King Charles his funeral who was beheaded by base and barbarous hands January 30, 1648, and interred at Windsor, February 9, 1648 with his anniversaries continued untill 1659 / by Thomas Swadlin ...

Anno Dom. 1656.

APOCALYPS. 14.13.

Blessed are the Dead that dye in the Lord, from henceforth, even so faith the Spirit, They rest from their labours, and their workes follow them.

THis Book is not Apocrypsis, a Covering, but Apocalipsis, a Discovery; and therefore may be lookt into: Were it Apocrypsis, a Concealment, It were only for God; For secret things belong only to God; But being as it is, Apocalypsis, A Re∣vealement, or a Revelation, It is for us, and ours: For things re∣vealed belong to us, and to our Children.

In this Book, I confesse, are Multa Mysteria, Many Myste∣ryes, and so not fit for vulgar eyes; But in it too are Multae Hystoriae, Many Historys, and so fit for all Eyes; The Myste∣rys indeed are for the Schools; but the Histories may be for the Pulpit.

My Text hath not one jot of Mystery in it, It is all an Hi∣story, a plain History for the understanding; For who under∣stands not, That they which dye in the Lord are blessed? It is a sweet History for the Affections; For what more desired then Blessednesse? And it is a short History for the Memory; For it consists but of three parts, and who remembers not three? Those three parts are these;

1. An Affirmation, or a Proposition, Beati abhoc tempore, posthac, amodo, qui in Domino, Domini causâ moriuntur; Blessed henceforth are they which dye in the Lord, or for the Lords Cause.

2. A Witnesse, or a Deposition, to justifie the Truth of the Proposition, Etiam, dicit Spiritus, Even so saith the Spirit.

3. A Comment or Exposition; Quoniam requiescunt a labori∣bus, et opera eorum sequntur eos; They rest from their labours, and their works follow them.

The Proposition comforts us, The Deposition assures us, The Exposition enlightens it and us; For if any man should say of the Proposition, Blessed are the dead which dy in the Lord, Durus hic Sermo, This is an hard sentence, who can understand it? why here is a Glosse to expound it and explain it; and the Glosse tells you, They are doubly blessed.

1. In Deliverance and Relaxation, They rest from their la∣bour.

2. In Reward and Retribution, Their works follow them.

If the time confines me not, I shall D. V. speak of each; And 1. of the first, Blessed are the dead which dye, &c.

Blessednesse is a large word, and comprises all those Mercies and Favours which appertain to this Life or the next: so we read in the Psalms, Blessed is the man that fears the Lord; and that Blessednesse is as well Earthly as Heavenly; His Seed shall be mighty upon Earth, Wealth and Riches shall be in his house; There it is earthly, His Righteousnesse endures for ever; Here it is Heavenly.

But the Blessedness in any Text is not of this extent, It is not extended to the Living, and therefore is not earthly; It is restrained to the dead, and therefore only Heavenly; Blessed are the Dead, saith my Text.

And here again, least any one should quarrel with the Text and say flatly: It is false because of all Terribles Death is the most Terribles, and therefore said Mecaenas, Facito debilem Pede, facito debilem manu vita dum superest, bene est, Lay what Pain

you will upon me, Sursingle me, with the Collick; shackle me with the Gout, Torment with the Stone; Lay all Di∣seases upon me Physicians can name, let me but live and I care not.

Or least any one should wrong the Text, and make Cleombortus his hast, dye before he should dye, Preposterously, and make a∣way himself out of a Co••ceipt of being Blessed.

Or lastly, least any one should make this Text an enemy to o∣ther Texts, and say, If the Dead are Blessed, then none are Cursed: Not Cain the Brother-Killer, nor Judas the Sa∣viour-killer, nor Ravilliac the King-killer, but all are saved; The Period is not at Mortui, Blessed are the dead, but at In Domino, Blessed are the Dead which dye in the Lord.

To keep the Text from splitting upon any of these Rocks, I shall shew you in this part of it,

• 1. The Subject, Mortui, Who, the Dead.
• 2. The Object, what, Beati, They are Blessed.
• And 3. The Subject quallified, and restrained, which of the Dead are Blessed? In Domino; They that dye in the Lord; they are blessed.

And yet because of the Order of these words, I shall crave leave to speak, 1. Of the Object, Blessed, and of it, as it is here restrained, to the next life, to the Dead, Blessed are the Dead.

And what is this Blessednesse? Blessednesse Comp the Fruition of the Soveraigne Good; no Compleat Bles∣sednesse untill then; And what this Soveraigne Good is these two Charecters tell us; Optimum et Maximum, The great∣est thing, and the Best thing.

1. Optimum it must be, The Best; Else it will not siste∣re appetitum, Give us content; For enjoy a man what he can or will, either Bona, the gifts of Fortune, Riches, and such External Blessings; or Meliora, the gifts of the Mind, Wis∣dom and such Internal Blessings; yet the Mind is never con∣tent, until it have Optimum, the Best, which is the Eternal Blessing.

2. And as it must be Optimum, the Best, to give us content; so it must be the Maximum, the Greatest, else it will not Im∣plere appetitum, and satisfie our Desire; For enjoy a man what he will or can, either Magna, the great Chair of Priesthood; or Majora, the greater Throne of Majesty; yet is the Desire never satisfied, (Unus Pellaeo juveni non sufficit Orbis, Alexan∣der wonted Elbow-room in a whole world) until it have Maxi∣mum, the Fruition of what is greatest.

The Positive is too low, whether it be Bonum or Magnum, Good or Great; For the Good men would be Better, and the Great men would be Greater; The Yeoman a Gentleman to be Greater, and the Priest a Bishop to be Better. And yet then, The Comparative is not high enough; For be he Better then the Good or Greater than the Great, yet we are not so Good or Great as we would be, until we enjoy both Maximum and Opti∣mum, the Best and the Greatest; The Best to content us, and the Greatest to satisfie us.

And the Reason hereof is very plain, plain in that plain and old Resemblance of the Mind or Heart of Man; The Heart of Man is the Greatest Figure, and the Heart of Man is the Best Figure; For it is Triangular: Now, the Bona and the Magna, The Good and the Great, the Majora and the Melio∣ra, The Better and the Greater, Gifts and Places are all but Globular; and therefore Impossible that any of them, being all

Globular and Round, should content and satisfie the Heart of Man, which is altogether Triangular and three square; No∣thing can content that, but what is hoth for Eminence and Cir∣cumference Triangular; And so Nothing is, but onely that which is Optimum & Maximum; The Best and the Greatest.

And now of whom may those two Attributes and Characters be predicated? Who do enjoy Him in whom these two Cha∣racters meet? Surely none below, For there is none that doth good upon the Earth, sayes the Psalmist, no not one: Some be∣low are Comparatively good, Saints in respect of Sinners, Be∣lievers in respect of Infidels are good; Good they, but none Ab∣solutely good; None so good as to be Optimus, but God; nor none but Him is Maximus neither; onely God is Almighty, and All good: He onely is Omnipotentia and Omnibmentia, Omnipotence and Omnibonence; He only is Almighty in Him∣self, and over All; He onely is All good in Himself and to All; and therefore onely Blessed, as the Apostle onely Blessedness, which Blessedness till we enjoy, we can never be, or be truely said to be, Blessed.

But against this, there lye two Objections, One on Gods part, propter Essentiam, for his Essence, and one on our part, propter Absentiam, for our Absence.

On Gods part, [Object. 1] the Octjection is framed thus, God is Essentia simplex, A simple Essence; we are of a Compound Nature, and therefore God, because simple as He is, cannot satisfie us, because Compound as we are: This is the Objection.

And thus I answer it, God is simply good, but so that He is al∣so Manifoldly good; [Answ. 1] Innos eminenter, He is a Manifold Good to us; In se simpliciter, He is a simple Good in Himself; That way He doth satisfie us, though This way He doth not satisfie us; and we are thereby Blessed.

On our part, the Objection is framed thus, [Object. 2] God is in Hea∣ven, we, upon Earth, and therefore we cannot, see Him, and there∣fore we cannot enjoy Him, and therefore we are not Blessed.

And I answer this Objection thus, [Answ. 2] It makes nothing against my Text, for my Text speaks of the Dead, and sayes, The are Blessed; and the Dead are not upon Earth, where they cannot see God, and live; but in Heaven, where they live, because they see God; and therefore they are Blessed, because they see Him, and enjoy Him, who is both Optimus and Maxi∣mus, All-mightiness, and All-goodness.

But least any man living should think himself unblest, because my Text ascribes Blessedness onely to the Dead, I enlarge my Answer thus.

There is a Twofold presence of God: 1. In his Scepter, and that is gracious, like Ahashuerus's: 2. In his Throne, and that is glorious, like King Solomons: Gods Scepter is his Word; Here we see Him darkly, and but Darkly, because we appre∣hend this Presence onely by Faith; Gods Throne is his glory, or his Kingdom, or his Heaven of Heavens; and There when we are (and God Almighty once bring us thither) we shall see Him clearly, even Face to Face.

The Presence of Him in his Word, though is be a Dark, yet it is a True Sight of Him, and the Pledge of a Clearer in Heaven.

For when we believe in God, In God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, we are then Blessed in the Church Militant, be∣cause we have Peace of Conscience, and are thereby assured, That therefore we shall be Blessed in the Church Triumphant, be∣cause we shall then and there have the Peace of God.

When we believe in God, and consider in Him, as our Ma∣ker, of Nothing, as our Redeemer from Sin, as our Sanctifier

against as our Preserver from Sin and Danger, from the Sin of Rebellion, which was this Day acted to purpose, and from the Danger of Rebels, which for this Dayes Rebellion, will ere long be executed on them to the purpose; as our Judge, accor∣ding to the Clearness of our Hearts, and Cleanness of our Hands, we are then Blessed, Spe in Regno Gratiae, by Hope in the Kingdom of Grace, because we have the Forgiveness of our sins, and are thereby assured, that therefore we shall be Blessed, Re in Regno Gloriae, by way of Possession in the Kingdom of Glory, because then we hall have Everlasting Life.

And this is the upshot of all Blessedness; And this Blessed∣ness will not be had until we be Dead; nor can it be had, un∣less we Dye in the Lord.

It is my next Consideration, my Secunda Primae, proposed thus, Who are Blessed? And disposed thus, The Dead; They are the Subject of this Object, The Dead are Bessed; and their Qualification is, If they Dye in the Lord.

By Dead here is not meant St. Pauls Dead, which he speaks of to Timothy, The wanton Widow who is Dead whiles she lives, she is not Blessed, because Dead, but therefore Cursed, because she is Dead whiles she lives; For howsoever she drawes in the Life of Nature, yet she never breaths out the Breath of Grace.

And this I prove by those three parts which are the best Indi∣cations of a Dead or Living Body: The Pultse, the Heart, the Mouth; If a mans Pultse beat, If his Heart pants,, If his Mouth speaks or breaths, we are sure he lives; but if all these are silent, and stir not, we conclude He is Dead.

1. Now for the Pultse of a wanton Widow, the Pultse of her Soul, her Conscience, If it beat at all, yet it beats unevenly, and out of tune, either too high by Desperation and Presump∣tion,

or else too low by Security and Supiness; And by this we know she is sick; For the most part, It beats not at all; It gives no warning before, It starts not at the temptation to sin, It gives no Remembrance after, It checks not at the Commission of sin; and by this we conclude she is Dead.

And so her Heart too; If that pants at all, It is after sensual Pleasures, and things forbidden; like the Harlots in the Proverbs, Come and let us take our fill of love; Broken Cisterus that can hold no water; It is not after the Fountain of living waters, like Davids, Come and let us go into the house of the Lord.

3. And so her Mouth too; That speaks not the Language of Canaan, and such as becometh Saints; but the Language of Ashdod, and such as becometh Devils: By which it ap∣pears, she is Dead, but not Blessed.

Nor by Dead here is meant those Dead which Christ speaks of, Let the Dead bury the Dead, i.e. The Deal in sin bury them that are Dead for sin; As elsewhere He speaks to the Jews, Yee shall dye in your sins.

And they that are so Dead, Dead in their sins, while they live, or so Dye, Dye in their sins, when they leave this life; They that give sin leave to reign in them, while they are here, and over them when they depart hence; They that obey the commanding power of it now, and sink under the Condemning Guilt of it then; They are not Blessed, though Dead, but Cursed; Cursed in their finishing of sin, because that sin brings forth Death; as St. James speaks: i.e. Eternal Death.

But by Dead here is meant, not Universally, All, but Indefi∣nitely, Many; Those that Dye in the Lord: It is my next Consideration, my Tertia Primae; And here I shall shew you first, What it is to dye in the Lord; by way of Doctrine and

Explication: And secondly, How we may dye in the Lord, by way of Use and Application.

And first, What it is to dye in the Lord? Why, To dye in the Lord, or, To dye in Christ, or, To dye in Faith; (for all these are Synonima) is, either, To suffer Death for Christ, like a Martyr; or, To end our life in firm Faith in Christ, as a Confessor.

The Romanists contend earnestly for the Former, and will have the Text to be understood of Martyrs onely; and so they take In for Propter, To dye In the Lord, is, To dye For the Lord.

Now be it, That the Martyrs are here Specially meant; yet sure I am, That they arc not here onely meant; For I do not read, That Abraham was a Martyr; yet I read, That he was Blessed in Heaven with Glory; nor do I read, That the Thief upon the Cross died for Christ; yet I read, That he was Blessed in Paradice with Christ.

He, whosoever he be, that doubts of the Martyrs Blessed∣ness, His that dyes for Christ, is scarce worthy himself to have any part in Christ; It is a thing so little doubted, That Saint Augustine sayes, Injuria est, He does the Martyr wrong that prayes for him: For by praying for him, he doubts of his Sal∣vation; and Christ himself sayes, He that looseth his life for my sake shall find it.

And certainly, If he wrongs the Martyr that prayes for him, then he that grieves for him, wrongs him much more; For he either doubts of his welfare, or repines at his happiness.

To see Clouds in the Clergies face for the departing of our late most reverend Father in God, William Laud Arch-bishop of Canterbury; To see Furrowes in the faces of the remaining Greenvills, Smiths, or Boules; To see water in the eyes of the

surviving Cavendishes, Lyndseies▪ or Gardiners, To hear Plaints from the Tongues of the being Bourcheris, and Yeomans, Tomp∣kins and Challoners, for the not being of their Fathers, Sons, Brothers, Kindreds, and Friends, is equally to doubt of their being Martyrs, and therefore Blessed, as of our Enemies being Rebels, and therefore Murtherers; which for mine own part, I no more doubt of either, then of success in the End, or mine own Salvation.

It hath been questioned, I know, by the Church-men of Rome, Whether Souldiers may be Martyrs; and their Reason is, Quia bonum Reip. licet maximum inter bona humana, non potest esse Causa Martyris, sed solummodo Divinum: Yet I know withal, It is resolved by them again, Quod bonum humanum officitur Di∣vinum, si referatur ad Deum, est Causa Martyris: a Subjects fighting and dying for their King, or King fighting and dying for his Subjects, did Fight and Dye for God, they did it of late; For of late, Gods, and the Churches, and the Kings Cause consentred in one; The King endeavoured to maintain that Religion, and that publicly Service of God, which Gods own right hand planted, and his blessed Martyrs watered, watered with their Blood; and therefore blessed, because they have so done; Etiam dicit Spiritus, so sayeth the Spirit, bles∣sed are the Dead which dye in the Lord.

Had it been onely to maintain the publick Service of God, established by Law, even that alone would have made them Martyrs; For not a Tittle of it, but it was by the Dictate of the Holy Ghost; and I should think my self accursed, if I were not able to maintain it; and would now, if it were not beside my Text and Purpose; yet blame not my holy Zeal, if I do vindicate that saving-Book against the Schismaticks greatest Ex∣ceptions: And that is in the Office of Marriage: That Office

consists of Substance and Ceremony; The Substance, Prayer, The Ceremony, a Ring.

Look you upon both, and first the first Prayer in that Office, It beseeches Almighty God to bless the Couple to be married, As Isaac a••d Rebecca; whence I a••gue thus:

This Prayer was dictated by the Holy Ghost to the Compo∣sers of the Common Prayers, or made by those Composers with∣out the Dictate of the Holy Ghost; But not by them, without his Dictate; Therefore by his Dictate to them.

If by them without him, then they would have made it ac∣cording to Humane Reason, and so have said, bless them O Lord, as thou didst bless Ab••aham and Sarah, or as thou didst bless Jacob and Rachel; and they had humane Reason for it: for Abraham was Gods fi••st Friend, Jacob was Gods great Favou∣rite: But sayes the Holy Ghost, Not so, nor so; but let it be, bless them as Isaac and Rebecca; and there is no Humane Reason for this, but a Divine Reason there is, and that is this, Abraham had his Hagar in Sarahs time, and this Keturah af∣terwards: Jacob had his Leah, his Zilhah and his Bilhah; but Isaac had none but his Rebecca; and therefore sayes the Holy Ghost, let it not be, Bless them as Abraham and Sarah, Bless them as Jacob and Rachel; for then people may be apt to think they may have many Wifes at once, if not some Concu∣bines; but, let it be, Bless them as thou didst bless Isaac and Rebecca; let them know, One man should have but one Wife, especially at one time.

Then secondly look upon the Ring, The Ring must be round without end, and the Ring must be of Gold without mixture; so must the Husbands love be to his Wife perpetual, and to be terminated onely by Death; and withal his Love must be pure, and not given or imparted to any other, but to his Wife onely.

Certainly therefore, Blessed they which dye in maintaining that Service-book, which can without contradiction father the very Ceremonies of it upon the Holy Ghost.

But add to this, Obedience to the King, Unity to the Church, Liberty to the Subject, and many more commanded by God; and deny He that can or dare, Blessed is William Laud Arch∣bishop, for dying for the Churches Unity; Blessed are Caven∣dish Greenvile, &c. for dying for Obedience, and to keep the Kings Crown upon his Head; Blessed is King Charles the first for dying for both, and to preserve the Subjects Liberties.

And if they are Blessed, why then do any mourn, as if they were lost? But alas! Nature will have her course, and on Gods Name let it; but let Nature give you bounds to Natures course stillate volo, non currere; let your Eyes drop Tears like pretious water out of a Still; not run like common water out of a spout: So said Seneca from Nature.

Yes, Nature hath taught it not onely by Speech, but also by Example; what else meant that Heathen Priest, who so soon as be heard of his Sons Death, presently put off his Crown, and vented his Sorrow by his Tears; but hearing withal, That his Son died Valiantly, he assumed his Crown again, and finished his Sacrifice: So you B. hearing your Friends death, lay aside your Crowns and melt your selves into Tears; but knowing, They died for God, for the Church, for the King, for the Countrey, for the glory of God, for the Unity of the Church, for the Honour of the King, for the Lawes of the Countrey, and that the King himself was Murthered and Martyred for all these: Put on your Crowns again, and finish your own Christian course with Joy; Give not back, though you are bur few: Fall not back, though Gods, the Churches, the Kings, and your Ene∣mies have got the Trophees; you know not whether God hath

chosen for his Gedeon a Reserve, that his own Glory may be the greater and your own blessedness as sure by Dying In the Lord, as your Friends that have dyed For the Lord.

Their blessedness is not doubted, They that dye For the Lord They that seal the Truth of Gods VVord and Religion with their blood: Nor Catholique, nor Papist call their blessedness into question. They that were slain in the late quarrel: And cer∣tainly their blessedness too, your own, needs as little doubt, who are resolved to dye In the Lord; you who lead a holy life, and believe in the Lord Jesus, and will continue therein to the end, They are, you are, blessed.

For questionless St. John is blessed, though he died in his bed, and was but banished, as you are, as well as St. Peter, though he died upon the Cross, and was put to Torment, as our glorious King, and many of our Friends were: And it is to you as well as to them, to you that are but Confessors, as well as to them that were Martyrs, that Christ speaks, Come ye blessed of my Fa∣ther, possess the Kingdom prepared for you from the begin∣ning.

But this, for my part, shall make no quarrel between Rome and England, or Amsterdam; If they will yield to us in some Substances, we will easily yield to them in this Circumstance, Let them decline to the killing of Kings, and we will soon yield, That Martyrs onely are blessed, and so by consequence, They onely dye in the Lord: But with this Proviso, That they take not, nor understand this word Martyr, in the common use of speech, & secundum vulgus: For so it is one that seals his witness to the Gospel with his blood, and suffers death for Christ; but in the Grammar sence, & secundum Cleres: For so it means but a Witness, One that lives and dies in Faith; as the Apostle speaks, All these, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and

many more, died in the Faith: i. e. They were all Martyrs, or, they were all Witnesses, to the truth of Christs Religion, both in their Life and Death, They died in the Lord.

And thus you see, what it is to dye in the Lord; or who may be said to dye in the Lord? Now for Application of this Point; How may we dye in the Lord? And that I shall tell you plainly and quickly.

If you would Dye in the Lord, you must Live in the Lord; Live in him you must by a Faith that purifies your hearts, and then Dye in him you may by a Faith that justifies your Souls; Live in him you must by the Faith of water to Sanctification; and then, Dye in him you may by the Faith of Blood to Justifi∣cation.

We may not with Balaam desire to dye the death of the Kigh∣teous, and live Covetously; but we must with David lead the life of the Righteous, and dye Comfortably.

If we would dye in the Lord, and receive the end of our Faith, which is the Salvation of our Souls, we must first Live in the Lord, by laying the Foundation of Faith, by doing the Act of Faith, and by bringing forth the Fruit of Faith.

1. Fundamentum autem Fidei quid? But what is the Foun∣dation of Faith? Why it is Cognitio Dei & nostri, the Know∣ledge of God, and of our selves; The Knowledge of God the Father, and our Fall; He made us upright, and we found out many inventions; He made us in his Image, and we defaced it: The Knowledge of God the Son, and our Redemption; we were lost, and He sought us; we were sold, and He bought us; were slaves, and He enfranchised us.

The Knowledge of God the Holy Ghost, and our Sanctifica∣tion by Him; Such we were, Dru••kards, Revilers, Fornica∣tors, &c. But we are sanctified by the Spirit of our God: This is the Foundation of Faith, and it must be laid by Knowledge.

2. The Act of Faith; and it must be effected by Applying, Actus autem Fidel quid? And what is the Act of Faith? Why it is Fiducia, A perswasion that God the Father so loved me, that he gave his onely begotten Son for me: A perswasion that God the Son so loved me, That he came in the similitude of sinful flesh, and for sin condemned sin in the flesh: A perswasion that God the Holy God so loved me, that he hath baptized me into the death of Christ, and hath thereby made me the Temple of Himself, a Member of Christ, and the Child of God. In a word, when I believe, Though I am the greatest of all sinners, yet Jesus Christ came into the world to save me.

3. Fructus autem fidei quid? And what is the Fruit of Faith? Why it is Charitas, Charity; Charity to God by Prayer; Charity to my self by Fasting, and keeping my Body under; Charity to the Poor by Almes: These, These are the precious Fruits that grow upon the precious Tree of Faith; Faith believing in God, thorow Jesus Christ, by the Holy Ghost, to be saved, does therefore pray to God against sin, and keeps the Body under from sin, and gives Almes to the Poor.

And when we do this, why then as Christ saies, you shall know the Tree by his fruit; we live in the Lord, and therefore we shall dye in the Lord.

The word of my Text is not, Qui vivunt, They which live, but Qui exeunt, They that dye in the Lord; Nor did I say this to deviate from my Text, but to tell you, How you may fulfil the Text, and dye in the Lord; and no way for this, but by living in the Lord, for otherwise the Lord may be said to Dye in us; we cannot be said to Dye in the Lord.

Nor yet did I say this, That the man that lives not in the Lord, cannot dye in the Lord: For God can fetch water out of the flinty Rock; but to tell you, That ordinarily, Few dye in the Lord, that do not first live in the Lord: They that live in

sin, may dye in the Lord, and such A course may speed: But it is a dangerous and indiscreet pare to venture a Soul upon such an hazard: This course is sure to speed', They that live in the Lord, do alwayes dye in the Lord.

It is storied that the French ad judged certain ground to the Irish, against the Scotch, because Spyders, Toads, and such poy∣sonous Creatures did presently dye, if they were put there: So you may be our own Judges, and know to what Master you belong; If si••ful lusts, words and works dye, when they come upon the Ground of your Souls, you belong to the Lord; He lives in you, and you shall dye in him.

Once more, Would you dye in the Lord? Why then as St. Paul sa••es, Dye daily: i. e. Master your Lusts, Subdue your Wrath, Humble your Pride, Resist all Temptations; v.g. more plainly.

Suppose Covetousness were now breeding in my heart, and Money perswaded me to become another Judas, to betray my Soul, my Saviour, my King, my Countrey: Yet remember I it is but a sad bargain I am about, No profit to gain the whole world, and loose mine own Soul; And what I say of this sin, I say of all sin, Take them while they are but little ones, even but Temptations, and dash them against the stones; Against the stones of Mortification and Repentance; Obey the Precepts of God, and resist sin; Believe the Promises of God, and relye on Christ, and so you shall live in the Lord; Continue in this Obedience to the Law; Persevere in this Belief of the Gospel; and though you do sometimes fall, (and God forgive us all, for who falls not often?) yet Rise again by Repentance, and at the Hour of your Death: Then six your Faith upon the Mer∣cies of God in the Merits of Jesus Christ; and you shall Dye in the Lord; And Dying so, you shall be blessed; Etiam sic dicit Spi∣rius, For so saith the Spirit.

It is my second General; I called it the Witness to assure the Deposition, to confirm the truth of the Proposition; and I must tell you, It is beyond all exception; Etiam sic dicit Spi∣ritus; For so sayes the Spirit.

But of this I shall not need to speak much; For I hope in Christ, There is no Athist here to deny the Truth of God, or of his Word; No Schismatick, or Heretick here, I hope, to deny this Book of Revelation, though penned by St. John, to have proceeded from the Spirit; Not any Carnal, or Private Spirit, not any Giddy or worldly spirit, but the Holy and Bles∣sed Spirit; and therefore I forbear to prosecute this Point, and thank your Piety for saving me the pains.

Nor shall I dare to trespass upon your Patience, in speaking much of my Third General; This Depositaries Exposition of the Proposition; And yet least I should injure your Expecta∣tion, I shall venture upon a word or two.

If any one askes, wherein are the Dead Blessed, They that dye in the Lord, wherein are they blessed? Loe, The Spirit makes answer, and sayes, They are blessed two wayes: 1. In Relaxation, They rest from their Labours: 2. In Retribution, Their Works follow them.

They are two Blessednesses, and two such Blessednesses, as this world cannot afford, Ease and Glory both; In this world, If sometimes we have Rest in our Studies, by Divine Contempla∣tion, yet there we have no Glory; we are but poor Schollars still: And if sometimes you have Glory in the Court, by Royal admission, yet there you have no Rest, you are but Observing Courtiers still▪ But in Heaven, Both you and we shall have Rest and Glory both.

1. Rest: When we are born, we are born to Labour, sayes Holy Job; when we dye, we dye to Rest, sayes holy John, If

we dye in the Lord; Every man while he lives, hath many Troubles, sayes holy David; even the Righteous; Every one, when he dyes, hath not many, hath not any Comforts; For some are tormented in Hell, sayes holy Abraham; But the Righ∣teous have many Comforts, sayes holy Isaiah; The work of Righteousness shall be Peace; The End of Righteousness shall be Quietness and Assurance for ever.

The Righteous, while he liveth, is troubled in his Body by Diseases; In his Soul by Temptations; In his Goods by Plun∣der; In his Name by Ignominy: But when he is Dead he hath a Quietus est from them all; His Body feels no Sicknesse; His Soul fears no Temptation; His Goods fear no Miscarriage; His Name feels no Reproaches; For he rests from his La∣bours.

No•• is this Rest like mans in the Night, Natural, by sleep from the Sorrowes of the Day; nor like Servants, every Sunday, Ceremonial, from the Labours of the Body; not yet meerly like Christians, upon those Sacred Festivals, spiritual from sin; but it is Eternal, like that of Angels, from sin and sorrow both.

And here you are to mark, That this Rest follows Labour: q. d. No Labour here, No Rest the••e; If you labour not while you live, but sit down to Eat and Drink, and Rise up to Play, no Rest when you Dye: And therefore labour here, la∣bour after a sanctified Rest while you live, that you may enjoy a Glorified Rest when you Dye.

And here again you may mark, That the Allegory of this Word compares Death to sleep For as they that sleep, Rest; so they that Dye, If they Dye in the Lord, Rest: The difference in onely this, All that sleep, Rest; All that Dye, sleep, but All do not Rest; some Rest not at all: To make it hold in all to

you, I beseech you to mark one thing in our Common Rest; we never sleep so well at Night, as when we work hard in the Day: No Rest to the Labourers: It is an old Proverb, and true: So, That you may sleep, when you Dye, Rest ••n ••ha•• sleep, I beseech you again, and again, To labour, and to labour out the Salva∣tion of your soul, though it be with Fear and Trembling, as the Apostle speaks, That when you have slept the night of D••ath, you may Rise in the Morning of your Resurrection, to Rest ••om your Labours, and have your Works follow you.

That's one Blessedness of the Dead mans; ; his Relaxation, He rests from his labou••s: And this is another, His works follow him: For by this Phraise is meant Reward, because God rewards us according to our works.

But here you must take heed of Popery: It is not for the merit of our works that we are rewarded, but by the Mercy of our Rewarder that our works follow us.

We press Good works as hard as they; They are necessary, and so necessary to salvation, that without them we cannot be saved: For how shall They follow us, if we have none of them?

But they do it to make their Proselytes proud: We, to make you and our selves Fruitful: We are Trees, and the Hus∣band-man is not beholding to the Tree, if it bears him Fruit, when he hath bestowed much cost upon it: It is the Duty of a Tree to bring forth Fruits, and it is the Duty of Christians to bring forth Good works: For that the Tree is spared from Bur∣ning, and suffered to continue in the Orchard, because their Fruits follow them from Year to Year: And for this, we are spared from Hell, and suffered to enter into the Joyes of Hea∣ven, that our works may follow us from Generation to Generation, for Ever and for Ever: The Tree by his Root is entitled to the

Orchard, but by his Fruit, it hath Possession of the Orchard: And we by our Faith have Dominion, a title to Heaven; but by our Good works, we have Possessionem, i. e. Pedis Positionem, the Possession of Heaven.

Labour therefore for Faith, that as Abraham by the Promise of God had a Title to Canaan, so you by Faith in the Mercies of God may have a Title to Heaven: But let this Faith Tra∣vel with, and bring forth Good works, that as Abraham by his Travel took Possession of Canaan, so you by your Good works may take Possession of Heaven.

One thing more for the Necessity of Good works, It is here said, They follow you: It is to let you know, They are your Servants; and therefore you must cloath them with Good Live∣ries, such as may do you service and credit both: For if they be of a Course Wool, or a False Dye, They will do you neither: Let your works then be sincere, i. e. sine Cera, without any Wax or Gum: Let your Works of Piety, Prayer and Fasting, be without Hypocrisie: Let your VVorks of Charity, Almes and Benevolence, be without Vain-glory: Let your VVorks of Loyalty, your Armes, in bringing home King Charles the se∣cond, And punishing the Murther of that Blessed Martyr, King Charles the first, be without self-ends: Do none of these to be seen of men, but in secret, That your Father which seeth in Heaven, may reward you openly.

And an open Rewarding you shall have: For Angels and Devils, Heaven and Hell, Saints and Reprobates shall see you follow the Lamb, to the Glory of God; and they shall see your works follow you, to the Glory of your selves.

This, This is the Blessedness of them that Dye in the Lord, and of the late King, and all his Souldiers who have Dyed for the Lord: And now what greater Blessedness can there be than

this? For here is Rest, and here is Glory; Rest from your La∣bours, and Glory in your Followers.

Nor do you tarry long for this after your Dissolution, though the Papist would have it so to maintain their Fire of Purgatory: Nor can you blame them for it; for if it be once quenched, it will presently sta••ve the See of Rome, and make the Kitching in St. Angelos Castle very cold: But St. John saies, It is Amodo, Immediatly, Henceforth, so soon as ever the Soul is gone out of the Body, By and by, the Body rests from sickness, and all External Labour, The Soul rests from sin, and all Internal La∣bour; and both their works follow them, till at Doomes-day, They shall both be reunited, and Crowned with ternal Glory, to follow the Lamb wheresoever he goes, Even so saith the Spirit: And so may He say to us now, by the Assurance of Faith, that then we may have it by the Assurance of Fruition, thorow Jesus Christ: Amen, Amen, Amen.

Notes

• Deut.
• Pars. 1.
• 1a. 1ae.
• 1 Tim. 6.15.
• Ester.
• 2a. 1ae.
• 1 Tim. 5.16
• Prov.
• Psal.
• Jam. 1.
• 3a. 1ae.
• Luk. 16.
• Luk. 23.
• Mat.
• Aq. 2.2. q. 124. Ar. 5. ad. 3.
• Mat. 25.34.
• Heb. 11.13.
• Appl.
• Act. 15.9.
• N••••b.
• 1 Cor.
• 1 Cor.
• Joh. 3.16.
• Rom. 8.3.
• 1 Tim. 1.15.
• Mat.
• Pars 2.
• Pars 3.
• 1 a. 3 ae. Job. 14.
• Psal.
• Isa. 31.17.
• Phil. 2.12.
• 2a. 3ae.
• Ma••.