A Form of Exhortation to the Godly in Sicknefs. laughing llock, and then hang'd up to dye upon a Crofs, at che will of proud malicious perfecuto,s. ~~i~." 2 1 ';, 1 ;: You fha\l th~rc fee that Pcrf~1~ whom God hath _Chofen to advance abov~ the wh?lc Cr~ation; and in 9 , 10 _ whom he w1ll be more glon~cd than all the Sa_mts. _The ~onderful condcfcenhon of his Incarnati– on, and the wonderful MyHcr1c of the HypofiatJca\ tlmon, will there be better underlh;>nd. And, which is all in all, you Ou\l fie the moft BlcjJtdGod bimfelf; whether in his E(J'ence or 1-b!th. (, s. yet undoubt~dl_y in hH Glory, !". that tt.itc or place, ~hich h~ l~ach prcpued to reveal his Glor/~:: 1-Icb. 1 :, 14 • tor the Glo_nfymg of holy Spmcs. Yo~ !hall fee h~m ~hole hght wiU_pertcCt your undcrtlandillgs} and Lo~e hut~, and fe~l_ the _tulncf~ of_h1s Love, wh1ch 1s ~he high<.U felicity that any cieatcd B-~j 11 ,~ ~an attam ! 1 hough tlm Will be md1~erent meafures, as {o~ls are more or lcfs amiable a 1 :d CJpJci~ ous (or clCc the hu~nanc nJ.t~nc of Chnll, w_ould be_ r~o happ1er 1h_an we \ yet none fhJ.ll h1vc :wy fin~ ful or rroublcforne unpcrf(.Cbon, and all thc1r capJcJtu:s fh.d l be hl\ed with God. O_ dear f~icnd, '·am even confo~ndcd and ~fh_t_mcd to think, that I mention t6 you fi 1 ch hi)!.h and glorious thmgs, wtth no more fenfc and admJratJon! and that my foul isnot drawn up in theILmes of a more ferv~nt Lo~e,_ nor liftc_d up in high:r joyes, ~or yet dr~wn out inw more longing de~ J\Ch 7 • s-&. fire<:, when I lp~:ak ot {uch tranfccndent happmcfs :md JOY! 0 had )"OU a1:d [ bur a glimp!~ widl :a. Cor. u.. h bleffed Srtplmt or P,ml, of thc:fc unuttlrabk plcafures, how deeply would 1t aJfcct us! arrd .ho~v ·h S'· (hould w<: abhorr this life of fin Jt.and b~ awcaJy of rhis dark and diHa11t Hate; ::md be ~lad to be Gal. 1. 4· gone from this Prifon of fld'h ; and to bedelivered fr(:m this prefe111 evilrvorid. This is the life: that you arc going to live: Though a plinful Death mull open the Womb of Time, and Jet you inro eter~ nity, h@w q~1ickly will the plin be o~er! A~d though Nature. make_Dtarh difmal to you, and fin have made 1t penal, and yoll look at lt nowwith bJcl,wardnds and fear; yer tbU will all be quickly ~.tfl; and your fouls will be born into a world of joy, which witl make you forget all your fears and John t6. ~ 1. iorrows.. !t is me:er that as the Binh ofN1rure had its pains, and the Birth ot Grace hads irs peni~ John J· ;, S'' tent farrows; fo the Birth of Glory fhould have the greatell difficulties as it entreth us into ihc happi7• s. ell fiate. 0 what a change will it be to a.hurnbkd fearful fuul, to tind it fdf in a morflcnt dif1odged tfom a finful pairlful flefh, and entred into a WiJrldof Light, and Life,and holy Ln·c, unfpcak– ably above all the cxprclllons and conccptiom, of this prefent lite ! Alas, dut our prefcnt ignorance and fear tltculd make us dr1w back from fuch a change ? That whilH all our brethren that dytd in faith, arc o iumphing in th<fe }0yts with Chrill, our trembling fouls tllollld be fO lorh, to leave- this flttl1) and be afrai~ to be called to the fame fdicity? 9 what an cmmy is the remca ;t of Vnbc!itf, ro our irnpiifonld and impcrfdt fouls! That it C::in h~dc fuch a ddi1ablc Glory from our tyes, that ir fl10uld uo more atfed: U\ and we fhould no more ddirc it, but arc willing to fiay fn long from God ? How wonderful is thar Love and Mercy, that brings fuch b:lCkward fouls ro Happinefs! and will drive us -away from this bdovcd world, by its affi1ding mifcrics? and from this beloved fl:tl1 by p.iin anP wearintfs ? and will draw us to our joyful bl"dfednc:fs, as it were, whether we will or nee? and will nor leave us out of Heaven fo long, till we are willing our fdves to come aw~y! You fecm now to be almoli at your journeys end ! But how ma1~y a toul llcp have rhofe yet to gc, whom you leave behind you in this dirt)' world! You have fought a good fighr, and kept the fairh, and fball never be troubled with an enemy or temptation, when (his one concluding brunt is over ! You fb:~.\1 never be fo much as tempted, to unbelicf, or pride, or worldly mindednels, or fhfi1ly luJl:s, or to any dc:fetl:s in the fervice of your Lord! But how many temptations do you leave us encom– palf~d with? and how many dangers and enemies to overcome? A:nd a. la$,how many falls and wounds may we receive ! You flcm ro be near the end of your race, when thofc behind you have f3r to run. You arc entring into the harbour, and leave us toffcd by Tempcfis on the waves. FltOl wi\1 no more entiCe or clog yam foul! You will no more have unruly fc.nfcs to command, nor an unreafonabk ap– petite to gov·crn ; nor a f\ragling fantafie, or wandering thoughts, or headflrong lulls, or boiflrous ' pdfioos, to reilrain. You will no longer earry about a mot of corHtption, nor a principle of en~ mity to God ! h will no more be difficult or wearifome ro you to do good ? Your fervicc of God will no roore be mixed and blcmifhed with imperfc.Cl:ions? You 01311 never more have a cold, or hard, or backward heart, or a carelefs cufiomary duty to lament ! That primitivt Holineji, which confiHeth in the Love of God, and the excrcife and delights thcrco( will be perfecl<d : And thofefubfervient du– ties of Holin.efs, which confd\: in the ufe of Recovering means, will ·ccafe as necdlefS. Prea~hing and Studying, and Books will be neceffary no more. Sacraments and Church Difciplinc) and all fuch means 8 have done their work. Rcpemance and Faith have attained their end. As your bodies after the Re– ~ 2:,:·4~'61• • funcd.ion will have no need of food, or rayroenr, or care, o_r labour, ~o your fouls will_ be above the 1 Coo. 1 3.t:.. ufe of fuch CreawreJ and Ordm:utcu as now we cannot be wuhom! J:or the Gla[s \y11l be unn~ceffuy, when you mufl fee the Creator face to face. Will it not be a joy rut day to you, ~hen .you Oull know God as much as you defire to know him? and. love him as much as you dehre to_ love him? and bc loved by bim as much as much as you can rcafornbly dcfire to be loved ? and reJ?Y~e in him as much as you ddirc to rejoyce? Yea, mare than you can now dtfirc? (open y_ou but aC~h> ment into the everlatling manfions: and fhew you but a da.rk and diilant profpect ol the prom&d Land, the Heavenly Jerufaltm• The fatisfying tight is refc:rvcd for the time, when thereby we 01lll have that fatisfying truition. • . . And is there any fuch thing to be hoped for on earth' Will health or weal rh, wrU the h:gh<fi places, or the greatcfi pleafurcs make man happy? You know it will not! Or if ir would, the hJ~p~nefswould be fo fh.ort, as maketh it little \yvnhy of our regard. HJ.ve you not feen an t~1~ ot all pc 1 fc8ion! HJve you not obfervcd acd tryed what a deluding dream, and 01adow of fehc1ty, _the , 10 r1d puts offits followers with? How they act their puti as Players on a ibge, and they rhar 111:1 dream
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