The Christians Defense Against the Fears of Death, Chapter 9
CHAP. 9.
The Third Remedy againſt the fears of Death, is to conſider, that God hath appointed the time; and the manner of our Death.
EIther we are Hypocrites, who draw near unto God with our Lips, and honor him with our Tongues, whilſt our Heart is far from him, Matth. 14. as we muſt deſire the accompliſhment of the Will of God, and reſigne our ſelves wholly to it, for every day we ſay to him in our Prayers, Thy will be done in Earth as it is in Heaven; Therefore we cannot abhor, nor fly from Death ſo cowardly, if we be rightly perſwaded as we ought. That God hath limited the Time, and appointed the manner of our Death: That which moves us for the moſt part to complain of this laſt Enemy, is a continual eye that we have ſixed upon the Fleſh, and its Power, and a too great confidence upon ſecond cauſes. We are like the dog that bites at the ſtone that ſtrikes him, for we commonly curſe the means that God employs to call and withdraw us out of the World.
It will eaſily appear that God hath numbred our days, and that, by his wonderful and eternal Wiſdom, he hath decreed the hour and moment of every mans death; for beſides what our Saviour Chriſt ſaith in general, That God hath reſerv'd the Times and the Seaſons in his own power, Acts 1. Job tels us expreſly, The days of Man are determined, the number of his months are with thee, thou haſt appointed his bounds that he cannot paſs. Job 14. The Royal Prophet ſpeaks to the ſame purpoſe in the 31 Pſalm. I truſted in thee, O Lord, I ſaid, Thou art my God, my times are in thy hand. He is of the ſame judgement in the 39 Pſalm. Behold, thou haſt aſſured me my days as an band breadth. and in the 68 Pſalm, Ʋnto God the Lord belong the iſſues of Death. Moſes teacheth us the ſame Leſſon in his Divine Hymn, Pſal. 90. for when he hath repreſented, how that it is God who reduceth Man to Aſhes, and maketh him return to his firſt ſubſtance; he tels us, ſpeaking unto God, Thou turneſt man to deſtruction, and ſayſt, return ye Children of Men.
King Hezekiah's compariſon is very notable, he compares the Life of Man to a Thread that God hath twiſted, and that he cuts off at his pleaſure, Iſai. 38. Mine Age is departed, and removed from me as a Shepherds Tent; I have cut off, like a Weaver, my life, he will cut me off with pining Sickneſs, from day even to night, wilt thou make an end of me. Hannah, Samuels Mother removes all difficulty, and confirms this Truth ſufficiently, 2 Sam. 2. It is God, ſaith ſhe, who killeth and maketh alive, he bringeth down to the Grave, and bringeth up; There is nothing more ſignificant to the ſame purpoſe than our Lord and Saviours words, I am he that liveth and was dead, and behold I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the Keys of Hell and of Death, Apoc. This great God and Saviour cloſeth the Gates of the Grave when he pleaſeth, and 'tis not poſſible to open them againſt his will; In ſhort, Whether we live we live to the Lord, whether we die we die to the Lord, whether therefore we live or die, we are the Lords, Rom. 14.
And our Reaſon being enlightned with a Divine Revelation, teacheth us this good and profitable Leſſon; for if God hath a hand in our Conception and Birth, and if he appoints the time of our entrance into the world, wherefore ſhould not he alſo have an hand in our Death, mark out the time of our laſt departure. David ſpeaks thus to God in the 139 Pſalm, My ſubſtance was not bid from thee, when I was made in ſecret, and curiouſly wrought in the loweſt parts of the Earth. Thine eyes did ſee my ſubſtance, yet being imperfect and in thy Book, all my Members were written, which in continuance, were faſhioned, when as yet there is none of them; we may therefore for the ſame reaſon, ſay to God, My ſubſtance will not be hid from thee, when this miſerable Body ſhall fall to pieces, as rotten Wood, and as a Moth-eaten Garment; thine Eyes ſhall ſee me, when Death ſhall cut off the Thred of my Life, and ſeparate what thou haſt joyned together, ſo wonderfully thy Power and Wiſdom ſhall have an hand in my laſt hours, and nothing ſhall happen to me, but that which thou haſt afore ordained in thine unſearchable Decrees.
If God appoints the time of our Reſurrection, and if it be certain, that without his expreſs Commiſſion, the Holy Spirit will not breathe upon our dead bones, to cauſe them to revive; is it probable that the breath ſhould depart out of our Noſtrils, and our Bodies ſhould fall into the Bed of corruption, without the Orders of this great and living God? Ezek. 37. He hath appointed to the Sun its courſe, and to the Stars that ſhine in the Heavens, their ſeveral motions and ſtations, Iſai. 40 and ſhould not he alſo appoint to his Children their motions, ſeeing that they are to ſhine for ever in the Heaven of Heavens, where juſtice dwels, as ſo many immortal Stars He hath meaſured the Waters in his hand, he hath compaſſed the Heavens with his Span, he hath weighed the Mountains in Scales, and the Hills with a Ballance, he hath faſhioned the Earth with a Hive, and given bounds to the roaring Sea; and is it poſſible that he hath not not meaſured the time of our Life, and that he hath marked out with his finger the laſt moment? He who hath numbred the Kingdoms of Heathen Princes, hath he not alſo numbred the days in the which he intends to reign in our hearts by his Holy Spirit; hath he not appointed the time for us to aſcend up into the higheſt Heavens, where we are to reign with him in the Kingdom of his Glory.
If it be certain that God hath unmbred the Hairs of our Head, Matth. 10. it is not to be doubted, but that he hath alſo numbred the days of our Life. And if a Sparrow doth not fall to the ground without his order, how can it be that a Soul ſhould take its flight up to Heaven without his expreſs Commiſſion? He bottles up our Tears, he keeps a Record of all our afflictions, and takes an account of our Sorrows, Pſal. 50. and can we imagine that he doth not keep an account of the life and death of Men, and that he minds not the time that we are to ſpend in this vally of Tears. He takes notice of our upriſing, and of our down-ſitting, he compaſſeth thee round about whither thou doſt ſtop or go, Pſal. 59. and can it be conceiv'd, but that he obſerves thy riſing at thy birth, the ſeveral paſſages of thy Life, and thy going down at thy Death?
In ſhort, if God hath appointed in his eternal Council, the continuance of the great World; he hath alſo, without doubt, limited the Life of Man, the little World, and the Image, and Compendium of the Great As our Lord and Saviour teacheth us, Man is not able by his ſolicitous care to add one Cubit to his ſtature; and our experience ſufficiently demonſtrates, that we cannot add a year, a day, nor a moment, by all our labor and induſtry, to the continuance of our Life.
If Life and Death were not in Gods hand, there would be nothing ſetled, nor conſtant, neither in the Kingdoms of the World, nor in the Church of Chriſt. The Prophets would be often found in grievous errors, and the eternal Election, would be totally aboliſh'd; for the moſt weighty affairs of a Commonwealth, depend upon the Life of Princes. The death of one Man is able to turn an Empire upſide down, and to change the ſtate of a Kingdom. If Alexander the Great had been ſtifled in his Cradle, what would become of the Propheſie of Pani…? who declares the glorious victories that this Prince ſhould obtain againſt King Darius, the Perſian Monarch, under the Embleme of an H…-Goat that ſhould run at a Ram with all his might, that ſhould break his two horns, and trample him under his feet. And if King Cyrus had died before the obtaining of the Kingdom of …; how ſhould Iſaiah's Propheſie be accompliſh'd, for he paints out this young Conqueror in his moſt lively Colours, and calls him by his name in this expreſſion, I have ſaid of Cyrus, He is my Sh…pheard, and ſhall perform all my pleaſure, even ſaying to Jeruſalem, Thou ſhalt be built, and to the Temple, Thy Temple ſhall be laid. Iſai. 44.
If the Devil could have taken away St. Pauls Life, before his journy to Damaſcus, where he was ſtrangly converted by a Miracle; how could Gods immutable decree be accompliſh'd? for he had deſigned him from his Mothers Womb, to be a Noble Veſſel of his Grace and Mercy, and a faithful Ambaſſador of his Son, Gal. 1. If the good Thief had died before he had ſeen the Light, or if he had been kill'd in one of his Robberies, how could he have been converted upon the Croſs, where he Repented of his Crimes? Or how could he have heard from our Saviour theſe bleſſed and comfortable words? Verily I ſay unto thee, Thou ſhalt be with me this day in Paradiſe, Luke 31.
The Heathens have perceiv'd and underſtood this Truth, but they have darkened and defaced it by their impertinent and ridiculous Fictions, for their Poets tell us, that there are three Parcae, or infernal Goddeſſes, the one holds the Diſtaff and Spins, the other winds up the Thred, the third cuts it, and puts a period thereby to the Life of Man. By this Fable they intend to teach us, that God lengthens or ſhortens at his pleaſure Mans Life. As it is therefore certain, that God hath numbred our days; he hath alſo appointed, in his infinite Wiſdom, the means to convey us out of the world. If one dieth in Peace, another is kill'd in War; If one departs in his Bed, another hangs upon a Gibbet; If one periſheth by Famine, and another is ſtifled with the Plague; If one is ſtruck with the Thunder, and the other is torn in pieces by wild Beaſts; If one is choak'd in the Waters, and the other periſheth in the Flames; In ſhort, if the ſeparation of the Soul from the Body, happens in a different manner, it is not without the expreſs Leave and Orders of our Heavenly Father; Therefore when we ſee the ſtrangeſt accidents come to paſs, and the moſt unexpected and tragick Deaths before our Eyes; We muſt remember the ſaying of the Prophet Jeremy, when he ſaw the burning and plunder of Jeruſalem, Who is he that ſaith, and it cometh to paſs when the Lord commandeth it not? out of the mouth of the moſt high proceedeth not evil and good? Sam. 3. We muſt then conſider with the Prophet Iſaiah, That it is God that creates the Light and the Darkneſs, and that ſends Proſperity and Adverſity, Iſai. 15.45. Or with Amos, who enquires whither there be any evil in the City and the Lord hath not done it, Amos 3. That is to ſay, that there is no Affliction, nor Death that happens, but God hath appointed it, and fore-ordain'd it by his wiſe providence. If the Devil cannot deſtroy Job's Flocks of Sheep, nor hurry headlong into the Sea the Herds of Swine without his leave, who holds him faſt in Chains, Matt. 8. Let us perſwade our ſelves that all the powers of Hell and the World, cannot cauſe us to dye by a violent Death, if God hath not ordain'd it before in the reſolutions of his infinite Wiſdom; ſo that if at any time a Prince or a Magiſtrate ſpeaks to us in Pilats language to our Saviour, Knoweſt thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and power to ſave thee, John 19. being ſtrengthened with an Holy Confidence, Let us anſwer him as our Saviour. Thou ſhouldeſt not have that power over me, were it not given to thee from above. Without the leave and pleaſure of my God, thou canſt not take from me an Hair of my Head.
We read in the Book of Judges, that when Abimelech aſſaulted the Tower of Thebez, with a reſolution to win it; upon a ſuddain, a Woman caſt from the top a piece of a Milſtone, that fell upon his Head and broke his Scull, Judg. 9. If we look only upon the ſecond Cauſes, this accident may appear to be ſtrange, and unexpected, but we muſt lift up our Eyes to the Almighty hand of an al-ſeeing Power and Wiſdom, far more dextrous than that of this poor Woman: for the ſame Relation declares, That God by this means brought to paſs Jotham's Prophecy, and rendred the wickedneſs of Abimelech which he did unto his Father in ſlaying the ſeventy Brethren with his mercileſs hand, upon his own guilty head.
Ahab King of Iſrael was diſguiſed with a deſigne, to fight with the Syrians, 1 Kings 22. An unknown Soldier lets fly by chance an Arrow out of his Bow, which ſtruck him in the weakeſt part of his Armor, wounded him to death, and the Dogs lickt the Blood that guſhed out of his Wounds: At this ſight a carnal and an earthly Mind will ſay, That this was but a miſchance of War, an unfortunate accident; But the Spirit of God informs us better, that this happen'd to fulfil the Prophecy of Elias, and the dreadful threatnings which he had pronounced againſt this wicked Prince, who labor'd, by Tyrannical and deviliſh attempts, to invade other mens Poſſeſſions; Thus ſaith the Lord, in the place where Dogs licked the blood of Naboth, ſhall Dogs lick thy blood, even thine, 1 Kings, 21.
When we caſt our eyes upon the Tragical death of Joſias, King of Juda, at the firſt ſight it appears, but the effect of the boiling fury of Youth, which carried him againſt all reaſon, obſtinately to fight with Pharaoh Neco King of Egypt, or of the ſtrength and ſwiftneſs of his Enemies, according to the complaint of Jeremiah the Prophet; Our perſecutors are ſwifter than the Eagles of the Heaven, they purſued us upon the Mountains, they laid wait for us in the Wilderneſs; The breath of our Noſtrils, the anointed of the Lord was taken in their pits, of whom we ſaid, under his ſhadow we will live among the H…then. Lam. 4. But to underſtand the Truth we muſt enter farther into the Sanctuary, and adore the wiſdom of Gods Decree, that had reſolved to take away this good and religious Prince, into his Eternal Reſt, and beſtow upon him a more noble and a richer Crown, before he took in hand the ſword of his vengeance, to puniſh the people of Iſrael, for the many Idolatries, and horrid Crimes, of which they had been guilty: By this means God fulfilled the Prophecy of Huſda, Behold, I will gather thee unto thy Fathers, and thou ſhalt be gathered into thy Grave in peace, and thine eyes ſhall not ſee all the evil which I will bring upon this place, 2 Kings 22.
When we look upon the Death and Paſſion of our Lord Jeſus Chriſt, we may imagine at the firſt view, that only the Phariſees envy, Judas's Treaſon, the mutiny of the rude Rabble, Pilates Injuſtice, Herods Jeſts, and the cruelty of the Roman Soldiery, were the cauſes of his Tragedy; but the Holy Apoſtles Peter and John, unto whom our Saviour had diſcover'd the rareſt ſecrets of his Wiſdom, conſider theſe outward Agents but as the Inſtruments to bring Gods great deſigne, Mans redemption to paſs. Therefore they ſpeak of it in this manner, in the fourth of the Acts, Againſt thine Holy Child, Jeſus whom thou haſt anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Iſrael were gathered together, to do whatſoever thine Hand and thy Counſel determined before to be done.
If it happens by miſchance, that a friend ſtrikes another, for example, If in a Wood where they are felling of it, the head of the Axe ſhould ſlip out of the handle, and kill the deareſt friend of the Agent; there can be nothing imagin'd to be more caſual, in regard of the ſecond Cauſes, Exod. 21. But God declares in expreſs terms, That he cauſeth ſuch an one to happen under the hand of his friend that kill'd him againſt his will: To ſecure the innocent Author of the unexpected Murther, God appointed Cities of Refuge for ſuch to fly to, Numb. 35.
As when the hour of our Death is come, all the Riches of the world cannot pay our Ranſome, all the wiſdom of the moſt prudent Councils, nor ſtrength of a Kingdom, are not able to free us from the power of death, On the contrary, when it pleaſeth God to ſhelter and preſerve our Life, all the ſubtilty and cunning of the Devil, all the power and fury of the world cannot take it from us.
Eſau in his rage, full of vengeance and diſpleaſure againſt his Brother, reſolves to kill him; on purpoſe to accompliſh this cruel deſigne he goes to meet him with four hundred Men; But God who holds in his hand the hearts of all the Men of the World, God that diſſolves the ſtony Rocks into Fountains of Water, and the Stones into Rivers of Oil, forced out of this hardened heart Tears of Compaſſion and Love. The ſame Eſau, inſtead of drawing out his ſword againſt his Brother, embraced him with expreſſions of kindneſs, kiſſed and wept over him.
Jacob's Sons had wickedly intended to deſtroy their Brother Joſeph, they were ready to imbrue their cruel hands in the Blood of this innocent Lamb, but by a Secret and a moſt wonderful Providence, God ſtopt their helliſh deſigne. This great and Soveraign Monarch of the whole World, who draws Light out of Darkneſs, made uſe of their moſt damnable malice and hatred, to accompliſh his good purpoſe, and to raiſe his Servant to a conſiderable d gree of Honor and Glory, which was prepared for him: Theſe inhumane Souls, full of envy and diſpleaſure, did conſpire together, how to hinder the fulfilling of Joſeph's Dreams; but contrary to their intention they made way, and were inſtrumental to the accompliſhment of that which God had revealed to his Prophet; Therefore when his Brethren were afraid leſt he ſhould revenge himſelf upon them, when he had power in his hand, he anſwered them with an heart full of Charity and Love, Am I in the place of God, as for you ye thought evil againſt me, but God meant it unto good, Gen. 50.
David, a man after Gods own heart, fell into many fearful dangers, ſo that he was reduc'd oft times to the very Gates of Death, but God preſerv'd his Soul from Death, his Eyes from Tears, and his Feet from Falling, Pſal. 116. In the Wilderneſs of Mahon, King Saul had ſurrounded him with his Men on every ſide, ſo that no help nor ſuccour was to be expected from Man, 2 Sam. 23. but by a wonderful Providence God deliver'd him, for when he was ready to be caught, a Meſſenger comes to inform Saul, Make haſte and come, for the Philiſtines are enter'd into thy Land; So that neither the inhumane perſecutions of this Tyrant, nor the abominable plotting of his unnatural Son, nor the Tumults and Revolts of his People; nor the moſt furious Tempeſts of Hell and the World, have ever bin able to extinguiſh his Life before the time appointed; when he had ſpent all the days allotted to him by Gods good providence, he fell aſleep as a Man that lays himſelf down to reſt quietly, after a long and laborious Task.
Queen Jezabel was enraged againſt the Prophet Elijah, ſhe had ſworn by her Gods, that he ſhould ſurely be put to death; but by a miracle, God kept him out of the bloody hands of this incarnate Devil; and by another Miracle he preſerved from Famine and Hunger, him whom he had before preſerved from Jezabels Sword and Fury; he ſent the Ravens to feed him with Bread and Meat, morning and evening; and for his ſake God increas'd the Widow of Sarepta's Oil and Meal; when he was ready to be famiſh'd in the Wilderneſs, he diſpatch'd an Angel to him, to carry him Meat and Drink. In ſhort, all the ſtorms that the Devil raiſed againſt him, could not deſtroy his Life, ſo that when God reſolv'd to crown his Labors, he fetch'd him in a Chariot of Fire, and carried him up into Heaven.
The Syrians were reſolved to take the Prophet Eliſha, becauſe that he diſcover'd the moſt ſecret Counſels, and fruſtrated all their deſignes, therefore they beſieg'd the Town of Dotan, to ſeize upon this Man of God; When his Servant beheld the dreadful number of Horſes and Chariots that ſurrounded that weak City, he cryed out in a fright, Alas, Maſter what ſhall we do? and he anſwered, Fear not, for they that be with us, are more then they that be with them, 2 Kings 6. At theſe words of Eliſha, the eyes of the poor Man were open'd, and he ſaw an innumerable company of Chariots of Fire, and Horſes of Fire, that God had ſent from Heaven, to guard his Servant the Prophet.
The Jews did often plot againſt our Saviour Chriſt, and attempt to kill him, John 10. They came ſo near to the execution of their bloody deſigne, as to take up ſtones to caſt at him, and knock him down, as to bring him to the ſides of an high Mountain to throw him headlong, but he did always eſcape out of their hands, and paſſed through the midſt of them without any harm: It was impoſſible for them to lay hands on him when they had undertaken and reſolved it; The reaſon that the Spirit of God gives, is becauſe that his hour was not yet come, John 7.18.
The High Prieſt and the Saduces did burn with an enraged fury againſt the Holy Apoſtles, which cauſed them to lay hands on them, and to caſt them into the publick Priſons, Acts 5. But becauſe the time of their Martyrdom appointed by God, was not yet come, he ſent his Holy Angels to free them from their Chains, and to ſet them at liberty. Wh… King … ſaw that the Jews thirſted for the blood of Gods Servants the Apoſtles, Acts 11. and that they delighted in their execution, he cut off the head of Ja…s, afterwards he took Peter, clapt him in priſon, and delivered him to four quaternions of Soldiers, with intention to bring him to execution after the Feaſt of … but the hour was not yet come, in the which this Holy Apoſtle was to be cru…ified, for the Glory of him who was crucified for his Salvation; therefore the night immediately before his deſigned execution, Peter was ſleeping between two Soldiers, bound with two Chains, and the Keepers before the door; on a ſudden a great Light ſhined in the Priſon and the Angel of the Lord came and ſmote him on the ſide, and raiſed him up, ſaying, A…ſe up quickly; and his Chains fell from his hands, and the Angel ſaid unto him, G…ed thy ſelf, and bind on thy Sandals, and ſo he did; then he ſaith unto him, Gaſt thy Garment about th… … folow me; and he went out and followed him, and he knew not that it was true, which was done by the Angel, but thought he had ſeen a …iſion; but when they were paſt the firſt and the ſecond Ward, they came to the Iron Gate, that open'd of its own accord, and when they had paſſed through one ſtreet, the Angel departed immediately from him; Then Peter being come to himſelf, ſaid, Now I know of a ſurety, that the Lord hath ſent his Angel, and hath deliver'd me out of the hand of Herod, and from all the expectation of the People of the Jews.
I ſhort, the hour is not yet come which God hath marker … and appointed to take unto himſelf his faithful Servants; there is no miracle ſo great, but he will ſhew it for their ſake; he drieth up the Seas, he ſtops the Lions Mouths, he de…ieth t… the Fire its uſual Heat, he keeps them alive in the midſt of the Flouds and Flames, in the Whales Belly, in the fiery Furnaces, and in the deepeſt Gulphs.
If we did but examine the Memorials of our forefathers, and conſider the things that we have ſeen with our Eyes, and experienced from our Infancy, we ſhould find, that the means which God hath employed, and which he doth daily employ for our deliverance, are no leſs wonderful then thoſe of former ages; God's Arm is not ſhortened, his Almighty Power is not leſſened, he hath yet as much Authority as ever upon Men and Devils, and his Divine Providence is no leſs watchful for the preſervation of ſuch as fear and worſhip him; If we had the Eyes of the Soul as open as the Eyes of our Body, or if we could but perceive the things that are of themſelves inviſible, we ſhould ſee that God looks upon us continually with the Eye of his Love, and of his Fatherly care, and that he covers us with his hand, as with a Buckler of proof, againſt all the Darts of the World and of Hell; We ſhould ſee that we are encompaſſed about with a Wall of Fire, and that the Holy Angels do guard us on every ſide. We ſhould then acknowledge, that it is God that holdeth our Soul in Life, and ſuffereth not our Feet to be moved, Pſal. 66. And we ſhould cry out as David, O God, who is like unto thee? thou who haſt ſhewed me great and ſore troubles, ſhalt quicken me again, and bring me up again from the depths of the Earth; Thou ſhalt increaſe my greatneſs, and comfort me on every ſide, Pſal. 71.
Although this wholſome and moſt uſeful Doctrine, be plainly taught in Holy Writ, and ſufficiently confirmed by ſo many examples out of the Word of God; ſome there are that oppoſe it with many needleſs objections.
In the firſt place they ſay, That God promiſeth length of days to ſuch Children as ſhall be obedient to their Fathers and Mothers; from whence they think to infer, that our Life hath no certain time limited, and that it is prolong'd or ſhortned, as we prove obedient or diſobedient to God, and his Holy Laws; There is no difficulty to give an anſwer to this Objection:
That in the Language of the Holy Spirit, the word that ſignifies there to prolong, means not always to render a thing longer then it was, or ſhould be, but only to make it of a long continuance; ſo that God doth not promiſe here, that the Children who ſhall obey his Sacred Laws, ſhall enjoy a longer life, than otherwiſe it ought to be, but only that he will do them the favor to live long and happily in the World: We may prove this Expoſition by St. Pauls words, who paraphraſes this firſt Commandment of the ſecond Table, in this manner, Children obey your Fathers and Mothers in the Lord, for it is juſt, Honor thy Father and thy Mother, which is the firſt Commandment, with promiſe, that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayeſt live long upon the Earth: This promiſe is to be underſtood with ſome exception; If God ſhould judge it expedient for his Glory, and for the good of his Children; for there are many pious and obedient Children, whom God withdraws out of the World, in the flower of their Age, to give them an happier life, which ſhall have no other limits than Eternity.
In the next place, they alledge the remarkable Hiſtory of King Hezekiah, unto whom Iſaiah was ſent with this meſſage; Set thine houſe in order, for thou ſhalt dye and not live: Nevertheleſs God was intreated by his Prayers and Tears, and prevail'd upon to ſuffer him to live longer; therefore the Prophet told him, that God had added 15 years to his days. To this Objection I anſwer,
That according to the ordinary courſe of the World, and the diſpoſition of the natural Cauſes, Hezekiah was to dye of that diſeaſe, for the Scripture ſaith expreſly, That Hezekiah was ſick unto Death; That is to ſay, that this diſeaſe was mortal, in regard of the ſecond Cauſes, and the ordinary courſe of Nature; Therefore theſe words, Set thine houſe in order, for thou ſhalt dye and not live, ought to be underſtood with this exception; Thou ſhalt dye if I don't deliver thee by a miracle, and if I don't employ mine Almighty Power to heal thee, and reſtore unto thee thy former health.
This may be alſo underſtood in another manner, Thou ſhalt dye if thou doſt not repent and turn unto me with Prayers and Tears. In the ſame ſence God cauſed it to be proclaim'd in the ſtreets of Ninivy, within forty days Ninivy ſhall be deſtroyed.
Let not any man conclude from hence, that Hezekiah's repentance was the cauſe of the lengthening of his days; and therefore that it was a caſualty very uncertain. On the contrary, we may underſtand, that God who had appointed by his Eternal Decree, that this Wiſe and Religious Prince, ſhould live more than the diſpoſition of his Body would ſuffer him, had alſo reſolved to draw from his Heart Sighs, and Groans, and Tears from his Eyes, for God knew all his Works from Eternity. Acts 1.
Others do argue againſt this Doctrine more impertinently; That if God hath numbred our days, and preſcribed to our life its bounds, that it is in vain to take ſo much pain, and make ſo much ado about Bodies diſtemper'd with a ſickneſs, and that it is to little purpoſe to adminiſter any Remedy to them, or to pray for the recovery of their health. In like manner, ſuch may affirm, that it is to no purpoſe to eat or drink, and to hinder the mad perſons from caſting themſelves down a Precipice, or from ſwallowing poiſon, becauſe they ſhall live neither more nor leſs, than God hath ordained from all Eternity. This Objection may ſeem very plauſible at the firſt, although it be moſt abſurd and ſo fooliſh, that it muſt needs proceed from a great ignorance or malice; for it is not to be doubted, that when any doth aime at one end, he deſignes and ſuppoſes, by conſequence to attain unto it, by the ordinary means. For example, God had appointed in his Eternal Council, to preſerve Jacob and his Family, from that furious Famine, that rag'd the ſpace of ſeven years; in order, to that end he ſends Joſeph into Aegypt, to gather up Proviſion the ſeven years of plenty. Iſaiah the Prophet had told Hezekiah from God, that he ſhould live the ſpace of fifteen years more; therefore he Commanded to apply to this Prince's Sores and Boils, a lump of dried Figs: God had promiſed to David, that he ſhould be King over the Houſe of Iſrael, to confirm this promiſe, he had been anointed with Oil by the Prophet Samuel. This promiſe don't hinder him from ſeeking the means to preſerve himſelf from a Sauls unjuſt purſuance. And when Nathan tels him that God had decreed to eſtabliſh his Poſterity upon his Throne after him, this don't ſtop his Prayers, or cool his Devotion; on the contrary, it was that which did quicken him the more, and enſlame his Soul with Love and Thankfulneſs to God, therefore he expreſſeth himſelf in this manner, O Lord of Hoſts, God of Iſrael, thou haſt revealed to thy Servant, ſaying, I will build thee an houſe, therefore hath thy ſervant found in his heart to pray this Prayer unto thee, &c. 2 Sam. 7.
Our Lord Jeſus Chriſt knew for certain all that ſhould happen to him; nevertheleſs we find him ſpending the days and the nights in Prayer, and when his life was in danger, he did not neglect the lawful and harmleſs means. He told his Apoſtles, Are not two Sparrows ſold for a farthing? and one of them ſhall not fall to the ground without your Father, but the very hairs of your head are all numbred. This conſideration hinders him, not from Commanding them, that when they are perſecuted in one City, they ſhould fly to another.
God had appointed to ſave St. Pauls life, and of all his company; therefore he revealed it to him by an Angel; nevertheleſs, when he ſaw the Mariners …, he told the Centurion, If theſe don't ſtay … you cannot be ſaved, Acts 27. In ſhort, the Means and Cauſes are ſubordinate to the end, in ſu… …nner, that it is meer folly and extravagancy to offer to divide them, or to ſuppoſe them to be contrary.
It is without reaſon, that ſome bring the Hiſtory of King Aſa, againſt this undoubted Truth; Such affirm that this Prince was reproved for ſeeking to the Phyſitians in his ſickneſs: Theſe are the words of the Holy Scripture, Aſa in the thirty ninth year of his Reign, was diſeaſed in his feet, until his diſeaſe was exceeding great, yet in his diſeaſe he ſought not to the Lord, but to the Phyſitians, 2 Chron. 1. The Spirit of God doth not blame this Prince, becauſe he deſired the aſſiſtance of Phyſitians, but becauſe he did not ſeek help from God, nor did not implore his aid in the day of his diſtreſs. He that is ſick, may as freely take Phyſick, as he that is well may eat and drink; I confeſs, we muſt not altogether repoſe our confidence and truſt upon the Remedies, but rather upon God, who ſends both ſickneſs and health; As Man doth not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God; ſo it is not by the Phyſick alone that a Patient is cured of his diſtemper, but by the Bleſſing and Power of him who gives the wound, and binds it up, who ſtrikes and heals when he pleaſeth, Job 5. Therefore as we ought never to eat nor drink before we pray unto God to vouchſafe his Bleſſing upon our Meat and Drink, that he may grant to them the vertue of recruiting the decayed ſtrength of our Bodies; likewiſe we ſhould never take any Phyſick, without lifting up our hands unto God for a bleſſing, that the Remedy may have the ſtrength to expel our Diſeaſe. All Gods Creatures are good, when they are received with thanksgiving, for they are ſanctified by the word of God and by Prayer, 1 Tim. 4.
Take notice here, how much ſuch perſons are to be blamed, who when they lament for the loſs of their friends or kindred, inſtead of looking up to Heaven, look down upon the Earth, and conſider nothing but the inferior cauſes of their diſpleaſure; inſtead of adoring and ſubmitting with all humility, to the wiſe Providence of God, that diſpoſeth of all worldly events, and appoints the meaneſt circumſtances, they fret and murmure, they delight to nouriſh in their minds, grief and diſpleaſure, that conſumes them, and break forth into many needleſs complaints, that ſerve but to open their wounds, and to render them more miſerable; If he had not been in ſuch a place, if he had not been engag'd in ſuch a way, if ſuch a Phyſitian had not been call'd, or if another had been ſent for, if this or that had not been done, if this Phyſick had not been adminiſtred to him, if leſs or more Blood had been taken from him, if he had been ſuffer'd to eat more meat, or if leſs had been given, my Brother or my Siſter, my Wife, my Child, or my Husband, had been yet alive, It may be thou art miſtaken Friend; the Diſeaſe could not be cur'd but by a Miracle, but when it ſhould be otherwiſe, we muſt nevertheleſs lift up our Eyes to God, and acknowledge his finger with all reverence, for oft times he blinds the Phyſitians, ſo that they cannot underſtand the nature of the Diſeaſe, and ſuffers them to apply Remedies contrary to the diſtemper; As God threatens to take away the ſtaff of Bread, that is to ſay, the nouriſhing ſtrength and vertue of the Bread; Levit. 26. likewiſe he takes away his Bleſſing from the moſt Soveraign Remedies, and renders them altogether uſeleſs; it is thus with all the other accidents that happen to us, and that bring us to our Graves, for when it plaſeth him to remove any body out of the World, he ſuffers him to ſhut his eyes to all the light of Reaſon and Prudence, and to caſt himſelf away headlong into the moſt apparent dangers; as when he deſigned to deſtroy Abſalom, and to cut him off, he cauſed him to be led away by evil Council, and diſappointed the diſcreet and prudent advice of Achitophel. Therefore, ſeeing that God hath appointed or fore-ordain'd before man's Creation, the time and manner of his Death, at what hour, in what place, and by what means ſoever God calls away our friends, or ſtrikes at our perſons, it is always our Duty to poſſeſs our Souls with patience, and not to ſuffer the leaſt repining, and deſpairing word to creep out of our mouths.
If Death ſuddainly ſnatcheth away thy deareſt Children, or thy moſt intimate friends, complain not of its inhumanity. Remember that it doth put in execution the decrees of Gods everlaſting Will, and that it carries with it a Commiſſion ſealed with the Signet of the living God. Adore therefore with all humility the ſupream Monarch of Heaven and Earth, and ſay to him as David with a profound ſubmiſſion, Lord, I held my tongue and ſaid nothing, becauſe it was thy doing, Pſal. 39.
I don't wiſh thee to have an Heart of Flint, without natural affection; Piety and Religion are not barbarous, they don't deprive us of our Bowels; the affection that thou beareſt to thy Children is not diſpleaſing to the Father of Mercies, if it be but well govern'd, and don't exceed the natural bounds; It is lawful for thee to be ſenſible of their griefs, to weep for their diſtempers, and to pray for the recovery of their health; But when God hath diſpos'd of them, and receiv'd them into his Eternal Reſt, thou muſt ſtop all thy Sighs, wipe all thy Tears, and ſay as David did, after the death of his beloved Child, We ſhall go to them, but they ſhall not come to us. 2 Sam. 12.
Do they dye of a violent death? ſtop not thy conſideration at the evil blaſts that have carried them away, but lift up thy mind to the great God that draws theſe winds out of his Treaſuries, and being arm'd with an Holy conſtancy, ſay with the patient Job, The Lord gave and the Lord hath taken them away, bleſſed be the name of the Lord. I am but a weak inſtrument which God hath employed to put them into the World; but he is their King, their Father, and their Creator; he is alſo their Saviour and Redeemer. Now it is both juſt and reaſonable that God ſhould diſpoſe of his Subjects, of his Children, of his Workmanſhip, and of thoſe whom he hath redeem'd with his precious blood.
The Maſter of a Family gathers at his pleaſure the Flowers and the Fruits of his Garden; ſometimes he cuts off the Buds, ſometimes he ſuffers them to bloſſom, ſometimes he gathers the green Fruit, ſometimes he ſtays till it be ripe, and ſhall not Almighty God have the liberty to diſpoſe, at his Will, of all that grows in his own Territories? The Maſter of the Family hath not created the Trees and Plants that are at his Command, but God hath made and faſhioned with his Almighty hand, all his Children, and all the Men of the World; our Flowers wither and ſpoil in a moment, and our Fruits are ſoon rotten, and become unprofitable; notwithſtanding all our care and skill to preſerve them But the Flowers that God cuts or pulls off, he tranſplants them in his Heavenly Garden, and gives them a perfect and a Divine Luſter and Glory, that ſhall never fade; and the greeneſt fruits that he gathers, he preſerves them for all Eternity in unſpeakable ſweetneſs.
Doth this Death draw near to threaten thy perſon, when it hath diſpatch'd thy deareſt friends? be not frighted at its appearance, for it is not able to anticipate, not a moment, the hour appointed by the wiſdom of Almighty God, and when that moment ſhall be come, that he ſhall call thee to himſelf from Heaven, offer no reſiſtance, and ſtop not thy Ears at thy Creators voice; ſay with the Prophet Samuel, Speak Lord, for thy ſervant heareth, 1 Sam. 3. Exod. 33. O merciful God, ſeeing that thy Glorious preſence goes before me, I am ready to depart out of this crazy Tabernacle, and to quit this miſerable wilderneſs, to enter into the Heavenly and happy Canaan; Say with our Saviour, Father, the hour is come, Glorify thy Son, that thy So…may Glorify thee, John 17.
Haſt thou lived many years upon Earth? aſcribe not the cauſe to the conſtitution of thy Body, to the manner of thy Living, nor to the skill of thy Phyſitians; but remember that it is God that lengthens thy days, and come and humble at his feet thy Reverend gray Hairs, which the Holy Scripture ſtiles, a Crown of Silver, or a Crown of Glory, Prov. 16.
Art thou threatened with Death in the Flower of thine age? Fret not thy ſelf at it, and let not the leaſt words proceed out of thy mouth, but what is ſeaſoned with the Salt of true Piety. Remember that it is God alone that cuts off the thread of thy Life, and puts a period to thy mortal Race; Thou haſt as much reaſon to be grieved, becauſe thou art born too late, as to be ſorry that thou dieſt too ſoon; Inſtead of ſpending thy ſelf in uſeleſs complaints, which is, as if thou that art but an earthly Veſſel newly formed, ſhouldeſt caſt thy ſelf againſt the Rock of Eternity; remember to adore and praiſe thy Great Creator, and return him hearty thanks, in that he is ſo well pleaſed to crown thee in the middle of thy Race, and ſo bountiful, as to beſtow the Salary of the whole day, upon thee, who haſt labour'd but a few hours; He ſhews thee much favor to tranſplant thee before thou haſt felt the heat of the day, and the ſcorching of the Sun: Remember that is it the pleaſant gale of his Divine Mercy, that drives thee ſo faſt into the ſecure Haven of Eternal happineſs; think not therefore that Gods calling thee away in thy ſtrength, is a teſtimony of his diſpleaſure and hatred; for to haſten and render a perſon moſt happy, is no ſign of ill will. It may be that God calls thee, becauſe he hath found ſome good thing in thee, as in Abija the Son of Jeroboam, King of Iſrael; becauſe he loves thee dearly, and favours thee, he intends only to remove thee from the approaching evils, as he did Joſias, one of the Holieſt and moſt Religious Princes, that hath ever been, becauſe thou doſt walk before him, and ſeekeſt to pleaſe him, he will take thee up into his Holy and Heavenly Paradiſe, as he did Enoch, for fear that the temptations of the World ſhould alter thy Religious diſpoſition, and for fear that the Enemy of thy Salvation ſhould prevail upon thee, by his continual and wicked ſuggeſtions, to leave the way of Righteouſneſs, in which thou doſt walk at preſent. As there are ſome rich Stuffs, whereof the Aſhes are moſt precious, and others, whereof the Cinders are good for nothing but to be caſt away; Thus there are ſome happy gray Heads, where the rich and precious Relicks of Juſtice and Piety do ſhine, whereas others are only fit to diſcover the follies and vanity of our humane Nature As there is ſome ſort of Wine that grows better by old age, and preſerves its ſtrength, until it comes to the Dregs; whereas other Wine there is, that ſoon becomes ſower and uſeleſs; Likewiſe there are ſome Men, whom old Age makes better and wiſer, ſo that they are like to the Indian Trees, that yield precious Perſumes and Frankincenſe, only when they begin to decline and wither: The old Age of ſuch is moſt Honourable, and ſends forth a m…ſt bleſſed perfume of Piety; Whereas others do but corrupt with Age, and give out a moſt ſilthy ſtench; under a white Head they hide a black Soul, and a wicked Conſcience: In the decay of their Age, the vices of their Mind gather ſtrength and flouriſh. Inſtead of weeping for the ſins of their youth, they add ſin to ſin, and are more hardened in evil: Old Age imprints more furrows and wrinkles in their malicious Hearts, than it doth upon their Foreheads. Neither Men nor their Lives are to be meaſured by a Yard or an Ell: We muſt not only conſider how long we have liv'd, but how well we have liv'd, and employed the courſe of this Life; for there are ſome young Men, who have the Wiſdom and Prudence of Gray Heads; and there are Gray Heads that become as weak as Infants; and ſome that ſcarce go out of that ſimple Age; The firſt are twice Children, the other continue always in their Childhood; Some young Men have perform'd ſuch brave and Glorious Deeds, that one would judge by the paſſages of their Lives, that they have lived ſeveral Years or Ages: on the contrary, Some old and decrepid perſons can ſcarce prove that they have bin long in the World, unleſs it be by their Church Regiſter, by their Gray Hairs, or by the great number of their wicked and abominable actions. This conſideration cauſeth the Author of the Book of Wiſdom to ſay, That that old Age is not the moſt Reverend, that can ſhew a number of years, but Wiſdom is to be reckoned old Age amongſt Men, and a Life without ſpot. Ch. 4. It is certain he hath lived ſufficiently, who hath learn'd to live well, and hath prepar'd himſelf to dye well: To what purpoſe ſhould this miſerable and languiſhing Life be lengthened a few days? Art thou afraid to be happy too ſoon? and feareſt thou to ſee the end of thy Torments? Doth the Traveller endeavour to lengthen out a painful and dangerous way? Doth the Workman grieve to have finiſh'd betimes his laborious Task? Doth the Soldier murmure becauſe he comes off from his Watch and Guard? Miſerable Man! What are all the years for which thou doſt ſo impatiently afflict thy ſelf, and vainly deſire; for a day with God, is as a thouſand years, and a thouſand years in his ſight, are but as one day.
He that ſails upon the Seas, admires the ſpacious extent of the Waters, the difference of the rowling Waves, that mount up ſometimes to the Clouds, and then fall down again into an Abyſſe. And ſuch as travel by Land, are delighted to ſee on one ſide deep Vallies, and on the other high Mountains, that reach above the Clouds; but if God had but taken us up into the ſeat of his Glory, and that we ſhould from that high Heaven, caſt down our Eyes upon this baſe and unworthy Globe of the Sea and Land, to behold the proud and ſtately Mountains, with the moſt ſwelling Waves, they would appear unto us but an even Plain, or rather they would ſeem altogether very little. Thus when we compare the Men of the World, the one with the other, we ſhall find that ſome have liv'd long, and others but a little while, that ſome are old, others are young; but in reſpect of God, there is no difference between the young and the old, between an over-aged Methuſalah, who lived Nine hundred threeſcore and nine years, Gen. 3. and a Child that hath only ſeen the Light of the Living, for the life of all Mankind is but a moment in compariſon of Eternity.
If thou art ready to dye, for Righteouſneſs, of a violent Death, meditate ſeriouſly upon the ſaying of the Prophet David: Pſa. 116. Precious in the ſight of the Lord is the death of his Saints, Arm thy ſelf with an Holy confidence, and ſay with Eli, 1 Sam. 3. It is the Lord, let him do what ſeemeth him good, Imitate the generoſity of St. Paul, Acts 20. and grave in thine heart theſe Divine expreſſions, The Holy Ghoſt witneſſeth in every City, ſaying, That Bonds and Afflictions abide me, but none of theſe things move me, neither count I my life dear unto my ſelf, ſo that I might finiſh my courſe with joy, and the Miniſtry which I have received of the Lord Jeſus, to teſtify the Goſpel of the Grace of God. Remember always the Prayer that our Lord and Saviour offered up unto God in the greateſt Agony; Father, O my Father, if this Cup may not paſs away from me except I drink it, thy Will be done. Forget not alſo at this time Chriſts advertiſement; He that loveth his life ſhall looſe it, and he that hateth his life in this world ſhall ſave it to eternal life, John 12. O Great and Glorious Lord God, the Enemies of thy Truth and Glory are met together againſt thy dear Children whom thou haſt ſanctified by the blood of the Covenant, but they are not able to do any thing, but what thou haſt appointed to be done in thine Eternal Wiſdom.
A Prayer and Meditation upon the time of Death.
O Merciful Lord, who doſt govern all things by thine infinite wiſdom, and haſt reſerved the times and the ſeaſons in thine own power, thou haſt not only written my name in the Book of the living, but thou haſt alſo meaſured the length of my life, and appointed the hour of my death; Thou haſt numbred my days, and preſcribed to me my bounds, that I cannot paſs beyond them. O Soveraign Lord of the World, that haſt from all Eternity mark'd out with thy finger, the moment of my entrance into this life, and the time of my going cut; This miſerable body is but a crazy Tabernacle made up of Earth, ſubject to all manner of infirmities: Nevertheleſs none is able to deſtroy it without thy Divine aſſiſtance; the ſame hand that hath faſhioned and formed it, muſt break it to pieces; if a Sparrow fals not to the ground without thy leave, it is not poſſible that my ſoul ſhould fly away into Heaven, without thy expreſs Command. My God and Father, give me Grace not to be of the …ber of ſu…h wretches as are in daily apprehenſions of Death, but let me reſt upon thee, who doſt kill and give life, who doſt caſt into the Grave, and fetch him thence again. Let Satan and all the enemies of thy Glory plot againſt me what they can, they are not able to do any thing but what thy Wiſdom hath ordained and appointed before the f…undation of the world; Without thy leave and permiſſion, they are not able to pluck an Hair from my Head, nor diminiſh a moment from the time that I am to live in this earthly Tabernacle. O Almighty and moſt merciful God, I recommend unto thee my Soul, as to my faithful Creator, and leave it wholly into thine hands; Here I am to accompliſh thy Will, and to ſubmit my ſelf to thy pleaſure, without any reſiſtance; whether this Soul which thou haſt created after thy likeneſs, and which is an Image of thy Divinity, remain in this Body, that I may be able to ſerve thee on Earth, or whether thou doſt call for it, and take it up into Heaven, that it may glorify thee in the company of thy Saints, and of thy bleſſed and Glorious Angels, Amen.
A Prayer and Meditation upon the manner of our Death.
O God the Creator of all fleſh, and Father of the immortal Spirits, I know that all manner of Deaths of thy Children, are precious in thy ſight; and that howſoever they ſhall happen, thou wilt take care of my Soul; when I conſider all things, I ſind that it matters not, whether my Soul gets out by my Lips, or by a wound, ſo that it enters into thy Glory to enjoy thine Eternal Happineſs: What difference is there? if my Lamp goes out of its own accord, or if it be blown out by ſome envious blaſt, ſo that it be lighted again by the immortal beams of the Son of Righteouſneſs, and continu…, for ever, Glorious in the higheſt Heavens. I ſhall be ſufficiently happy if I dye in the Lord, and enter into mine Eternal Reſt, from all my Labors, in what manner ſoever Death aſſaults me, from all Eternity. O Lord, thou knoweſt all thy works, and with a glance of thine Eye, thou diſcovereſt the depths, and ſeeſt the bottom of Eternity. As thou haſt marked out and appointed the moment of my death, thou haſt alſo ordained the manner of it. I muſt, O Almighty God, repoſe my ſelf upon this wonderful and wiſe Providence, and be contented with thy uncontroulable Decrees: but O my God and Heavenly Father, if thou wilt give me the liberty, who am but Duſt and Aſhes, to ſpeak unto thee, and to ſend up the thoughts of my Heart; I beſeech thee to be ſo Gracious as to let me know my end, that I may not be ſurpriſed on a ſudden, by an unexpected death, as Job's Children, and ſo merciful as to give me timely notice of my departure, as thou didſt to thy ſervant Hezekiah. I deſire not the notice of many years, but of a few days, or at leaſt of a few hours immediately before, that my Soul may not be diſturb'd with evil thoughts, nor frighted with falſe conceits, and malicious ſuggeſtions of the Devil; but that I may end my days with all tranquility and ſatisfaction of mind: that I may always have a perfect uſe of my ſences, of my reaſon and underſtanding, and a certain perſwaſion of thy Grace and Favor; that I may glorify thy name, and edify my acquaintances, until the laſt moment of my departure. Suffer not therefore my Soul to be ſnatch'd away by force on a ſuddain, but that I may have time to commit it into thy merciful hands, Amen.
A Prayer and Meditation for one that dies in a ſtrange Countrey, in the midſt of Infidels.
O My God and Heavenly Father, how painful and grievous is this trial? who can expreſs the troubles of my mind? at the moment of my moſt urgent neceſſity, and of all the troubles of my mind, at the time of my Agony, I ſee my ſelf deſtitute of all humane aſſiſtance. Here I am at a diſtance not only from my natural ſoil and fare, from the pleaſant company of my friends, and deprived of all ſpiritual Comfort, of which I have at preſent greateſt need in my extremity, but alſo, to my unſpeakable grief, here I am in a barbarous Countrey, in the hands of my moſt inhumane and unreconcileable Enemies; I have no body to comfort and rejoyce me, nor to ſtrengthen me in the faith of my Saviour Chriſt; all things that appear before me, do increaſe and add to my trouble: I am here among the Enemies of the Truth, who labour to deſtroy my intereſt in Chriſt, and to cauſe me to periſh, now that I am entering into the Haven of Eternity I muſt encounter with Death, with Hell it ſelf, and with the ſubtle inſinuations of the infernal Spirits. O Almighty and merciful Lord, ſuffer me not to loſe courage and to yield to the preſent temptations. By thy wonderful Providence, and out of the Treaſuries of thy Mercy, ſupply all my wants and infirmities, and grant that I may with the Shield of faith, quench all the ſiery Dorts of the Devil. I am beſet with many viſible and inviſible Enemies, but they that are for me, are more in number then they that are againſt me: It is true, I am far from my Native Countrey, but I am not one jott farther from Heaven, whereof the Earth is the Center; I am at a diſtance from all my Earthly friends, but nothing can put me at a diſtance from thee; O good God, who loveſt me with an unchangeable affection; I am in the imbraces of mine Heavenly Father, and of my God, I have not the comfort of a Miniſter to aſſiſt and help me in my grief and pain, but I know that thou wilt ſend to me thine Holy Angels, as once to thy beloved Son, in his bitter Agony; Theſe Angels ſhall protect me againſt all the power of the Prince of darkneſs; Thou wilt adminiſter unto me thy ſelf, the ſweet comforts of thy Salvation; thy Rod and thy Staff will aſſiſt me in this Valley, and Shadow of Death. O Lord, thou doſt things that are not to be ſearched out, and ſo many wonders, thot it is not poſſible to number them, Thy Grace is ſufficient for me, and thy power is made manifeſt in mine infirmities; thine Holy Spirit who is the true comforter, and the great Power of the Almighty, ſhall refreſh me in theſe my afflictions, and in all things ſhall made me more than Conqueror: Thou art ſtronger than all other beings, ſo that I am perſwaded, nothing can raviſh me out of thine hands; I am certain, that neither Death, nor Life, nor Angels, nor Principalities, nor Powers, nor things preſent, nor things to come, nor heighth, nor depth, nor any other creature, can ſeparate me from the love that thou haſt declared to me in Jeſus Chriſt my Lord; This precious faith with which thou haſt enabled my Soul, ſhall vanquiſh the World, triumph over Hell, and deſtroy Death in its own Empire, Amen.
A Prayer and Meditation upon the death of a beloved Perſon.
O My God, I acknowledge that there is nothing certain nor unchangeable on Earth, but thy precious and Holy Promiſes, therefore it becomes us to enjoy the things of the World, as not enjoying them; Thou haſt ſnatch'd out of my embraces, and pull'd from my boſom my greateſt Darling, and moſt intimate friend; by this means thou haſt open'd my Heart, and torn my Bowels, thou haſt ſeparated me from my ſelf, ſo that my life is but a burden, and a pain to me, I did often look upon this pleaſant object of my love, as a gift from above, and a mark of thy favour and liberality; It was my greateſt joy and my ſeeteſt comfort The day that it took away, loaded me with ſorrows, and overwhelmed me in a Sea of grief; That which doth moſt diſturb me, is, That I am afraid, that this is a ſtreak, and an effect of thine anger and juſtice. Lord my God, I muſt needs acknowledge, that I have grievouſly offended thee, ſeeing thou doſt thus chaſtiſe me with ſo much ſeverity, and makeſt me to feel ſo ſharp an affliction; I am unworthy of all thy favors, ſeeing thou doſt take from me ſuch a precious jewel which was ſhewn to me as a Lightning. I am afraid to have been wanting in my Duty, and that this death that kills me, is the effect of my ſtupidity and blindeſs: Methinks I could have hinder'd this doleful accident, for if I had behav'd my ſelf otherwiſe than I have done, my Life and Soul ſhould not be now in its Grave. O God of all comfort, pardon my exceſſive grief, pacify my ſighs, ſtop the currant of my Tears, remove all theſe vain diſpleaſures that conſume me, deliver my Soul from this unmerciful, grief and torment, that it ſuffers, and from theſe troubles that are more than humane: Inſtead of looking to theſe inferior Cauſes, and to the circumſtances of the death of this perſon, that I did love as mine own Soul; give me grace to remember, that the leaſt things as well as the greateſt, are govern'd and rul'd by thy wiſe Providence, and that the good and the evil proceed from thy Divine appointment. Give me Grace to conſider, that thou doſt hold in thine Almighty hand, the Keys of Life and Death, and that thou alone doſt caſt us into the Grave, and lift us up from thence again. Thou, O Soveraign Monarch of the Ʋniverſal World, who doſt not only let death looſe, but doſt alſo appoint all the means to talke us out of the World; make me truly ſubmiſſive unto thy Sacred Pleaſure, and to put the Finger upon my Lips, becauſe it is thy doing; If I open them, let it be to adore thy Juſtice, and ſing forth thy Praiſes; the perſon for whom I lament ſo much, was nearly related to me, like another my ſelf, but it was alſo thy Creature, thy Child, and a Member of our Saviours myſtical Body. We for our parts believe, to have the right of diſpoſing of our Workmanſhip, and of that which we have bought with our Money; and haſt not thou, O God, the liberty to diſpoſe of that which thou haſt created after thy likeneſs? bought, not with corruptible things, as with Gold and Silver, but by the precious Blood of the Lamb, without ſpot or blemiſh. Thou hadſt a Son who is the brightneſs of thy Glory, and the expreſs image of thy perſon, whom thou haſt not ſpared for me, and ſhall I Lord refuſe thee my Heart and my Bowels? Thy only begotten Son came down upon Earth to ſuffer the moſt cruel and ignominious Death of the Croſs, but thou haſt taken up into Heaven the perſon whom my ſoul did love, to crown it with a glorious and ever happy Immortality; Shall his or her Felicity be the cauſe of my Miſery? and that his or her Reſt occaſion my diſpleaſure? It is the property of true love to prefer the happineſs of the beloved Perſons, to our own ſatisfactions; Therefore our Saviour told his Apoſtles; If you did love me, you would rejoyce, becauſe I go to my Father, for my Father is greater than I. Between thee, O great and living God, and us miſerable Worms of the Earth, there is a vaſt difference, as there is between the innocent and harmleſs delights of this world, and the unſpeakale pleaſures of thy preſence; for theſe are but as drops of Water, that are dried up with the leaſt wind; whereas the ſatisfactions of Heaven are like a bottomleſs Sea of Delights, in which we ſhall ſwim for ever. Do I therefore weep for him or for her, whoſe tears thou haſt wip'd away? Do I wear a mourning Apparel, and a black Scarf, for him who is now cover'd with a Glorious Attire of Joy and Gladneſs, and who is adorned with an Habit as white as Snow? Do I delight my ſelf in darkneſs, and doth he ſolace himſelf at the Fountain of Light and Glory? Do I ſeek a ſolitary and melancholly Retreat, and doth he rejoyce amongſt the thouſands of Angels, and the Glorious company of the immortal Spirits? I ſigh and groan, and he ſings a new ſong, the Song of the Bleſſed, which is always in his mouth. All my complaints and groanings cannot bring him back upon Earth; but when that were poſſible, it is not juſt to attempt it; my kindneſs would be cruel, and my love moſt inhumane: How could I reſolve to make him leave the Haven of Eternal Felicity, to expoſe him again to the furious Waves and ſtorms of this troubleſom Sea of the World? How can I have the heart to pull him down from his Triumphing Chariot, and from the magnificent Throne, unto which thou haſt raiſed him, to engage him in new and freſh encounters, and to bind him again with a chain of miſery; how could I pluck off from him the Habits of Light and Glory, to cloath him with darkneſs, and cover him with our infirmities; Is it poſſible that I ſhould be ſo inhumane, to draw him out of Rivers of pleaſures, to caſt him again into a Sea of Gaul and Bitterneſs? to take from him the Bread of thine Heavenly Kingdom, and the Fruits of the Tree of Life, to give him the Bread of affliction, and the Apples of Sorrow and grief? Can I be ſo cruel to pluck him from thy boſom, from the Breaſts of thy moſt tender favours, and from that fulneſs of Joy, which he hath in the ſight of thy Countenance, to make him languiſh in our embraces, ſwallow the poiſon of this miſerable Life, and groan under the burden of our mortal afflictions? In ſhort, can I be ſo ſenſeleſs, as to remove him out of that Eternal Life, to cauſe him to become again the ſport of Death? He is paſs'd from Death to Life, is it my deſire that he ſhould return back from Life, into the mercileſs hands of Death? we ſhall go to him, but he cannot come to us; ſeeing that this life is ſo ſhort, that it is ſpent and gone as a thought, we ſhall ſee one another ſhortly in the light of the Living. O Lord, how wonderful art thou in thy Works? how Magnificent in the means that thou employeſt? and how various is thy Wiſdom in all things? I ſee that what thou haſt done, is not only for thy Glory, and for the advantage of this happy Creature, a that thou haſt received into thy Reſt; but it is alſo for my happineſs, and the inſtruction of my neighbors; for in taking from me my moſt dearly Beloved, my Joy, my Pleaſure, and my Hopes, thou haſt put my Obedience and faith to a Tryal. As thou didſt heretofore try the Father of the faithful, in requiring from him his only Son Iſaac, in whom thou hadſt promiſed to bleſs all the Nations of the World: I confeſs, good Lord, to the praiſe of thy Grace and Goodneſs, that my tryal is loſs than his, for thou didſt command Abraham to ſacrifice his Son with his own hands, to ſpill his Blood in thy preſence, and to reduce his Body into Aſhes; but thou requireſt of me no other Sacrifice, but that of my Obedience, and of my Submiſſion to thy Holy Will. Thou wilt have me ſay with good Heli, It is the Lord, let him do what ſeemeth him good; or with thy Servant Job, The Lord gave, the Lord hath taken away, bleſſed be the name of the Lord. Thou haſt pluckt out that ſtrong root that did tye me to this Earth, and haſt out the pleaſant ſtring that did bind me ſo faſt to the world, that thou mighteſt tranſplant my heart in Heaven, and lift up my affections to the things above. A part of my ſelf, which I lookt upon as my Treaſure, is already with thee, and the wings of Divine Love that enflames me, caries me thither alſo, at every moment; Inſtead of continuing in my Sighs, Groans, and Tears, for him, or for her that I loved with all the affection and tenderneſs that I am capable of, Give me Grace to employ my ſelf in preparing to depart out of this earthly Tabernacle; Enable me to imitate the Piety, Zeal, Faith, and Conſtancy, and all the other Noble Vertues of thoſe whom thou haſt received into thine Eternal Reſt, and crowned with Glory. Let me dye the death of the Righteous, and let my laſt End be like his, Amen.