Abraham declarès in the Parable of the rich Glutton, condemned to the Flames of Hell: If they will not believe Mofes and the Prophets; we may with more reafon add; If they will not believe Chrift, and his holy Apoftles, and so many wonderful Miracles attefting God's Omnipotency and Revelations from above, neither will they be perfuaded tho' one

rofe from the dead.

I must here acquaint my Reader, That whereas in the former Impreffions of this Book fome Errata's have efcaped, whereby the Author's Sence and Meaning may not be fo clearly exprefs'd as in the Original. And whereas alfo upon fome Subjects, our reverend Author diftaftes the Reader by too frequent Repetitions in his Prayers containing Matters and Arguments of the foregoing Chapters: Thefe and fuch trivial Objections have caufed feveral Perfons to find fault, not only with the Tranflation, but even the very Book it felf. To remedy tharefore any thing of this Nature, and to prevent all Complaints of this kind, and that fo excellent and useful a Treatife may appear in our own proper and natural Language, not differing in any thing material from the French Copy; but fuited as much as conveniently it may be to the nicer palates of our present Age; I have in this feventh Edition taken the Pains to compare this Tranflation with a Book printed at Berlin, the Court of the King of Pruffia, 1698. I have been in this more exact, and have alter'd fome Words and Phrafes, expreffing more plainly the Author's Meaning, and in Terms more agreeable with our prefent FamiLiar Way of Speaking. Befides in this Edition of Berlin, I have met with two or three Paragraphs which are not in the former French Impreffions, and which

I judg'd

D

I judg'd not convenient to be omitted. Some of the Prayers that feemed to prolix, I have abbreviated, comprehending only the principal Matters. And that nothing might be wanting in this Edition, that might more contribute to the Reader's Satisfaction; I have here render'd in English the last remarkable Paffages of this Pious and Excellent Minister of Chrift, never before printed in our own Tongue, as we find them at the End of the foremention'd Book: That you may here at once, as in a Mirrour, fee the Behaviour, Religious Speeches, Faith, Patience and Refignation to tha Will of God, of our Reverend Divine at his deceafe, reduc'd into Practice, according to the Excellent Advices and Confolations that he recommends to us, to arm our felves against the Apprehenfions and Approaches of Death.

I have no more to add ; but I beseech our merciful and heavenly Father to grant us all the Grace, the like Faith, and Christian Refolution, that we may not fear Death nor its Confequences; but may be alway ready prepared and provided to embrace it with Joy and Submiffion to the Pleasure of God and the Decrees of Heaven, whenever our Almighty Creator and Redeemer fball think fit to fummon us, and take us to himself, Amen.

His Book in the Original had been fo well approv'd of,

Tby all Perfons, the of different Judgments in Religion,

that it hath been about Twenty times printed in France, befides what hath been done in Holland, and elsewhere in other Languages: It is of very great use to Divines for Funeral Sermons; and is very fit to be given away by well-difpofed Perfons at Funerals, and of excellent ufe to every Chriftian Reader.

THE

CHRISTIAN'S Confolations

Against the

Fears of DEATH.

СНАР. I. "That there is nothing more Dreadful than Death, to fuch as have no Hope in God.

N infpir'd Pen ftiles Death very fignificantly, The King of Terrors; that is to fay, the most terrible of all other things. For there is nothing that we can imagine in the World more dreadful and more frightful than Death. 'Tis poffible to decline the edge of drawn Swords, to close the Lions Jaws, to quench the Fire's Fury, but when Death fhoots its poifon'd Arrows, when it opens its infernal Pit, and when it fends forth its devouring Flames, 'tis altogether impoffible to fecure our felves; impoffible 'tis to guard ourselves from its mercilefs Fury. There is an infinite number of warlike inventions, by which we commonly defeat the Evil Defigns of the most powerful and dreadful Enemies; but there is no ftratagem of the most Renowned General; no Fortifications ever fo Regular and Artificial, nor Army ever fo Victorious, that can retard but

B

for

!

a moment the approaches of Death, this laft Enemy. In the twinkling of an Eye it flies through the ftrongest bulwarks, the deepest Walls, and the most prodigious Towers. It leaps over the largest Ditches, the higheft Caftles, and the moft inacceffible Rocks. It blows down the ftrongeft Barricadoes, and laughs at all our Military Trenches, every where it finds the weakness of our Armour, and through the beft temper'd Breaft-plates, it ftrikes the proudeft Hearts. In the darkest Dungeon it comes to us, and fnatches us out of the hands of our most trufty and watchful Guards. In a word, Nature and Art can furnish us with nothing able to protect us from Death's cruel and unfatiable Hands.

There is none fo barbarous but is fometimes overcome by the Prayers and Tears of fuch as caft themfelves upon their Knees to implore Mercy; nay, fuch as have loft all fenfe of Humanity and Goodness,commonly spare in their Rage the weakest Age and Sex. But unmerciful Death hath no more regard of fuch as humble themselves, than of others that refift and defy her. It takes no notice of Infants Tears and Cries, it plucks them from the Breafts of their tender-hearted Mothers, and crushes them in pieces before their Eyes. It fcorns the Lamentations of dainty Dames, and delights to trample upon their most ravishing Beauties. It ftops its Ears to the Requefts of trembling old Age, and cafts to the Ground the gray Heads, as fo many wither'd Oaks.

At a Battle, when Princes and Generals of the Enemies Army are taken Prisoners, they are not treated as common Soldiers, but unmerciful Death treads under feet as audacioufly, the Subject as the Prince, the Servant as the Mafter, the Noble and the Vaffal, the beging Lazarus and the rich Dives together. It blows out with the fame blaft, the moft glorious Luminaries and the most loathfome Lamps. It hath no more refpect for the Crowns of Kings, the Pope's Mitre, and the Cardinal's Caps than for the Shepherd's Crook, or

the

the Slave's Chains. It heaps them all together, fhuts them in the fame Dungeon, and in the fame Mortar pounds them to Powder.

There is no War never fo furious and bloody, but is interrupted with fome days, or at least, fome hours of Ceffation and Truce: Nay, the most inhuman Minds are at laft tired with bloody Conquefts, but infatiable Death never faith 'tis enough. At every hour and moment it cuts down whole Nations and Kindreds. The flesh of all the Animals that have lived and died fince the Creation of the World, hath not been able to glut this devouring Monster.

All Warfare is doubtful, he that wins the Victory to day, may foon after be put to flight. He that rides at prefent in a triumphingChariot,may become the Footftool of his Enemy. But Death is always victorious; it Triumphs with an infufferable Infolence over all the Kings and Nations of the Earth; it never returns to its Den but loaden with Spoils and glutted withBlood. The ftrongest Samfons, and the moft victorious Davids, who have torn in pieces and overcome Lions, Bears, and cut off the Heads of Giants, have at last yielded themselves, and been cut off by Death. The great Alexander, and the triumphing Cafars, who have made all the World to tremble before them, and conquered most part of the habitable Earth, could never find any thing that might protect them from Death's Power. When magnificent Statues and ftately Trophies were rais'd to their Honour, Death laught at their Vanity, and made fport with their Perfons. The rich Marbles where fo many proud Titles are Engraven, cover nothing but a little rotten Flesh and a few Bones, which Death hath broken and reduc'd to Ashes.

We read in the Revelation of the Prophet Daniel, that King Nebuchadnezzar faw in a Dream a large Statue of Gold, both Glorious and Terrible; Its Head was of pure Gold, its Breaft and Arms were of Silver, its Belly and Thighs of Brass, its Legs of Iron, and its Feet were partly of Clay and partly of Iron. As the Prince

В 2

was