life too dear to us are now as it were annihilated to us and when we see they are Nothing they can do nothing with us Sanctification also maketh us so weary of sin as being our hated enemy that we are the more willing to die that it may die that causeth us to die And especially the Holy Ghost which we then receive is in us a Divine and heavenly Nature and so inclineth us to God and Heaven This Nature principally consisteth in the superlative Love of God And Love carryeth out the soul to the beloved As the Nature of a prisoner in a dungeon carryeth him to desire Liberty and light so the Nature of a holy Soul in flesh inclineth it to desire to be with Christ As Love maketh husband and wife and dearest friends to think the time long while they are asunder so doth the Love of the Soul to God How fain would the holy loving Soul behold the pleased face of God and be glorified in the beholding of his glory and live under the fullest influences of his Love This is our conquest over the Enmity of death As strong as Death is Love is stronger Eccles 8.6 7. Love is strong as death the coales thereof are coales of fire a most vehement flame which will not by the terrible face of death be hindered from ascending up to God Many waters cannot quench Love neither can the floods drown it if a man would give all the substance of his house for Love that is to bribe it and divert it from its object it would utterly be contemned If the Love of David could carry Jonathan to hazzard his life and deny a Kingdom for him and the Love of David to Absalom made him wish that he had dyed for him and the Love of friends yea lustfull love hath carryed many to cast away their lives no wonder if the Love of God in his Saints prevail against the fear of death The power of holy Love made Moses say Else let my name be blotted out of the book of life And it made Paul say that he could wish that he were accursed from Christ for his brethren and kindred according to the flesh Rom. 9.3 And doubtless he felt the fire burning in his breast when he broke out into that triumphant challenge Rom. 8.35 36. to the end Who shall separate us from the love of God Shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword As it is written For thy sake we are killed all the day long we are counted as Sheep to the slaughter Nay in all this we are more then Conquerours through him that loved us For I am perswaded that neither death nor life nor Angels nor Principalities nor Powers nor things present nor things to
that Justice that inflicteth on him the penalty of death Especially since Mercy hath made it a usefull Castigation As some penitent malefactors have been so sensible of their crimes that they have not deprecated death but consented to it as a needfull work of Justice as it s written of the penitent Murderer lately hanged at London So Holiness doth contain such a hatred of our own sins and such impartial Justice on Gods behalf that it will cause us to subscribe to the righteousness of his sentence and the more quietly to yield to the stroke of death DIRECTION IX IT will somewhat abate the fears of Death to consider the Restlesness and troubles of this life and the manifold evills that end at death And because this Consideration is little available with men in prosperity it pleaseth God to exercise us with adversity that when we find there is no hope of Rest on earth we may look after it where it is and venture on death by the impulse of necessity Here we are continually burdened with our selves annoyed by our corruptions and pained by the diseases of our souls or endangered most when pained least And would we be thus still We live in the continual smart of the fruit of our own folly and the hurts that we catch by our careless or inconsiderate walking like children that often fall and cry and would we still live such a life as this The weakness of our faith the darkness of our minds the distance and strangeness of our souls to God are a continuall languishing and trouble to our hearts How grievous is it to us that we can love him no more nor be more assured of his love to us that we find continually so much of the creature and so little of God upon our hearts that carnal affections are so easily kindled in us and the Love of God will scarce be kept in any life by the richest mercies the most powerfull means and by our greatest diligence O what a death is it to our hearts that so many odious temptations should have such free access such ready entertainment such small resistance and so great success that such horrid thoughts of unbelief should look into our minds and stay so long and be so familiar with us that the blessed mysteries of the Gospel and the state of separated souls and the happiness of the life to come are known so slightly and believâ—d so weakly and imperfectly and meet with so many carnall questionings and doubts that when we should be solacing our souls in the fore-thoughts of heaven we look toward it with such strangeness and amazement as if we staggered at the promise of God through unbelief and there is so much Atheism in our Affections God being almost as no God to them sometime and Heaven almost as no Heaven to them that it shews there is too much in our understandings O what a death is it to our minds that when we should live in the Love of Infinite Goodness we find such a remnant of carnal enmity and God hath such resistance and so narrow so shâ—â—â— so cold so unkind entertainment in those hearts that were made to love him and that should know and own no love but his What a bondage is it that our souls are so entangled with the creatures and so detained from the love of God and that we draggle on this earth and can reach no higher and the delightfull Communion with God and a Conversation in Heaven are things that we have so small experience of Alas that we that are made for God and should live to him and be still upon his work and know no other should be so byased by tâ—e flesh and captivated by self-love and lost at home that our affections and intentions do hardly get above our selves but there we are too prone to terminate them all and lose our God even in a seeming Religiousness while we will be Gods to our selves How grievous is it that such wonders and glorious appearances of God as are contained in the incarnation life and death of Christ and in all the parts of the work of our Redemption should no more affect us then they do nor take up our souls in more thankfull admiration nor ravish us into higher joyes Alas that Heaven commands our souls no more from earth that such an infinite glory is so near us and we enjoy so little of it and have no more savour of it upon our souls That in the hands of God and before his face we do no more regard him That the great and wonderfull matters of our faith do so little affect us that we are tempted thereby to question the sincerity of our faith if not the reality of the things believed and that so little of these great and wondrous things appeareth in our lives that we tempt the world to think our faith is but a fancy Is not all this grievous to an honest heart and should we not be so far weary of such a life as this as to be willing to depart and be with Christ If it would so much rejoyce a gracious soul to have a stronger faith a more lively hope a more tender conscience a more humble self-abhorring heart to be more fervent in prayer more resolute against temptations and more successfully to fight against them with what desire and joy then should we look towards Heaven where we shall be above our strongest faith and hope and have no more need of the healing graces or the healing Ordinances nor be put upon self-afflicting work nor troubled with the temptations nor terrified by the face of any enemy Now if we will vigorously appear for God against a sinfull generation how many will appear against us how bitterly will they reproach us how falsly will they slander us and say all manner of evil against us and it is well if we scape the violence of their hands and what should be our joy in all these sufferings but that Great is our reward in heaven Mat. 11 12. Alas how we are continually here annoyed by the presence and the motions and the succâ—ss of sin in our selves and others It dwelleth in us night and day we cannot get it stay behind no not when we address our selves to God not in our publike worship or our secret prayers not for the space of one Lords Day or one Sermon or one Sacrament in ordinary or extraordinary duty O what a blessed day and duty would it be in which we could leave our sin behind us and converse with God in spotless innocency and worship and adore him without the darkness and strangeness and unbelief and dulness and doubtings and distractions that are now our daily miseries Can we have grace and not be weary of these corruptions Can we have life and not be pained with these diseases And can we live in daily pain and weariness and not be willing of release Is there a gracious soul that groaneth not under the burden of
to Christ Jesus that ye may with one mind and one mouth glorifie God Rom. 15.5 6. And I beseech you brethren to know them which labour among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you And esteem them very highly in love for their works sake and be at peace among your selves 1. Thes 5.12 13. And mark those that cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned and avoid them Rom. 16.17 And if there be any consolation in Christ if any comfort of love if any fellowship of the spirit if any bowels and mercies fulfill ye our joy that ye may be like minded having the same love being of one accord of one mind Let nothing be done through strife or vain glory but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better then themselves Look not every man on his own things his own gifts and graces but every man also on the things the graces and gifts of others Let this mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus who being in the form of God thought it not robbery to be equall with God but made himself of no reputation or emptied himself of all worldly glory as Isa 53.2 3 4. as if he had had no form or comeliness and no beauty to the eye for which we should desire him but was despised and rejected of men and not esteemed Phil. 2.1 2 3 4 5 6 7. It is not as you imagine your extraordinary Knowledge Zeal and Holiness that inclineth you to divisions and to censuring of your brethren but it is Pride and Ignorance and want of Love and if you grow to any ripeness in Knowledge Humility Self-denyall and Charity you will bewail your dividing inclinations and courses and reckon them among the greater and grievous of your sins and cry out against them as much as your more charitable and experienced brethren do 3. To the third sort the Papist I shall say nothing here because I cannot expect they should read it and consider it and because we are so far disagreed in our Principles that we cannot treat with them on those rationall terms as we may do with the rest of the inhabitants of the world whether Christians Infidels or Heathens As long as they build their faith and salvation on the supposition that the eyes and taste and feeling of all the sound men in the world are deceived in judging of Bread and Wine and as long as they deny the certain experience of true believers telling us that we are void of Charity and unjustified because we are not of their Church and as long as they fly from the judgement and Tradition of the ancient and the present Church unless their small part may be taken for the whole or the major Vote and as long as they reject our appeal to the holy Scriptures I know not well what we can say to them which we can expect they should regard any more then musick is regarded by the deaf or light by the blind or argument by the distracted If they had the moderation and charity impartially to peruse our writings I durst confidently promise the recovery of multitudes of them by the three writings which I have already published and the more that others have said against them 4. And for the fourth sort the Hiders and the Quakers I have said enough to them already in my Book against Infidelity and those against Popery and Quakers but in vain to those that have sinned unto death 5. It is the fifth sort therefore that I shall chiefly address my speech to who I fear are not the smallest part It is an astonishing consideration to men that are awake to observe the unreasonableness and stupidity of the ignorant careless sensual part of men How little they Love or Fear the God whom their tongues confess How little they value or mind or seek the everlasting glory which they take on them to believe How little they fear and shun those flames which must feed for ever on the impenitent and unholy How little they care or labour for their immortall souls as if they were of the Religion of their beasts How bitterly many of them hate the holy wayes commanded by the Lord while yet they pretend to be themselves his Servants and to take the Scriptures to be his word How sottishly and contemptuously they neglect and slight the Holiness without which there is no salvation Heb. 12.14 How eagerly they desire and seek the pleasing of their flesh and the matters of this transitory life while they call them vanity and vexation How madly they will fall out with their own salvation and from the errors and sins of hypocrites or others will pick quarrels against the Doctrine and Ordinances and wayes of God as if other mens faults should be exceeded by you while you pretend to loath them If it be a sin to crack our faith by some particular error what is it to dash it all to pieces If it be odious in your eyes to deny some particular Ordinance of God what is it to neglect or prophane them all If it be their sin that quarrel in the way to heaven and walk not in company as love requireth them what is it in you to run towards hell and turn your backs on the holy Laws and wayes of God If it be so lamentable to the Nation and themselves that so many have faln into schism and disorder what is it then that so many are ungodly sensual and worldly and have no true Religion at all in sincerity life and power Ungodliness is all Heresie transcendently in the lump and that in practice A man that is so foolish as to plead that Arsenick is better then bread may yet live himself if he do not take it but so cannot he that eateth it instead of bread Hereticks only in speculation may be saved but practicall hereticks cannot You think it haynous to deny with the mouth that there is a God who made us and is our only Lord and Happiness and so it is And is it not haynous then to deny him with the heart and life and to deny him the love and obedience that is properly due to God It is odious Idolatry to bow to a creature as to God and is it not odious to love and honour and obey a creature before him and to seek it more eagerly and mind it more seriously then God If it be damnable Infidelity to deny Christ to be the Redeemer it is not much less to turn away from him and make light of him and refuse his grace while you seem to honour him If it be damnable blasphemy to deny the Holy Ghost what is it to resist and refuse him when he would â—anctifie you and perhaps to make a scorn of holiness If â—t be Heresie to deny the holy Catholick Church and the Communion of Saints what is it to hate the Holy members of the Church and to avoid if not deride the Communion of Saints
Catholick Church is One and containeth all that heartily and practically believe in God the Father Son and Holy Ghost the Creator Redeemer and Sanctifier and live a holy heavenly life Leave off your siding and keep this blessed simple Unity and you will then be wiser then in a passion to cast your selves into Hell because some fall out in the way to Heaven Nor will it serve your turn at the bar of God to talk of the miscarriages or scandalls of some that took on them to be godly no more then to run out of the Ark for the sake of Cham or out of Christs family for the sake of Judas What ever men are God is just and will do you no wrong and you are called to believe in God and to serve him and not to believe in men Nothing but wickedness could so far blind men as to make them think they may cast off their love and service to the Lord because some others have dishonoured him Or that they may cast away their souls by carelesness because some others have wounded their souls by particular sins Do you dislike the sins of the Professors af Godliness So much the better We desire you not to agree with them in sinning Joyn with them in a Holy life and imitate them so far as they obey the Lord and go as far beyond them in avoiding the sins that you are offended at as you can and this is it that we desire Suppose they were Covetous or Lyars or Schismaticall Imitate them in holy duties and fly as far from Covetousness Lying and Schism as you will You have had Learned and Godly Bishops of this City Search the writings of those of them that have left any of their labours to posterity and see whether they speak not for the same substantials of faith and godliness which are now preacht to you by those that you set so light by Bishop Latimer Parrey Babington c. while they were Bishops and Rob. Abbot Hall c. â—efore they were Bishops all Excellent Learned Godly â—en have here been Preachers â—o your Ancestors Read their â—ooks and you will find that â—hey call men to that strictness â—nd holiness of life which you cannot abide Read your Biâ—hop Babington on the Commandments and see there how zealously he condemneth the Prophaners of the Lords day and those that make it a day of idleness or sports And what if one man think that one Bishop should have hundreds of Churches under his sole jurisdiction and another man think that every full Parish Church should have a Bishop of their own and that one Parish will find him work enough be he what he will be which is the difference now among us is this so heinous a disagreement as should frighten you from a holy life which all agree for To conclude remember this is the day of your salvation Ministers are your Helpers Christ and Holiness are your way Scripture is your Rule the Godly must be your company and the Communion of Saints must be your desire If now any scandals divisions displeasures or any seducements of secret or open adversaries of the truth or temptations of Satan the world or flesh whatsoever shall prevail with you to lose your day to refuse your mercies and to neglect Christ and your immortal souls you are conquered and undone and your enemy hath his will and the more confidently and fearlesly you brave it out the more is your misery for the harder are your hearts and the harder is your cure and the sureâ— and sorer will be your damnation I have purposely avoided the enticing words of worldly wisdom and a stile that tends to claw your ears and gain applause with aery wits and have chosen these familiar words and dealt thus plainly and freely with you because the greatness of the cause perswaded me I could not be too serious Whether many of you will read it or how those that read it will take it and what success it shall have upon them I cannot tell but I know that I intended it for your good and that whether you will hear or whether you will forbear the Ministers of Christ must not forbear to do their duty nor be rebellious themselves but our Labours shall be acceptable with our Lord and you shall know that his Ministers were among you Ezek. 2.3 4 5 6 7 8. Yet a little while is the Light with you Walk while ye have the Light lest darkness come upon you for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth John 12.35 O take this warning from Christ and from An earnest desirer of your everlasting Peace Rich. Baxter The Contents THE Introduction p. 1 What is meant by an Enemy and how death is an Enemy to Nature p. 6 7 How Death is an Enemy to Grace and to our salvation discovered in ten particulars p. 15 How Christ conquereth this Enemy p. 35 Four Antidotes given us against the Enmity of Death at our Conversion p. 39. How Death is made a destruction of it self p. 56 The full destruction at the Resurrection p. 60 The first Use to resolve the doubt Whether Death be a punisâ—ment to believers p. 63 Use 2. To shew us the malignity of sin and how we should esteem and use it p. 66 Use 3. To teach us that man hath now a need of Grace for difficulties which were not before him in his state of innocency p. 72 Use 4. To inform us of the Reasons of the sufferings and death of Christ p. 77 Use 5. To rectifie the mistakes of some true believers that think they have no saving grace because the fears of death deter them from desiring to be with Christ p. 83 â—se 6. To teach us to study and magnifiâ— our Redeemers conquering grace that overcometh death and makes it our advantage p. 96 Use 7. To direct us how to prepare for Death and overcome the enâ—ity and fear of it p. 110 Direct 1. Make sure that conversion be sound p. 115 Direct 2. Live by faith on Christ the Conquerour p. 116 Direct 3. Live also by faith on the Heavenly Glory p. 120 Direct 4. Labour to encrease and exercise Divine Love p. 124 Direct 5. Keep conscience clear or if it be wounded preseâ—tly seek the cure p. 127 Direct 6. Redeem and improve your pretious time p. 130 Direct 7. Crucifie the flesh and die to the world p. 132 Direct 8. A conformity to God in the hatred of sin and love of holiness and especially in the point of justice p. 134 Direct 9. The due consideration of the restlesness and troubles of this life and of the manifold â—vils that end at death p. 13 Direct 10. Resign your wills entirely to the will of God and acquiesce in it as your safety felicity and Rest p. 159 Use 8. Great comfort to believers that they have no enemy bâ—t what they are sure shall be conquered at last p. 165 Object But what comfort is all this to me that
He that can recover his health by a pleasant medicine doth take it without any great reluctancy But if a leg or an arm must be cut off or a stone cut out by a painful dangerous Incision what a striving doth it cause between the contrary passions the love of life and the love of ease the fear of death and the fear of suffering Could we but come to Heaven as easily as innocent Adam might have done if he had conquered what wings would it add to our desires Might we be translated as Henoch or conveyed thither in the Chariot of Elias what Saint is there that would not long to see the face and glory of the Lord Were it but to go to the top of a Mountain and there see Christ with Moses and Elias in a glimpse of Glory as did the three Disciples who would not make haste and say It is good for us to be here Matth. 17.1 4. But to travell so chearfully with Abraham to the Mount of Mâ—riah to sacrifice an only Son or with a Martyr to the flames is a harder task This is the principal enmity of death it deterreth our desires and thoughts from heaven and maketh it a far harder matter to us to long after God then otherwise it would be Yea it causeth us to fly from him even when we truly love him And where Faith and Love do work so strongly as to overcome these fears yet do they meet with them as an enemy and must fight before they overcome 2. And as this Enemy dulleth our Desires so doth it consequently cool our Love as to the exercise and it hindereth our hope much abateth the complacency and Joy that we should have in the believing thoughts of Heaven when we should be rejoycing in hope of the glory of God Rom. 5.2 the face of death appearing to our thoughts is naturally an enemy to our joy When we think of the grave and of dissolution and corruption and of our long abode in the places of darkness of our contemned dust and scattered bones this damps our joyfull thoughts of heaven if supernatural grace do not make us Conquerors But if we might pass from earth to heaven as from one room to another what haste should we make in our desires How joyfully should we think and speak of Heaven Then we might live in the joy of the Holy Ghost and easily delight our selves in God and Comfort would be our daily food 3. Moreover as our Natural Enemy doth thus occasion the abatement of Desire and Love and Joy so also of our Thankfulness for the Glory that is promised us God would have more praise from us if we had more pleasing joyfull thoughts of our inheritance We should magnifie him from day to day when we remember how we shall magnifie him for ever Our hearts would be turned into thankfulness and our tongues would be extolling our dear Redeemer sounding forth his praise whom we must praise for ever if dreadful Death did not draw a veil to hide the heavenly glory from us 4. And thus the dismall face of Death doth hinder the heavenliness of our Conversation Our Thoughts will be diverted when our complacency and desire is abated Our minds will be willinger to grow strange to Heaven when Death still mingleth terror in our meditations Whereas if we could have come to God in the way that was first appointed us and could be cloathed with glory without being stript of our present cloathing by this terrible hand how familiarly should we then converse above How readily would our Thoughts run out to Christ meditation of that Glory would not be then so hard a work Our hearts would not be so backward to it as now they are 5. Faith is much hindered and Infidelity much advantaged by Death Look either to the state of soul or body and you will easily perceive the truth of this The state of a Soul incorporated we know by long experience what kind of apprehensions volitions and affections belong to a soul while it acteth in the Body we feel or understand But what manner of knowledg will or Love what Joy what sorrow belong to souls that are separated from the Bodies it is not possible for us now distinctly and formally to conceive And when men find themselves at a loss about the manner they are tempted to doubt of the thing it self The swarms of irreligious Infidels that have denied the Immortality and separated existence of the soul are too full a proof of this And good men have been haunted with this horrible temptation Had there been no death we had not been liable to this dangerous assault The opinion of the sleeping of the soul till the Resurrection is but a step to flat Infidelity and both of them hence receive their Life because a soul in flesh when it cannot conceive to its satisfaction of the being state or action of a separated soul is the easier drawn to question or deny it And in regard of the Body the difficulty and tryal is as great That a corps resolved into dust and perhaps first devoured by some other body and turned into its substance should be reunited to its soul and so become a glorified body is a point not easie for unsanctified nature to believe When Paul preached of the Resurrection to the learned Athenians some mocked and others turn'd off that Discourse Acts 17.32 It is no easier to believe the Resurrection of the Body then the Immortality or separated Existence of the Soul Most of the world even Heathens and Infidels do confess the later but few of them comparatively believe the former And if sin had not let in Death upon our Nature this perillous difficulty had been prevented Then we should not have bin puzzled with the thoughts of either a corrupted Body or a separated Soul 6. And consequently by all this already mentioned our Endeavors meet with a great impediment If Death weaken Faith Desire and Hope it must needs dull our Endeavors The deterred discouraged soul moves slowly in the way of life Whereas if Death were not in our way how chearfully should we run towards Heaven Our thoughts of it would be still sweet and these would be a powerfull Spring to action When the Will goes with full Sails the commanded faculty will the more easily follow We should long so earnestly to be in Heaven if Death were not in the way that nothing could easily stop us in our course How earnestly should we pray How seriously should we meditate and conser of Heaven and part with any thing to attain it But that whâ—ch dulls our Desires of the End must needs be an Enemy to holy Diligence and dull us in the use of means 7. This Enemy also doth dangerously tempt us to fall in love with present things and to take up the miserable Portion of the worldling when it hath weakened faith and cooled our desires to the life to come we shall be tempted to think that
snacht away and we are left in our temptations repining and murmuring at God as Jonah when his gourd was withered as if the Lord had destinated this world to be the dwelling of unfaithfull worthless men and envied us the presence of one eminent Saint one faithfull friend and one that as Moses when he had talkt with God hath a face that shineth with the reflected raies of the heavenly glory when indeâ—d it is because this world is unworthy of them Heb. 11.38 not knowing their worth nor how to use them nor how to make use of them for their good and because when they are ripe and mellow for eternity it is fit that God be served before us and that Heaven have the best and that be left on earth that is earthly Must Heaven be deprived of its inhabitants Must a Saint that is ripe be kept from Christ and so long kept from his inheritance from the company of Angels and the face of God and all lest we should be displeased and grudge at God for glorifying those whom he destinated to glory before the foundations of the world and whom he purchased and prepared for Glory Must there a place be empty and a voice be wanting in the Heavenly Chore lest we should miss our friends on earth Are we not hasting after them at the heels and do we not hope to live with them for ever and shall we grudge that they are gone a day or week or year before us O foolish unbelieving souls We mourn for them that are past mourning and lament for our friends that are gone to Rest when we are left our selves in a vexatious restless howling wilderness as if it were better to be here we mourn and weep for the souls that are triumphing in their Masters joy And yet we say we believe and hope and labour and wait for the same felicity â— Shall the happiness of our friends be our sorrow and lamentation O did we but see these blessed souls and where they are and what they are enjoying and what they are doing we should be ashamed to mourn thus for their change Do you think they would wish themselves again on earth or would they take it kindly of you if you could bring them down again into this world though it were to reign in wealth and honour O how would they disdain or abhorr the motion unless the commanding will of God did make it a part of their obedience And shall we grieve that they are not here when to be here would be their grief But thus our lives are filled with griefs Thus smiles and frowns desires and denyals hopes and frustrations endeavours and disappointments do make a quotidian ague of our lives The persons and the things we love do contribute to our sorrows as well as those we hate If our friends are bad or prove unkind they gall and grieve us while they live If they excell in holiness fidelity and suitableness the dart that kills them deeply woundeth us and the sweeter they were to us in their lives the bitterer to us is their death We cannot keep a mercy but sin is ready to take it from us or else to marr it and turn it into Vinegar and Gall. And doth not Death accidentally befriend us that puts an end to all these troubles and lands us safe on the Celestiall shore and puts us into the bosome of perpetual Rest where all is calm and the storms and billows that tost us here shall fear or trouble us no more And thus Death shall make us some recompence at last for the wrong it did us and the mortal blow shall hurt us less then did the dreadfull apparition of it in our fore-thoughts Let not our fears then exceed the cause Though we fear the pangs throws of travel let us withall remember that we shall presently rejoyce and all the holy Angels with us that a soul is born into the world of glory And Death shall gain us much more then it deprived us of DIRECTION X. THE last Direction that I shall give you to conquer the enmity of Death is this Give up your wills entirely to the will of God as knowing that his will is your beginning and your end your safety your felicity and rest in which you should gladly acquiesce When you think of Death remember who it is that sends it It is our Fathers messenger and is sent but to execute his will And can there be any thing in the will of God that his servants should inordinately fear Doubtless his Will is much safer and better for us then our own And if in generall it were offered to our choice Whether all particulars of our lives should be disposed of by Gods will or by ours common reason might teach us to desire to be rather in Gods hands then our own The fulfilling of his will is the care and business of our lives and therefore it should be a support and satisfaction to us at our death that it is but the fulfilling of his will His Justice and punishing will is good though selfishness maketh it ungratefull to the offender But his children that are dear to him and taste no evil but that which worketh for their good have no cause to quarrell at his will Whatsoever our surest dearest friends would have us take or do or suffer we are ready to submit to as being confident they will do nothing for our hurt if they do but know what is for our good And shall we not more boldly trust the will of God then of our dearest friend He knows what he hath to do with us and how he will dispose of us and whether he will bring us and his interest in us is more then ours in our selves and shall we then distrust him as if we had to do with an enemy or one that were evil and not with love and infinite goodness It is the will of God that must be the everlasting Rest the Heaven the pleasure of our souls And shall we now so fear it and fly from it as if it were our ruine Look which way you will through all the world your souls will never find repose nor satisfying quietness and content but in the will of God Let us therefore commit our souls to him as to a faithfull Creator and desire unfeignedly the fulfilling of his will and believe that there is no ground of confidence more firm Abraham may boldly trust his Son his only Son on the will of God And Christ himself when he was to drink the bitter Cup submitteth his own naturall love of life to his Fathers will saying Not my will but thine be done It is a most unworthy abuse of God that we could be quiet and rejoyce if our own wills or our dearest friends might dispose of our lives and yet are distressâ—d when they are at the dispose of the will God But perhaps you will say It is the error of my own will that hath procured my Death
not submit to any labour or toyl for a day that he might win a life of plenty and delight by it Who would not be spit upon and made the scorn of the world for a day if he might have his will for it as long as he liveth on earth And should we not then cheerfully submit to our momentany afflictions and the troubles of a few dayes which are light and mixt with a world of mercies when we know that they are working for us a far more exceeding eternall weight of glory 2 Cor. 4.17 Our clamorous and malicious enemies our quarlelsome brethren our peevish friends our burdensome corruptions and imperfections will shortly trouble us no more As our life is short and but a dream and shadow and therefore the pleasures of this world are no better so our troubles also will be no longer and are but sad dreams and dark shadows that quickly pass away Our Lord that hath begun and gone on so far will finish his victories and the last enemy shall shortly be destroyed And if the fearful doubting soul shall say I know this is comfort to them that are in Christ but what is it to me that know not whether I have any part in him I answer 1. The foundation of God still standeth sure the Lord knoweth his own even when some of them know not that they are his own He knoweth his mark upon his sheep when they know it not themselves God doubteth not of his interest in thee though thou doubt of thy interest in him And thou art faster in the arms of his Love then by the arms of thy own faith as the child is surer in the Mothers arms then by its holding of the Mother And moreover your doubts and fears are part of the evil that shall be removed and your bitterest sorrows that hence proceed shall with the rest of the enemies be destroyed 2. But yet take heed that you unthankfully plead not against the mercies which you have received and be not friends to those doubts and fears which are your enemies and that you take not part with the enemy of your comforts Why dost thou doubt poor humbled soul of thy interest in Christ that must make the conquest Answer me but these few Questions from thy heart 1. Did Christ ever shew himself unkind to thee or unwilling to receive thee and have mercy on thee Did he ever give thee cause to think so poorly of his Love and grace as thy doubts do intimate thou dost Hast thou not found him kind when thou wast unkind and that he thought on thee when thou didst not think on him and will he now forget thee and end in wrath that begun in Love He desired thee when thou didst not desire him and give thee all thy desires after him and will he now cross and deny the desires which he hath caused He was found of thee or rather found thee when thou soughtest not after him and can be reject thee now thou criest and callest for his grace O think not hardly of his wonderous grace till he give thee cause Let thy sweet experiences be remembred to the shame of thy causeless doubts and fears and let him that hath loved thee to the death be thought on as he is and not as the unbelieving flesh would misrepresent him Quest 2. If thou say that it is not his unkindness but thy own that feeds thy doubts I further ask thee Is he not kind to the unkind especially when they lament their own unkindness Thou art not so unkind to him as thou wast in thy unconverted state and yet he then exprest his Love in thy conversion He then sought thee when thou wentest astray and brought thee carefully home into his Fold and there he hath kept thee ever since And is he less kind now when thou art returned home Dost thou not know that all his children have their frowardness and are guilty of their unkindnesses to him And yet he doth not therefore disown them and turn them out of his family but is tender of them in their froward weakness because they are his own How dealt he with the peevish prophet Jonah that was exceedingly displeased and very angry that God spared Nineve lest it should be a dishonour to his Prophesie in so much that he wisht that he might die and not live and after repined at the withering of his gourd and the scorching of the Sun that beat upon him The Lord doth gently question with him Dost thou well to be angry and after hence convince him that the mercy which he valued to himself he should not envy to so many Jonah 4. How dealt he with the Disciples that fell asleep when they should have watcht with Christ in the night of his great agony He doth not tell them You are none of mine because you could not watch with me one hour but tenderly excuseth that which they durst not excuse themselves The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak When he was on the Cross though they all forsook him and fled he was then so far from forsaking them that he was manifesting to admiration that exceeding love that never would forsake them and knowest thou not poor complaining soul that the kindness of Christ overcometh all the unkindness of his children and that his blood and grace is sufficient to save thee from greater sins then those that trouble thee If thou hadst no sin what use hadst thou of a Saviour Will thy Physitian therefore cast thee off because thou art sick Quest 3. Yea hath not Christ already subdued so many of thy enemies as may assure thee he will subdue the rest and begun that life in thee which may assure thee of eternal life Once thou wast a despiser of God and his holy wayes but now it is far otherwise with thee Hath he not broken the heart of thy pride and worldliness and sensuality and made thee a new creature and is not this a pledge that he will do the rest Tell me plainly hadst thou rather keep thy sin or leave it Hadst thou rather have liberty to commit it or be delivered from it Dost thou not hate it and set thy self against it as thy enemy Art thou not delivered from the reign and tyranny of it which thou wast once under And will not he perfect the conquest which he hath begun He that hath thus far delivered thee from sin thy greatest enemy will deliver thee from all the sad effects of it The blessed work of the Spirit in thy Conversion did deliver thee from the bondage of the Devil from the power of darkness and translated thee into the Kingdom of Jesus Christ Then didst thou enter the holy warfare under his banners that was never overcome in the victorious Army that shall shortly begin their everlasting triumph The sin which thou hatest and longest to be delivered from and art willing to use Gods means against it is the conquered enemy which may assure thee
will he not have all his members with him Remember then Christian when thou lookest on thy grave that Christ was buried and hath made the grave a bed of rest that shall give up her trust when his Trumpet sounds And that his Resurrection is the pledge of ours Keep therefore thy rising and glorified Lord continually in the eye If Christ were not risen our preaching were vain and your faith were vain and all men were miserable but we most miserable that suffer so much for a life which we had no ground to hope for 1 Cor. 15.14 17 19. But now we have an Argument that infidelity it self is ashamed to encounter with that hath been the means of the conversion of the Nations unto Christ by which we may put even death it self to a defiance as knowing it is now a conquered thing If it could have held Christ captive it might also have held us But he being Risen we shall surely rise Write it therefore Christians upon your hearts mention it more in your conference for the encouragement of your faith Write it on the grave-stones of your friends that CHRIST IS RISEN and that BECAUSE HE LIVETH WE SHALL LIVE ALSO and that OUR LIFE IS HID WITH CHRIST IN GOD though we are dead and when he shall appear who is our Life we shall also appear with him in glory John 14.19 Col. 3.3 4. Though we must be sown in corruption in weakness and dishonour we shall be raised in incorruption strength and honour 1 Cor. 15.42 43. While our souls behold the Lord in glory we may bear with the winter that befalls our flesh till the spring of Resurrection come Knowing that he that raised up the Lord Jesus shall also raise us up by Jesus For which cause we faint not but though our outward man perish yet the inner man is renewed day by day while we look not at the things whic are seen but at the things which are not seen For the things which are seen are temporal but the things which are not seen are eternall 2 Cor 4.14 15 16 17 18. As we are risen with Christ to newness of life so well shall rise with him to glory Vse 10. LAstly if Death be the last enemy to be destroyed at the Resurrection we may learn hence how earnestly believers should long and pray for the second coming of Christ when this full and finall conquest shall be made Death shall do much for us but the Resurrection shall do more Death sends the separated soul to Christ but at his coming both soul and body shall be glorified There is somewhat in death that is penal even to believers but in the coming of Christ and their Resurrection there is nothing but glorifying grace Death is the effect of sin and of the first sentence passed upon sinners but the Resurrection of the just is the finall destruction of the effects of sin And therefore though the fears of Death may perplex us me thinks we should long for the coming of Christ there being nothing in that but what tends to the deliverance and glory of the Saints Whether he will come before the general Resurrection and reign on earth a thousand years which some expect I shall not presume to pass my determination But sure I am it is the work of faith and Character of his people to love his appearance 2 Tim. 4.8 and to wait for the Son of God from Heaven whom be raised from the dead even Jesus who delivered us from the wrath to come 1 Thes 1.10 and to wait for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ 1 Cor. 1.7 and tâ— wait for the adoption the redemption of our bodies with inward grâ—anings Rom. 8.23 O therefore let us pray more earnestly for the coming of our Lord and that the Lord would direct our hearts into the love of God and into the patient waiting for Christ 2 Thes 3.5 O blessed day when the glorious appearing of our Lord shall put away all his servants shame and shall communicate Glory to his members even to the bodies that had lain so long in dust that to the eye of flesh there seemed to be no hope Though the Majesty and glory will cause our Reverence yet it will not be our terror to the diminution of our joy It is his enemies that would not have him rule over them whom he cometh to destroy Luke 19.27 Behold the Lord cometh with ten thousand of his Saints to execute judgement upon all and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him as Henoch the seventh from Noah prophesied Jud. 14.15 But the precious faith of the Saints shall be found to praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ 1 Pet. 1.7 When the chief Shepherd shall appear we shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth â—ot away 1. Pet. 5.4 He that was once â—ffered to bear the sins of many and nâ—w appeareth for us in the presence of God shall unto them that look for him appear the second time without sin to salvation Heb. 9.24 28. And when Christ who is our life shall appear then shall we also appear with him in glory Col. 3.4 The Lord shall then come to be glorified in his Saints and admired in all them that believe in that day 2 Thes 1.10 This is the day that all believers should long and hope and wait for as being the accomplishment of all the work of their redemption and all the desires and endeavours of their souls It is the hope of this day that animateth the holy diligence of our lives and makes us turn from the carelesness and sensuality of the world For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared unto all men teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts we should live soberly righteously and godly in this present world looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of our great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ Tit. 2.11 12 13. The heavens and the earth that are now are kept in store by the word of God reserved unto fire against the day of judgement and perdition of ungodly men And though the Lord seem to delay he is not slack of his promise as some men count slackness for a day is with him as a thousand years and a thousand years but aâ— a day But the day of the Lord will come as a Thief in the night in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise and the elements shall melt wth fervent heat the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burnt up Seeing then all these things shall be dissâ—lved what manner of persons ought we to be in all holy conversation and godliness looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved and the elements melt with
fervent heat But we according to his promise look for new heavens and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness 2 Pet. 3.7 8 9 10 11 12 13. Beza marvelleth at Tertulliaâ— for saying that the Christians in their holy assemblies prayed pro mora finis Apologet. c. 39. And so he might well enough if it were not that to Christians the Glory of God is dearer then their own felicity and the salvation of millions more precious then the meer hastening of their own and the glory of the Church more desirable then our personall glory and the hallowing of Gods name were not to be prayed for before the coming of his Kingdom and the Kingdom of grace must not necessarily go before the Kingdom of glory But as much as we long for the coming of our Lord we are content to wait till the Elect be gathered and can pray that he will delay it till the Universal Body be made up and all are called that shall be glorified But to our selves that are brought out of Aegypt into the Wilderness how desirable is the promised Land When we think on our own interest we cry Come Lord Jesus Come quickly The sooner the better Then shall our eyes behold him in whom we have believed Not as he was beheld on earth in his despised state but as the glorious King of Saints accompanied with the Celestial Host coming in flaming fire to render vengeance to the rebellious and Rest and Joy to believing souls that waited for this day of his appearance Then faith and patience shall give up their work and sight and fruition and perfect love shall everlastingly succeed them The rage of persecutors shall no more affright us the folly of the multitude shall no more annoy us the falseness of our seeming selfish friends shall no more betray us the pride of self-conceited men shall no more distuâ—b us the turbulency of men distracted by ambition shall cast us no more into confusions The Kingdom that we shall possess shall not be lyable to mutations nor be tossed with pride and faction as are these below There is no monethly or annual change of Governours and Laws as is in Lunatick Common-wealths but there will be the same Lord and King and the same Laws and Government and the same Subjects and obedience without any mutinies rebellions or discontents to all eternity The Church of which we shall then be members shall not be divided into parties and factions nor the members look strangely at each other because of difference of opinions or distance of affections as now we find it to our daily grief in the militant Church We shall then need no tedious debates to reconcile us Unity will be then quickly and easily procured There will be no falling out in the presence of our Lord. There will be none of that darkness uncharitableness selfishness or passion left that now causeth our dissentions When we have perfect Light and perfect Love the perfect Peace will be easily attained which here we labour for in vain Now there is no peace in Church or State in Cities or Countreys in families or scarce in our own souls But when the glorious King of peace hath put all his enemies under his feet what then is left to make disturbance Our enemies can injure us no more for it is then their portion to suffer for all their former injuries to Christ and us Our friends will not injure us as here they do because their corruption and weakness is put off and the relicts of sin that caused the trouble are left behind O that is the sight that saith prepareth for that is the day the blessed day that all our dayes are spent in seeking and waiting and praying for then shall the glory of holiness appear and the wisdom of the Saints be justified by all that now is justified by her childreâ— Then it shall be known Whether faith or unbelief whether a heavenly or earthly mind and life was the wiser and more justifiable course then shall all the world discern between the righteous and the wicked between them that serve God and them that serve him not Mal. 3.18 Then sin that is now so obstinately defended and justified by such foolish cuâ—ning shall never more find a tongue to plead for it or a Patron to defend it more Then where is the man that will stand forth and break a jest at godliness or make a scorn of the holy diligence of believers How pale then will those faces look that here were wont to jear at piety What terror will seize upon those hearts that here were wont to make themselves sport at the weaknesses of the upright servants of the Lord That is tâ—â— day that shall rectifie all judgements and cure the errors and contemptuous thoughts of an holy life which no perswasions now can cure that is the day that shall set all straight that now seems crooked and shall satisfie us to the full that God was just even when he prospered his enemies and afflicted the souls that loved him and walkt in their integrity before him We shall then see that which shall fully satisfie us of the reason and equity of all our sufferings which here we underwent we shall marvail no more that God lets us weep and groan and pray and turns away his face and seems not to regard us We shall then find that all our groans were heard all our tears and prayers did succeed which we suspectâ—d had been lost We shall then find that a duty performed in sincerity through all our lives was never lost no nor a holy thought nor a Cup of cold water that from holy love we gave to a Disciple We shall then see that our murmurings and discontents and jealous unbelieving thoughts of God which sickness or poverty or crosses did occasion were all injurious to the Lord and the fruit of infirmity and that when we questioned his Love on such accounts we knew not what we said We shall then see that Death and grave and Devils were all but matter for the glorifying of grace and for the triumph of our Lord and us Up then my soul and shake off thy unbelief and dulness Look up and long and meet thy Lord. The more thou art afraid of death the more desire that blessed day when mortality shall be swallowed up of life and the name of death shall be terrible no more Though death be thy enemy there is nothing but friendly in the coming of thy Lord. Though death dissolve thy nature the Resurrection shall restore it and make thee full reparation with advantage How glad would I have been to have seen Christ but with the Wise Men in the Manger or to have seen him disputing with the Doctors in his Child-hood in the Temple or to have seen him do his Miracles or heard him Preach much more to have seen him as the three Disciples in his transfiguration or to have seen him after his resurrection and when he ascended
up to heaven But how far is all this below the sight that we shall have of him when he comes in glory when the brightness of his shining face shall make us think the Sun was darkness and the glory of his attendance shall make us think what a sordid thing and childish foolery was all the glory of this world The face of Love shall be then unvailed and ravish us into the highest Love and Joy that our natures are capable of Then doubt and fear and grieve if thou canst What then wilt thou think of all these disquieting distrustfull thoughts that now so wrong thy Lord and thee If going into the Sanctuary and fore-seeing the end can cure our brutish misapprehensions of Gods providences Psal 73.17 how perfectly will they be cured when we see the glorious face oâ— Christ and behold the New Jerusalem in its glory and when we are numbred with the Saints that judge the world We shall never more be tempted then to condemn the generation of the just nor to think it vain to serve the Lord nor to envy the prosperity of the wicked nor to staggâ—r at the promise through unbelief nor to think that our sickness death and grave were any signs of unkindness or unmercifulness in God We shall then be convinced that sight and flesh were unfit to censure the wayes of God or to be our guides Hasten O Lord this blessed day Stay not till Faith have left the earth and infidelity and impiety and tyranny have conquered the rest of thine inheritancâ— Stay not till selfish uncharitable pride hath vanquished love and self-denyal and planted its Colonies of Heresie confusion and cruelty in thy dominions and Earth and Hell be turned into one Stay not till the eyes of thy servants fail and their hearts and hopes do faint and languish with lookâ—ng and waiting for thy salvation But if yet the day be not at hand O keep up Faith and Hope and Love till the Sun of perfect Love arise and Time hath prepared us for Eternity and Grace for Glory FINIS Some imitable passages of the life of Elizabeth late Wife of Mr. Joseph Baker THough I spoke so little as was next to nâ—thing of our deâ—r deceased friend it was not because I wâ—nted maâ—ter or thought it unmeet But I use it but seldom lest I raise expectations of the like where I cannot conscionably perform it But he that hath promised to honour those that serve and honour him John 12.26 1 Sam. 2.30 and will come at lâ—st to be glorified in his Saints and admired in all them that do believe 2 Thes 1.10 I know will take it as a great and acceptable act of service to proclaim the honour of his grace and to give his servants their due on earth whose souls are glorified with Christ in heaven though Serpentine enmity will repine and play the envious accuser It is not the history of the Life of this precious servant of the Lord which I intend to give you for I was not mâ—ny years acquainted with her but only some passages which either upon my certain knowledge or her own Diurnall of her course or the most credible rest imony of her most intimate judicious godly friends I may boldly publish as true and imitable in this untoward distempered generation She was born Novemb. 1634. in Southwark neer London the only child of Mr. John Godeschalk alias Godscall Her Father dying in her Child-hood she was left an Orphane to the Chamber of London Her Mother after married Mr. Isaac Barton with whom she had the benefit of Religious Education But between sixteen and seventeen years of age by the serious reading of the Book called The Saints Everlasting Rest she was more throughly awakened and brought to set her heart oâ— God and to seek salvation with her chiefest care From that time forward she was a more constâ—nt diligent serious hearer of the ablest Ministâ—rs in London rising early and going far to hear them on the Week-dayes waiting on God for his confirming grace in the use of those Ordinanees which empty unexperienced hypocrites are easily tempted to despise The Sermons which she constantly wrote she diligently repeated at home for the benefit of others and every week read over some of those that she had heard long before that the fruit of them might be retained and renewed it being not novelty that she minded In the year 1654. being near one and twenty years of age after seeking God and waiting for his resolving satisfying directions she consented to be joyned in marriage to Mr. Joseph Baker by the approbation of her nearest friends God having taken away her Mother the year before With him she approved her self indeed such a Wife as Paul no Papist describeth as meet for a Bishop or Pastor of the Church 1 Tim. 3.11 Even so must their Wives be grave not slanderers sober faithfull in all things Some instances I shall give for the imitation of others 1. She was very Exemplary in self-denyal and humility And having said this much what abundance have I comprehended O what a beauty doth self-denyal and humility put on souls Nay what a treasure of everlasting consequence do these two words express I shall give you a few of the discoveries 1. It appeared in her accompanying in London with the holiest how mean soever avoiding them that were proud and vain and carnal She desired most to be acquainted with those that she perceived were best acquainted with God neglecting the pomp and vain glory of the world 2. When she was called to a married state though her portion and other advantages invited persons of greater estates in the world she chose rather to marry a Minister of known integrity that might be a near and constant guide and stay and comfort to her in the matters which she valued more then riches And she missed not of her expectations for the few years that she lived with him Even in this age wheâ— the Serpent is hissing in every corner at faithfull Ministers and they are contemned both by Prophane and Hereticall Malignants she preferred a mean life with such â— one for her spirituall safety and solace before the Grandeur of the world 3. When some inhabitants of the City of Worcester were earnest with me to help them to an able Minister Mr. Baker then living in Kent had about an hundred pound per annum and when at my motion he was readily willing to take a great charge in Worcester upon a promise from two men to make the maintenance fifty pounds a year by a voluntary Contribution of the continuance of which he had no security his Wife was a promoter and no discourager of his self-denyall and never tempteâ— him to lâ—â—k after greater things And afterward when I was afraid lest the smalness and uncertainty of the means together with his discourâ—gements from some of his people might have occasioned his remove and have heard of richer places mentioned to him as he
particulars 1. Of the frame of her heart in every dayes duty in Meditation Prayer Hearing Reading c. whether lively or dull c. 2. Of those sins which she hâ—d especially to repent of and watch against 3. Of hâ—r Resolutions and Promises and how she kept them 4. Of all special Providences to her self Husband Brothers and others and the improvement of them As at the death of her Son who died with great sighs and groans she recorded her sense of the speciall necâ—ssity of holy armour and great preparation for that encounter when her turn should come to be so removed to the everlasting habitation 5. Of her returns of prayer what answers and grant of them she found 6. Of the state of her soul upon examination how she found it and what was the issue of each examination and in this it seems she was very exact and punctual In which though many times fears and doubtings did arise yet hath she frequent records of the discovery of evidences and comfortable assurance of sincerity Sometime when she hath heard Sermons in London that helped her in her search and sometime when she â—ad been reading writings that tended that way she recordeth what evidences she found and in what degree the discovery was If imperfect resolving to take it up and follow the search further And if she had much joy she received it with jealousie and expectation of some humbling consequent When any grace languished she presently turned to some apt remedy Aâ— for instance it s one of her Notes Novemb. 1658. I found thoughts of Eternity slight and strange and ordinary imployments very desirable at which I read Mr. Bs. Crucifixion and was awakened to Mortification and Humiliation c. The last time that she had opportunity for this work was two or tâ—ree dayes before her delivery in Child-bearing where she finally recorded the apprehensions she had both of her bodily and spiritual State in these words Drawing near the time of my delivery I am faln into such weakness that my life is in great hazzard I find some fears of death but not very great hoping through grace I die in the Lord. I only mention these hints to shew the Method she used in her daily Accounts To those Christians that have full leisure this course is good But I urge iâ— not all upon those that have so great dutieâ— to tâ—ke up that time that they cannot spare so mucâ— to record their ordinary passages Such must remember what others record and daily renew reâ—entance for their daily failings and record only the extraordinary observable and more remarkable and memorable passages of their lives lest they lose time from works of greater moment But this excâ—llent work of Watchfulness must be performed by all And I think it was a considerable expression of her true wisdom and care of her immortal soul that when any extraordinary necessity required it and she found such doubts as of her self she was not â—ble to deal with she would go to some able experienced Minister to open her case and seek assistance as she did more then onâ—e to my dear and ancient friend Mr. Cross who in a full age is since gone after her to Christ And therefore chose a Minister in Marriage that he might be a ready assistant in such cases of necessity as well as a continual help At last came that death to summon her soul away to Christ for which she had so seriously been preparing and which she oft called a dark entry to her Fathers Palace After the death of her children when she seemed to be some what repaired after her last delivery a violent Convulsion suddenly surprized her which in a few dayes brought her to her end Her understanding by the fits being at last debilitated she finding it somewhat hard to speak sensibly excused it and said I shall ere long speak another language Which were the last words which she spake with a tongue of flesh and lying speechless eighteen hours after she departed August 17. 1659. Blessed are the dead that die in the Lord from henceforth yea saith the spirit that they may rest from their labours and their works do follow them Our turn is coming Shortly we shall also lay by flesh this is our day of preparation There is no preparing time but this Did men but know the difference between the death of the holy and the unholy which doth not appear to fleshly eyes how speedily would they turn how seriously would they meditate how fervently would they pray how carefully would they live how constantly painfully and resolvedly wâ—uld they labour Did they well consider the difference between dying prepared and unprepared and of what difficulty and yet everlasting consequence it is to die well O then what manner of persons would men be in all manner of holy conversation and godliness and all their lives would then be a continued preparation for death as all their life is a hasting towards it And now I shall only desire you for the right understanding of all that I have here said and to prevent the cavils of blinded malice to observe these three or four pâ—rticulars 1. That though I knew so much â—f her as easily maketh me believe the rest upon so sure a testimony and saw her Diary yet the most of this History of her life is the collection and observation of such faithfull witness as had much better opportunity then I to know thâ— secrets of her soul and life 2. That it is no wonder if many that knew her perceived not all this by her that is here expressed For that knowledge of our outward carriage at a distance will not tell our Neighbours what we do in our Closets where God hath commanded us to shut our door upon us that our Father which seeth in secret may reward us openly And many of the most humble and sincere servants of the Lord are so afraid of hypocrisie and hate ostentation that their Justification and Glory is only to be expected from the searcher of hearts and a few of their more intimate acquaintance Though this was not the case before us the example described being more conspicuous 3. That I overpass the large expressions of her charity which you may hear from the poor and her intimate acquaintance as I have done that I may not grate upon the modesty of her surviving friends who must participate in the commendations 4. That it is the benefit of the living that is my principall end Scripture it self is written much in History that we may have matter of imitation before our eyes 5. If any say that here is no mâ—ntion of her faults I answer Though I had acquaintance with her I knew them not nor ever heard from any other so mâ—ch as might enable me to accuse her if I were her enemy Yet I doubt not but she was imperfect and had faults though unknown to me The example of holiâ—ess I have briefly proposed They that