Man ashiv le-Yahoweh, or, A serious enquiry for a suitable return for continued life, in and after a time of great mortality, by a wasting plague (anno 1665) answered in XIII directions / by Tho. Doolitel.

SECTION I.

1. * 1.1SHould not you be dead to, and take heed of re∣turning, in your love, back again unto the Riches of the World, after such a Judgment as this hath been? To prevent an over-eager pursuit of the Riches and Profits of this World, when (by the removal of this Judgment) you have oppor∣tunity of returning to your Callings; consider.

1. * 1.2The Riches of this world are corruptible riches; they are perishing treasures: Silver and Gold are things corrupting others, and are corrup∣tible in themselves, 1 Pet. 1.18, 19. But, you have an incorruptible Kingdom and Crown be∣fore you to strive after, reserved in Heaven for believers, and for those that are so vehemently set for Heaven, that they will take it by force.

2. * 1.3The riches of this world are unprofitable riches; therefore be not too eager in your pursuit of unprofitable profits: They cannot profit you in tim•• of g••eatest need. Have not you had the ex∣perience of the unprofitableness of riches? that they are unprofitable (1.) For diverting of Judg∣ments,

or removing evils that come upon you; whether temporal, as Sickness, Plague, Death; or spiritual, as Hardness of Heart, Blindness of Minde, Terrors of Conscience; none of all these can be removed by worldly riches. (2.) For the procuring of good; whether temporal, for the Bo∣dy, as Health in time of Sickness, or Ease in time of Pain; or spiritual, for the Soul, either Grace, or Comfort, or Glory; if Conscience be wounded, they cannot heale your Consciences, nor comfort your Hearts.

3.* 1.4 The riches of this world are oftentimes hurtful to the owner and possessor of them, Eccles. 5.13. There is a sore evil which I have seen under the Sun, namely, riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt. Grace and Christ can never hurt you: but, your riches may, by being clogs to your affe∣ctions in holy duties; by being snares and temp∣tations to you in your converse in the world; by increasing your account, when you have not well improved them.

4.* 1.5 The riches of this world are uncertain riches, 1 Tim. 6.17. after you have got them, you may presently lose them: The loss of outward riches may arise,

• 1. By Men; by Force and Power; by fraud and deceit.
• 2. By Casualty; your Houses may be consumed with flames of Fire.
• 3. By Gods secret Curse, Hag. 1.6. —He that earneth wages, earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes.

5. * 1.6The riches that Men get in this world, are

easily valued: A Mans Estate is easily computed; But there are riches in Christ, which are unsearch∣able: seek and search after more of them, Ephes. 3.8.

6. * 1.7When you have got them they will not sa∣tisfie your desires, Eccles. 5.10.

II.* 1.8 Should not you be dead to the honours of this World, which will be a bait to many after such a Judgment? Should not you, who are yet alive to behold the Graves of some Honourable Persons, now in the dust, call off your heart from seeking after them? Have you not seen, that Death re∣spects not the Honourable more than the Igno∣ble? the Reverend and Esteemed no more than the Mean and Contemptible? Those that have Honourable Names and Titles, Honourable Friends and Relations, Honourable Callings and Imployments, Honourable Preferments and En∣joyments, are equalized in the Grave with others: And, have not you seen some fall? and, heard of others in this Judgment, and yet, after all this, set your heart upon the Honours of this world?

III. * 1.9Should not you be dead to the pleasures of this World, which will be snares for others? Should you, after such a Judgment as this, give your self to live a sensual flesh-pleasing life? and spend your time in needless delights and recreations? when you have heard so many dying Men complain of the loss of time, when they were well, and the

want of time when they came to die? Consider what these Pleasures be, that you are so much ad∣dicted to; that such sadning sorrowful sights, that you have seen, will not we••n you from them: Nay, when Gods smarting Rod upon your own body, by the Plague, will not imbitte•• your worldly pleasures and delights; but, you will go out of such a dreadful Judgment of God, to your Gamings and Sports; to the pleasing of the flesh, in satisfying the lusts and desires thereof, in acts of uncleanness.

Consider these (1.) are short pleasures, they are but for a little while; they are passing away while you are at them: But, these short pleasures may bring you to eternal torments and endless woe, Heb. 11.25. Choosing rather to suf∣fer afflictions with the People of God, then to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season. (2.) By giving up your selves unto these Pleasures, you deprive your selves of the Pleasures of Gods House in his Ordinances, which others drink of, Psal. 36.8. (3.) You deprive your self of the Pleasures of Gods House above in Heaven; of the Rivers of Pleasures which are at Gods right hand for ever∣more, Psal. 16.11. (4.) These pleasures are more brutish pleasures, and do but delight the more bru∣tish, i. e. sensitive part in Man: The rational Soul, as such, is not delighted in the pleasures of the Flesh, in eating and drinking, a Horse doth find pleasure in this as much as you; and some unreasonable Creatures herein do excel you. (5.) They are empty, and unsatisfying pleasures: they do not fill, content, nor satiate them

that give themselves most to follow after them.

IV. * 1.10Should not you be dead to, and take heed of resting in the wisdom of the World; in the attain∣ment onely of Humane Learning; after you have seen the Learned die as the Ignorant; and the Wise Man as the Fool: Humane Learning is more desirable than Riches and Honours, and the Pleas••res of this World; but, yet it is not to be acquiesced in, without the knowledg of God in Christ. Notions in Learning will never deliver from the Torments of Hell: many learned sin∣ners have gone to eternal Misery, and their tor∣ments there are greater than the torments of the Ignorant, and unlearned: the vanity of the wisdom of this World, compared with the know∣ledge of Christ, appeares, in that

1. It cannot redress the sinfulness of the thoughts, nor help against the vanity of the mind: The wise and learned Heathens became vain in their imaginations, Rom. 1.21.

2. It doth not prevent sinful elections, and choise of the will: Men of great knowledge choose the World, and Honours, and Ease, and Preferments before Christ.

3. It doth not remedy a sinful Conversation: M••ny know things to be evil, and yet do them; and so is an aggravation of their sin, and will be of their misery.

4. It doth not season Mens communications, nor prevent corrupt Discourses; but makes them

more witty, and able to scorn Godl••ness; jest with Scripture, and deride the Professors of the Gos∣spel: But, the knowledge of Christ, i•• is (1.) the sweetest knowledge. (2.) It is the surest knowledg; being by the Revelation of the Spirit of God: (3.) It is saving knowledge: Thus take a true ac∣count of all the things; the best, the most excel∣lent, the most desirable things in this world; and you will see no reason why you should wholly spend the residue of that time, which God hath ••ent you from the Grave, in such an eager pursuit of any thing of this life.

Notes

• * 1.1

  To the Profits of the world.
• * 1.2

  Are cor∣rupt••ble. Hurtful.
• * 1.3

  Unprofi∣table.
• * 1.4

  Hurtful
• * 1.5

  Uncer∣tain.
• * 1.6

  Easily va∣lued.
• * 1.7

  Unsatis∣fying.
• * 1.8

  To the Honours of the World.
• * 1.9

  To the pleasures of the World.
• * 1.10

  To the wisdom of the World.