Christs Power of Bodily Diseases, Application 4

Christs Power of Bodily Diseases · Application 4

p. 175Laſt Ʋſe is of Exhortation.

I ſhall conclude this diſcourſe with a Uſe of Exhortation, which I ſhall firſt direct to all in general, and then more particularly,

1. To ſuch who are in health.

2. To ſuch who have been ſick, but are recovered.

3. I ſhall direct to ſome duties to be practiſed in time of ſickneſs.

p. 176I begin with the firſt; wherein I ſhal… exhort all to theſe ſix duties, grounded o… this Doctrine.

1. Live in the knowledge and ſenſe o… this truth, that the health and lives of al… men are at the will and command of Jeſus Chriſt.

1. See your own health and lives at th… command of Chriſt; acknowledge with David, Pſal. 31.15. My times are in thy hands. Conſider that of the Apoſtle, Jam▪ 4.13, 14. Go to now, ye that ſay, To day or to morrow we will go into ſuch a City▪ and continue there a year, and buy, and ſell, and get gain; whereas ye know not what ſhall be on the morrow: For what is your life? it is even a vapour that appeareth for a little time, and preſently vaniſheth away. Obſerve, Go to, ye that ſay, To day, or to morrow. Why, a day is but a little while, and it is but a ſhort time till to morrow: Well, but time hath a teeming womb, and you know not what a day may bring forth. Prov. 27.1Prov 27:1We often ſee one day working ſtrange changes and alterations with men: a day may bring you into eternity, and put an eternal period to all your deſignes; and it is moſt certain, that you know not what ſhall be on the morrow: thou p. 177mayeſt be ſick or dead to morrow; thou mayeſt be in heaven or hell to morrow: oh, but ſure there is no ſuch danger! yes that there is; and therefore it is added, What is your life? It is even a vapour that appeareth a little while, and preſently vaniſheth away. As a vapour fills the air, and makes a ſhew a little while, and then preſently vaniſheth away: So man appears a little while in his family, in the Field, Market, or Congregation, but preſently vaniſheth out of ſight. How would the ſerious thoughts of this make men haſten to repent, if they did know that there is very great danger, that unbelief and impenitency may bring them to hell before to morrow: If ſo, ſurely they would not venture one hour out of Jeſus Chriſt, for as many mountains of gold, as there are ſands upon the Sea-ſhore; yet for want of this, poor ſouls are ſtill deferring their repentance till to morrow, until at laſt death ſeiſeth upon them, and leaves them never a morrow to repent in. So, how vain would the world appear to them, if they did conſider that they could not ſay, they ſhould enjoy their riches, and pleaſures, and preferments till to morrow! Conſider thus with thy ſelf, I have provided meat, but I may be in Eternity before I eat it; I have p. 178bought me good cloaths, but I may be put in a winding-ſheet before I wear them; I have ſowed great fields, but I may be in hell before I reap them: Look on all the world about thee, and tell thy ſoul, This is but a poor portion, when thou mayſt looſe all in a breath.

2. See thy Friends and Relations in the hands of Jeſus Chriſt. Beloved, herein appears the great difference betwixt our worldly and heavenly enjoyments: As fo… our heavenly enjoyments, we are beſt whe… we are moſt fit to enjoy them; but as fo… our worldly comforts, we are beſt when w… are moſt fit to looſe them: as thus, it is ou… holineſs and happineſs, to be fit to abide for ever with God and Chriſt in heaven; but we are moſt holy and ſpiritual, when we are in a readineſs to part with Huſbands, Wives, Parents, Children, &c. Now what poor comforts are theſe, when a man is in the beſt frame, when he can be content to be without them?

3. See the great ones of the world in the hands of Jeſus Chriſt: Oh what a ſight is this, to look upon all the Kings, and Nobles and Gallants of the world, in their very fa… into Eternity? Sirs, as you ſee them catching at the Crowns, and Honours, and Eſtates p. 179of the world, ſo ſee diſeaſes and death catching at them: We have this paſſage, Pſal. 49.12.—20. Man being in honour abideth not, he is like the beaſts that periſh; that is, ſay ſome, like beaſts that die of the Murrain, which are thrown away for ſtinking Carrion, which is good for nothing. Did we conſider this, we ſhould not make men our truſt and confidence. See Jer. 17.5. What a curſed ſin is this, for a man that hath the Immortal God to be his truſt, to reſt on a lump of fleſh, that cannot ſo much as keep himſelf from being ſick, or dead, or damned for one day? Pſal. 146.3, 4. Put not your truſt in Princes, nor in the ſon of man, in whom there is no help. His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts periſh. Obſerve, the Pſalmiſt pleads againſt putting our truſt in the Princes and great ones o… the world, becauſe they are dying men, and in the day of death their thoughts periſh. Many great men have great thoughts of honours and preferments, and perhaps thoughts of doing much miſchief to Gods Church and people; but death comes, and in that very day their thoughts periſh. In Eſth. 6. we read, that Hamans thoughts were full of this project, to have himſelf honoured, and p. 180Mordecai hanged, verſ. 4, 6. But in on… night God turned the ſcales, by a Divin… touch upon the Kings heart; and ſo Mordecai is brought to the honour, and Hama… to the gallows. Oh what became of thi… great Courtiers thoughts, when inſtead o… the honour which he expected, he had th… halter which he deſerved! And thus w… finde that God hath gracious thoughts o… love and mercy to his people; and the counſel of the Lord ſtandeth for ever, Pſa. 33.11.Ps 33:11and the thoughts of his heart to all generations. But men have thoughts of ſetting up themſelves, and throwing down the Church of God; but they fade in their ways, and their thoughts periſh.

Laſtly, See your enemies in the hands of Chriſt: What are they all, when they may be ſick, or dead, or damned before they can do thee any hurt! Iſa. 51.12 I, even I am he that comforteth thee: Who art thou, that thou ſhouldeſt be afraid of a man that ſhall die, and of the ſon of man which ſhall be made as graſs? We may learn here, that a Chriſtians fear of man, proceeds from his ignorance of three things.

1. Of God: therefore, ſaith God, I, even I am he that comforteth thee. Sirs, if there be more power, and goodneſs, and wiſdom p. 181in him that comforts us, then there is ſtrength, and ſubtilty, and malice in them that trouble us, what need we be afraid? do but believe who comforts thee, and thou needſt not fear or care who troubles thee; for God can take away the troubles of man, but man cannot take away the comforts of God.

2. Of themſelves: Therefore ſaith God, Who art thou? What thou who art my childe, and haſt me thy father to comfort thee, and yet wilt thou be afraid of a man! Oh what a poor-ſpirited creature art thou, to be afraid of a man!

3. Of the vanity of man. Therefore ſaith God, He is a man, and can do no more then a man: and he is a man that ſhall dye and wither as the graſs. Chriſtians, God, and Sickneſs, and Death, and Hell are nearer your enemies then they are to you; and I tell you, do but believe Gods threatnings againſt them, and you will ſee no reaſon to fear their threatnings againſt you.

Secondly, live in a holy awe and fear of Jeſus Chriſt, Pſal. 33.8. Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world ſtand in awe of him: A man that is a tenant at will can tell you, he is afraid p. 182of offending his Landlord: for, ſaith he, I live under him, I am at his merciemercy, he can keep me in, and turn me out of my living when he will. Beloved, if we knew the power of Chriſt, as well as we do the power of a Landlord; and were as much afraid of hell, as we are of looſing our livings, the ſame reaſon would prevail with us to be afraid of offending him; for we live at his merciemercy, and life and death is at his Will: let me therefore warn you, as God did the Iſraelites, ſpeaking to them of Jeſus Chriſt, Exod. 23.21. Beware of him, and obey his voice; provoke him not, for (if you continue in your ſins) he will not pardon your tranſgreſſions: for my Name is in him. Upon this ground we are required to fear him, Pſal. 2.9, 10, 11. He will break his enemies with a rod of iron, and daſh them in pieces like a potters veſſel: Therefore it is made the wiſdom of Kings and Judges of the earth, to ſerve the Lord with fear. It is very obſervable, that as Gods Attributes give being and life to a Chriſtians graces; ſo a Chriſtians Graces bring glory to Gods Attributes: as for example, the Power and Truth of God cauſeth Faith, and the Goodneſs of God cauſeth Love, and the Greatneſs of God cauſeth Fear in the hearts of p. 183the godly: So God hath a peculiar name of praiſe and glory from the graces of his people; becauſe of their faith and hope in him, he is called the truſt, and confidence, and hope of his people; and becauſe of their delight in him, he is called the ſong and joy of his people; and becauſe of their awe and dread of him, he is called the fear of his people, the fear of Iſaac, Gen. 31.42. See Iſa. 8.13. Sanctifie the Lord of hoſts himſelf, and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. We have a ſpecial inſtance of this in Job, cap. 31. in which Chapter Job by many ſolemn proteſtations and ſerious imprecations aſſerts his innocencie in ſeveral duties, as in chaſtity, equity to his ſervants, charity to the poor, &c. Now he clears himſelf, that the reaſon of his integrity in theſe things, was not becauſe he was afraid of ever a man alive. Hence, ſaith he, verſ. 34. Did I fear a great multitude, or did the contempt of families terrifie me? No, no, he had a great awe upon his heart, verſ. 23. For deſtruction from God was terror to me, and by reaſon of his greatneſs I could not endure. How contrary to this is the ſecure temper of many, who rage in malice againſt God and godlineſs, and fill the land that bears th… with lyes, oaths, drunkenneſs, p. 184whoredoms, injuſtice, Sabbath-breaking, contempt of Ordinances, &c. yet they make no more of God and his Judgements, then the very ſtones or dirt under their feet. But oh what work will diſeaſes and death make among theſe ſecure and ſenſeleſs Atheiſts ſhortly! methinks I hear the wrath of God roaring againſt them; and the Lyon hath roared, who will not fear? Amos 3.8. Be perſwaded then to ſtand in awe of God; for which purpoſe lay up that Scripture, Eccleſ. 8.12, 13. Though a ſinner do evil an hundred times, and his days be prolonged, yet ſurely I know that it ſhall be well with them that fear God, that fear before him. But it ſhall not be well with the wicked, neither ſhall he prolong his days which are as a ſhadow, becauſe he feareth not before God.

3. Labour to make your peace with God: you ſee what he can do againſt you; he can diſeaſe, or kill, or damn you when he will; therefore it's your great wiſdom and ſafety to have this God on your ſide, and to be at peace with him. The Scripture perſwades to this duty with this argument, Iſa. 27.4, 5. Who would ſet the briars and thorns againſt me in battel? I would go through them, I would bur… them together: p. 185meaning, if my enemies, who are but as briars and thorns before me, who am a conſuming fire, will fight it out againſt me, I will burn them up quickly, I will have them in hell preſently: but, ſaith he, verſ. 5. If they will (by ſincere faith and prayer) take hold on my ſtrength, and make peace with me, they ſhall make peace with me. Now to prevail with you herein, conſider what this peace with God is; it's that bleſſed State, whereby God in Chriſt is for the good, and happineſs, and eternal ſalvation of Believers; and whereby they are wholly turned and ſet for the ſervice and glory of God: So that in this caſe, a man may improve his knowledge and faith by all the advantages both from Scriptures and Creatures, and get his ſoul filled with the higheſt thoughts of the infinite power, and wiſdom, and goodneſs of God; and then boldly ſay, This is my infinitely great and good Father, and all his glorious power, and wiſdom, and love is on my ſide: then he may look into the world, and ſee all things working buſily about him; and then conclude, that this is the greateſt work upon the wheels to bring happineſs and ſalvation to me, and to that body of which I am a member. And then on the other hand p. 186he may look in himſelf, and ſee all the powers of his body and ſoul united in this great deſigne to pleaſe, and praiſe, and enjoy God. So that by theſe things you may learn what it is to be at peace with God: whereby you may alſo ſee what is the enmity betwixt God and a ſinner; it is that whereby a ſinner is againſt God, ſo as to be fearfully bent to hate, and deny, and deſpite him; and God is againſt the ſinner, ſo as to blaſt, and curſe, and damn him; ſo that this is thy caſe, ſinner, if thou art not at peace with God, all manner of diſeaſes, and all kindes of deaths and dangers, yea, and all the curſes of the Bible are againſt thee, becauſe the God of all theſe is againſt thee. I would therefore ſeriouſly perſwade you to come to agreement with God; which that you may do, let me tell you, that I am this day ſent as an Embaſſador of peace from the Lord of life and death, who hath committed to me the word of reconciliation:2 Cor. 5.19.2 Cor 5:19 So that I have authority from him to offer moſt bleſſed conditions of peace, viz. if you will this day ſincerely turn from ſin to God, and truely receive Jeſus Chriſt as he is offered in the Goſpel, you ſhall have the great God to be your Father, his onelyonly begotten Son, the true God, to be your Husband and p. 187Saviour, the infinite and bleſſed Spirit to be your Comforter; you ſhall have grace and peace to abide with you here, and an everlaſting Kingdom of glory to poſſeſs and enjoy hereafter. Sirs, are not theſe bleſſed and honourable terms? Well, where lyes the difference? Anſw. In nothing but ſin: Now what a fearful caſe is this, that after God the Father hath ſent his onelyonly begotten Son, and after he hath dyed the moſt ſhameful, painful, and accurſed death of the Croſs, and after ſo many hundred Sermons and offers of peace; Wilt thou now break with God for a baſe luſt? canſt thou indure hereafter to lye among the Devils and damned in everlaſting burnings; and to ſee Abraham, and Iſaac, and Jacob in the Kingdom of God; and hear thy own conſcience upbraiding thee to all eternity, that thou haſt loſt heaven, and doſt lye in hell for loving thy cups, oaths, whores, or the duſt of the earth, better then Jeſus Chriſt? O Sirs, repent and believe quickly; you have more need to do it, then either to eat, drink or ſleep: for ought you know, you may be in hell before ſuch another offer be made. I am ſure there are millions of diſeaſes and deaths waiting at your doors to break up the treaty: I ſhall therefore conclude this in p. 188the words of Eliphaz to Job, cap. 22.21, 22, 23. Aquaint now thy ſelf with God, and be at peace; thereby good ſhall come unto thee.

Receive, I pray thee, the law from his mouth, and lay up his words in thy heart.

If thou return to the Almighty, thou ſhalt be built up, thou ſhalt put away iniquity far from thy Tabernacles.

Fourthly, prize and improve godly Miniſters and people, whilſt you have them, ſeeing it appears by this Doctrine, that you know not how ſoon they may be ſent for to heaven, where I am ſure they will be better reſpected. Now the greateſt honour that you can ſhew to godly Miniſters, is, to be doers of the Word, Jam. 1.22.Jas 1:22which they are Preachers of. Miniſters are more honoured by the converſion, though of the pooreſt ſervants, then by the higheſt commendations, which the moſt able and learned Doctors are able to expreſs: for this is their greateſt glory, to be inſtruments of Gods glory in the ſalvation of poor ſouls; for thereby the Word of God is glorified, 2 Theſ. 3.1. By the applauſe of men, Miniſters may be cryed up for perſons of excellent gifts and parts; but this is their greateſt glory, when by the ſalvation of ſouls,2 Cor. 4.7.2 Cor 4:7 the excellencie of the power p. 189appears to be of God, and not of men. But Beloved, the ignorant unbelieving world knows not the worth of godly Miniſters or Chriſtians, becauſe they ſee not the excellencie of God, and Chriſt, and Holineſs, and Heaven, which are the cauſes which make them ſo precious: The world knoweth us not, becauſe it knew him not, 1 Joh. 3.1. But whatever the men of the world think, who can prize nothing but honours, and riches, and pleaſures, to which they ſhould be dead and crucified; I tell you, godly Miniſters and Chriſtians are the bleſſings of their age; and thoſe are the beſt Kingdoms, and Countries, and Towns, and Pariſhes, and Families, which have moſt of them, and which love them beſt. Solomon tells us, Prov. 10.11. The mouth of a righteous man is a well of life. I need not tell you what a neceſſary publick mercy, a well of good and wholeſome water is to the Town or Family where it ſprings: Now a righteous man is a Well of Life; he is a ſpring of ſpiritual Aqua vitae: Many a poor ſinner, or ſad ſwounding Chriſtian, receives the ſpiritual life of grace, and ſtrength, and comfort from the mouth of a godly Miniſter or Chriſtian, Prov. 15.4. A wholeſome tongue is a tree of life: It's a Metaphor taken from the Tree of Life in p. 190Paradiſe, which was Gods Ordinance to preſerve man alive, had he continued in innocencie. Thus a godly man is a tree of life in this evil world; he turns a Family into a Paradiſe where he grows, and is prized: ſo that many a man who was dead in ſin, and many a fainting childe of God, is quickned and revived by feeding on the fruit of his wholeſome tongue.

Now my Brethren, the ſerious conſideration that theſe bleſſings are by ſickneſs and death ready to be taken from us, ſhould cauſe us to eſteem and improve their ſpiritual and ſavoury company. How did Eliſha cleave to Elijah, when he knew he was preſently to be taken from him! and therefore we finde, that three times Elijah (to try Eliſha his conſtancie) ſeemed to ſhake him off: but Eliſha every time anſwers moſt ſolemnly, As the Lord liveth, and as thy ſoul liveth, I will not leave thee, 2 Kin. 2.2, 3, 6. and if you read the ſtory, you will finde that it proved well for Eliſha, that he was ſo wiſe and careful to improve that precious opportunity. See Acts 20.25. where Paul uſeth this Argument to preſs his following exhortation: And now behold, I know that you all among whom I have gone preaching the kindom of God, ſhall ſee my face p. 191no more. Oh people, honour your Miniſters; children, be inſtructed by your Parents whilſt you have them; for ſhortly you muſt ſee their faces no more. Chriſtians, exhort one another daily, whilſt it is called to day: Heb. 3.13.Heb 3:13For yet a little while, and you ſhall ſee one anothers faces no more. We finde that Saint Paul having exhorted Timothy to thoſe great and neceſſary duties mentioned 2 Tim. 4.1, 2, 5. he preſſeth all with this melting motive, verſ. 6. For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand: as if he had ſaid, My dear ſon Timothy, I am not like to counſel and inſtruct thee long; therefore hearken to the counſel of thy dying father Paul: Preach the word, be inſtant in ſeaſon, out of ſeaſon, &c. Sirs, look upon your Miniſters as dying Miniſters, and your Friends as dying Friends; and labour to draw from theſe wells of life whilſt they live; for you little know what a loſs you will have of them when they dye.

Fifthly, believe and improve thoſe precious Promiſes which God hath made for the preſervation of your health and lives; and in the uſe of means, live by faith and prayer upon thoſe gracious promiſes. See Prov. 3.1, 2, 7, 8. My ſon, forget not my law, p. 192but let thy heart keep my commandments. For length of days, and long life, and peace ſhall they add unto thee, verſ. 7, 8. Fear the Lord, and depart from evil: It ſhall …e health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones. See alſo Prov. 4.20, 21, 22. Job 33.25. His fleſh ſhall be freſher then a childes, he ſhall return to the days of his youth. Hence we often ſee, that when a mans body is withered by ſickneſs, and baked like a potſherd, he is reſtored by the bleſſing of God to ſuch a good conſtitution and temper, that his body becomes freſh like the fleſh of a childe: This is elegantly expreſſed by David, Pſal. 103.5. Who ſatisfieth thy mouth with good things, ſo that thy youth is renewed like the Eagles. Some ſay that the Eagles at every ten years end caſt off their old Feathers, and are quickly cloathed again with new, as if they began to be young again, and ſo live till they be an hundred years old.

Some alſo write of this property in the Eagles, that when by reaſon of old age, they have the upper part of their Bills bending down ſo far below the lower, that they are ſcarce able to feed, and ſo languiſh with hunger, that then they break their beaks upon a rock, whereby being p. 193able to feed, they grow to their former ſtrength; to which the tranſlation in the ſinging Pſalms ſeems to allude:

Like as the Eagle caſts her bill,

Whereby her age renew'th.

Whether theſe, and many other ſuch relations of the wonderful properties of the Eagles be true, is uncertain; yet it's generally received, that they are Birds long-lived, and for many years continue ſo healthful, that they ſeem to grow young again. And thus God often bleſſeth men with health, and ſtrength, and long life, that their ſtrength is renewed like the Eagles: and although that which we read of Moſes was extraordinary, that when he was an hundred and twenty years old, his eye was not dim, Deut. 34.7.Deut 34:7nor his natural force abated; yet we often ſee many live to a great age, with their health, and ſtrength, and parts through Gods merciemercy continued youthful and freſh to them. Now Sirs, lay up theſe promiſes in your hearts, and improve them by faith and prayer; ſo they may be the better to you then the wholeſomeſt dyet, or beſt phyſick in the world.

Laſtly, uſe the means of health and life p. 194ſo, as that the God of life may bleſs you in the uſe of them: for this purpoſe, make conſcience of theſe four things.

Firſt, Of your food: It is God that gives a bleſſing to this, Exod. 23.25. He ſhall bleſs thy bread and thy water, and I will take away ſickneſs from the midſt of thee. Therefore pulſe and water with Gods bleſſing, made thoſe conſcientious Saints look and like better then others that were fed with royal dainties, Dan. 1.15. Take then your food, as it were, out of the hands of God, who openeth his hand, and ſatisfieth the deſire of every living thing, Pſal. 145.16. and eat, and drink, as thoſe that ſee a preſence of God at your table: Deut. 12.7. Ye ſhall eat before the Lord your God: eat as thoſe that therein ſeek to pleaſe and honour God, Rom. 14.6. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, and giveth God thanks. I know theſe Scriptures intend particular occaſions of eating; yet they hold out upon the ſame reaſon our duty to eat and drink ſo, as to do the will of God, and to bring glory to him, according to that, 1 Cor. 10.31. Whether ye eat, or drink, or whatſoever ye do, do all to the glory of God: as God turns all to a Chriſtians good, ſo it's the admirable property of grace to turn all to Gods glory: p. 195A gracious heart can feed upon the goodneſs of God in, and bring glory to God out of every morſel of meat that comes into his mouth. Tertullian gives a very ſavoury relation of the Feaſts of the primitive Chriſtians: Before (ſaith he) they ſit down to taſte their meat, they firſt taſte of prayer to God; they eat ſo much as hunger requires, and drink no more then is profitable for chaſte and ſober perſons; they are ſo filled, as thereby fitted to worſhip God in the night; they diſcourſe at meat, as thoſe that know that God hears them: and as they began, ſo they conclude the meal with prayer; and ſo they depart, not as if they fed onelyonly upon meat, but alſo upon diſcipline and inſtruction. I refer the learned Reader to his own words, Apolog. cap. 39. here is a moſt gracious example, worthy of the imitation of all Chriſtians.

Secondly, make Conſcience of your apparel; let it be ſuch as becomes a holy, chaſte, humble member of Chriſt, and not a proud, vain, wanton limb of the Devil; let your garments be both wholeſome and comely; neither ſo immodeſt as to diſhonour the Goſpel of Chriſt, nor ſordid as to diſgrace the Body of a Chriſtian.

Thirdly, make Conſcience of lawful and p. 196ſeaſonable recreations: Theſe are healthful for our bodies, and when uſed in the fear, and according to the Will of God, do very much fit us for the moſt inward communion with him. What Solomon ſaith of one kinde of labour, is true of others, that it is a weakneſs and wearineſs to the fleſh, Eccleſ. 12.12. For as it weakens a bow to keep it always bent, and mars the ſtrings of an inſtrument to keep them always ſtretcht; ſo it weakens the body to keep it too long bent to one imployment; therefore it is Gods will that it ſhould be remitted to its harmleſs, inoffenſive, and honeſt recreations.

Laſtly, make Conſcience of the duties of your relations, ſo that you may refreſh, and revive, and not diſeaſe and deſtroy one another; our health and life doth much depend under God upon our relations.

You therefore that are parents, do not ſpend your childrens bread in whoredom, drunkenneſs, idleneſs and revenge: many parents finde their luſts more chargeable then their children: It is very ſad that children may cry out, We might have had better education, better trades, better portions better health, had not our mercileſs p. 197Parents loved their ſins better then their children.

You that are children, make not your parents lives miſerable, who have been a means of life to you: be not ſuch fooliſh children, as to be the heavineſs of your parents, Prov. 10.1.

Husbands, Nouriſh and cheriſh your own fleſh, Eph. 5.29. Make not proviſion for your luſts, with that which ſhould make proviſion for your wives.

Wives, do your Husbands good, and not evil, all the daies of your lives, Prov. 31.12. labour to be their Comfort,Prov. 12.4.Prov 12:4 and Crown, and not as rottenneſs in their bones.

So much for the Exhortation to all in general.

2. Exhortation directed to people as they enjoy their health.

The duty which I ſhall exhort unto, is to prepare for ſickneſs and death. In this Exhortation I ſhall uſe this method.

1. I ſhall ſhew what this work of preparation is.

2. I ſhall preſs this duty on ſeveral ſorts of perſons.

3. Urge it with ſome Motives.

Laſtly, I ſhall give ſeveral Directions to p. 198direct us how to be prepared for ſickneſs and death.

For the firſt.

This work of preparation is that whereby every ſound believer is by the ſpirit of Jeſus Chriſt ſetled in ſuch a bleſſed ſtate and frame, that he is fitted for all that Chriſt ſhall do to him by ſickneſs and death.

In this deſcription obſerve three things.

1. The principal efficient cauſe which makes this great preparation in us, viz. the Spirit of Jeſus Chriſt. Hence Chriſt is called, The Author and finiſher of our faith, Heb. 12.12. Where Jeſus Chriſt begins a work of grace and ſalvation in a ſoul, he never leaves it till he hath finiſhed it, and made it up for heaven: therefore, ſaith the Apoſtle, Phil. 1.6. Being conſident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you, will perform it, or finiſh it till the day of Jeſus Chriſt; that is, till the day of death, and of judgment: ſo that this is the great work of Jeſus Chriſt in every true believer, to fit him, and make him ready for ſickneſs, and death, and the day of judgment.

2. Here is the ſubject of this work, or the perſon prepared, viz. every true believer, who is a veſſel of mercy prepared for glory.

p. 1993. Here is that wherein the nature of this work of preparation conſiſts, viz. in three things.

1. He muſt be ſetled in the ſtate of grace and ſalvation; that is, he muſt have a Scripture-right to God, as he is the God of ſalvation by Jeſus Chriſt, and ſo a right to heaven, and to all the bleſſings of the Covenant of Grace.

2. He muſt be wrought into a gracious frame, whereby he is bent to yield up himſelf in ſubjection and obedience to the will of God, in ſickneſs, and in death.

Laſtly, Here is that which he muſt be prepared for, viz. all that God ſhall do to him by ſickneſs and death: If God fill him with pain and miſery, he hath his graces of faith, love, patience, humility, and meekneſs, to enable him to lie quietly, and obediently, and chearfully under the power and will of his heavenly Father. If God call him by ſickneſs into Eternity, he is with Saint Paul, ready to be offered; and is made fit by grace, to receive and enjoy the glory of heaven. This gracious frame of heart is fully epxreſs'd, Rom. 14.8. Whether we live, we live unto the Lord; or whether we die, we die unto the Lord; p. 200that is, we live to this end, to pleaſe, and do the will, and to ſeek the glory of the Lord, and we are ready to die to the will and glory of the Lord.

So much for the Explication of this work of preparation.

Secondly, I ſhall preſs this Exhortation upon theſe ſeven ſorts of perſons.

1. I ſhall exhort little children (ſo far as they are capable to know and practiſe this duty) to prepare for ſickneſs and death. Now becauſe this applica…ion may ſeem ſtrange, conſider, that God himſelf thinks it not below him to be a Teacher of young children, Pſalm 148.12, 13. Both young men and maidens, old men and children, let them praiſe the name of the Lord. And all parents are commanded to teach their children to know and do his will, Deut. 6.6, 7. And theſe words which I command thee this day, ſhall be in thy heart; and thou ſhalt teach them diligently; (or wh…t and ſharpen them) upon thy children. So Prov. 22.6. Train up a childe in the way he ſhould go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it. Obſerve, there is a way for young children to go to heaven, and it is that wherein they ſhould be found when they are old; and all parents are p. 201bound to ſet them in that way: and indeed; children are ſooner capable then moſt conceive, to know ſomething of God, and Chriſt, and Heaven, and Hell. Timothy knew the Scriptures, foreign, from a ſucking childe, 2 Tim. 3.15. And this appears by the timely fruits of the Spirit that ſometimes drop from their pretty ſanctified mouths.

And certainly baptized children being Chriſts Diſciples, and admitted into his School, the Church, have a right to be taught in the way to ſalvation; and Chriſt is a Prophet to them, and his Miniſters are Miniſters to them, as well as to others: And really, Miniſters have often more comfort from catechized Boys and Girls, then from many old ignorant Atheiſts, who are worſe then children in the underſtanding of the Scriptures. And laſtly, it makes much for Gods glory, to have his Name praiſed by the mouths of little children, Pſal. 8.2. Out of the mouths of babes and ſucklings haſt thou ordained ſtrength, becauſe of thy enemies, that thou mighteſt ſtill the enemy and avenger. Obſerve, God hath ordained that his praiſe in the mouths of little children, ſhall be a ſtrong and powerful means to ſtop the mouths of malicious p. 202ſubtil Atheiſts, to ſtill the enemy and avenger. So we read, Matth. 21.16. Out o… the mouths of babes and ſucklings haſt tho… perfected praiſe. The praiſes that come to God by the bleſſed Angels, and all the Saints in heaven and earth, is perfected and made up by the praiſes of theſe young Saints. Now conſidering theſe things, and ſeeing ſickneſs and death fetch away ſo many young children into Eternity, I have choſen to direct one brief Exhortation to the young Boys and Girls among us.

Oh come therefore, you ſweet and pretty children, and I will teach you the fear of the Lord: be you prepared for ſickneſs and death. Heark, ſweet Children, you were born children of the Devil, and you muſt be born again if ever you will be the children of God.

Good children, know and love the God that made you, and Jeſus Chriſt who died for you, to redeem and ſave you.

You can be afraid of the Rod, and a Bugbear; be afraid of ſin and hell.

Perhaps you have godly parents, who inſtruct and catechize you in the knowledge of God:Prov. 1.8.Prov 1:8 Why, good children, hear the inſtruction of your fathers, and forſake not the p. 203law of your mothers. God doth not love you as his children, becauſe you are pretty or witty children, or becauſe you are the children of rich parents; but if you will love and fear the Lord,Pſal. 22.30.Ps 22:30 then you ſhall be accounted to the Lord for a generation.

Good children, look on the graves in the Church-yards, and you ſhall ſee many who were no elder nor taller then you, dead and buried before you: as young as you are ſick, and as young as you are dead, and as young as you are in heaven and hell; therefore be Gods children whilſt you are young, leſt you be ſick, and dead, and damned before you be old.

2. Exhort parents to do their duty in endeavouring to prepare their children for ſickneſs and death, Epheſ. 6.4. foreign, feed or nouriſh your children in the fear of the Lord. Beaſts can take care to ſave their young ones lives; but men, and women, and Chriſtians ſhould be careful to ſave their childrens ſouls: when thy children dye, if thou haſt neglected their ſalvation, it muſt (if thy conſcience be ever awakened) cauſe ſtinging reflections in thy ſoul. There is a ſtory of a father, who conſented that his daughter ſhould commit whoredom; which ſhe did, and ſoon after dyed▪ whereupon p. 204the poor guilty father cryes out, I have damned my daughters ſoul, I have damned my daughters ſoul. Sirs, do not teach your children to to lye, ſwear, to be drunk or covetous, to ſcoff at Gods children or holineſs, leſt one day you have cauſe to cry out when it is too late, We have damned our childrens ſouls. When your hearts are affected to ſee your children about you, then ſee diſeaſes and death at your doors, ready to make your children orphans, or you childleſs; and conſider withal, how ſad it is, that ſuch pretty ſweet children ſhould be for ever burned in hell. Beloved, I would not have you worſe then Infidels, in not providing for your childrens bodies; and yet I would have you better then Devils, in providing for their poor ſouls: It is a pleaſant ſight to ſee parents live, as if they were going with all their children to heaven: It is comely to ſee parents ſitting in their houſe, and their children about them; or to ſee them ſitting in a Congregation, and their children about them: but how much more glorious will it be, to ſee them ſitting in heaven, and their children about them! though the relation will end, yet the comfort of being a means to bring them thither will abide for p. 205ever. Parents, if you cannot make your children heirs of houſes and lands, labour to make them heirs of heaven; do not onelyonly teach your children how to live, but alſo teach them how to dye: thou art troubled ſometimes to think, Alas, how will my poor children live! I tell thee thou haſt more need to think, How will my poor children dye! for there are few ſo poor, but they can make ſome ſhift to live; but there are millions ſo miſerable, that they know not how to dye.

3. Exhortation to young men. Ʋnto you, O men, I call, and my voice is unto the ſons of men, Prov. 8.4. make it your care to prepare for ſickneſs and death. Solomon having taught, that childhood and youth is vanity, Eccleſ. 11.10. he infers this Exhortation to young men, Eccleſ. 12.1. Remember now thy Creator in the daies of thy youth. It is neceſſary for all young people to live, as thoſe that know, that God will bring them to judgment, Eccleſ. 11.9. Conſider, you are never prepared for ſickneſs and death, till you are prepared for judgement. Oh young men and women, look upon your ſelves as going to judgment: Heark, do not you hear the great ſhout that calls you all to make your appearance before the p. 206judgment-ſeat of Chriſt. Sirs, be nothing now, but what you would appear to be at that great day: Wouldſt thou be judged as a Drunkard, or Swearer, or Whoremonger, or Worldling, or as an enemy to godly Miniſters and Chriſtians at the day of judgment? If not, then be not ſuch a one now; do not think your ſelves too young to enter into a ſerious way of godlineſs: For what if ſickneſs and death will not ſtay till you are old? Thou art not too young to be ſick, or to die: Do not then think that thou art too young to go to heaven, leſt God think thee old enough to go to hell.

4. Exhortation to old men to prepare for ſickneſs and death: The daies which Solomon calls evil daies, Eccl. 12.1.Eccl 12:1are already come upon you. Methinks I may allude to that of our Saviour, Joh. 4.35. Look on the fields, for they are white already unto Harveſt. When I look on old people, I ſee a white crop of gray hairs, which ſpeaks them to be ripe for the ſickle of death. Sirs, diſeaſes and death have done a great deal of their work upon you already; they have worn away your colour, beauty and ſtrength: yet how ſad is it to ſee an old man more unfit to die, then a very childe that begins to live! p. 207He is old and ignorant, old and covetous, old and malicious, old and cruel, old, and yet a drunkard. Oh poor man, what haſt thou been doing all thy daies? Haſt thou had fifty, threeſcore, almoſt fourſcore years, to prepare for ſickneſs and death, and to lay up treaſures in heaven; and haſt thou done nothing elſe, but been heaping up wrath in hell! Heark, old Father (for I muſt needs honour thy hoary head) the ſick-bed, death, the grave call for thee: Oh then repent, and believe preſently; let not the Devil, who long ago perſwaded thee thou waſt too young, now perſwade thee thou art too old; for as old as thou art, yet it is better for thee to go to heaven a young Babe of Chriſt, then to go to hell an old ſlave of the Devil.

5. Exhortation to rich and great men of the world to prepare for ſickneſs and death. Sirs, there are meſſengers at your doors to fetch you, where mountains of gold are worth nothing; your riches cannot guard you againſt ſickneſs and death: God can as eaſily turn a Bed of Down into a Bed of Languiſhing, as a Bed of Straw; and a diſeaſe cares no more for the richeſt Velvet, then the pooreſt Sheep skin; and a ſickneſs can as eaſily catch thee in a Coach, as in a p. 208Cart; and death enters into the ſtatelieſt Caſtle, aſſoon as the pooreſt cottage. Read your caſe, Jam. 1.10, 11. As the flower of the graſs he ſhall paſs away: For the Sun is no ſooner riſen with a burning heat, but it withereth the graſs, and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the faſhion of it periſheth; ſo alſo ſhall the rich man fade away in his ways. Oh tell thy friends, lands, ſilver and gold, that thou art going into Eternity, and art preſently to ſtand before the Judge of Quick and Dead, and ſee what help they can afford thee: Thou wilt certainly finde Solomons words true, Prov. 11.4. Riches profit not in the day of wrath.

Beloved, If we would know whether a man be happy or miſerable, we muſt not look upon him as he appears in his honours and riches, &c. but follow him to his death, and the day of judgment; ſee how he ſpeeds there, and how he comes off then, for then the man comes to his proof: and we ſhall ſee, that all the riches of the world yield no profit in thoſe great daies, but then the higheſt carnal Monarch ſhall be no more reſpected by the Judge of all the world, then the uglieſt Devil of Hell; when a poor godly ſervant, or day-labourer, ſhall be crowned with incorruptible glory p. 209before his face. Oh therefore you rich men, look among all your jewels and treaſures, whether you have a God, and Chriſt, and grace for your poor ſouls; theſe only are the proviſion which will maintain you againſt the terrors of death, and the dread of judgment.

6. Exhortation to poor men to prepare for ſickneſs and death. We think them poor who have nothing to live on in this world; but they are poor, who have nothing to live on in the other world. Poor people! you cannot come at the ſilver, and gold, and riches of this world, when you will; but you have as much freedom to the riches of the other world, as the mightieſt Prince upon earth. Thou mayſt call God Father, and ask what thou wilt, and live upon the everlaſting Kingdom of heaven as thy own: and therefore you that are poor and godly, let your riches of the other world comfort you againſt the poverty of this: Look on thy cold Cottage, and then look on thy houſe not made wi…h hands: Look on thy poor leathern cloaths, and then look how thou ſhalt be cloa…hed when thou appeareſt with Chriſt in glory: Look on thy brown bread, and courſe fare, and then remember the entertainment which Angels p. 210and Saints have in heaven. Oh poor people! though you know not how to be maintained whilſt you live, yet get ſaving grace, and you will be rich enough to go to heaven when you die.

The laſt Exhortation ſhall be to ſuch, who, in ſome reſpects, ſeem nearer death then other perſons. I ſhall inſtance only in three ſorts of people, to whom I ſhall direct this Exhortation to prepare for ſickneſs and death.

Firſt, Such whoſe callings and imployments do expoſe their lives to daily and great dangers; as Water-men, Colliers, Carpenters, Maſons, &c. Theſe men, by a leak in a Boat or Ship, a fall of a little earth, a ſlip of a foot, may be turned to heaven or hell every day: Yet we often ſee, that many who live in the greateſt dangers, live in the greateſt ſins. My earneſt advice to you is, to prepare for death, that though you ſtand in dangerous places, yet you may ſtand upon ſure ground for the ſalvation of your ſouls. Sirs, for ought I know, you may get heaven with leſs danger then you get your livings: Remember what precious ſouls you have, and that every time you venture your lives, you venture your ſouls too: Labour by ſound repentance p. 211to forſake your ſins, and to turn to God. Do not ſwear, and lye, and be drunk, and deceive others: Do not prophane the Lords daies, if you expect that God ſhould preſerve you on working daies; labour by a ſound faith to reſt on Chriſt to ſave your guilty ſouls; ſee your nearneſs unto Eternity; be often looking from the places where you are, into heaven and hell, and ſee what a little there is betwixt you and them; and ſeriouſly conſider, if now you ſhould fall into Eternity, in which of thoſe two places would be your portion: Get ſuch a ſaving knowledge of God, that you may comfortably commit the keeping of your lives unto him, and ſolemnly worſhip God in your Cloſets and Families, and live in the fear of God, and in peace with him, and uſe your callings to his glory, that he may preſerve you in your ways; or however, that if you do die in your callings, you may not die in your ſins.

Secondly, Such, who though they have ordinarily preſent caſe and health, yet they are ſubject to dangerous and ſudden pains, and fearful diſtempers, as Convulſions, Falling-Sickneſs, Stone, &c. you have need, in regard of theſe, to be always prepared for ſickneſs and death: you would not be p. 212without what remedies you can get, when your diſtempers come: Oh do not be without God, and Chriſt, and Grace, if death ſhould come in them. Whatever you are doing, conſider, Now my diſtempers may ſurprize me; therefore if they take you in bed, at meat, at work, let them not take you in your ſins: in all likelihood, theſe fits will ſhorten your daies; therefore let them haſten your repentance: theſe diſtempers will fill you with torturing pains, or for preſent deprive you of your reaſon, parts, ſenſes, &c. ſo that then will be a very unfit time to prepare for death; therefore improve your times of health and eaſe, as merciful opportunities, that when your diſeaſes or death finde you, they may not finde you unprovided. Sirs, always remember, that you carry death in your bodies; therefore be ſure to carry grace in your ſouls.

Laſtly, Women that are with childe, have ſpecial reaſon to be prepared for ſickneſs and death: God hath inſeparably fixt this puniſhment upon this Sex, that in ſorrow they ſhall bring forth children, Gen. 3.16. And our Saviour tells us, Joh. 16.21. A woman when ſhe is in travel, hath ſorrow: And experience witneſſeth the grievous p. 213pangs and pains of all, and the ſad deaths of very many in this condition: ſo that thou muſt certainly within a few weeks be grievouſly diſeaſed, and thou mayſt probably dye: do not then venture into ſuch dangers in a Chriſtleſs ſtate. Poor woman! perhaps thou haſt bred that life which will be thy own death: therefore labour to finde that Chriſt is as ſure formed in thy heart, as the babe is formed in thy womb; and before that ſad and dangerous hour of the birth of thy childe come, examine throughly whether the new birth be paſt in thy ſoul: I would not have thee oppreſs thy heart with the diſmal forethoughts and diſtracting fears of that time: for to be ſure, ſufficient to that day will be the evil thereof; but I would have thee ſo prepared, that the ſhort pangs of childe-bearing may not end in the everlaſting pangs and torments of hell; and that thou mayſt be a new creature, and found in the righteouſneſs of Jeſus Chriſt, that if thou ſhouldſt no longer live with thy Husband, nor enjoy the fruit of thy womb upon earth, thou mayſt live with Chriſt, and enjoy the fruit of his righteouſneſs in heaven for ever. I ſhall conclude this with that ſuitable Scripture, 1 Tim. 2.5. Notwithſtanding p. 214ſhe ſhall be ſaved in childe-bearing, if they continue in faith, and charity, and holineſs with ſobriety: leſt poor women ſhould be ſwallowed up with the ſad thoughts of the ſin mentioned in the former verſe, where it's ſaid that Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the granſgreſſion: for which ſin, diſgrace and puniſhment is fixt to the Sex: theſe words are added for their comfort, to ſhew that, notwithſtanding that ſin and the puniſhment thereof, yet they ſhall be ſaved in childe-bearing, if they continue in faith, and charity, and holineſs with ſobriety. Poor woman! methinks I ſee thee walking with two ſouls over eternity, and both full of ſin; Oh therefore haſten to make thy peace with that God whoſe power alone muſt take the childe out of the mothers bowels;Pſal. 71.6.Ps 71:6 that ſo thou mayſt comfortably depend and call upon him to ſave both your lives, but however to ſave your poor ſouls.

I come now to urge this duty with theſe ſeven Motives.

Mot. 1. It is the will of God that you ſhould be prepared for ſickneſs and death; in ſo doing, you do the will of God; he commands you to wait, and watch, and p. 215prepare for the day of judgement, Matth. 24.42. Mar. 13.33, 35. Now it's a certain rule, that all thoſe Scriptures which command us to prepare for the day of judgement, do imply our duty to be prepared for ſickneſs and death, which are the forerunners of that day; and the ſame preparation which is made for the one, will ſerve for the other. Now, my Brethren, this is a ſufficient reaſon to move you to this duty: for it's the will of God which makes it our duty, and binds us to it, and muſt be the reaſon to us why we do it, or we can never be prepared aright. Beloved, God would have us to be ſaved, 1 Tim. 2.4. to reign with him in heaven; and therefore to be always ready againſt the time that he ſends for us thither.

Mot. 2. It's a ſigne of a very wiſe man to be prepared for ſickneſs and death, Prov. 22.3. A prudent man fore-ſeeth the evil, and hideth himſelf. A wiſe godly man ſees ſickneſs, and death, and the day of judgement before him: he knows he muſt go through all theſe, and therefore he takes care to provide ſo as to be ſafe and happy in thoſe great dangers. Beloved, it's the greateſt wiſdom in the world,2 Tim. 3.15.2 Tim 3:15 to be wiſe to ſalvation: It's better miſcarry in a thouſand buſineſſes p. 216then in the buſineſs of Salvation: Now he that is wiſe to ſalvation, prepares againſt all the dangers that he muſt be ſaved from; and the greateſt danger is at death, when a man muſt go through that door where ſo many millions fall into hell: what a wiſe man then is he who is prepared ſo, as that door to him is the door of heaven! Many that get eſtates and preferments in the world, are much admired for their wiſdom; and yet when death comes, they muſt be damned for their folly! Remember the Parable of the ten Virgins, Matth. 25.Matt 25five whereof were wiſe, and five were fooliſh: Now why were thoſe five called wiſe? the reaſon was,Verſ. 6. becauſe when that great cry was made at midnight, Behold, the Bridegroom cometh, Verſ. 8.they were prepared: and why were the other five fooliſh? becauſe they were unprepared for that great time. Beloved, when the great God our Saviour ſhall come out of heaven with his mighty Angels, and his glorious Saints, and ſhall ſhew his bleſſed face in the clouds, and ſound a trumpet that will call all the quick and dead before him in the twinkling of an eye; certainly they will prove the wiſeſt perſons, that are ſo prepared as to ſtand, and triumph, and lift up their heads with joy p. 217in that great appearance. Ah Sirs, when Come ye bleſſed, and Go ye curſed, hath diſtinguiſhed and parted the world, it will then be known, who are wiſe men, and who are fools.

Mot. 3. Becauſe it's altogether uncertain when ſickneſs and death will come, the Scripture uſeth this argument, Mar. 13.33. Watch and pray: for ye know not when your time is. Solomon elegantly ſets forth the uncertainty of our time, Eccleſ. 9.12. For man alſo knoweth not his time: as the fiſhes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the ſnare, ſo are the ſons of men ſnared in an evil time, when it falleth ſuddenly upon them. As the fiſhes are ſporting in the water, and are preſently maſht in the net; and as the birds are hopping in the chaff, and are preſently caught in the ſnare; ſo poor man is ſuddenly and unexpectedly ſurpriſed in the ſnares of death. Sometimes a man is faſt aſleep, and ſickneſs awakens him: ſometimes he is feeding at the table, and death comes between the cup and the lip: ſometimes he is riding a journey, and death throws him into eternity: and ſometimes he is making a purchaſe, and death comes and breaks the bargain: ſometimes he is marrying a wife, p. 218and death comes and mars the match. Sirs, ſickneſs and death are under no rules of civility; they care not for diſturbing the weightieſt buſineſs in the world: if therefore we cannot ſay of any thing, I will do this, or I will have that, before I am ſick or dead; certainly our very next work ſhould be to prepare for ſickneſs and death.

Mot. 4. Becauſe thou knoweſt not what kinde of ſickneſs or death may come upon thee. We read of a great death, 2 Cor. 1.10. Sometimes death comes with great pains, and great terrors, and great temptations, which make it a great death; ſo that the proviſion of a whole age of grace will not, without the mighty ſupport of Gods Spirit, keep thee holy and cheerful at ſuch a time. It is ſaid, Job 18.13. The firſt-born of death ſhall devour his ſtrength. The firſt-born is the chiefeſt and mightieſt in it's kinde; and therefore the meaning is, that death ſhall come in the moſt cruel and terrible manner to devour a man: Now ſet before thee thoſe that have dyed in the moſt fearful pains of body, and have been aſſaulted with the moſt horrid temptations, and conſider, this may be thy caſe; however, prepare againſt the worſt, that Sin, and p. 219Death, and Devils, and men can do againſt thee.

Mot. 5. By thy being prepared for ſickneſs and death, thou art alſo prepared for health and life; for there is none ſo fit to live, as he who is fit to dye; the ſame graces which will make thee holy, and patient, and joyful in ſickneſs, will make thee ſo in health; for the ſame faith, love, humility, meekneſs and patience, which qualifie the ſoul for paſſive obedience, do alſo fit the ſoul for active obedience; as the ſame proviſion of victuals or money which is made againſt a ſiege or famine, will be uſeful and profitable, if ſuch times do not happen: ſo that you can neither be well, nor ſick, nor live, nor dye without this work of preparation.

Mot. 6. That man is in a moſt bleſſed condition, who is prepared for ſickneſs and death; for every thing which makes him prepared, makes him bleſſed. I ſhall onelyonly inſtance in two things.

1. All the happineſs of the other world is his own, 1 Cor. 3.22. Things to come are yours. Chriſtians, your ſins, ſnares and troubles are almoſt paſt, but they will be all over ſhortly; but your joy, glory and happineſs are to come: The happineſs of heaven p. 220is to come, and the glory of the day of judgement is to come: Now all theſe joys that are to come, are yours; for they are ſetled upon you in the Covenant of Grace, 1 Tim. 4.8. Godlineſs hath the promiſe of the life that now is, and of that which is to come. Now that man is fit to dye, and is in a moſt bleſſed condition, who when ſickneſs and death comes, hath a right to go to heaven. Poor childe of God! the beſt of thy hopes, and comforts, and happineſs, lies beyond death, and thou canſt not come at them for this life; but ſickneſs and death will put thee into poſſeſſion of all, and thou art like to ſee a ſtrange ſight, ſo ſoon as death hath looſed thee out of this life.

2. He is by the graces of Gods Spirit fitted for heaven; he is made meet to be partaker of the inheritance of the Saints in light, Col. 1.12. Beloved, grace makes a man fit to receive glory; the joys of heaven are brought and received into the ſoul by grace; if thou wilt be prepared for death, live now as thou hopeſt to live for ever in heaven; do nothing but what thou wouldſt do going to heaven. Beſides, by grace the heart of a Believer faſtens on heaven; he lays hold on eternal life; he prayes, hears p. 221and receives Sacraments with his heart, having faſt hold on heaven. How fit therefore is ſuch a man to have ſickneſs and death come to let him into heaven!

Laſt Motive. If you are not prepared for ſickneſs and death, you will be prepared for hell. Sirs, if a godly man doth good, and a ſinner doth evil, both go into eternity; the one to be a treaſure in heaven, the other to be a treaſure in hell. Now what a fearful condition is this, for a man to be always laying up proviſion againſt himſelf in hell! We read, Rom. 9.22. of veſſels of wrath fitted or made up for deſtruction; if you will not be made up for heaven, you muſt be made up for hell: Oh believe what a fearful condition this is, to be always ready to be turned into hell; thou doſt not think of this whilſt the pleaſures of ſin and the patience of God laſt: But what a caſe wilt thou be in, when there will be nothing in thee but torments, and nothing in God towards thee but wrath! Beloved, be convinced of the certainty of hell; thou mayſt as certainly ſee hell by the light of Scripture, as thou mayſt ſee men, and beaſts, and earth, and trees by the light of the Sun; hell is as certain as ſin and ſinners; there is wrath in God as ſure as there is ſin in man. God's p. 222juſtice is as ſure as his merciemercy; and he hath bound himſelf to condemn unbelievers, as well as to ſave believers. See Joh. 3. ult. Mark 16.16.

See your nearneſs to hell, whilſt you are unprepared for ſickneſs and death: methinks I ſee that every ſtep thou goeſt, thou art ready to tread in the flames. Poor ſoul! thou hangeſt over the lake of brimſtone by the twin'd thred of life; when that breaks, thou art drowned and damned for ever; there is nothing appears between thee and hell, but the hand-breadth of time: Oh what a ſight is this, to ſee a company of ſecure ſinners drinking, and ſwearing, and ſwaggering, and ranting, and roaring within an hand-breadth of everlaſting burnings! Again, conſider the greatneſs of hell-torments; here is a depth that thou canſt not fathom; who can ſpeak of the greatneſs of hell-torments, when it's our duty to believe they are unſpeakable? Canſt thou tell how many years eternity laſts? or how much puniſhment ſin deſerves? Doſt thou know how much wrath Omnipotencie can inflict? or how much torment a veſſel of wrath can hold? then mayſt thou meaſure the torments of hell, and fathom the lake of fire and brimſtone. Conſider but this one thing, p. 223viz. the greatneſs of God who inflicts the torments; he is a God to whom vengeance belongs, and he were no God if he could not do that which belongs to him: conſider God is great in every thing that he is; to whom he is a father, a portion, a husband, he is a great father, a great portion, a great husband; to whom he is an enemy, he is a great enemy: Oh how great muſt their miſery be, who muſt for ever feel the weight of that hand which made heaven and earth! Beloved, if but the ach of a tooth be ſo grievous, that it takes away the taſte of a whole monarchy of the world while it laſts; how inconceiveably great muſt their torments be, who have the power that made all the world ſet awork to torment their bodies and ſouls through all eternity! Nay, conſider further, God will raiſe up his glory out of his enemies miſery; thoſe are always great works which God makes to pleaſe himſelf, and to demonſtrate his glory: when he would glorifie his power, and goodneſs, and wiſdom, he makes a world; when he would glorifie his grace, and love, and merciemercy, he gives a Chriſt; and when he would glorifie his juſtice and holineſs, he damns a ſinner. O wo, wo, wo be thoſe poor ſouls, out of whoſe torments God will raiſe up p. 224to himſelf an everlaſting revenue of unſpeakable glory! Oh then what a miſerable cheated ſoul art thou, who wilt venture to be one hour unprepared for ſickneſs and death, when for ought thou knoweſt thou mayſt be in the bottom of hell before the clock ſtrike next!

I ſhall now in the laſt place conclude this Uſe, by giving you ten Directions to direct you how to prepare for ſickneſs and death.

Direct. 1. Labour by a ſtrong and lively faith to be always receiving and reſting upon the righteouſneſs of Jeſus Chriſt. Beloved, the greateſt danger you are to provide againſt, is, that ſickneſs and death do not bring you to hell: Now being found in Chriſts righteouſneſs, you ſhall have thereby a ſafe and comfortable way and paſſage through theſe into heaven; for by reaſon of this, you may ſtand on the very gates of death, and triumph with the Apoſtle, Rom. 8.33, 34. Who ſhall lay any thing to the charge of Gods elect? It is God that juſtifieth; who is he that condemneth? It is Chriſt that dyed, yea rather that is riſen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who alſo maketh interceſſion for us. Now this righteouſneſs of Chriſt is as truely thine by faith, p. 225as it is Pauls, or ever a Saints in heaven, Rom. 3.22. The righteouſneſs of God is by faith of Jeſus Chriſt unto all, and upon all them that believe; for there is no difference. So that I ſay thou mayſt ſtand in this righteouſneſs, and put all the enemies of thy ſalvation to the trial, and ask, Who can lay any thing to thy charge? or condemn thee? And thou mayſt in effect hear from all the like anſwer, which was made by other things in Job in another caſe: Sin ſaith, It is not in me; and Satan ſaith, It is not in me; and the Law ſaith, It is not in me; and Death ſaith, It is not in me; we have nothing to charge upon a juſtified perſon: and therefore be always taking new and freſh hold in this righteouſneſs; for it is obſervable, that God doth not onelyonly in a ſet and ſolemn way, as in Sacraments, and Sermons, &c. offer and give Jeſus Chriſt; but alſo he is conſtantly offering him in the Goſpel, and declaring it to be his will that we ſhould take him: and thou ſhouldſt not onelyonly in the duties of Gods worſhip, but alſo upon all opportunities in ſecret, and at other times, be applying to thy ſelf, and owning and glorying in this righteouſneſs of Jeſus Chriſt; believe that God is always ſmelling a ſweet ſavour in this righteouſneſs, as p. 226offered for thee, and that Chriſt is by his continual interceſſion preſenting it to his Father for thee, and it's always offered in the Goſpel to thee; do thou therefore always take it for thy righteouſneſs to juſtifie thee, that when ſickneſs and death come, thou mayſt be found ſo doing.

Direct. 2. Learn to dye daily; for it is a certain truth, that he that will live when he dies, muſt die whilſt he lives: and therefore Paul affirms it to be his practice, 1 Cor. 15.31. I proteſt by your rejoycing that I have in Chriſt Jeſus our Lord, I dye daily.

But how can a man dye daily?

Anſw. Three ways.

1. By a daily ſeparating and looſing his heart from all things, which death can looſe him and ſeparate him from: I mean ſo as not to account his life and happineſs to conſiſt in them▪ death you know is a ſeparation from that which is our life. Now we have a kinde of life in husbands, wives, children, eſtates, &c. and when death comes, it ſeparates us from theſe; therefore I ſay we dye daily by a daily looſening and parting the heart from them; this duty is clearly taught by the Apoſtle, 1 Cor. 7.29, 30, 31. where p. 227the Apoſtle exhorts, that becauſe our time to enjoy relations, pleaſures and eſtates is but ſhort, and we are preſently to ſpend an eternity without them, therefore let them that have wives be as though they had none, and they that rejoyce be as though they rejoyced not, and they that buy be as though they poſſeſſed not; that is, they muſt live with their hearts looſed and parted from theſe things: for as a traveller uſeth the neceſſary accommodations of his Inne ſoberly, ſeaſonably and cheerfully whilſt he ſtays, yet ſo as to forward, and not to hinder his journey home: So a Chriſtian muſt uſe the comforts of this life holily, cheerfully and thankfully, yet ſo as not to ſtop him in his way to heaven: Our ſweeteſt enjoyments muſt neither make the thoughts of eternity leſs ſweet, nor our paſſage into eternity more hard. Now hereby a man is very much prepared for ſickneſs and death; for one thing which makes theſe ſo grievous, is, becauſe the heart hath taken ſuch hold of the creature, that it exceedingly torments him to be broken from it; ſo that it is often a greater trouble to looſe his ſoul from the world, then to looſe it from the body: but when by grace the heart is already looſed from the world, a great p. 228part of deaths work is done already, becauſe death findes him dead to the world when it comes to take him out of the world.

2. A man dyes daily, by a daily living on thoſe things which he muſt live upon after death. We are commanded this duty, Col. 3.1, 2. If ye then be riſen with Chriſt, ſeek thoſe things which are above, where Chriſt ſitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affections on things above, and not on things on the earth: As the heart muſt be parted from the things on earth, ſo it muſt be ſet, and fixt, and faſtned on the things in heaven: and this is the property of grace, to make the heart dead to the world, by turning it to a life in God, and Chriſt, and heaven. Now this alſo is a dying daily, for death to a childe of God is a removing him from a life on earth, to a life in heaven; and hereby he doth, as it were, go beyond death, and hath his life, and joy, and comfort in the other world: He walks by faith in the ſtreets of the City that hath foundations, and reſts and refreſheth his ſoul in his houſe not made with hands; he ſecretly departs from the company and comforts of this life, and gets his heart among Angels and Saints in heaven, beholding, and praiſing, and rejoycing p. 229in the face of God and Jeſus Chriſt. Now ſuch a man muſt needs be fit to dye, becauſe his heart is ſet on every thing that death brings him unto: Like Paul, who having his heart fixt on Chriſt in heaven, cries out, Phil. 1.23. I deſire to be diſſolved, and to be with Chriſt.

Laſtly, a man dyes daily, by daily looking upon himſelf as a dying or dead man: he lays death to his heart, Eccleſ. 7.2. his heart is full of the ſerious thoughts of death, Job 17.13, 14. If I wait, the grave is my houſe; I have made my bed in the darkneſs. I have ſaid to corruption, Thou art my father; to the worm, Thou art my mother and my ſiſter. Ah ſirs, to one that knows he ſhall dye and ſleep in Jeſus, death and the worms are as ſweet as his deareſt relations. And thus a man prepares for death, when he doth, as it were, accuſtom himſelf to dye, and makes death familiar to him. Chriſtians, look upon your ſelves, as always at the very point of death; when you are putting your flowers in your boſoms, remember you are, as it were, dreſſing a Corpſe for the grave; when you are waſhing and kembing your heads and faces, and looking on them in the glaſs, remember what ghaſtly skulls they will be ſhortly; yet let thy thoughts be p. 230often among the graves; think, here lyes my Grand-father and Grand-mother; there lyes my Father and Mother; yonder lyes my Brother and Siſter; and I my ſelf am juſt going to lye down amongſt them. Thus learn to dye daily.

Direct. 3. Labour by an eye of faith to diſcern between things that differ. Beloved, faith hath a very deep and piercing inſight into things; it judgeth of things by Scripture, it believes what God in his Word ſpeaks of them; and ſo a believers carriage towards every thing is according as the Word deſcribes and preſents it to him: and ſurely this makes people ſo unprepared to dye, becauſe they want an underſtanding of things: It cannot ſink into their hearts, that ſin is ſo bad, and Chriſt ſo good; or the world ſo vain, or grace ſo precious; or hell ſo terrible, or heaven ſo glorious: but they are ſo confident that luſt is ſweet, and riches are precious, and death is far off, and hell is but a bug bear, and heaven is but a fanſie: And in this confidence they will live and dye; and therefore the Apoſtle prayes that the Philippians may try things that differ, Phil. 1.9, 10.Phil 1:9Phil 1:10that they may be fit for the day of Chriſt. I ſhall therefore give you this Direction p. 231in theſe following particulars.

1. Look upon God and the world together, and you ſhall ſee the difference; for this end I beſeech you ſearch and believe that Scripture, Iſa. 40.15,-17. Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the ſmall duſt of the balance. Behold, he taketh up the iſles as a very little thing. All nations before him are as nothing, and they are counted to him leſs then nothing and vanity. Now let thy heart judge of, and act towards God and the world, according to this difference: Set all the world before thee, give every creature its due; ſee what a vaſt world of Kingdoms and Nations it is; look upon the ſtrong Iſlands which are fortified and moted about with the Seas, which this great God takes up as a very little thing; ſee a world of great and mighty men before thee; ſee the rich world of gold, and ſilver, and precious ſtones, lying on heaps before thee; look upon the lands and buildings which make all the woods, fields, paſtures, medows, orchards, vineyards, gardens, towns, cities and ſtately houſes in the world. O what a glorious world is this, which made the very Angels ſhout for joy at the rearing of it! Well,Job 38.7.Job 38:7 take a full ſurvey of the glory and beauty p. 232of this great world: and then looking on a drop of water hanging on a bucket, what a poor thing is this? which is ready to break, and fall on the ground, and no body catcheth at it: look alſo upon the ſmall duſt of the balance, a thing of neither weight nor worth, it doth not ſo much as turn the ſcales: Now labour by faith to have ſuch a clear inſight into the greatneſs and goodneſs of God and Jeſus Chriſt, that thou mayſt be able to judge all the world to be but as a drop of the bucket, or as the ſmall duſt of the balance, to thy Father and Saviour; and let thy whole man act according to ſuch a wiſe, holy, juſt judgement: and this will exceedingly fit thee for ſickneſs and death, which come to looſe thee from ſuch a vain world, into the preſence and everlaſting injoyment of ſuch a glorious God.

2. Look upon ſin, and upon the righteouſneſs of Jeſus Chriſt; look upon theſe together Beloved, faith hath a deep inſight into the evil of ſin, for it ſees the glory of God, which ſin is againſt, wherein the evil of it appears, and believes the dreadful curſes of the law, and what the wrath of God, and what hell is, and what an immortal being a man is that muſt ſuffer theſe. Faith alſo p. 233hath a piercing inſight into the excellencie of Chriſts righteouſneſs; it ſees what an infinitely-glorious God Jeſus Chriſt is, which makes his righteouſneſs ſo precious and meritorious, and ſo ſavoury and ſatisfactory to the Father; and for this reaſon, ſo all-ſufficient for faith to reſt and live upon: for this is the precious property of juſtifying faith, that it receives Chriſts righteouſneſs for ſalvation, for the ſame reaſon which God receives it for ſatisfaction; that is, becauſe it is the righteouſneſs of God; and indeed, faith muſt ſee God ſatisfied, before it can ſee the believer ſaved: and ſeeing enough in Chriſt for the ſatisfaction of God, it ſees the ſame ſufficiencie in him for the ſalvation of the Believer. Now Chriſts righteouſneſs never appears more precious then when the ſoul is filled with the deepeſt ſight and ſenſe of ſin; for then the ſoul believes him to be a great Saviour, when he ſees the great evil of ſin which he ſaves him from: and therefore it is obſervable, that the Apoſtle demonſtrates the direful guilt and filth of ſin, as a preface to that great Doctrine of Juſtification by faith in the righteouſneſs of Chriſt, Rom. 3. from verſ. 9. to the end of that Chapter.

p. 234And as you know, it was a ſad and fearful caſe for the poor Jews to be bitte… with the fiery Serpents, and to lye groaning under the pain and anguiſh of thoſe poiſonous and deadly wounds: yet then what a glorious ſight was it to look upon the brazen Serpent, and thereby to finde power and vertue to heal them preſently?

So, my Brethren, it is a fearful caſe in it ſelf, for a man to ſtand in the very jaws of death, and to look into the horrid nature of ſin, and ſee death, and devils, and hell, and all the curſes of the law ready to flee in his face: and yet how glorious is it then to look upon the righteouſneſs of Jeſus Chriſt and ſee them all ſwallowed up, and himſelf ſaved? And thus as he ſees the grace of God in Chriſt raigning and over-abounding all ſin, Rom. 5.20, 21. ſo his faith, and hope, and joy grounded thereon, doth riſe above, and over-abound and ſwallow up all his fears of death and hell which he was in becauſe of his ſins.

3. Look upon all your ſufferings on earth, and upon the glory of heaven together. The Apoſtle tells us, Act. 14.22. We muſt through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God. Obſerve, there is an entrance p. 235into the Kingdom of Heaven out of all our afflictions, and our way to heaven lyes through much tribulation: an hypocrite ſeems to go ſtrongly in the way to heaven, but oftentimes when he comes to trouble, perſecution, &c. there he is ſtopt, and can go no farther; but he that believes the goodneſs of duty, and the glory of heaven, if tribulation, ſickneſs, poverty, perſecution ſeek to ſtop him, he goes through them; he knows duty is ſweet and ſafe, and therefore he will follow it, till it bring him to heaven, whatever it coſt him. Tertullian comforts the Martyrs in priſon with this, That in their cloſe and dark priſons they might ſee illam viam, quae ad Deum ducit, that way which leads them to God: There is a way to heaven out of priſon, ſick-bed, or any other affliction. Hence thoſe that come to heaven, are ſaid to come out of great tribulation, Rev. 7.14. Sometimes a poor Saint comes hot, as it were, out of the furnace of affliction into heaven; from chains and bolts in a priſon, he is looſed into heaven; from gaſping and groaning upon a ſick-bed, to heaven: ſurely when he comes there, he findes a ſtrange alteration. Well, look upon thy ſelf now as ſtanding between the two worlds: a world of ſin, ſnares, perſecution, p. 236poverty, ſickneſs and death on the one hand; and a world of life, and immortality, and fulneſs of inconceivable joy and pleaſure on the other hand. Thus the Apoſtle ſeems to ſtand, 2 Cor. 4.17, 18. we ſtand looking from our afflictions, on the things that are not ſeen. So Rom 8.17, 18. If we ſuffer with him, we ſhall be glorified with him. Well, put theſe together; put the perſecution from wicked men, and the Crown of Glory together; put a moment of pain and miſery on a ſick bed, and an eternity of joy in heaven together; and thou muſt needs conclude with the Apoſtle, verſ. 18. For I reckon (ſaith he) I have caſt them both up, and I finde, that the ſufferings of this preſent time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which ſhall be revealed in us.

Laſtly, look upon time and eternity together. Oh what is time, when a man looks into eternity! it ſeems but a breath, a twinkling of an eye, a ſtroke of a pulſe, to a man that ſees eternity before him. Methinks a believer is like a man on a hill by the ſea-ſide: he ſees a little ſpot of ground, and the great Ocean lying beyond it; ſo he ſees a little ſpot of time, and the great Ocean of eternity lying beyond it: he ſees p. 237the end of all things: Oh, ſaith he, I am gone, I am gone: look how all the honours, and riches, and comforts of this life do vaniſh out of my ſight; and everlaſting fire, or everlaſting glory will receive me preſently! Sirs, this would make us live in a poſture to dye, if we did but ſee what a little while it is before we muſt ſit with Chriſt in heaven, or burn with Devils in hell.

Direct. 4. Labour to fill up your time: this is the way to fit you for eternity: but you will ſay, What is it to fill up our time?

Anſw. Time is filled by applying our time to that work which God hath given us our time for: God hath given us time for our callings, to labour and do all that we have to do; time to worſhip God, and do his will; time for recreations, meat, drink, ſleep, &c. and by all theſe, to honour God, to be bleſſings to men, and to ſeek ſalvation for our ſelves: and by doing theſe things, we fill our time: as for example, if a man ſhould write down his days work, (not that I would impoſe upon the conſciences of men) So long I was ſlugging in bed, ſo long I was glutting at meat, ſo long filling my ſelf with drink, at ſuch a time p. 238belching out oaths; and then look upon this on a ſick-bed, here would be a black day to look upon, ſuch a day would make work in eternity. So if a man ſpend a day in idleneſs, as Seneca ſpeaks of ſome idle perſons, that are buſied between the comb and the looking-glaſs; now if ſuch a one were to write his days work, he muſt leave a blank for ſuch a day, which would cauſe ſtinging reflections when he comes to know the loſs of his precious time: But if a godly man ſhould write down, Such an hour I ſpent in ſecret prayer and meditation, ſuch an hour in family-worſhip, ſuch a time in the works of my calling, and ſuch time in a ſober uſe of recreations; now if this were done in a right manner, notwithſtanding many invincible infirmities, yet here is a day well filled, and may cauſe ſweet reflections, when he ſees his days ending in eternity. Now that you may thus improve, and fill up your time, I ſhall briefly give you theſe five Directions.

1. Labour to have your hearts filled with grace. Beloved, a mans time is full of that which his heart is full of; the heart fills the tongue, and fills the life, and ſo fills the time. Solomon tells us, Prov. 10.20. The heart of the wicked is little worth: when all that is p. 239in a mans heart is good for nothing, neither good to honour God, nor to ſave himſelf, nor others, then his time muſt needs be good for nothing; it muſt needs be an empty, ſinful, unprofitable time; for ſuch a man hath nothing to fill up his time with. But on the contrary, our Saviour tells us, Matth. 12.35. A good man out of the good treaſure of his heart bringeth forth good things: The graces of Gods Spirit make a good treaſure in the heart; and all things that come from faith, love, humility, meekneſs, &c. are good things, and do much good: and a mans time is happily filled, that is full of prayer, of holineſs, of godly conference, &c. which are all brought forth out of the good treaſure of grace in the heart.

2. Do nothing in time, but what will paſs in your account, when your time is at an end: Chriſt will one day ſay to thee, Give an account of thy ſtewardſhip; for thou mayſt be no longer ſteward, Luk. 16.2. Give an account of thy Health, Life, Parts, Eſtate; of Sabbaths, Sermons, Sacraments, and all thy precious opportunities; for thou muſt no longer uſe or enjoy theſe. Now what a ſad reckoning will here be, if he hath one nothing with theſe that will p. 240paſs in his account? as if a great man intruſt a ſervant to be his Steward, and commit to him his money, rents, &c. to diſburſe according to his Maſters pleaſure: Now if when the Steward is called to give up his account, he is able to reckon, So much laid out for proviſion for the family, ſo much for the education of the children, ſo much to relieve the poor; theſe things will paſs in his account: but if he reckons, So much waſted in drunkenneſs, ſo much converted to my own uſe, &c. the Maſter will never accept of this. So, my Brethren, when God calls us to an account of our ſtewardſhip, if a man can ſay, Lord, I ſpent my eſtate in the education of my children, in feeding and maintaining my family, in relieving the poor; I ſpent my parts in making God and Chriſt known to others; I ſpent my time to pleaſe and praiſe thee, to profit others, and ſave my ſelf; theſe things will paſs in thy account; and thou ſhalt be ſure of thy reward and honour of a faithful ſervant, when the time of my Stewardſhip is expired: but if it appear that a man hath waſted his eſtate on his luſts, and ſpent his time in his ſins, his account muſt needs be ſad, when he muſt have hell for his wages: whatever p. 241ye do, conſider whether it will paſs in your account; and look upon every thing now, as it will prove when you are to give an acount for it. It is a remarkable expreſſion, Phil. 4.17. I deſire fruit that may abound to your account; many things which a believer doth with an upright heart, ſeem but little now, but they will riſe, and abound to his glory, when he comes to give an account.

3. Do nothing but what thou art willing to have thy ſelf; the very Nation wherein thou liveſt, and thy time, to have a name from the doing of it: for it is obſervable, that the actions of men give a name to theſe three things, viz. to themſelves, to the places, and to the times wherein they live.

1. Then do nothing but what thou wouldſt have a name from the doing of it: man loves ſin, but he cannot endure to be called according to his ſins; but if thou doſt abhor the name of a drunkard, ſwearer, lyar, why doſt thou live in the ſins of drunkenneſs, ſwearing and lying?

2. Do nothing that thou wouldſt not have the land to have a name from; for the land hath a name from the practice of the people; a holy people make a holy nation; a p. 242prophane, unclean, perfidious people make a land of prophaneſs, of whoredoms, of treachery, &c. What ſins thou liveſt in, thou doſt not onelyonly make thy ſelf, but alſo, as much as in thee lies, thou makeſt the land laothſome to God and men.

3. Do nothing which thou wouldſt not have thy time have a name from; it makes thee have ſad thoughts to think of the time of drunkenneſs, whoredom, lying, &c. but times of prayer, meditation, holy conference, &c. are ſweet.

4. Take heed of idleneſs; this ſin makes empty and unprofitable times, and leaves people unprepared for ſickneſs. When Calvin was reproved for inordinate labour, he gives this ſavoury anſwer: What, ſaith he, would ye have my Lord finde me idle? Sirs, would you have ſickneſs, and death, and the day of judgement finde you idle? Our Saviour in the Parable having intruſted his ſervants with their talents, he bids them, Occupy till I come, Luk. 19.13. See Chriſt's coming, and improve your talents for him till he come. Now that you may abhor this ſin of idleneſs,

1. Conſider, that if you be not doing good, you will be doing hurt; man is a buſie creature: let a man look at any time p. 243within himſelf, he can never ſee his heart ſtand ſtill. We read of ſome, 2 Theſſ. 3.11. Who work not at all, and yet are buſie-bodies. Sirs, the ſoul is quick at work; a man may quickly lay up abundance of treaſures in heaven or hell: For as Bernard ſaith well, If you are not exerciſed in the labours of men, you are in the labours of devils.

2. Make the work of Salvation thy main buſineſs; labour to turn every day into a day of Salvation. Sirs, it is an excellent thing for a man to live ſo in his calling, relations, recreations, afflictions, duties of Gods worſhip, as if all the powers of his body and ſoul were ſet upon the work of Salvation: this will keep a man from idleneſs; For that man will never want buſineſs, that knows he hath a ſoul to ſave.

3. Conſider what little time thou haſt for this great work: perhaps it may never be done, if it be not done now: they were fools that ſaid, Let us eat and drink, for to morrow we dye: it had been a wiſer ſpeech to have ſaid, Let us repent, believe and pray, for to morrow we dye.

4. Conſider what thou haſt to ſet thee on work, and to keep thee from idleneſs, p. 244look into hell, and ſee ſin, and the world, and devils thruſting thee therein, and thou wilt finde it buſineſs enough to ſave thee from thoſe unquenchable flames: Look into heaven, and ſee God, and Chriſt, and Miniſters, and Chriſtians always calling thee thither; and ſee thy own ſins, carnal friends, men, devils, a world of ſtumbling-blocks lying in thy way to ſtop thee from going into that everlaſting happineſs, and thou wilt finde work enough to go to heaven: Look into thy ſelf, and ſee what ſins thou haſt to conquer and bewail, what wants to ſupply, what graces to quicken and ripen, what duties to perform, what ſtorms and troubles to prepare againſt: Look on God, on Chriſt, and ſee what objects are there, for all the powers of thy body and ſoul to be exerciſed upon. Haſt thou any time for idle thoughts, or words, or affections, that haſt ſuch a God and Chriſt to think of, and to ſpeak of, and to ſet and fix thy heart, and love, and delight upon! Look into the family, and town, and place where thou liveſt, and ſee Chriſtleſs parents, or Chriſtleſs children, or Chriſtleſs brothers and ſiſters, or Chriſtleſs ſervants, or Chriſtleſs neighbours, and thou mayſt have that in thee to ſpeak or do, p. 245which may ſave their ſouls from hell; and ſhall they periſh and be damned by thy idleneſs? Look into the Church and Kingdom where thou liveſt, and conſider wherein thou mayſt ſerve them, and be a bleſſing to them; and how thou mayſt be an inſtrument to fill them with the Name, and Kingdom, and Will of Jeſus Chriſt: Nay, look upon every creature about thee, the Heavens, Earth, Waters, Birds, Beaſts, Plants, &c. ſee them all filled with the Power, Wiſdom and goodneſs of God, and, as it were, bringing their praiſes to thee, that thou mayſt be their mouth to honour and exalt God. Methinks, Sirs, theſe things ſhould keep us from idleneſs.

5. That thou mayſt fill up thy time, take heed of loſing a ſuffering opportunity. Beloved, a ſuffering opportunity is a precious opportunity; it's an opportunity to honour God, further the Goſpel, to ſave thy own and others ſouls, to be a bleſſing to thy poſterity, and to leave thy name as a bleſſed ſavour behinde thee. I would not tempt men to luſt after ſufferings; I know the Devil would have his ſervants to ſerve him by paſſive as well as active obedience; yet I would have none ſo baſe, as to chuſe p. 246to ſin rather then to ſuffer, and to prefer Apoſtaſie before Martyrdom. Sometimes a man may fall into ſuch a nick of time, that duty may coſt him his life, and a ſin may ſave his life: This caſe is implied in the words of our Saviour, Mat. 16.25. Whoſoever will ſave his life, ſhall loſe it; and whoſoever will loſe his life for my ſake, ſhall ſave it. Now that is a ſad loſs of a ſuffering opportunity, when a man ſaves himſelf from ſuffering by ſin: Conſider the fearful conſequences of this; hereby thou ſaveſt thy eſtate, name, life, and loſeſt thy ſoul; which is clearly implied in the next words, verſ. 26. For what is a man profited, if he ſhall gain the whole world, and loſe his own ſoul? Or what ſhall a man give in exchange for his ſoul? Remember, when thou runneſt into a known ſin, to avoid ſuffering, thou makeſt a bargain, thou makeſt an exchange; thou getteſt the world, and the Devil and Hell get thy ſoul. Conſider further, it is the higheſt improvement of thy name, eſtate and life, to ſacrifice it to the glory and will of Chriſt, by ſuffering for him: this is the beſt that thou canſt make of thy ſelf. Sirs, it is more honourable (if thou art called to it) to be burned at a ſtake for Chriſt, then to be burned with p. 247Fever; or to die for Chriſt in a Priſon, then to die in a ſick bed.

Conſider laſtly, What a woful caſe will ſickneſs and death finde thee in, when thoſe evils which thou fearedſt from men, ſhall be brought upon thee by God; when God ſhall fill thy body with greater pains then the cruelleſt Perſecutor could invent or inflict! Oh what a loſs will then a ſuffering opportunity be, when a man may ſay, I had an opportunity to loſe my life, and ſave my ſoul; and now I muſt loſe my life, and my poor ſoul too!

Direct. 5. That you may be prepared for ſickneſs and death, do nothing but what you would have ſickneſs and death finde you doing. Remember, what ever thou art about, that ſickneſs and death may finde thee in it: Death found Zimri and Cozbi in whoredom, Numb. 25.8. and Death took Ananias and Saphira in a lye, Acts 5. and Death caught Eutychus ſleeping at a Sermon, Acts 20.9.

And on the other hand, God took Enoch walking with God, Gen. 5.24. And when Elijah and Eliſha were talking together, no doubt of ſome good, Elijah was fain to break off his good diſcourſe to go to heaven, 2 Kings 2.11. and Chriſt went p. 248bleſſing his people to heaven, Luke 24.51. And good Stephen, as he was praying, was taken from off his knees into heaven, Acts 7.60. Oh Sirs, if you would not go lying, or ſwearing, or drunk, or ſwaggering, or ranting into Eternity, do not practiſe theſe ſins now, but walk in your callings, recreations and duties, as if you ſaw ſickneſs and death fetching you out of theſe into heaven.

Direct. 6. Labour to be filled with a merciful and tender diſpoſition towards others in their ſickneſs and miſery; this is a ſure way for thee to finde mercy from God in thy ſickneſs: With the merciful, thou wilt ſhew thy ſelf merciful, Pſal. 18.25. Bleſſed are the merciful, for they ſhall obtain mercy, Matth. 5.7. We have a precious promiſe to this purpoſe, Pſal. 41.1, 2, 3. Bleſſed is he that conſidereth the poor. By the poor is meant, not only the poor in eſtate, but alſo thoſe that are poor and afflicted, in reſpect of other afflictions. And it's a moſt bleſſed frame of heart for men, when they ſit in health, and at eaſe, and ſwim in wealth, to be ſeriouſly conſidering their poor diſeaſed and afflicted brethren: The Lord will deliver him in time of trouble. The Lord will preſerve him, and keep him alive. p. 249The Lord will ſtrengthen him on the bed of languiſhing; thou wilt make all his bed in his ſickneſs. I ſay therefore, ſhew mercy to others in their ſickneſs; and when the day of ſickneſs, and death, and judgment comes,2 Tim. 1.18.2 Tim 1:18 thou ſhalt be ſure (as Paul prayed for Oneſiphorus in the like caſe) to finde mercy at that day.

Direct. 7. Be fully ſatisfied in the belief of Gods care and providence towards thy friends whom thou art to leave behinde thee. Beloved, it makes the thoughts of ſickneſs and death more grievous to many, becauſe of the ſad and miſerable condition which their poor Orphans and Widdows will be left in when they are gone; and eſpecially if their condition be like that of learned and godly Oecolampadius, who when he ſhould have made his Will, had nothing to bequeath. But this trouble is not ſo much for want of an Eſtate, as for want of Faith: therefore go chearfully to your ſick beds, or death-beds, with the belief of theſe following Scriptures, Jer. 49.11. Leave thy fatherleſs children, I will preſerve them alive, and let thy Widdows truſt in me. In which words, as appears by the context, God threatens the Edomites, that their children and wives ſhall be left ſo deſolate, p. 250that they ſhall have none but God to provide for them: Yet God is ſo tender of poor fatherleſs children and widdows, that though they were of the families and poſterity of Eſau, yet, ſaith he, I will preſerve them alive. How much more tender then will he be of the poor families of his Jacob!

See alſo Pſal. 10.14. The poor committeth his cauſe to thee; thou art the helper of the fatherleſs. Perhaps it troubles thee to think what a company of poor helpleſs children thou art to leave behinde thee: Why conſider, the infinite and all-ſufficient God makes it one of his great works to help fatherleſs children; therefore this great Creator of the world will be glorified by this name, The helper of the fatherleſs.

See further, Pſal. 68.3, 4, 5. Obſerve here, one great reaſon why the righteous muſt be glad, and exceedingly rejoyce, and ſing forth the praiſes of God, is, becauſe he is a father of the fatherleſs, and a judge of the widdow in his holy habitation. Obſerve, In his holy habitation: God is in heaven, not only filling Angels and Saints with his glorious likeneſs and preſence, but he is there alſo full of gracious thoughts towards p. 251poor fatherleſs children and widdows upon earth. And although I do not think that there is any intercourſe betwixt a Saint in heaven, and his family upon earth; and I do not know that he will in heaven be offering prayers for them upon earth; yet I do not doubt but he will there know, that he hath left a family behinde him upon earth, and by his glorious viſion of God, will ſee that Infinite Power and Providence which provides for his and all other families upon earth, ſo far as is for his own glory, and the good of his Church.

See again, Hoſea 14.3. In thee the fatherleſs finde mercy. It may trouble thee to think, that although now thy wife and children are reſpected for thy ſake, yet when thou art gone, they are like to finde the world cruel and unfaithful, friends hard and unkinde, &c. but take comfort and ſatisfaction in this Scripture, where thou ſeeſt not only that there is mercy in God for fatherleſs children, but alſo that they ſhall finde it, and have the comfort and experience of it. I ſhall therefore conclude this with the exhortation of the Apoſtle, Phil. 4.6, 7. Be careful for nothing, but in every thing by prayer and ſupplication with thanksgiving, let your requeſts be made p. 252known unto God: and then, as to any trouble about theſe things, The peace of God, which paſſeth all underſtanding, ſhall keep your hearts and minds in Chriſt Jeſus.

Direct. 8. Labour to make a wiſe and holy uſe of the ſpectacles of mortality; look upon your ſelves as following your dead neighbours and friends, whom you ſee going before you into Eternity. It is ſaid of a dead man, Job 21.33. The clods of the valley (viz. the Graves and Sepulchres) ſhall be ſweet unto him; and every man ſhall draw after him, as there are innumerable gone before him. Conſider, when you ſee any one buried, that he is gone to an innumerable company that are dead and buried before him, and that every man ſhall draw after him. Oh remember, that you are drawing after your dead grandfathers, and fathers, and friends, which are gone before you. Poor wretch, thou thinkeſt that thou ſhouldeſt be like thy Neighbours, to have as much wealth, and honours, and pleaſures as they: but look upon other Neighbours, who are lodged in the chambers of death, and remember, thou art ſhortly to be like unto them. The very carkaſſes in the graves are ready to ſay unto thee, as the Prophet brings in the inhabitants p. 253of the Tombs crying to the King of Babylon, Iſai. 14.10. All they ſhall ſpeak and ſay unto thee, Art thou alſo become weak as we? Art th…u become like unto us? Look upon every thing about thy friends Funeral with a particular application to thy ſelf; look on the Bier at the door, as if it ſtood there to receive thee; look on the Coffin, as if it were made for thee; and look on the Winding-ſheet, as if it were waſht and made ready for thee: Look on the Sextons Spade, as ready to dig a grave for thee: Certainly theſe things would prove excellent means to fit us for ſickneſs and death.

Direct. 9. Keep up a ſpirit of prayer; for ſurely a man is in a great meaſure fit to die, who is fit to pray. This appears by the Preface to the Petitions in the Lords Prayer, Our Father which art in heaven; whereby we ſee, that a Childe of God by prayer doth, as it were, part from the world, and is with his Father which is in Heaven. Hence, Heb. 10.19. Prayer is called, An entring into the Holieſt, viz. into Heaven: Beſides, it is eaſie to demonſtrate, that the ſame things which make us fit to pray, make us fit to die, and that a praying frame is a dying frame; for our hearts p. 254are moſt ſet upon thoſe things when we pray, which we muſt receive when we die: Death brings us to the things which we pray for; and he that is unwilling to die, is unwilling to receive an anſwer to his own prayers. Beloved, it often puzzles the thoughts of men, to think what will be the iſſue of things, what things will come to at the laſt. Now it ſeems to me a clear and excellent expedient for our ſatiſfaction herein, to ſtudy well the Lords Prayer, and to believe that all the Petitions therein ſhall certainly be granted; and whatever we ſee before, for certain at the Day of Judgment every Petition therein ſhall be fulfilled: and therefore the more a mans heart is ſet on thoſe things for which we are thereby taught and bound to pray, the more ready and fit he is for Death and Judgment. Prayer is one of the firſt and laſt things of a Chriſtian: ſo ſoon as ever the ſpiritual life is begun, it preſently breaths in prayer; and I am perſwaded, that the godly do uſually die in prayer.

Laſt Direct. Live as one that knows that there are bounds ſet to thy life: It makes many ſo unprepared for ſickneſs and death, becauſe they look upon their lives as boundleſs; they always think they have ſome p. 255time to live, and therefore think of no time to die. Now it is clear, that God hath ſet bounds to the life of every man; and when he comes to thoſe bounds, he is ſtopt, and can go no further, Job 14.5. Thou haſt appointed his bounds, that he cannot paſs. Proud men climb to ſuch a height of preferment; and as they are riſing higher, Death ſtops them, and they can go no further: The covetous man gets ſuch an eſtate; and as he is reaching after greater wealth, Death ſtops him, that he can get no more. Oh what a ſudden ſtop did Death cauſe that rich Fool to make,Luk. 12.20Luke 12:20 when he was conſtrained to die the ſame very night, when he thought he was, as it were, beginning to live: The malicious man goes to ſuch a height of perſecuting the godly; and as he is raging in his malice and madneſs, Death ſtops him, that he can go no farther. Oh what a ſtop did Haman meet with in the very height of his bloody deſigne againſt the Church of God! On the other hand, the poor Childe of God is zealous in worſhipping and ſerving God; and as he is ſeeking to ſerve and praiſe him more, Death ſtops him, and his work is done: therefore do every thing is knowing that thou mayſt meet with thy p. 256bounds, and be ſtopt in the very midſt of thy work: All the daies of my appointed time will I wait till my change come, ſaith Job, Cap. 14.14. Job knew that there was a change to come, and that Death would make a great alteration with him ſhortly, and that there was a ſecret time appointed for this change; therefore he will every day wait and look for it. Think with thy ſelf in a morning, I may ſee a great change before night; and think with thy ſelf at night, I may ſee a great alteration before morning. Sirs, when a man goes from his houſe, friends, food and eſtate, to heaven or hell, believe it, he will finde a great alteration. Oh then live, as if every day were to be the day of thy change; as if every journey, and work, and duty, would bring thee to the end and bounds of thy life.

So much for Exhortation, to be prepared for ſickneſs and death.

The next Exhortation is to ſuch who have been viſited with ſickneſs, but are by the mercy and power of Jeſus Chriſt reſtored to health. I ſhall exhort ſuch to theſe five duties.

1. Bleſs and praiſe God, who hath reſtored thee to thy health: God tells his people, p. 257Exod. 15.26. I am the God that heal… thee: And certainly there comes power …nd virtue from Jeſus Chriſt to heal our …iſeaſes: Therefore when Chriſt had heal…d the woman diſeaſed with an iſſue of …lood twelve years, I perceive, ſaith he, that …irtue is gone from me, Luke 8.46. And be…oved, when ever we have been diſeaſed …nd reſtored, there came virtue from Chriſt …to the head, or lungs, or liver, or where …ver the diſeaſe lay, and cauſed the cure; which we muſt in all thankfulneſs acknowledge. Thus did David, Pſal. 116.6.—8. I was brought low, and he helped me. — For thou haſt delivered my ſoul from death, …y eyes from tears, and my feet from falling. Now for the performance of this du…y of praiſing God, obſerve theſe five directions.

1. Get a clear knowledge of the glorious and excellent Name of God, Pſal. 76.1. I… Judah is God known, his name is great in Iſrael. Gods Name is great only where it is known; and it is a moſt ſavoury thing to hear people ſpeak of God, as thoſe that know whom they ſpeak of: Where God is thus ſavingly known, the workings of the heart towards God are anſwerable to the glory and excellency of his Name, Pſal. p. 25848.10. According to thy Name, O God, ſo is thy praiſe, Pſal. 150.2. Praiſe the Lord according to his excellent greatneſs. Grace is more or leſs in a man, according to his knowledge and ſenſe of the Name of God and Jeſus Chriſt: In that heart where God hath no Name, the man hath no Grace; but it cauſeth great faith, and great love, and great joy in a Believer, to ſee the great power, and the great love, and the great goodneſs of God and Jeſus Chriſt.

2. Praiſe God as he is a God of mercy to thee; aſcribe unto him a name from that which he hath done for thee, Pſal. 42.8. My prayer ſhall be to the God of my life. He honours God with this Title, The God of his life, Pſal. 59.10. The God of my mercy, Pſal. 18.1, 2. I will love thee, O Lord, my ſtrength. The Lord is my rock, and my fortreſs, and my deliverer. — Believe it poor Chriſtian, that the God of all the world is pleaſed and praiſed by thy calling him thy God; and therefore praiſe God as his glory ſhines and appears in all other things, and as it appears to thee: As thus, the God of all the world, and my God; the Father of Jeſus Chriſt, and my Father; the God of life and health to his people, and the God of my life, and of my health.

p. 2593. Labour to the utmoſt of thy power to fill all places with the Name of God, and Jeſus Chriſt, Pſal. 66.2. Make his praiſe glorious. This is a right praiſing God, when we endeavour to make his Name glorious in the hearts of all that are about us: our lives ſhould be ſuch, that in every thing that we do, there may be reaſon to cauſe others to love, bleſs, praiſe, and rejoyce in God, Mat. 5.16. Our works ſhould be ſuch, that they ſhould ſet all that ſee them on work to glorifie our Father which is in heaven; and we ſhould live ſo, that it may be an honour to God to be called the God of ſuch a people. Now is it any honour to God to be called the God of Drunkards, or the God of Swearers, or the God of Whoremongers? No, no; but as Maſter Latimer ſaid, they may ſay, Our father which art in hell: But the God of Believers, the God of all that love him, and fear him, and ſeek him, it is his honour to be called the God of ſuch a people; and, as it is ſaid, Heb. 11.16. He is not aſhamed to be called their God.

4. Let every thing that hath been the ſubject of mercy, be the inſtrument of praiſe. David calls upon all that is within him to praiſe Gods holy Name — Who p. 260healeth all his diſeaſes, Pſal. 103, 1, 3.—And we are commanded to yield our members as inſtruments of righteouſneſs unto God, Rom. 6.13. Sirs, every member of a Chriſtian is a member of Chriſt, and the Life of Chriſt ſpreads all over, and fills his whole body; and this life ſhould branch out in all the parts and members of our bodies: Chriſt hath bought and paid for all; the Law bindes all; every member can be an inſtrument of ſin, every member muſt at laſt be cloathed with glory: therefore we ſhould glorifie God with our bodies and ſouls, which are Gods, 1 Cor. 6.20. Conſider, What may I do for God with my tongue, hands, feet, countenance? &c. Perhaps, not long ſince, thy whole body was overſpread with a diſeaſe, and there was no ſoundneſs in thy fleſh, Pſal. 88.3.Ps 88:3becauſe of Gods anger; neither was there any reſt in thy bones, becauſe of thy ſins: Never a bone or joynt was free from pain. Now then, ſeeing God hath healed all, thou ſhouldeſt ſay with David, Pſal. 35.10. All my bones may ſay, Lord, who is like to thee?

Laſtly, Let the conſideration of the greatneſs of thy mercy, cauſe thee to praiſe God: Conſider this in four particulars.

p. 2611. Thou art reſtored to life; God hath, as it were, clearly given thee a life: We have this paſſage in Jer. 45.5. and elſewhere in Scripture, Thy life will I give unto thee for a prey; the meaning ſeems to be thus, that when a mans life is in great danger, though he ſuffer divers loſſes, yet if his life be saved, he triumphs in the preſervation of his life, as if he had got a great prey or ſpoil from an enemy. Now to apply this to the preſent caſe: perhaps thou haſt ſuffered divers loſſes and croſſes in thy ſickneſs, and now thou art reſtored: thou mayſt ſee many things ſad in the Church, and in thy family; but thy life is given inſtead of a prey to thee, and in this thou haſt cauſe to rejoyce: Look at thy life, and conſider what a merciemercy that is, and thou wilt ſee great reaſon to praiſe God in the midſt of thy greateſt afflictions. Oh then let thy life be laid out to the will and glory of God: ſay with David after his recovery from a great danger, Pſal. 116.9. I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living; do nothing but what thou canſt with comfort do before the Lord, as ſeeing the all-ſeeing God looking on.

2. Thou art reſtored to thy health; conſider how lately the multitude of thy bones p. 262were tortured with ſtrong pains; thy ſtomach was gone, and thy life did abhor bread, and thy ſoul dainty meat, Job 33.19, 20. Thou wouldſt have given much for a nights ſleep, when weariſome nights were appointed to thee, Job 7.3. yet now God hath given thee health, he hath cauſed thy bones to rejoyce, and filled thy heart with food and gladneſs, and thou lieſt down, Acts 14.17. Prov. 3.24.Acts 14:17Prov 3:24and thy ſleep is ſweet unto thee.

3. Thou art reſtored to thy friends and relations; to thy husband, wife, children, parents, brothers and ſiſters, and to thy dear and boſom-friends: the day would have been ſad to theſe mourners going about the ſtreets, following thee to thy long home: But now God hath reſtored comfort to thee, and to thy mourners, Iſa. 5.18. therefore let the ſight of all thy friends fill thee with a freſh ſenſe of the goodneſs and merciemercy of God: Say as Jacob ſaid of his Brother Eſau in another caſe, Gen. 33.10. I have ſeen thy face as though I had ſeen the face of God: See the gracious face and preſence of God ſhining upon thee in the face of all thy friends; look on thy yoke-fellow, and look upon God; look on thy parents, and look upon God; look on thy children, &c. and look upon God; and ſo p. 263as the ſight of every friend fills thee with new and freſh thoughts of thy merciemercy, let it alſo renew in thee a freſh and thankful remembrance of the God of thy merciemercy.

Laſtly, thou art reſtored to thy bleſſed and ſoul-ſaving opportunities. Sirs, if we conſider how precious time is, we muſt needs acknowledge this to be a precious merciemercy: now that you may ſee time precious, and ſo for this reaſon may eſteem your recovery a precious merciemercy; look on thy time as the ſeaſon allowed thee to glorifie God, and to work out the Salvation of thy ſoul: you know in other caſes we prize our time according to the worth of thoſe things which time gives us an opportunity to gain: as the husbandman accounts Harveſt-time precious, becauſe it is his ſeaſon to reap the precious fruits of the earth, as St. James calls them, Jam. 5.7. The Merchant accounts the time precious when the wind blows him to his prize. The ſouldier accounts the time precious when he marches for his life.

And is not that time much more precious which God hath given thee to ſave thy ſoul? If God, and Chriſt, and Heaven, and Grace, and the Soul be precious, p. 264then that time muſt needs be precious, which gives thee an opportunity to gain theſe. The Apoſtle determines this, 2 Cor. 6.2. Now is the accepted time, now is the day of ſalvation: Now God is offering Chriſt for thy Salvation; now the Spirit is ſtriving for thy Salvation; now Miniſters are praying, preaching and travelling for thy Salvation. Thus God fills thy time with ſalvation-work. Oh then what a mercy it is to be reſtored to ſuch precious opportunities! when perhaps, if thou hadſt dyed in thy laſt ſickneſs, thou waſt in great danger to be damned; and now thou haſt time to labour to be ſaved.

The ſecond Duty to be performed by thoſe who are reſtored to health, is this: Keep up a frequent remembrance of thy viſitation, and of the Lords dealing with thee therein. It ſeems by the contents of it, that David penned Pſalm 38. in a time of great ſickneſs; and it's very obſervable, that he gives that Pſalm this title, A pſalm of David to bring to remembrance: Implying, that one ſpecial uſe of this Pſalm was to bring his ſickneſs to remembrance: Whence we may learn, that it is our duty in our health to be often remembring the hand of God in our ſickneſs: when thou art full p. 265of mirth, and findeſt thy heart apt to be looſe from God in thy recreations; then remember the pains of ſickneſs, and this will cauſe a ſpirit of moderation and ſobriety to rule thy heart: when thou art going to worſhip God, it may much quicken thee with a new and freſh ſpirit, to conſider how near thou waſt to eternity in ſuch a ſickneſs, and to go to duty as one that is newly riſen out of a ſick-bed; and that thou art ſtill praying, hearing, receiving Sacraments, as it were, in the very gates of death.

So when thou art tempted to any ſin, remember thy ſickneſs: conſider, Wilt thou bring again upon thy ſelf an Ague, Fever, Dropſie, Conſumption &c? Beloved, in abundance of caſes it will do your ſouls much good to be often remembring your viſitation.

Thirdly, examine what good thou haſt got by thy viſitation. Beloved, many come out of a ſickneſs like Rogues out of a gaol; Rogues they went in, and worſe Rogues they come out: So they were Drunkards, Whoremongers, Perſecutors of Gods people, when they went into ſickneſs; and are far worſe, and more hardned in their ſins, when they come out of ſickneſs: Let us p. 266therefore all examine what good we have got by our ſickneſs; as you know after a man hath been in a courſe of Phyſick, he obſerves whether he coughs leſs, or burns leſs, &c. and whether his ſtomack be better, and ſtrength better, and ſleep better; ſo if thou haſt been in a courſe of ſickneſs, obſerve whether thy corruptions abate, and whether thy heart be better ſince thy viſitation: is pride leſs, and peeviſhneſs leſs, and covetouſneſs leſs? and canſt thou pray better, and ſanctifie Sabbaths better, and hear Sermons better? and is thy diſcourſe better, and thy life better? David upon ſearch found ſweet experience of the bleſſed effect of his affliction, Pſal. 119.67. Before I was afflicted, I went aſtray, but now have I kept thy ſtatutes: So, canſt thou ſay, Before I was ſick, I could not endure to be provoked; I was very light and looſe in company, I was very apt to be proud and ſelf-conceited; but now I bleſs God I am more patient, and more ſerious, and more humble.

Fourthly, take ſpecial care to avoid ſin after thy recovery; I ſay to thee, as Chriſt ſaid to another upon the ſame occaſion, Joh. 5.14. Thou art made whole, ſin no more, leſt a worſe thing come unto thee: Thou p. 267thoughteſt thy diſeaſe was very bad and grievous; but conſider, there are worſe things then thy ſickneſs was, worſe pains and worſe miſeries. Oh then ſin no more, leſt a worſe thing come unto thee: I ſhall preſs this duty in theſe four Particulars.

Firſt, watch eſpecially againſt thoſe ſins which thou waſt moſt inclined unto before thy ſickneſs. Some conceive that the impotent man before-mentioned, was viſited eſpecially for ſome particular ſin, which our Saviour did particularly aim at in bidding him ſin no more. The Apoſtle tells us of ſome, 2 Pet. 2.22. that return with the dog to his own vomit; where he compares thoſe that ſeemed to loath ſin, and after return to the ſame ſin, to a ſick dog, which when he hath eaſed himſelf by vomiting up that which made him ſick, goes and licks up again his own loathſome vomit: and ſo we ſee very many who lick up in time of health thoſe very ſins which they ſeemed to loath and vomit up in time of ſickneſs. Beloved, ſin appears in its actings moſt ſtrong, when the inſtruments are moſt ſtrong therewith a man commits it; and the weakneſs of the inſtruments cauſeth a weakneſs in the actings of ſin; and therefore when the body p. 268is weak, all thoſe ſins which are fulfilled by the body, ſeem weak too: but now when the body gathers ſtrength, as a man hath ſtrength to eat, and ſtrength to work, and ſtrength to walk; ſo without the mighty power of the Spirit, ſtrength will alſo return into ſin. Therefore I ſay, Watch, and pray, and fight againſt thoſe ſins which thou waſt moſt apt to commit before thy ſickneſs.

Secondly, take heed of ſurfetting with the profits, and pleaſures, and preferments of the world; for as a man after long faſting is apt to ſurfeit when he returns to his meat; ſo when a man by ſickneſs hath been long with-held from the creature, there appears ſuch a freſh kinde of pleaſure and delight in the world, and the heart is ſo eager in the deſires of it, that there is great danger of being glutted with it: We ſhould therefore receive all the bleſſings of the creature, as the Iſraelites did eat the Paſs-over, Exod. 12.11. where we finde that they were to eat the Paſs-over, as thoſe that were ready to go out of Egypt towards Canaan, with their loyns girt, their ſhoes on their feet, their ſtaves in their hands, and they were to eat it in haſte. So, my Brethren, we ſhould eat, drink, buy, fell, work, p. 269take our recreations, as thoſe that are haſting away into eternity, and as if we were ready dreſt to go to heaven.

Thirdly, Beware of ſecurity: for we are apt herein to be like Pharaoh, who when one plague was paſt, thought himſelf ſafe enough from that or any other: So when one fit of ſickneſs is paſt, we look for no more, but dream of a long time of eaſe, and peace, and health before us: but we ſhould be rather like one that is ſick of an Ague, who when the fit is over, eats, drinks, and is merry, but yet he looks for another fit: So Sirs, is a ſickneſs over and paſt? why, I do not deny but that God who hath given thee a ſtomach, and provided food, would have thee to eat and drink; and he that hath created matter for thy delight, and made thee a riſible creature, doth allow thee to be merry and cheerful; yet look for another fit: ſickneſs is like to come again, and death will be ſure to come ſhortly; therefore take heed of ſecurity.

Laſtly, that heed of pride and vain-glory; this was the ſin of good Hezekiah, of whom we read, that after he was recovered from his ſickneſs, his heart was lifted up, 2 Chron. 22.24, 25. and this appeared, in that when he was courted by the King of p. 270Babylon, he did in a bravado ſhew all his riches, Iſa. 39.2. Poor Hezekiah, thou waſt in a better frame, when on thy ſick-bed thou waſt turning thy face to the wall; but we may ſee by this ſad inſtance, how apt we are after a merciemercy and deliverance, to be puft up with high thoughts and conceits of our ſelves.

The laſt Duty which I ſhall mention, is this: Be careful to perform thy ſick-bed-vows and reſolutions. A vow is a ſolemn promiſe made to God, either of a duty, or of ſomething which may further us in our duty to God. The matter of a vow is either to do that which God commands, or to forſake ſin which God forbids, or to do ſomething to further our obedience, or to abſtain from ſomething which might be an occaſion of ſin, and which we may abſtain from: A vow muſt not be of a thing unlawful; for that were as if we ſhould promiſe God to hate him, or not to love him; it muſt be alſo of that which we have power to do, elſe we have no power to promiſe to do it: The nature of a vow is a promiſe made to God, which promiſe brings an obligation upon us to perform it: this promiſe muſt not be made raſhly; for a vow muſt be the fruit of grace, and not the fruit of ſin: p. 271and we muſt not make promiſes to God in a paſſion; yet I do not deny, but ſuch vows muſt be performed; for it's one thing ſinfully to vow, and another thing to vow to ſin; in ſuch a caſe we muſt be humbled for the manner of the vow, and graciouſly pay what we ſinfully vow'd. It hath been the practice of the godly to make vows to God in their troubles, Pſal. 132.1, 2. Lord, remember David, and all his afflictions; how he ſware unto the Lord, and vowed to the mighty God of Jacob. Now Sirs, in the fear of God make conſcience to perform your ſick-bed-vows: Indeed, wicked men are forward to make vows when they are ſick, and as forward to break them when they are well: As Pharaoh, when the plagues were upon him, he would let Iſrael go; but when they were removed, his heart was hardned, and they ſhould not go. But it is the property of a godly man to make good his vows, Pſal. 15.4. Hence ſaith David, Pſal. 56.12. Thy vows are upon me, O God. Beloved, vows are heavy things; David felt them lying upon him, and preſſing him to the performance of them. Vows take up a great deal of room in the ſoul; they fill the conſcience: when a man is tempted to do that which he hath p. 272vowed againſt, his vow will be upon him preſently, that he dare not do it. See what conſcience David made of his vows, Pſal. 66.13, 14. I will pay thee my vows which my lips have uttered, and my mouth hath ſpoken when I was in trouble, Pſal. 116.14. I will pay my vows unto the Lord now in the preſence of all his people. Sirs, if you break your vows▪ your vows will break you. I ſhall conclude this in the words of Solomon, Eccleſ. 5.4, 5. When thou voweſt a vow unto God, defer not to pay; for he hath no pleaſure in fools: pay that which thou haſt vowed. Better it is that thou ſhouldſt not vow, then that thou ſhouldſt vow, and not pay.

So much for the Exhortation to thoſe who are recovered from ſickneſs.

My laſt Exhortation is, to exhort you to ſome Duties to be performed in time of ſickneſs, which I ſhall lay before you in theſe twelve particulars.

Duty 1. Own and acknowledge the hand of God in thy viſitation: as a man in a croud, that receives a blow upon his head; will preſently turn about to ſee whence the ſtroke comes; ſo, as ſoon as Gods hand toucheth thee, let thy eye be upon him, p. 273and labour to finde a ſpecial preſence of God appearing in thy viſitation. Poor ſoul! thou art now parted from the uſe of Ordinances in publick, and thou muſt labour to finde Sabbaths, and Sermons, and Sacraments in thy ſickneſs; that is, thou muſt endeavour to finde the preſence of God that appears in theſe Ordinances, appearing to thy ſoul in the aches, and troubles, and pains of a ſickneſs. To this purpoſe, I have read a ſaying of an holy Miniſter of the Goſpel, which he ſpoke on his ſick-bed concerning people that were then worſhipping God in publick, Oh (ſaid he) that they did now ſee, what I do now feel! we have a choice example of this duty of acknowledging the hand of God in our viſitation, in Job, cap. 1. where we read, that after he had ſtood ſtill, and heard the meſſengers which came one upon the heels of the another, with the ſad tidings of the loſs of his cattel, and ſervants, and children; the very firſt thing he does, is to turn to God, and to fall down and worſhip him, and acknowledge his hand in his affliction, verſ. 20, 21. ſo I ſay, So ſoon as ever thy diſeaſe begins, preſently own, and acknowledge, and worſh…p God, who is the cauſe of thy viſitation; ſo did David, Pſal. 38.2. Thy arrows ſtick faſt p. 274in me, and thy hand preſſeth me ſore. Conſider, this affliction comes from the Wiſdom, and Will, and Power, and Juſtice of God; and by this diſeaſe he hath now choſen to come to thee, and to appear to thee; therefore labour to have thy heart filled with him, that all thy words and actions may favour of him. Hereby thou wilt ſee Reaſon againſt all Sin, and Reaſon for all Duties, and withal a ground for all comforts.

Duty 2. Labour to have thy heart filled with the thoughts of thy death and judgement: it is the great ſin of many, that in their ſickneſs ſtrive to put the thoughts of death and judgement far from them, and labour to fill their hearts with confidence that they ſhall live; and ſo many poor wretches fall into hell before they did think they ſhould dye. But certainly, it's the ſafeſt and wiſeſt way, ſo ſoon as thou art aſſaulted with ſickneſs, to ſee thy death and judgement ſtanding before thee, and to receive the ſentence of death in thy ſelf, 2 Cor. 1.9. Look upon thy diſeaſe as bringing thee to death, and after that to a judgement, which will ſettle thee in heaven or hell preſently. As thou p. 275lyeſt on thy ſick-bed, look into the other great world, where thou art entring; ſee in what ſtate, place and company thou art now to all eternity to be fixt: Look into hell, and ſee thoſe many millions of Devils that are chained up there: Look what a dreadful caſe the learned, great, rich, ſtrong and beautiful ſwaggerers, ranters, and gallants of the proud, preſumptuous, ſcornful, unbelieving, envious, ſ…cure, covetous world are now flaming in; and conſider, that thou deſerveſt to lye in the midſt of them; and therefore now the greateſt care of thy ſoul ſhould be, how to be ſaved from thoſe unquenchable flames.

Then look into heaven into thy Fathers houſe, and behold there the high and lofty one dwelling in that high and holy place, and the Lord Jeſus ſitting at his right hand in glory, and an innumerable company of Angels looking him in the face; and there ſee a great multitude of bleſſed and glorified Saints: Illic Apoſtolorum glorioſus chorus, illic Prophetarum exultantium numerus, illic Martyrum innumerabilis populus: There is the glorious quire of Apoſtles, there is a company of triumphant Prophets, and there is an innumerable multitude of bleſſed Martyrs, p. 276ſaith Cyprian: There thou mayſt ſee thoſe who were upon earth, the poor, reviled, deſpiſed, afflicted, perſecuted, impriſoned, baniſht, hang'd, burnt Children of the moſt high God, whom the world could not bear; but are now happily poſſeſt of their everlaſting Kingdom, where they are filled and ſatisfied with the likeneſs and preſence of God, and are ſinging and rejoycing with unſpeakable joy to behold his glory: And then conſider, Yonder is the place, wherein I am now to ſeek to enter. And thus let thy ſickneſs fill thee with the deep and ſerious thoughts of death, judgement, and the world to come.

Duty 3. Be ſure of a well-grounded Scripture-peace ſetled betwixt God and thy ſoul: It's a good ſaying, That the day of death is a day of truth: See therefore that thou haſt a peace which will prove true and ſound when it comes to the great tryal of death and judgement. The unbeliever is not then to be tryed at the bar of his own ſecure and ſeared conſcience, nor by a Jury of carnal atheiſtical neighbours. The Believer hath then a preſent appeal from the …aſh and falſe judgement of his enemies, p. 277and alſo from the diſmal ſentences of his own doubting heart; and the Cauſe of both is preſently to go to a hearing before the judgement-ſeat of Chriſt: Now ſee that thy peace be ſetled on ſuch a ſure foundation, that thou mayſt be found in ſafety and glory, when thou art called to appear before the Judge of quick and dead. There are two main things which may aſſure thy heart of peace and reconciliation with God.

1. If Chriſts righteouſneſs be thy own, ſo that as ſure as thou art a ſinner in thy ſelf, thou art righteous in and by the righteouſneſs and obedience of Jeſus Chriſt: See therefore that all cauſes agree to make this righteouſneſs thy own.

1. Set the Lord before thy eyes, and be able to ſay, I know, and am ſurely convinced, that God is a good God, a living, kinde and merciful God, and that he is good to poor ſinners; by the ſalvation of whom, he hath choſen to make his goodneſs glorious to all eternity: I know that there are forgiveneſſes with him; that he hath a heart to pardon iniquity, tranſgreſſion and ſin; that he is inclin'd, and ready to pardon according to his infinite goodneſs and loving kindneſs; and this goodneſs is the cauſe of all p. 278that great Salvation revealed in the Goſpel: and I come to him, and my ſoul doth cleave to him, and love him; and all my expectation is from him, as he is a God of ſuch infinite and incomprehenſible goodneſs.

2. I know that out of this infinite goodneſs he hath ſent Jeſus Chriſt to me, that to me a childe is born, and to me a ſon is given, Iſai. 9.6. I know ſurely that he came out from the Father, and I do believe that he hath ſent him, John 17.8. I know that the Son of God is come, and hath given me an underſtanding, that I might know him that is true, and I am in him that is true. This is the true God, and eternal life.

3. God hath herein commended his love to my ſoul,Rom. 5.8.Rom 5:8 in that Chriſt dyed for me; and I know this true God, the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, did in his infinite love to me, as my Surety, dye for me, and thereby ſatisfied Gods juſtice for my ſins, which he bore in his body upon the tree, Eph. 5.2.Eph 5:21 Pet. 4.24. And that he loved me, and gave himſelf for me an offering,Gal. 2.20.Gal 2:20 and a ſacrifice to God of a ſweet ſmelling ſavour.

4. I know that it is the will of God concerning me, that I ſhould take this righteouſneſs of Jeſus Chriſt to be mine; p. 279for he hath commanded me to take his …ody as broken for me, and his Bloud …s ſhed for the remiſſion of my ſins: And this is his commandment, that I …ould believe on the name of his Son Jeſus Chriſt.1 Joh. 3.23.1 John 3:23

5. I know that God by his Spirit hath convinced me, that I am loſt without Chriſt, and that he hath made me to ſee his righteouſneſs ſo precious, and meritorious, and neceſſary for my Salvation, that I do by the power of his Spirit willingly, obediently, lovingly and joyfully receive and take this righteouſneſs of Chriſt for my own, and reſt onelyonly upon it for the pardon of my ſins, and for my Salvation, as it is freely offered and given by God to me in the Goſpel.

Laſtly, I know that God hereupon imputes this righteouſneſs to me, and accounts it my righteouſneſs; and that I am bound to account it my own, ſo as to own it, live upon it, and to glory in it: and by this righteouſneſs God juſtfies me, being he is juſt, and the juſtifier of them that believe in Jeſus, Rom. 3.26. And thus being juſtified by faith in Chriſts righteouſneſs, I have peace with God through the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, Rom. 5.1. And hereby I have a p. 280right through the free grace of God to go from my ſick-bed into the everlaſting Kingdom of peace: And when I am called to the Judgement-ſeat of Chriſt, being found in his righteouſneſs, 2 Pet. 3.14.2 Pet 3:14I ſhall be found of him in peace, without ſpot and blameleſs.

2. That thou mayſt be aſſured of a Scripture-peace and reconciliation with God, labour to finde thy ſelf truely joyned and united to Jeſus Chriſt, thy whole body and ſoul joyned to all of Chriſt, ſo as with him to make one ſelf, one myſtical Chriſt, that thou mayſt be able to ſay, As poor and weak as I lye here groaning on this bed of languiſhing; yet this aking head, pale face, weak hands, feeble limbs, withered body, is all a member of Chriſts body, of his fleſh, and of his bones, Eph. 5.30. For by the grace of God I can ſay, that whereas I am in my ſelf a dead plant, and as ſeparated from Chriſt can doing nothing, yet by faith my heart is truely rooted in Chriſt; and I do receive him to rule me, as my Lord, according to his will, and to teach, and every way to ſave me; and my minde is ſet upon him, and my heart and affections do cleave, and are faſtned to him; and there comes true ſpirit and life from him, which ſpreads p. 281and works in all the powers of my ſoul …nd members of my body; and I can ſay …f many things that I do, that they come …ot from my created nature, or corrupted …ature, but from Chriſt that liveth in me: …nd I am convinced of this by ſuch things …s theſe.

1. I can look on my ſins, and finde a …ower within me that loaths them, and would crucifie them, and be revenged of them; and it's the greateſt burden of my …ge, that I have any thing in me, againſt the will and glory of ſo good a God, and which …s diſpleaſing to him, and makes me ſo un…ike unto him.

2. I can look at Gods Commandments, …nd finde a power within me agreeing with them, ſo that they are the very law of my minde; I account them all holy, juſt and good; and they are for that reaſon precious to me, becauſe they are againſt my ſins: and I judge it the beſt work that I can do, to be doing the Will of God revealed in theſe good Commandments.

3. I can look upon the world, and upon the Kingdoms and Country where I live; and I judge it the greateſt happineſs and glory of a Nation, which I moſt pray for, and in my place and calling contend for, to p. 282have all places filled with the Name, and Kingdom, and Will of Jeſus Chriſt.

4. I look upon men, and I ſee amongſt them a company who are ſeparared from the world, and differ from the world, and are of another ſpirit, who appear and ſhine in the image and likeneſs of the moſt holy God, in whom there is a ſweet agreement betwixt their lives and the Scriptures, and the life of Jeſus Chriſt is manifeſted in them. Now my heart doth judge theſe the beſt people in the world, and to be far more excellent then their carnal Neighbours; I love and delight in them, and deſire living and dying to be found with my heart joyned to them. Poor ſoul! i… thou canſt finde theſe things ſincerely in thee, thou art certainly a part of Chriſt and ſhalt go in peace from thy death-bed to thy head, to ſit together with him in heavenly places.

Duty 4. If thou finde on Scripture grounds that thy ſins are pardoned, and thy peace is made with God, then improve… thy experience in a ſpiritual triumph over all the enemies of thy Salvation: Say to Death that ſtands daring an… ſtaring thee in the face, O death, where i… p. 283thy ſting? And Death muſt anſwer in effect thus: When Chriſt laid down his life, I loſt my ſting; but Chriſt took up again his life, but I could never take up again my ſting.

Ask the grave, O grave, where is thy victory? The grave muſt anſwer: I loſt the victory, when Chriſt roſe again from me; and I muſt needs give up thy precious Body, when it is called for at the reſurrection of the juſt.

Look on the Devils, and ſee how Chriſt hath ſpoiled theſe principalities and powers, and triumphed openly over them, Col. 2.15. and now rejoyce thou in the ſpoil: Let that be ſpiritually fulfilled in thee, which was ſpoken, Iſa. 33.23. The lame take the prey: Death and Devils are ſpoiled by Chriſt; and the poor, weak, ſick Chriſtian takes and triumphs in the prey: So that becauſe of this, Let the weak ſay, I am ſtrong, Joel 3.10. This may make thee even to forget thy aches and pains, ſo that thou ſhalt not ſay, I am ſick, becauſe the Lord hath forgiven thy iniquities, Iſa. 33.24.

Duty 5. Having thus ſeen a ſettlement of my ſoul and body to all eternity, make p. 284a godly, conſciencious and ſeaſonable ſettlement of thy outward eſtate; this ought to be done, if it be not done before, and if thou art in a capacity to do it: This was part of Iſaiah his meſſage to Hezekiah on his ſick-bed, Iſai. 38.1. Set thy houſe in order, for thou ſhalt dye, and not live. Now in making thy Will, be ruled by this principle: Be ſure that thy will be ruled by the Will of God, that ſo thy laſt Will and Teſtament, which is the ſignification of thy will, may make it appear that thy will is in ſubjection to the Will of God; and that thou doeſt Gods Will, when thou makeſt thy own will. For this purpoſe, obſerve theſe three Directions.

1. If thou haſt got any thing unjuſtly, take order, ſo far as is poſſible, to make reſtitution; do not dye in injuſtice, to go with a curſe to hell thy ſelf, and to leave the curſe of God behind thee upon thy family.

2. Be full of love and faithfulneſs to thy Relations. Chriſt himſelf is our pattern herein, who when he was nigh unto death, commended the care of his Mother to his beloved Diſciple, John 19.27. Then ſaith he to his diſciple, Behold thy mother. Let thy laſt Will and Teſtament witneſs that thou dieſt in conjugal love to thy wife; Give her p. 285of the fruit of her hands, Prov. 31. ult. endeavour to make thy poor widows life as comfortable as thou canſt: and although I adviſe not husbands to leave power in the hands of their wives to wrong and defraud their poor fatherleſs children; for ſad experience witneſſeth, that many widows are ſo careful to get themſelves husbands, that they grow careleſs of their poor children; yet however leave no tye upon her to binde her from after-marriage; ſeeing God hath made her free, do not thou leave her bound.

Again, provide ſo for thy children, that there be neither want, nor ſtrife, nor emulation among them: and though I adviſe to nothing to prejudice the firſt-borns birth-right, yet I muſt witneſs againſt it as the great ſin of many Parents, that are ſo ambitious to ſet up their Families, that they highly advance the elder brothers, and often leave the younger to be as poor as beggars, or as bad as thieves.

3. Dye in dear love to the Church of God, and to the poor, that ſo far as thou art able, thy laſt Will and Teſtament may ſavour of good will towards them. It is the wickedneſs of many, that they ſeek to make a Monopoly of the world, by ingroſſing to p. 286themſelves and their families, and reſtraining the good and uſe of it from others: but every man (keeping to the rules of juſtice) ſhould diſpoſe of his eſtate ſo, as may make it moſt uſeful for Gods glory, and to be a bleſſing unto man: And therefore conſider, that if thou expecteſt when thou dyeſt to be received into the everlaſting habitation of Gods poor in the other world, let their lives be made ſomewhat more comfortable by thee in this world.

Duty 6. Uſe all lawful means to recover thy health; though thou art ready to dye, yet it's thy duty to endeavour to live; thy life is Gods, and he hath bound thee to keep it for him till he call for it; and thou art the Churches ſervant, and muſt not by thy ſinful neglect defraud her of her right: thou haſt yet need to mortifie ſin, and to grow in grace, and to ſtrengthen thy aſſurance of Salvation, and to lay up more treaſures in heaven; and thou oughteſt to uſe all lawful means to preſerve thy life for theſe ends: grudge not therefore thy ſelf wholeſome and fit dyet: ſend for a skilful and careful Phyſitian, and depend upon the God of thy life in the uſe of them. To conclude, be ruled by this Principle: When life is p. 287moſt ſweet, be willing to dye; and when life is moſt bitter, be wiling to live: without this, a man lives to himſelf, and dyes to himſelf.

Duty 7. Bear thy Viſitation patiently. The Apoſtle pleads for this duty, though in a more general caſe, Heb. 12.9. Furthermore, we have had fathers of our fleſh which corrected us, and we gave them revence; ſhall we not much rather be in ſubjection to the father of ſpirits, and live? As it is a moſt unchildlike temper in children, to carry themſelves ſtubbornly under their fathers rod; ſo it is very unchildlike for Gods children to carry themſelves ſtubbornly under the correction of their heavenly Father: therefore yeild thy ſelf in patient ſubjection to thy Father under all his chaſtiſements. Now becauſe patience is ſuch a neceſſary, ſeaſonable and proper Duty for a ſick man, I ſhall preſs this Exhortation with ſome Motives, and then by ſome Directions teach you how to be patient.

I ſhall uſe theſe five Motives.

Mot. 1. Now is a ſpecial ſeaſon, wherein you have great need of patience, Heb. 10.36. for the greater our a…lictions are, the greater is our need of patience: now p. 288every affliction is greater, by how much it comes nearer to a mans life; ſo that a man better bears afflictions in his Eſtate or Friends, then in his own Body: and therefore there never appeared a want of Jobs patience, till his body was ſo ſore viſited. Beſides, there are many afflictions accompany ſickneſs, which make our condition more grievous, and patience more neceſſary: as for example, our enemies are now apt to triumph in our miſery. Thus they did by David, Pſal. 41.8. An evil diſeaſe ſay they, cleaveth faſt unto him; and now that he lyeth, he ſhall riſe up no more: So that we have need of patience to bear the inſultings and upbraidings of our enemies: our friends alſo may be now eſtranged from us. Thus they were from Job and Heman, Pſal. 88.8. and David complains of this, Pſal. 38.11. My lovers and my friends ſtand a loof from my ſore, and my kinſmen ſtood afar off: Nay, our deareſt relations ſometimes deal unkindly with us in this condition: This did aggravate Jobs miſery, Job 19.17. My breath is ſtrange to my wife, though I intreated her for the childrens ſake of my own body: I begged of her, Good wife, do not forſake me now, but remember our poor children, which are gone, p. 289which were the ſweet pledges of our Matrimonial Love: Yet for all this (ſaith he) ſhe was ſo nice, that ſhe could not endure to come near my breath, which did ſtink, being corrupted by my diſeaſe. ſo that we have upon all theſe, and divers other conſiderations, great need of patience.

Mot. 2. Your patience will prove you to be compleat Chriſtians. Thus the Apoſtle pleads, Jam. 1.4. Let patience have her perfect work, that you may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. Beloved, many ſeem to be good Chriſtians till they come to paſſive obedience; but then they cannot endure to be wronged, or provoked, or to ſuffer loſſes, or pains in body, &c. Now here is a want in Chriſtiany; and it is better want any where, then be wanting in godlineſs: but when a man can with patience bear all ſufferings, he is a perfect entire Chriſtian, and wants nothing, becauſe he can patiently want every thing.

Mot. 3. Thy bearing thy viſitation patiently, makes thy ſuffering to be a ſuffering for the ſake of Chriſt: Perhaps thou mayſt think, Oh if I had the honour to ſuffer baniſhment, impriſonment, yea death p. 290it ſelf for the ſake of Chriſt, how patiently could I hear it! But conſider the anſwer which Cyprian makes to this objection, which the Chriſtians did object in his days in a time of great ſickneſs, Non ſanguinem veſtrum Deus quaerit, ſed fidem: God ſeeks not your bloud, but your faith. If you did ſuffer for Chriſt, it is not your bloud and your death that pleaſeth God, but the faith and patience which you exerciſe in your ſufferings; and by theſe thou mayſt exceedingly pleaſe God in this Viſitation: And conſider further, that a man doth not onelyonly ſuffer for Chriſts ſake, when he ſuffers for the name and truth of Chriſt; though I confeſs it is ordinarily taken in that ſence, yet there is another way of ſuffering for the ſake of Chriſt, which is indeed a clearer argument of ſincerity then the former, that is, when we ſuffer patiently for the ſake of Chriſts Will; ſo the reaſon of our patience and ſubmiſſion is, becauſe our viſitation comes from the Will of Jeſus Chriſt; and indeed this demonſtrates that the ſame graces, and the ſame reaſons, which make thee ſo patient under this viſitation, would make thee run with patience through all the ſuffering which thou ſhouldſt be called unto for the ſake of Chriſt.

p. 291Mot. 4. This puts a great grace upon a Chriſtian, to lye quietly and patiently under the hand of God in ſickneſs. David gives a relation of his ſweet temper in the exerciſe of this grace, Pſal. 131.2. Surely I have behaved and quieted my ſelf as a childe that is weaned of his mother: my ſoul is even as a weaned childe: As a weaned childe eats, and drinks, and plays, and ſleeps quietly without the breaſts; ſo David was obedient, and quiet, and patient, and teachable under all Gods diſpenſations: I tell you, in the midſt of all naſty and loathſome diſeaſes, this ſpirit of patience puts a beauty and glory upon the very body of a Chriſtian. Tertullian elegantly expreſſeth the comely carriage of a patient Chriſtian under his ſufferings thus: His countenance is calm and pleaſant; his face ſmooth, not wrinkled with ſorrow or anger; his eye-lids let down in a cheerful manner; his eyes caſt down not with miſery, but humility; his mouth ſealed with ſilence, &c. De patientia, cap. 15.

Laſt Mot. This will be a ſure proof to thee, that all thy ſickneſſes and miſery will end in heaven, Heb. 6.12. That ye be not ſlothful, but followers of them, who through faith and patience inherit the promiſes. Obſerve, all the glory of heaven is laid up in the p. 292promiſes; and the Patriarchs, Prophets, Apoſtles, Martyrs and Saints which have dyed in all ages, are now in heaven inheriting the promiſes; they are enjoyning that happineſs which was promiſed to them in the Scriptures: but how came they to inherit theſe promiſes? why through faith and patience. Now we have the ſame promiſes made to us, which they do now inherit: but how ſhall we come to inherit the ſame promiſes? thoſe Saints are poſſeſt of glory, yonder they live and raign; but how ſhall we do to come among them? why be followers of them; they are gone a little before you; away after them, follow their ſteps through faith and patience, and you ſhall with them inherit the promiſes, Heb. 10.36. Ye have need of patience, that after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promiſe.

So much for the Motives. Now that you may practice this Duty, obſerve theſe f…ve following Directions.

1. Labour by patience to … under the Rule and … graces, Luk. 2….….9. … ye your …orts … …e ſweet poſſeſ…ion and …; by this gra… … …is p. 293ſpirit, Prov. 15.32. Beloved, when the body is troubled, it's an hard thing to rule the ſoul, to keep the affections, paſſions, thoughts, words, looks, actions in their place; much covetouſneſs, pride, unbelief, anger, and diſcontent, are apt to work, and diſturb, and diſplace the ſoul at ſuch a time: Now a patient man bears off his troubles by the ſtrength of his graces, and the ſtrength of all graces work in patience; he believes patiently, hopes patiently, and lyes patiently under the will of God, loving and rejoycing in him; ſo that patience keeps the ſoul from ſinking, and it keeps corruption from riſing, and keeps all graces working, ſo that the heart is full of duty, when it is full of patience; and hereby the heart is eſtabliſhed and ſetled in a holy, even, cheerful and obedient frame under the will of God.

2. Be patient in obedience to the will of God; for it cannot be true patience, except thou bear thy affliction patiently for this reaſon, becauſe it comes from the will of God: I know a ſickneſs is not a thing it ſelf which a natural will ſhould chuſe; but when God ſignifies that it's his will that thou ſhouldſt be viſited, then here comes in the work of patience, to deny thy own will, p. 294whereby thou waſt willing to have eaſe, and health, and life; and to ſay, I am willing to go into a ſick-bed, or death-bed, to fulfil the Will of God. We have our Saviours example for this; he was innocently willing to avoid the ſufferings by his created Humane Will; but looking upon them as coming from the Will of his Father, he ſubmits his will to his Fathers; ſaying, Mat. 26.39. Not as I will, but as thou wilt. So a childe of God may ſay, I am willing to have my health and life, to live in the world with my Friends and Relations, and to be a bleſſing to the Church of God: but if it be Gods Will that I ſhall be ſick and dead, let me die to fulfil the Will of God, rather then live to fulfil my own will.

3. Humble and abaſe your ſelves under the Hand of God in your Viſitation, 1 Pet. 5.6. Humble your ſelves under the mighty hand of God. See what a mighty Hand of God is upon thee, and humble thy ſelf under it; the humbleſt Chriſtians are always the patienteſt Chriſtians. It's obſerveable, that the reaſon of Jobs impatience, was his too high thoughts of himſelf, and his too low thoughts of God: and therefore obſerve how God pleads with him, Job 38.2, p. 2953. Who is this that darkens counſel by …ords without knowledge? What prating …ellow is this, that by his ignorant talk …rkens my Wiſdom, and Juſtice, and Pro…dence? Becauſe thou didſt challenge me … diſpute with thee, and didſt promiſe to …nſwer me, Job 13.22. Gird up now thy …yns like a man; for I will demand of thee, …nd anſwer thou me. Now when God had … the following words demonſtrated his …finite power and wiſdom in the works …f Creation and Providence, Job is there…pon ſo deeply convinced of the Majeſty …f God, and of the vanity of himſelf, that …e reſolves for ever after to be humble, pa…ient and ſilent, Job 40.4, 5. Behold, I am …ile, what ſhall I anſwer thee? I will lay …y hand upon my mouth. Once have I ſpoken (like a fool as I was) but I will not anſwer; yea, twice, but I will proceed no further.

4. Conſider the deſert of thy ſins; it will make thee bear patiently what thou ſuffereſt, to conſider what thou deſerveſt. It was a ſavoury ſaying of a good man being then tortured with the pain of ſickneſs; Oh (ſaith he) this is not Hell. He that believes what Hell is, and knows that he deſerves to be there, will ſee great reaſon p. 296to lye patiently under the greateſt pains of the moſt tormenting ſickneſs, and to reſolve with the Prophet, Micah 7.9. I will bear the indignation of the Lord, becauſe I have ſinned againſt him.

Laſtly, Wait by patience for a comfortable iſſue out of thy ſickneſs, James 1.4. Let patience have her perfect work. Some are patient a while, and after fly into paſſion and diſcontent: but as long as there is any work for patience, let her have her perfect work, James 5.7. Be patient, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Sirs, the Lord is coming, and he will put an end to ſickneſs and death when he comes: Conſider what the Lord will do to thy body and ſoul at his coming, and be patient till his coming; for when thou meeteſt him, thou wilt ſee he did not ſtay too long.

It's obſerveable, that God and his people have both the ſame end: Thy great end is the glory of God, and the ſalvation of thy ſelf, and of all Gods Church; and this now is Gods end: But God hath ſet thee thy way to this end, and he hath ſet and appointed to himſelf his own way. Now Gods way is not as thy way: Thou thinkeſt ſuch and ſuch a way were beſt to make God glorious, and his Church p. 297happy; but God, he hath a way above …nd contrary to thy way: and ſo as to this …aſe, thou mayſt think it is the beſt way for Gods glory, and for thy family, and for …hy ſelf, for thee to enjoy thy health and …ife, &c. but Gods way is to bring thee …o ſickneſs and death: Well, what muſt be done in this caſe? Anſw. Still keep thy heart fixt upon thy glorious end; and do thou follow thy way of duty, and patiently wait upon, and ſubmit unto God in his way of providence; and thou ſhalt finde, that at the laſt Gods working in his way of providence, and thy keeping to thy way of duty, will meet in the ſame end, viz. Gods glory, and thy everlaſting ſalvation.

Duty 8. In ſickneſs give good counſel to thy Friends about thee: See how Moſes ſtands over Eternity, and preacheth to the Iſraelites, Deut. 32. See alſo the language of a dying King to his Succeſſor, 1 Chron. 28.9. Thou, Solomon my ſon, know thou the God of thy Father, and ſerve him with a perfect heart, and with a willing mind. See again the ſolemn charge of the dying Apoſtle to Timothy, 2 Tim. 4.1, 2. I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jeſus p. 298Chriſt, who ſhall judge the quick and th… dead at his appearing, and his Kingdom Preach the word, be inſtant in ſeaſon, out o… ſeaſon; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all patience and long ſuffering. And you know the farewel-Sermon of our dying Lord Joh. 14.15, 16. It was a ſweet and ſavoury ſaying of Hyperius to his little Son tha… ſtood by his death-bed; Diſce mi fili mandata Domini, & ipſe enutriet te: Learn m… child the commandments of the Lord, and he will nouriſh thee.

Let thy laſt words be ſuch that may ſavour of a heart breathing after the ſalvation of thoſe that are to come after thee Thou art now ſtanding at the end of al… worldly perfections; thy ſtomack is almoſ… cloſed for ever, thy ſleep is even gone for ever; thou art at the end of all the pleaſures of ſin, at the end of all worldly enjoyments, of all the Ordinances and duties of this life, and thou haſt now but a ſtep to that judgment which will quickly reſolve all thy thoughts about thy Eternal Eſtate: Now thou ſeeſt what a vanity man is, what a lye the world is, what a cheat ſin is, what a loſt wretch an unbeliever is, what a precious Jewel a Saint is, what a treaſure grace is, what a pearl the Goſpel p. 299is, what a Father God is, what a Saviour Chriſt is, what a place Hell is, what a portion Heaven is: Now thou canſt ſpeak of theſe things with more faith, and heart, and feeling, then ever: thy yoke-fellow, children, brothers, ſiſters, friends, neighbours, have now more then ever their hearts and ears open to thee; and who knows what a ſaving work a ſavoury word from one that is juſt in his flight to Eternity may make! and therefore ſpeak ſo, as one that earneſtly deſires, that the meeting between thee, and all thy ſad friends about thee, may be joyful, when you come together next.

9. Pray earneſtly, that as long as thou haſt a gaſp to breathe, it may appear, that thou haſt a ſpirit to pray. I dare be bold to ſay, Thou mayſt gain more good by one ſpiritual breathing in prayer, then the moſt proſperous Merchant can by the moſt ſucceſsful returns of a whole Age.

Pray with obedient ſubmiſſion to Gods Will, that he will reſtore thee to health and life: Beg of God to ſpare thee a little; this will ſweeten health and life to thee, when it is given as a fruit of prayer, if thou liveſt; and it will be a ſweet teſtimony, p. 200that thou doſt not leave the world in diſcontent, if thou dieſt.

Pray for everlaſting ſalvation: See how many miſcarry at death, and what a great crowd of Men and Women will ſtand at the left hand of Chriſt at the day of Judgment; and beg of God, that for his great Names ſake, and for the ſake of Chriſts obedience, thou mayſt finde mercy at thoſe great daies: Let thy Faith and Hope be never ſo ſtrong, and thy experiences never ſo ſweet, and thy evidences never ſo clear, yet thou mayſt ſee reaſon and need enough of theſe prayers.

Pray earneſtly for the Militant Church, and particularly for that part of it to which thou haſt a more ſpecial Relation: Believe what a Father, and Head, and Husband, and Saviour, the Church hath; and what a Body, and Spouſe, and Family, the Church is; and what an everlaſting Covenant of Grace there is betwixt God and his Church; and what a multitude of mighty, ſubtil, cruel, implacable Devils and men there are againſt the Church; and that yet in deſpite of all, Chriſt will preſent it to himſelf a glorious Church. It is very good on thy ſick bed to ſet this Body, the p. 301Church, before thee, to let thy thoughts walk about Sion, and go round about her, and tell the Towers thereof; and to mark well her Bulwarks, and conſider her Palaces, &c. Pſal. 48.12, 13. And ſee thy ſelf of this bleſſed Flock and Family: and ſo with all thy might pray for this Church. Thus dying Moſes cryes to God for his Church, Numb. 27.16, 17. Let the Lord, the God of the ſpirits of all fleſh, ſet a man over the congregation, which may go out before them, and which may go in before them; and which may lead them out, and which may bring them in; that the congregation of the Lord be not as ſheep which have no ſhepherd.

Pray for thy Family, Friends and Relations. The prayer of Cruciger in his ſickneſs is worthy of our imitation: Fac meos Orphanos vaſa miſericordiae; Lord, make my poor Orphans Veſſels of Mercy. Beg of God not to charge thy ſins upon thy houſe, and that he will graciouſly ſupply the want of thee when thou art gone.

Pray that thy name, graces, counſel, reproofs, and example, may be bleſſed, to Gods glory, and the good of others; that by them, even when thou art dead, Heb. 11.4.Heb 11:4thou mayſt be ſpeaking.

Pray alſo for thy enemies: You know the p. 302practice of Chriſt, and Stephen, who almoſt breathed out their laſt gaſps in prayer for their enemies. Tertullian makes love to enemies, to be a property peculiar to Chriſtians; ſaying, Amicos diligere omnium eſt, inimicos autem ſolorum Chriſtianorum: All men may love their friends, but none but Chriſtians can love their enemies, ad Scapulum, cap. 1. Every Chriſtian ſhould be always much in that, which will prove him to be a Chriſtian; eſpecially now thou art dying, and going to heaven, be found with thy heart filled with love to, and prayer for thy enemies, that thou mayſt appear to be a childe of thy Father which is in heaven, Mat. 5.45. Set before thy heart thy moſt malicious, ſpiteful, and injurious enemy: conſider, he is a man made after the Image of the ſame God with thy ſelf: conſider what the Word threatens againſt him, and into what a Hell he is falling, and what a bleſſed inſtrument he may be, if God would pleaſe to convert him; and labour to finde thy ſoul filled with love and compaſſion towards him, which will cauſe in thee ſtrong deſires after his everlaſting Salvation; and do thou earneſtly offer up theſe deſires by prayer unto God: this will be a ſweet teſtimony of thy integrity, and will be a ſervice p. 303of a ſweet ſavour to God in Chriſt; and perhaps God may in anſwer to thy prayers, give eternal life to thy poor miſerable enemy.

Duty 10. Faſten by faith on ſome choice place of Scripture: When Mr. John Knox lay dying, he called ſome about him to read Joh. 17. For, ſaith he, there I caſt my anchor: and he alſo called for 1 Cor. 15. and when it was read, he cryes, Oh the ſweet and ſaving comfort which God hath refreſht my ſoul with, out of this chapter! and I have heard it reported, that when holy and learned Mr. Blake lay on his death-bed, he faſtned on thoſe words, Act. 13.39. By him all that believe are juſtified from all things, from which they could not be juſtified by the law of Moſes: And cryes out, I'll dye with this, I'll dye with this. Thus I ſay, Settle thy ſoul upon ſome Scripture which ſettles pardon of ſin and ſalvation upon thee; this will be a ſweet evidence that thou dyeſt in faith: And thus believing the promiſes whilſt thou liveſt, thou ſhalt be ſure to inherit the promiſes when thou dyeſt.

Duty 11. Be willing in obedience to God p. 304to dye; this is to die to the Lord, Rom. 14.18. I tell you, a man may with courage and reſolution burn at a ſtake, and men burn him to death, becauſe of his profeſſion of the truth of Chriſt; and yet this is but the height of hypocriſie, and he may hereby dye to himſelf: And though men may commend him for a Saint, yet God may juſtly condemn him for an hypocrite: but he that willingly yeilds himſelf to dye in obedience to God, dyes in the Lord, and to the Lord, and graciouſly offers up his life as a ſacrifice of a ſweet ſavour to God in Chriſt. Conſider further, thou doſt hereby graciouſly finiſh all paſſive and active obedience; thou now leaveſt thy Country, and Eſtate, and Father, and Mother, and Wife, and Children, to fulfill the will of God. So alſo, all that thou haſt been doing by Prayer, Meditation, Sacraments, Sabbaths, &c. thou willingly yeildeſt to have finiſht by death; thou art heartily willing that the old man of ſin be put off by death for ever, and that the new man of holineſs be put on for ever: Conſider thou haſt often pray'd to be filled with the likeneſs and preſence of God; which can never be till death. Chriſt hath prayed that thou mayſt be where he is, that thou mayſt p. 305ſee his glory, Joh. 17.24. and this can never be till thou dyeſt; therefore, I ſay, be willing to dye: call upon the ſad mourners about thee, ſaying to them as Jacob to Joſeph, Gen. 46.30. Let me dye. Dear yokefellow, let me dye; ſweet children, let me dye; my pleaſant Jonathans, let me dye: and turn thy face to God, and ſay with Simeon, Luk. 2.29. Lord, now letteſt thou thy ſervant depart in peace.

Laſtly, Commend thy ſoul to God; this is an act of a Believer, whereby he freely gives up himſelf to God and Chriſt as his right and due to glorifie and to enjoy him for ever in heaven: Now by giving up thy ſoul to God, thou giveſt up thy body too; for the body will be ſure to follow the ſoul; if the ſoul go to hell, the body muſt go thither too; if the ſoul go to heaven, the body muſt be glorified there too: therefore ſee God, as it were, ſtanding by thy bed-ſide, ſaying to thee, My ſon, Prov. 23.26.Prov 23:26give me thy heart: give me thy ſoul, give it me from ſin and ſelf; give it me from the world and devils; give it me, for I made it, and bought it, and I will ſave it: Oh then give it up, and commend it to God: See the infinite and unchangeable love and mercy of God in Chriſt to thy ſoul, and believe that with this love he will graciouſly and lovingly receive thy ſoul: and ſee what God will do with thy ſoul, in what fulneſs of holineſs, and joy, and glory he will ſettle it for ever: See that thy ſoul be ſuch, as thou mayſt comfortably commend it unto God; do not preſent to him a drunken, ignorant, proud, covetous, unbelieving ſoul; but a believing, loving, holy, humble ſoul: See thy ſoul cloathed with Chriſts righteouſneſs, and a… ſuch, give it up to God to be bleſſed and glorified for ever in Heaven, ſaying, Father, into thy hands I commit my ſpirit.

FINIS.

End of the text · Edward Lawrence, Christs Power of Bodily Diseases (1672)