Inquiry for a Suitable Return for Continued Life In and After Time of Plague, Part 9 – Part 11
DIRECTION IX.
Since you live after this Plague, keep upon your heart a ſenſe of this Mercy.HAth God ſpared you in time of ſo great Contagion; Then keep upon your heart a conſtant ſenſe of Gods diſtinguiſhing Providence, in his preſervation of you. Let not length of time (if God give it you) wear off the greatneſs of this his Mercy towards you; if you forget Gods goodneſs, you will not walk worthy of it: This was the ſin of the People of Iſrael, for whom God did ſuch great things, Pſal. 78.10. They kept not the Covenant of God: and refuſed to walk in his Law. Verſ. 11. And forgot his Works, and his Wonders that he had ſhewed them. Pſal. 106.21. They forgot God their Saviour, which had done great things in Egypt. God hath done great wonders for you, in preſerving of you in the valley of the ſhadow of death: God hath not given you over unto death; God hath not laid you in the Grave, where you would ſoon have been forgotten: do not you lay Gods Mercy, towards you, in the grave of oblivion; nor bury his mercy (of ſaving you alive) in forgetfulneſs: David laid a charge upon his Soul, that he ſhould not forget the benefits of the Lord towards him, Pſal. 103.2.
Set down therefore, and Record your danger, what it was; Such a MonethMonth in ſuch a Year the Plague was nigh my dwelling; it came into my houſe, it took away ſo many of my Children and Servants, but God ſpared me: he took away the Wife, the Husband of my boſome, but God ſpared me; yea, it was upon my Body, ſo many Plague-Sores were running at once, and God delivered me from the Grave, and from the very jawes of death: and, will you forget this while you live?
That you may have, and keep a ſenſe of Gods mercy to you, in preſerving of you, conſider theſe few particulars.
1. Helpes to be ſenſible of the Mercy of life.Conſider you had deſerved the Plague, and death by the Plague, as well as thoſe that have fallen into their Graves thereby (and it may be more too) do not think that thoſe that have died were greater ſinners than you, Luke 13.2. And Jeſus anſwered and ſaid unto them, ſuppoſe ye that theſe Galileans were ſinners above all the Galileans, becauſe they ſuffered ſuch things. Verſ. 3. I tell you, nay, but except you repent, ye ſhall all likewiſe periſh. Verſ. 4. Or, thoſe eighteen, upon whom the Tower of Siloam fell and ſlew them; think ye that they were ſinners above all Men that dwelt in Jeruſalem, Verſ. 5. I tell you, nay, but extept ye repent, ye ſhall all likewiſe periſh: Do you think, that thoſe, whom the Plague hath ſlaughtered, that they were greater ſinners then all that dwelt in London? Take heed of ſuch conceptions: Or, if many have fallen in this judgment, that were of worſer Lives than you; yet, none have f…llen that had worſer Hearts than you naturally h…ve: Nay, have not your ſins been capable of greater …ggravations than the ſins of many D…unkards, and Swearers, and prophane Pe…ſons, that did never ſin againſt a God that pardoned their ſins; that did never ſin againſt ſuch love ▪ nor after ſuch experiences of the working of Gods Spirit upon their hear…s as you have had? Nay, conſider, that you are not likely …o do God that ſervice, nor bring to God that Glory, that ſome of them might have done, that are now in their Gr…ves, if God had ſpared them; and yet God hath lengthened out your life: Oh, what an Obligation ſhould this be to you to remember Gods Mercy, that you had Plague-deſerving-ſins, but yet you had not the Plague! that you have death-deſerving-ſins, and yet you are not dead!
2. Conſider you had a Body as liable to Infection as many others had; There were ſuch natural cauſes in your Body, that might have laid you in your Grave, if God had not prevented it: and, did not you ſuck in the ſame Aire as others did, yea, as others breathed out, and yet God hath kept you?
3. Conſider you had no better Preſervatives, nor Cordials, then many others had, that yet by the Plague are laid ſilent in the Grave, and are now reſting in the duſt; and others, that now are dead, uſed the ſame meanes as you did, and it may be more, and better too, and yet God denyed his bleſsing to the uſe of thoſe meanes that were more probable to prevent Infection then yours were; by this you may be convinced, that it was the hand of God that hath preſerved you: and therefore by this, you ſhould be obliged to remember, and keep upon your heart a ſenſe of Gods mercy towards you.
4. Conſider you have been in more viſible danger; and, when you were called, did venture further then many others did: ſome were more reſerved, and kept from Company more than you have done; being called to Duty, where Viſited Perſons have been, as to help them that were ſick of this Diſtemper, &c. and yet ſome that lived more retiredly, and kept themſelves more cloſe, were Viſited, and are dead, and yet you have eſcaped, this is the finger of Divine Providence, and will you let the ſenſe of this weare off from your heart?
5. Conſider that you have been more weakly, and more infirme of Body then many of them that the Plague hath removed: Many that were more likely to out-live you, are cut down before you: Many that were ſtrong, and of healthful conſtitutions, are laid in the Duſt; while you, (that have been waiting for your diſſolution many Moneths, or Years, becauſe of the infirmity of your Body, and the frequent diſtempers that have been upon you) are preſerved.
6. Conſider how great a Mercy your praſervation is, not onelyonly to your ſelf, but to thoſe to whom you are related; You have many little Children, that are not able to help themſelves, nor to provide for themſelves; that in all likelihood would have been expoſed to hardſhips and to want, if God had taken you from them: They are ſharers in this Mercy of your Preſervation; and, the more are concerned in it, the greater the Mercy is; and, the deeper and more laſting ſenſe it ſhould make upon your heart: The thoughts of your Children did increaſe your feares and trouble, when you were in danger; and, ſhould not the conſideration of this, advance the greatneſs of the Mercy, of being continued to them.
DIRECTION X.
If you have fewer objects of love left you, love God ſo much the more.HAth God ſpared you in time of Peſtilence; when he hath taken away many of your own Relations, then, the fewer objects you have for your love now, the ſtronger let your love be towards God then it was before: In ſte…d of murmuring againſt God, that you have loſt thoſe whom you did love; the greater let your love be to God, ſince you h…ve not ſo many for to love. Love l…id out upon many objects, is the weaker; bu…, love united, and ſpent upon one object, is t…e ſtronger: As thoſe, that have but one only Son, love that more, then thoſe that have more do love any; becauſe their love is divided amongſt them all: It may be God had too little of your love, and it was …n offence, and griefe unto your God, that the Crea…ure ſhould have that love which w…s due unto himſelf; and therefore he hath cut off the S…re…es, that you may get nearer to the Fountain. Thy Relation had more of thy affection then came unto his ſhare; and therefore, in ſtead of Murmuring, be more in loving of thy God; and this will be to live anſwerably to Gods Correcting, and Afflicting of thee, in the loſs of thy Relation, and to his Mercy in ſparing of thy ſelf: And, look what Relation it is that is taken from thee▪ while thou ſurviveſt; and get clearer evidences that God will be in ſtead of that Relation to thee, and be better to thee than that was: Haſt thou thy Husband removed by this Contagious Diſeaſe, now make out more to God, that he would be an Husband to thee? Haſt thou loſt thy Children, or thy onelyonly Son; ſee more diligently, that God hath beſtowed his onelyonly Son upon thee, and this will much ſatisfie, and quiet thy heart? Hath God done thee any wrong, if he hath taken thy onelyonly Son from thee, and hath given his onelyonly Son to thee. Thus, ſince you did ſurvive others that are taken from you, improve your Affliction, and your Mercy, in being advantaged in Spirituals; and, this will be to live in ſome meaſure anſwerably to Gods dealing with you.
DIRECTION XI.
Since you live, remember what were the actings of conſcience in time of danger, and live accordingly.HAth God ſpared thee in time of Plague, then ſee what it was that thy Conſcience did moſt accuſe thee, or commend thee for, when the Plague was nigh thy dwelling, or thou waſt in fear and danger, and order thy life accordingly: What ſin was it that thy Conſcience did reproach thee for, in a time of danger, and in feares of death? whether of omiſſion or commiſſion; publick or ſecret; of what nature ſoever it was: and let it be the deſign of thy heart, in the courſe of thy life, to mortifie that ſin, and keep it under; that thou carefully avoid the occaſions thereof: that, when death ſhall certainly come, and conſcience ſhall have no more occaſion, or juſt ground to reproach thee, thou mayeſt ſee, that God in mercy did prolong thy dayes, till thou hadſt got the victory over, and the pardon, and the evidence of the pardon of that ſin. What was it in thy feares, and when thou waſt in expectation of death, that Conſcience did approve in thee? it did then approve thy diligence in thy Family, go on in this ſtill; it did approve of thy ſtrickt and holy walking with God, go on in that which was good, and thy rightly inlightned Conſcience did commend in thee; and, this will be to live in ſome meaſure anſwerably to ſo great a mercy, as is Gods preſerving of you in a time of ſuch a waſting Plague.