Inquiry for a Suitable Return for Continued Life In and After Time of Plague, Title page – To the reader
הוהיל בישא המ OR, A Serious Enquiry For a SUITABLE RETURN, FOR Continued LIFE, in and after a Time of Great Mortality, BY A WASTING PLAGUE: (ANNO 1665.)
Anſwered in XIII. DIRECTIONS.
By THO. DOOLITEL.
Pſal. 116.8.
For thou haſt delivered my ſoul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling.
9.
I will walk before the Lord in the Land of the living.
14.
I will pay my vows unto the Lord now in the preſence of all his people.
Iſaiah 38.18.
For the Grave cannot praiſe thee, Death cannot celebrate thee; they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy Truth.
19.
The living, the living, he ſhal praiſe thee, as I do this day, &c.
London, Printed by R. I. for … Johnſon, and are to be ſold by A. Brew…er, at the Threee Bibles at the weſt end of St. Pauls, and R. Boul…er at the Turks-head in Cornhill, 1666.
To ſuch whom the Lord hath kept alive in the time of ſo great Death by the Plague in the Land, eſpecially in the City of London.
THe deſign of theſe lines, is neither to commend the Author, nor the Book, which in theſe few following ſheets is preſented to your view; the former being as needleſs to them that know his Perſon, as the later to them that read his Directions; but I would commend the Subject (being ſo ſeaſonable) to your peruſal, and the Duties (being ſo neceſſary) to your Practice. It was the ſaying of a Learned Divine, who had the honour of being made a Priſoner, as well as Miniſter of the Lord, That it was great pitty there were no more Priſoners of Jeſus Chriſt, to write ſongs of his love: I will not ſay I could wiſh that more of our Citizens had in this late Dreadful Plague, remained in this, then Doleful place, which to the Countries ſeemed more formidable than a Priſon; but I believe that many of you whoſe Calling and Duty did tye your hands and feet, and ſhut you up in the City, have found ſuch ſweet experiences of the goodneſs and love of God, that they will be recorded; And —65. will be remembred by you with thankefulneſs ſo long as you live.
You have ſeen the Deſtroying Angel entering the City, and Death riding upon the Pale Horſe Triumphant in the ſtreets, Arrows flying, the ſword bathed, Garments rouling in blood, and this grim Conqueror breaking in upon Houſes without reſiſtance, taking Captive, Men, Women and Children, and clapping them up in the Priſon of the Grave, where they muſt remain faſt bound in his chains of darkeneſs, untill the opening of the doors, by him who hath the keys of the Grave, who having Conquered Death himſelf, will at his appearance looſen the Bonds of all Deaths priſoners, that they may ſtand before his Judgement Seat, to receive their Final Dooms. In the midſt of which ſlaughter and Captivity, the Captain of your Salvation hath ſtood by you, held his ſhield over you; ſet his mark upon you, and given you ſingular experience of his Power and Goodneſs in your preſervation. You have been in a ſtorm, God hath ſhown you his wonders in the Deep, and when ſo many Ships have been caſt away before your eyes, and ſo many Perſons have been devoured by the cruel Waters, and your ſelves inviron'd with waves on every ſide, yet the Lord hath kept you alive, like Jonah in the Belly of the Sea, or made a way for you to paſs through, when ſo many not onelyonly Egyptians, but Iſraelites have been drowned; you have been in the water, but the Lord hath been an Arke about you: You have been in the fire like the three Children, but the Son of God hath walked with you, and ſuppreſſed the violence of the fire, that it hath not prevailed over you; you have been like the Buſh which Moſes ſaw burning, but was not burn't, becauſe God was in it. And when you look back upon thoſe dark days, and black Bills of Mortality, where you have had account of ſo many thouſands dying for ſo many weeks together: Do you not wonder at your ſtrange eſcape? Do you not look upon your ſelves, as Brands pluckt out of the fire? And muſt you not acknowledge it is the Lords mercy you are not conſumed? You who have continued in the City in the time of the Plague, when ſuch throngs of people have been crouding out of this world daily into another, have had ſingular advantages of looking into and preparing for Eternity, which few think of with fixed ſeriouſneſs, till they be awakened by ſome dangerous ſickneſs, whereby withal they are uſually ſo weakened in body and ſpirit, that they are rendred unfit for ſuch cogitations; but to be in ſuch danger, whilſt in ſo good health, and in ſuch Leaſure from encumbring employments, I doubt not but it hath effectually moved many of you to ſoar a loft in your thoughts and Meditations, that you might take a view of the other Country, which the Scripture doth ſet forth, of the City which hath foundations, whoſe builder and Maker is God. I believe the wicked have had dreadful apprehenſions of the burning lake, of the Ocean of Gods wrath, which every day they were ready to launch forth into, and that however ſome have been hardened, and are as bad, yea worſe than before; yet I hope others have been ſo awakened with this dreadful Providence, that they have been effectually perſwaded to Repentance and Faith in Chriſt, who alone can deliver from the wrath which is to come; I believe that others have had deeper impreſſions of Eternity upon them, than ever they had in their lives, which the borders thereof, on which they have been walking have given them ſo near & frequent a proſpect of; and I doubt not but all of you have made vows and promiſes to the Lord of a Holy converſation, of leaving thoſe ſins your conſcience at that time upbraided you withal, and dedicating your lives to the Lord, if he would be pleaſed to ſpare your lives: Take heed of dropping aſleep again after you have been awakned; of returning again unto ſin after it hath been imbittered; of forgetting or abuſing Gods mercy after ſuch a wonderful preſervation; retain the ſame thoughts of ſins evil and the worlds vanity, of the worth of true Grace and Chriſts beauty; retain the impreſſions you had of Eternity, when you were ſo near it in your apprehenſions; hath God laid obligations upon you by his preſervations and deliverances? And have you laid obligations upon your ſelves by your purpoſes and reſolutions. Labor then to live up to your obligations, and if you be at a loſs, what return to make to the Lord: You have by his Providence this little Book put into your hands to give you directions; receive them not as the bare counſel of man, but (ſo far as backt by the Scripture) as the Preſcriptions of God, as if the Lord ſhould ſpeak to you from Heaven, and ſay, This is my will, theſe are your duties, and ſee that you perform them: Hereby you will both pleaſe the Lord, and rejoyce the heart of the Author, and him who is
Your ſervant in the Lord Thomas Vincent.