The Excellency of Christ, Section 13
SECT. 13. Of Blockiſhneſſe, the ſecond Let.
THe ſecond let which here muſt be pulled away, is Blockiſhneſse, The ſecond Let, is Blockiſhneſſe.wherby many men and women are ſo ſtupified, as that they care as little for this roſe of Sharon, as a great many of your blockiſh countrey people care for other roſes, though they have great ſtore of them in the countrey: For they doe not conceive that they may be ſicke and ſtand in ſome need of them, and therefore they will not take the paines to gather them, and to preſerve them againſt a time of faintneſſe or ſickneſſe which may happen; Nor doe a great many men among us once ſeriouſly thinke upon the evill day, when Chriſt the roſe of Sharon will doe a man more good then this whole world, if it were turned into one entire lump of gold, nay, they doe even purpoſely put off all ſuch penſive thoughts as now and then doe mind them of ſuch a day: Like that timorous King of France, who charged all his followers, that they ſhould not once name before him that moſt dreadfull, fearfull name of death; they doe not deſire to thinke that ere long they muſt ſicken, and dye, and come to judgement; and therefore, though we Miniſters tell them never ſo much of Chriſt, and doe even fill their eares with Chriſt, and make them even weary to heare ſo much of Chriſt, yet can we doe them no good, becauſe they be ſo blockiſh, as that they cannot or will not remember their latter end. So that needs thou muſt remove out of the way this blocke, if thou be yet out of Chriſt, and remember that a day is comming, even a day of darkneſſe, and of gloomineſſe, a day of clouds, and of thicke darkneſſe, Ioel 2.2. when thou ſhalt lie downe upon thy death-bed, in thy laſt ſickneſſe, unleſſe God take thee away ſuddenly. When the *Tremell. in Eccleſ. 12.keepers of the houſe, thine armes ſhall tremble, and the *Idem. …b.ſtrong men, thy knees ſhall bow themſelves, and the grinders, thy teeth, I mean, ſhall ceaſe, and thoſe that looke out at the windowes, even thoſe very eyes of thine ſhall be darkened, when friends will be troubleſome unto thee, thy ſervants or thoſe that ſhall keep thee, will not be able to pleaſe thee, when ſpeaking will ſpend thee, and ſilence grieve thee, and thy wife and children, thoſe pieces of thy ſelfe, in another kind, weeping about thee will torment thee, and when thy feet will begin to grow cold, and thy face to waxe pale, thy lips and mouth to retire, thine eyes to pitch, thy tongue to faile, thy teeth to cloſe, thy breath to faint, thy heart to beat and ake; and when the memory, the magazine of the ſoule, as *Mancheſt…r al mondo.one aptly termes it, will recount all that thou haſt done, thought, or ſpoken, and Satan, yea, many devils and malignant ſpirits will in this thy laſt aſſault with combine forces ſurround thy bed, and lay to thy charge what thou now ſlighteſt, even thy moſt abhorred underprizing and undervaluing of the Lord Chriſt, and thy wilfull neglect of a number of golden ſeaſons, and precious duties, beſides an infinite multitude of other moſt grievous and haynous abominations, youthfull luſts, and execrable pollutions, extortions, oathes, curſings, revilings, and the like, which will moſt bitterly aggravate the unexpreſſable *N…m dolor eſt ſ…lutio continui. Cur…us de ſe…ſ. l. 2. c. 4? So that the diſſolution of ſoul and body moſt nearly compacted, muſt needs be exceeding great.paine of death, who in the meane while will put thy whole dying body into a moſt grievous and coldeſt ſweat, as an infallible *P. Boayſiuan in ſuo th…a…ro mundi, l. 3 p. 147.evidence that nature is now vanquiſh…d, yea, will be ſure to batter chiefly thy once ſtrongeſt caſtle the heart, ſtraightening and d…ſtreſſing it round on every ſide, and bur…ing the very ſtrings of it, to make the laſt fatall breath, and to fetch out by force and maine ſtrength thy poore and trembling ſoule, and to deliver it, if thou dye out of Chriſt (which God forbid) unto his fellow, … death, to be tormented for … ever: For therefore it is … 12 20. thou foole, this night … be required of thee, *foreign.or … require thy ſoule of thee. … who they be, thinke ye? … death, and the ſecond, one ſucceeding, as it were, and ſeconding the other; 1Seriouſly.and therefore I beſeech you,2Freq…ētly think but ſeriouſly and frequently on this your laſt ſickneſſe, and upon your latter end, which is approaching, and be not ſo blockiſh as formerly you have been: For then, as the little Bee, which ſo ſoone as flowers ſpring, goeth abroad, vieweth the gay diapery, and the variety of the ſweeteſt flowers, growing in the coloured fields, fraights her thighes, maketh a curious combe, and ſo betimes hoards up honey in the pleaſant ſummer againſt the cold, ſad and troubleſome winter: ſo you cannot chuſe but take this golden opportunity, which God in mercy offereth you, cauſing the moſt ſweeteſt roſe of Sharon, even Jeſus Chriſt himſelfe, bleſſed for ever, to ſpring, as it were, and to appeare. Here before you, I ſay you cannot but goe forth now forthwith, & uſe the means formerly ſhewed, that you may ſucke, provide, and get, I will not ſay a little corruptible honey out of this my text, which is Chriſts owne ſpeech; but Chriſt himſelfe, who is ſweeter then honey, though it be made never ſo pleaſant with the moſt fragrant roſes, againſt that moſt heavy, moſt grievous, and ſorrowfull winter of your latter end, which is to come.
The Lord make you thinke upon it, that you may not neglect or for-ſlow this moſt pleaſant ſummer day of your moſt gracious viſitation, in the which the Lord Chriſt doth ſo bleſſedly appeare unto you in his bleſſed word, and proffers himſelfe unto you ſo lovingly and pleaſantly, like a roſe full freſh and faire in the field.