THE GOSPEL-CALL.  
In METRE.  
Compiled by W. V.  
Whereunto is added Twenty Five Considerations OF THE PAINS prepared for SIN After this Life.  
WITH A SERMON Preached on Acts VII. 60.  
Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound,  Psal. 89.15. 
To day if you will ●ear his voice, harden not your hearts,  Ps. 95.7, 8. 
Hear and your soul shall live,  Isa. 55.3. 
Rise, he calleth thee,  Mark 10.49. 
LONDON: Printed for Richard Butler, in White-Lion-Court, in Barbican. 1688.   

THE PUBLISHER TO THE READER.  
Honest Reader,  
THE sad Degeneracy of the Age we live in, makes it appear but too great a Truth, That such Books as these were never more necessary or more seasonable: And therefore I hope there needs no Apology for publishing this. The following Papers came recommended to me from Persons of known Honesty and Integrity. Our Author has thought fit in Modesty to conceal his Name, and I will not trouble myself or thee with impertinent Guesses: Nor will I pretend positively to determine why he has clothed part of his Conceptions in a Poetic Dress, since Examples are not wanting in all times in this kind. The Royal Prophets, David and Solomon have excelled in Divine Poesy; And we are not wanting in our own Age of great Men, famous in our Generation, who have obliged the World with their Excellent Labours of this Nature; witness the Famous Quarles, Inimitable Cowley, Facetious Donne, and the Divine Herbert (to name no more), who gives this Excellent Reason:  
A Verse may find him who a Sermon flies,  
And turn Delight into a Sacrifice.  
As for the following Discourse, 'tis plain and honest, fitted to the meanest Capacities, which, I hope, will render it universally acceptable. It treats of things of the greatest Moment, and highest Consequence, no less than the Concerns of Eternity. I will no longer detain thee from the Perusal, which, I wish, may redound to thy great benefit. I hearty recommend it to thee, and thee to the Grace of God. I am  
Thine, R. B,   

To the Author of the Gospel-Call.  
THY Gospel-Call  
(Dear Friend) has outdone all  
Those gaudy florid Strains,  
Which puzzle Vulgar Brains.  
Thy Book has Worth,  
Which needs no setting forth  
By my weak Pen;  
The Praise is thine,  
For which thy Name shall shine  
Bright, like the Morningstar,  
Which ushers in the Day from far,  
Until the Restitution of all things again.  
T. D.   

To the Author of the Gospel-Call.  
AWake my Muse, how can I silent be,  
When I these pious Works of David see?  
They that peruse this little Book, may find  
The wise Suggestions of the Author's Mind,  
How wittily this Worthy does impart  
His Sentiments with Judgement, and with Art,  
In Style most Elegant, in Sense profound,  
In Morals practical, and Doctrine sound.  
Who, like a Geographer, does here display  
To Heaven the surest, and the safest way:  
In Gospel-Colours does delineate  
The lively Landscape of our future State.  
Dull Soul, cheer up, here, here's thy chiefest Good,  
'Tis not Terrestrial, but Celestial Food.  
A. T.   

THE GOSPEL-CALL.  
In METRE.  

READER, awake, awake, my Soul and all  
That is within me, harken to the Call  
Of God, most gracious; who calleth thee  
His Name to hollow and to glorify;  
And from vile lusts, vain glory, cheating pelf,  
Invites thee to Communion with himself.  
This is thy chief end, thy Felicity,  
Thy greatest good, thy highest dignity.  
Here is Light, Life, Love, all that's meet,  
Needful and useful, holy, right, and sweet;  
And all which truly fills the heart and eyes;  
Elsewhere is nought but emptiness and lies.  
Jehovah calls, the Father, and the Son;  
The Holy Ghost, Blest Three, in Essence One.  
Nothing but God, the Father, Son, and Spirit,  
Can fit and fill thy Soul's vast appetite.  
The Soul's a Spirit, and while not unite  
To God, who is a Spirit Infinite,  
It wandreth, seeking rest, but findeth none,  
Nor aught that gives it contentation.  
Immortal Souls, in things which fade with time,  
Cannot find rest: Come restless soul to him  
Who in Eternity hath his abode,  
And is from and to everlasting God;  
Who changeth not, with whom is no mutation,  
Nor any shadow of an alteration:  
Who is, and was, and shall be still the same,  
Whose Name alone is, I am that I am.  
When thy heart fails, thy heart's strength he will be,  
And thy sure Portion to Eternity.  
God Infinite in wisdom, only wise,  
Calls, Wilt thou, fool, Wisdom's advice despise?  
It's God Almighty who doth thee command,  
Wilt thou, frail wretch, Omnipotence withstand,  
Since the most Holy calleth upon thee?  
To disobey were gross profanity,  
Since the most Just, most justly doth thee press,  
To disobey were mere unrighteousness.  
He who thee calls is good and gracious,  
To anger slow, in mercy plenteous.  
He's lovely, loving, Love, who calls on thee:  
Wilt thou from love, grace, goodness, mercy flee?  
He who doth call, most faithful is and true.  
Trust Truth itself, and thou shalt never rue.  
The Great Creator calls, whose Word did call  
What was not, and of nothing form all;  
Who all thy Members wrought most curiously,  
And formed thy Spirit in the midst of thee:  
He gave, and still he life to thee doth give.  
Thou liv'st in him, wilt thou without him live?  
Thou movest in him, from him move not away:  
From him in whom thou go'st, go not astray:  
In him thou dost exist; and canst thou be  
Without him, who gives being unto thee?  
Where art thou Adam, when the Lord doth cry,  
Where's God, my Maker, Man should then reply.  
When he in whom thou liv'st, and doth consist,  
Commands, how dares thou for thy life resist?  
When he in whom thou movest doth thee command,  
To come to him, how dares thou lingering stand?  
Lord, what is Man, that thou so much shouldst make  
Of such a nothing, and such knowledge take  
Of Man, who is but dust, and fading grass,  
And, which is worse, a loathsome filthy Mass  
Of darkness, horror, lust, profanity,  
Unrighteousness, of sin and misery;  
Conceived in sin, formed in iniquity,  
A slave to divers lusts, lusts of the eye,  
Lusts of the flesh, and to the pride of life,  
To anger, hatred, malice, wrath and strife.  
All in him is corrupt and vitiate;  
His heart's deceitful, wicked, desperate;  
Estranged from God, straying as soon as born;  
Inclined to lies, apostate, and forlorn.  
This Man, whom thou, O Lord, didst once create  
In thine own Image, in a happy state,  
Hath quite dis-made himself: He who was light,  
Is darkness now; he who was made upright,  
Is now perverse, ungodly and unjust,  
Conform to Satan, to his will and lust;  
Without the Lord, under God's curse and wrath,  
Liable to the first and second death:  
To plagues in this life, which were long to tell,  
And to the easeless, endless pains of Hell.  
Lord, what but Grace and Mercy could thee move  
Upon thy hateful Foes to set such love?  
To speak to them who harken not to thee,  
To follow them who from thy presence flee:  
To show thyself to them who shut their eyes  
On thee, and turn them unto vanities:  
To stretch thy arms to those which turn their back,  
And not their face to thee; and thus forsake  
The Spring of living waters, and in vain,  
Dig Cisterns, which no waters can contain.  
To love the loathsome lying in their blood,  
To overcome their evil with thy good.  
Of these who sought thee not, lo, thou art found:  
Where sin aboundeth, Grace doth more abound.  
O wonderful, that thy delights should be  
With Sons of Men from all Eternity!  
Since thou art Love, thy love must wondrous be,  
For all is wonderful that is in thee.  
Thy love, most High, doth far surpass in height  
The highest reach of Men or Angels sight:  
It's endless length no finite eye can see;  
For it is from and to Eternity.  
But O the depth past diving! Who can sound  
How low Love stoops? O lowliness profound!  
That the most High, who clothed is with light,  
To which none can approach, should from the height  
Of Glory, which doth Heaven of Heavens transcend,  
Unto the lower parts of Earth descend,  
To take up fallen Man; yea, to take on  
Frail Humane Nature: So that now the Son  
Of God is Man, the Word is Flesh; and thus  
Behold, God is become like one of us.  
In likeness of Man's sinful flesh God sent  
His own, His only Son, with this intent,  
That he for us an Offering should be,  
And bear our sins in's body on the Tree.  
All we like wand'ring sheep had gone astray,  
The Lord on him did our transgressions lay  
The blameless Lamb dies for the Sheep who stray,  
And did restore that he took not away.  
He who is blest, did bear the curse that we  
Who cursed are, in him might blessed be.  
He who knew no sin, was made sin for us,  
That we in him might be made righteous.  
The Prince of life did die, that so the dead  
In sins, might by his death be quickened.  
He taken was, and bound to set us free,  
He was condemned, that we absolved might be.  
He quietly did stripes and wounds endure,  
That by his stripes he all our wounds might cure.  
The trouble of his Soul, his Agony,  
Procured our Peace, and Soul's Tranquillity.  
His Soul was exceeding sorrowful,  
That we might joy, that our joy might be full.  
He was forsaken of his God, that we  
Unto God's presence might have access free.  
His blood was shed, Justice to satisfy,  
To purge away all our iniquity.  
His flesh is meat, his blood is drink indeed,  
On which poor hungry, thirsty souls may feed.  
He's God and Man, a Mediator meet,  
To make the Peace, and God, and Man unite.  
The fullness of the Godhead, bodily,  
Dwelleth in him, what then can wanting be?  
He's full of Grace and Truth, that empty we,  
May from his fullness have complete supply.  
To us a Child is born, a Son is given,  
To us he came, died, rose, and went to Heaven.  
He's all for us, all who obey his call,  
Shall find all in him, who fills all in all.  
In him is all that needy souls require,  
All their salvation, all their desire.   

Why stayest thou, O my soul? Canst thou refuse?  
What sayest thou? What pretendest thou for excuse?  
Thy call is clear; thou mayst, yea, thou must come,  
Thy Sovereign calls, God faithful is, by whom  
Thou called art unto Communion,  
And Fellowship with Jesus Christ his Son.  
The Son invites thee, spreading out his Hands,  
He shows himself, cries, knocks, and waiting stands:  
Ho, every one who thirsteth, come, he cries;  
Come, come; he double, triple multiplies:  
Come unto me, hear, and your soul shall live;  
Come, weary souls, I rest to you will give.  
The Spirit says, Come, whosoever will;  
Take living water freely, drink thy fill.  
Thus thou must love, or hate; come, or rebel:  
And all who hate Christ, love Death, Wrath, and Hell.  
All who despise his Love, revenging Wrath  
Shall them pursue unto Eternal Death.  
Thus thou hast heard his voice, now lift thine eyes,  
Behold him, who, Behold, behold me, cries.  
Behold the true God, who is over all,  
God blest for ever, consubstantial.  
With God the Father, God's own only Son,  
The Father's daily delectation.  
The brightness of the Father's Glory bright,  
His Person's express Image, light of light,  
Immanuel, that's plainly, God with us,  
God-Man, One Person Great and Gracious:  
The Lord of Lords, the Prince and King of Kings,  
The Sun of Righteousness, who in his wings  
Hath Healing; yea, hath Life; for he's the Light  
Of Life, who gives unto the blind their sight.  
The great Highpriest, who by the Eternal Spirit,  
Offered himself a Sacrifice complete.  
All in him lovely is, in him is all  
That lovely is, All Good we should him call.  
He's God, yet Man, and near of kin to us;  
Most High, yet lowly, Great, yet gracious.  
We sent not for him, yet behold he's come:  
Think who he is, who cometh, and to whom  
He had no need of nothings, who are less  
Than nothing: Fullness comes to emptiness.  
We made the breach, we sinned, yet his Grace  
Prevents us, seeks our love, entreats for peace.  
This Plot of Love the Gospel doth reveal;  
God was in Christ the world to reconcile  
Unto himself, and then a Ministry  
Of Reconciliation we do see  
Entrusted to his Messengers of Peace,  
To publish, and make Offers of his Grace.  
If we his Messengers slight and abuse,  
We God himself despise, slight and refuse.  
He who despiseth them, doth God contemn,  
Since God himself beseecheth us by them.   

Again, my Soul, consider thy estate,  
While thou from Christ continues separate:  
Lo, thou art blind, naked, miserable;  
Thou canst not help thyself, but Christ is able  
To help, and save, even to the uttermost,  
Those who are self-destroyed, dead and lost:  
His Name is Jesus: He did get that Name  
Which speaks salvation, because he came  
To save his people from their sins, and from  
The dreadful everlasting wrath to come.  
His Name is Christ, that is to say, anointed;  
For he to save is fitted and appointed.  
As it's his Office, so it is his Joy  
To save the lost, and Satan's works destroy.  
If thou art poor, wouldst thou do him a pleasure?  
Come with thy emptiness unto his Treasure,  
Where thou wilt find Riches unsearchable,  
Fine tried Gold, and Substance durable.  
Thy eyes are blind, come unto him; for he  
Hath Eyesalve, which doth make the blind to see.  
Art thou ashamed of thy vile nakedness?  
Here's fine white Raiment, perfect Righteousness.  
Thou art a Fool, of wisdom destitute,  
Like a wild Ass' Colt, a stupid Bruit.  
Lo he is wisdom, and is wisdom made  
Unto the foolish, who no wisdom had.  
Thou art by Nature darkness of the Night;  
He is that light which maketh darkness light.  
Thou errest and wanderest, going still astray,  
He is the truth, the leader, and the way;  
The way of life, the true new living way,  
By which unto the Holiest come we may;  
And by the blood of Jesus, which makes peace,  
With confidence may access have to Grace.  
The true, the faithful witness, the Amen,  
Is given for a leader unto men.  
A just Commander, and a gracious Guide,  
From strangers on the Earth he will not hid,  
But open up the Scripture, clear the Eye  
Of th' Understanding, Scripture-light to see.  
The light of truth he unto them doth show,  
That truth from error they may clearly know.  
He shows what's right, what's wrong, what's good, what's ill,  
For to inform the Mind, reform the Will.  
He takes them by the arms, learns them to go,  
And holds them, that they reel not to and fro.  
If thou art weak, thy help on him is laid,  
Who mighty is, in straits a present aid.  
Thou filthy art without, unclean within,  
He is a Fountain opened for sin.  
Thou art diseased, this Physician can  
Heal all Diseases incident to Man.  
This Man's the Peace in midst of Enemies,  
The heart's support under Infirmities:  
He is the Ark in midst of a Deluge,  
When wrath pursues a City of Refuge.  
If thou art dead, he's life; if lost, salvation;  
If comfortless, he's Israel's consolation.  
Jesus is All, by Jesus Name alone,  
To Men is given God's salvation.  
All they which are in him are justified,  
Regenerate, adopted, glorified.  
Come, come to him, and then thou shalt be free  
From condemnation, and accepted be,  
As Just, through his Obedience to the Death,  
Imputed to thee, and received by Faith.  
Thy sins and guilt shall never thee confound,  
Though they be sought for, they shall not be found.  
They are renewed who are in him that's true,  
Old things are past, and all things are made new.  
Christ lives in them, and Christ in them is found,  
And to his Image they are all conformed.  
They die to sin, they live to him who died,  
And rose, that they might be all sanctified.  
As many as receive him, who doth come  
To them, they all the Sons of God become:  
They have his Spirit, they have access free  
To Grace, and Abba, Father, they may cry:  
They by his Name are called, by him protected,  
Provided for, they're chast'ned and corrected;  
Yet not cast off; their Father's power and love  
Keeps-them to their inheritance above:  
They all are Heirs of life perpetual,  
Heirs and joint-heirs with Christ, the Heir of all.  
They persevere, and never fall away  
From Grace, in which they firmly stand for ay.  
For God's Foundation standeth ever sure;  
He knows his own, his love doth still endure.  
There's none, there's nothing whatsoever that  
Them from the love of Christ can separate.  
He will not leave them, he doth promise make,  
That he will not them leave, nor them forsake.  
They shall not leave the Lord, for in their heart  
He puts his fear, that they may not departed.  
None can them pluck away, they firmly stand,  
As holden in the Son's and Father's Hand.  
Christ's Intercession, which doth still prevail,  
Procureth, that their Faith shall never fail.  
They persevere in Grace, in Grace they grow;  
From Christ in them moe benefits do flow:  
Assurance of God's favour and his grace,  
In midst of trouble, inward rest and peace  
Of Conscience, the joy of God's salvation,  
Which makes them glory, even in tribulation.  
Their Souls at death are perfectly made free  
From sin to glory, pass immediately:  
Their bodies sleep in Christ, in whom they have  
Rest till the Resurrection in the grave.  
Then their vile body, so by Death deformed,  
Shall to Christ's glorious body be conformed,  
The Soul and Body being unite shall be  
For ever with the Lord, and clearly see  
His Glory in his Light; they shall see Light:  
There is no darkness there, there is no Night:  
Shadows are fled, the Lattess here below  
Did well, through which the Lord himself did show.  
But when the perfect day is come, and grace  
Is crowned with glory, they see face to face,  
Not in a glass, nothing doth intervene,  
To mar their sight, they see as they are seen,  
And known; there needs no Candle there,  
Nor Moon, nor Sun, these lights are darkness where  
God's Glory shines, and where the Lamb's the light:  
He fills the eye, and perfect makes the sight.  
In his own glory, they his glory see,  
And like him are, because they perfectly  
Behold him as he is: The Light Divine  
Inlightens them, that like the Sun they shine.  
They see his love, it's in their heart and eye,  
That he is God, their Soul doth taste and see;  
And in his love, the Spring of Life Divine,  
They Water drink that's better far than Wine  
Rivers of pleasures in upon them flow,  
And fill their Soul throughout, and overflow,  
Yet do not drown: These living waters give  
Eternal life to all who in them live.  
Their love is perfect, God's love makes abode  
In them, they dwell in love, and dwell in God.  
And then a whole Burnt-offering they prove,  
Wholly inflamed, but not consumed by love.  
They're free from sin, free from all that defiles,  
From all temptations, from all Satan's wiles;  
No spot remains, Holiness is perfect.  
Here they loved cleanness, there they wake in white.  
No trouble's there, dishonour, nor disgrace,  
But perfect Glory, Honour, Rest and Peace:  
There is no grief, nor aught that can annoy,  
Christ's Joys in them, they enter into Joy.  
No doubts perplex them, nor suspicious fear,  
For God's Name is in all their Foreheads clear.   

Come now to Christ, and then he unto whom  
Thou comest, will kindly thee invite to come  
Into his Kingdom; yea, he will thee own,  
As a joint-heir, and thee with Glory Crown.  
And (which doth pass all admiration)  
Thou shalt be fet with him upon his Throne.   

They who will not come now, must then be gone  
From Christ to Hell, and to destruction.  
For when the Lord, whom now they will not hear,  
Shall as great Judge at the great day appear.  
His words shall thunder terror through their heart,  
When they shall hear the dreadful Doom, Depart,  
Depart, ye cursed, to fire unquenchable,  
With Satan and his Angels execrable,  
Where there is endless weeping, fruitless tears,  
Gnashing of teeth through anguish, and where fears,  
Consuming terrors, horrors do abound,  
Shame and contempt eternally confound:  
There they who would not look to Christ the Light,  
Shall be for ever shut out from his sight.  
In utter darkness, in an endless night,  
Blackness of darkness shall them still affright.  
They who despise his love, shall drink his wrath,  
And streams of Brimstone kindled by his breath.  
The wine is wrath, the wrath of God without  
All Mixture, is unto them poured out  
Of Divine Indignation's dreadful Cup.  
They swallow wrath, and wrath them swallows up,  
With wrath and fury they are filled and drunk,  
And in a lake of fire and brimstone sunk:  
Their torments smoke ascendeth up for ever,  
They have no rest, their torment ceaseth never.   

Now life and death are set before thee, choose  
What thou wilt take, & what thou wilt refuse.  
Wilt thou, fool, turn eternal life to death?  
Wilt thou refuse God's favour, choose his wrath?  
And turn from Jesus Christ to go to Devils?  
Refuse all good, and choose all sorts of evils?  
Darkness prefer to light, wilt thou refuse  
Rivers of pleasures, streams of brimstone choose?  
If thou the God of Truth, Love, Mercy, Grace,  
Forsake, and lying vanities embrace,  
Thy conscience, the worm that doth not die,  
Shall torture thee to all eternity.   

Now tell me, Soul, what thy Objections are:  
Is it Christ's Yoke, Rod, Cross, that doth thee scare?  
His Yoke is easy, and his Burden light,  
His Laws not grievous, but the Soul's delight;  
All his Commandments are holy, just & good,  
And better far than thy appointed food.  
They sweeter than the Honeycomb shall prove;  
For all his Laws are summed up in love.  
The love of God, who is the chiefest good,  
And of our Neighbour, our own flesh and blood.  
To the in hatred is on Earth a Hell,  
But it's a Heaven on Earth in love to dwell.  
Shouldst thou not love the Lord with all thy heart,  
Who goodness is, and doth good impart?  
With all thy soul, since he's the God alone  
Which to the soul gives satisfaction?  
With all the mind? for he doth fill the mind,  
And cannot be by finite thoughts confined.  
With all thy strength? Thy Powers are not able  
Him to desire as he is desirable,  
Tho all thy soul to th' utmost thou extend,  
It cannot boundless goodness comprehend.   

Love sweetly joins the heart to God alone,  
And other gods before him will have none.  
It will have none on Earth or Heaven above,  
But God for its desire, delight and love.  
The Spouse disdains (this is love's holy pride)  
By Christ's companions to turn aside.  
To please the Lord love doth the soul dispose,  
And with his will in every thing to close.  
Love worship's God according to his mind,  
And loves to be within his will confined.  
Love fears his Jealousy, and stands in awe,  
To take aught from, or add aught to his Law.  
It casts all worship forged by man's will,  
And doth the sale of Idol-mongers spill.  
Love God; and then his glorious Name to thee  
As precious Ointment poured out will be.  
Strongly, yet sweetly Love will thee restrain  
From taking his most holy Name in vain.  
Love God, so Sabbath-days from morn till night,  
Shall be by thee accounted a delight.  
These Sabbaths of the Lord are holy blest,  
Love's tristing times, Feast-days, and days of Rest.  
Then the beloved blesseth Saints with grace  
And glory, than they see his lovely face.  
He entertaineth them in holy rest;  
Days in his Courts of all days are the best.  
From love to God neighbourly love doth flow,  
From this sweet root this pleasant plant doth grow.  
Since man was made in God's similitude,  
Since all men are of the same flesh and blood,  
It's for God's honour, and our own behoof,  
That we our Neighbour as ourselves should love.  
The light of Nature cries its righteous,  
To do as we would men to do to us.  
If thou thy neighbour love, thou wilt delight  
To keep him blameless, and to do him right.  
Love turns Superiors to Father's kind,  
And makes them of a condescending mind.  
Love bounds their wrath, moves to commiseration,  
Love tempers rigour, pleads for moderation.  
When Justice, matched with Mercy, sweetly reign,  
Then all of Justice, and of Mercy sing.  
Blessed is the land in which the law of love  
Doth rule in those below and those above.  
Love maketh Equals deal with one another,  
As every one were one another's brother.  
Where Love prevaileth in inferiors,  
It makes them kindly honour higher powers.  
Love envies not superiors higher place,  
But doth in God's Order still acquiesce.  
Love maketh Subjects patiented and mild,  
Like to a kindly tender hearted child,  
Who though injured with grief and shamefacedness,  
Conceals his Father's faults and nakedness.  
Love maketh man abhor man's blood to shed,  
●ince God hath man in his own Image made.  
To sinful Anger, Hatred, Envy, Spite,  
Malice, Revenge, Love is most opposite.  
Pure love destroys vile filthy lusts, and flies  
From Fornications and Adulteries.  
●t purifies the heart, and guards the eye,  
And will not wrong a Neighbour's chastity.  
He who is loving, seeks his Neighbour's wealth,  
And wrongeth none by Rapine or by stealth.  
Love is most tender of a Neighbour's Name,  
It thinks no evil, and will not defame;  
It loveth truth, and doth abhor all lies,  
False-witnessing, reproaches, calumnies.  
Love is contented well with its own lot,  
And what belongs to others covets not.  
It's opposite to the first inclinations,  
Which tend to ill, to sinful delectations.  
Since Love's the end, and sum of all the Law,  
It's pleasant in Love's easy yoke to draw,  
The Law of Love is holy, good and just;  
But Oh! the lawless Law of sin and lust,  
Like to a stinking humour spoils the taste  
Of Lust-sick men, that the sweet food distaste,  
To man's stiff Neck, which galling lust doth spoil,  
The Yoke seems hard, which softer is than Oil.  
Yea, no mere man is able since the Fall  
To keep these perfect Laws, but breaks them all:  
And every sin deserves God's curse and wrath  
Both in this present life and after death.  
Yet, O poor sinner, turn not desperate,  
Since with the Father there's an Advocate,  
Even Jesus Christ the Righteous who hath  
Fulfilled the Law, appeased revenging wrath.  
He hath the Law established, answered  
All that it did demand, or threatened.  
Justice hath found a Ransom in the Son,  
Full satisfaction for transgression.  
He under lay the curse, that he might free  
All from the curse who unto him do flee.  
Come unto him who is the Lord's salvation,  
And thou shalt not come into condemnation.  
For all sins of omission and commission  
Thou shalt receive a full and free remission.  
He will take off thy rags of filthiness,  
And  thee with white robes of righteousness.  
Was ever Traitor so perverfly mad,  
To slight a pardon when it might be had?  
To seek for cautioneis' poor debtors run:  
Wilt thou an able offered Surety shun?  
Art thou with sins too heavy burden pressed?  
Come, weary soul, and Christ shall give thee rest.  
Art thou for fought, and quite out of breath  
With the old man, that man of sin and death?  
Groan unto him, that he may pity thee:  
Say, I'm oppressed, Lord, undertake for me.  
He who cried out, O wretched man am I,  
Within a little sung of Victory.  
Cry, Help, Lord, sins prevail against me, do;  
Purge me, subdue them, and them quite undo.  
Since without him thou canst do nothing right,  
Be strong in him, in the power of his might.  
When thou comest up out of the wilderness,  
Lean upon him, lean on him all thy stress.  
Would thou have peace and comfort, come to Jesus:  
He is the peace, and he alone can ease us.  
By Faith receive him to dwell in thy heart:  
He will thy conscience purge, and ease its smart.  
Take him as offered in the Gospel-Call:  
With this great gift the Father giveth all.  
Stay wholly on him, rest on him alone  
For to accomplish thy salvation;  
To save thee from all sin and misery,  
And with all goodness thee to satisfy.  
Is not this work of Faith the heart's delight?  
Is not this labour ease? this burden light?  
A hungry thirsty man will never think,  
That it's a grievous work to eat and drink.  
It's easing to a man with loads oppressed,  
To be disburdened, and to find a rest.  
The wind tossed traveller is glad to find  
A hiding place, to hid him from the wind.  
And they whom a tempestuous storm doth beat,  
With pleasure to a covert make retreat.  
Tho thirsty, when in a dry place they see  
Rivers of waters, thither they will flee.  
If travellers see a great high Rock stand  
In a Sun burnt, and scorched weary land,  
Tho they be weary, yet they mend their pace,  
To find in its cool shadow some solace.  
The drowning man longs at the Rock to be,  
The chased man into a strength doth flee,  
Yet all these things, when they together twist,  
Are but mere shadows when compared with Christ.  
He is the Truth, true Light, true Life, true Food,  
A refuge from all ill: He's all that's good.  
To buy this Pearl all things are wisely sold;  
For it's a treasure that cannot be told.  
Riches unsearchable in Christ do meet:  
In this one Pearl all treasures are unite.  
Earth's Riches, upon which poor worldlings dote,  
Tho they appear to be, yet they are not:  
They are uncertain, yea, uncertainty,  
And certainly they will make wings and fly:  
They are but shadows when they seem to stay,  
And are found nothing when they flee away.  
These many things to nothing do amount,  
When in Death's shadow men cast the account.  
Oft-times in life these Riches take their wing;  
When death is come, they signify nothing,  
Except to vex the rich, they cannot free  
From death, nor him in death accompany.  
But here true wealth, riches unsearchable,  
Eternal riches, substance durable.  
With many things vex not thy heart or head,  
Since in one Pearl all good is treasured.  
Rest not in hear-say, come, himself behold,  
And thou shalt see much more than hath been told.  
Buy without price, or money, O! cheap rate,  
And calculate for our poor mean estate.  
Sure it's free grace which hath this match made,  
Where all things good may be for nothing had.  
Put to thy hand, fear not, thou mayst be bold,  
Since he himself commands thee to take hold.  
Since sweetness, better, by the taste than eye,  
Or ear is known, O come! and taste and see,  
How good the Lord is: eat that which is good,  
Fatness and Marrow, soul-delighting food.  
Drink wine that's well refined on the Lees,  
Drink poverty away and miseries.  
Be filled with the Spirit, do not fear,  
Lest thou exceed, there is no excess here:  
Drink, thirsty soul, and drink abundantly:  
He who drinks most, liveth most soberly.  
This drink doth not the sense and head confound,  
It clears the eyes, makes mind and judgement sound:  
It doth not pervert, but right the heart,  
And from all evil to all good convert.  
They reel not; for the Spirit doth them lead,  
They safely go, their paths are established.  
Their Mirth's not madness, it is solid, pure;  
Ends not in sadness, but doth still endure.  
They who are filled with the Spirit, rejoice,  
Make melody to God with heart and voice.  
They Psalms, and Hymns, and Spiritual Songs do sing,  
Give thanks to God, through Christ, in every thing.  
These Joys begin the perfect melody,  
Which is above; come, taste, and sing, and see.  
Ah carnal wretch, who knows no other Feasts,  
But such as common are to men with beasts:  
Who seeks no better meat, nor better drink,  
Than what corrupts, and turns to filth and stink.  
Thy belly is thy God, thy glory shame,  
Thy pleasure is the shadow of a dream,  
Which goes in coming, when it comes it goes,  
And leaves a filthy stain upon the soul;  
It leaves a sting for thy vexation  
And guilt, which binds to condemnation.  
Thy momentary mirth, thy pleasures vain,  
Brings on most real and eternal pain.  
Thy fill is emptiness, thy mirth is madness,  
The laughter of a fool that ends in sadness.  
Thy fleshly lusts, though they seem to delight,  
Against thy soul most fiercely they do fight.  
Their fond embraces are death's cruel grasps:  
Their seeming sweetness is the gall of Asps.  
The money's spent for that which is no bread,  
But is the bane whereby thou'rt poisoned.  
Thy labour's spent for vexing vanity,  
Which doth torment, but cannot satisfy.   

When wilt thou come unto thyself, and say,  
Ah! I am famished, I pine away  
With hunger; I am cheated, poisoned:  
I feed vile lusts, by them I'm murdered.  
I hear of bread indeed, and bread to spare,  
And of a Feast, where all things ready are.  
Since I am called, shall I not make haste,  
And run before I die? But Oh! the Feast,  
And the Feast-maker, are just at my hand,  
Before the door, though closed he doth stand.  
He knocks, and doth me lovingly invite:  
Since he's so near, alas! shall we not meet?  
If any man what ere he was before,  
My voice hear, and to me open the door,  
I will come in, and sup with; if he,  
Poor thing have nothing, he shall sup with me.  
These are his words, if I had ears to hear,  
Lord, open them, give me the hearing ear.  
Since, Lord, thou art so near, do not departed:  
Stand not without, ah! shall a door us part:  
Make the King's Keys, or since thou'rt not for breaking,  
Right the split lock, it is of thine own making.  
I have it split, it will not budge nor give  
For any thing that can be done by me.  
Lord, thou canst mend it, put thy hand within,  
Open my closed heart, thou knowst the gin:  
When David's Key in thy Almighty Hand,  
Doth open, none can shut, or thee withstand.  
Come in, O mighty one, and dispossess  
Satan and Lust, which do my soul oppress.  
Of thy own goodness, Lord, the Feast provide,  
Enlarge my heart, and my mouth open wide,  
And fill it; for both hunger and the fill  
Proceed from the good pleasure of thy will.  
Without thee I am nothing, nothing have,  
And nothing good can think, will, do, or crave,  
Unless thy Spirit help my infirmity,  
And grace perfect all that concerneth me.  
I cannot come, except that I drawn be:  
Draw me, O Lord, and I will come to thee  
O wretched sinner, cry for mercy, cry,  
When Christ, the Son of David, is so nigh.  
Blind Bartimeus heard that Christ passed by:  
He takes the tide, and doth for Mercy cry.  
Many did think his crying a disgrace,  
And charged him, that he should hold his peace.  
But he the more did lift his voice and cry,  
O Son of David, mercy have on me.  
Jesus stood still, he thought it not a shame  
To be thus called, but answered to his Name.  
The Beggar being called, made no stay,  
But in his haste, did cast his Cloak away.  
He seeks for sight, obtaineth his request:  
He came in faith, in love he follows Christ.  
Let nothing which Devils or Men can say,  
Scare thee; cast all impediments away.  
Since the great Master calls, make no delay,  
Turn a deaf ear to all, who him gainsay.  
Do as the woman of Canaan did,  
From whom Christ, though retired, could not be hid:  
She crieth out, Have mercy on me, Lord:  
Christ hears her cry, but answers not a word.  
And when he speaks, his words discourage more  
Than did the silence which he kept before:  
I am not sent but to Israel 's lost sheep,  
Says Christ: The woman will not dive so deep,  
To dispute his Commissions extent,  
To whom he was, to whom he was not sent;  
But kindly came, and humbly him adored,  
Pressed her suit, and cries out, Help me, O Lord.  
It is not meet to cast to dogs the bread,  
Says Christ, with which the children should be fed.  
She storms not at a Dog's disgraceful Name,  
But wifely makes advantage of the same:  
Since I'm a dog, saith she, for crumbs I plead:  
Give me some crumbs, Lord, of child's bread.  
Christ praised her great faith, and did fulfil  
All her desire, and gave her all her will.  
Tho Christ withdraw, seek him, he will appear:  
He hears thy cry when he seems not to hear.  
Tho he seem strange, unto him kindly come:  
Tho thou be called a dog, yet seek a crumb.  
If Satan say, thou art a reprobate,  
That by a dispute dark and intricate,  
Concerning secret things, and depths profound,  
He may affright thee, and thy mind confound.  
Listen not to a lying murdering cheat;  
Enter not with him on that great debate.  
Come on, Christ's call, effectual vocation,  
Will free thee from the fears of reprobation.  
All whom he draws, are called in effect,  
And were from all Eternity elect.   

But if thou say, I fear the bitter smart  
Of a repenting pricked, rend, broken heart,  
I must confess my sins with grief and tears,  
And watch against my lusts with careful fears.  
And thus my mirth is marred, and my gladness  
Is turned to grief and melancholy sadness.  
I answer that it is of God's free grace,  
That for repentance there is any place.  
Justice might say, go weep in Hell, and burn:  
It's grace that says, Sinner, repent and turn.  
The pricking of the heart lets out the sin,  
Which festers and destroys when kept within.  
It's for thy health, that thy hard heart be rend,  
That so thy vile imposthume may be vent.  
It's not a Foe's, but a Physician's wound:  
God breaks the heart to make it whole and sound.  
The Lord doth heal the broken in their heart,  
Their pain is gain, there's pleasure in the smart.  
There's peace and safety in their watchful fears;  
The Oil of Joy is mixed with Gospel-tears.  
The Lord is broken by our whorish heart:  
Should not our heart then break with grief and smart?  
When Christ was bound, our sins did make the bands,  
They were the Nails that pierced his feet and hands;  
They were the Thorns that tore and rend his head;  
They were the Spear that made his heart to bleed.  
The lashing Whips, the Fists that did him beat,  
They made his body weep a bloody sweat.  
His outward pains, the Agony within,  
His troubled soul, procured were by sin.  
Look on him whom thou pierced, Oh! look on still,  
That grief thy heart, and tears thine eyes may fill;  
That kindly thou mayst weep and mourn, like one  
Who mourneth for a first and only Son.  
Sin is against the Lord, breaks his laws;  
It mars his Image, and from God withdraws.  
Thy sin doth vex and grieve the holy Spirit:  
Should thou with grief for sin contrite.  
They shall find mercy, who confess and turn;  
Comfort is promised to these who mourn.  
The Oil of Joy the Lord for mourning gives,  
And he the humble contrite heart revives.  
If godly sorrow will not thee destroy,  
It tends to life, its tears are seeds of joy.  
Gospel-grief, which melts the heart aright,  
Is sweeter far than all the world's delight.  
And even godly grief, the sweeter than  
All the delights of all the sons of men,  
Who can the peace of God, who doth transcend,  
And pass all understanding, comprehend.  
Their Joy that's full of glory, who is able  
To express? for it is unexpressable.  
Christ calleth on thee, Sinner, to repent,  
And he exalted is for this intent,  
To give repentance and remission.  
Employ him to remove thy heart of stone.  
They who are turned from sin to God by grace,  
Find Wisdom's paths both pleasantness and peace.  
The Word, the Sacraments, Prayers, and Praise,  
Are lightsome, pleasant, and delightsome ways.  
Blessed is he who knows the joyful sound,  
And who can say, O Lord, thy words were found:  
I did them eat, and thy word was to me  
My heart's delight, and joyful melody,  
Admire the Lord's low condescendency,  
That he would speak and write to such as we,  
And write so plainly, that each hungry one,  
Tho simple, findeth food to live upon;  
And so sublimely, that the Learned might  
Not nauseate, but search, desire, delight;  
And in such useful, sweet variety,  
For to prevent loathing satiety.  
Here Histories of grace, and ancient things,  
Of persons good and great, of Saints and Kings,  
Examples rare of Faith and Self-denial,  
Of patience under the fiery Trial:  
Of hope when Sense spoke nothing but despair,  
Of Love, overcoming ill with good, O rare,  
Of Fortitude joined with a broken Spirit,  
Of warlike courage in a heart contrite,  
And wit to rule an Army and a Nation,  
With wisdom that made wise unto salvation.  
But O! the History of Histories,  
So full of Miracles and Mysteries;  
The Son of God his Incarnation,  
His coming with life and salvation.  
These good news are, and will be ever fresh,  
That God was manifested in the flesh,  
And dwelled with us; then on the Cross did die,  
Rose from the Grave, ascended up on high.  
Much may be seen of God in the Creation,  
But he's more clearly seen in man's salvation:  
For here appears God's wisdom manifold,  
His spotless Justice doth itself unfold,  
Suing the guiltless Surety till he died,  
Not quitting him till he had satisfied.  
Here Love shines bright, as in its proper place,  
Upon the Mercy-seat, the Throne of Grace.  
Lo, this is love, God who is Love, did give  
His Son to death, that Enemies might live:  
His own beloved, loving, lovely Son,  
Only begotten, with his Father one  
In Essence, one in Mind, and one in Will,  
who all his Father's Precepts did fulfil,  
Who holy, harmless, spotless was, yet he  
Got a command for the lost sheep to die:  
To die both in their stead, and for their good  
To wash away their sins with his own blood.  
Christ loved the Father, and he loved the sheep,  
And so took pleasure this command to keep.  
O matchless love! it passeth all degree;  
The Judge doth for the Malefactors die.  
It was his meat to do his Father's will,  
His work to finish, Righteousness fulfil:  
He went from place to place, still doing good,  
Healing the sick, giving the hungry food;  
Delivering from all maladies and evils,  
Relieving them who were oppressed with Devils.  
He was most meek, lowly in heart and mind,  
Most merciful, most affable and kind.  
Easie he was to be entreated, all  
Who called him, found him ready on a call.  
When called to a Marriage, he went,  
And made their water wine, when wine was spent:  
When called, he went with Publicans and Sinners,  
And even with Pharisees unto their Dinners.  
All who did come for good, got all they sought,  
And often better than they asked or thought.  
The man sick of the Palsy, laid before  
Christ on a bed, seeks health, Christ giveth more:  
He first forgiveth his Iniquity,  
Then cures his body of its malady.  
To teach the sick to seek more earnestly  
To be from sin, than from their sickness free.  
Christ sees a Widow following the Bier  
Of her dead only Son; he draweth near,  
And on the Widow hath compassion,  
Restores to her alive her only Son.  
Thus he prevents her expectation  
With unexpected consolation.  
His piercing eye is sharp to see, to see  
His Israel's affliction; his eye  
Affects his tender heart with feeling stounds,  
And all his bowels mercies, mercy's sounds.  
He quickly comes with all convenient speed,  
And helps and succours in the time of need,  
In Christ all persons of each rank and station,  
May see a pattern for their imitation.   

Church-Members, learn of him to countenance  
God's Servants, and each holy Ordinance.  
Jesus when eight days old was circumcised:  
He heard John preach, would be by him baptised.  
He loved Church-communion; for he  
When others were baptised, baptised would be  
He kept the Passover, and after that  
His own Supper he himself did eat.  
He sought and took each fit occasion  
For spiritual communication,  
And did from earthly things occasion take  
Of divine heavenly purposes to speak.  
Vile men things holy wrest to vile abuse,  
He sinful things drew to an holy use:  
He prayed with others, taught them what to say,  
And in what order they to God should pray.  
To pray that God's Name may be hallowed,  
His kingdom come, his will accomplished  
In Earth, as it's in Heaven; then he allows  
To seek for bread, not things superfluous;  
And to seek more for liberation  
From sin and snares, than from affliction.  
Our hearts, when we begin our prayers to raise  
To God in Heaven, and end them in praise.   

Pastors, from the great Pastor learn to preach,  
Who truth with all authority did teach.  
His words were right words, plain, and words of grace,  
Sweet, sharp, and suited to his hearers case.  
He smote proud Hypocrites with Thunder-darts:  
He poured the Oil of Joy in broken hearts,  
And as a Hen her brood under her wings  
Gathers, so would he gather wand'ring things:  
He called, and pressed his hearers to repent,  
And to believe on him whom God had sent.  
On fools, who to believe, of heart were slow,  
He with much patience did great pains bestow:  
In prayer he praised their knowledge, though but weak,  
And of their little Faith right much did make.  
He wept o'er those who from him turned away,  
And would not know, nor ponder in their day  
The things which did belong unto their peace,  
While they were visited with Gospel-grace.  
And by their slighting of Christ's Visitation,  
Brought on themselves ruin and desolation.   

To Christ let Children, Servants, Subjects look,  
How pleasantly he bore Subjections Yoke.  
To Joseph and his Mother due respect  
He gave, and did himself to them subject.  
He paid Tribute; he would not offend:  
And in his Doctrine he did recommend,  
To give to Caesar what to him belonged.  
He was most patiented when by Rulers wronged.  
He served Rulers, yea, he thought it meet  
To serve his servants, and to wash their feet.  
Let all whom the most High hath set above,  
Their Fellow-Creatures learn of Christ to love,  
And condescend to those of low degree.  
This lowly love adorns Authority.  
Meekness and Mercy, Lowliness in Christ,  
With Majesty and Justice well consist,  
Because of Truth, Meekness and Justice, he  
Rides prosperously in stately Majesty.  
He glorieth in goodness, mercy, grace,  
His kingdom stands in righteousness and peace,  
And Joy spiritual. O! happy they  
Who learn of Christ to rule, and to obey.  
Learn of Christ to suffer, and to die;  
He had his sufferings often in his eye,  
And to Jerusalem did set his face,  
Went foremost in a more than usual pace:  
Went to the Garden which his Foes did know,  
And when they came, himself to them did show.  
He did meet Death before his strength was lost,  
He cried loud when he gave up the Ghost.  
He from his Father's Hand the bitter Cup  
Received most pleasantly, and drank it up.  
Pure Nature hath a sinless aversation  
From wrath and death, and loves self-preservation:  
So that it cannot choose but fear and shrink,  
When sin-revenging wrath doth mix the drink.  
This Humane harmless will Christ giveth up  
Unto his Father's will, and drinks the Cup,  
Freely submits his inclination,  
And says, Lord, not my will, but thine be done.  
With fervent cries, and tender tears he pray'th,  
And multiplies the acts of Love and Faith.  
For my God, my God, Abba Father, prove  
The strength of Faith, and fervency of Love.  
When that the Sword through his pure Soul was thrust,  
He did his Spirit to his Father truft,  
And to the hand which did him bruise and smite,  
In Faith and Love he did his Spirit commit.  
And as his love was wonderful to men  
At all times, so it was most wondrous then,  
When sorrows filled, and did his soul surround,  
His kindness and compassion did abound.  
Tho he foresaw his torment and reproach,  
And saw the Prince of this World make approach,  
And found his soul with trouble so much pressed,  
That its grief could not be by words expressed,  
Yet none of these his loving heart diverts  
From comforting his sad Disciples hearts.  
Before the Passover, when Jesus saw  
His hour was come, and that he should withdraw  
From this world to the Father, having loved  
His own, t'ward the world he constant proved,  
Loved them unto the end. Since now he went  
To God, from whom he came, his love must vent.  
Like a kind Friend, who from his Friends must part,  
In his farewell pours out his loving heart.  
In words and deeds, and sufferings, O! how  
His love bursts out, and doth all bands o'erflow.  
He girds himself to be for service meet,  
He stands, stoops, washeses, wipes his servants feet,  
To teach them not to lord it, as above  
Their fellow-servants, but to serve in love.  
The Passover he did most hearty  
Desire to eat with them  he did die.  
The Paschal-Lamb slain, roasted which they eat,  
Meant Christ slain, scorched in Wrath's just burning heat.  
But Christ, Death, Pains, Agony, Sweat of blood,  
Loved as they were our life, ease, peace and food.  
He straitened was till all was finished,  
And his blood-baptism accomplished.  
Behold! again his love will represent  
His death our life, in a new Sacrament.  
Two feasts, one end; O rare! in such a night  
●n which he was betrayed, to take delight  
To act his own sad death once and again,  
A death in which blood, shame, and lingering pain:  
And which was worst of all, a Curse did meet,  
To make his terror every way complete.  
He ante-dates his death for their behoof,  
Turns his sad death in a sweet feast of love.  
He gives his broken body for their food,  
And for their drink he gives his precious blood.  
The Sword of Justice against him awoke,  
It struck him, broke him, he did bear the stroke.  
The Shepherd bore it, who God's equal is,  
That the poor little ones the stroke might miss.  
His body broken for them in their stead,  
Is life-procuring, and lifegiving bread.  
The Sword of Justice, the bloodthirsty blade  
Pursues; for blood rests not till blood be shed.  
The blood of beasts cannot God's wrath appease,  
Nor purge the Conscience, nor give it ease.  
Vile finite man could never satisfy  
For sin against God infinite, though he  
Should bleed for ever in this helpless case.  
Christ cometh in for his poor sheep's release.  
He saith, I come, I come; behold and see,  
As in the book it written is of me;  
A Body, Lord, thou hast for me prepared:  
Draw blood of me, and let the sheep be spared.  
I do delight even my heart's blood to shed  
For them, that their sin may be pardoned.  
Come all ye whom the fiery law doth charge  
With guilt and wrath, and who your hearts enlarge  
For righteousness, and who for pardon pant,  
Come, drink the blood of the new covenant.  
This drink will quench thy thirst, and scorching heat,  
Which guilt and wrath do in thy soul beget.  
Christ gives himself for food, to intimate,  
That he himself is ours, in us, and that  
He is one with us by a lively union,  
And that our life consisteth in communion  
With him, who gives us life, and growth, and strength,  
And perfects what concerneth us at length.  
This puts his loving kindness out of doubt,  
That he comes in, and will not stand without;  
And comes in, that he with his Friends may feast,  
And gives himself for food to every guest:  
He gives his flesh for bread, and to make up  
The feast, he pours his blood into the Cup.  
White others have but Bread and Wine for food,  
Believers eat Christ's Body, drink his Blood.  
He will not live without them, he doth give  
Life unto them, and Christ in them doth live.  
Yea, the life which they in the flesh do live,  
They live it as they on the Son believe.  
Behold again his Love, behold him die,  
Behold him leave his little ones a legacy,  
In a most sure, well ordered Testament,  
And gives it sealed by a Sacrament,  
This Testament containeth all that's good,  
All that is purchased by Jesus blood:  
It cannot changed be, it must endure;  
The great Testator's death doth make it sure  
He dies to ratify his latter Will,  
He lives Executor, it to fulfil:  
He gave himself for them, to them he gives  
Himself; for them he dies, for them he lives.  
Yet still here's more of love, the loving art.  
Is learned best from Christ's most loving heart:  
He leaves a token of his love most kind,  
To keep him: and his death still in their mind.  
A token which he will have to remain  
With them, until he come from Heaven again.  
He says, This is my body for you broken,  
Take this, as of my love a sign and token:  
Take, eat, and when this braken bread you see,  
And take and eat it, then remember me.  
And drink this Cup, and drink ye of it all:  
As often as this Bread and Cup ye shall  
Eat and drink, ye show forth, and do record  
The bloody breaking death of Christ the Lord.  
Since these Love tokens are most excellent,  
Which do to us most clearly represent  
An absent friend, to show what he hath done  
For us, what hardships for us undergone:  
And those most charming and endearing prove,  
Which represent his loveliness and love.  
This Sacrament is an illustrious  
Symbol of love, presenting Christ to us,  
As broken, bleeding, dying in our stead,  
Broken, that he might unto us be bread;  
Bleeding, that he might us with drink relieve,  
And dying, that we by his death might live.   

His Farewell Sermon, registered by John,  
Is full of love and consolation,  
Where you will find most kindly compellations,  
Comforting Truths, strengthening Exhortations,  
And promises most great and precious,  
Most fit for them, most sweet and gracious.  
His Sermon sweet, in a sweet Prayer ends,  
Where he them to his Father recommends;  
And prays for all that should believe upon  
His Name, through the Word, that ye might be one,  
As thou (says he) O Father, art in me,  
And I in thee, they one in us may be.  
I will that they whom thou hast given me,  
Be with me, that they may my Glory see.  
I have declared unto them thy Name,  
And will continue to declare the same,  
That the love wherewith thou hast loved me,  
May be in them, and I in them might be.  
Himself, his Glory, and his Father's love  
To him, he gives to them; and this doth prove,  
He will no good deny, but all impart  
Unto his Spouse, who ravisheth his heart.  
For her his hands, feet, side, and heart did bleed:  
These streams did from the Spring of Love proceed.  
His bleeding hands, feet, side, and heart, do prove,  
That our Lord Jesus Christ did die for love.  
In suffering, he acted, finished  
His work, his Father's will accomplished;  
Paid the price, Justice to satisfy,  
His Prisoners to ransom and set free.  
And when he ignominiously did die,  
His Foes he vanquished most gloriously.  
Heroic Facts, which Histories record,  
Are nothing to the acts of Christ the Lord,  
Who the Red Dragons, the old Serpent's head  
Bruised, and all Hell's Powers vanquished;  
Destroyed Death, and took away its sting,  
And rendered it, though grim, a harmless thing;  
O'ercome the world, and made an end of sin,  
And everlasting righteousness brought in.  
To God he Glory gave, to Earth brought Peace,  
And towards worthless men good will and grace.  
The feigned Loves which are in forged Romances,  
Tho they be strained, are dull and cloudy Fancies,  
And nothing to his matchless wondrous love,  
Which is all finite minds and thoughts above,  
The Spirit did the Gospel oft indite,  
And moved four Evangelists to write,  
That we might often read, and hear, and see  
Of godliness the true great mystery;  
That in beholding we might be transformed  
Into Christ's Image, and to him conformed.   

If thou take pleasure to read Prophecies,  
Again into the Scripture turn thine eyes,  
Where thou wilt find, that in the days of old  
Things future were long  they came foretold,  
The Promises of Christ are there most clear,  
And were fulfilled when he did appear.  
They who had eyes to see, could not mistake  
Him, of whom Moses and the Prophets spoke.  
All circumstances here did meet and twift,  
What they foretold fulfilled was in Christ.  
The Promises so great and precious  
Assures us, that the Lord is gracious.  
His Word and Oath, which ever do endure,  
Do make his mercies to his people sure.   

May worthless I these Promises embrace?  
Thou mayst, for they are Promises of Grace.  
If thou be miserable and impure,  
They promise cleansing, they are mercies sure.  
As cleansing purgeth from impurity,  
So mercy pities, saves from misery.  
If thou do thirst and hunger after all  
The Promises, thine own thou mayst them call.  
The needy soul that longs for righteousness,  
May claim the Promise, fullness blessedness.  
Since Christ hath blest the hungry thirsty foul,  
Such sure are blest, none can his Word control.  
Once close with Christ, all Promises are then  
Thine; for in him they are, Yea and Amen.  
If thou embrace all his Commands aright,  
Thou mayst in all his Promises delight.   

Would you read laws, in Scripture you may see  
The laws of God most holy and most high,  
Whose Will's the rule of all holiness,  
Of love and mercy, and of righteousness.  
These pure commands light to the eyes impart:  
They're right and good, and do rejoice the heart.  
Receive them in thy mind, since they are light:  
And since they're good, make them thy heart's delight.  
Great peace have they, O Lord, thy law that love  
Nothing to them a stumbling-block shall prove.   

Would you read Proverbs, much sense in few words,  
The Scripture Proverbs plenteously affords.  
In Scripture rare Epistles you will find,  
Where to his Friends Christ writes his heart and mind:  
And as their case requires, so he in love  
Sometimes commends, and sometimes doth reprove.   

Would you read news, here's news both great and true,  
Good tidings of great Joy, and ever new,  
That God was manifest in humane flesh,  
Will be for ever wondrous news and fresh.  
He is the same to day, and yesterday,  
And is the same for ever and for aye.  
His love's the same, it never waxeth old,  
His blood's still fresh, his virtue grows not cold,  
He's white and ruddy still, his beauty rare  
Doth never fade, no age can it impair;  
His locks are black, no grey hairs there are seen,  
His Marriage bed continues ever green.  
All earthly things do languish and decay;  
The fashion of the world doth pass away.  
These things are nothing else but shadows fleeing,  
Which seem to be, and have no solid being:  
But Christ is truth, and new creatures true,  
Old things are past, lo all things here are new.  
These things fade not with time, they grow not frail,  
They are eternal and shall never fail.  
New creatures wax not old, they never die;  
Newness of life lasts to eternity.  
New are their hearts, their spirits, minds and sense,  
Their acts are acts of new obedience;  
Their way is new, as light it shines always,  
Still more and more unto the perfect day.  
These creatures new have a new secret name,  
And a new City, New Jerusalem;  
A new Heaven and new Earth, which far excel  
This World; for there all righteousness doth dwell.  
New various fruits they gather from the tree  
Of Life, and drink new wine perpetually;  
Eternal draughts of Light, Love and Joy,  
While God himself they fully do enjoy.  
Ah Fools! who seek for needless Novelties,  
To feed fantastic Curiosities,  
Of precious time so prodigally lost,  
Your brave new nothings will not quit the cost.  
Search for the new things that are great and true,  
And of this labour thou shalt never rue.  
These news thy soul to wondering will raise,  
And yield sweet matter of new Songs of praise.   

Art thou disposed to sing? apply thine ear,  
In scripture thou a joyful sound shalt hear  
Of Psalms, and Hymns, and Songs Spiritual,  
Which make a melody celestial.  
No Poet now can such Composures writ;  
For the great Maker did these Songs indite:  
They came from Heaven, and by a heavenly strain,  
They lift the soul from Earth to Heaven again.  
There are high Songs made touching the great King,  
Who hath pre-eminence in every thing:  
There are most stately Songs of acts divine,  
Sweet Songs of Love, which better are than wine.  
Here mournful Songs, and Songs of joy and gladness,  
And here are Songs composed of mirth and sadness.  
The Psalm gins sometimes with sighs and tears,  
And sad complaints of dangers and of fears;  
But while the Psalmist sings, the grief and fray  
Vanish, and are sweetly sung away.  
These finger's travel much aloft, to raise  
Their hearts and tongues to highest Notes of praise:  
They call for help, invite the creatures all  
In Earth, Seas, Air, the Hosts celestial.  
But all the praise that creatures can afford,  
Is far below the praise due to the Lord.  
This rent will never fully paid be,  
Through all the Ages of Eternity:  
But they who ever praise, are ever blest,  
In restless praise there is eternal rest.   

Unto the word the Lord subjoined hath  
The Sacraments, for to confirm our Faith,  
That as we hear, so we may clearly see  
Christ and his Grace presented to our eye.  
In Baptism, behold, Christ doth apply  
His Blood and Spirit us to purify,  
To purge away our guilt and filthiness,  
To give us holiness and righteousness.  
Be pure and clean, and of a holy frame,  
Since thou wast washed in God's holy Name.  
Unto the holy One, the holy Three,  
Thou offered waste, shouldst thou not holy be?  
Think never shame holiness to avow,  
Glory to stand to thy Baptismal Vow.  
Abhor the filthy lusts of Swinish Hogs,  
Disdain to cast what's holy unto Dogs:  
Watch, fight against all worldly lusts and evils,  
Resist unclean, lying and murdering Devils:  
Be strong in God, and in his power of might,  
The War is holy, and the Cause is right:  
Put on God's armour, stand, stand, do not flee,  
Upon the Captain always fix thine eye.  
He is the Captain of Salvation,  
Cleave unto him, and thou shalt surely win;  
For he hath given to all thy Foes the foil,  
Come after him, and gather up the spoil:  
He will thee feast in midst of all thy fight,  
Cover thy Table in thine Enemy's sight.  
A Banquet in the fight expect thou may,  
Since Christ Love's Banner doth o'er thee display.  
O! let it not be ever said of thee,  
That from Christ's Colours thou away did flee.  
Christ and his fullness in the union-feast,  
We may both hear, and see, smell, touch, and taste.  
By these same ports were Satan, Death, and Sin,  
Entered, Christ, Life and Righteousness, come in.  
Adam did hear, take, smell, touch, taste t●● fruit,  
And was transformed to a vile mortal Brute.  
He is the Living, the Lifegiving Bread,  
Here is the meat indeed the drink indeed,  
Under the shadow of this true Apple tree,  
Sat down, it's Fruit to thy taste sweet shall be.  
This tree of life, this true and noble Vine  
Yields Grapes, which bleed true life, a life divine.  
Christ would be broken, that he might be bread,  
And that the dead might live, he would be dead.  
He would bleed out his life, that we might drink  
Life in his blood, remember him, and think  
Still of his Death, and in his Temple still  
Think of his Love, and of his latter Will.  
Thou who art willing Christ himself to take,  
And all his fullness, no more scruples make;  
For as the bread thou eatest, and as the wine  
Thou drinkest, belongs to thee, so Christ is thine.  
As food the empty body satiates,  
And life and strength recruits and recreates;  
So Christ to souls doth full contentment give:  
He is their strength and life, by which they live.  
If he dwell in thee, thou shalt filled be  
With all God's fullness most abundantly,  
And thou shalt live, not thou, but rather he,  
Who is a quickening Spirit, shall live in thee.  
Faint not when to great works thou hast a call;  
In Christ, who strengthens thee, thou mayst do all.  
Thou wilt him find life giving, strengthening food,  
The living Spring of all that's truly good.  
Prepare thyself for this great holy Feast,  
The King himself observeth every guest:  
He who had not his Wedding-garment on,  
Incurred the Sentence of Damnation.  
If thou come thither as to common food,  
Thou wilt draw on the guilt of Jesu's blood.  
Come with repentance, mourn when thou dost see  
The Lord, whom thou by sin didst crucify.  
Come hungering, thirsting for this holy Feast,  
The hungering soul shall be with goodness blest:  
Come meek and lowly to Christ crucified,  
The meek shall eat, and shall be satisfied:  
Christ dwells with those who are of humble Spirit,  
And doth revive the heart of the contrite.  
Thou must have Faith, that Christ himself thou may  
Eat Spiritually, not in a carnal way.  
Purge out the leaven of hypocrisy,  
And eat this feast with heart-sincerity:  
Purge malice out, Division detaste,  
This is a Love, and a Communion-feast.  
Forgive the sins of others hearty,  
As God, for Christ's sake, hath forgiven thee.   

If wants discourage, guilt stare in thy face,  
Then judge thyself, beg mercy, seek for grace.  
If thou seek Jesus, fear not, do not stay,  
He hath all that thou want'st, haste, come away:  
Come to the blood of sprinkling with thy sin,  
The Fountain's open, wash thyself therein.  
As it's of grace that the most glorious Lord  
Speaks unto us, and seals his faithful Word  
By Sacraments; so it is of his grace,  
That we may speak to him in every place:  
Yea, he most graciously of us requires,  
That we in every thing make our desires  
Known t' him by prayer and supplication,  
That we may freed be of all vexation,  
And that we may to our comfort find,  
The peace of God guarding our heart and mind.  
Offer thy hearts desires unto the Lord,  
For things agreeable unto his Word:  
Pray in the Spirit, who helps up every groan,  
And sigh and suit, we cannot pray alone:  
Pray in Christ's Name, if access thou wouldst have  
To grace, and answers of thy suit receive.  
This is the new and living way, the gate  
Of life, that leadeth to the Mercy-seat.  
All those for whom Christ doth interceded,  
Mercy and grace, find in the time of need.  
Be humble, fervent, pray in love and faith:  
Life up pure hands without doubting and wrath:  
Confess thy sins with sorrow and with shame:  
For mercies praise the Lord's most holy Name:  
And pray that God's Name may be hallowed,  
Before thou comest to seek for daily bread.  
If answers come not soon, wait, knock again,  
He hath not said, Seek ye my face in vain.  
Seek, ask, knock, wait with expectation,  
Thou shalt rejoice in God's salvation.  
The very pouring out of a sad heart  
Before the Lord, will somewhat ease its smart.  
He heareth prayer, and he loves to hear  
His Doves, his Turtles voice; he bows his ear.  
All their desires, groans, breathe, chatterings,  
Are pleasant music to the King of Kings:  
These broken Notes he joins in pleasant sets  
Of Music, and their moaning words repeats:  
He hears Ephraim, while he doth bemoan  
Himself; he telleth every word and groan:  
His bowels move, he hath compassion  
Upon his pleasant child, and his dear Son.  
Is it not meet that since the Lord takes pleasure  
To hear, and to repeat thy suits takes leisure,  
That thou with pleasure shouldst persist to cry,  
And wait his leisure till he do reply?  
Sometimes he answers Prayers  they are done;  
Sometimes he answers  they be begun:  
For he regardeth our necessity,  
And answereth our need before we cry:  
And sometimes humble, patiented expectation  
Is a most needful part of supplication.  
That man is indiscreet who is offended,  
That he's not answered ere his suit be ended.  
The needy he will not forget always:  
The poor man's hope shall not be lost for ay.  
Think it not then a weariness to pray,  
To come by this new, true and living way,  
With boldness by the Blood of Jesus Christ,  
The Son of God, the merciful Highpriest,  
Who doth for ever live to interceded  
For sinners sensible of sin and need;  
And takes those who come to him by the hand,  
And brings them into grace, wherein they stand,  
Into the holiest, the Mercy-seat,  
That from the God of Grace they Grace may get;  
Pardons of sins, cures of all maladies,  
And for all wants full suitable supplies;  
Light, Life, Strength, Grace to do and persevere,  
When they are tempt with pleasure or with fear:  
Yea, more than they can ask, or think upon,  
Grace, Grace, sure mercies, God's salvation.  
Are not then all God's Ordinances sweet,  
Since in them he doth with his people meet?  
Himself, his Mind, his Grace he doth impart  
To them, and they pour out to him their heart.  
Blessed are they the joyful sound who hear,  
And to God's Word apply their heart and ear.  
It's Spirit and Life; it light in darkness gives,  
And when they faint and fear, it them relieves.  
O! blessed are they who are washed in  
The Fountain opened for faults and sin:  
These Waters cleanse, heal, quicken, and make grow  
All things, where they do come and overflow.  
And happy are they who by Christ, the King,  
Are brought into the house of banqueting:  
And happy they who by his Spirit are led  
Unto his house of Prayer, and there made glad.  
If this begun-communion be so sweet,  
What will it be when it's in Heaven complete?   

As for Christ's Rod and Cross, though they appear  
So sharp and sad, yet follow, do not fear:  
That he himself doth humble to reprove,  
And chasten thee, it's condescending love:  
For if thou wert without correction,  
Thou wouldst a Bastard be, and not a Son.  
It's better to endure Paternal Ire,  
Than bear the vengeance of eternal fire.  
If thou receive the rod with spirit mild,  
Thou mayst be sure God treats thee as a child.  
Why shouldst thou his chastising hand suspect,  
Since for thy profit he doth thee correct,  
That we may partake of his holiness,  
And may bring forth the fruits of righteousness?  
His fire will not consume thee, but thy sin:  
It purgeth out thy filthy dross and tin.  
These Thorns are kindly sharp, which hedge the way,  
That thou mayst not thy lovers find, but say,  
I will to my first husband go; I know  
That it was better than with me than now.  
He is to anger slow, he stirs not all  
His wrath, he quickly lets the quarrel fall:  
He spares even when he strikes, debates in measure,  
Waits to be gracious, gives space and leisure  
To those whom he chastiseth to repent,  
Speaks to their heart, to move it to relent:  
Despise not the Almighty's chastisement,  
And when he thee rebuketh, do not faint:  
Humble thyself under his mighty hand,  
Obey his will, it's madness to withstand.  
Turn to his hand that smites, and kiss the rod:  
And it is meet that thus thou say to God,  
I have chastisement born, I'll not offend:  
Have mercy, give me Grace my faults to mend:  
What I see not, Lord, teach me, that I may  
Know secret sins, and no more go astray.  
Blessed is the man who is of God chastised,  
And from his Law thus taught and exercised.  
Sin brings down rods, rods bring forth fruits of peace,  
Christ turns the fruits of sin to means of grace:  
God's sovereign Grace makes changes strange of things:  
It life from death, sweet from bitter brings;  
Peace out of trouble, out of darkness light;  
Out of the Eater meet, from grief delight.  
What of itself did to destruction tend,  
Grace makes it in salvation to end.   

As for Christ's Cross, be not at it offended;  
For it can never be enough commended:  
O! it's a holy, pleasant, stately thing,  
To be conformed to him in suffering.  
Remember oft his oft repeated word,  
The Servant is not greater than his Lord:  
It is enough, and very fair that he  
Who's a Disciple, as his Master be.  
Is thy condition mean? canst thou not find  
Accommodation unto thy mind?  
Hast thou no harboury, no house, nor hold,  
To shelter thee from storms? look and behold,  
The First-begotten to the world brought in,  
In an Outhouse, and not into the Inn.  
He, unto whom the Angels worship paid,  
Is in a Manger, not a Cradle laid.  
Foxes have holes, and each fowl hath its nest,  
Christ had not whereupon his head to rest.  
Want'st thou wherewith to buy thy daily bread?  
Some of their substance to him ministered.  
Or art thou from thy Native Soil exiled?  
Christ driven was to Egypt when a child.  
Art thou reproached? Vile iniquities  
Were cast on him, calumnies and lies;  
Vile drunkenness, sensual gluttony,  
Collusion with Devils, blasphemy,  
Madness, deceit, and friendliness to vice,  
And all that crafty malice could devise,  
Was charged on him, whom they proclaimed abroad,  
An Enemy to Caesar and to God.  
Do Friends turn Foes, or do they faint and flee  
From thee in straits? to Jesus turn thine eye:  
His own Disciples did leave him alone:  
They to their own were scattered and gone:  
He was by Judas traitorously betrayed,  
By Peter thrice most shamefully denied.  
Art thou a Prisoner, and hardly used,  
Pursued to death, and scornfully abused?  
Christ as a Thief, was apprehended, bound,  
As a mock-King in purple clothed, and crowned  
With pricking Thorns, a Reed put in his hand,  
As a mock-Scepter; then they do command,  
That he hoodwinked, should tell who did him smite.  
To show at him as Prophet, their despite,  
They spit on him, and scourge him cruelly,  
And lead him out upon a Cross to die  
A lingering, shameful, painful, cursed death,  
On which he bore our sins and divine wrath.  
These were the weights that did his soul distress:  
His sweat was blood, when bruised in this press.  
The Cross, as Christ hath left it, we may say  
Is light, Christ took its greatest weight away:  
He wrath, the bitterness of death drunk up,  
And left no vengeance in his people's cup:  
For wrath and death, he love and life puts in,  
Which Marab's waters make more sweet than wine.   

Take up his burden, it is light and meet,  
And drink his cup, it healthful is and sweet.  
To bear about the dying of sweet-Jesus  
Will not us kill, but quicken, strengthen, ease us.  
They're highly honoured who suffer shame  
For Jesus sake, and for his glorious Name:  
Reproach for Christ, is Riches much more great  
Than Egypt's Pleasures, Treasures, Honours, State:  
Shame for him honour is, and loss is gain:  
In death for him is life, and ease in pain.  
When all day long they're killed for his sake,  
Like sheep for slaughter, burned at a stake  
They Conquerors, and more than Conquerors prove,  
Through him who them eternally doth love.  
Turn thine eyes from the dark side of the Cross,  
On which appears dishonour, pain and loss,  
And turn upon the lightsome side thine eye,  
Where pleasure, gain and glory thou mayst see.  
Christ's own Example will us best direct,  
How of the Cross to take a right prospect.  
The Son of man is glorified, he said,  
And God in him is also glorified.  
If God in him thus glorified be,  
God shall in him himself strait glorify.  
He Glory saw in being crucified,  
He saw God by his suffering glorified:  
He saw the heavenly glory to ensue:  
Keep still this Triple Glory in thy view.  
Sigh not then at the Cross, as sad and sorry,  
But shout in triumph, Glory, glory, glory.  
Live to God's Glory, for his Glory die,  
It is thy Glory God to glorify.  
If by thy death God glorified be,  
Thou shalt in Glory live eternally.  
They who with Christ do suffer, with him reign,  
And bearing palms, eternal triumph sing.  
If for the Name of Christ reproached thou be,  
The Spirit of God and Glory rests on thee.  
These momentary crosses which are light,  
Work endless Glory of exceeding weight.  
Yet go not from thy way to seek a cross,  
Fellow thy calling, to God's way keep close:  
That Cross which thy wise Lord for thee thinks meet,  
Is in thy way, in the great King's High-street:  
That thou must take it up, or else go wrong,  
Meddling in what doth not to thee belong.  
If in thy sufferings thou wouldst have delight,  
See that thy call be clear, the cause be right:  
Take up thy Cross in Christ's Name, and his strength,  
That of thy race thou mayst run all the length.  
Pray to be strengthened by his glorious might,  
To suffer with all patience and delight.  
Tho thou wert burned, yet if thou hast not  
Love, burning will not profit thee a Jot.  
Unto thy hungry Enemy give food:  
Love those who hate thee, vanquish ill with good:  
And pray that those who do impoverish thee,  
With the true riches may enriched be:  
That they who cause thee wander far abroad,  
May from their wandering be reclaimed to God.  
Those who from Earth pursue thee till thou die,  
Endeavour to draw them to Heaven with thee.  
Our blessed Lord, when hanging on the tree,  
Prayed for those who did him crucify:  
He to his Father for their pardon prayed,  
And did say for them all that could be said.  
How far was Stephen from leaving of his death  
On those who stoned him, witness his last breath:  
He kneeled, and cried, this sin, Lord, do not lay  
To their charge: Thus in love he slept away.  
O lovely blessed sleep! O sure 'twill be  
A heavenly thing in love to live and die.  
Love is the way to Heaven, love is the flame  
In which the soul surmounts the starry frame.  
This is the work and life of Saints above,  
To love, and loved be; for God is love:  
He's light and love, he freely doth impart  
Light to the mind, and goodness to the heart.  
With his resplendent Glory fill thine eye,  
And in his goodness place thou all thy Joy.  
Come see and taste, Come, come, and taste and see,  
With goodness fill thy heart, with light thine eye.  
The Father, Son and Spirit, Persons three,  
Who are in Essence one, do call on thee  
To come from dolesome darkness unto light,  
From ill to good, from sorrow to delight;  
From death to life, from guilt to righteousness;  
From the vile filth of sin to holiness;  
From want to fullness; from weights which thee load,  
To rest and ease; from Satan unto God;  
From Hell to Heaven, from lusts base drudgery,  
To that high service, God to glorify.  
Not that we can unto his Glory add;  
For it is boundless. He hath ever had,  
And hath, and shall have to Eternity  
Perfection infinite, but that poor we,  
With mind, heart, mouth, acknowledge and confess  
His glory, as he doth it express  
In all his Works, and in his holy Word,  
And in the face of Jesus Christ our Lord:  
And that in eating, drinking, in each thing  
We do, God's Glory we may still design.  
But surely it is wonderfully sweet  
To see God's Glory and man's good unite.  
In these same acts by which they glorify  
The Lord, they do enjoy his company:  
And these same acts which do unite the soul  
Unto the Lord, his Glory do extol:  
By acting Faith, and hoping in his Word,  
They praise the Grace, Truth, Power of the Lord:  
By acting Faith, they in their heart receive  
The Lord to dwell in them, great peace they have:  
Whose mind and heart upon the Lord is stayed,  
Of evil tidings they are not afraid:  
When they themselves most quietly do hid  
Under the shade of his wings, and abide  
In the most secret place of the most high,  
What harm of evil can to them come nigh?  
Munition of Rocks doth them secure;  
Their bread and water are to them made sure:  
God with broad Rivers them surrounds, that so  
No Ship nor Galley can against them go.  
Since in them God is Glory, and a wall  
Of sire about them, surely they have all,  
Glory within their mind and heart to fill,  
A fire without, to guard them from all ill.  
How can they but be safe, who have salvation,  
For Walls and Bulwarks, for their preservation.  
The more they trust, the more they glorify  
God, and his wondrous loving kindness see,  
Which he to them hath greatly magnified  
Within a city that is fortified.  
No outward force disturbeth their solace,  
When they thus guarded, see and taste his grace.  
Love doth at once the Lord himself embrace,  
And glorifies his goodness, love and grace,  
While we above all things the Lord do love,  
We in our heart set him all things above,  
While we desire him, and do in him joy,  
We move to him, and God himself enjoy:  
Yea, every act whereby we glorify  
The Lord, in it we do the Lord draw nigh,  
And God to us. Thus are his servants blest:  
For all their service is their interest.  
Christ from himself servants sent not away,  
His word is come, follow me, with me stay:  
If any serve me, let him follow me,  
And where I am, there shall my servant be.  
Since Christ is foremost, sure the way is right:  
Since he's the way, the Leader, and the Light,  
The way is safe, take courage, talk no more  
Of fear and danger, since God is before:  
The way is pleasant, it's a sight most sweet,  
To see the steps of Jesus lovely feet;  
And to walk in them, in them to walk on,  
Since our forerunner in these paths hath gone:  
Tho he be gone before, yet he is near,  
He's on the front, and also on the rear;  
And still on thy right hand thee to uphold:  
Yea, in thy heart, to make thee humbly bold.  
As he walks in them, this of them is craved,  
That they walk in him, as they him received.  
It is his promise to be with them still:  
That they be still with him, is his good will.  
Thus all the service he to them commends,  
To Glory, Union, and Communion tends:  
Their Master's Service is their interest,  
In glorifying God they're truly blest:  
This is thy chief end God to glorify,  
And to enjoy him to eternity.  
Come to the Mediator Jesus Christ,  
In him alone the Lord with man's well-pleased.  
Come unto God by him, though thou beest lost,  
He will thee save unto the uttermost.  
Come, take himself, and take his fullness all;  
Deny thyself, follow upon his call.  
Fellow him fully, follow him with delight;  
His yoke is easy, and his burden light:  
His holy Ordinances are most sweet,  
His Rod is needful, and his Cross is meet:  
All service he requires, is reasonable,  
All Rods and Crosses needful, seasonaable:  
It's only for a time, if need there be,  
That trials come in great variety:  
And though they sadning be, yet they are blest,  
And tend to Holiness, Praise, Glory, Rest.  
Come, come, thy service all, all thy distress,  
Is for God's Glory, and thy Happiness.  
Now since by God, the Father, and the Spirit,  
Thou art from sin and torments infinite,  
Called to come, through Christ, the living way,  
To Fellowship with God, which lasts for aye;  
Behold, by whom, from what, through whom, to whom  
Thou called art, all calls on thee to come:  
The Spirit and the Bride say, Come; let all who hear,  
Say, Come; and let them come, who thirsty are:  
Here is Life's Fountain, whosoever will,  
Of living water freely take thy fill.  
That all who hear, may come, Lord, draw, that we  
May come, and run, and follow after thee.  
Come with thy Grace and Glory speedily:  
Lord Jesus, come. Amen. So let it be.   
FINIS.   

Twenty Five CONSIDERATIONS OF THE PAINS prepared for SIN After this Life.  
WITH A SERMON Preached on Acts VII. 60.  
I heard a voice from Heaven, saying unto me, Writ, From henceforth, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord, even so saith the Spirit; for they rest from their labours, and their works follow them,  Rev. 14.13. 
LONDON: Printed for Richard Butler, in White-Lion-Court, in Barbican. 1688.   

Twenty Five CONSIDERATIONS OF THE PAINS prepared for SIN After this Life.  
I. AMongst all the means which God useth towards the Children of Men, to move them to this Resolution, whereof I treat, the strongest and most forcible (to the common sort of men) is the consideration of Punishments prepared by him for rebellious sinners, and transgressors of his Commandments. Wherefore he useth this Consideration often, as may appear by all the Prophets, who do nothing else almost but threaten plagues and destruction to Offenders: And this means hath often times prevailed more than any others, that could be used, by reason of the Natural Love which we bear towards ourselves; and consequently the Natural Fears we have of our own danger. So we read, that nothing could move the Ninevites so much as the foretelling them of their imminent destruction. And St. John the Baptist, 
John the 5th. Matth. the 3d.  although he came in a simple and contemptible way, yet preaching unto the people the terror of Vengeance to come, and that the Axe was now put to the Trees, to cut for the fire all those which repent not; he moved the very Publicans and Soldiers to fear, which otherwise are people of very hard metal; who came unto him upon his terrible Embassage, and asked, what they should do to avoid these punishments?  
II. After then that we have considered of Death, and of God's severe Judgement, which ensueth after Death; and wherein every man hath to receive according to his works in this life, as the Scripture saith; it followeth, that we consider also of the punishments which are appointed for them that shall be found faulty in that account. Hereby at leastwise no other consideration will serve to induce Christians to this Resolution of serving God: For as I have noted before, If every man have naturally a Love of himself, and desire to conserve his own ease, than should he also have fear of peril, whereby he is to fall into extreme calamity. This St. Bernard expresseth excellently, according to his custom: O man (saith he)! if thou hast left all shame, which appertaineth to so noble a creature as thou art; if thou feelest no sorrow, as carnal men do not, yet lose not fear also, which is found in very beasts. We use to load an Ass, and weary him out with Labour, and he careth not, because he is an Ass: But if thou wouldst thrust him into fire, or fling him into the ditch, he would avoid it as much as he could; for that he loveth life and feareth death. Fear thou then, and be not more insensible than a beast: Fear Death, fear Judgement, fear Hell. This Fear is called the beginning of Wisdom; and not shame and sorrow; for that the Spirit of fear is more mighty to resist sin, than the Spirit of shame or sorrow. Wherefore it is said; Remember the end, and thou shalt never sin: That is, Remember the final punishments appointed for sin after this life.  
III. First therefore to speak in General of the punishments reserved for the Life to come: If the Scriptures did not declare in particular their greatness unto us, That they are most severe, dolorous, and intolerable: For first, as God is a God in all his Works; That is to say, great, wonderful, and terrible; so especially he showeth the same in his punishments, being called for that cause in Scripture, a God of Justice, as also a God of Revenge. Wherefore seeing all his other Works are full of Majesty, and exceeding our capacities, we may likewise gather, that his hand in punishment must be wonderful: Also God himself teacheth us to reason in this manner, when he saith, And will ye not then fear me, and tremble before my face, which have put the sand as a stop unto the sea, and have given the water a commandment never to pass, no, not when it is most troubled, and the floods most outrageous: As if he should say, If I am wonderful, and do pass your imaginations in these works of the Sea, and others, which you see daily, you have cause to fear me, considering that my punishments are like to be correspondent to the same.  
iv Another conjecture of the great and severe Justice of God, may be the consideration of his infinite and unspeakable Mercy, the which, as it is the very Nature of God, and without end or measure, as his Godhead is, so is also his Justice; and these two are the two arms, as it were, of God, embracing and kissing the one the other, as the Scripture saith: Therefore, as in a man of this world, if we had the measure of one arm, we might easily conjecture of the other: so seeing the wonderful examples daily of God's infinite mercy towards them that repent, we may imagine by the same his severe justice towards them whom he reserveth to punishment in the next life, and whom for that cause he calleth in the Scriptures, Vessels of his Fury, or Vessels to show his Fury upon.  
V A Third Reason to persuade us of the greatness of these punishments, may be the marvellous patience, and long-sufferings of God in this life: As for example, in that he suffereth divers men, from one sin to another, from one day to another, from one year to another, from one age to another, to spend (all I say) in dishonour and despite of his Majesty; adding offence to offence, and refusing all persuasions, allurements, good inspirations, or other means of friendship that his mercy can devise, to offer for their amendment: And what man in the world could suffer this? Or what mortal heart can show such patience? But now if all this should not be requited with severity of punishment in the world to come upon the obstinate, it might seem against the Law of Justice and Equity, and one arm of God might seem longer than the other. Saint Paul teacheth this Reason in his Epistle to the Romans, 
Rom. 2.  where he saith, Dost thou not know, that the benignity of God is used to bring to repentance? And thou by thy hard and impenitent heart, dost hoard up vengeance unto thyself in the day of wrath, and appearance of God's just judgement, which shall restore to every man according to his works. He useth here the words of hoarding up of vengeance, to signify, as a covetous man doth hoard up money to money daily, to make his heap great, so the unrepentant finner doth hoard up fin to fin; and God, on the contrary side, hoardeth up vengeance to vengeance, until his measure be full, to restore in the measure against measure, as the Prophet saith; and to pay us home, according to the multitude of our abominations. This God meant, when he said to Abraham, that the iniquity of the Amorites was not yet full up: Also in the Revelation unto St. John the Evangelist, when he useth this conclusion of that book: He that doth evil, let him do more evil; and he that liveth in filth, let him yet become more filthy: For behold, I come quickly, and my reward is with me, to render to every one according to his deeds. By which words God signifieth, that his bearing and tolerating with sinners in this life, is an Argument of his greater severity in the life to come; which the Prophet David also declareth, when talking of a careless sinner, he saith, The Lord shall scoff at him, foreseeing that his day shall come. This day, no doubt, is to be understood the day of account, and punishment after this life: For so doth God more at large declare himself in these words: 
Ezek. 7th.  And thou Son of man, this saith thy Lord God, The end is come; now (I say) the end is come upon thee: And I will show in thee my fury, and will judge thee according to thy ways: I will lay against thee all thine abominations; and mine eye shall not spare thee, neither will I take any mercy upon thee; but I will put thy own ways upon thee, and thou shalt know that I am the Lord. Behold, afflictions cometh on; the end is come, the end, I say, is come; it hath watched against thee, and behold it is come: the day of slaughter is at hand: crushing is now come upon thee: Shortly will I pour out my wrath upon thee, and I will fill my fury in thee, and I will judge thee according to thy ways, and I will lay all thy wickedness upon thee: mine eye shall not pity thee, but I will lay thy way upon thee, and thine abominations in the midst of thee, and thou shalt know that I am the Lord that striketh. Hitherto is the speech of God himself.  
VI Seeing then now we understand in general, that the punishments of God in the Life to come, are most certain to be great and severe to all such as fall into them; for which cause the Apostle saith, It is a fearful and horrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Let us consider somewhat in particular, what manner of pains and punishments they shall be.  
VII. And first of all touching the place of punishment appointed for the Damned, commonly called Hell. The Scripture in divers Languages, useth divers Names, but all tending to express the grievousness of punishment there suffered, as in Latin it is called Infernum, a place beneath, or under ground (as most of the Old Fathers do interpret): But whether it be under ground, or no, most certain it is, that it is a place most opposite to Heaven, which is said to be above. And this Name is used, to signify the miserable suppressing, and hurling down of the damned, to be trodden under the feet, not only of God, but of good men also, for ever: For so saith the Scripture: Behold the day of the Lord cometh, 
Mal. 4.  burning like a furnace, and proud and wicked men shall be as straw to that furnace, and you that fear my name shall tread them down, and they shall be as burnt ashes under the soles of your feet in that day. And this shall be one of the greatest miseries that can happen to the proud and stout Potentates of the World, to be thrown with such contempt down, and to be trodden under feet of them whom they so much despised in this world.  
VIII. The Hebrew word which the Scripture useth for Hell is (Seol), which signifieth a great Ditch or Dungeon: In which sense it is called in the Apocalypse, The lake of the wrath of God: And again, A pool burning with fire and brimstone. In Greek the Scripture useth Three words for the same place: the first is (Clades), used in the Gospel, which (as Plutarch noteth) signifieth a place where no light is; the second is (Zophoz), in St. Peter, which signifieth darkness itself: in which sense it is also called of Job, a dark land overwhelmed with deadly obscurity: Also in the Gospel, utter darkness. The third Greek word is (Tartaros), used also by St. Peter: which word being derived of the Verb, Tarasso, which signifieth to terrify, trouble and vex, importeth an horrible confusion of Tormentors in that place, even as Job saith of it, There dwelleth no order, but everlasting horror.  
IX. The Chaldee word, which is also used in Hebrew, and translated to the Greek, is (Gehenna), first of all used by Christ for the place of them which are damned, as St. Jerome noteth upon the Tenth Chapter of St. Matthew's Gospel. And this word being compounded of Gee and Hinnom, signifieth a Valley nigh to Jerusalem, called, the Valley. Hinnom; in which the old idolatrous Jews were wont to bury alive their own children, in the honour of the Devil, and to sound with Trumpets, Timbrels, and other loud Instruments, whilst they were doing thereof, that their children's Voices might not be heard; which place was afterwards used for the receipt of all filthiness, as Dung, dead Carrions, and the like: And it is most probable, that our Saviour used this word, above all other, for Hell, thereby to signify the miserable burning of Souls in that place, the pitiful clamours and cries of the tormented, the confused and barbarous noise of the tormentors, together with the most loathsome filthiness of the place, which is otherwise described in the Scripture, by the Names of Adders, Snakes, Cockatrices, Scorpions, and other venomous creatures, as shall be afterwards declared.  
X. Having declared the Names of this place and thereby also in some part, the Nature; i● remaineth now, that we consider, what manner of pains men suffer there. For consideration whereof, we must note, That as Heaven and Hell are contrary, assigned to contrary persons, for contrary causes; so have they in all respects, contrary properties, conditions, and effects, in such sort, as whatsoever is spoken of the Felicity of the one, may serve to infer the contrary of the other, as when St. Paul saith, No eye hath seen, nor ear heard, nor heart conceived the Joys that God hath prepared for them that shall be saved, we may infer, that the pains of the damned must be as great again, when the Scripture saith, the felicity of them in Heaven, is a perfect felicity, containing omne bonum, all goodness; so that no one kind of pleasure can be imagined, which they have not.  
We must think on the contrary part, that the misery of the damned must be also a perfect misery, containing all afflictions that may be, without wanting any: So that as the happiness of the good is infinite and universal, so also the calamity of the wicked is infinite and universal. Now in this life all the miseries and pains which fall upon men, are but particular, and not universal: As for Example, We see one man pained in his Eyes, another in his Back, which particular pains, notwithstanding, sometimes are so extreme, as life is not able to resist them, and a man would suffer them long for the gaining of many Worlds together: But suppose a man were now tormented in all the parts of his body at once, as in his Head, his Eyes, his Tongue, his Teeth, his Throat, his Stomach, his Belly, his Back, his Heart, his Sides, his Thighs, and in all the Joints of his Body: Besides, suppose (I say) he were most cruelly tormented with extreme pains in all these parts together, without ease or intermission, what thing could be more miserable than this? What sight more lamentable? If thou shouldest see a Dog lie so in the street, so afflicted, I know thou couldst not but take compassion upon him. Well then, consider what difference there is between abiding these pains for a Week, or for all Eternity; in suffering them upon a soft Bed, or upon a burning Gridiron, and boiling Furnace; among a man's Friends, comforting him, or among the Furies of Hell whipping him. Consider this (I say), gentle Reader, and if thou wouldst take a great deal of labour, rather than abide the one in this life, be content to sustain a little pain, rather than to incur the other in the life to come.  
XI. But to consider these things yet further, not only all these parts of the body, which have been instruments to sin, shall be tormented together, but also every-sense, both external and internal, for the same cause, shall be afflicted with his particular torment, contrary to the Object, wherein it took most pleasure and delight in this World: As for Example; The Eyes were afflicted with the ugly and fearful fight of Devils, the delicate Ears with the horrible noise of the damned Spirits, the nice smell with poisoned stench of brimstone, the dainty taste with most ravenous hunger and thirst; and all the sensible parts of the body with burning fire. Again, the Imagination shall be tormented with the apprehension of pains present and to come, the Memory with the remembrance of pleasures past, the Understanding with consideration of the felicity lost, and the misery now to come on. O poor Christian! what wilt thou do amidst the multitude of so grievous calamities.  
XII. It is a wonderful matter, and able, as one Father saith, to make a reasonable man go out of his wits, to consider what God hath revealed unto us in the Scriptures, of the dreadful circumstances of this punishment; and yet to see how little wretchless men of this world do fear it. For first, touching the universality, verity and greatness of the pain, not only the Reasons before alleged, but also divers Considerations in the Scriptures do declare: As where it is said of the damned, They shall be tormented day and night. 
Rev. 20.14.  And again, 
Rev. 20.  Give her torment, speaking of Babylon in Hell, by which is signified, that the pains in Hell are not exercised for chastisement, but for torment of the parties: And torments commonly, we see in this world to be as great and extreme as the Wit of a man can reach to devise. Imagine then, 
Luke 16.  when God shall lay his head to devise torments, as he hath done in Hell, what manner of torments will they be.  
XIII. If creating an Element here for our comfort, I mean the fire, he could create the same so terrible, as it is in such sort, as a man would not hold his only hand in it, to gain a Kingdom; what a fire think you hath he provided for Hell, which is not created for comfort, but for torment of the parties? Our fire hath many differences from that, and therefore is truly said of the holy Fathers, to be but a painted and feigned fire, in respect of that: for our fire was made to comfort us, as I have said, and that to torment: Our fire hath need to be fed continually with wood, or else it goeth out; that burneth continually, without feeding: Ours giveth light, that giveth none: Ours is out of his natural place, and therefore shifteth to ascend, and to get from us, as we see; but this is in the natural place where it was created; and therefore it abideth there perpetually: Ours consumeth the matter laid in it, and so quickly dispatcheth the pain; that tormenteth, but consumeth not, to the end, the pain may be everlasting: Our fire is extinguished with water, and abated greatly by the coolness of the Air about it: that hath no such abatement or qualification. Finally, what a strange and incredible kind of fire that is, as appeareth by these words of our Saviour so often repeated? There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Weeping is to be referred to the effect of extreme burning in the fire; for that the torment of scalding and burning enforceth Tears sooner than any other torment, as appeareth in them which upon a sudden do put an hot thing into their mouth, or scald any other part of their body; and gnashing of their teeth, or chattering, at least, as every man knoweth, proceedeth of great and extreme cold. Imagine then what fire this is, which hath such extreme effects both of heat and cold. O mighty Lord, what a strange God art thou! how wonderful and terrible in all thy works and inventions! how bountiful art thou to those that love and fear thee! how severe to them that contemn thy Commandments! Hast thou devised a way how they that lie burning in the lake of fire and brimstone, shall be tormented with extreme cold? What understanding of man can conceive how this may be? But thy Judgements, O Lord, are a depth without bottom; and therefore I leave this to thine own providence, praising thee eternally for the same.  
XIV. Besides these general pains, common to all that be in that place, the Scripture signifieth also, that there shall be particular torments, peculiar both in quality and quantity to the sins and offences of each offender: for to that end saith the Prophet, Isa. 17. and Isa. 28. to God: Thou wilt judge in measure against measure. And God saith of himself, I will exercise judgement in weight and justice in measure. And this is the meaning of all those threats of God to sinners, where he saith, he will pay them home according to their particular works, and according to the inventions of their own hearts. In this sense it is said in Revel. 18. of Babylon now thrown down into the Lake; Look how much she hath glorified herself, and hath lived in delights, so much torment and affliction give her. Whereof the holy Fathers have gathered the variety of torments that shall be in that place, saith old Ephraim: As if the Adulterer should have one kind of torment, the Murderer another, the Thief another, the Drunkard another, the Liar another: As if the proud man should be trodden under feet, to recompense his pride, the Glutton suffer inestimable hunger, the Drunkard extreme thirst, the delicious mouth filled up with gall, and the delicate body feared with hot burning Irons.  
XV. The Holy Ghost signifieth such a thing, when he saith in the Scriptures of the wicked worldling, His bread in his belly shall be turned into Gall of Serpents; 
Job 20.  he shall be constrained to spew out again the riches which he hath devoured: nay, God shall pull them out of his belly again: He shall be constrained to suck the Gall of Cockatrices, and the Tongue of an Adder shall kill him; he shall pay sweetly for all that ever he hath done, and yet shall not be consumed; but shall suffer according to the multitude of all his devices: utter darkness lieth in wait for him, and fire which needeth no kindling shall eat him up. This is the wicked man's portion from God. By which words, and such like, is plainly showed, that worldlings shall receive, as it were, particular and proper torments, for their gluttony, for their delicate fare, for their extortion, and the like; which torments shall be greater than any worldly Tongue can express, as may appear by the vehement and horrible words which the Holy Ghost here useth, to insinuate the same.  
XVI. Besides this, the Scripture showeth unto us, not only the universality, particularity, and severity of these pains, but also the straitness thereof, without aid or help, ease or comfort, when he saith, we shall be cast in bound hand and feet: For it is some kind of comfort in this world, to be able to resist or strive against our afflictions: but here we must lie still, and suffer all. Again, when he saith, Clausa est Janua, the Gate is shut: that is, the Gate of all Mercy, all Pardon, of all Ease, of all Intermission, of all Comfort, is shut up from Heaven, from Earth, from the Creator, and from Creatures, insomuch as no consolation is ever to be hoped for any more, as in all the miseries of this life there is always some. This straitness is most lively expressed in that dreadful Parable of the Rich Glutton in Hell, who was driven to that necessity, as he desired that Lazarus might dip the top of his finger in water, to cool his Tongue, in the midst of that fire wherein he saith he was; and yet could he not obtain it. A small refreshing it seemeth it would have been unto him, if he had obtained, the same: but, to show the straitness of the place, it was denied him. O you that live in the sinful wealth of the world, consider but this one Example of God's severity, and be afraid. This man was in great Royalty a little before, and nothing regarded the extreme misery that Lazarus was in: But would he give a thousand worlds, if he had them, for one drop of water to cool his Tongue. What demand could be less than this? He durst not ask to be delivered thence, or to have his torments diminished, or to ask a great Vessel of water to refresh his whole body therein, but only so much as would stick on the top of a man's finger, to cool his Tongue. To what need was this man driven, that was so rich before! What a great imagination had he of the force of one drop of water! To what a pitiful change was his Tongue now come unto, that was wont to be so diligently applied with all kinds of pleasant Liquors! O that one man could take example by another. Either this is true, or else the Son of God is a Liar. And then, what men are we, that seeing ourselves in danger of this misery, do not seek with more diligence to avoid the same?  
XVII. In respect of these extremities, and straight deal of God, in denying all comfort and consolation at this day, the Scripture saith, that men shall fall into rage, fury, and utter impatience, blaspheming God, and cursing the day of their Nativity; with eating their own Tongues for grief, and desiring the Rocks and Mountains to come and fall on them, to end them of their pains.  
XVIII. Now if we add to this the eternity and everlasting continuance of these torments, we shall see that it increaseth the matter greatly: for in this world there is no torment so great, but that time either taketh away, or diminisheth the same: for either the tormentor, or the tormented dieth, or some occasion or other happeneth to alter or mitigate the matter; but here is no such hope or comfort: but, saith the Scriptures, they shall be tormented for ever in a pool burning with fire and brimstone: As long as God is God, so long shall they burn; there shall neither the tormentor or the tormented die, but both live eternally, for the eternal misery of the parties to be punished.  
XIX. Oh! saith one of the Fathers, in a godly Meditation, if a sinner damned in Hell, did know that he had to suffer those torments there no more thousands of years than there be Sands in the Sea, and Grass-piles on the ground, or no more thousands of millions of Ages, than there be Creatures in Heaven and Earth, he would greatly rejoice thereof; for than he would comfort himself, at the least, with this Cogitation, that once the matter would have an end: But now, saith this good man, this word never breaketh his heart when he thinketh on it: And after an hundred thousand millions of Worlds there suffered, he hath as far to his end as he had at the first day of his entrance to these torments. Consider (good Christians) what a length an hour would seem to thee, if thou hadst but to hold thy hand in fire and brimstone only during the space thereof. We see if a man be grievously sick, though he be laid on a very soft bed, yet one Night seemeth a long time unto him; he turneth and tosseth himself from side to side, telling the Clock, and counting the hours as they pass, which seemeth to him a whole day: And if a man should say unto him, that he were to abide that pain but seven years together, he would go well nigh to despair for grief. Now if one Night seem so long and tedious to him that lieth on a good soft bed, and afflicted only with a little Ague, what will the lying in fire and brimstone do, when he shall know evidently, that he shall never have end thereof. O (dear Brother)! the satiety of continuance is loathsome, even in things that are not evil of themselves; if thou shouldest always be bound to eat one meat, it would be displeasant to thee in the end; if thou shouldst be bound to sit still all thy life in one place, without moving, it would be grievous unto thee, albeit no man did torment thee in that place: What then will it be to lie eternally; that is, world without end, in most exquisite torments? Is it any way tolerable? What Judgement then, what Wit, what Discretion is there left in man, which makes no more account of this matter than they do.  
XX. I might here add another circumstance which the Scripture addeth, to wit, that all these torments shall be in darkness, a thing dreadful of itself to man's Nature: For there is not the stoutest man in the world, if he be found himself alone, and naked, in extreme darkness, and should hear a noise of Spirits coming towards him, but he would fear, albeit he felt never a lash from them on his body. I might also add another circumstance that the Prophet addeth, which is, that God and good men shall laugh at them that day, which will be no small affliction: For as to be moaned by a man's friends in time of adversity, is some comfort, so to be laughed at, especially by him who only may help him, is a great and intolerable increase of his mifery.  
XXI. And now all this that I have spoken of hitherto, is but one part of a damned man's punishment only, called by Divines, Poena Sensus, the pain of sense or feeling; that is, the pain or punishment sensibly inflicted on the soul and body. But yet besides this, there is another part of punishment, called Poena damni, the pain of loss or damage, which, by all Learned men's Opinions, is either greater, or no less than the former. And this is the infinite loss which a damned man hath, in being excluded for ever and ever from the sight of his Creator, and his Glory, which sight only being sufficient to make happy and blessed all them that are admitted unto it, must needs be an infinite misery to the damned man, to lack that eternally: And therefore this is put as one of the chiefest and first plagues to be laid upon him: 
Isa. 26.  Let the wicked man be taken away to Hell, to the end he may not see the Glory of God. And this loss containeth all other losses and damages in it, as the loss of Eternal Bliss and Joy (as I have said), of Eternal Glory, of Eternal Society with the Angels, and the like; which losses, when a damned man considereth (as he cannot but consider them still), he taketh more grief thereof (as Divines do hold) than by all the sensible torments that he abides beside.  
XXII. Whereunto belongs the Worm of Conscience, in Scripture so called: For as a Worm lieth eating and gnawing wood, wherein she lieth, so shall the remorse of our Conscience lie within us, gripping and tormenting us for ever. And this worm of remorse shall principally consist in bringing to our minds all the means and causes of our present extreme calamities, as our negligences, whereby we lost the felicity which other men have gotten. And at every one of these Considerations this worm shall give us a deadly bite, even unto the heart; as when it shall lay before us all the occasions that we had suffered to avoid this misery wherein we are now fallen, and to have gotten the glory which we have lost. How easy it had been to have done it! how nigh were we oftentimes to resolve ourselves to do it, and yet how ungraciously we left off that Cogitation again! How many times we were foretold of this danger, and yet how little care and fear we took in the same? How vain the worldly trifles were wherein we spent our time, and for which we lost Heaven, and fell into this intolerable misery? How are they exalted whom we thought Fools in this world, and how are we now proved Fools, and laughed at, which thought ourselves wise. These things (I say), and a thousand more, being laid before us by our own Conscience, shall yield us infinite grief, for that it is now too late to amend them. This grief is called the Worm or remorse of our Conscience, which worm shall enforce men more to weep and howl, than any torment else, considering how negligently, foolishly, and vainly, they are come into those insupportable torments, and that now there is no more time to redrefs their Errors. These are the Cogitations of the damned in Hell.  
XXIII. Now only is the time of weeping, for these men, and their lamenting but all in vain. Now shall they begin to fret and fume, and marvel at themselves, saying, Where were our Wits, where was our Understanding, where was our Judgement, when we followed vanities, and contemned these things? This is the talk of sinners in Hell. Saith the Scripture, What hath our pride, or what hath the glory of Riches profited us? they are all now vanished, now like a shadow: We have wearied ourselves in the way of iniquity and perdition, but the way of the Lord we have not known. This, I say, must be that Everlasting Song of the damned worm eaten Conscience in Hell. Mark, good Reader, Eternal Repentance without profit, whereby we shall be brought to such desperation as the Scripture noteth; as he shall turn into fury against himself, tear his own flesh, rend his own soul, if it were possible, and invite the Fiends of Hell to torment him, seeing he hath so beastly behaved himself in this world, as not to provide in time for this principal matter. O! if he could have another life to live in this world again, how would he pass it over! with what diligence, with what severity! But it is not lawful: We only which are yet alive have that singular benefit, if we know it, or would resolve ourselves to make the most of it: one of these days we shall be passed it also, and shall not recover it again; no, not one hour, if we would give a thousand worlds for the same, as indeed the damned would do, if they might. Let us now therefore so use the benefit of our present time, as when we are passed hence, we have not need to wish ourselves here again.  
XXIV. Now is the time we may avoid all; now is the time we may put ourselves out of danger of these matters (I say), now, if we resolve ourselves out of hand; for we know not what shall become of us to morrow: It may be to morrow our hearts will be as hard and careless of these things as they have been heretofore, and as Parcab's heart after Moses' departure from him. O that he had resolved himself throughly whilst Moses was with him, how happy had he been! If the Rich Glutton had taken the time while he was in prosperity, how blessed a man had he been! He was foretold of his misery, 
Luke 16.  as we are now by Moses and the Prophets, as Christ signifieth; but he would not hear. Afterwards he was in such admiration of his own Folly, that he would have had Lazarus sent from Abraham's bosom unto his brethren, to warn them of his success: But Abraham told him it was bootless; for they would not have believed Lazarus, but rather have persecuted him as a Liar, and defamer of their honourable Brother's death, if he should have come and told them of his torments: Indeed, so would the wicked of this world do now, if one should come and tell them, that their Parents and Friends were damned in Hell, for such and such things, and do beseech them to look better to their Lives, to the end, that their coming, they do not increase the others pains, for being some cause of their damnation. (for this is only the cause of care which the damned have towards the living, and not for any love they now bear them) If (I say) such a message should come from Hell to the flourishing sinners in this World, would not they laugh at it? Would not they persecute eagerly the parties that should bring such news? What then can God devise to do for the saving of these men? What way, what means may he take, when neither Warning nor Example of others, nor Threats, nor Exhortations will do any good? We know, or may know, that leading the life that we do, we cannot be saved; We know, or aught to know, that many before us have been damned for less matters; We know, and cannot choose but know, that we must shortly die, and receive ourselves as they have received, living as they did, or worse. We see, by this laid down before us, that the pains are intolerable, and yet Eternal which do expect us: for the same, we confess them most miserable, that for any pleasure or commodity of this world, are now fallen into those pains. What then should let us then to resolve to dispatch ourselves quickly of all impediments; to break violently from all bonds and chains of this wicked world, that do let us from this true and zealous work and service of God? Why should we sleep one Night in sin, seeing that might be our last Night, and so the everlasting cutting off all hope for the life to come.  
XXV. Resolve thyself therefore, my dear Brother, if thou be wise, and clear thy sell from this imminent danger, while God is willing to receive thee, and moveth thee there unto by these means, as he did the rich man by Moses and the Prophets, while he was yet in his prosperity. Let his Example be often before thine eyes, and consider it throughly, and it shall do thee good. God is a wonderful God, and to show his patience and infinite goodness, he wooeth us in this life, seeketh unto us, and layeth himself (as it were) at our feet, to move us unto our own good, to win us, to draw us, and save us from perdition. But after this life he altereth his course of dealing, he turneth over the leaf, and changeth his stile, of a Lamb he becometh a Lion to the wicked, and of a Saviour a just and severe punisher. What can be said or done more to move us, that is forewarned, and seethe his own danger before his face, and yet is not stirred, and made more wary, or fearful thereby, but notwithstanding, will come, or slide into the same, may well be pitied, but surely by no means can be helped, making himself incapable of remedies that may be used.  
FINIS.   

A SERMON.  Acts VII. 60. 
And when he had said this he fell asleep.  
THese words contain in them the happy closure and upshot of Stephen's life, wherein we have Three Particulars:  
First, The Person that fell asleep.  
Secondly, The Speech he made when he fell asleep.  
Thirdly, What he did when he had finished his Speech.  
First, We have the Person that fell asleep, and that was Stephen. He was a man full of Faith, and full of the Holy Ghost, as you may see, Acts 6.5. He was the first Martyr that ever suffered for the Cause of Christ. Hence I might gather this Doctrine, viz.  
That the best of men are subject to sudden and violent Deaths.  
Stephen, that was full of the Holy Ghost, was stoned to death, and John the Baptist, that was full of the Holy Ghost from the very Womb, was beheaded; Peter was crucified, and so was Andrew; Isaiah was sawed asunder, Jeremiah was stoned, and Zacharias was slain between the Temple and the Altar. But I shall pass this.  
The Second part of the Text is the Speech that Stephen made when he fell asleep; Hcc dicte obdormivit: That is, when he had finished his Prayer, he fell asleep. Hence observe this, That it is an excellent way to close up our Life with prayer. To die praying is a most Christian way of dying; the stoned Stephen calling upon God. After this manner Christ died: he prayed, Father, into thy hands I commend my Spirit, and having thus said, he gave up the Ghost. This he did, that it might be a pattern to all Christians. Prayer is a necessary duty at all times, but especially when we are a dying: And that for these Reasons:  
First, Because when we are to die, we have most need of God's help: for then the Devil is most busy, and we most weak.  
Secondly, Because when we are to die, we are to beg the greatest boon of God that is, That he would receive us into his Heavenly Kingdom. Now Prayer is the chief means to obtain this mercy: for it is Porta Caeli, Clavis Paradici, the Gate of Heaven, a Key to let us into Paradise. Therefore we have great reason to die praying.  
Thirdly, Because when a Saint of God is dying, he is then to take his last farewell of Prayer. In Heaven there is no praying, but all thanksgiving: There is no need in Heaven, therefore no praying in Heaven now, a Saint of God being to take his leave of prayer, when he is to die, therefore it is fit to die praying.  
I beseech you remember this pattern in the Text, St. Stephen died calling upon God. Let us die praying, as that Emperor said, Oportes Imperatorem stantem mori. So may I say, Oportet Christianum mori precantem; It behoves a Christian to die praying.  
Quest. But what was the Substance of Stephen's prayer.  
Ans. He prayed for himself, Lord Jesus, receive my Spirit, ver. 59 Secondly, He prayed for his persecutors; Lord, lay not this sin to their charge, ver. 60.  
I will not enter upon this part of the Text, for it would swallow up all my time: Therefore I shall wave it, and come to the Third part, which is that, that by God's assistance I purpose to speak unto, to wit, what Stephen did when he had finished his Prayer: When he had said this, he fell asleep; that is, he died. Behold here the Magnanimity, the Piety, and the Christian Courage of Stephen: The people were stoning of him, and gnashing their Teeth upon him: and the good man dies with as much quietness of mind as if he had died on his bed: He fell asleep while they were stoning him; while he died he prayed, and while he prayed he died.  
But what made Stephen die thus quietly? Read the 55th Verse, and you shall see the Reason of it: Being full of the Holy Ghost, he looked up steadfastly into Heaven, and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. This made him die with such a sweet, quiet, and calm Temper; he saw Jesus Christ standing at the Right Hand of God, ready to receive his Soul, and that made him to die with such an extraordinary quietness of mind.  
Death in Scripture, especially the death of God's Children, is often compared to a sleep: It is said of David, 1 Kings 2.10. that he slept with his Fathers. And it is said, 1 Thes. 4.3. I would not have you ignorant concerning them that are asleep; that is, concerning them that are dead. And 1 Cor 11.50. For this cause many are weakly and sick among you, and many sleep; that is, many die. This Expression is a Metaphorical Expression, and will afford us many rare and precious Instructions: And therefore, the Grace of God assisting me, I desire to spend the rest of the time in opening this Metaphor.  
The Doctrine is this, viz. That when a child of God dies, though his death be never so unnatural and violent, yet it is nothing but a falling asleep. Or, A Child of God, though stoned to death, though burnt to ashes, though it be never so violent, or unnatural, is nothing but a falling asleep: When he had said this, he fell asleep.  
Somnus est mortis Imago; Sleep is the Image of Death. There are many notable resemblances betwixt sleep and death, some of which I shall speak of at this time.  
First, Sleep is common to all men: no man can live without sleep: A man may live long without meat, but no man can live long without sleep. So it is true with death; Death is common too: It is appointed for all men once to dis: and therefore David saith, he was to go the way of all flesh. Statutum est omnibus semel mori: omnibus est calcanda semel Lethivia: All men must sleep the sleep of Death, or else be changed, which is a metaphorical death.  
Secondly, As sleep ariseth from the Vapours that ascend from the Stomach to the Head, and tie the Senses, and hinder their Operations; so Death came into the World by Adam's eating the Forbidden Fruit, and by the poysonful Vapour of sin, that brought death upon him, and all his Posterity: By one man, sin entered into the world, and death by sin, and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned, Rom. 5.12. Had Adam never sinned, Adam should never have died: But, in illo die, said God; But in that day thou eatest the forbidden fruit, thou shalt die the death. Sin brings omni modam mortem, all kinds of death; it brings death temporal, death spiritual, and death eternal. Now because all men are poisoned with the poison of sin, therefore all men must sleep of the sleep of death: It is sin that hath poisoned all mankind.  
Thirdly, As a man when he goeth to sleep, puts off his , and goeth naked into bed; so it is with us when we come to die: We came naked into the World, and naked we must return; As we brought nothing with us into the World, so we must carry nothing with us out of the World: And therefore Death in Scripture is called nothing else but an unclothing of ourselves, as 2 Cor. 5.4. Death to a Child of God, is nothing but the putting off of his : The Body of man is Animae & vestimentum; it is the Soul's clothing: and Death is nothing else but the unclothing of the Soul: It is just like a man going to bed, and putting of his . St. Peter calls it, the putting off of our earthly Tabernacle, 2 Peter 1.14. Our Bodies are the Souls Tabernacles, and death is the putting off of this Tabernacle.  
Beloved, when we come to die, we shall be stripped naked of Three things:  
First, We shall be stripped naked of all our Worldly Honour, Riches and Greatness.  
Secondly, We shall be stripped naked of our Bodies.  
And, Thirdly, Which is above all, we shall be stripped naked of our sins, and that is the happiness of a child of God; he shall put off not only his mortal body, but the body of sin.  
Fourthly, In the Fourth place, observe, As no man knoweth the time when he falls asleep, a man falls asleep before he is ware; so no man can tell the certain time when he must die. There is nothing so certain as that we must die, nothing so uncertain as the time when we shall die: Death comes suddenly, even as sleep comes on a man before he is ware.  
Fifthly, Observe, as Children and Infants, because they do not know the benefit of sleep, are very loath to go to bed; yea, many times the Mother is fain to whip the Child to bed: even so it is with most of God's People, because they do not study the benefit of death: That death puts an end to all our miseries and sins, and opens a door to let us into everlasting happiness, and that we shall never see God or Christ until we die. I say, because God's People do not study the benefit of death, therefore they are like to little children, loath to die, 
Job 18.14.  loath to go to bed; and therefore Death is called, the King of Terrors. Death is terrible to many of God's Children, because they are but Infants in Grace, and because they do not know the benefits of death.  
Sixthly, Observe, as when a man is fast asleep, he is free from cares and troubles. Let it thunder, as it thundered not long since, as you know, yet a man that is fast asleep, he hears it not. Let the House be on fire while the man is asleep, he sees it not, neither is he troubled at it: So it is with the death of God's Children; When God's Children sleep the sleep of death, they are free from the thunders of this World, and from all cares and troubles: they go to their Graves as to their Beds, and rest in quietness, and are not sensible of any troubles that are in this World; for Abraham knows us not, Isa. 63.16. so 2 Kings 22.20. Thou shalt be gathered into thy grave in peace, and thy eyes shall not see all the evil that I will bring upon this place. When a Child of God sleeps the sleep of death, he doth not feel, nor is he sensible of any of the calamities or sad providences of God upon the Earth.  
Seventhly, When a man goeth to sleep, he goeth to sleep but for a certain time; in the morning he awakes out of his sleep: So it is with the sleep of death; and therefore death is called a sleep, because we must all awake in the morning of Resurrection. We are in the Grave as in our Beds, and when the Trumpet of God, and the voice of the Archangel shall sound, we shall all arise out of our Graves as out of our Beds: Death is but a sleep for a certain time.  
Eighthly, Sleep is a great refreshing to those that are weary, and sick; and when the sick man awakes, he is more lively and cheerful than he was before he fell asleep; and therefore sleep is called, Medicus laborum redintegratio virium, recreator corporum, the great Physician of the sick Body, the renewing of man's Spirits, the reviver of the weary Body. And so it is with death: When God's People awake out of the sleep of death, they shall be more active for God than ever they were before. When you lie down in the Grave, you shall lie down with mortal Bodies, as 1 Cor. 15.42, 43. It is sown a mortal body, but it shall rise up an immortal body; it is sown in dishonour, but it shall rise up in honour; it is sown a natural body, but it shall rise up a spiritual body.  
Nithly, As in the morning when we rise out of our Beds, we then put on our , so in the morning of the glorious Resurrection, we shall put on a glorious Body, like to the glorious Body of Jesus Christ: We shall put on Stolam Immortalitatis, the Garment of Immortality.  
Tenthly, As no man when he lieth down to sleep, knoweth the direct time when he shall awake, so no man can tell when the Resurrection shall be. They do but cousin you, who say, That the general Resurrection shall be such or such a year: For as no man can know the minute when he shall awake out of his natural sleep, no more can any man know when we shall arife from the sleep of death.  
Eleventhly, As it is a very easy thing to awake a man out of sleep, it is but stirring of him, and you will awake him quickly; so it is with the sleep of death: It is as easy for Jesus Christ to awake us out of the sleep of death, as it is for you or me to awake a man out of his sleep in Bed: Nemo nostrum tam facile excitat dormientem de lecto, quam Christus jacentem in Sepulchro.  
Twelfthly, As when a man riseth in the morning, though he hath slept many hours; nay, suppose he could sleep twenty years together, yet notwithstanding when he awakes, these twenty years will seem to be but as one hour unto him: So it will be in the day of Judgement, all those that are in their Graves, when they awake, it will be tanquam somnus unius horae, as the sleep of one hour unto them.  
Lastly, And most especially, as sleep seizeth only upon the Body, and the outward Senses, but doth not seize upon the Soul. The Soul of man is oftentimes most busy when the man is asleep.  
And God hath heretofore revealed most glorious things to his children in dreams, when they have been asleep: God appeared unto Abraham, and many others, in dreams. The Body sleeps, but the Soul awakes. So it is with the sleep of death; it is the Body that dies, but the Soul doth not die. There are some men that are not afraid to teach you, that the Soul sleeps as well as the Body; and that when the Body dies, and falls asleep, the Soul likewise continues in a dull Lethargy: Veternoso somno correptus: neither capable of joy nor sorrow till the Resurrection.  
Beloved, this is very uncomfortable, and a very false Doctrine. They endeavour to prove it from my Text: They say, That when Stephen died, he fell asleep. It is true, in regard of his Body, he fell asleep, but his Soul did not fall asleep: That which was stoned fell asleep, which was his Body only; for when he was stoning, he saw Jesus Christ standing ready to receive his Soul into Heaven: Lord Jesus, saith he, receive my spirit. Stephen's Soul could not be stoned, though his Body was stoned. So when Jesus Christ was crucified, his Soul was not crucified, I mean, when his Body was killed. Indeed he did endure torments in his Soul, which made him cry out, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? But yet his Soul did not die. So when Stephen died, his Soul went to Christ. It is true, when a child of God dies, the Soul goes to sleep. How is that? The Soul goes to sleep in a Scripture sense; that is, it goes to rest in Ahraham's Bosom. O blessed Sleep! it goes to rest in the Embraces of God; it goes into the Arms of its Redeemer; it goes to the Heavenly Paradise; it goes to be always present with the Lord. But take heed you do not say, that the Soul sleeps in this sense; viz. That it lies in a strange kind of a Lethargy, neither dead nor alive, neither capable of joy nor sorrow until the Resurrection. Tho Stephen's Body fell asleep, yet his Soul did not fall asleep, but immediately went unto Jesus Christ in Heaven. Thus I have given the Explication of the Words.  
Now give me leave to make some Application of all unto ourselves.  
Use 1. If the death of God's children be nothing but a falling asleep, then let this comfort us against the death of our godly Friends, though they die unnatural and violent deaths, though they be stoned to death, though they be burnt to ashes, though they be sawn asunder. Here is a message of rich consolation, which as a Minister of Christ, I hold unto you this day; viz. That the death of a child of God, let it be after what manner soever it will, it is nothing but a falling asleep; He goes to his Grave as to his Bed: And therefore our Burying-places are called our Dormitoria, Sleeping-houses. A child of God when he dies, he lies down in peace, and enters into his rest: And as a man, when he is asleep, is free from all the cares and troubles that he hath in the daytime, so the People of God, when they are fallen asleep, they are free from all the miseries and calamities, crosses, losses and afflictions that we are troubled withal: Therefore give me leave to say to you, as Christ did to the Women that followed him to the Cross, bewailing and lamenting of him: O daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children: So I say, weep not for those that are dead in the Lord, that are fallen asleep in Jesus Christ: They are at their rests; they do not know the troubles that we are troubled withal: Abraham remembers us not: they are not sensible of our miseries and afflictions. Let us weep for ourselves, and for the miseries that are coming upon us; and let us know, that when God's children die, they do but lie in their Beds until the morning of the Resurrection, and then they shall put on Stolam Immortalitatis, the Garment of Immortality, and their Bodies shall be made like unto the glorious Body of Jesus Christ. And know one thing more, which is all in all, viz. That when the Body of a child of God falls asleep, his Soul immediately goes into the Arms of Christ, and there lives for ever in the Embraces of Jesus Christ: Tho the Body falls asleep, yet the Soul is received into Abraham's Bosom. I beseech you comfort one another with these words.  
Use 2. Let me beseech the people of God, that they would look upon death, not as it is presented unto us in Nature's Looking-glass, but as it is set down in a Scripture-dress. Nature presents death in a very terrible manner: and it is true, death is very terrible to a man out of Christ; but to you that are in Christ, the sting of death is taken away: Death is nothing else but a quiet and placid Sleep, putting off our  and going to Bed, till we awake in the morning of Resurrection. Death to a child of God is nothing but a putting off his Earthly Tabernacle, a going from an Earthly Prison into an Heavenly Palace, a hoising up Sail for Heaven, the letting of the Soul out of Prison, as a Bird out of a Cage, that it may fly to Heaven; a change from a Temporary Hell to an Eternal Heaven, a going out of Egypt into Canaan: and therefore called, 2 Pet. 1.15. not mors hominis, but mors peccati, not the death of the man, but the death of his sins; it is Sepultura vitiorum; it is the Pilgrim's Journeys end, the Seaman's Haven, an absence from the Body, and a presence with the Lord. Let all God's People look upon death through Scripture-Spectacles, and consider it as it is sweetly represented in this Text. Remember blessed Stephen stoned to death, and yet falling asleep; and remember also that Excellent Saying of St. Austin, That a child of God should be as willing to die as to put off his , because death is nothing else to him but a Sleep, and a departure from misery to everlasting happiness.  
Use 3. Is to beseech you all every night when you go to Bed, to remember this Text, and especially these Four things: First, When you are putting off your , remember you must shortly put off your Bodies. And Secondly, When you go into your Beds, remember that it will not be long before you go into your Graves. And Thirdly, When you close your Eyes to sleep, remember that it will not be long before death must close your Eyes. And Fourthly, When you awake in the morning, remember that at the Resurrection we must all arise out of the Grave; and that the just shall arise to everlasting happiness, but the wicked to everlasting misery.  
It is the saying on a Heathen man, That the whole Life of a man should be nothing else but Meditatio Mortis, a Meditation of Death: And it is the saying of Moses, Deut. 32.29. O that men were wise, that they understood this, that they would consider their latter end. Beloved, it is the greatest part of Wisdom every day to remember our latter end: That man is the only wise man, and happy man in life and death, that is ever mindful of his end.  
But before I make an end, I must propound one Question, viz. whether the death of the wicked be not in Scripture compared to a Sleep as well as the death of the godly? I answer, That wicked men in Scripture are said to fall asleep when they die: It is said of Idolatrous Jeroboam, that he slept with his fathers: of Baasha and Omri, those wicked Kings, that they slept with their fathers. But then the Question will be, In what respect is the death of the wicked compared to a Sleep? Ans. Even as a man which is asleep, sometimes hath no benefit, rest, or ease thereby; when the sick man awakes, he is many times more sick than he was before he went to sleep. Some men are much disquieted in their sleeps by hideous and fearful dreams: Nabuchadnezzar, when he was asleep, had a most scaring dream, and was amazed therewith. So it is with a wicked man; death to a wicked man is a Sleep, but it is a terrifying Sleep: The Soul, that goes immediately to Hell, where it is burned with fire that never shall be quenched, and where the Worm that never dies, is always gnawing upon it; The Body, that indeed lies asleep in the Grave: But how? Even as a Malefactor that sleeps in a Prison the night before he is to be executed, but when he awakes, is hurried and dragged to Execution: So the wicked man falls asleep in death, but when he awakes, he awakes to everlasting damnation; but a child of God when he sleeps the Sleep of death, he sleeps in his Father's House, and when he awakes, he awakes to everlasting happiness.  
Use 4. And this makes way for the Fourth and last Use, which Use is of very great consequence, and that is, to beseech all, that you labour so to live, that when you fall asleep you may sleep an happy Sleep. There is the Sleep that the wicked man sleeps when he dies, and there is the Sleep that the godly man sleeps when he dies: Now I beseech you labour so to live, that when you fall asleep, your Sleep may be an happy Sleep unto you, that when you awake in the morning of the Resurrection, it may be a good awaking for you.  
But then the great Question will be, How shall I do this?  
Ans. I shall give you Four or Five helps for this:  
First, If you would sleep an happy Sleep at death, than you must labour to sleep in Jesus Christ. It is said, 1 Cor. 15.18. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ. And 1 Thes. 4.14. If we believe that Jesus died, and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. What is it to sleep in Jesus? To sleep in Jesus is to die in the Faith of Jesus Christ.  
2. To sleep in Jesus Christ, is to die with an Interest in Jesus Christ, to die as a Member united to Christ, as our Head: For you must know, that the dust of a Saint is part of that man who is a Member of Jesus Christ; and every believer, when he sleeps in the dust, he sleeps in Jesus Christ; that is, he lies in the Grave, and his dust is part of Christ Mystical; and Christ as an Head, will raise it up, and cannot be complete without it. Now than if ever you would sleep an happy Sleep, labour to get a real Interest in Christ: labour to live in Christ while you live, and then when you fall asleep, you shall be sure to sleep in Jesus. There are many that would have Christ to receive their Souls at death, and that say with dying Stephen, Lord Jesus receive my spirit: But if ever you would have Christ to receive your Souls when you die, you must be sure to receive him into your Souls whilst you live: If ever you would have him to receive you into Heaven, you must receive him into your hearts. No man makes a Will, but he saith, Imprimis, I bequeath my Soul to Jesus Christ, my Redeemer. But how dost thou know that Jesus Christ will accept of this Legacy? If thy Soul hath not Christ's Image upon it, if it be not regenerated and renewed, Jesus Christ will never own it: Thou mayst bequeath it unto Christ, but the Devil will claim it. Beloved, if ever you would reign with Christ when you die, he must reign in you whilst you live; and if ever you would sleep an happy Sleep, you must live in Jesus, that you may sleep in Jesus.  
3. In the Third place, if ever you would sleep an happy Sleep at death, than you must take heed of overcharging yourself with worldly cares. A man that is full of cares cannot sleep: They lay (as the Proverb is) all their cares under their Pillow: they labour to shut all cares out of their mind. O take heed that you do not murder yourselves by the cares of the World. Beloved, a man that eats out his heart with Worldly Cares, will never sleep an happy Sleep, the Cares of the World will choke all the good Seed of the Word of God: And therefore as men, when they go to sleep, lay aside all Worldly Thoughts, so if ever you will sleep an happy Sleep, take heed of overmuch carking and caring for the things of this World: And remember what you have heard this day, and that will regulate and moderate all your cares. Naked you came into the World, and naked you must go out of the World. Why should we take care for that we know not who shall enjoy after us.  
4. If ever you would sleep an happy Sleep when you die, you must take heed of sucking too much of the pleasures of this World. A man that eats a full supper, will sleep very disquietly: Therefore they that would sleep quietly, use to eat light suppers: For when a man's stomach is overcharged, it takes away his quiet Sleep from him. So if you would sleep an happy Sleep when you come to die, O take heed of sucking too much the Pleasures of this Life: take heed of eating too large a Meal of Worldly Delights, and of Creature-Comforts. These Worldly Pleasures will make the Sleep of Death unquiet unto you. O! let not Dalilah's lap deprive you of Abraham's bosom: Remember, that David, by Bathsheba's Embraces, lost the Embraces of God: I mean the sense of the Embraces of God, the joy and comfort of them.  
Fourthly, If ever you would sleep an happy Sleep in death, then labour to work hard for Heaven while you live. O how delightful is Sleep to a weary man: When a man hath taken pains all the day, as the Traveller that hath traveled all the day, or the Ploughman that hath been at work all the day, how quietly, how sound doth he sleep in the night! O beloved, if ever you would sleep an happy Sleep at death, then work out your salvation with fear and trembling, and give all diligence to make your calling and election sure. The more you labour for Heaven, the better, the sweeter will your sleep be when you come to die. And remember this, as much sleeping in the daytime will hinder a man's Sleep at night, so you that idle away way the time of your providing for Heaven in this your day, you that sleep away the minute on which Eternity doth depend, O! you will have a sad Sleep when death seizeth upon you. Take heed therefore of sleeping whilst you live, that so your sleep in the night of death may be comfortable unto you.  
5. And lastly, If ever you would sleep an happy sleep when you die, then take heed of the sleep of sin. Sin in the Scripture is compared to a sleep: Awake thou that sleepest: that is, thou that sinnest. Sin is such a sleep as brings the sleep of death: Sin brings the first death, and sin brings the second death: All miseries whatsoever are the daughters of sin. If you would sleep an happy sleep, and have an happy awakening at the Resurrection, then take heed of the sleep of sin: Awake thou that sleepest, arise from the dead, and Jesus Christ will give thee life, Eph. 5.14. so Rom. 13.11, 12, 13. with which I will conclude; and I pray you, mark it well: for it was a Text that converted St. Augustine: Knowing the time, beloved, that it is now high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: Let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light: let us walk honestly, as in the day, not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying; but put on the Lord Jesus Christ.  
FINIS.   

Books Printed for Richard Butler, in White-Lyon-Court in Barbican.  
A Practical and short Exposition of the Catechism of the Church of England, by way of Question and Answer: Wherein the Divine Authority and Reasonableness of every Question and Answer, every Doctrine and Practice in it recommended, are Evidenced and Improved against most Contemners of it, and Dissenters from it; with that Moderation and Plainness, that it may engage all to adhere to, and especially may instruct Children in the true Protestant Religion of the Church of England. Humbly offered for the good of Schools and Youth. By Nathanael Taylor, M. A.  
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉: Or the Baptism of Infants Vindicated by Scriptures and Reasons. Humbly offered in Order to a Composure of Differences at this Juncture of Time. By Nath. Taylor, M. A.  
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉: Or an Alphebetical Martyrology, containing the Trials and Dying Expressions of many Martyrs of Note since Christ. Extracted out of Foxe's Acts and Monuments numents of the Church. With an Alphabetical List of God's Judgements remarkably shown on many Noted and Cruel Persecutors. Together with an Appendix of things pertinent to the understanding this Martyrology. By N. T. M. A. T. C. C.  
Two Sermons of Hypocrisy, and the vain hope of self-deceiving sinners: Together with an Inspection into the Manners and Conversation of the People called Quakers, whose fruits betel them to be Men of a Worldly Spirit, hating true holiness, and strangers to the simplicity that is in Christ: All which is showed in the following Treatise, composed and published for the common good, the startling and awakening of all Worldly and Opinionative Hypocrites, of what Name or Sect soever, and particularly the Quakers, and the establishment and consolation of the upright and sound in heart, in perilous and shaking times, and intended for a further confutation of Quakerism. By John Cheyney.