TheRipe lllmond gathered. ted; and fo it fell out accordingly, that that day twelvemonth (after he had this) Dream) this Saint of God cloth-1g frrff his own eyes, loft his head on earth, but re-i ceived a glorious crown ofmartyrdome in heaven. The fecund thing Iobfcrved in the manner was,that theft words were uttered by way ofpromife to Abraham, whence Calvin rightly inferreth, that Abrahams long life,was a favour of God untohim,not the purçhafe ofhis ownn}erits,much lefs the fruit ofhis own care, foralthough fpeaking,in ordine adfectrndm+ comfits, a manmay be faid by the obfervation ofphyfick rules,to prolonghis dayes upon earth,as Galen did, who was otherwife a man ofavery crazy body,and couldnot in all likelihood have held out halffo long : yet ifwe fpeak [imply and abfolmtely it is certain, that as no man can by his care add a cubit to his ftature,noran hour to his life,beyond the period fet by God before all time ; for my times are in thy hands, faith David, and Pfal. ji. ,3, our dayes aredetermined, faith fob, the number ofour monthsos.with thee; thou haft appointed man bis bounds, which he cannot 'mfr. Job a4. g. and 7. i. Is therenot an appointed time toman, arenot his dayes as the dayesofa hireling? TheoA'/mond-tree groweth not upon the head of any, without .dew from heaven ; here it grew and bloomed in a feafonable time. If lifebe a blefling, long life is a greaterbleffirtg ; cfpecially if it be crowned with a happy death ; for the lath AEt maketh our life a Comedy, or Tragedy ; and as the evening proves the day, fo a mans efface at his death, and after, over-rules theverdi/Iofhis life, 4-89 Dicig; beatas, Ante obittemnemofupremaq;fanera debet. and fo I fall into the road ofmyText,andbegin to treat of the peaceable endofthofe who die inthe faith, and lie in the bofomeof Abraham. Go to thyfathers inpeace. There is a great difference about the interpretation of this phrafe, Ibisadpatres, andthe reafon ofthe difference is, the difficulty which infueth upon every interlfre- cation : For if we refer thefewords to the bodyofAbraham, and theburial thereof to the Sepulchres ofhis Fathers; this Expofition compliethnot with the truth of the Flory ; for none but Sarah lay in this cave, Abrahams Fathers were elfe-where bellowed. If we refer them to thefoul ofAbraham, and illuffrate themwith this glofs, Thom fhaltgoon in thyfoul, to theglorious croup of thy.nceflors ; a queftion then will grow,what that place is whither his Fathers went beforehim,is itHeaven? but Tome of abrabams Fathers were Idolatours, and wehave no warrant to places- rertnt. de to- ny Idolatour there. Is it Hell? thither no man goes in peace, neither did everyet' I rnbi, in an anyJew, or Chriffian fo rub his forehead, or rather arm it with 17,0 ,4 as to affirm dida expe5anc, that the foul of Abraham in whomall generations of the earthwere bleffed, was in ni candidat Hell: (hall we then fendhim to theRabbins Limbsu, or the Popish purgatory, or emb,rnreuexpe. the ancient Fathers, occulta receptacula, hidden receptacles, or unknownplaces; flabam ri ffra- I wherein 1'eren /lianconceiveth, that the fouls of the faithful departed, referablethofe gia. Butharid. among the Romans, whofloodfor offices, andtheday of the eleftion, while the voyces ad taarant. were incalculation, expeftedin awhitegown, whetber.theywere chofen or not. Saint omne ttmput eoiffin, alto is very exprefs for theft hidden Cells; from thedeath ofa man till the °ad tnt`r ho- mnet orum, !aft AsfurreElion, the fouls arebeftowed in hidden receptacles, as every find is worthy d nhima rt- fnrre£lionis in- either ref? or pain. To difpel this miff which bath caufed many to mils their way, frrfl by the lightofthe Scripture,I will clear the Point in queflion,and then interpret the phrafe. recepratuta Firft then for the foulsofthe faithfplsflight after the is free from this clogof flefh; tontin,ue, f ou, I anfwer, that it is ftraightto Heaven, to theaffmbly of the firft born there, and tbel gutq; alma eft .lßirits ofjuft menmade perfebi : for ofEnoch who was tranflated, that he might walk set regnia, vol with God, and of Dim, who was carried upinto Heaven in a fieryChariot;; there °rains, pro ea %salts Loft is little doubt can be made; and lefs of ¡lbrahæm, to whole bofome in HeavenLaca- ;n tarns dam ruswas carried: and leaft of all on theThief,towhomChrifcpromifedon the Crofs, v;sores, Rrr z this terpof,tum eft animas ábdita
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