the dark paffage upon which I am entering, and let me find it a gate of glory, a door opened into the everlasting kingdom and joy of the Lord. Lord Jefus receive my fpirit, and let it be prefented juftified and spotless to the Father, that it may come to the fpirits of just men made perfect, and join with them in finging the new fong, "Worthy is the Lamb that was flain, and hath redeemed us to God by his blood, to receive power, honour, glory, and bleffing for ever.AMEN.

SOME MEDITATIONS

FOR DROOPING BELIEVERS, WHEN DEATH IS NEAR.

TRAVELLERS who have met with many storms, troubles, and dangers in their journeys, rejoice when they come near to their own country; and fhall not I, a ftranger and pilgrim, that have been long wandering in a wilderness, be glad when I come near my blessed home, my dear friends, and eternal habitation?

With what cheerfulness do fome women endure the pains of child-bearing, being fupported with the hopes of a child's being born in the world? And what is the joy of a man-child being brought into this finful and miferable world, to the joy of a fanctified foul's being brought out of it into heaven for ever? It is pleasant when the hard winter goeth over, the meffengers of the fpring, the finging of birds doth come and fhall not I rejoice, when fickness and forerunners of death do tell me, that the winter of my darkness and trouble is paft, and the fummer of my eternal light and joy is at hand?

What though death be the king of terrors? Is not glorious Christ the King of comforts? Have not I met already with this bleffed King; and why fhould I fear to meet with the other? Olet my strength and fup

port

port at this time come from Chrift my covenanted Redeemer.

O Lord deliver my foul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling! O bring me out of the miry clay, fet my feet upon a rock, and establish my goings, and put a new fong in my mouth, even praises to our God?

If Jacob went down so cheerfully into Egypt, when God had faid unto him, "Fear not to go down, for I will go down with thee, and I will bring thee up again:" Why should a believer fear to go down to the grave, when God hath undertaken to go down with him thi ther, and to bring him up again? His body may be turned into duft, but God is in covenant with his duft, and will not fuffer the least particle of it to be loft.

Are not the righteous taken away from the evil to come? Do they not reft on their beds, and enter into peace? Why then fhould I grudge at dying? When the Lord is to bring heavy wrath and judgments on a land, he frequently houfes many of his people in heaven before-hand: and how happy are those that get into the house before the fweeping hail-fhower doth fall. A believer needeth not to look for any fettled fair weather in this world: It will be nothing but one shower up, and another down, till he be houfed in heaven. O why then should I linger in this wilderness!

How highly dignified is the believer, in being made an heir of God, and a joint heir with his own Son Jefus Chrift! So that Chrift and the believer do, as it were, divide heaven between them; they have the fame Father, dwell in the fame house, fit at the fame table, reign on the fame throne, and partake of the fame glory. O what honour is this, which is put upon a worm of the earth! It is indeed but little that the young heir enjoys of the inheritance while in this world; no more than will ferve to bear his charges to heaven, where he fhall get all, forget his prefent ftraits, and remember his poverty no more. O why then should not I, like a young heir, be looking and longing for the expiring of my minority, when I fhall arrive at ripe age, and enter VOL. I. Cc

upon

upon the full poffeffion of the inheritance! O that I could send out faith and hope, thofe two faithful spies, to survey the promised land, or at least to visit the borders of my elder brother's country! What an encouraging report would they bring back! My glorious Lord is gone; he hath left the earth, and entered into his glory; my brethren and friends have many of them arrived there alfo. How great is the difference between my state and theirs! I am groaning out my complaints, but they are finging God's praife. I am in darkness, and cannot fee God: But they are in light, and fee him face to face. O my Lord, I fhall ftay behind, when they are gone? Should I be fatisfied to wander in the wilderness, Far diftant from my Father and my God; when they are triumphing above, dividing the fpoil? No: I will ftill look after them with a ftedfast eye, and cry, O Lord, how long? I will wait now in hope, yea, rejoice in the forethoughts of the day, when my minority fhall be expired, my pilgrimage finished, my banishment over, that I may get home to my country and friends above.

What though my days be dark and gloomy now, my winter be sharp and ftormy? Why, it is but fhort, and near over; the eternal fummer approacheth! The long day, the high fun, and the fair garden of my well-beloved, above these visible heavens, will quickly make amends for all. Let me get up by faith and visit the new land, view the fair city, and behold the white throne, and the Lamb that fits thereon, that I may rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

Shall many heirs of the wrath go finging and rejoicing to hell; and will an heir of God go drooping and forrowing to heaven? Oh let not my bad behaviour on a death-bed, bring up a bad report upon Chrift's good way, and the land which he hath pur

chafed.

Have I fuch great and precious promifes left me, and fhall I not live and feed upon them in the time of my need? ihall I not truft the word of him that is faithful and true? hath he not faid to me, "When thou paffeft through the waters, I will be with thee; and through

the

the rivers, they fhall not overflow thee: when thou walkeft through the fire, thou fhalt not be burnt; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee!' When thy difciples were fore toffed with winds and waves, thou cameft to them in the fourth watch of the night, walking on the waters; and when their fears were increased, thou faideft," It is I, be not afraid." Thou rebukedit the wind, and there prefently followed a great calm. My Redeemer's compaffion continues; his bowls are not fhut up this day, more than in the days of his flesh. "Jefus Chrift is the fame to day, yesterday and for ever." Ah! I have too little improven my acquaintanc with precious Christ in the day of my life! How ready am I to mifken and mistake him, when he changeth his difpenfations towards me! though I have been long at Chrift's fchool, what small proficiency have I made in the work and mystery of faith? how little have I learned to believe in the dark, and to drop an anchor at midnight upon the Rock of ages, and to look out for the dawning of the day?

Surely the day fhall break, and the fhadows flee away: my king cometh, my well beloved is on his way; he hath fent his letter before him to warn me of it, faying, "Behold, I come quickly." O that, like the cold and wearied night-watch, I may be looking out for the appearing of the morning ftar, and the breaking of the. eastern fky; and may be still crying, "Even fo, come Lord Jefus, come quickly."

Thou haft faid, "Light is fown for the righteous, and gladness for all the upright in heart. Surely God's feed shall not lie always beneath the clods; the time is at hand, when it fhall fpring; and joyful will the crop be at laft. O that like David in affliction, I could encourage myself in the Lord my God, and fay, "The Lord liveth, bleffed be my rock!" Why thould I droop, while my Lord liveth and my rock standeth? My hopes may die, my comforts die, my gifts die, my riches die, my relations die, and my body die; but, good news! "The Lord liveth, bleffed be my rock." The difciples had a melancholy time while Chrift was dead and lying in the grave; but that fad time is over, he is now rifen Cc 2

and

and will die no more. Nay, he hath proclaimed it for my comfort faying, "Fear not, I am the firft and the laft. I am he that liveth, and was dead; and behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and death."

my

When foul is caft down within me, let me remember God from the land of Jordan, and the hill Mizar; that I may reason myself out of all my fears and difcouragements: For yet "the Lord will command his loving kindness in the day-time, and in night his fong fhall be with me, and my prayer to the God of my life.

"Why then art thou cast down, O my foul, and why art thou difquieted within me? hope thou in God, for I fhall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God"

Now, when death is at hand, let not my Saviour be far off. He who remembered the dying thief, and spoke comfortably to him, let him now remember me when he is feated in his kingdom, and say to my foul, "This day thou shalt be with me in Paradife." When it is abfent from the body, let it be present with the Lord. Let the angels now be ready to do their office, to carry my departing foul into Abraham's bofom. Let me now depart, that I may be with Chrift; yea, be for ever with the Lord, that I may fee his face. Let me dwell there, where they have no night, need no candle, no light of the fun for ever; where God fhall wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there fhall be no more death, neither forrow nor crying.

Father, into thy hands I commit my fpirit. By the hands of him who hath redeemed it, let it be presented to thee without fpot or wrinkle, cr any fuch thing.

An addition of fome further Meditations proper for any fick perfon in the view of Death.

THE Lord is pleased sometimes to caft men down on beds of fickness, and draw the curtain between the world and them, that they may take a view of their by

paft