The Faith of Dying Jacob, Part 12
Behold, I Die.
Use 1. Israels Life being so useful, there is cause to lament their Death, and to lay it to Heart.
Such Tears as vapours sent up Heav'n-ward, will return an unctuous dew upon thy own Heart: The dying House is the House of mourning, the Mourners go about the Streets; Abraham Mourns for his Sarah: The People for Moses, for Abijah, for Samuel, for Josiah the Breath of their Nostrils, for Stephen with great Lamentation. Gen. 23. 2. Exod. 34. 8. 1 Kings 14. 13. 1 Sam. 25. 1. 2 Chron. 35. 20. Acts 8. 2. 'Twas said of a vertuous Lady, Nihil unquam peccavit, nisi quod mortua est, she never offended, but in this that she died; what a cry was there for the slain young Prophet? 1 Kin. 13. 10. The wicked dying, none say, ah! My Brother, or ah! His Glory; 'Tis sad to see the Stars falling from Heaven, the Sun setting to rise no more, to see stone after stone falling from Gods Building, to see one withdraw his hundreds, another his thousands from the common stock: Were the Indian Wombs of Silver and Gold blasted, the loss were not so great; of all, the wicked have cause to mourn, the godly being gone to their Father to give an account of their evil usage of them, persecuting their Bodies, and grieving their Righteous Souls: God will enquire who caused these Tears? Who made these Wounds?
2. Emprove them while living; draw out their good, listen to their Counsel: get Copies, Transcripts of their piety to look on when dead, gather fruit before the Tree be cut down and bear no more: Work, the Candle will be put out. Esau cryeth bitterly to his dying Father, Bless me, even me also, O my Father. Gen. 27. 34. 'Twas Adonijahs folly not to make use or Zadock and Nathan, who would have given him safe advice in time, 1 King. 1. 8.
3. Before Death comes do all the good you can. Moses was to be avenged on the Midianites and then to be gathered to his People, Num. 31. 2. And Sampson to be avenged on the Lords of the Philistines, by Faith shaking the Pillars, and pulling down the House over them: Luther said, I will take care of Germany during my Life, then let others look to it. The Silk-worm having spun her self a Silken Garment dies, leaving a Pearly Seed, Ciconiae mos est unam è pullis domui, relinquere ubi nidificata est. If possible leave some young Saints in the places where you dwell. Ground not cultivated is Barren. As we have opportunity let us do good, Gal. 6. 10. The poor man may be dead to morrow. The Emperour was sad, his Neighbour dying before he had done him good; Isaac ordereth, Make me Savoury meat before I die, that I may bless thee. Be not Clouds without Rain, Wells without Water: Naked Backs, and Hungry Bellies blessed Job: Alms receive into everlasting habitations, advocatos praemisimus: The Lives of most are Blanks, you may as well cast up a thousand Cyphers, as cast up their good deeds. Excellencies are worthless if not used: Speculative sciences are little admired but as tending to action. The Glorious Hue and Glittering outside of the Sun and Stars would be little admired, were it not for their beneficial qualities and influence: Cornelius Alms, the Centurions Synagogue, and Dorcas Coats for the poor made their Life desired, and Death lamented. Abraham prays hard for Ishmaels Life; Israel blesseth his posterity; The Dresser of the Vineyard pleadeth a year longer for the Barren-tree: God forbid, saith Samuel, that I should cease to pray for you. Elisha, entertained by the Shunamite, said, Behold, thou hast been careful for us with all this care, what is to be done for thee? Wouldst thou be spoken for to the King? Or to the Captain of the Host? 1 Kin. 4. 13. Elijah bids Elisha, Ask what shall I do for thee before I die? 2 Kin. 2. 9. Thy Glass runs apace, Death is picking at the Lock to let out thy Soul, what thine hand findeth to do, do it with all thy might, for the Church, for thy Family, and with Hezekiah, set thine House in order for thou must die.
4. If Israels Life be such a blessing, pray for the Saints lives: As they did for Peter, by prayer unlocking the Prison Doors, Acts 12. And for Epaphroditus sick nigh unto Death. Phil. 2. 27. Cry, Lord, spare thy People, save thine inheritance: If the Foundations be destroyed what can the Righteous do? When it goeth well with the Righteous the City rejoyceth, but when the wicked perish there is Shouting, and an Hissing them out of their place. Prov. 11. 10. 28. c. 12. Job. 27. 23.
5. Be willing to live with David to serve out your Generation and Apprentice-ship. Paul with his big self-denying Soul, was content with the suspence of the Glory of Heaven to serve the Church, when himself and that were afflicted. Ingentis animi est aliena causa ad ortum reverti. Christ telleth Peter desirous to follow him, whither I go, thou canst not follow me now: Thou hast more work to do. John 13. 27. Luke 17. 7, 8. The Servant coming from Plow expected to sit down to meat, but the Master said, Gird thy self and serve me first. Caesar saying he had lived long enough for Nature, Tully replyed, but not long enough to serve the Common-wealth. If distresses be they may be overlived, or God be glorified by thee, more than in Heaven: Above the glorified sing, here the afflicted sigh, but the sighing of the one is pleasing to God, as the triumph of the other; and the Lord is sensible of thy sorrow to crown thy patience, and will kiss the Wounds that Bleed for his sake, as Constantine did the hollow of Paphnutius Eye lost in Christs cause. Et haec olim meminisse juvabit. There is something better than being glorified; living thou givest glory unto God, dying thou receivest glory from him. The Lord knoweth best when 'tis fit to die; and the best good is not good or beautiful but in Gods time.
And suppose thy fruit bearing time be devoured by Age, stlll thou maist be a Nurse to Gods Children and sick Family, Psal. 92. 14. that promise one way or other holds good: They shall bring forth Fruit in old Age: Tho Nature hath its time to cease bearing, Grace hath none: If thou hast no working Hand, thou hast feeding Lips: Isaac's Eyes Dim, he could bless. However, Saints grown old must be content to be Gods Beads-men, and to live on the Reversion of anothers Trencher: He never turns old Servants out of Door, and lets them live to be useless, to let them know they are saved by Grace: Still there is a Beauty in Old Age; the old Oak is venerable, foreign, the autumn of fair things is fair: The Beauty of old men is the Gray-head, duplex corona, exaltationis & pulchritudinis, especially when found in the way of Righteousness 'tis a double Crown, Crown upon Crown.
6. If Saints be so useful, see the folly and mad mischievous mistake of wicked men; who are weary of their best blessings, that as Legion mischief their best Friends that stand them in most stead, that are hewing at the Pillars that support the House over their Heads, who, night coming on, put out the Candles, in a storm cast away their Cables and Anchors: Sickness and Death gathering apace to the Heart, Bar out the Physitian; the House ready to fall, pull away the Shoars; Sancti sunt statumen rerum: What is more Diabolical, or nearer the sin against the Holy Ghost? The Sun-set, and Stars clouded, what a dulsome night ensues? Joseph and Daniel were admired by Heathens descrying the Spirit of the living God in them: Is this the honour of the Christian Religion for its sake to be infamous? Psal. 106. 16. They envyed also Moses in the Camp, and Aaron the Saint of the Lord. Egypt was glad, Israel departed, but it cost them dear at the Red-Sea: Vultures beat their Young because lively; Ravens Feed not their Young, as not so black: Tygers are enraged by Fragrant Spices: Powder and Shot are spent on Pigeons, and the Crows are spared: Panthers hate a mans Picture: The Ephesians Banish Hermodorus as Sober: Aristides hath the Athenian Ostracism: Greece Decrees nemo de nobis excellat, let none excel. Blacks deride Beauties: At the Burgundian Forge, Qui prior erat dignitate, prior trahebatur ad martyrium, Tarquin cuts off the tall Poppies gay heads. Envious malice with its foul mouth and bloodshotten eyes, calleth Christ a Devil, sprays and freckles the purest Beauty, spits Poyson, puts out the new lighted blazing Candle, clips the wings of anothers growing Reputation, that themselves may be mounted on the wings of Fame. Surely sparkling holiness hurts their sore eyes, walking piety bites. Men vile and useless, ulcera & carcinomata, the Wens and Plagues of a Nation in Pride and Hatred, like Cain kill their Brother, because better, and having acceptance of God, which they despair of, Psal. 35. 15. … …ther against David, those that … whispered together. The Lord told … art one of them, Obad. 11. Zio… …, Lam. 1. 21. the Enemies were glad … thou Lord hast done it. The Ship nigh wrack'd they went about to kill Paul, who preserved them. Christ though healing their sick, casting out Devils, is bid depart. Some pretensions are of honouring Saints dead, but as Claudius Taurinensis said, pictos adorant, vivos devorant, the living are baited and devoured. 'Tis wholly unaccountable to reason, policy and interest for the wicked to have such a pique at the Godly who do them so many good turns.