A Form for Comforting a departing Saint. dream or Mask did yd\:erdily fccm Princes, Lords or Conquerours, to day are ,buryed in a d.arkforrie grave J And they that yefierday feemed great and rich, to day have no more of their fur~irure or po(: idlions, than a Coffin and aWinding-fhcet, a_nd a place to hide their lothefome Aefh. And they that ydl:erday were merry, and jovial, and in health, and honour, to day lye groaning in painful rnifery, and are leaving their dear bought beloved riches, never to be delightful to them any more. How little dorh it concern them, that mull: dwe11 in Heaven or Hell for ever, whether they live in wealth or po ... verry, in honour or flume, in a Palace or aCottage, in pain or pleafure, for fo fhort a time as this tranfitory life, whic~ is almofi at an end as foon as it is begun! How many millions of dying Pa– rents, have cryed out of the world as V A NI T Y and V EX A T I 0 N? and yet their befotted pofierity admire it, and through the love of it, lofe thtir fouls and cverlafiing hopes! They boaft or re· joyce in the mHltitude of their RicbtJ, as if their houfcs would continue for ever : though in their ho~ now.r they abide not, but are li'<! the beafts that perifo; and death fudetb on them, when likejhetp they are laid in the grave: And though th~ their way is their foUy, yet their pofterity approve their fayingJ, and follow them by the fame fin to the fame Perdilion. Pfal. 49· 6, 7, to, 11, 12, 13, r4, 17,19,20· And is this a world for a holy foul to be in love with? Hath it merited our affections ? Doth it love us fo much, or ufe us fo well, that we ihould be lathe to leave it? John 15· t8, 19, 20. As it loved our Lord, it will love his followers: As it ufcd him, it will ufe us, "ifbe refirain it not. Is ablinded Bedlam world, a malitious, cruel and ungodly world, a falfe, perfidious, deceitful world, a place for r john 2.. lf· a Saint to be lothe to leave? 0 blcffed be that Love, that Blood, that Grace, which hath provided }oh"' S· ''' better for us! And {hall we be unwilling to go ro fo fweet a Feafi? and to putake of a happiAefs 18 ' 19' 20 • which cofi fa dear? Come on then, Dear Friend, and faint not at the lafi ; and fear nor to encounter with rheKing Of Poll · i!latii. feau! It is the laft enemy, and it is a conquertd enemy I Conquer this, and you have no m.ore ro ptignam .m.. conquer. Lift up your head, and look to your ViCtorious Reignicg Lord : Gird up the loins of ~~6k:l.bJmlt! your mind, and ler {11ith and p11tience hold out yet a little while; and play well this lafi part, and n;ftr~$:g~tr~ ' ails your own. ro in v1ti. zrerni; DJU inChriOum credidj: Ddid~ro j:tm 6nem hdei, ut non ~mrlius cred~m in eum, fed vide2m eum in quem crcdidi; ut guUem qu2.m fua~ vi~ fit Dommus, ,,~lpCm manibus Dominun1 meum, & D:um .meum. Lbt voc:tbor Abrah2m, qui l:ztJtur vidcn~ diem Chntl:i : Exper:u~ fum . quod in h3: ,·j:i peec:t:um Ut omoi:t in ommbus: Experiar ct1am aliam vitam, ubi cfi Dominus omnia in ommbus. Abr. BHcho/t\_tr, rc[rrcn~t Ab<. Sc>~lrrto ill Cll'rric. vit-t /illf. P"I.· r S· If the Tempter now affault your faith, and linking Aefh do give him any advantage, abhorr his blafphemies, and cry for help to him that conquered him ! Do you think yonder high and fpacious manfions, are uninhabited ? When every part ot Sea.and Land harh its inhabitants ? Why have thofe bleffed Angels been fo long employed in minifiring for you, but to let you know, that your fouls aie not fo ditlant from them, but that they are glad of familiarity with you, and you maybe like them, . or equal with them in tdicity? Nature bath put you out ot doubt, that there is a God, of Infinite Luke lO. ! 6• Eternal Being, Power) Wifdom and Goodn·efs, who is the Efficient, Dirigent and Final Caufe ofall ; the Creator and Governour of the world. And the fame Nature hath put you out of doubt,that All that his Creatures have or can do, is due to him from whom they have it ; and that fo far as you are capalilc to Know, and Love and Serve him, that you lhould employ your faculties herein : And nothing is more undmyabte to you, than that't is our Duty to Love and Serve our G0d, with all 10ur heart, and foul, and might. And it is as dear to you, that neithc.r are theft Power:; given us in vain, nor rhis Duty required of us in vain, nor yet that mans Natural highrft Dmy, is made to be the way of his mifery and Hndoing! And fure that way, whkh turutth the mind trom fenfu1l plcafures, and caficth a man on~the malice and cruelty of the world, and engageth him in fo much duty, which both the fiefh and the , worldare utter enemies ro, would be his rnif(:ry and torment, if there were no Rewards and Puni(h. ments hereafter, and no future Judgement to fer all flrait, that fio:c:med crooked in rhe judgements of men. If all the inrrinfic" evidencn of credibility, in the S.1cre'd Word, were not fufficient; If all the difttcuJmt Evidencn of PIOphecy were too little ; If the concomit.mt Evidence of all rhe ltlir:Jclu of ChrHl, and his Apofilc:s, and other of his fervants, with his onm Refim·dlion, and A[cwfion did f(nn too difi2.nt from you; yet mark what fubftqttenr contimttd EvidenceJ, it hath plc'aftd God to bring even to your very {tnfe, to affur-c you of the truth of hisGofpel, and of the life ro come. Whence comerh that Vr.ivrrfat unree~fon3hle enmity, which in all Gen,rations and NJtions of the world from Cain and ~bel till this day, is fo~nd in theCarnal againtl rhe Spiritual holy[ted l Even a Sen;ca tei~ leth us of tt among Heathens, agamH that remnant of vertur, and temperance, and fobriety that was found in rhc better fort of men. Could all mankind be thus infected, and hate a Saint that never hurt them, much more than thofe that themfelves conftfs to be mofi vitious, i( the fall of Adam were not true? Have we a whole world before,.our eyes? that arc v_ifibly polluted with that irrational Lcptofie, and yet Olall WC doubt ~h~ther o~r commo~ Father was hck of that difeafe? And do you not cee rhat rhe Gofpel, where evtr 1t IS hearuly cntcrtamed, doth renefl' the foul, and change the life:, and make the man to be another ~an; n~t only amel)ding ~omc little things that were arili[s; but m~king us n~w creatures, and turnmg the Dcn.t of heart and ltfe, another way? Though the carnal norpinal Chrj .. fhan, t~at ncvc_r ~cartily received the Gofpel, do differ from a Heathen, but in opinion and formality; yet fc!Jous Clmiltans. are other men; .and fo tran~forrr:cd, as thlt their holy dcfiru and endtavom.r. du contam the feed of hfe eternal, and are fuch a preparation for it as cannot be in vain. Would God con~urr thus with any word, which is not true, and holy, and good, to make it effectual for the reno· vanon of fa many millions of fouls ? flave you not found, th" his work ofGrace is carryed on by Qq q q > heavenly 3·
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=