in this life: For were it not for that, none at all fhould enter into that place where thofe jovs are to be found. For our firft Parents, by God's juft Anger, according to their Defert, were cart out of Paradife,and an Ang 1 fet with a Sword drawn to keep the way, that no fllefh fhould return thither; fo the only gate to lead us in again is God's mercy: whereof as the Godly and the molt righteous that are, ftand in great need, fo let none of us all ever abufe God's Mercy, left we miss of the fame. This Mercy is called the rich Mercy of God; for no Treafure is comparable unto it: and as it paffeth all understanding, fo cannot the deepest reach of men conceive any part of the depth or heighth thereof; the compafs, the largenefs, the widenefs, and breadth of it is fuch, that it cannot be measured; and therefore it may well be called, as indeed it is, both infinite and incomprehenfible. And becaufe no tongue of Man can speak it, let Angels bring the Meffage, as we read Luke 2. 14. Glory be to God in the bigbeft, and on Earth peace, good Will towards men. The Lord of his goodnels direct our Steps to his Throne of Mercy; and cloa h us with this Garment of Mercy; and the Lord this day fet his Print and Seal upon you.

Laft of all, for a conclufion, and for admonition. In brief, I will fhew you the right way of dying well, and the comfort of it, which in the end brings all this joy and happiness. First, by the Virtue of Chrift's Death, Death ceafeth to be any more a terror or plague, but it is made a bloffing, and a paffage between this and Eternal

Life. Chrift is the Key of our Graves, and hath opened the Kingdom of Heaven to all believers. The day of Death is only terrible, when it is oyned with the apprehenfion of God's Wrath, and we are not defended with the Shield of Faith. When we die, we should rejoyce in the Lord, for the corruption of our Nature is quite abo ifhed, and our Sanctification is then accompli hed. By Death our prefent Miferies are removed, and the future prevented. What happiness is it to fee the Glory of God's Majefty, face to face, to live and abide with God, and the Holy and Bleffed Angels for ever? And when we are joyned to Chrift by the bond of the Spirit in our Life-time, we shall eternally remain with him in unutterable Felicity. Likewife being once certainly affured in Confcience of our being inChrift, let Death come when it will we fhall yet remain in the Covenant, and fhall be re-united with him and taken up to ever lafting Life: And whether we wake or fleep, or whatever we do, let us al ways bear in mind the end of our Life, and that we continually hear the found of the Trumpet, Arife ye Dead, and come to Judgment, knowing that the power of Death lies in our Sin; and therefore let us ufe all good means, that our fins may be removed and pardoned. And to weaken the force of Death, the beft way is to humble ourfelves, repent us of our fins, amend our lives, and to truft and rely upon the Mercies of God. that we may comfortably fay with St. Paul, I live not, but Chrift lives in me, which we mult find by the Teftimony of our fan&tified confci

ence,

ence that Chrift my Redeemer by his Spirit governs according to his Holy Will. O how, Tate is that hour for a man to begin to live welĺ when he muft of ncceffity die, and depart out of this Life? Doth any man think that God will be content, that we should lay our old and rotten bodies upon his Altar, when we have lived all our youthful time in our own delights? No fure, or do we think that when we have spent all our time and study to get Wealth and Honour, and then in our old age when we can do nothing elfe, begin to pray and ferve God? This will be a great caufe, when we examine our lives, how we have mifpent it, to fear Death. What was the reafon that Chrift loved his Difciple John better than the reft? because he came to him in his youth, while he was young and lufty. Indeed God will not be our Staff in our Age, if we do not serve him in our youth. S. lomon the wifeft King that ever lived, gives this inftruction to all pofterity: Remember (faith he) thy Creator in the days of thy youth: For our life is but a perpetual motion, even from the Cradle to the Sepulchre: nor doth our Sleep hinder us in this our Journey: We must still remember our end, and have an eye upon Death, that hath an eye upon us at all tim.s. We muft not come into the World as Cato did in the Theatre, only to go out of it again: Nor we must not think that God put Adam into the Garden to eat the Fruit, and take his pleafure, and to spend his time in idleness, no, he put him into it to drefs it, and look to it; for, faith God, Thou shalt get thy living with the fweat

of

of thy brows. Nor is the World made for man, as the Sea was for the Leviathan, to take his pleasure and paftime in: No, we muft labour to run in God'sLaws and Commandments, which will bring reft to our Souls. He can never shoot well, that hath not his eye ftill upon the Mark or white, fo no more can a man live well, that hath not his mind upon the day of his Death. It is a comfort of all comforts, efpecially to a godly man, to have hope and faith, to believe he fhall rife again from the grave; and fo their eyes to fee thofe Friends again, which Death hath feparated; nor muft we think that we hall arife voluntarily, but the found of the Trumpet hall be the Voice, which is meant, the Voice of Chrift by his Minifters the Angels. For he fhall only speak the Word as a Judge doth on Earth, appoint a Summons. All muft appear. For this day of Jubilee there fhall be no more New Moons, as the Trumpets were used to be blown at, as the Prophet David speaks in the 61 Pfalm. No, but we shall have a new Earth, and a new Heaven, where dwelleth all Righteousnefs 2 Pet. 3. 13, When this Trumpet fhall blow, it fhall be both loud and fhrill; no ear but shall hear the found; the dampness of the Earth shall not binder it, nor the depth of the Grave excufe us: No place though never foremote, fhall binder this found: For it fhall be univerfal, and in every cor ner of the Earth fhall this Trumpet he heard. For we must remember, that our bodics when they are in the earth, is but like fowing of feed; for we fhall rife again. The Lord calls to man

by

by his Prophet Ifaiah, faying, Earth, Earth, Earth, bear the Word of the Lord: to put him in mind that he is but Earth: For at the fit Earth we were, and ftill we are Earth, and Earth we (hall be again, when God bur fpeaks the Word. First, an ordinary Change by Death we mult have. Secondly, an extraordinary Change at this Day by the power of God, for the Earth and the Heaven shall be changed by Fire. Death is but a Change, our Bodies fhall be changed; for the Text faith, We shall be changed. Paul meant himself too: We shall be changed, faith he: This fubftance of ours fhall be altered at the laft Day, though not with that Formality as ours are, to die and then be put into a Coffin, and then into a Grave: not by fuch Degrees; but we fhall be fuddenly changed, even in the twinkling of an Eye, for Death is but the first step on Earth, and then to Glory. We fhall have likewife a two-fold Refurrection: First, of our Bodies from the Grave, and Secondly, of our Souls from Sin. Abraham, he confeffed, and said, Q Lord, give me but leave to fpeak this once, who am Duft and Ashes. First then, seeing we are but as the Duft of the Earth, the Earth must then obey when God calls, and render up her dead. So likewife the Fire obeyed Gods Command, not to hurt the three Children which were put into the Fiery Furnace, and yet had power to burn and deftroy thofe that put them into ite So likewife the Sea obeyed God's Command,and was a Wall to the Children of Ifrael, and gave them then a miraculous and dry Paffage. So the

Earth