The Helmet fSakatioíi. why doyou ftrive andcontend fo much ? what thing is there in the World that is wòrthy your labour there is (faith he ) nothing in theWorld but that which is foolifh, andfrothy, and frayl, and falfe, and vain, and full ofdanger, full of difaftet; fufter your felves therefore tobeweaned from the (fÚorld. And yet notwithftanding all that we can fay, we know there are fome perlons that will not be taken off from the Worlds breafts, theyhave a better opinion ofit than fo. Letfilch enjoy their Min error till they run to ruin, and till their own o- verthrow take them off: Yet notwithftanding we know that whichan Ancientbath, that towbar' Godis oncetweet, theworld Ma ffy be bitter. a. On theother fide,the knowledge of this ferveth towin us tothe Lord; that as the One drawethus off, fo the other may drive uson. When I confider the mercies of the Lord, and the goodnefs of God in the land of the : when I confider how infinite he is in his love ; I amravilhed in fpirir, I am taken up inmind, and taken off in the ffe(h; I have letmyheart andaffeEtions on Heaven,andon heavenly things. And how when I think on the Lord, there is myhope, and there is my help; and there where my help is, there is my love, and there is my life,and there is myLord, there is Chrift at the right handof God : Ile is the':fe ;Manthat helieve, beis the [oho t. as. refnrretlionfrom thedead ; he is the right hand where thereis plcafure for evermore, for there (hall beno more pain, no more death ; for the firfi things are pa/' away, ( faith Saint yohn inthe tyevelation) andall thingsartbeeósnenew. Oh he that did but know the ;oyes that are referved for fucksare reeeited to the Lord, would loon be taken upfrom all conceits of the things of this life. Think youbrit of that great convocation houle of Heaven, that high Court ofParliament, that great place ofMajelty and honour, where all the 1piritsoffag peenmade per- feEt arc; where all the Saints departed live, where there are all the blefled Ana- dabs; godlyProphets, the glorious Apostles, the bleffed Kings, and the godly fellow- Thrrone,andtDominions,lSeraphins, and Ch'erubini the n thofe glorious Orbs; Where there is God, thebleffedTrinity, theKingof Glory, whofeGlory is morethendan be feet;, be Paid, conceived to be : where the joy ofSaints is filch dieye hob not fait, (no faith Saint suffin) eyebathnot teen, for it is no colour ; nor earbath not beard, for it is no found ; nor never mitredinto the heart of 'panto conceive, for theheart ofmanmuff enter into it; where all (hall be filledwith absendancs ofpeace, fò theProphet: they (hall not only rate andJee bowRood the Lordis, butthey !half be filled with abundance, and they [hall drink out of the River running over with infinite and tranfcendent pleafures; where there gold [hall hepeace, and their haver fhallbe peace, and their land (hall bepeace, and their life (hall be peace, and their joy (hallbepeace,and their God fhaUbe peace,andthe Godofpeace,he(hall fill them with thepeace of Clod ; and thatpeace is it whichpafetb, which is infinitely beyondall un derftanding. Gloriousehingsarefpoken ofthee, thouCityofGad; where the King is verity, and the Law is charity; andthe State isfelicity, anti theLife is eternity. The comparingofthere two things together, of-this fifes mifery, and that lifer felicity andeternity, would snake a man fing adto filth too. It wouldmake him ling;I fingingis inthe Temple,and fighing is in the Tabernacle; tinging inthe Tens.. pie, Bleffedare they that dwell in thyhoule, they (hall be atwayet grayling thee ; here pf;f. g.4. is Pinging ; but frghings is in the Tabernacle, forwhilewe are in this Tabernacle, therefore fig, we, defring to bediffolvedant to be eleatbedupon with ortr boufe which isfrom Heaven: for while we arehere we cannot he happy, forthis 1(e is mifery. Thisbe fpoken for ourfelves. The record applicationof this plea is for others é feeing this lifeis fuch a life of 7Jfe z; inifery, and that life isfuch a lifeofgloryand immortality ; ourprefent hap fo bafe, ourfuture ¡tope foecefient: this lhould flay us and take us offfrommourning for fuch as are departed, as if wewere without hopeofthem; Hope is in the Text the principal thine, and to lament and mourn for thofe that are departed, we (hould be fo far from ir, as to rejoyce in our fpirits for the Welted tranffationof fuch into eternal reft from this wail ofmifery, I fayWe(h'ouldrejoyce in their very tranfiation. LIP z What
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=