A Spiritual Antidote Against Sinful Contagion, Title page – Table of contents
A SPIRITUAL Antidote AGAINST SINFUL CONTAGION In Dying Times.
A CORDIAL for BELIEVERS In Dying Times.
WITH A CORROSIVE FOR Wicked men in Dying Times.
At first Written as a LETTER to Private Friends in Daily expectation of Death by the PLAGUE, and afterwards Printed for more Publick good.
LONDON: Printed in the Year of Visitation. 1665.
THE CONTENTS.
THe Introduction. Page 1
Duty I.
Self-Examination. 5
Shewing How we must examine our selves ibid.
Why we must examine our selves 7
About what we must examine our selves, viz. About
Sin
Grace
Duty
8
Sin in general, where three signs of true hatred ibid.
Particular
1. Our own special sin
2. Secret sin
9, 10
Grace, viz.
Faith
Love
Obedience
10, 11
Duty, viz.
Principle Page 12
Manner in six particulars ibid.
End fivefold 13
DUTY II.
Assurance, particularly about the pardon of sin. 14
Containing ten serious Questions to such as know not the pardon of their sin 15
Shewing how to get the sight of pardon; where seven Marks of a Pardoned sinner 18
Shewing Five Reasons, why God long withholds the Evidence of Pardon 20
Duty III.
Victory over the Fears of Death 22
Shewing the Aggravations of the slavish fears of Death, Arguing
1. Great Folly in four
2. Great Weakness in two
Great Wickedness in three
particulars 22, 23
Containing the first remedy against the fear of Death 24
Containing the Second and third cure 24, 25
Containing the fourth remedy, where
Ten things we shall not be freed from
Five things we shall never have
till we die. ibid.
Containing the fifth remedy; where seven ways Christs death cares our fears of death 27
The sixth remedy, where
1. The seeming Excellencies of this World are diminished in four
2. The real Inconveniencies illustrated in five
particulars. Page 30
The seventh remedy, where three Resemblances of Death.
1. Sleep, where seven properties of our Bodies when they shall awake at the Resurrection
2. Rest, from three things
3. Exodus, or departing
33, 34
The eighth remedy ibid.
Duty IV.
Fervent secret Prayer, where Ten Arguments to quicken us in Prayer 36
Duty V.
Zeal for God and Mens Souls, where five Arguments to press us after the endeavors of the Salvation of other Mens Souls 41, 42
Duty VI.
Study the Word of God, where six properties of the Promises, where Fourteen select promises for so many sad cases 43, 44
Duty VII.
Sence of Gods judgments, where particularly of the Plague in four respects 51
Duty VIII.
Weigh Gods distinguishing Mercies, To Body, to Soul in eight particulars 52
Duty IX.
Study much the evil of sin, our own, and others 54
Duty X.
Improve Afflictions, where eight signs of sanctified Afflictions Page 55
Duty XI.
Submission to the Will of God in Afflictions.
1. Arguments from God five
2. From our selves two
3. From Afflictions themselves five
57, 58, 59
Duty XII.
Sympathize with others, six Arguments thereto 60, 61
Duty XIII.
Sit loose to the World. Ten Aggravations of love to the World. Seven Demonstrations that spiritual things are best 62, 66
Duty XIV.
Leave your Relations with God: Five helps so to do 68
Duty XV.
Redeem time: Seven Arguments so to do 69, 70
Duty XVI.
Look for the coming of Christ: How Christ will come, in five particulars 71
Terrible to the wicked in eight things, comfortable to the godly in six particulars 73, 77
Duty XVII.
Meditate of the life to come, where
1. Six things we shall be freed from in Heaven 80
2. Three Properties of our enjoyment of God
ibid.
Duty XVIII.
Fast and Pray with others: Seven Arguments to move thereto Page 80, 81
Duty XIX.
Speedily reform. Three Arguments to turn to God,
1. From the ways of sin in Ten
2. From the ways of holiness in Six
3. From the benefit of turning in Four
particulars 82, 83, 84, 85
How to turn, in Six particulars 86
Duty XX.
Be content with a small allowance of outward enjoyments, where Twenty four Arguments to Contentation 86, 89
Duty XXI.
Persevere and be unwearied in all these, where
1. Ten Arguments to unweariedness (where Five advantages thereby)
2. Five helps to unweariedness
3. Ten signs of Communion with God
in duty 98, 99, 101, 103
The Second Part.
TWelve Ingredients to the Believers spiritual Cordial, where Page 107
1. A Comfort in dying times, that our names are written in the Book of Life, in nine particulars; how we may know it in particulars. 108
2. Comfort that God is our God; whats therein included. How we may know God to be our God, in four particulars. 113
3. Comfort in dying times, That Believers in death remain united to Christ. Four properties of this union 116
4. Comfort in dying times. Believers shall not dye in debt, or their sins are pardoned. Greatness of the blessing of pardon opened, in Eight particulars 118
5. Comfort in dying times, Christs righteousness imputed, opened in Five particulars 120
6. Comfort in dying times, Death is theirs, where Three particulars. 123
7. Comfort in dying times, God loves them in death; where Six properties of Gods Love 124
8. Comfort in dying times. The Comforter is with them at death. Five properties of this Comforter. How he comforts Four ways 129
9. Comfort in dying times, They shall not dye a second death, proved in Six particulars 131
10. Comfort in dying times, To dye is to go home to their Fathers house; where the names by which it is called, in eight particulars, its properties in seven particulars Page 133
11. Comfort in dying times, Christ prays for them in sickness, and at death 139
12. Comfort in dying times, Holy Angles attend their departing souls, where four Answers to an Objection against leaving the body in the grave 140
The Third Part.
SHewing the misery, and the cure of an unconverted man.
1. His misery. 1. Lost, why, in six particulars, where six aggravations of the loss of the soul. The lost mans terror in six particulars, seven evidences that such a man is lost 146
2. Dead men, five symptomes thereof 153
3. Cursed in three respects. 159
4. Dayly danger of damnation 161
5. Dominion of sin, the misery thereby, where six comparisons betwixt sin and the Plague 162
6. Promises not his. 166
7. Without hope 167
8. His prayers rejected, why, in four particulars 168
9. All he doth is sin, why, in three particulars 169
10. Sting of death 171
2. Cure.
1. Sense of sin: Eight signs of true sorrow Page 172
2. Leave old courses 177
3. Set upon new duties 180
4. Make not duties your Saviour 181
5. Go to Christ; three encouragements so to do, where Christs sufficiency in seven particulars, Christs willingness to save in eight particulars 182