that thou haft gather'd, whofe fhall they be? Inftead of fludying how to enlarge our Barns and Cellars, and to increafe our Revenues and Treasures, let us labour to fet fome Bounds to our Defire, and let us be content with what we have at prefent. Seeing we have but a Breath in our Noftrils, and that we are cloath'd with a mortal Body, let us not entertain fuch vaft Designs, nor fuffer our Longings to be perpetual. Let us always in every Place, be ready to end our Life, to put the laft Stone to its Building, or rather, let us be always in a Difpofition of diffolving this earthly Tabernacle. Let us willingly break all the Bands and Ties that faften us to this miferable Earth, that when Death hall come, it may have nothing to do but to cut the laft String, by which our Soul is naturally joined to this languishing Body. Settle and fix your strongest Affections in Heaven, that where your Treasure is, your Hearts may be there alfo. Let us not be lull'á afleep, as the foolish Virgins; but having our Reins girded, and our Candles lighted, let us be prepar'd at every Moment, to go to meet our heavenly Spouse, and follow him into the Marriage-Chamber. Let us be like a Ship at Anchor, ready to fet fail with the firft, fair Wind, and as a Soldier entirely arm'd, that waits for the Day of Battel, and for the Signal to mount upon his Horfe, that he may appear in the Field at the found of the Trumpet. Let us fend beforehand, all our most precious Jewels, into the most glorious Palace of Eternity; that our Bag and Baggage being ready prepar'd, we may have nothing to do but to take our laft Farewel, If any Confideration of Flesh and Blood hinders us, let us break afunder all these Bands by the Strength of our Nazareth, that is, by the Virtue of God's holy Spirit, which he hath been gra ciously pleased to grant unto us. And if the Perfons that we love and cherish as tenderly as our Souls; or those whom we are to reverence and honour, labour to ftir up the Bowels of our Compaffion, and to impede us in our holy Refolutions, by bafe and earthly Confiderations;

fiderations; let us tell them as our Saviour did Mary Magdalen, Touch me not, for I am going to my Father, Joh. xx. Stop not my Courfe, for I hold already the Prize, and the promised Crown. In fhort, as Abraham let the Ram loose, whereof the Thorns were taken in a Thicket, and offer'd it up in Sacrifice to God, Gen. xxi. fo let us free our Minds from all worldly Cares and carnal Affections; let us offer them up all to God, as a fweet-smelling Sacrifice; let us prefent them as a Burnt-Offering, confume them in the Flames of an holy Zeal and Love of his divine Majefty. When the Christian shall be thus prepar'd, he shall never ftand in fear of Death; he will fay to it with an affured Countenance, Come when thou wilt, O Death, I defire no Reprieve: For a long while ago I have fettled my Affairs, and wait for thee with Patience. The chief part of my felf is not here below, my Heart is alrea dy ravish'd into Heaven, where God expects me with open Arms. Therefore notwithstanding thy fearful Darkness, and the Defign that thou haft to destroy me, I will follow thee as couragiously and as joyfully as St. Peter did the Angel of Night, that open'd to him the Gates of his Prifon, and freed him from his Chain, Acts xii.

A Prayer and Meditation for fuch as prepare for Death, by a Renunciation of the World.

Infinite Lord of Heaven and Earth, who difpofeft of Good and Evil, by thy divine Providence and admirable Wisdom! thou haft not fuffered us to have here an abiding City, that we might feek for that which is to come. Thou difcovereft before our Eyes the Vanity and Inconftancy of all things under the Sun, that we might labour to attain to folid and everlasting Advantages. Thou haft placed and referved in Heaven inexhaustible Treasures of

Riches,

Riches, uncorruptible Crowns of Glory, and eternal Triumphs, that thither we might transport our Hearts and Affections. The Source of heavenly Pleasures is with thee,that we might always be athirst for the ftrong and living God; and that we might defire, with an holy Earneftnefs, to look upon thy beautiful and glorious Face. Moft glorious Creator, feeing thou haft bestowed on me an immortal Soul, fuffer me not to be fo wretched, as to dote upon these perishing Vanities; and feeing thou haft made it of a Spiritual and heavenly Nature, fuffer me not to be fo unhappy as to wallow in this miferable Duft of the Earth,or to caft my felf into the Puddle and Dirt of carnal Lufts. Give me Grace to renounce the World,and all the Vanities that the World adores. Give me Grace to poffefs all thefe decaying things, as not poffeffing them; that I may trample upon all the Pomp and Glory of the Age, that I may confider that the Gold, the Silver, the precious Jewels, whereof the apparent Beauty deceives the carnal Eye of Man, is nothing elfe but concrete Earth, that will diffolve again into Duft; that I may remember that after my Deceafe, all these things will profit me no more than that Earth and Stones which shall cover my dead Corps, or the Wood or Lead which shall be given to it for a Coffin. Give me Grace to defpife all the Honours and · Dignities, after which the Men of the World run fo impatiently. For they are but like a Shadow that passes away, and like the Smoak that afcendeth up out of our reach. Pluck out of my Heart the Cares of this Life, and all Solicitoufnefs for the Earth, that Death may never furprize me unawares, and that there may be nothing to stop or hinder me from going to thee, when thou shalt be pleafed to call me, that my Soul being totally difiengag'd and freed from all thefe Briars and Thorns, I may be ready always at every Moment, to be offered unto thee as a Living and a Burnt-Sacrifice. The Children of Ifrael waited for thine Orders to pitch and move their Camp; give me alfo Grace to be as ready prepar'd to live and die, to remain in this Tabernacle, and to depart out of it, when thou shalt send thy Warrant. And as this People went over the River Jordan with a wonderful Joy, to take Poffeffion of the

pro

promifed Land: O that I might also leave this miferable Wilderness with the Transports to enter into the celestial Canaan, where the Milk and Honey of divine Pleafure and of eternal Comforts flow, as in their natural Channel. O God, who art my Portion and mine Inheritance, caft me not away with the Men of the World, whofe Portion is in this Life. Thou filleft their Paunch with thy good things, fo that they are full and leave fufficient for their Babes. But as for me, all my Comfort is that I fhall behold thy Face in Righteousness, and fhall be fan tisfied when I awake with thy likeness, Amen.

CHAP. IX.

The Fifth Remedy against the Fears of Death, is to for fake Vice, and to apply our felves to the Practice of Piety and Sanctification.

G

OD is fo wonderful in all his Works, and he governs all his Creatures in fuch a Manner, that draws from his very Enemies the Acknowledgment of his Truth. You have an excellent Example in Balaam, who beholding the Tents of the Children of Ifrael, breaks out into this paffionate Wish, Let me die the Death of the Righteous, and let my laft End be like his, Numb. xxviii. He was a wicked Varlet that loved the Wages of Iniquity, nevertheless he perceiv'd by that prophetical Light, with which his Soul was enlightned, how fweet and comfortable Death was to fuch as addicted themselves, in this Life to the Service and Fear of Almighty God, and how different 'tis to the Death of the prophane Worldlings, who give themselves over to their Lufts and Delight, in the unlawful Pleasures of the Flesh. For as Drunkards fleep with a disturbed and unquiet Fancy; likewife fuch as are drunken and full with the base and rotten Pleasures of this Life, if they

be

be not hardned by Atheism, commonly depart out of the World with ftrange Frights and horrid Gripings of Confcience that cannot be exprefs'd. "Tis otherwife with a good Chriftian; for as the Handicrafts Man who hath worked all the Day in his Shop, and the Husbandman who hath wearied himself in following his Plough, lays himself down at Night in Peace: So 'tis with a good Chriftian, who hath carefully attended the Works of Piety and Mercy in this Life. He takes his last Sleep with great quiet of Mind and Satisfaction of the Soul. As righteous Jacob, when he travelled a Journey to his Mother's Friends, at his Father's Command, was not frighted to fee the Sun go down, tho' he was in the midit of an open Field, Gen. xxviii. but he laid himself down in Peace,and flept fweetly, having no other Bed but the Earth, no other Pillow but a Stone, no other covering but the Heavens, nor other Curtains than the dark Shadows of the Night. Likewife a Soul fanctified with the Spirit of God, that walks in all the Commands of his heavenly Father, fhall never be astonished. For whercfoever the Sun goes down, wherefoever Death arrests him, he will look upon himself as in another Bethel, he will fleep quietly in the Lord Jefus, and in the moft cruel Death, he will feel unfpeakable and glorious Joys, and a Peace of God which paffeth all Underftanding, Atts xxiii.

We may take notice of this bleffed Difpofition in the Apostle St. Paul, who hath behav'd himself with a good Confcience towards God, and towards Man; 1 Cor. xv. He hath labour'd more in his Miniftry than all the other Apoftles, therefore he ftands in no Fear of Death's Approaches. But rather we may fee him full of Expectation and Defires to pafs through Death into Glory and eternal Felicity. This Difpofition is no lefs remarkable in Stephen, the firft Martyr of Chrift, Ats vi. In the midft of thefe moft grievous Torments he had a Countenance fhining as that of an Angel, which was a certain Teftimony of his inward Peace of Con

fcience