our redemption, and is gloriously afcended into heaven, to prepare our dwelling-places with him, and faid unto his Father, Father, I will that where I am, my fervants fhall be John xvii. with me. And we know, that whatsoever Chrift will, his Father will the fame; wherefore it cannot be, but, if we be his faithful fervants, our fouls fhall be with him, after our departing out of this prefent life. St. Stephen, when he was ftoned to death, even in the midst of his torments, what was his mind most upon? When he was full of the Acts vii. Holy Ghoft, (faith holy Scripture,) having his eyes lifted up into heaven, he faw the glory of God, and Jefus ftanding on the right hand of God. The which truth, after he had confeffed boldly before the enemies of Chrift, they drew him out of the city, and there they ftoned him, who cried unto God, faying, Lord Jefus Chrift, take my spirit. And doth not our Saviour fay plainly in St. John's Gofpel, Verily, John v. verily, I fay unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that fent me, hath everlafting life, and cometh not into judgment, but shall pass from death to life? Shall we not then think that death to be precious, by the which we pass unto life? Therefore it is a true faying of the prophet, The death Pfal. cxvi. of the holy and righteous men is precious in the Lord's fight. Holy Simeon, after that he had his heart's defire in feeing our Saviour, that he ever longed for all his life, he embraced or took him in his arms, and faid, Now, Lord, Luke ii. let me depart in peace, for mine eyes have beholden that Saviour which thou haft prepared for all nations. It is truth therefore, that the death of the righteous is called peace, and the benefit of the Lord, as the Church faith, in the name of the righteous departed out of this world, My foul, turn thee to thy reft, for the Lord hath been Pfal. cxvi. good to thee, and rewarded thee. And we fee by holy Scripture, and other ancient hiftories of martyrs, that the holy, faithful, and righteous, ever fince Chrift's afcenfion, or going up, in their death did not doubt, but that they went to Chrift in fpirit, which is our life, health, wealth, and falvation. John in his holy Revelation faw an hundred forty and four thousand Virgins and Innocents, of whom he faid, Thefe follow the Lamb Jefus Chrift wherefo- Apoc. xiv. ever he goeth. And fhortly after in the fame place he faith, I heard a voice from heaven, faying unto me, Write, happy and bleffed are the dead which die in the Lord: from henceforth Jurely faith the Spirit) they shall reft from their pains and labours, for their works do follow them: fo that then G 2 they Gal. vi. James v. James v. they fhall reap with joy and comfort, that which they fowed with labours and pains. when the time of reaerla They that fow in the Spirit, of the Spirit shall reap everlasting life: let us therefore never be weary of well-doing; for reward cometh, we shall reap without any weariness ever lafting joy. Therefore while we have time (as St. Paul exhorteth us) let us do good to all men, Matth. vi. and not lay up our treasure in earth, where ruft and moths corrupt it; which ruft (as St. James faith) fhall bear witness against us at the great day, condemn us, and fhall (like moft burning fire) torment our flesh. Let us beware therefore (as we tender our own wealth) that we be not in the number of thofe miferable, covetous, and wretched men, which St James biddeth mourn and lament for their greedy gathering and ungodly keeping of goods. Let us be wife in time, and learn to follow the wife example of the wicked fteward. Let us fo wifely order our goods and poffeffions, committed unto us here by God for a feafon, that we may truly hear and obey this commandment of our Saviour Luke xvi. Chrift: I fay unto you (faith he) make you friends of the wicked Mammon, that they may receive you into everlasting tabernacles or dwellings. Riches be called wicked, becaufe the world abufeth them unto all wickedness, which are otherwife the good gifts of God, and the inftruments, whereby God's fervants do truly ferve him in ufing of the fame. He commanded them not to make them rich friends, to get high dignities and worldly promotions, to give great gifts to rich men that have no need thereof; but to make them friends of poor and miferable men, unto whom whatfoever they give, Chrift taketh it as given to himself. And to thefe friends Chrift in the Gofpel giveth fo great honour and preeminence, that he faith, they fhall receive them that do good unto them into everlasting houses: not that men fhall be our rewarders for our well-doing, but that Chrift will reward us, and take it to be done unto himfelf, whatsoever is done to fuch friends. Thus making poor wretches our friends, we make our Saviour Chrift our friend, whofe members they are: whofe mifery as he taketh for his own mifery, fo their relief, fuccour, and help he taketh for his fuccour, relief, and help; and will as much thank us and reward us for our goodness fhewed to them, as if he himself had received like benefit at our hands, as he witneffeth in the Gospel, Matt. xxv. faying, Whatfoever ye have done to any of thefe fimple perfons, which do believe in me, that have you done to myself. Therefore Therefore let us diligently forefee, that our faith and hope, which we have conceived in Almighty God, and in our Saviour Chrift, wax not faint, and that the love, which we bear in hand to bear to him, wax not cold: but let us study daily and diligently to fhew ourselves to be the true honourers and lovers of God, by keeping of his commandments, by doing of good deeds unto our needy neighbours, relieving, by all means that we can, their poverty with our abundance and plenty, their ignorance with our wisdom and learning, and comfort their weaknefs with our ftrength and authority; calling all men back from evil doing by godly counsel and good example, perfevering ftill in welldoing, fo long as we live: fo fhall we not need to fear death for any of those three caufes afore-mentioned, nor yet for any other cause that can be imagined: but contrarily, confidering the manifold fickneffes, troubles, and forrows of this prefent life, the dangers of this perilous pilgrimage, and the great encumbrance which our fpirit hath by this finful flesh and frail body, fubject to death: confidering also the manifold forrows and dangerous deceits of this world on every fide, the intolerable pride, covetoufnefs, and lechery, in time of profperity; the impatient murmuring of them that be worldly, in time of adverfity, which cease not to withdraw and pluck us from God our Saviour Chrift, from our life, wealth, or everlasting joy and falvation: confidering alfo the innumerable affaults of our ghoftly enemy the Devil, with all his fiery darts of ambition, pride, lechery, vain-glory, envy, malice, detraction, or backbiting, with other his innumerable deceits, engines, and fnares, whereby he goeth bufily about to 1 Pet. v. catch all men under his dominion, ever like a roaring lion, by all means fearching whom he may devour. The faithful Christian man which confidereth all these miseries, perils, and incommodities, (whereunto he is fubject fo long as he here liveth upon earth,) and on the other part confidereth that blessed and comfortable state of the heavenly life to come, and the sweet condition of them that depart in the Lord; how they are delivered from the continual encumbrances of their mortal and finful body, from all the malice, crafts, and deceits of this world, from all the affaults of their ghoftly enemy the Devil, to live in peace, reft, and endless quietnefs, to live in the fellowship of innumerable angels, and with the congregation of perfect just men, as patriarchs, prophets, martyrs, and confeffors, and finally unto the prefence of Almighty God, and our Saviour Jefus Chrift:-he that doth confider all these G3 things, Phil. i. things, and believeth them affuredly, as they are to be be- midt lis bosuiogge bug bats and 16 4 bing o Bailib betrioses dead or worden n bladt de tot bi od vam od undred si Good Order, and Obedience to Rales and Magiftrates. diw lw 10097 b Almighty God hath created and appointed all things in heaven, earth, and waters, in a moft excellent and perfect order. In heaven he hath appointed diftinct or feveral orders and ftates of archangels and angels. In -earth he hath affigned and appointed kings, princes, with other governors under them, in all good and neceffary order. The water above is kept, and raineth down in due time and feafon. The fun, moon, ftars, rainbow, thunder, lightning, clouds, and all birds of the air, do keep their order. The earth, trees, feeds, plants, herbs, corn, grafs, and all manner of beafts, keep themselves in their order: all the parts of the whole year, as winter, fummer, months, nights, and days, continue in their order: all kinds of fishes in the fea, rivers, and waters, with all fountains, fprings, yea, the feas themselves, keep their comely courfe and order: and man himself alfo hath all his parts both within and without, as foul, heart, mind, memory, , understanding, reafon, fpeech, with all and fingular corporal members of his body, in a profitable, neceffary, and pleafant order: every degree of people in their vocation, calling, and office, hath appointed to them their duty and order: fome are in high degree, fome in low, fome kings and princes, fome inferiors and fubjects, priefts and layinen, mafters and fervants, fathers and children, husbands and wives, rich and poor; and every one hath need of other; fo that in all things is to be lauded and praised the goodly order of God, without the which no houfe, no city, no commonwealth can continue and endure, or laft. For where there is no right order, there reigneth all abufe, carnal liberty, enormity, fin, and Babylonical confufion. G4 Take |