Contemplations on Mortality — Samuel Lee

Contemplations on Mortality · Samuel Lee

Contemplations ON MORTALITY.

Wherein The Terrors of Death are laid open, for a Warning to Sinners: And the Joyes of Communion with Chriſt for Comfort to Believers.

Phil. 3.20, 21. We look for the Saviour, the Lord Jeſus Chriſt: who ſhall change our vile body, that it may be faſhioned like unto his glorious Body.

Bernard, To the Knights of the Temple. The death of Chriſt is the death of my death; becauſe he died that I ſhould live: for how is it poſſible that he ſhould not live, for whom life hath dyed.

LONDON, Printed in the Year 1669.

To his highly honoured FATHER Mr. Samuel Lee, Grace and Peace be multiplied from God our Father and from our Lord Jeſus Chriſt.

Honoured and Dear Sir,

THis little Tract was hatcht by the warmth of your deſires: it hath broke ſhell too haſtily: It looks but callow and ſpeeds to your boſome for wing and protection. The bonds of nature, grace and promiſe oblige it from me. I wiſh it 'twere worthy your view, might help your faith or raiſe your joy. I ſhall wrap my Preface under the dignation of your paternal leave in a Teſtimony, a Requeſt, and a Prayer.

My Teſtimony reſpects a gratefull acknowledgment of your ſingular goodneſs, unwearied kindneſs and tender love from my birth upward. When reaſon budded, your wholſome and godly counſels ever dropt as rain, Deut. 32.2your ſpeech as dew, as ſmal rain upon the tender herb, and as ſhowres upon the graſs. The warmth of your affection cheriſht me under the divine influence into a flower: your wiſdome then tranſplanted me into the nurſeries of grace and learning, and at length to the Muſes garden at Oxford. It was ever your pious care to place me under the ſhadow of holy Tutor I magnifie God and thankfully ac…s knowledge your prudence and love. My body indeed was ever but tender and weak: your affections ſtrong and vigorous, your charges great, your ſollicitous thoughts were ever wakefull, that no unkind ſtorm might blow upon me. I proſper'd for God was with you, your prayers went up, his bleſſing came down, and lo, by the grace of God I hope your labour hath not been altogether in vain in the Lord. You watcht me and the Lord us both, and hath kept us as the apple of his eye, and hath bleſt us together many luſtres of years. There's none like theaDeut. 33.26. God of Jeſurun, that rideth on the heavens for our help and in his excellency upon the skie. The eternal God be your refuge, and underneath the everlaſting arms.

Dear Sir, my Requeſt follows. The God of Heaven hath ſprung a branch out of your roots, and given you to ſee a grand-ſon of your own bowels. Bleſſed be his name, who begins to ſpeak concerning his ſervantsa2 Sam. 7.19. houſe for a great while to come. Will you pleaſe to give him a principal ſhare in the lifting up of your hands to the holy Oracle; that the Covenant may never depart out of his mouthbIſay 59.21. nor the mouth of his ſeed (which the Lord graciouſly grant him) nor the mouth of his ſeeds ſeed for ever. Will you pleaſe to lay your hands on his head and ſay of him as holy Jacob to Joſeph? cGen. 48.15.The God, who fed me all my life long to this day, the Angel, who redeemed me from all evil, when I came over Jabbok from Laban my hard Uncle: Bleſs the Lad & let my name be named upon him: let the good will of him that dwelt in the buſh, over ſhadow his heart. Will you pleaſe to bleſſe him in the name of the mighty God of Jacob, that his dayes may be long? If it ſeem good in the eyes of the divine wiſdome, that he may grow to a multitude in the midſt of the earth and ſee peace upon Iſrael, that his ſmel may be of a field, which the Lord hath bleſſed:dDeut. 33 12. Let the Lord cover him all the day long, let him dwel between his ſhoulders.

He is deſign'd for the Sanctuary: if the Lord pleaſe to accept and gift him, and to bleſſe his times with ſeaſons and places of wholſome and pious literature. Bee pleaſed to bleſſe him as a freewill offering in the name of the Lord, that your little Samuel may be girt with a linnen Ephod to miniſter before him in Shiloh, to burn incenſe and whole burnt offrings upon his Altar: that grace being poured upon his heart and lips, he may have the tongue of the learned to ſpeak a word in ſeaſon to weary ſouls.

Honoured Sir, My humble Prayer remains that the great God of Heaven would pleaſe graciouſly to ſupport your ſpirits under the weakneſs of age, that you may never want the ſtaffe of Jacobs faith to lean upon, in the hour of worſhip; that your ſleep may be ſweet in Bethel upon the Corner-ſtone, and afterwards may aſcend the Seraphicall Ladder after the great Angel of the Covenant into Heaven, that over all your ſacrifices of prayer and praiſe that Angel of the LordaJudg. 13 19. may do wonderfully; that at evening-tide, the covenant of free-grace may ſhine full in your face like theb2 Sam. 23.4. light of the morning, when the Sun is ariſing, even a morning without clouds and that your aſſurance may ſpring like the tender graſs by clear ſhining after rain, thatcLuk. 2.28. Simeon like you may take Chriſt in the arms of your faith while living, and that Chriſt may warm your heart in the armes of his love, when dying; That you may ſing aloud that lovly Song, Now let thy Servant depart in peace: For mine eyes have ſeen thy Salvation: that having ſeen him here as a Prince of peace, you may ſee him there as the King of glory

If the following papers may contribute any thing: I rejoyce, waiting that bleſſed time, when all our joyes ſhall be full and nonedJoh. 16.22, 24. take them away, when Chriſt ſhall ſee us again, andeHeb. 9.28. appear the ſecond time to our Salvation. When the Lamb of God that taketh away the ſins of the world [foreign] ſhall alſofRev. 7.7. wipe away all tears, not only from ſtanding in, but ſpringing out of our eyes, when the tear-fountain ſhall be dryed up, and thegPunctum lachrymale. Bartholin. Anat. p. 344. conduit ſtopt.

Here's little, but ſinning and ſuffering, mourning and praying, there ſhall be nothing but holy enjoying, rejoycing and praiſing. Here weh2 Cor. 5.2, 4. groan being burdened with clay-tabernacles, which ſet heavy and weighty upon us, ſince the animal ſpirits are much exhauſted by length of dayes and the ſorrows of this frail life. And yet we groan, but not ſimply to be unclothed, not meerly to put off our clay; but to be clothed upon, after our clay is baked in the earth into a tranſparent Porcellane Tabernacle, fit for glory. When Mortality ſhall be ſwallowed up of life, and our vile bodies iPhil. 3.21.ſhall be changed and faſhioned like his moſt glorious body; then ſhall we ever follow the Lamb with agile ſpirits whereever he goes, leading us to the living fountains of waters. The Lord graciouſly make us all fit veſſels for the Temple not made with hands, by the imputation of his Sons righteouſneſs, that after a holy life, we may ſleep peaceably in Jeſus and reign triumphantly with him.

Moſt honoured Sir, I humbly commend you into the boſome of this bleſſed Lamb and Prince of Life to be preſentedaEpheſ. 5.27. without ſpot or wrinckle unto himſelf. To this Lamb-like Shepheard of Zion, that his crook and his ſtaffe may comfort you. That goodneſs and mercy may follow you all your daies and you may dwell in the houſe of the Lord for ever.

So prayes, humbly and earneſtly begging your fervent petitions and bleſſings from the fountain of Iſrael, upon

Your moſt obedient Son, in all humble duty and ſincere affection, in our Lord Jeſus. Samuel Lee. July 30. 1669.