A Divine Antidote against the Plague: OR Mourning Tears, IN Solioquys and Prayers. AS, 1. For this general Visitation. 2. For those whose Houses are Shut up of the Plague. 3. For those who have Rise or Swell. 4. For those Marked with the Tokens. Necessary for all Families as well in the Country as in the City, in this Time of Pestilence. By John Featley, Chaplain to His late Majesty. London, Printed by Thomas Mabb and are to be sold by Margaret Shears at the Blew-Bible in Bedford-street, 1665. The Table. Tears of mourning, fitted for this General Pestilence. The soliloquy, consisting of fix several parts, and treating of, 1 Mourning by Example, in a public Calamity. Page 1. 2 Several causes of God's Visitations. p. 18. 3 Sin especially the cause of the Pestilence. p. 33. 4 Several Examples of dreadful Pestilences. p. 42. 5 God's threatening before his Visitation. p. 51. 6 The duty of a Christian, decreeing both to whom, and for whom we aught to pray in the time of Pelence. p. 60. The Prayer. p. 72. Tears of those whose Ho●ses are shut up of the Plague. p. 81. The Prayer p. 94. Tears for them who are visited with the Pestilence, being 1. either wounded with a Swelling or Sore. 101. Or, 2. Marked with Tokens. p. 111 The Prayer. p. 123. Tears of mourning, fitted for this General Pestilence. The soliloquy, consisting of six several parts, and treating of, 1 Mourning by Example, in a public Calamity. 2 Several causes of God's Visitations. 3 Sin especially the cause of the Pestilence. 4 Several Examples of dreadful Pestilences. 5 God's threatening before his Visitation. 6 The duty of a Christian, decreeing both to whom, and for whom we aught to pray in the time of Pelence. The Ejaculation. Psal. 5. v. 1, 2. Give ear to my words, O Lord; consider my Meditation. Harken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God; for unto thee will I Pray. THe heart of the Wise is in the house of mourning: Ecles. ●. ●. (saith Solomon) but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth. Is the heart than, sometimes in a Pilgrimage from the body? Or is the body required to visit the sick, yea, though the Disease be Infectious? Or are we always, by command, to intimate the Prophet, Psal. 42.3. whose Tears were his Meat day and night? The heart indeed is often from home; and is lest where it liveth, most where it loveth. The Sick must be visited, or else my Saviour will complain as he doth in the Gospel, saying, I was sick, Mat. 25.43. Job 2.11. and ye visited me not. When Job 's three friends heard of the evil that was come upon him, they came every one from his own place; for they had made an appointment together to come to mourn with him, and to comfort him. Vers. 13. So they sat down with him upon the ground, and mourned seven days and seven nights. When Elisha was fallen sick of his sickness wherewith he died, 2 Kin 13.14. Joash the King of Israel came down unto him, and wept over his face, and said, O my Father, my Father, the Chariot of Isra●, and the Horsemen thereof. When wicked King Jo●am went to be Irealed in Jezreel of the wounds which the Syrians had given him at R●mah, ch. 8. ●. Ahaziah the Son of Hehoram King of Judah went down to see him in Jezreel, because he was sick. Thus do I read of a Holy Patient visited by friendly Mourners: a Holy Prophet visited by a weeping King: a Wicked King visited by another as wicked as himself. All these were visiters, or visited: But I do not found that the Diseases were Infectious. Not: I must therefore imitate the best of them in my charity to others: but I may not forget charity to myself. Wilfully to run into apparent danger, is desperately to tempt the Keeper of Israel. What shall I than do? The passing-bells inform mine ears of the mortality of my Neighbours; and yet I cannot, I must not visit them. What (I say) shall I do? What course shall I take? Charity commandeth me, compassion hastenth me to the dying Christians, that by my advice, or at lest by my prayers I might express my commiseration. And yet, when I am just at my door provided, resolved, intended to go, even than mine own health, the health of my Family, and (which is greater than all these) the fear of displeasing my Gracious Protector brings me back again, and keeps me at home. I would not be uncharitable; but I must not be desperate. Well than: I am resolved what I will do. I will (with Solomon) go to the houses of mourning, the houses of the Visited; yet not in body, but in mind, and in purse; I will pity them, and I will sand relief unto them. I dare not go in Person, but I will go in Affection; and for my Neighbours groaning under the evil of punishment, and for myself burdened with the evil of sin; I will feed upon my tears day and night. I must grieve for myself in particular; and yet I must not be so unkindly Covetous, as to keep my tears only for myself. In public Calamities those who shed no tears may be justly suspected to have not bowelly. I found myself not un-apt to weep; for I am prompted to that by the weakness of my disposition. And yet I suspect myself; I am jealous of myself, that my tears do rather flow from my fear of Infection, than from a fellow-feeling of the miseries which the infected suffer. To heighten therefore my mourning, and to justify it by my compassion, I will propose to myself the Examples of others such as I find Recorded in the word of my God. When the Destruction of the Jews was near at hand, the Lord called upon them by the mouth of his Prophet, saying, Consider ye, Jer. 9.17. and call for the mourning women that they may come; and sand for cunning women that they may come: Verse 18 And let them make haste, and take up a wailing for us, that our eyes may run down with tears, and our eyelids gush out with waters: Verse 19 for a voice of wailing is heard out of Zion, How are we spoilt, etc. Verse 20 The Women were commanded to hear the Word of the Lord; and their ears to receive the word of his mouth: they were to teach their daughters wailing; and every one her Neighbour Lamentation: Verse 21 For death was come up into their windows, and entered into their Palaces; to cut of the Children from without, and the young men from their streets. Verse 22 Even the carcassesof men did fall as dung upon the field, and as the handful after the harvestman; and none did gather them. The case is now with us, as it was than with the Jews. Alas, how are we spoilt too! How is death come up into our windows by the Infectious Air! How do our Children dye, and our Young Men fall! Our Children which know not the cause; and our Young Men that trusted in the strength of their Youth! O how do the Carcases of men fall as dung upon the open field, and as the handful after the Harvest man; and yet there are none to gather them up! They perish without, because either there is not room enough left within doors for them; or not people alive to attend them in their sickness; or not people of strength enough to unlock the doors or not means for their sustenance if they enter in. Thus necessity driveth them into the fields; and there mortality seizeth upon them, where no person is found to bury their bodies; no bearers to carry them to the surfeited Earth; no friends to bewail the loss of their lives; and no Christians to cover them from their gazing spectators; the very Fowls of the Air, and the Beasts of the field. What heart would not break; what eye would not weep; what soul would not lament for this sad Visitation? Lam. 1.16. For these things (with Jeremiah) will I weep: mine eye, mine eye shall run down with water; because the comforter which should relieve our souls, is far from us. The Lord hath thrown down Jerusalem (saith the Prophet) and hath not pitied; Lam. 2.17. and he hath caused their Enemy to rejoice over them; he hath set up the born of their Adversary. Verse 18 Their heart cried unto the Lord, O wall of the Daughter of Zion, let tears run down like a River day and night: give thyself no rest; Verse 19 let not the apples of thine eyes cease. Arise, cry out in the night: in the beginning of the Watches pour out thine heart like water before the face of the Lord: lift up thy hands towards him, for the life of thy young Children that faint in the top of every street. Verse 1 Even thus hath the Lord covered us also with a cloud in his anger, as than he did the Daughter of Zion; and cast down from Heaven unto the Earth the beauty of our Israel; and remembered not his footstool in the day of his anger. An Enemy destroyeth, and rejoiceth over us: but such an Enemy it is, as neither can hear, nor will spare. The very Air which was created to cool the flames of our scorching hearts, is so poisoned with the Infection, that the more we make of it, the lesle we ourselves are made by it: the closer we seat it even to and in our hearts, the nearer doth the Infection approach our spirits. The corrupted Air shall be therefore cleansed by the thick groans that shall fly from my heavy heart; and be purified with the thunder of my loudest cries. With Moab in the Prophecy, Isa. 15.2. I will howl over N●bo, Verse 3 and over Medeba, in the streets let every one gird himself with sackcloth: on all their heads let there be baldness: on the tops of our houses, and in our streets let every one howl, Jer. 48.4. weeping abundantly; for we are destroyed; for our little ones have caused a cry to be heard. O our sucklings that cry for milk from the breast, suck in destruction when they expect their nourishment. For these things (with Jerusalem) I will weep sore in the night (in this night of a General Affliction: Lam. 1.2. ) my tears shall be on my cheeks, because among all our Lovers there is none to comfort us. At the final desolation of the house of Israel, Eze. 7.16. the Prophet told them that, They that fled away of them should escape, and should be on the Mountains like Doves of the Valleys, all of them mourning, every one for his Iniquity: Verse 17 All hands should be feeble, Verse 18 and all knees should be weak as water: They should also gird themselves with sackcloth, and horror should cover them; and shame should be upon all their faces, and baldness upon their heads. Lord what a time of mourning should here be! What a time of horror! Destruction is threatened; and whom Destruction miss, mourning should overtake; feebleness should follow, weakness should pursue, and horror should cover. O, that very time is come now upon us: that Prophecy is fulfilled in our Israel. Here is no sword to slay us; no Fiery Engines of a hellish invention to murder us; no men to take us Captives: but here is worse, far worse; Psal. 91.6. here is the Pestilence that walketh in darkness, and the destruction that wasteth at noonday. Here are houses not inhabited; Streets not trampled; Churches not frequented, Sick not visited, Hungry not fed, Doors not opened, Bells not ceased, and Graves not satisfied. Isa. 24.10 Pro. 30.15 Every house is shut up, that no man may come in. The Horseleech hath here her two Daughters crying give, give. Here are three things not satisfied; yea, four things that say not, It is enough. The Hungry cry give, and the Thirsty cry give, and the Sick cry give, and the Grave cryeth give. The Hungry pine, and therefore cry; the Thirsty scorch, and therefore cry; the Sick want help, and therefore cry; but, O, the Grave is daily fed, and yet it is daily hungry. The mouth thereof is opened, and it devoureth men; and yet for all that, it still cryeth for our return to the dust as we were. Eccl. 12.7 The Mountains the great persons escape not: the habitations of men are like the Wildernesses for Beasts, because the Inhabitants are burnt up with the fiery Pestilence. Therefore (with the Prophet) For the Mountains will I take up a weeping, Jer 9.10. and wailing; and for the Habitations of the Wilderness a Lamentation; because they are burnt up that none can pass thorough them; neither can men hear the voice of the . The House of Israel was commanded to seek the Lord; Amos 5.4. but they on the contrary are said to have sought Bethel, Verse 15 and to have entered into Gilgal, and to have passed to Beersheba: Verse 16 Therefore the Lord, the Lord of Hosts, the Lord said thus: Wailing shall be in all streets, and they shall say in all high ways, Alas, Alas: and they shall call the husbandman to mourning, and such as are skilful of Lamentation to wailing; Verse 17 and in all Vine-yards shall be wailing, for I will pass thorough thee, saith the Lord. Here is again a cloud of sorrows; a thick mist of groans, Verse 18 for the day of the Lord is darkness, and not light. This cloud overcasteth us too; this mist choketh us; this darkness blindeth us. Here is wailing in our streets, to dim our eyes; here is the Husbandman mourning to stifle us with sorrow; and here is the mourning of the Vine-yards, to cloud our souls. Our hearts, Psal. 104.15. which should have been gladded with the fruit of the Vine, are squeezed and pressed like the bunches of Grapes. Our Bellies, which should have been filled with the Fruits of the Earth, do cry in their emptiness, and wail with the Husbandman. One woe courteth another: one curse saluteth another. Our Sickness is great, and yet our Famine too is great; not that the Earth hath forgotten to be fertile, but by reason that men are afraid to furnish us. Pestilence consumeth, and Hunger cryeth: thus the Visited die they know not of what; for Sickness calleth, and Hunger calleth, and Want calleth, and Sorrow calleth: all of them join in their hideous concord, in their horrid discord, and call for our Ruin, and yell for our Destruction. That heart which bleedeth not for such unutterable sorrow, must needs be stone, or steel: nay worse; for stones will weep, to complain with the clouds: and steel will droop in a time of storms. Heart, if thou are a woman's, break; if thou art a Christians, lament; if thou art mine, bemoan the afflictions which devil among my friends, Joel 2.6. and the blackness which the faces of my Neighbours have gathered. Ps. 35.13. I will (with David) put on sackcloth now, though for my very Enemies which are Sick; and humble my soul with Fasting: and I will go heavily, Verse 14 as one that mourneth for his Mother. With the Prophet Isaiah, Isa. 16.9. I will bewail with the weeping of Jazer the Vine of Shibmah: I will water thee with my toares, O Heshbon, and Elealeh. Or with Jeremiah, Jer. 14.17 Let mine eyes run down with tears night and day, and let them not cease; for the Virgin-Daughter of this People is broken with a great breach, with a very grievous blow. The Prophet Ezekiel telleth the Israelites, Eze. 7.12. that The time is come; the d●y draweth near: let not the buyer rejoice, nor the seller mourn; for wrath is come upon all the Multitude thereof. The King shall mourn, Verse 27 and the Prince shall be clothed with desolation; and the hands of the people of the Land shall be troubled. O Israel, how great were thy pangs, when thus thou wert Visited! O how deep are our groans too in this day of our Visitation! The Israelites are dead; their Torments are forgotten: but we live; we live dying; we live to suffer; we live to dye. To dye, said I? O that Death were sweet indeed, if it would come with a wish; if it would hasten its approach: it were sweeter than the honey, Psa. 19.10 and the honey comb. What was formerly our dread, is now our desire. What we posted from, we would now hasten unto, could but Death yet grow so pitiful, so merciful as to hear our desires. But we cannot either dye when we would, or how we would. We may not choose either the time, on the manner of our death. See, See, how it stare's us in the face; and looks upon us in every Passenger that crawleth by our doors; in every Cousin that is carried by our windows. Dye we must; but of what Diseas●? By what means? If of Ago, 'tis welcome: if of a Consumption, 'tis kind. But what if of the Plague? What if of the Pestilence? Woe unus, there is our fear; thence is our trembling. If that arrow be short at us, we shall have no Preacher to pray by us, or to administer ghostly consolation unto us: no Friend to Visit us; yea, and it may be, neither Physic to help us, nor Meat to strengthen us, not nor Servant to attend us. We may call, but none will dare approach to answer us: we may weep, but none will dare come to comfort us. This, this day is come upon us. The Buyer rejoiceth not, fearing lest with his bargain he purchase a Disease. The Seller mourneth not, hoping that though he lose by his bargain, yet his money will furnish him with things for necessity. Thus the wrath of God is come upon us: we are clothed with desolation. This I feel; and and yet I feel it not: I hear of it; but it cometh not yet upon me: it walketh by my doors; it beckneth to me in the streets; it knocketh at my habitation; and yet, for all this, (blessed be my God) it is not yet entered. But who knoweth how soon that affrighting Disease may force open my door; or creep in at my window; or peep in at a keyhole; or slink in at a crevise? The Disease is general; but my sorrows shall be therefore as general. All others shall not weep, and myself alone rejoice. The meat offering, Joel 1.9. and the drink offering (the participation of the Holy Communion) through fear is cut of from the House of the Lord: the Priests, Hos. 4.3. the Lord's Minister. do mourn. The Land mourneth, and every one that dwelleth therein languisheth; with the Beasts of the Field, and with the Fowls of the Heavens. Ezr. 10.6. Therefore (with Ezra) I will go into the Chamber; and when I am come thither, I will eat no bread, nor drink water; for I will mourn, because of the transgressions of us all. Or (with Nehemiah) I will sit down and weep, Neh. 1.4. and mourn certain days; and fast, and pray before the God of Heaven. The Lord God of hosts did threaten to touch the Land of israel, Amos 9.5. and it should melt, and all that dwelled therein should mourn; and it should rise up wholly like a flood, and be drowned as by the flood of Egypt. Thus hath he threatened us also; and hath he not brought it to pass? See, See how the Land melteth; Psal. 97.5 yea melteth like wax at the presence of th● Lord; at the presence of the God o● the whole Earth. Needs must the Land, (the hearts of the inhabitants of the Land) melt at his presence seeing, the Apostle styleth him a consuming fire. Heb. 12.29. O how all do mourn that devil in the Land! The Parents lament the sickness of the Child; the the Wife of the Husband; the Servant of the Mistress all mourn, all lament. It may now be truly said that the whole Land is drowned: for, what eye is not dimmed with tears? What house is not filled with tears? What street is not washed with tears? if the saltness of water will 'cause a barrenness of the Earth, what fruit can possible our Land produce, which is thus moistened, thus watered with the brine of our tears? And yet, me thinks, the Earth appeareth as greedy as ever; for it speedily devoureth whatsoever is sprinkled on it by the sorrows of the inhabitants. The insected cry, and the languishing cry: and shall not my tears much rather trickle down my cheeks, although my door is nor yet converted into pasture; nor my walks overgrown with the springing grass? O yes, much, much rather: yea, and with ●he more courage will I weep, by how much the more I retain my wrength to weep. I hear, Jer. 4.31. me thinks be Voices of the Visited, as of a wo●an in travel; and their anguish as 〈◊〉 her that bringeth forth her first ●hild, bewailing themselves, and breading their hands, and each of ●hem saying, Woe is me now, for my ●ul is wearied because of this murdering Sickness. Isa. 22.5. Therefore william I ●ake up the resolution of the Prophet isaiah; and whosoever shall come to ●ivert my tears; to them I will say, Look away from me; I will weep bitterly; labour not to comfort me. Or (with Jeremiah) my soul shall weep ●n secret places, for their pains; Jer. 13.17 and ●ine eye shall weep sore, and run down with tears; because the Lord's flock is thus destroyed. The second part of the S●liloquie, treating of several cause of God's Visitations. I Mourn, and I mourn and all o● of a sense of the general sufferance; I mourn and I mourn by pre●dent: But do I found the cause of o● Distresses? The ground of our Sicknesses? Pestilence is not the on● arrow that is shot from the Almighty, when his revenge is stirred u● and yet every punishment is term a Stroke, a Stripe, a Plague. Wh● the Lord intended the spoil of t● Egyptians by the Children of Isra●● that which in others would ha● been deemed theft, or at the lest cozenage, was in the Israelites b● Justice, and done in Obediencer him who is Lord of all, Ex. 12.36. when th● spoiled the Egyptians of their Jewels, Verse 37 which yet they but borrowe●▪ And yet this to the lender's is termed a Plague; for the Lord said un●● Moses, Ch. 11.1. Yet will I bring one Plagu● more upon Pharaoh, and upon Aegyp● afterwards he will let you go hence▪ When the firstborn of Egypt wer● decreed to be slain for the stubbornness of the King, the Execution o● at decree was styled a Plague: for ●od told the Israelites by his Servant ●oses, saying; Ch. 12.13 The blood shall be to 〈◊〉 for a token upon the houses where are; and when I see the blood, I ●ll pass over you; and the Plague ●all not be upon you to destroy you, ●●en I smite the Land of Egypt. ●hen the Children of Israel had ●●ged after the fleshpots of Egypt, ●●d cried, and murmured against Moses and Aaron, saying, Ch. 16.3. Would to ●od we had died by the hand of the ●ord in the Land of Egypt, when we ●●te by the fleshpots, and when we did ●t bread to the full; for ye have wrought us forth into this Wilderness to ●ill this whole assembly with hunger: ●hen (I found) the Lord was entreated for flesh; but that flesh proved ●he Destruction of the People, and ●hat Destruction is called a Plague. For, Num. 11.33. while the Quails were yet between their teeth (saith the Text) ●re the flesh was chewed, the wrath ●f the Lord was kindled against the people; and the Lord smote the people with a very great Plague. Consumption is also said to be a Plague; for so saith the Prophet. Zech. 14.12. This shall be the Plague wherewith the Lord will smite all the People that have fought against Jerusalem: Their flesh 〈◊〉 consume away while they stand 〈◊〉 their feet; and their eyes shall 〈◊〉 sum away in their holes; and 〈◊〉 tongue shall consume away in 〈◊〉 mouth. Thus every Judgement truly a Plague; and from Go● cometh; and upon men, weak 〈◊〉 mortal men and women it come but it is for their sins; it is for t● Transgressions. Every one gro●● under the Affliction, but few for Cause. We are angry with the R●● and we are angry with the Correct and yet we quarrel not with 〈◊〉 selves for meriting such, yea mo●● yea greater, yea more tormenti●● more continuing Punishments. 〈◊〉 will therefore look into the sacr●● page yet once again: I will look i● to the roll of that Book, and (wi●● Ezekiel) I will spread it before no and found written therein the Lametations, Ezek 2.9. Verse 10 and Mournings and Woes. 〈◊〉 will found the Punishments, and I w●● found out the Offences too. I wi●● mourn with them, with us, with ev●ry one that is visited: and with the● and for ourselves I will pry into th● causes of our maladies, seeing I kno● that God will not be angry without a cause. Psal. 89.30. We do first forsake his Laws and walk not in His Judgements; Verse 31 we ●●st profane His Statutes, and break ●s Commandments; Verse 32 before He Visi●h our Transgression with the Rod, ●●d our Iniquity with Stripes. Wherhfore did the Prophet Jere●ah cry out, and say, Jer. 23.9. Mine heart within me is broken; all my bones ●ake: I am like a drunken man, and ●●ke a man whom Wine hath overcome, cause of the Lord, because of the ●ord of his Holiness? Here I find ●●e Prophet in a strange and fervent ●assion, in a trembling Ecstasy: yet ●ot too great if I consider the cause, I weigh the verse that immediately ensueth: Verse. 10 For the Land (saith he) is ●●ll of Adulterers: for because of wearing (or cursing) the Land ●ourneth; the pleasant places of the wilderness are dried up; and their nurse is evil, and their force is not ●●ght. Was Jerusalem thus Visited or Swearing and Cursing? Was Sa●aria thus burnt up with drought or Adultery? Lord what than hath ●ot This Land deserved? An Oath in very tongue causeth a Cross upon every Door. Uncleanness in every Person causeth the sowlest sores in every Patient. The Sins are Universal, the Panishment must needs therefore be as Universal. The Pulment is become general; O our sorrow would grow as gen● This disease may be cured by 〈◊〉 For my part therefore I will b● first that shall step into Bethesd● I have laid the longest in my 〈◊〉 Jo. 5.2. long have I also waited for th● vation of my God. I will im● the Prophet Jeremiah, and cr● with him, and as truly as he, 〈◊〉 heart is broken. Why did the Prophet Mic●● solve to wail, Mich 1.8. and to howl; stripped, and naked; to make a w● like the Dragons, and mourning 〈◊〉 Owls? Verse 3 Was it not because the was coming forth out of his placing down to tread upon the high p● of the Earth? Verse 4 Was it not because Mountains should be melted 〈◊〉 him, and the Valleys be cleft, as before the fire, and as the waters are poured down a steep place? 〈◊〉 was Destruction for Samaria, Ruin for Jerusalem; Verse 5 but all was for the Transgression of Ja● and for the sins of the House of Isr● The Graven Images were the si● the People: Idolatry incensed Wrath of the Almighty. 〈◊〉 might he punish, when the wor● ●ens hands rob him of his ho●our, whose work-man-ship we are. ●ell might he resolve to be known ●e Mighty God in his Revenge, ●hom they would not acknowledge 〈◊〉 be God when he forbore them. ●ut is it not just so with us as it was ●ith them; Verse 5 Is not Samaria the sin of ●ur Jacob? Are not the high places 〈◊〉 Judah our Jerusalem? Here is ●rath, and Wrath, and Plague, and Plague; but is not Idolatry still in ●ur Gates? The God of the Patriarch saith unto us, as Jacob did un●● his , Gen. 35.2 and to all that were with him, Put away the strange God's ●hat are among you. If therefore we ●ave still a noise of the Beads; of ●he Chapters pretended to be consetrated at Rome: if we have Pictures Worshipped; Crucifixes Adored; Prayers not understood; and other footsteps of the Heathen remaining amongst us; I cannot choose but remember what our incensed Creator saith by his Prophet concerning the sins of the Jews; Jer. 9.9. Shall I not Visit them for these things, saith the Lord? Shall not my soul be avenged o● such a Nation as this? Lord where thou art not truly Worshipped, thou wilt be dreadfully Feared. Though this sin be not General, thought Universal amongst us; is it no● be found in Private? Doth it 〈◊〉 lurk in private Closets? Is it 〈◊〉 harboured in some secret hearts? hateth the light because it is not truth: but yet our sins may multip in the dark, until they have brou● us to the Land of Darkness. O 〈◊〉 (with Jacob) we would all arise, Gen. 35.3 go up to Bethel, and make there Altar unto our God; than we kn●● he would answer us in our distr● This is our Plague, this is our Puniment which now doth rage amon● us: and is not that our sin? Is 〈◊〉 that our iniquity? What remain but that (so far as lieth in me) should strive to appease the wrath my God? I will therefore endeavour to blunt his arrow, that it may sti● not more when he shooteth it at 〈◊〉 I will pray unto him to remove once both the Sin, and the Punishment. I will do as did Micah: will wail, and howl: I will way like the Dragons, and mourn like 〈◊〉 Owls. When Ezra had Confessed the sin the People, Ezr. 10.1 weeping, and casling himself down before the House of Go● there assembled unto him out of Isra a very great Congregation of Men, and Women, and Children; and the People wept very sore. What ailed the Priest to cast himself down; and the People so sorely to weep? Were they not come out of Captivity? Were they not busied in re-edifying the House of the Lord? Were not their Offerings, and their Sacrifices made unto the God of Israel? What now should deject them? What should dismay them? The Lord questioneth Cain the Murderer, the Fratricide, saying, Gen. 4.6 Why is thy countenance fallen? If thou dost well, shalt thou not be accepted? And if thou dost not well, Verse 7 sin lieth at the door. Thus might Judah and Benjamin be likewise examined. They had a sin that lay at the door: yea nearer, closer to them if possible might be; even in their beds, in their bosoms. Ezra 9.1. They had not separated themselves from the People of the Lands, and from doing according to their abominations: but they had taken of their Daughters for themselves, Verse 2 and for their Sons: yea the hand of the Princes, and Rulers had been Chief in this Trespass. Yet for all this, their Punishment was not hither to come upon them to the full. They had yet but a sprinkling of it only some drops: or at most but a gust, a small storm, a shower or tw● of rain. When the Lord was angry the clouds frowned; they knit thei● brows; and it were in the abundance of their compassion, cha. 10.9. they dissolved into tears for the sins of th● People. But more vengeance w● expected; therefore the Childre● of the Captivity turned away the Wives, Verse 14 That the fierce wrath of G● for this matter might be turned fre● them. If such a sin as this he th● cause of this our dreadful Visitati● we aught also (with them) to fit the street of the house of God, Verse 9 trembling, because of this matter. Wh●ther this, or whatsoever else is th● cause of this Contagion, the sin this Land; Cham 9.4. for my part I will 〈◊〉 solve (with the same Ezra) to 〈◊〉 astonished at the sins of the Lan● and (with the people) I will tre●ble at the words of the God of Israe● because of the Transgressions of 〈◊〉 People of this Land. I will not rise from my heaviness; Verse 5 But I w●● rend my Garment, Joel 2.13 or rather my Hea● and not my Garment, and turn un● the Lord my God: for he is Gracio● and Merciful; slow to Anger, and great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil. I will fall uponmy knees, Ezra 9.5. and spread out my hands unto the Lord my God. Zion was threatened that her Gates should lament, and mourn; Isa. 3.26. and that she being desolate, should sit on the ground. Here was the Punishment; a grievous Punishment: Desolation by War; Destruction by the Sword. Her Men should fall by the sword, Verse 25 and her Mighty Men in the War. But what was the cause? What stirred up the Almighty to shower down his vengeance? Alas, it is too easily found. The Pride of the Woman was the Destruction of the Men. Verse 16 It was because the Daughters of Zion were haughty, and walked with stretchedout necks, and wanton eyes; walking, and mincing as they went, and making a tinkling with their feet. We are punished; we are afflicted; not by the Sword, but (which is more dreadful) by the Pestilence. Our sufferances are not in the same manner indeed as were theirs; and yet we deserve both the manner, and the measure. Our Sins are alike; our Punishments must therefore be expected alike; alike in the greatness, though they are not in the kind. They seem (me thinks) already t● agreed in part; for, besides our sicknesses, Mat. 24.6. we hear of Wars, and rumour of Wars. Yea, they come yet nearer alike; for they were threatener that the Lord should smite them wi●● a scab on the crown of the head of th● Daughters of Zion: Isa. 3.17 and this ver● Judgement appeareth among us i● every blane, in every botch, in ever carbuncle. Surely our sins are great, or greater than theirs. T● pride of our Sex in their Dresses, 〈◊〉 their Laces, in their Jewels, 〈◊〉 their Fashions, in their Gaites, 〈◊〉 their Behaviours, in their Attendant in every thing is greater than Zion The Effects of Pride, their Lascivious Embrace, their Amoro● Conrting are commoner, are fre● quenter than Zion's. Lord is it n● just with thee than, Verse. 18 to take aw● from us (as thou didst from Zion the bravery of our tinkling Ornaments and our Tires, Verse. 19 and our Chains, an our Bracelets, Verse. 21 and our Rings, and o● changeable Suits of Apparel, Verse. 22 and o● Mantles, and our Glasses, and o● fine Linen, Verse. 23 and our Hoods, and o● Veils? Verse. 24 We may most justly in deed expect a stink, instead of a swee● smell; and instead of a girdle a re●● and instead of a well-set hair, bladness; and instead of a stomacher, a girdle of sackcloth; and burning, instead of beauty. For us the Land mourneth; for our Pride the People are humbled; for our Sins the Pestilence Reigneth. Lord make us all with Zion, Lament and Mourn: make us sit on the ground, acknowledging Thy Justice, and Our Sinfulness. Eze. 35.15. God hath come down to the Grave among us, as he did at the Destruction of Assyria for the Pride thereof; and caused Lybanon to mourn for us; and the Trees of the field to faint for us: therefore with Zion, I will lament, I will mourn, I will sit on the ground. A Voice was once heard from the high places of Israel, Jer. 3.21 weeping and supplications of the People; because they had perverted their way, they had forgotten the Lord their God. Here was sorrow at the heart for the sin of the soul; and yet no Destruction of the body threatened for Disobedience. Had they continued in this their repentance, they might have prevented the ensuing Judgements: but intermission of sorrow proved to be the ground of their sorrow. Hence came their Land to be cursed with Barrenness, and the Proph●● to cry out, Cham 12 4 How long shall the L●● mourn, and the Herbs of every 〈◊〉 whither, for the wickedness of them th●● devil therein? Here Wickedness w●● the Cause, and Barrenness the Effect. But why should the Herbs and Flowers of the field suffer for the sins● the People? Alas, they grew up t●● wards Heaven in their grateful a●● knowledgement, that from the● they received their nourishment 〈◊〉 the Earth. Yea so innocent th●● were, that when they looked abo●● them, and saw (as it were) the wi●● kedness of them for whose servi● they were made, every morning hung pearly-tears upon their droo●ing eyes: and when they saw th●● men had not half so much remo●● as they themselves, they sad●● shrunk to bed again in the Earth. It was a curse to them to be ens●● ved in the service of cursed sins: 〈◊〉 poisonous is transgression; so m● chievous is iniquity. Thus th●● Herbs were cursed for the sins of th●● Jews: but what had the Jews do●● amiss, which we have not exceeded What wickedness had they committed which we have not surpassed Therefore our Herbs and our Flowers, the beauty of our Gardens, and the pride of our Knots is nipped, is withered with the poisonous breath that ariseth from our infected bodies: and yet we fear that what we dispatched the air to kill in our Gardens, will bring poison to us, and slay us in our Houses. Thus we suffer; for thus have we sinned: I will therefore resolve with the Prophet David, Psal. 119.136. That Rivers of Waters shall run down mine eyes, because we have not kept the Law of our God. Shall not the Land tremble for this, and every one mourn that dwelleth therein? Amos 8.8 Saith the Prophet Amos. Tremble! for what? Israel knew well enough; the poor were sensible enough; Verse. 6 even the Poor that were bought for silver, and the needy that were sold for a pair of shoes. Here was Oppression in the streets, Verse. 5 and Crying in the gates; for the Ephah was made small, and the Shekel great; and the balances were falsified by deceit. No marvel that the Psalmist concludeth, Psa. 61.9. Surely men of low degree are vanity, and men of high degree are a lie: to be laid in the balance they are altogether lighter than vanity. It was thus among the Israelites; and thus it is among 〈◊〉 also. Men of low degree are vanity, vanity in the account, and contemp●● of Superiors? Vanity in the cruelty of Superiors. Men of high degree, the Richest Traders, the Merchants of Corn, and the other fruit● of the Earth, are a lie: their measures are false, their weights are false: yea they buy by one, an● they cell by another. They devou● their brethrens, and yet they do it by a show of Justice; for the ballance● they have corrupted, and the weight● they have pared; insomuch as men err most, they are most deceived when they think themselves most righted, best dealt with. This Injustice commandeth us justly to mourn: so the belly cryeth, and the back cryeth. The hungry cry when they buy of the rich, and are cozened by the rich: when they suffer in the cozenage, and suffer likewise in the public, in the general punishment for the cozenage. For this our Land Mourneth, for this our People are Visited, our Houses are shut up, our Streets are not frequented, our Markets are not filled; and yet the hungry lament, and the thirsty do mourn. The poor can neither buy for their money; nor be employed in their willing labours to earn them money; nor live without money. We roar all like Bears, Isa. 59.11 and mourn sore like Doves. We look for judgement, but there is none: for salvation, but it is far from us. Therefore with the Oppressed I will cry, and with the Visited also I will cry. I will cry with the Oppressed for Right; and I will cry with the Visited for health. How long, Lord, how long wilt thou punish us? Ch. 44 22. O remove our sins like a cloud: blot out, as a thick cloud, our transgressions, and as a cloud our sins: return unto us, for thou hast redeemed us. The third part of the soliloquy; showing that Sin especially is the cause of the Pestilence. THe Diseased (ignorant of the kind of their Maladies) 'cause the Physician to consult with their Paulses; to examine their Urine; and by sympromes to found out the Cause of their disturbance. So should the sick Soul also; or else the ignorance of the sin may hinder the cure. General complaints have been mad● by men groaning under the burden of several Visitations: but doth the Pestilence come by the same Rule● and arise from the same causes Surfeits, and Consumptions, an● Fevers, and Palsies, and Pleurisy and other such sicknesses may ha● their Causes in Nature, and the Remedies ofttimes by Physic: bu● neither is the cause of the Pestilent so clear in nature; nor is the cu● thereof so easy by Physic. Or if 〈◊〉 be; yet is this Disease more Infec●ous, more Mortal, and therefore mo●● Dreadful than any of the rest. I● shall therefore be my first care 〈◊〉 found out the cause in my Soul, b●fo● I look upon the effects thereof 〈◊〉 the bodie● of sinful mortals. I wi●● examine our times by those of o● Ancestors; and see whether this general Contagiou doth not rather pro● ceded from the malice of the soul● than from the Air-dyet, or whats●ever else the Physicians conjecture at. The men which Moses had sent 〈◊〉 spic out the Land of Canaan returied, Num. 14.36. and made all the Congregation 〈◊〉 murmur against Moses, by bringing up a slander upon that Land of Promise: and those very men that did bring up that evil report upon the Land, Verse. 37 died of the Plague before the Lord. What? Of the Plague? Of the Pestilence? There were but Ten of those spies, and those Ten only died. We have the Pestilence too; but it contenteth not itself with Ten, and Ten, and Ten, and Ten, but Hundreds dye; Hundreds are Visited; Thousands complain; every one feareth. But was their Disease the same as Ours? Was not theirs an inflammation of their tongues, and worms issuing out of them, as a just recompense, because with their tongues they had lied? Or was it not some other extraordinary Plague from the hand of God? Or was it not that Pestilence which was threatened when the Lord said unto Moses, How long will this People provoke me; Verse. 11 and how long will it be ere they believe me, for all signs which I have showed among them? Verse. 12 I will smite them with the Pestilence, and disinherit them; and will make of thee a greater Nation, and mightier than they? Whatsoever their Disease was, though I cannot determine it; yet will I consider the cause thereof. The cause was a sin, a grieveas sin; a lie: and the effect of this was 〈◊〉 sin, a grievous sin; it was murmuring. O thus have we also added sins unto sins. We also lie; we lie grievously, desperately, impudently. Like unto Job's Friends, Job. 13.4. Psal. 40.4. Psal. 58.3. Psal. 62.4 Ez. 24.12 Hos. 10.13. we are forgers of lies; we turn aside to lies; we go astray so soon as we be born, and speak lies: we delight in lies; and we have wearied ourselves with lies: justly therefore now do we eat the fruit of lies. And yet, not contented with this, we murmur too. Against our Superiors we murmur, for not governing us according to our Licentious, and sinful desires: against the Rich we murmur, because we float not in their plenty: yea even against God himself we murmur, because he granteth not our sinful desires. Thus in every thought, and in every word we either found a sin, or make a sin. For this our lying, for this our murmuring we are now Visited; we are now Stricken; 1 Cor. 10 10. we are (as those spies were) destroyed of the Destroyer. The Rebellious Israelites were threatened by Moses, Deut. 28.61. that Every Sickness, every Plague which was not written in the Book of the Law, them should the Lord bring upon them, until they were destroyed: Verse. 62 And they should be left few in number, whereas they were as the stars of Heaven for Multitude. These were the menaces, these were the threats to the Children of Israel: but among all these Sicknesses, where is that which reigneth among us? Hath God prepared a new punishment for us, such as the Israelites never suffered, nor the Law ever mentioned, nor skill ever cured? Doubtless thus God could afflict us; but he chooseth rather to punish us as he did others, that so we might found out the cause as others have done. He was pleased to tell the Israelites the cause of their Plague which he would sand upon them; Verse. 62: even Because they would not obey the Voice of the Lord their God. Just thus he punisheth us as he punished them; even until we are almost quite destroyed: and he telleth us our sin, our offence too, by his Word, by his Ministers, by our own Consciences, even, that we refuse to obey the Voice of the Lord. Just therefore, most just it is, that seeing we have, we do, we will thus sin; even thus, yea thus severely likewise we should be punished. Yea, we deserve it in a far greater manner; in a far greater measure He who threatened those that would walk contrary unto him, Levit. 26.21. and wo●● not harken unto him, that he wo●● bring seven times more Plagues up●● them, according to their sins: 〈◊〉 who by Moses threatened them, th● If they would not observe to the all 〈◊〉 words of that Law which are writ● in that Book, Deut. 28.58. that they might fear t●● Glorious Name, Verse. 59 The Lord thy Go● Than the Lord should make the●● Plagues wonderful, and the Plagu● of their Seed; even great Plague and of long continuance: and s● Sicknesses, and of long continua●● The selfsame God hath found walking contrary unto him; a● therefore hath brought on us sev●● times more Plagues than former●● He seethe that we fear not this G●rious Name, The Lord our God therefore hath he sent us gr●● Plagues, and of long continuance. Thus I sit, and muse, and consider of the Sickness: I hear the Be● Tolling; even those Bells which we want to invite us to the Temple that we might know our sins at th●● mouth of the Preacher, and pra●● for remission of our sins by the hel● of the Preacher; the very selfsame Bells serve now to tell me that one man lieth languishing, and desireth my Prayers; another man is departed, and wanteth nothing but a Funeral; a third man is to be buried, but a Neighbourly, and Friendly Company is wanting. Every stroke of a Bell (me thinks) hitteth me at the heart, and biddeth me to prepare for my last farewell Every toll awakeneth my conscience; and biddeth me remember what my sins have merited. Thus mine ears receive a sound; and thus my trembling heart feeleth a throb, a beating, a panting for my particular sins which have been some cause of this general Sickness. Moses went unto the Lord, and said, Ex. 32.31. O this People have sianed a great sin, and have mad them Gods of Gold! But what followed? The Lord Plagued the People, Verse. 35 because they worshipped the Calf which Aaron had made. There was the Sin, and there was the Punishment. But was that Plague the same as this which now doth rave, and rage amongst us? Surely our sins are the same as were theirs; for we dig the entrels of our mother Earth, and (like the Augurs, the Soothsayers, though they said no sooth, no truth at all) conjecture, we divine by those 〈◊〉 trails; yea, and we decree h●● who is rich, to be a good man, a 〈◊〉 ficient man, an honest man, and wh●● not? We value the man for 〈◊〉 Gold; we worship him for it; honour him for it. And is not to sin with the Israelites? We very little differ from those Id●ters, even nothing at all. Th●● made them Gods of Gold, and make Gold our God. Justly the fore are we thus punished by 〈◊〉 True God, because we honour 〈◊〉 which is no God. The Israelites 〈◊〉 this very kind, and sort of Plague such a very Pestilence as ou● and for just such a sin as this of ou● Though Moses prayed for them, y● though he desired to be blotted ou● the Book of God, Verse. 32 rather than th● should not be forgiven; yet G●● decreed saying, Verse. 33 Whosoever hath si●ned again 〈◊〉 me, him will I blot out my Book. whosoever hath sinned a 'gainst him? If he should deal 〈◊〉 with us who should people the lan● Who should ●nhabit our dwellings Who should enjoy our Treasures He hath begu●● blotting indeed already: His Ink is found in the blackness of every blane; in the blew●● of every Token; in the redness of ●●ery Crossed Door. But will this sotting always continued? Will he ●●t stay his hand? Will his wrath ●●rn like fire for ever? Our bones 〈◊〉 scattered at the graves mouth, as ●hen one cutteth, and cleaveth wood ●on the Earth. But mine eyes are ●●to thee, O God, the Lord; in thee is 〈◊〉 Trust. Either blot not at all, Psa. 141.7 or ●●ly blot out our Offences. Verse. 8 Hid thy 〈◊〉 from our sins, and blot out all our ●●quities. Say unto every one of 〈◊〉 as thou didst unto Jacob by the ●outh of thy Prophet; I, even I am 〈◊〉 that blotteth out thy Transgressions, Is. 43.25. ●●r mine own Names sake, and will ●●t remember thy sins. The Fourth Part of the 〈◊〉 liloquie, consisting, of several Examples of Dreadful Pestilences. LOrd what a hideous din 〈◊〉 in mine ears! There ●●groan able to have shaken eve● Earth itself, had it been impr●ed in the deepest bowels the What another? Hark! Th● weeping too. O this is the sadwearisome life of us poor si●● who are caged, and miewed up 〈◊〉 Infected Cities, and Towns, and lages. The Diseased groan th●● the extremity of their pains; an● want of comforts both of body, soul. The sound are weeping so● miseries of the sick; and long the deliverance even of their w● Families from the burden of flesh. Some Habitations are m● both Hospital, and Charnelhouse where many a one lieth sick; 〈◊〉 for want of help, they sicken w●● out Hope, they die without Com●● and they consume without Interm● Sometimes again the Mother, 〈◊〉 dandled her Infant in her clasping ●●mes, is enforced in those arms to ●●ry it to the Grave. Sometimes ●●e Husband, who dearly affected be Wise of his bosom, is enforced to ●ake her the burden of his shoulders; and to bear her dead Corpse 〈◊〉 the devouring Earth, for want of ●●riends, and Neighbours to ease ●im of the burden. Yea, sometimes ●he Children are enforced to assist ●heir Father, in the carriage of their Mother to her longest home. O horour, horror, horror! Can pity ●nd no entrance at the hearts of strangers? Can compassion found no ●arbour in the bowels of Neighbours? Will none perform this act ●f piety to keycold woman to the carcase of a woman, but only her Husband, the Husband of her Affection; and her Children, the labour and the fruit of her Womb? O how divers in the world would stand amazed at the sight, and hardly determine whether the drops which fall from the faces of the bearers be the sweat of their brows, or the tears of their eyes. O what a dreadful time is this! Did ever age produce a parallel to this severe Contagion? Was it ever known that a Pestilence was so general, and so malign● Did ever any people drink so of the Cup of Sorrow, Astonish and Desolation as we do? Ez. 23.33 Was Samaria, Verse. 4 or Aholah, or Aholib● Babylon, Jer. 25.20 or Jerusalem; was ev●● King of the Land of the Philistin● Askelon, Verse. 21 Verse. 22 or Uzzah, or Ekro●● Ashdod; Verse. 23 was ever Edom, or 〈◊〉 or Ammon, Hos. 4.18. or Tyrus, or Zidon; ever Dedan, or Tema, or any place so drunk with the Cup 〈◊〉 from the Lords hands, as we Our drink was formerly sour our Whoredoms, with our Abortions: Jer. 8.14. Ch. 23.15 Ch. 25.15 Ez. 39.17 Vers. 18. Vers. 19 Lam. 1.12 Now therefore we have ters of Gall to drink; we are with Wormwood; and our Cu● Cup of fury, of trembling, and of nishment. O the Plague, the P●● it is that eateth our flesh, and d●●eth our blood: It eateth the fle●● the Mighty, and drinketh the blo● Princes; it drinketh even until drunken with our blood. Was t●● ever any sorrow like unto our sore wherewith the Lord doth afflict 〈◊〉 this day of his fierce wrath? But why do I thus cry out? W●● complain I so mournfully, as if Afflictions exceeded all that e● were sent upon the Children. M●n? If I consider our estate by it ●●f, I cannot choose indeed but ●●clude it miserable: but if I weigh 〈◊〉 with the Pestilences of former ●●es, it will not perhaps appear a ●rden so un-supportable. Com●risons may peradventure ease my ●rief, and lessen my Torments: herefore (with David) I will re●mber the days of Old; Ps. 143.5. I will me●ate on all the works of God. It ●●y be that Solomon may advice ●●e, and comfort me too, where he ●us counselleth; Eccls 7.10 Say not in thine ●art, What is the cause that the for●r days were better than these? For ●ou dost not inquire wisely concerning this. Ps. 77.5. I will therefore consider the yes of Old, and the years of ancient ●nes. The Children of Israel murmured 'gainst Moses and Aaron about the estruction of Korah, Dathan, Num. 16.41. Abi●●m, and their Accomplices, saying, ●●e have Killed the People of the Lord: ●●d presently there was wrath gone 〈◊〉 from the Lord, Verse. 46 the Plague was be●●n. Verse. 49 So th●y that died of the Plague ●ere fourth en Thousand and Seven ●undred, and all in a day; beside ●●m that dyed about the matter of ●orah. When Israel abode at Shi●● the People committed 〈◊〉 whoredom the Daughters of Moah: Num. 25.1. and not tented with this high offence, Verse. 3 also joined themselves unto 〈◊〉 Peor, Psal. 106.28. and did eat the Sacri●● the dead. Verse. 29 Thus they provo●● Lord to anger with their invenom and the Plague broke in upon 〈◊〉 and those that died in the Plagu●● Twenty and Four Thousand. Num. 25.9. 〈◊〉 sin was do●ble; it was Whore bo●h Carnal and Spiritual: the● nishm●nt was therefore almost 〈◊〉 to that which was sent for mu●● ring. When David sent for the ●●tain of the Host to number the ●●ple; Joab answered h●m fairly, ●●ing, 2 Sam. 24 3. Now the Lord thy God adds People (how many soever th●● an hundred fold; and that the ey●● my Lord the King may see it: but● doth my Lord the King delight in thing? Verse. 4 Notwithstanding the Ki●● Word provailed against ●oab, an● 'gainst the Captains of the Host: Joab, and the Captains of the went out from the presence of the 〈◊〉 to Number the People of Israel. 〈◊〉 what was the event thereof? Lord sent a Pestilence upon Israel 〈◊〉 Verse. 15 〈◊〉 morning even to the time appointed: 〈◊〉 there died of the People from Dan 〈◊〉 to Beersheba Seventy Thousand ●●en; and all of them in the space but three days. Verse. 13 Here was yet a ●ater number than before; and 〈◊〉 all of them fell for the sin of one ●ly man: but this one man was a ●●g; and for his Eminent offence 〈◊〉 times as many were slain, as ●●en the multitude of people joined a murmuring. He who by the people was acknowledged worth ten thoured of them, Ch. 18.3. now for his sin became ●●e destroyer of seven times as many them as he was valued at by ●em: so great was the anger of the ●ord, for a sin so great, and committed by a person so great, so eminent. The Almighty threatened Jeruslem by the mouth of his Prophet, ●●at he would make that City desolate, ●●d an hissing: Jer. 19.8. every one that passed ●●ere by should be astonished, and hiss, because of the Plagues thereof. The ●●me God threatened Edom also by ●●e same Prophet, saying, Ch. 49.17 Edom ●hall be a delolation: every one that ●●th by shall be astonished, and shall ●●ss at the Plagues thereof. The same God again threatened Babylon by the same Frophet, saying, Ch. 50 13 Because of the Word of the Lord, it shall not be ●●ted, but it shall be wholly deso●● Every one that goeth by Babylon be astonished, and hiss at her Pla● Thus I remember thy Judge● of Old, Psal. 119.52. O Lord, and receive c●● Confess I must indeed that W● sinned with our Fathers, 2 Chro. 6.37. we have amiss, and dealt wickedly: b● our Punishments as great as ou● thers were? Fourteen Thousand Seven Hundred of them fallen a● time: Twenty and Four Tho● at another time: Threescore● Ten Thousand at a third 〈◊〉 Lord, what mighty Numbers, here! and yet we fear when O●●eth; we tremble when Ten; w● when Twenty; we are dism●● when an Hundred; we are hop● heartless, even almost quite dea● ready when a Thousand depart. 〈◊〉 why should not we expect as 〈◊〉 Plagues as were sent upon a●● our Ancestors, seeing, that our are not lesle either in Namber● Weight? Wherein are we be than Jerusalem, or Edom, or B●lon, that we are not yet as deso● as were they? That every one 〈◊〉 passeth by is not astonished, nor his● at us, as they did at them? He 〈◊〉 Visited them doth Visit us: Ps. 89.32. he Visi●th our Offences with his Rod, and ●●r Sins with his Scourges. Yet he Visiteth us not so sorely as he did he Israelites, when Fourteen Thou●and and Seven Hundred of them lied; or not so severely as when ●wenty and Four Thousand of them vere swept away: or not so grievously as when Threescore and Ten ●housand of them were destroyed; 〈◊〉 not so terribly as Jerusalem, Edom, ●●d Babylon; for we are not quite desolate: or not so furiously as Nini●th, to whom God spoke by his Prophet saying, Nah. 3, 19 There is no healing of thy ruise; thy wound is grievous: all ●hat hear the bruit of thee shall clap ●he hands over thee: Or howsoever ●ot so remedilessly as the Army of pharaoh at Euphrates, whom the ●ord mocketh by the mouth of his prophet, saying, Go up unto Gilead, Je●. 46. 1● ●nd take Balm, O Virgin, the Daughter of Egypt: In vain shalt thou use ●●y Medicines, for thou shalt not be ●ured. This, Ez. 12.18 O this maketh me to ●●t my bread with quaking, and to ●●ink my water with trembling and ●arefulness, for fear lest our sin-re●enging God should punish us as he ●ath done them. O what mercies doth he not yet offer unto us; W●● kindness doth he not yet afford 〈◊〉 To our Physicians he giveth kno● ledge: to our Medicines he give virtue. The Herbs of the fields, 〈◊〉 and the Fruits of the trees, and 〈◊〉 flesh of the beasts do yet offer the selves for our cure, and our su●nance. O that we had but so m● happiness, as to know the mi●● which is due to our Offences 〈◊〉 that we had but so much mercy s● God, as to know his mercy in gentle visitation! For this our m● will I groan; for these our sins ●●lament; for the mercy of my 〈◊〉 I will Pray, and I will Cry; He● Lord, Psa. 20 ●0 〈…〉 and have mercy upon us: I be thou our helper. O he thou our in trouble, for vain is the help of 〈◊〉 The Fifth part of the soliloquy, showing how God threatneth before his Visitation. IT is a weakness, it is a sondness, it it a madness in people not to believe the sure effects of certain causes, before they become obvious to their senses. In the course of Nature we are apt to believe what we dare not try. Who will put his finger into the fire to try if it will burn? Who will cast himself into the water to try whether it will drown him? Yet in things divine we are too incredulous, too full of unbelief. I found that my God hath stricken divers with Plagues for the sins which they have committed: But I likewise found that he hath threatened divers before the Visited them, that so by their amendment they might prevent those Judgements which otherwise would ensue. It is my best way to find out the crying sins of the Land, by observing the punishments which are sent us for them: but I must not forget either the patience of our God, or the obstinacy men? the long suffering of 〈◊〉 Creator, or the impenitency of 〈◊〉 Creatures. Sure I am that the L●● did always call to Repentance before he punished Offenders: he ha● ever wooed Transgressors both 〈◊〉 Promises, and by Threaten before he ever made them sick in smi●● them for their Transgressions. Mic. 6.13 1. When the Israelites were to 〈◊〉 freed from the Egyptian bondage O how often was Pharaoh admonished to let them go! Moses and Aa● said unto him, The God of the H● brews hath met with us: Exo. 5.3. let us go, 〈◊〉 pray thee, three day's journey into 〈◊〉 Desert, and Sacrifice to the Lord 〈◊〉 God, lest be fall upon us with the Pestilence, or with the Sword. Lord how meek Moses begged for the people! yea, and in the Name of God too; and for an act of Religion too; and for fear of Judgements too: yea and those Judgements not small or trivial; for they should be either the Pestilence, or the Sword; yea, and he pretendeth that those Judgements should fall upon the Israelites, the People of God, if they neglect their Sacrifices; he saith not, upon the Agyptia●s; he saith not, upon the King: And yet for all this, the King yielded not; the Israelites sacrificed not; and therefore the Plagues, the Vengeance came upon the heads of their Oppressors. Gogg was threatened for a thing which yet he was suffered to do. The Israelites were to be his purchase; the un-walled Villages his prey; Ez. 38.11 all that dwelled without Walls, and had neither Barrs, nor Gates should be made desolate by him. Thus the People of God were to suffer for the sins committed against their God. But was the Enemy to escape, by whom the People should be corrected? Was Gogg to be enriched, and to enjoy the spoil? Nothing lesle. The very instument of revenge was not to be freed from the wrath of the Revenger, nor the Executioner to be accounted innocent, though he punished the guilty. I will pled against him with Pestilence saith the Lord) and with blood. Verse 22 I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an over-slowig rain, and great hailstones, fire and brimstone. Thus the Israelites offended, and were threatened with the Armies of Gogg. Gogg offended, in that he knew not his Maker; in that looked only to his advantage● spoils, whilst yet he executed vengeance of God: he's there threatened; he shall therefore be● sumed. When he should have venged God upon the Rebel● People, than God himself wou●● revenged upon him with Judgm● from Heaven. The Prophet Ezekiel was ser● threaten the Israelites for their 〈◊〉 Rebellions, and thus said the 〈◊〉 God unto him, Smite with thine● and stamp with thy foot, Eze. 6.11. and say, 〈◊〉 for all the evil abominations of House of Israel; for they shall so the Sword, by the Famine, and 〈◊〉 Pestilence. He that is far of sha● of the Pestilence, Verse 12 and he that is● shall fall by the Sword; and he that maineth, and is besieged shall dye the Famine: thus will I accomplish fury upon them. Here is warn given before the blow be strick there is the Sword already halfo here is the Famine already in a 〈◊〉 preparation; here is an Angel re● to disperse the Pestilence: but be●● execution here is a threatening f 〈◊〉 Even thus also hath our good G● dealt with us: thus hath he war● ●s. He who delighteth not in the ●eath of a sinner, Ez. 33.11 doth never strike before notice given; for he had rather that our repentance should quiver his arrows, than that by our sins he should be enforced to hit us at the heart. I will smite the Inhabitants of this City (saith God by Jeremiah concerning Jerusalem) both Man and Beast: Jer. 21. ●. they shall dye of a great Pestitence. Lo here is still the future tense, I will; not I do. God delighteth not in the execution of his wrath; but yet his I will is as sure as his I do. Thus he hath formerly threatened us with his I will; I confess indeed he hath: and yet we would not believe what was to come, and only because we found it not instantly present. Hence it is, that now our people cry; now our beasts do roar: and it is but just that men and women should be ranked in the order with beasts, seeing that our sins have discovered us to be more stupid than them. Yet the beasts perish, though they could not sin; and we perish because we can do nothing but sin. So the Servant suffereth for the offences of the Master: so the Beasts are punished for the sins of the owners. The Pestle putteth no distinction between t● both, although the one could 〈◊〉 the other would not avoid the nishment. In the Book of Exodus the L●● saith concerning Pharaoh, and Egyptians, Exo. 9.15. Now I will stretch● mine hand, that I may smite thee thy people with Pestilence, and 〈◊〉 shalt be cut of from the Earth. T● heed Pharaoh, he is true who thro● n; and although he saith, I w● yet he saith also now I william. H● ready for thee, although thy he● be not ready for him: he is 〈◊〉 now prepared to punish, if thou● not just now prepared to obey. I w● bring a Sword upon you, Lev 26.25 that sh●● avenge the quarrel of my Covenant and when ye are gathered together 〈◊〉 your Cities, I will sand the Pestilent among you; and ye shall be deliver● into the hand of your Enemies, saith the Lord to the Israelites. And again: The Lord shall make the Pestilence 〈◊〉 cleave to thee, Deut. 28.21. until he have consumes thee from of the Land whither tho● goest to possess it. Yea, and yet once, again; Num. 14.11. The Lord said unto Moses, How long will this people provoke me? And how long will it be e'er they believe me, for all the signs that I have ●●ewed among them? Verse. 12 I will smite ●●em with the Pestilence, and dis●herit them, and will make of thee a nightier Nation than they. O the fathoruless treasure of the bounty of my God O the richeses of his goodness, Rom 2. and patience, and long-suffering, leading us to repentance! What were the Israelites, that he should not Plague ●hem? Why not presently? The wages is due so soon as the service is done; and the punishment is as due, so soon as the offence is committed: and yet, although God be forward in the former, he is slow to the latter: although he delight in the former, yet is he hardly drawn to the latter. Me thinks when I consider the Israelites, I wonder at their Rebellions: and yet, me thinks, when I consider ourselves, I wonder much more. Isa: 5.1. What could have been done more to this Vine-yard of God, that he hath not done unto us? He hath fenced us, Verse and gathered out the stones from us and planted us with the choicest Vinc, and built a Tower in the midst of us, and also made a Wine-press in this his Vine-yard, and yet for all this, when he looked that we should bring forth grapes behold wild grapes. O how my heart panteth w● me, and my whole self is in a t● bling fear, when I consider his 〈◊〉 e●es, and our rebellions! O● thinks I see a hand-writing ag● us almost upon every door, Dan. 5.5. ever habitant, written as it were, wit● fingers of a man's hand (as Belshazar saw upon the plaster 〈◊〉 Wall;) Verse. 6 which maketh my ●●nance change, and my thoughts be bled, so that the joints of my loy loosed, and my knees finite one a● another; and I cry for mercy have offended; and I knod compassion, for I have transgn● God did threaten Israel with: stilence that should disinherit t● and all this to avenge the quar● his Covenant, because they still voked him; because they woul● believe him, for all the signs he had showed among them. 〈◊〉 wherein had Israel offended? what manner? In what meas● which this Land hath not excee● And yet, oh how unwillingly do●● Almighty punish us! O how slo● O how gently! Mat. 11.1. The Kingdom Heaven suffireth Violence, saith Jesus. Violence indeed, by our 〈…〉 the Reven● Sword for him: we bend his bow for him, and make it ready: Psal. 7.12. Verse 13. Psal. 64.3 we also repair for him the insteuments of death, because we whet our tongues like swords, and bend our bows to shoot o●r arrows, even bitter words, that we may shoot in secret at the perfect: Verse 4 suddenly do we shoot at him, and fear not. And what now can we expect but judgements, seeing that we will not offer the just, and rightful violence to the Kingdom of heaven, even the violence of our prayers; the violence of our tears; the violence of sobs and sighs, and groans in our spiritual combats, and conflicts? What can we expect but vengeance? And what do we meet with, but destruction? He hath threatened, and threatened, again and again; and yet we have resisted, and resisted, again, and again too. Isa. 5.7. When he looked for Righteousness, behold Oppression: justly therefore, now we look for mercy, behold a scry. A cry in the Beds of the languishing; a cry in the Chambers of the Infected, and pined Prisoners; a cry of the healthful, for fear of infection; a cry of Parents for their tender children; a cry of Children for their dying Parents. Brother cry●● for brother; sister 〈◊〉 sister: All cry for help; All cry for mer● O Lord hear our Prayers, Psa. 102.1 and let 〈◊〉 Cries come unto thee. The Sixth part of the Sol● loquie, treating of the du● of a Christian; decreeing both to whom, and for whom we aught to pray in time of Pestilence. I Weep and weep, and sigh a● sigh, and pray, and pray: 〈◊〉 why do I thus weep, and sigh a● pray? If for myself, it is a the which is challenged even by natu● itself, so that I may have any her● by these means either to prevent, 〈◊〉 to cure the sickness. If for others, is charity; it is a religious due● Thus we are commanded by the 〈◊〉postle; Oal. 6.2. Bear ye one another's burde● and so fulfil the law of Christ. An● again, by the same Apostle, I an● commanded to weep with them th●● weep. Ro. 12.15 But must my tears be general? Must my prayers be universal For all? For the wicked as well as the godly? There was a time whee the Prophet Jeremiah might no● pray for Judah. Jer. 14.11 The Lord said unto him, Verse 12 Pray not for this people for their good: When they fast, I will not bear their cry; and when they offer burnt-offerings, and oblations, I will not accept them; but I will consume them by the sword, and by the famine, and by the Pestilence. cap. 16.3 There was a time too when the Lord said concerning the sons, and concerning the daughters that were born among the Jews, and concerning their mothers that bore them, and concerning their fathers that begat them: Verse 4 They shall dye of grievous deaths; they shall not be lamented; neither shall they be buried; but they shall be as dung upon the face of the earth; and they shall be consumed by the sword, and by the famine; and their carkeises shall be meat for the fowl of heaven, and for the beasts of the earth. For thus saith the Lord, Enter not into the house of mourning; Verse 5 neither go to lament, nor bemoan them: for I have taken away my peace from this people, saith the Lord; Verse 6 even loving kindness, and mercies. Both the great and the small shall dye in this land: they shall not be buried, 〈◊〉 shall men lament for them, 〈◊〉 themselves, nor make them 〈…〉 for them, And there was 〈…〉 when the eyes of Jehojakim the so● of Josiah King of Judah, Ca 22.17 and 〈◊〉 heart were naught but for coveteous● and for to shed innocent blood, and oppression, and for violence to do● Therefore thus said the Lord concerning him, Verse 18 They shall not lament 〈◊〉 him, saying, Ah my brother, or Ah● stir: they shall not lament for h●● saying, Verse 19 Ah Lord, or Ah his glory. 〈◊〉 shall be buried with the burial of Ass, drawn, and cast out beyonds gates of Jerusalem. Thus it 〈◊〉 with them; but must it there●● be thus with those which die of 〈◊〉 sickness; of the Pestilence? With● This were a dreadful sentence 〈◊〉 deed, To dye, and not to be pitti●● to dye of the Plague, and be●● denth not to be prayed for. W●● knoweth indeed, but that some su●● as those men of Judah, may be● mongst us? Who knoweth but th● some Jehojakims may be among t●● Visited? What than? Shall I ther● fore pray for none? Yea, shall nor pray for them? God forbidden. Th●● less they pray for themselves, th● more will I pray for them. The les● they know God, the more will I pra● that they may know him. The sicker they are in body, the more nec●● they have of comfort in mind. What though they in part may be a cause of this mortality? What though their wickednesses have helped to bring this Contagion? If they are enemies to my particular, I will forgive them: though they are God's, I will pray for them; even that he in his good time would be pleased to call them home both to the knowledge, and the practice of his Truth. David I am sure did pray for, and pity his enemies; Ps. 35.13. for so he professeth, saying, As for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth: I humbled my soul with fasting. And thus did my Redeemer too for Jerusalem: for, Lu. 19.41 When he was come near to the City, he beheld it: yea, be wept over it, saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, Verse 42 at lest in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! But now are they hid from thine eyes. Shall David weep than for his enemies? Shall my Jesus weep for his enemies, for the enemies of his father, Joh 20.17 and my father; of his God, and my God; and shall not I weep for those who are in misery, and distress? My Saviour knew who were elected, and who were reprobates; and yet he wept over the whole City. I dare not p● into those secret counsels of my Go● nor can I know all those wh● he hath ordained for heaven or he● Shall not I than weep for them 〈◊〉 in general in this general Calami● Yes, I will keep my turn: I 〈◊〉 sing my part in this doleful conso● Surely if my God should forbidden 〈◊〉 praying for them, even the very pr● hibition might peradventure enco● rage's me to perform it: he know● that we are apt to do whatsome he forbiddeth. O my God, eith take away my readiness, and apt to contradict thee; or else for●● me nothing but what thou would 〈◊〉 have me to perform. But w● should. I pray for those, who (tho● they are visited) refuse to repent● Shall I hope to altar the eternal d● cree of him with whom is no va●● ableness, Jam. 1.17 neither shadow of change What if he hath reserved them so● vengeance? Can I, by my praye● snatch them out of the fire? If the are sick, peradventure I cannot cur● them. If they are not yet sick, 〈◊〉 cannot preserve them. O these churlish, inhuman, un-christian, uncharitable thoughts! God therefore sendeth them this affliction, that they may repent: and that ●●y may rather prevent, than he ex●rcise his revenge. Seeing therefore ●hat I know not the hearts of any, I ●vill pity all: and since by my ●rayers I cannot prevail for them ●o whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever; Jud. 13. I will grieve, ●hat Man is become so wicked, as to reassure up unto himself such wrath against the day of wrath. Rom. 2.5. Feign would ●ny God have conquered the stubbornness of stiffnecked Israel with ●he pleasant allurements of his heavenly blessings: yet they would not ●eeld, they would not relent. Than ●e threatened them: yet they would ●ot yield. Than he punished them; ●nd yet they would not turn: which ●ade him cry out by his Prophet. I ●ave sent among you the Pestilence af●er the manner of Egypt; Amo. 4.10 yet have ye ●ot returned unto me, saith the Lord. Surely the Lord is very angry with ●uch as will not tremble at his judgements; which made him threaten so by Ezekiel, saying, Ez. 14.19 If I sand a Pestilence into that land, and pour out my fury upon it in blood, to cut of from it man and beast: Though Noah, Verse 20 Daniel and Job were in it, as I live saith the Lord God, they shall deliver neither son nor daughter: they deliver but their own souls by righteousness. What comfort than I receive or give, when I mou●● the comfortless? What hope ha● to speed, when these worthies sh● be denied; If they were here to● tercede for them by their ea● supplications? Sure I am that I not so good as any of those th● Not as the worst. Gen. 9.21 Not as 〈◊〉 though he had been drunk. N● Job, though Eliphaz taxed him impatience, when as he just himself, and seemed to tax 〈◊〉 God himself with in justice, Job 16.15 say● I have sewed sack cloth upon my 〈◊〉 and defiled my borne in the dust. face is foul with weeping; Verse 16: and 〈◊〉 eyelids is the shadow of death. Verse 17 for any injustice in my hands: als● prayer is pure. Not, not; far sh●● come I of either, of any of the Poor I; a poor, weak sinful 〈◊〉 even as sinful as the worst; as 〈◊〉 k as the worst. And (now I 〈◊〉 gi'en better to bethink myself by th●● king worse of myself) what are th●● which I question, whether I mi●● pray for them, or not? Are they sinners? So am I. Are they grieve● sinners? So am I Surely I do 〈◊〉 know enough of my solf, If I do ●ot know myself the worst, the vilest ●●e chiefest of sinners. It is than but ●ustice that I should pray for the ●orst, since I myself either am, or ●ight have been worse than them. My prayers shall be general, for all; ●oping that God may be pleased to ●ave mercy on all. But it a●y among them be certainly Re●robates, though I know it not; yet, ● will pray that they may be taken ●om the number of the faithful, ●hat so they may neither seduce by ●heir temptations, nor offend by their examples, nor dishonour my good God any longer by their crying, and multiplying abominations. Yet must I howsoever be charitable in my devotions; and pray for others, as well as for myself. But all this while (since my thoughts have been fised upon those that are visited, and I am certainly resolved for whom I will pray) let me be sure that I direct my prayers aright, or else my devotion may be but blindness, and my Religion, Superstition. To him without doubt, & to him alone must I tender my Petitions, from whom, yea from whom alone this sickness is sent upon this sinful Land. And who is he 〈◊〉 visiteth the earth, but only the 〈◊〉 Creator of heaven and earth? 〈◊〉 very Philistines could acknowledge this, 1 Sam. 4.5 when the Ark of the Co●●● of the Lord came into the Camp, 〈◊〉 all Israel shouted with a great sh●● so that the earth rang again. 〈◊〉 than began to be afraid, for said, Verse 7 God is come into the Campe. 〈◊〉 they said, Woe unto us, for there ● not been such a thing heretofore: Verse. 8 〈◊〉 unto us.; who shall deliver us 〈◊〉 the hands of their mighty Gods? T● are the Gods that smote the Aegypt● with all the plagues in the Wildern● Thus even by the testimony of uncircumcised, my God is detemned to be the sin-revenging G● who punisheth offenders with the Plagues and Pestilences. But shall only depend upon their testimony who knew not God, for my assuran● that this vengeance cometh fro● God? Not: I will look a little sa● there, and find David the good Prophet acknowledging it in his Psalms and saying, Ps. 78.50 He made a way to his a●ger; he spared not their soul 〈◊〉 death; but gave their life over to the Pestilence. This the patiented Job confessed, Job. 5.17. saying, Behold happy is 〈◊〉 man whom God correcteth: therefore spise not thou the chastening of the ●mighty: For he maketh sore, Verse. 18 and ●deth up; he woundeth, and his ●●ds make whole. This the holy tophet Hosea proclaimed and said, Hos. 6.1. me and let us return unto the Lord; 〈◊〉 he hath torn, and he will heal us: 〈◊〉 hath smitten, and he will hind us 〈◊〉 This was the song of devout ●nnah: The Lord killeth, 1 Sam. 2.6 and ma●h a live; he bringeth down to the ●eve, and bringeth up. Yea and ●s God himself doth publish to the ●ole world, and saith, Deut. 32.39. See now ●●t I even I am he, and there is no ●●d with me. I kill, and I make a ●●e: I wound, and I heal: neither 〈◊〉 there any that can deliver out of ●ne hand. It is clear than, it is most parent, that in this general sick●sse, I must of necessity acknowledge 〈◊〉 Finger of God. There was once ●ime when he himself proclaimed, ●ying, Isa. 65.1 I am sought of them that ask● not for me: I am found of them ●at sought me not. I said, Behold ●●e, Verse 2 behold me unto a Nation that was ●●t called by my Name. I have spread ●●t my hands all the day unto a Robel●us People. And surely, that time is ●ow come again: for we sought him not, and yet we have sound hi● this day of our Visitation, eve● this dreadful sickness. Verse. 4 He 〈◊〉 spread out his hands all the day unto us a Rebellious people; we would not hearken unto him: ●●ly therefore do we remain an● the graves; and hence it is tha● hands are held up unto him. 〈◊〉 alas, so weak are our devotions feeble are we in our Petitions unconstant, so wavering are our Faith, that our Hands, are vier then our Hearts. We 〈◊〉 feign to have an Aaron, Ex. 17.12 and a H●●stay them up, or else we are rea● let them down; and if they fa●● great Amalekites, (both our sin● God's revenge) will prevail aga● us. He cryeth out unto us, 〈◊〉 me, behold me; and (wo●is unto we do behold him in his severe, consuming wrath: But O tha● might behold him in the clear most lovely glory of his mercy that he might now be sought o● though formerly we have not a● for him! He once did promise' a time should be when the childre● Israel should come, they and the 〈◊〉 drens of Judah together, ●er. 50.4. going, 〈◊〉 weeping: they should go and seek ●●d their God. Surely that time is 〈◊〉 come to us his Israel: for now we 〈◊〉 and weep as we go (as did David 〈◊〉 Absolom) We weep as we go up to 〈◊〉 Chambers. With Joseph, 2 Sam. 18.33. Goe 34.30 we seek ●ere to weep; and we enter into our cambers, and we weep there. With ●e Church in the Psalms, Ps. 126.6. we go ●●●th and weep. With the Israelites, 〈◊〉 weep before the door of the Taber●cle of the Congregation. Num 25.6 With Da●d, 2 Sam. 15.30. and the people that were with ●m, we weep as we go up to the Ci●●. Yea, with Ishmael, we weep all 〈◊〉 as we go. And as we weep, Jer. 41.6. so ●hope we shall seek too; even seek ●●e Lord, and his strength; Psa. 105.4 yea seek ●s face evermore. This is the way for ●ardon; and this is the means for ●alth: for so God promised King solomon, saying: If I shut up heaven ●at there is no rain: or if I command ●●e Locusts to devour the Land: 2 Chro 7.13. or if ● sand a Pestilence among my people: if ●y people which are called by my Name ●hall humble themselves, and pray, Verse 14 ●nd seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; than will I hear from 〈◊〉, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. Lord, this Pestilence thou hast sent among us: among us Christians that are called by thy Name. Let others do 〈◊〉 they will: Jos. 24.15 As for me, and my h● we will serve thee, O my Lord. 〈◊〉 thou make me to turn from my 〈◊〉 ked ways, that thou mayest 〈◊〉 from heaven, and forgive my s●● and heal this land: for I will 〈◊〉 thy face; I will humble my sel● will pray unto thee, and say. The Prayer. OMnipotent Lord, thou sin● venging God, who for 〈◊〉 obedience didst threaten th● own people of Israel to smite them the Knees, Deu●. 28.35. and in the legs with a so Botch that could not be healed, f●● the sole of the foot unto the top of 〈◊〉 head: Verse 27 to sinite them with the 〈◊〉 of Egypt, whereof they could no● healed: Thou who by the mouth● thine only son didst foretell the Jews, that Nation should rise 〈◊〉 'gainst Nation, Mat. 24.7 Kingdom against Kin● doom, and that there should be Fr● mines, and Pestilences in diver● places: Be pleased, O thou great o● fended Lord, in the bowels of th● compassion to let thine anger cease, Psal 85.4 and to bow down thine ear to thy afflicted People in the City of London and elsewhere in this Nation. O our God thou seest how this whole Kingdom doth groan under the ●urden of thy wrathful indignation, bemoaning the general sufferances ●or our more general sins. Our sins, our sins do far exceed the transgressions of Israel: Yea, they are greater than those of the Jews against ●he true Messiah; for thine own Apostle fears them witness, that Had they known it, 1 Cor. 2.8 they would not have Crucified the Lord of Glory: but we alas, both have known, and do know him; Heb. 6.6 and yet we crucify to ourselves the Son of thee our God afresh and daily put him to an open shame. For these our Offences thou hast begun thy Revenge; yea, and most justly too; for thou art clear, though man should judge thee. Under this thy heavy wrath, we groan O Lord, we cry, we ho●vle; for sickness increaseth, death approacheth: yea, such a sickness, and such a death, as maketh us fear both ourselves, and our neighbours; because we have not feared thee the Lord of hosts. Thou seest, O Lord, their afflictions; even that their Houses are made their Prisons, and their Sou● their Companions, whom thou hast been pleased to visit. Our Stre●● are turned into Pastures, our Tow● into Wildernesses and for our badwardnesse in our Devotions, t●● very doors we see shut up every d●● do instruct us to address our self unto thee, and to beseech thee L●●● to have mercy upon us. Our day's a● consumed in sorrows and languishing; and our nights in weeping, a● mourning. Thou woundest us, a● we cry; thou smitest us, and ●●roare; thou plaguest us, and we are troubled, we are dismayed. O● Golgothaes' are surfeited with th● Dead, and our habitations infecte● with the living. We fly from plac● to place, from Country to Country and yet we fly not from thy presence, we avoid not thy judgement. What shall we do, What shall w●doe? Is there no balm, O Lord, 〈◊〉 Gilead? Jer. 8.22. Is there no Physician there? Why than is not the health of the daughter of thy people recovered? Thy Son, thy merciful Son, thy swe●● Son Jesus was sent to bind up the broken hearted, Isa. 61.1 and to open the prisons to them that were bound, Verse 2 and he was comfort them that mourn.;; and he was not baokward in the performance of this for which he was sent; for he healed all manner of sickness, Mat. 4.23 and all manner of Diseases among the people. At thy feet, therefore, O Jesus, Ch. 15. ●0 thou best Physician, we cast ourselves down. A multitude we are that lie at thy feet: Cure us, O Christ; heal us, O Jesus, as thou didst the multitude. Lu. 6.19. A whole multitude once did seek to touch thee; for there went virtue out of thee; and thou healest them all. Mat. 14.14. Thou wert moved with compassion, and didst heal their sick. Many didst thou cure of their infirmities, and Plagues. Behold thy hand is not shortened that it cannot save; Lu. 7.21 neither is thine ear heavy that thou canst not hear. Is. 59.1. The number of Petitioners cannot deter thee; the multitude of suitors cannot molest thee; for thou hast healed many: Mar 3.10 Therefore, with the multitude in the Gospel, we press upon thee, that we may but touch thee; for thou hast virtue in thee; thou hast power to heal. O Lord hear, O Lord forgive, O Lord heal us of our grievous wounds. In the depth of thy fury when thou didst resolve to be revenged of a Rebellious people, it was yet thy promise that thou would leave a few from the Sword, Ez. 12.16 and from the Femine, and from the Pestilence, th● they might declare all their abominations among the people where th● should come; that they might kno● that thou art the Lord. Us thou ha● plagued, Us thou hast punished, 〈◊〉 sorely, so grievously, that but f●● of us are like to escape: yet O Lord, now at last look in mercy upon us: O Lord let this small remnant which is left find thy compassion. O 〈◊〉 us, O heal us, O help us for thy mercy's sake. When thou wert angry with Egypt, thou didst threaten to smite it: Isa. 19.22 but, even at that very instant, thou didst likewise promise' to heal it; and that they should return unto thee their Lord, and that thou wouldst be entreated of them. Jer. 33.6 Thou didst proclaim unto Judah that thou wouldst bring it health, and cure; and wouldst cure them, and reveal unto them abundance of peace, and truth. Thou didst promise' unto Zion that thou wouldst restore health unto her, Changed 30.17 and heal her of her wounds, because she was called an outcast by my people, saying, This is Zion, whom no man seeketh after. These were thy promises even in the midst of thy threaten: and wilt thou be worse unto us than thou wert unto Egypt, or Judah, or Zion? True it is, that thou expectest our conversion; thou commandest us to Turn unto thee with all our hearts, and with Fasting, Joel 2.12 and with Weeping, and with Mourning. To thee therefore, O God (though formerly we have not, yet now) do we turn. We turn unto thee both our weeping Eyes, and our dejected countenances, and our wring Hands, and our bended Knees, and our mournful Voices, and our groaning Hearts. Merciful God, behold our Tears, and view our Countenances, & look upon our Hands, and strengthen our Knees, and harken to our Voices, and comfort our Hearts. The Priests, Verse O Lord, even thine own Ministers do weep between the Porch and the Altar, and they say, Spare thy people, O Lord, and give not thine heritage to reproach. Our Ezras pray, and confess & weep, Eze 10.1. and cast themselves down before thine house; and the people assemble themselves unto them, both our men and our women, and our children; for we all weep very sore. We weep, Num. 2.56. as the Israelites did before the door of the Tabernacle of the Congregation, whe● twenty and four thousand of the● died of the Pestilence. Thus 〈◊〉 mourn, thus we weep; our Eyes, 〈◊〉 Hearts, our very Souls do weep: O let us taste of thy love; let us feel thy compasson. Make us to 〈◊〉 of thy praise, as thy servant David did; when be cried unto thee, and thou didst heal him. Psal. 30.2 Thou ha● been wroth with us, as thou were with the Jews for their Coveteousne● and thou hast smitten us: Isa. 57.17 thou 〈◊〉 hide thyself, and hast been, angry yet we have gone on frowardly in t●● ways of our hearts. But, O our God do thou make us as penitent as those Jews; and than say unto us as tho● didst unto thy Judah, Verse. 18 I have 〈◊〉 thy ways, and I will heal thee 〈◊〉 will lead thee also, and restore comforts unto thee and to thy mourners. Alas, we mourn, and yet we are punished: we grieve, and yet we are plagued; Jer. 14.7. and all because our iniquities do testify against us: but for thy name's sake, O Lord, be pleased to spare us. Verse. 8 O the hope of Israel, the Saviour thereof in the time of trouble, why shouldest thou be as a stranger in the land; and as a way-faring man that turneth aside to tarry but a night? Why shouldest thou be as a man astonished; Verse 9 as a mighty man that cannot save? Thou O Lord, art still in the midst of us, and we are called by thy name; therefore, we pray thee, leave us not. 1 King 8.37. O here is a Pestilence in our land; and we make our Prayers and Supplications, Verse 38 and stretch forth our hands toward thine house. Verse. 39 Hear therefore in heaven thy dwelling place, and forgive; Verse. 40 that we may fear thee, and walk in thy ways all the days of our lives. Or if the sins of us thy people 'cause thee to stop thine ears at our Prayers, O hear thou our Hezekiahs, praying for us who have not cleansed ourselves. 2 Ch●o. 30.18. Stay the Plague from us thine Israel, as thou didst from thy people, Ps. 106.30 Na. 16.16 when thy servant Phineas executed judgement. 'Cause our Aaron's to take their Censers, and to put fire in them from of the Altar, and to put on incense: O let them come quickly to our Congregations, and make an Atonement for us. Verse 48 Let them stand between the dead and the living, and let the plague be stayed. Thine Angel stretcheth forth his hand upon our Jerusalem to destroy it: 2 Sam. 24.16. O do thou as in the time of King David: Repent thee of the evil, and say unto the destroying Angel, It is enough stay now thine hand. Hear us, 〈◊〉 Lord, for thy distressed People; 〈◊〉 hear them for us; and hear thy Ch●●● for us all: That to him, and the and thy Blessed Spirit we may rend● (as is most due) all Praise, 〈◊〉 Glory, and Thanksgiving, and Obedience, from this time forth 〈◊〉 ever more Amen. Tears of those whose Houses are shut up of the Plague. The soliloquy. The Ejaculation. Psal. 5. ●. ●●●. Give ear to my words, O Lord; consider my Meditation. Harken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God; for unto thee will I Pray. WHAT? Shut up? Why so? Must my House be a Prison; and myself both the Jailor and the Prisoner too? This is a punishment added unto God's, to be thus shut up from the society of men. Is this a visitation, thus to forbidden our visitants? Was I want to be such a gadder abroad, that I must now be kept at home under lock and key? Lord how suddenly am I transported with passion even beyond the bounds of reason, and Religion 〈◊〉 O here is the Messenger of death come into mine house; and now I must be thankful to Authority for commanding me to retire myself to 〈◊〉 private, and pensive accounts, wh● knoweth yet but that both myself and my family may live, for all 〈◊〉 enclosing? It may so please my God that by my being secluded from th● multitude, I may eat the infection of the multitude; and so what 〈◊〉 conceived an injury, may end 〈◊〉 Blessing. I may perhaps say, 〈◊〉 say truly, when I am awaked 〈◊〉 out of my passion, as Jacob did wh● he awoke out of his sleep: Goe 18.16 Surely 〈◊〉 Lord is in this place, and I knew 〈◊〉 not. My God is, come indeed, a though I am not worthy that he shall enter under my roof. Lu. 7.6. O he is come but he is come in wrath, and showeth me the tokens of his anger: b● I will submit to his pleasure, and say unto him in the language of the blessed Virgin: Behold the Handmaid of th● Lord: L●. 1.37. be it unto me according to thy william. Who knowed but that instead of killing, he may come to raise me a Lazarus; Joh. 11. ●●, 44. if occasion serveth, as once he did for Martha and Mary? Peradventure he may come in judgement to others, and yet to me in mercy. Howsoever. I will hope that I am one of those who are spoken unto from the Lord by the mouth of his Prophet: Come my people; Isa. 26.20 enter thou into thy Chamber, and shut thy doors about thee: hid thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be over past. Since than my Lord is come to be my Guest, my House shall be empty, swept and garnished, that nothing may offend him, nothing may displease him: and thus will I empty it, thus will I sweep it, thus will I garnish it. Farewell vain world; thou that hast deluded me with thy follies, and cozened me with thy false and braided wares. Come not near me; my doors are shut, and none such as thou shall enter here. Farewell false friends, who only gaze upon the rising Sun. Ye who were my companions in folly, and inticers to and idle sports, farewell, farewell: not more shall ye enter with your bewitching charms: Sports, pass-times, games, merry meetings, gossiping; far ye all well; come no more to my doors: for if ye do come, ye shall knock, and knock, and knock again, and all in vain; for even to this purpose also are they now made fast. And now mine eyes, the lustre of my countenance, ye windows of folly, take ye your leave of your vain objects; for I have a task to set you, that ye never yet were acquainted with. First, I will prefer you to attend upon my heart; and whatever sighs and sobs my poor heart shall sand forth, it shall be your duty to entertain them by the way, and enforce them to accept of the company of your tears. Ye shall weep, till ye are weary, and than shall ye read: and when indeed ye are weary of poring upon divine Pages, for your recreation ye shall weep again, that by that means ye may be fitted to read again. Next if at any time, I give you leave to consult with the sister of mortality (as some times I shall be necessitated to afford you a time of intermission by the persuasions of nature) be sure that ye stay not too long from your employments; for my haste is great, my business is of consequence: we have only a little work to do for the King of eternity, and than we shall be at ease. And ye, mine Ear, that have so often harkened to the Siren songs of the vain world, now bid ye adieu to your musical harmonies, and ravishing concord's; for I must locky ●e up for a season: and hereafter ●e shall hear a melody beyond the ●uning of the spheres; for the Choir of Heaven shall ravish you with their Halelujahs. These hands ●hat so proudly hid themselves under the skin of the Kid, and blushed when they were beheld by any less than an Idolater, shall now entwine each other in a mutual concord, and than revenging the quarrel of their sins upon my treacherous heart, they shall smite it, and thump it, and beaten it until they have mollified it; until they have beaten that stone into flesh, and that flesh into water, and forced that water into tears for the sins of my whole self. Next my Tongue, mine un-toward, unruly, wanton tongue, my falls, pickthank, tell-tale tongue, that couldst never finde the way to tell the truth, or not willingly, or not with delight; thou for thy idle, thy profane, thy wicked speeches, shall sand out nothing but cries, and yells, and hideous dines, and horrid screeches for thine offences: and if at any time I shall, by thine obsequious service, be contented to trust thee with articulate Prayer; be sure that 〈◊〉 first take direction from thy 〈◊〉 and than chant it out so loud (〈◊〉 forget not discretion) that it● be heard up as high as the th●●● my God. Psal. 141.3. Be sure thou dost it, I will have a watch over my 〈◊〉 and at the doors of my lips, th● may be certain thou offend not. 〈◊〉 for the rest of myself (since I 〈◊〉 not stay now to give every pa●● charge in particular) I shall 〈◊〉 manned them only to attend the 〈◊〉 sure of my royal Guest. Only 〈◊〉 thoughts I must commit to the 〈◊〉 on of my heart, although it for●●ly hath been false unto me: and 〈◊〉 sirous I am that they may be prese pressed down with great and he●● burdens. But I charge thee, O●● Heart, if ever thou hopest to 〈◊〉 mine own dear Heart, that thou su●fer not an imagination, not a though to come near thee, but what shall b● commended unto thee by Religion, & what thou shalt dispatch to thy M●ker. And now I am prepared for thee. Welcome O my God. If my room● are not clean enough for thee, I must entreat from thee both direction, and assistance to cleanse them. If any dust of wickedness hath flown about in the sweeping of them, I will now give my mind to wash my chambers with the tears of mine eyes; ●nd that, I know, thou delightest in. O thrice welcome blessed God. Welcome, O welcome my dearest Redeemer. O how truly did the Kingly preacher affirm that, It is better to go to the house of mourning, Eccl. 7.2 than to go to the house of seasting: for that is the end of all, and the living will lay it to heart! My House is shut up indeed; it is shut up for the Infection; for fear of the infection; for fear lest others should infect my family; or for fear lest my family should be infectious to others. But what of all that? I am not the first that ever was shut up: I am not the only one that over was shut up. Leu. 17.4 The Leper in the law was to be shut up seven days: and at the seven days end when the Priest looked on him, Verse 5 if the plague in his sight were at a stay, and spreaded not in the skin, he was to shut him up yet seven days more. This shutting up was rather for his cure, than intended for his hurt. Gen. 7.61 Noah was said to be shut up in the Ark; but it was for his preservation: and so may I be likewise. Jer. 32.2 Jeremiah was shut● too; yea, in a prison, although h● jail was the house of a King: 〈◊〉 yet, even at that time, he was ●●ted by the best; by one better the the King; even by God himself For he often spoke to him in the 〈◊〉 that he was shut up. cap. 33.1 Thus am I s●● up; even in a prison made of 〈◊〉 dwelling: I hope that my God 〈◊〉 speak comfortably unto me. I 〈◊〉 hope that he hath shut me up 〈◊〉 Jewel in a Cabinet; in his ca●● in his tender compassion. If so, 〈◊〉 am sure that no evil shall come i● unto me, for he is holy, he is 〈◊〉 he is powerful who hath me in keeping. Rev. 3.7. He hath the key of David: 〈◊〉 openeth, and no man shutteth; and 〈◊〉 shutteth and no man openeth. True i● is, that sometimes he shutteth out; as when he shutteth out from his each the prayers of his people. Thus the faithful complain by the mouth of the Prophet: Lam. 3.8 When I cry, and sho●●, he shutteth out my prayers. Sometimes he shutteth up; and that in judgement too; Isa. 44 18 as He shutteth up the eyes of Idolaters, that they cannot see; and their hearts, that they cannot understand. And sometimes man shutteth too, even when he is forsaken of God: for so saith the wise King; 〈◊〉 violent man shutteth his eyes, to de●ise froward things. And again, Prov. 16.30. God 〈◊〉 said sometimes in judgement to ●ut up, even heaven itself; as in a ●●me of drought. Therefore Moses adviseth the Israelites, saying; Deut. 11.16. Take ●eed to yourselves that your heart be ●ot deceived, and ye turn aside and erve other Gods, and worship them: And than the Lord's wrath be kin●lled against you, Verse. 17 and he shut up the Heaven, that there be no rain, and ●hat the land yield not her fruit, and ●est ye perish quickly from of the good and which the Lord giveth you. But sure I am that although he should shut me up in judgement; yet he, whose compassions fail not, in the midst of judgement, Lam. 3.22. Hab. 3.2. will remember mercy. I know that in former times he hath been angry, and than before him went a Pestilence, Verse 5 and burning coals went forth at his feet. I know that once when the people of Israel had offended, than the sword was without, and the Pestilence and the Famine within: Eze. 7.15. he that was in the Field was threatened that he should die with the Sword; and he that was in the City, Famine and Pestilence should devour him. I know that Elijah Prophesied against Jeb●● saying, 2 Chron. 21.12. Thus saith the Lord, Bee●● thou hast not walked in the w●●● Jehoshaphat thy father, nor 〈◊〉 ways of Asa King of Judah: Verse 14 B●● with a great Plague will the 〈◊〉 smite thy people, and thy chil●● and thy wives, Verse. 15 and all thy goods: 〈◊〉 thou shalt have great sickness by 〈◊〉 ease of thy bowels, until thy b●● fall out by reason of the sickness 〈◊〉 by day. Job 11.10 And I know also that 〈◊〉 cut of, and shut up, or gather toge●● none can hinder him. But what th● What though he hath sh●t me 〈◊〉 Shall I therefore rage, Ch. 30.29 and rave● one distracted? What though 〈◊〉 a Brother or Sister to Dragons, 〈◊〉 a companion to Owls? Verse. 30 W●● though my skin should be bl●● upon me; and my ●oues be bu●● with heat? Chap. 3.3 Should I therefore 〈◊〉 Let the day perish wherein I was 〈◊〉 and the night in which it was 〈◊〉, There is a child conceived? O 〈◊〉 I will rather resolve with afflic●●● Job: Ch. 13.15 Though be slay me, yet will trust in him. Why should I 〈◊〉 to be dismayed? That God which dwelleth in the heavens hath take● up my house, and is come to so jou●●● with me upon earth: I will speak in the phrase of a King: But will God ●●ed devil on earth? Behold the ●ven, 1 Kin. 8.27 and the heaven of heavens not contain thee: how much less 〈◊〉 house of mine, which thou now ●est visit! O what a happiness it to have God for our visitant! ●hough he cometh in wrath, yet is 〈◊〉 welcome. O let me have my ●●d any way, rather than not to ●●ve him at all! If he should not ●netimes be angry with me, I ●ould suspect that he loved me not: 〈◊〉 if for ever he should be angry ●●ith me, I should feel that he lo●d me not. He is never angry with ●e, but when I am not angry with ●y self. I will soon therefore ap●ase his anger, by revenging my 〈◊〉 upon myself, for the sins which 〈◊〉 have committed against his glorious name. And if I cannot be revenged enough, I will cry for anger; ●●en for anger that I cannot punish myself enough for displeasing him who thus honoureth my roof. When the Israelites were to eat the Pas●hall Lamb, they were commanded to take of the blood thereof, Exo. 12.7. and to strike it on the two side-posts, and on the upper doore-post of the houses, wherein they were to eat it: Verse 13 And the blood (saith the Lord) shall 〈◊〉 you for a token upon the houses 〈◊〉 ye are: and when I see the blood will pass over you, and the Pl●● shall not be upon you to destroy y●● when I smite the land of Egypt. 〈◊〉 here is comfort now in the mid● affliction: here is joy in the de●● of sorrow. See, there there is 〈◊〉 token: there is the blood on the 〈◊〉 or at lest, the representation of for the Read Cross is there. It is to for a token, or a memorial of 〈◊〉 Blood of that Innocent Lamb wi●● spot, that was slain, that was 〈◊〉 cified on the Cross for the fin● the Elect. Now Lord do what th● pleasest: Spare, or strike; it 〈◊〉 be all one to me, so long as th● givest me a firm assurance that 〈◊〉 hath suffered for me. I value 〈◊〉 my stesh: I care not for this 〈◊〉 of walking dust: let it be blown 〈◊〉 way; let this mudwall be thro● down: it is no matter; I am content, so long as I am sure that th● anger of my God will be appeased by the blood of my Redeemer; an● that so soon as my soul shall be freed from the prison of my flesh, I shall for ever sit on the right hand of my Jesus. Sure I am, that although my house be shut up, because 〈◊〉 the infection, yet my Christ will cause my soul with his blood. ●herefore World farewell: shut up ●●om thou pleasest Thy company not so good, nor thy courtesy so ●eat as to command my joy. Alough my house here be shut up, yet 〈◊〉 which is faithful hath promised at the gates of that new Jerusal●m, Rev. 21.25. ●hich is above, shall not be shut at all 〈◊〉 day: and that there shall be no night ●ere. O let me beg of my Lord, ●y Landlord; yea my Guest, my friend, my Brother, my Father that seeing I am a man, a fearful man ●ounderfully afraid especially (as I ●●me of a woman) of a Serpent, Ch. 20.2 or 〈◊〉 Dragon) he will be pleased to lay old on the Dragon, that old Serpent which is the Devil, and Satan; Verse. 3 and ●tade him, and cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set 〈◊〉 Seal upon him, that he may deceive ●●e not more. O how contentedly than shall I mourn! How joyfully shall I ●●ieve for all the offences that ever 〈◊〉 committed! Well; now my God ●s pleased to speak to my Conscience, away will I go in private, all alone, and cry in a corner. I will weep by myself: away I will go; and separate myself from my fam● yea even from her who is my s● as we are two but one flesh; th● may the more freely weep. Th● will do, and this I may do; when Jerusalem had her great mo●ning, Zech. 12.12. not only every family moc● apart, but even their Wife's 〈◊〉 mourned apart. So will I: I will 〈◊〉 apart too. But because I must offer to offer unto my God s●● present as a little poor bottle of to and say nothing to him when ●●der it; Ps. 56.8 humbly therefore upon knees will I fall, and thus will l● unto him. The Prayer. GLorious and everliving 〈◊〉 God, Psal. 75.5 who dost suffer the ●●ked to live in prospirity; to be in 〈◊〉 trouble like other men, nor to be plagued like other men: Heb. 12.6 but hast to us that whomsoever thou lovest, th● dost chasten, and scourgest every ch●● whom thou receivest: vouchsafe 〈◊〉 beseech thee, to sanctify this affliction which thou hast laid at this time upon me and mine. 1 Kin. 17, 18. Thou a●t come, O my God, to call my sins to ●●membrance: O let me not frustrate ●ine intent, nor repel the motions 〈◊〉 thy blessed Spirit. Myself, and ●y family are now shut up from the ●●wde temptations of the seducing World: Lord make me at this time 〈◊〉 look into myself, into mine own 〈◊〉 and sinful heart, which hath 〈◊〉 so long shut up even from mine ●wn self, from mine understanding ●nd my knowledge. This, O Lord, 〈◊〉 thy time to speak: let it, I beseech he, be my time to hear. My house is become a house of thy Correction; & ●ny self and family are the offender's ●hom thou art pleased to chastise. Je 10.24 Lord correct us, but with judgement, ●ot in thine anger, Ps. 88.7. lest thou bring us ●o nothing. Thy wrath at this time ●eth hard upon us; and thou afflictest ●s with all thy waves. Verse. 8 Thou hast put all our acquaintance far from us; thou ●ast made us to be an abomination unto them: we are shut up, Psa. 38.11 and cannot come forth. Our Lovers, and our friends stand aloof from us; Ps. 88.9. and our neighbours stand afar of. By reason of this affliction mine eyes mourneth: Lord I call daily upon thee, Ps. 69.15. and stretch out mine hands unto thee. O let not the water-stood overflow us; neither let the deep swallow us up; and let the pit shut her mouth upon us. Psa. 73.14 〈◊〉 the day long are we plagued, Psal. 69.3 and t●stened every day. I am weary of ●●ing; my throat is dry: my sight 〈◊〉 faileth for waiting so long upon th● my God. O consider thy distress servants, Psa. 78.39 that we are but flesh: a● that we are even a wind that pas● away, and that cometh not again 〈◊〉 liver us, Psa. 91.3. O Lord, from the snare o●● fowler, from the noisome Pestil●● Either sand unto us or else be th● thyself unto us a staff as well as rod; Psal. 23.4. a supporter as well as a com●ctor, Psa. 91 5 that so we may not be afraid s● the terror by night, nor for the arri● that flieth by day; Verse. 6 nor for the Pestilent that walketh in darkness; nor for 〈◊〉 destruction that wasteth at noon 〈◊〉 Prepare us, O Lord, so those heavenly mansions, where thy Son s●teth at thy right hand making intercession for us. Hear him pleading for our remission, and interceding for our Pardon. Out of his wounds have issued that precious balsamone, which is able to cure the sins of the whole world. In him be pleased to be reconciled unto us: Psa. 31.15 and since our times are in thine hands, Lord either spare us for thine honour or else receive us to thy mercy. Let the health of our bodies make us mindful to labour for the health of our souls: and let the sickness of our bodies put us in mind of the diseases of our souls. Good God, either preserve us from sickness, or protect us in sickness. Be thou our God, and make us thy servants; and than come either with health, or with sickness; thy will be done. Thou canst 'cause a thousand to fall at our side, Ps. 91.7 and ten thousand at our right hand, and yet preserve us. Thou canst, if thou pleasest, so protect us, Verse. 10 that no evil may befall us; nor any Plague come nigh our dwelling. O grant therefore, Verse 9 that we may make thee our refuge; Psal. 3●. 6. yea thee who art the most high, our habitation. We are troubled, O Lord; we are bowed down greatly; we go mourning all the day long. We eat ashes as it were bread, Psa. ●02 9 ●●d mingle our drink with weeping, Verse 10 because of thine indignation, and thy wrath: for thou hast lifted us up, and cast us down. Ps. 41.9 But O thou who art our only rock, why hast thou forgotten us? Psa. 43.2. O why go we thus mourning by reason of this affliction? Thou art th● God of our strength, Est 8.3. Why dost thou cast us of? O g●ve us leave (with Queen Esther) to speak yet again before thee the King of Kings, and to fall down at thy feet (as she did at the feet of King Ahasuerus) and to beseech thee with tears to withdraw thy visitation. O Lord our very souls within us do mourn; Job 14.22 for thou dost 'cause our Sun to go down at noon; and dost darken our earth in the clear day. Thou hast turned our fasts into mourning, Amos 8.9 and all our songs into lamentation: Verse 10 thou hast brought sackcloth upon our loins; Lam. 5.15 and made our mourning as the mourning of an only Son. Verse 16 The joy of our heart is ceased; and the crown is fallen from our head: Woe unto us that we have sinned. ●●. 61.1. But O thou who wert anointed to preach good tiding unto the meek: who wert sent to bind up the ; Verse 2 to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound: to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord; yea and the day of vengeance of ou● God: to comfort all that mourn: to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, Verse. 3 to give unto them beauty for ashes; the ●yle of joy for mow●ni●g, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness: 〈…〉. Thou who s●ttest up o● high those that be low, that ●use which mourn may be exalted to safety: Ps. 102.17 Regard thou (we most humbly and earnestly beseech thee) the prayers of us thy poor destitute, and despise not our desires. Thou hast seen our ways; O do thou heal us: Isa. 57.18 lead us also, and restore comforts unto us, that we may be called Trees of Righteousness, the planting of thee our Lord, that thou mayest be glorified. Wound us not, O Father, Jer. 30.14 with the wound of an enemy, with the chastisement of a cruel one, for the multitude of our iniquities. Verse 15 Let not our sorrow be incurable, because our sins be increased Though for a small moment thou hast seemed to forsaked us; Is. 54.7. yet with thy great mercies gather us again. In a little wrath thou dost bide thy face from us, for a moment; Verse. 8 but with everlasting kindness have mercy upon us, O Lord our Redeemer. O thou who art our Redeemer, Verse 5 the Holy one of Israel, the God of the whole earth, Ps. 34.15. Let thine ears be open unto our cries: open thine eyes, and see our afflictions, Isa. 37.17 (in so many flying out of London) and how many are shut up from the comforts of the godly, and from the society of their endeared friends. Consider, and hear us, Psal 13. ● O Lord our God: Lighten our eyes jest we sleep the sleep of death. Ps. 123.2. Behold as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their Masters, and as the eyes of a Maiden unto the hand of her Mistress, so our eyes wait upon thee, O Lord our God, until thou have mercy upon them and us. O do thou grant unto us remssion of our sins; patience in our miseries; comfort in our distress; physic for our health, and recovery: and in thy blessed time, bring their souls out of prison, that we and they may give thanks unto thy Name: Ps. 142.7. Which thing if thou wilt grant unto us all, than shall the righteous resort again unto our company. So shall we that be thy people, Ps. 79.13. and sheep of thy pasture give thee thanks for ever: and show forth thy praise from generation to generation, world without end, Amen. Tears for them who are visited with the Pestilence, BEING: 1. Either wounded with a Sore. 2. Or, marked with the Tokens. The soliloquy. The Ejaculation. Psal. 5. v. 1, 2. Give ear to my words, O Lord; consider my Meditation. Harken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God; for unto thee will I Pray. O! 'tis come, Psal. 5.4 'tis come. My heart is sore pained within me; and the terrors of death are fallen upon me. See, See; What swelling's this? What risings this? O, it is the messenger of death, and biddeth me to inquire into my sinful life. I am struck, o, I am struck to the heart. This is the impression of anger, and the blot of him who in ●h● wrath may justly blot me out of h●● wont compassion. Yet let me no● despair: let me not be too mu●● dismayed. While there is life, there i● hope. The woman in the Law whe● had gone aside to another man inste●● of her Husband (whereof her husband was jealous, Nu. 5.20 and brought her to her purgation) was to be charged by the Priest with an Oath of Cursing upon whose drinking of water, Verse 21 Verse 22 her belly did swell, and her thigh did rot. Surely I have drunk none of that water: or if I have, it cannot hurt me; for by that very law, the innocent escaped free from the punishment. Verse. 28 I have never dishonoured my Nuptial Bed; nor defiled myself with any (man or woman) that this swelling should light upon me. Yet (now I better consider of it) let me not deceive myself. There is as well a spiritual, as a carnal Adultery. Even a Virgin may be styled an Adulteress. Have I never turned from my God? Hath my soul never forsaken her dearest Husband my blessed Redeemer, to commit a spiritual whoredom? O guilty, guilty: woe is me, I cannot choose but pled guilty, to this my indictment. My Conscience telleth me that I have followed the temptations of the enemies of Christ, I cannot tell how often: and justly therefore (I must confess) may this swelling be my punishment; for greater than this, hath been my due desert. Peradventure to correct my Pride, this thorn in my flesh may be a messenger of Satan, sent to buffet me, 2 Cor. 12 7. as once Saint Paul had one sent unto him: for who of either Sex is not guilty of this folly? Among us are there not some, Deut. 28.5: (the tender and delicate women (such as were among the Israelites) who will not adventure to set the sole of the foot upon the ground, for delicateness, and tenderness) and (not to flatter, or deceive myself) I may peradventure be one of them. Or if I have not had power to put in practice what I desired, yet it may be that my desire hath been to be as delicate as the chiefest, and sinest of either of the Sexes Satan is said to have: 〈◊〉 1. ●. gon● forth from the presence of the Lord, and to have smote Job with sore boyles, from the sole of the foot to the crown of his hand. O that I were but half so righteous as was holy Job, of whom God himself beareth witness, that There was none like him in the earth; Cham 1.8 a perfect, and an upright man; one that feared God, and eschewed evil! But alas, I am no such person; for I have, by my wickedness, as it were taught the serpent to go forth from the presence of the Lord, and to smite me with this sickness, this rising, this swelling, worse than those boyles which infested Job. David had a sore too, 1 Sam. 13.14. Psa. 77.2 a running sore (although he was a man after God's own heart): for so he complained, saying, My sore ran in the night, and ceased not; my soul refused comfort. But his Sore was not like unto mine: for his was in the fierce combat which he had with distrust; and it may as well be meant that his hand by night reached our in Prayer, and ceased not: or by that sore may be meant the running of his eyes, which dropped in the night for his grievous crimes, and ceased not; as well as an imposthume, or ulceration. But mine is not such: it is a sore indeed, a Carbuncle, a Pestilential sore; although as yet it is not come to such maturity as to do as David spoke of his. It is yet but a swelling, a hard swelling, a rising: and for its swelling, and for its hardness it may either be my very heart removed from the seat appointed it by nature: or else it may be sent to put me in mind of the proud swelling, and the malicious hardness of mine impenitent heart. Alas, if I do but seriously consider of that little morsel of proud flesh, or rather stone, hard stone than flesh, that Adamantine heart, what have I not deserved for that wicked heart, which others were ever punished with? Worse, fare worse do I deserve than ever did Judah: I only want a Prophet to lament mine estate as Isaiah did hers, for the judgements of God inflicted upon her for her rebellion, and to cry, The whole head is sick, and the whole heart is faint: Isa. 1.5. from the sole of the foot even to the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds and bruises, and putrifying sores: Verse. 6 they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with Ointment. But what shall I do in this distress? May not these poisoned humours that have conspired together in this present tumour; as well be some other disease, as the infectious Pestilence? Lord, how feign would sinners live in ignorance, and never either understand the offences which they have committed, or know the manner and the kind of their punishments! How feign would the sick delude themselves with a conceit of health; and, hoping for life, cousin their knowledge with the falsehood of opinion! I cannot deny but it is the sickness, which I am stricken with; the infectious sickness, the dreadful Pestilence: and I can have no hope of life if once it seizeth on my trembling heart. To prevent that danger therefore, since my heart hath hitherto been, so stony, so hard to entertain the motions of the blessed Spirit, I will request it now to continued its obduracy, not against my great God, but against this sad, and deadly sickness What it hath usually retained almost to the utter undoing and destruction of my Soul, I will entreat it to continued now for the preservation of my Body. Or if that will not do; if it resolve to yield in this time of distress, far rather than I will seek to that, I will humbly beseech my offended Lord to take possession of my heart: and if he will vouchsafe to grant my petition, than come what can come, I am sure I shall have comfort, because I shall have the society of my God. But what if my heart be preserved from these malignant humours? Have I than any assurance that my disease is mortal? Alas not; but I must use the means, and beseech my God to give them his blessing. I must apply those things which will mollify this swelling: it must be softened, be broken, be drawn, before it can be healed. Thus, even thus must I deal with my heart too. The malicious humours of sin and corruption have already assembled there, and caused it to swell. I will hasten therefore to Joh's Physician, who softened his heart, and troubled him: Job 23.16 and I will beseech him for Christ's sake to mollify mine; for there are more than the seven abominations of a dissembler in it. Prov. 26.25. Joel 2.13 Hos. 10.12. I will pray him to rend it; to break it; to break up the fallow ground of it; for he better can break mine, than the misery of reproach could break the bear't of the Prophet David. Ps. 61. ●0. I will entreat him to take away the foreskin of it, and to wash it from wickedness, Jer. 4.4 that. so I may be saved, Verse 14 and that no vain thought may lodge in it. I will request him to search it; Ch. 17 10. that he will lay something to it; Isa. 44.7 Ps 147.3. even all the wickenesses that ever I have committed. Than, when he hath broken it, I know that he will heal it, and bind up the wounds of it: for to this purpose he sent his Son, his onely-begotten Son, my Redeemer, my Jesus; even to bind up the breken hearted. Isa. 61.1. But when this great Cure shall be wrought for me, what have I to tender unto him by way of thankfulnesse●? Alas nothing, even just nothing at all, unless he will accept of that broken, yet therein that whole and cured heart. That, than shall be his, and I know that he will accept of it; Act 13 22 Psa. 51.17 for so saith David, that man after his own heart; A broken, and a contrite heart O God thou wilt not despise: from the mal●ce of this heart doth proceed the malignity of this my disease; for sin is the cause of every sickness But all this while I do but talk of this malady; I seek not for a Remedy. Alas to whom shall I go? To what Physician, or Chirurgeon shall I repair? Leu. 13.2. I read that if any man of the house of Israel had in the skin of his flesh a rising, or a swelling, or a bright spat, and if it were in the skin of the flesh like the plague of Lepros●, th●n he was to be brought to Aaron the Priest, Verse. 3 or unto one of his sons the Priests, and the Priest was to look on the plague in the skin of the flesh, and than to proceed according to order. Thus, under the Law, the Priests were the Physicians both for the body and the soul: whereupon the Prophet Jeremiah complained, and accounted it as a great judgement upon the people for their sins, Jer. 6.13. that From the Prophet even to the Priest every one dealt falsely: Verse. 14 they healed also the hurt of the people slightly. Hence also another Prophet reproved them, Eze. 34.4 because. The diseased they had not strengthened; neither had they healed that which was sick; neither had they bound up that which was broken. Under the Gospel also the Apostles were likewise Physicians for both: for when Christ had called unto him his twelve Disciples, Mat. 10.1. he not only gave them power against unclean Spirits, to cast them out; but also to heal all manner of sicknesses, and all manner of diseases. Doubtless by this I am likewise taught, into whatsoever sickness I fall, whatsoever disease I am visited with; first of all to go to the Priest, to the Minister of God: Ps. 110.5. Mal. 4.2. First, to Examine my Soul, before I look for the cure of my Body. To the Priest will I therefore go; 〈◊〉 the Chief Priest, to the High Priest, to the chiefest and highest that eve● was; even to him who is a Pries● for ever aster the order of Melchiz●deck: And humbly will I befeed him to teach me to fear his name; and than I know that he who is the Sun of righteousness will arise with healing in his wings; and will make me go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall. Make use of the Prayer which followeth the next Meditation. Tears for the visited, being marked with the Tokens. The soliloquy. The Ejaculation. Psal. 5. v. 1, 2. Give ear to my words, O Lord; consider my Meditation. Harken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God; for unto thee will I Pray. THERE is a time to kill (saith Solomon) and a time to heal. Ecles. 3.3. O that time to kill is now come upon me; but I know not how so much as to hope for the time of healing; for here I find the tokens of death, the marks of my mortality. This flesh, this sinful flesh of mine, which hath been so washed, so unguented, so smoothed and coloured, according to the choicest wit of art and industry, hath now the stains in it of a contagious sickness. Where are now those admirers of comeliness, and those idolatrous doaters upon the Beauty of Women? Let them come and learn the vanity of their opinions; and chide their simplicity by these tokens of vengeance. O what a frail thing is (man) or woman; easily deluded into a belief of their handsomeness and beauty, and as easily stricken with their own deformity! But what do these spots mean to die my flesh, and strike such a deep tincture in a smoothed skin? Are diseases blind, that thus they fasten every where without either choice, or exception? Vain (Man) or Woman as I am, why do I spend these minutes, these few and winged minutes allotted unto me, in such impertinent quaeres? These bluish stains tell me that I must provide to answer for my sins (yea shortly, speedily) before him who dispatched them hither unto me. Death approacheth; mortality knocketh at my burdened heart. Lord, how heavy is my soul! Even as if it were already at the great tribunal, and pleaded guilty of million of enormities. Th●y have corrupted themselves (saith Moses by the Israelites;) their ●●ot is not the spot of God's children; Deut. 32.5 ●●y are a perverse, and crooked generation. Is there a spot than which ●●en the children of God may be sub●●ct unto? Why than may not these ●●e some of those spots and myself be ●ne of those children of God? Lord, ●ow willingly, how greedily doth ●ery one strive to dye the death of ●●e righteous! How easily are we ●●t, through ignorance, to devil 〈◊〉 the letter of the text, when we ●●ould rather pry into a farther in●ent of the blessed Spirit! That spot 〈◊〉 the children of God is not seated 〈◊〉 the body, but in the so●l; and ●hat spot in the soul of thy Israelites ●as chief Idolatry. True it is, Vers. 15.16, 17. that ●ven the righteous have their stains ●oo; but not such bloaches, not such ●reat and fowl spots; or howsoever ●ot of such a deep tincture, not died 〈◊〉 in grain as are those of the wicked: ●or they are washed out with the ●ears of sorrow through the blood of ●he Lamb. O that my spots were only in my skin, and not in my soul; and that I could truly justify myself in the language of Job. Job 31.6. Let me be weighed in an even hallance that God may know mine integrity. Verse 7 If ary blot hath cleaved to my hands. But alas we cannot, we dare not. 〈◊〉 if we could come to a sight of 〈◊〉 sins, and be truly humbled for th● than may we be sure that he 〈◊〉 taught Jacob how to increase 〈◊〉 flock of the speckled and spot●● would easily make us white as w●● But how, Goe 30.39 Isa. 1.18. or upon what grounds 〈◊〉 we expect his mercy, seeing all th● we can suffer is not punishment 〈◊〉 enough for all that we have trespass●● Without shedding of blood is no remsion, Heb. 9.20. saith the blessed Apost● What comfort than can we expel or what mercy can we hope for, se●ing that our blood, our life is not 〈◊〉 value enough to suffer what our 〈◊〉 have merited; much lesle to pu●● chase remission of our sins? what no● shall we do? What hope can 〈◊〉 have that our body can be free from these spots of our disease, when w● know not how to be free from the pollutions of our souls? By the Mosaical law. If any one of the common people sinned against any of the commandments of God concerning thing which aught not to be done, Verse. 32 Leu. 4.27 A L●m● without blemish was to be his offering and so the atonement was made for the sin, Verse 35 and it was forgiven. Here yet was some ease for a distressed soul: the sin was forgiven through the ●ead of the Lamb. But what hope ●●ve we of remission? That Law ●oth not longer stand in force: nor ●ill the blood of a common Lamb be accepted for the lest, the smallest offence. Yet Cheer up, O our drooping souls: Let our fainting spirits, ●nd our sorrowful hearts take com●ort in the midst of our deep di●resses: for there is a Lamb, an in●●cent Lamb, Heb. 9.28. a Lamb without blemish which once was offered to hear the sins of many. We are those many who h●ve sinned, and why than should We not be of those many too, whose sins he hath borne? Lord make thou us to be thy children through the merits ●f thy Son; and cleanse the pollutions of our Souls by the blood of that Lamb, Joel 1.29 even that Lamb that taketh away the sins of the world. But whilst I thus meditate upon the stains of my soul, my body biddeth me to look upon these unwonted blemishes. Lord, how bluish they appear! Surely if those doaters upon our sex should see these spots, they would forget their idolatry, and tremble at the judgement. Est. 8.15. When Mordecay was clothed in his blue and white, it is said that he went in royal apparel. The apparel of 〈◊〉 skin me thinks doth seem to resem● the covering of his body; for here the ancient white which nature conferred, and here is blue come no● too, sent me from God. It is roy●● apparel, because it is sent me by 〈◊〉 King of glory: and it is welcome too, 2 Cor. 1.3 Pro. 20.20 because that glorious King is th● Father likewise of all mercies, and th● God of all consolation. The blewnes● of a wound cleanseth away evil, sait● the wise King Solomon. Surely h● meant not such a wound, such a sp●● as is each of these; for although these are blue, yet certainly they cleanse not; or if they do cleanse their cleansing concerneth nothing but my soul; they put me in mind of that duty, for my time is short, and suddenly shall my poor soul bid farewell to this corrupted, to this spotted body: but as for this body it cannot be cleansed, it may be ruined by these bluish wounds. Christ saith to his Church, Thou art all fair my love; Cant. 4.7 there is no spot in thee: and St Paul telleth me how it cometh to pass that it is freed from spots; Eph. 5.25 for Christ (saith he) gave himself for it, that he might sanctify it, and cleanse it with the washing of water Verse 26 by the word, that he might present 〈◊〉 himself a glorious Church, not ●ing spot, or wrinkle, Verse 27 or any such ●g; but that it should be holy, and ●bout blemish. Of this Church am ●member; a poor, weak, unworth member; and yet I have my 〈◊〉, my corruptions in my soul, ●●ich these in my body peep out to ●ember me of. But why did I not 〈◊〉 the commandments without spot, 〈◊〉 unrebukable? 1 Tim 6. Why have I not 〈◊〉 myself unspotted from the world? for this, Jam. 1.27 for this very cause am I ●●w thus visited? am I now thus ●ined: and no more am I able to ●●e these prints out of my flesh, Je. 13.23. than 〈◊〉 Ethiopian is able to change his ●in, or the Leopard his spots Yet I 〈◊〉 comfort in my Redeemer; in 〈◊〉 who hath redeemed me (not ●th corruptible things, 1 Pet. 1.18 as silver a●d 〈◊〉) from my vain conversation; but ●ith the precious blood of himself, Verse. 19 〈◊〉 of a Lamb without blemish, ●●d without spot. Though my body therefore decay, yet I have a condence that my soul shall live: I have an assurance of that; for he who ●ringeth me to a sight of these spots, ●ath given me likewise a sight of my ●●nnes (his name be for ●ver magnified for it;) and me thinks they appear a thousand thousand time more loathsome, more urgly in my soul, than these do in my body. They are ten million of times more certainly mortal in their own condition to my soul with out the mercy of any Jesus, than these are to my body. Yet if it might be safe for me to expostulate with my God, I would say unto him in the language of the Prophet. Jer. 15.18 Why is my pain thus perpetual, and my wound incurable, which refuseth to be healed? Wilt thou be altogether unto me as waters that fail? Ch. 14.19 Hast thou utterly rejected me? Hath thy soul loathed me? Why hast thou smitten me, and there is no healing for me? I look for peace, and there is no good; and for the time of healing, and behold trouble. But if I should thus expostulate in the phrase of the Prophet, yet must I howsoever conclude with the Prophet, and say, Verse 20 I acknowledge, O Lord, my wickedness, and the iniquity of my fathers; for we have sinned against thee. Yet, me thinks, these spots will as hardly go out of my mind, as out of my body The express word of God to the Israelites was, Levit. 19 Ye shall not make any cutting in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: 〈◊〉 the Lord. And good reason 〈◊〉 was for this prohibition; for 〈◊〉 were apt to be led by the hea●●s, among whom it was a custom ●●e death of their friends to la●●t and cut themselves: it was 〈◊〉 manner also to make incisions ●heir flesh, and to fill up the ●●nds with Stibium, o● Ink But ●s, do find here such prints and ●s in my flesh, as the very heathen ●nselves would have stood ama●at; yet these are no ca●ved by ●violence of myself, but by the ●er of my God I must therefore ●ent myself, and rejoice at the ●t of them, since they proceed 〈◊〉 him who is the father of lights 〈◊〉 though they presage darknesse ●o me) for every good gift, Jam. 8.17 and e●●p●rfect gift is from above. This 〈◊〉 does not seem in itself to be ei●●r good or perfect; but upon se●d, and more serious cogitations, my true repentance ensue upon ●m, I shall find that they will ●sten me to the best good, to the ●efest perfection; even to the ●ngdome which is purchased for 〈◊〉 by the blood of my Redeemer. Job 16.12 〈◊〉, I cannot choose but cry out with Job, and say, I was at ease but he hath broken me asunder: b● hath also taken me by my neck, and shaken me to pieces, and set me up so his mark. Or with Jeremiah: H● hath bend his bow, Lam. 3.12 and set me as 〈◊〉 mark for the arrow. Or with Job again, through the extremity of m● sorrow I am enforced to expostulat●● with my God, Job 7.20. and say, Why ha●● thou set me as a mark against thee, s● that I am a burden to myself? But I will silence myself in his words again, and say, I have sinned; Wha● shall I do unto thee, O thou preserve● of men? When it pleased the Almighty to preserve his children in the City of Jerusalem, when the rest should be destroyed, he commanded a man that was clothed with l●nnen, and had a writer's Inke-horn by his side, Eze 9.2. to go thorough the midst of the City, thorough the midst of Jerusalem, Verse. 4 and to set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sighed, and that cried for all the abominations that were done in the midst thereof A mark I have too; yea more than one, and one, and one, though not in my forehead; and they are set on as if they proceeded from the In●●e of ●●e. Writer: but, woe is me, I have either not cried at all, or not enough either for mine own sins, or for the abominations of Jerusalem: how than can I hope to escape the destruction? And yet he that spared them, if he please can spare me likewise: Isa. 59.1. for his hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither is his ear heavy, that he cannot hear. 2 King. 20.1. When Hezekiah was commanded to set his house in order; and it was told him that he should die, and not live; Verse 2 he turned his face to the wall, and prayed unto the Lord, and wept sore: and presently Isaiah was sent unto him to tell him, Verse. 3 Verse 5 Thus saith the Lord, the God of David thy father, I have hard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears; behold I will heal thee: and I will add unto thy days fisteen years. Verse. 6 He may be pleased to say unto me too, as he did unto Hezekiah; for I also weep; yea I weep very sore: and I also pray; yea I pray hearty, and say, Be not thou far from me, Ps. 22.19. O Lord: O my strength hast thee to help me. But Hezekiah was more righteous than I am; for he walked before the Lord in truth, 2 King. 20.3. Rom. 7.18 and with perfect heart, and did that which was good in his fight: whereas in me dwelleth no good thing. But Miriam was a woman (as I am) yea and sinful; Num. 12.13. and yet when she was Leprous, Moses cried unto the Lord for her, and said, Heale her now O God I beseech thee; and she was shut out from the camp but seven days, Verse 15 and was healed. O but she had a Moses to pray for her, whereas I, alas, have none; I have no such Moses to pray for me. But what, shall I therefore remain quite destitute of all hopes? Shall I despair of the goodness, and the tender mercies of the most high? Not, I may not; I must not; for that would but increase my sin, and add to my torments. The woman in the Gospel who for twelve years' space had an issue of blood, Mar. 5.25. and had suffered many things of many physicians, Verse. 26 Verse. 27 and had spent all that she had and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse; she only came behind my Jesus, and touched his garment; and strait way the fountain of her blood was dried up, Verse. 29 and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague. Verse. 33 With that fearing and trembling woman therefore will I in like manner fall down before him, and tell him all the truth. I will confess unto him all my sins; or, at lest, so many as possibly I can call to my remembrance. Who knoweth but that he may say unto me, as he did unto her, Verse. 34 Daughter (or Son) Thy Faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague. I am resolved to take no repulse. The whole multitude even the the multitude of my sins shall not hinder me, (though they rebuke me) that I should hold my peace: but (with the blind man in the Gospel) I will cry so much the more, Lu. 18.39 Jesus thou son of David have mercy on me. Or (if that prayer be too short) while he shall prolong my time I will compose and settle myself to a larger form, and earnestly, fervently, zealously I will pray unto him, and say. The Prayer. O Eternal, and most merciful Lord God, whose Eyes are ten thou and times brighter than the Sun, and yet thou vouchsafest to look with thine eye of providence even upon the meanest of the children of men: Regard (I beseech thee) the low estate of thine Afflicted Servant. Lu. 1.48. Ps. 38.9. Thou knowest all my desires; and my groaning is not hid from thee. To thee the pollutions of my poor Soul are more naked and open, than these spots in my flesh are obvious to my fight. The sowlnesse of my Corruptions have conspired with the infectious air to 'cause these stains in my skin: and by them I am commanded to prepare for my dissolution. Lord if thou hast decreed by these means to free me from this world of pain and misery, be pleased to translate me from hence to the joy of thee my Lord and Master. Mat. 25.23. Give me (O my Father) a sight of mine imperfections: make me loathe them, and tremble at them, more than I do at these messengers of death. Wean me from the love of sin by the consideration both of thy displeasure, and mine own mortality. These spots appear like so many Eyes, which seem to stare me in the face, and would affright me with horror: and all because I had not always a consideration that thine eyes in every place do behold the evil, Pro. 15.3. and the good. Blessed God give me a sight of my corruptions, Ps. 51.9. and a detestation of them; and than turn thou thy face away from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. Speak peace, and health unto my wounded soul, which every minuit expecteth thy coming. Lord thou art a God who canst not abide to behold unrighteousness: look not therefore with thy wrathful eye upon me who am all sin, and pollution; but upon thy Son, and his Sufferings. Or if thou canst not choose but look upon me, first cloth me with the righteousness of that immaculate Lamb; so shalt thou see me with love and delight, and I shall-behold thee with unspeakable joy. Prepare me, Rev. 19.9. O my God, that I may be a fit guest to be called and invited to the Supper of the Lamb. Seal unto my soul the remission of mine offences; and than make me willingly to resign up my body to thine own disposing. Mat. 8. ●. Yet thou mayest speak the word (if so thou pleasest) and thy servant may be healed. Lu. 17.15 There was a Leper in the Gospel who fell down at thy feet, O Jesus, giving thee thanks, Verse 16 and with a loud voice glorifying thy name, because thou hadst healed him. It is as easy for thee to restore me in like manner, as thou didst that Leper. When Ephraim saw his sickness, Hos. 5.13. and went to the Assyrian; and Judah saw his wound, and sent to King Jareb; there was found no bealing, nor curing of the wounds: but those that come unto thee shall find that thou art both able and willing to heal all those that are broken in heart, Ps. 147.3. and to give medicine to heal their sickness; for unto Israel thou did dost proclaim thyself, The Lord that healeth. Have mercy therefore upon me, O Lord, for I am weak: O Lord heal me, Ex. 15.26 for my bones are vexed. Ps. 6.2. Strengthen me now upon my bed of languishing: make thou all my bed in my sickness. Ps. 41.3. Jer. 77.14 Heale me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved; for thou art my praise. Ch. 30.12 O let not my bruise be incurable, though my wound be grievous. Let me have one to pled my cause, Verse. 13 even that Holy One, thine only begotten Son; that he may bind me up, and give me healing medicines. Thou art he who didst promise' Jacob to correct him in measure, Verse. 18 though not to leave him altogether unpunished. Thou rebukest me for my sin, Ps. 39.11. and makest my-beauty to consume away like as it were a moth fretting a garment. These marks in my flesh do cause a trembling even in my spirit. Lord grant that upon my soul be not found the mark of the beast, Rev. 13.17 Ps. 86 16. but the mark of thy Son, that he may own me for his. O turn thou unto me, and have mercy upon me: give thy strength unto thy servant, and save thy distressed supplicant. Show now some good token for good, Verse 17 that is may appear unto the world that thou Lord dost help me and comfort me. But if in thy secret purpose thou hast decreed at any time, O gather me unto my fathers; make me with joy and comfort to tender mine account unto thee the Lord of heaven and earth. Look not upon the sins and offences of my misled Life; but rather look upon my Redeemer's Death, Is. 35.5. who was wounded for my transgressions; bruised for mine iniquities: the chastisement of my peace was laid upon him: by his stripes therefore let me be healed. In the midst of the street of thy throne, O God, and of either side of the river of life there is a tree of life bearing twelve manner of fruits; Rev. 22. 2●. and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. O my God let me but come to taste of those fruits: let me but be shaded under the leavs of that tree of life. Be merciful unto me, heal my soul, Ps. 41.4. Psal. 103.1 V 3. for I have sinned against thee. Than shall my soul bless thee O my Lord: and all that is within me shall praise thy holy name, who forgivest all mine iniquities, and canst h●ale my diseases. 〈…〉 Rer. 22.17 Gen. 3.8. Into thine hands I command my spirit, for thou hast redeemed me O Lord, thou God of truth. The Spirit and the Bride say Come; therefore let me who now hear it, say Come. Let me hear thy voice; O God, in the cool of the day; not in the heat of thy displeasure. And thou, O my Jesus, who for such sinners were made a sacrifice on the altar of the Cross; bow down thine ear as thou didst upon the tree, and hear, and fulfil the desires of thy wounded supplicant, Come O Jesus, & embrace me in thine arms: hid me in thy wounded side from the wrath of thy Father. In thee alone do I trust: to thee alone do I slay: secure me, help me, save me, O Christ. The world I leave: to thee I come. At the door of thy mercy do I knock, I call, I cry. Lord protect me: Jesus comfort me, strengthen my Faith; and consi●● my Hope. As my earthly body draweth nearer to the earth; so do thou draw my soul up nearer unto thee who art the father of spirits. Heb. 12.9 O God make speed to save me. O Lord make haste to help me. Finish soon these days of sin, and than let me enter into thy celestial Paradise; and that for his sake in whom alone thou art well pleased, even Jesus Christ my one●●●●●atour, and Redeemer. Amen. FINIS.