efpoufed to Chrift, reconciled to the Father) to walk worthy of God, who hath called you to his kingdom and glory, 2 Thef. ii. 12. Oye precious faints, let me exhort you to keep your lamps burning, your loins girded, your lives holy, and your hearts upright, your judgments found, your confciences pure, and your garments unfpotted; and be not troubled at God's dealings and difpenfations, though he take away those that are precious to you: For as he fends the wicked to hell, that they may difhonour him no more; fo he takes away the righteous to heaven, that they may glorify him for ever. Therefore ye precious faints, you ought to be quiet. and to fubmit to the will of God, and fay with David, I was dumb and opened not my mouth, because thou didst it, Pfal. xxx. 9. Now I beseech you, both faints and finners, to confider of these things, and the God of heaven give you understanding in those matters which concern his glory, and your eternal good.Amen.

The End of the Sermons.

A

I.

TREATISE ON DEATH.

It is appointed for all men once to die,

and after that the Judgment, Heb. ix. 27. So fays the fpirit of God himself; and what is thus appointed, none can reverfe, none can escape. That then, which remains for us, who lie under this sentence, to do, is only to endeavour, that we may die, as becomes men and chriftians: that is, as perfons, who expect to render an account of the things done in this body, and to receive a recompence accordingly, whether it be good or bad, 2 Cor. v. 10. But who may abide that day? Or who fhall ftand, when the Lord appeareth? Who indeed; when not only the thing itfelf, but the very apprehenfions, and efpecially the approaches of it are fo dreadful? For what is more terrible to mortal man, than dying? And what more fo to finful man, than being judged? But, fince these mut unavoidably come, let us fee what courfe can be taken, to foften a little, and reconcile us to them: Nay, let us try, if it be not poffible, not only to bear them contentedly, but even to meet them gladly.

I i

II. If

II. If death be confidered in itself, it is no more, than what all the living creation here below undergo, in common with ourfelves. And what is dying? It is a ceafing to live, after the manner we now do. It is a removal, or rather, an escape, from a world of misfortunes and miferies; of forrow and difquiet; of mallice and deceit; of noife and contention; of pains and anguifh; of croffes and disappointments; of vanity and vexation; and which is wort of all, of temptation and fin. It is doing that once for all, which we have done in part, a thousand times already; by fickneffes, and faintings; by the decays and infirmities of nature; and by the lofs of tendereft relations, who tore away our very heart with them. In fhort, the prefent life, even to the profperous, will be found, upon a just computation, to have made a very unequal diftribution. For even fuch have a larger portion of trouble, than of happiness. But to the generality of mankind, it is a rough tempeftuous fea; and death is the making their port, or at least retiring into the fhelter of a creek, where ftorms can reach and annoy them no more. There are not affected ftrains of Philofophy, but weighed and measured truths: fuch as every man is, or may be, fadly convinced of, at his own expence. The only

deceit

ON DEATH.

243

deceit arifes from our natural fondness for living; which God hath wifely infufed, and woven into our fouls, that we might fuftain our prefent calamities the better. As, on the other hand, he hath made faith of a future ftate our virtue, and ordained the miferies of the prefent life, as an exercife for that virtue; that both together might be a balance at least against the objects of fenfe; draw off our affections from a place, which was never intended for our reft; and raife our defires up to thole better things, provided for us in another world. And furely, if this matter were well weighed, however timorous nature may flart and boggle at first, yet it would be no hard matter to come close up to death; and, by the help of familiar practice, and prudent pious meditation, to render not only the thoughts of it, but even the thing itfelf very tolerable to us.

III. But, if we confider death in another capacity, as leading, and keeping us clofe prifoners, to a juft and terrible judgment; thus it hath a ting indeed, which is the fenfe of guilt, and in unpardoned. This is what nothing can relieve, but the comforts arifing from the true repentance, from a Saviour facrificed to expiate, and make full fatisfaction for our offences,

from

from a title to our part in that expiation, and the favour of a reconciled God. For do but hear, what reviving words the holy fpirit hath fpoken to this purpose. If any man fin, we have an advocate with the father, Jefus Chrift the righteous, and he is the propitiation for our fins, 1 John ii. 1. 2. Chrift hath died, who is he that condemneth? Yes, Chrift is. rifen again, and feated at the right hand of God, Rom. iii, a perpetual interceffor, and a mighty Saviour to all them that come to God by him, He hath told us, that what the infirmity of the law and flesh could not do, Chrift, hath done for us, Heb. ii. and iv. that he knows and hath felt our weakneffes, and will not fail to make large and very gracious allowances for them; that Jefus hath washed us in his own blood, Rev. i. 5. and, though our fins be as fcarlet, yet, upon our true repentance, they Thall be white as fnow, Ifa. i. 18. Look up then, and fee thy Lord coming in the clouds: Thou must be judged, 'tis true, but thy Redeemer fhall be thy judge. And to whofe decifion would't thou chufe to fland, but to thy best friend's? to him, who loved thee fo dearly, as to die for thee, to be made fin and a curfe for thee, that thou mightest be made the righteousness of

God