The Daily Practice of Devotion, Part 22 – Part 24
OF DEATH.
AND now I cannot think any Concluſion more fit and proper for this daily courſe of Devout Life, than a ſhort meditation on that which ſhall be the Concluſion of Life it ſelf.
I. Firſt therefore, conſider the ſhortneſs and miſeries of this Life, That our days conſume in vanity, and our years Pſal. in trouble; That our whole Life is but as a Dream, and when Death awakes us, we find our hands empty of all that which hath coſt us ſo much labour, and travel, and ſorrow, and ſin.
II. Remember the ſwiftneſs and ſuddenneſs of Death;Pſal. That our days are but a ſpan-long, Pſal. 103. 15.and our flouriſhing but as a flower of the field, which though it be not plucked up, yet ſoon withers of it ſelf, and falls away.
The Young may dye ſoon, but the Old cannot live long.
III. Remember that in this ſhort life, we are yet to provide for an Eternity either of weal or woe; and therefore cannot be too careful how we ſpend every minute of that upon which depends a matter of ſo great, ſo laſting importance.
IV. There is but one way of Birth, but many ways and means of Death: and our Life hangs by ſo ſmall a thred, that every little Chance is ready to break it off.
V. After Death we are immediately called to Judgment before the high Court of Heaven, to give a ſevere account how we have performed that duty to which we were created; and accordingly to receive an irrevocable ſentence of eternal happineſs or miſery.
VI. The Judge, before whom we ſhall ſtand, is infinite both in Knowledge and Power; ſo that it is impoſſible either to hide any thing from his all-ſeeing eye, or to eſcape out of the reach of his Almighty hand.
VII. The Lord cometh in a day when we look not for him,Luke. 12. 46. and in an hour when we are not aware: Let us therefore watch, and wait for his coming, that when he knocketh, we may open unto him immediately, Verſ. 36.
How dangerous and deplorable a condition would it be, to be found and taken away in the midſt of any Sin, or in a continued courſe of ſinful Life?
On the contrary: How happy, and bleſſed, and joyful a thing would it be, to be found practiſing and perſevering in that which is good?
Bleſſed is that ſervant, whom his Lord when he cometh ſhall find ſo doing, Luke 12. 43.
A Prayer preparatory to Death.
O Eternal Lord God, who haſt created the World and all Time, who haſt made my days as it were a ſpan long, and mine Age even as nothing in reſpect of thee:Pſal. 90. 12. Teach me ſo to number my days, that I may apply my heart to thy Heavenly Wiſdom, and ſo carefully imploy this ſhort time which thou haſt appointed me to ſpend here, ſo make up thy reckonings before that great day come, that whenſoever thou ſhalt call me hence, I may give ſuch an account of the Talent wherewith thou haſt intruſted me, that I may receive that joyful Sentence,
Well done, good and faithful Servant, Mat. 25. 21.
Grant that I may be always provided with Oil in my Lamp,Mat. 25. 1, 10. and ready to enter in with the Wiſe Virgins whenſoever the Bridegroom ſhall come, and receive a bleſſing among thoſe which watch and wait for thy coming.
So come, Lord Jeſu, come quickly. Amen. Rev. 22. 20.
LAMENTATIONS AND DEVOTIONS FOR THE TIMES OF CAPTIVITY.
Eccleſ. 12. 13, 14.
Let us hear the Concluſion of the whole matter:
Fear God, and keep his Commandments; for this is the whole duty of Man.
For God ſhall bring every work into judgment, with every ſecret thing, whether is be good, or whether it be evil.
I. IS it nothing to you,Lam. c. 1. v. 12. 14, 15, 6, 17, 5. all ye that paſs by? Behold and ſee if there be any ſorrow like unto my ſorrow, which is done unto me, wherewith the Lord hath afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger.
The yoke of my tranſgreſſions is bound by his hand; they are wreathed and come up upon my neck. He hath made my Srength to fail; the Lord hath delivered me into their hands, from whom I am not able to riſe up. The Lord hath trodden under foot all my mighty men in the midſt of me; he hath called an aſſembly againſt me to cruſh my young men. The Lord hath trodden the Virgin the Daughter of Judah as in a Wine-preſs, and all her beauty is departed from her. Zion ſtretcheth forth her hands, and there is none to comfort her.
Her adverſaries are the chief, her Enemies proſper; for the Lord hath afflicted her. For the multitude of her tranſgreſſions her children are gone into captivity before the Enemy.
For theſe things I weep:Verſ. 16. mine eye, mine eye runneth down with water; becauſe the Comforter that ſhould relieve my Soul is far from me. My Children are deſolate becauſe the Enemy prevailed.
The Lord is righteous;Ver. 18, 20, 21. for I have rebelled againſt his Commandment.
Behold, O Lord, for I am in diſtreſs. My bowels are troubled, my heart is turned within me; for I have grievouſly rebelled. Abroad the Sword bereaveth, at home there is as death.
They have heard that I ſigh; there is none to comfort me. All mine Enemies have heard of my trouble; they are glad that thou haſt done it.
II. How hath the Lord covered the Daughter of Zion with a Cloud in his anger,C. 2. v. 1, 3, 2, 9. and caſt down from Heaven unto the Earth the Beauty of Iſrael, and remembred not his footſtool in the day of his anger!
He hath cut off in his fierce anger all the Srength of Iſrael. He hath polluted the Kingdom and the Princes thereof. Her King and her Princes are among the Gentiles: they are become like Harts that find no Paſture, and they are gone without ſtrength before the Purſuer, Chap. 1. 6.
The Law is no more;C. 2. v. 9, 7, 6. her Prophets alſo find no Viſion from the Lord. The Lord hath caſt off his Alter, he hath abhorred his Sanctuary, and violently taken away his Tabernacle, and deſtroyed his places of the Aſſembly. The Lord hath cauſed the Solemn Feaſts and Sabbaths to be forgotten in Zion; and hath deſpiſed in the indignation of his anger the King and the Prieſt.
All that paſs by clap their hands at thee;Verſ. 15. they hiſs and wag their head at the Daughter of Jeruſalem. Is this the City that men call the perfection of Beauty, the Joy of the whole Earth?
Behold, O Lord, and conſider to whom thou haſt done this, Verſ. 20.
III. Remember mine affliction and my miſery,C, 3. v. 19, 20, 21. and the wormwood and the gall.
My Soul hath them ſtill in remembrance, and is humbled in me.
This I recal to mind, therefore have I hope.
It is of the Lords mercies that we are not conſumed,Ver. 22, 23, 31, 32, 33. becauſe his Compaſſions fail not:
They are new every morning. Great is thy faithfulneſs.
For the Lord will not caſt off for ever: but though he cauſe grief, yet will he have compaſſion according to the multitude of his mercies: for he doth not afflict willingly, nor grieve the Children of men.
Wherefore doth a living man complain,Ver. 39, 40. a man for the puniſhment of his ſins?
Let us ſearch and try our ways, and turn again to the Lord.
IV. The Lord hath accompliſhed his fury,Chap. 4. ver. 11, 12. he hath poured out his fierce anger, and hath kindled a fire in Zion, and it hath devoured the foundations thereof.
The Kings of the Earth, and all the Inhabitants of the World, would not have beleived that the Adverſary and the Enemy ſhould have entered into the Gates of Jeruſalem.
The anger of the Lord hath divided them,Ver. 16, 17, 18, 19. he will no more regard them. They reſpected not the perſons of the Prieſts, they favoured not the Elders.
As for us, our eyes as yet failed for our vain help; in our watching we have watched for a Nation that could not ſave us.
They hunt our ſteps that we cannot go into the ſtreets. Our Perſecutors are ſwifter than the Eagles of the Heavens; they purſued us upon the Mountains, they laid wait for us in the wilderneſs.
The Breath of our noſtrils the Anointed of the Lord,Verſ. 20. was taken in their pits, of whom we ſaid, Under his ſhadow we ſhall live among the Heathen.
V. Remember, O Lord what is come upon us:Chap. 5. ver. 2, 3. conſider and behold our reproach.
Our Inheritance is turned to ſtrangers, our houſes to aliens.
We are Orphans and Fatherleſs; our Mothers are as Widows.
Servants have ruled over us;Verſ. 8, 12, 15, 16. there is none that doth deliver us out of their hand.
Princes are hanged up by their hand. The Faces of the Elders were not honoured.
The Joy of our Heart is ceaſed: our Dance is turned into Mourning.
The Crown is fallen from our head: Wo unto us that we have ſinned.
For this our Heart is faint;Verſ. 17. for theſe things our eyes are dim.
Thou, O Lord, remaineſt for ever,Verſ. 19, 20, 21. thy Throne from generation to generation.
Wherefore doſt thou forget us for ever, and forſake us ſo long time?
Turn thou us unto thee, O Lord, and we ſhall be turned: renew our days as of old.