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lived in reputation and applause, if my heart was not humble under it, and the honour of God moted by it? Can riches and a great estate support me when I am just packing up for a removal to the other world? In that hour, will it be any satisfaction to have made a stir and noise for a few years upon earth, to be talked of for a while longer than other men? Are these the things my dying

thoughts will be most concerned to reflect on?

These dignities, pleasures, and possessions, offered to a dying man, would rather upbraid than tempt him; they come too late, as a prince's pardon to a man whose head is off. Die I must, and appear before my Judge, to answer for all that I have received and done in the body. Fool that I was, shall I then too justly say to myself, not to have considered this much sooner! not to have provided for it at a better rate! my sins stare me in the face, my conscience tells me I am not ready for such a trial: I have lived a stranger to such thoughts as now I cannot refuse, and which should have been admitted sooner. But, if to such a state any hope of mercy may be granted, though it be unspeakably little, yet I cannot promise myself any such warning by sickness. The sleeping virgins were called at midnight, and so may I. Where can I pitch my tents on earth, to be secure against a sudden removal !

Lord! make these thoughts effectual, to prevent my loss of precious time; which, at such a season, will be esteemed precious, though now it be not. O how swift, how short, is my time of trial, in order to eternity! how difficult, how important, a

work it is to prepare for an everlasting state! What is all this world, how little, how mere a nothing, to a departing soul? And shall I, after such reflections, continue to pursue shadows, and please myself with empty dreams, when being so near my final judgment, the common wisdom of a man requires me to mind it in good earnest, and be more solicitous about it than for any thing temporal? Oh! in what manner will death open my eyes, by shutting the windows of sense! How shall I then see the nothingness of what is but temporal, and the reality of what is eternal !

We sometimes laugh to see the vanity of little children, who are greatly pleased with painted toys, and busily employed about trifles. It extorts a smile to see them eager and industrious, and mightily concerned in their childish sports; to see them sigh or weep for little things which we despise; to observe with what solicitude and care they will raise a little fabric, which three moments after they themselves pull down, or would otherwise tumble of its own accord. We laugh at these, but should weep over ourselves, as the greater and older fools, who are every whit as silly, yea, infinitely more; that, considering we know the frailty of our present life, and can look beyond the grave to another world, should yet mispend our precious time on things which cannot profit; and please ourselves with what is so unsuitable to our age and state; and suffer our passions to work with violence for a thing of nought; and our greatest diligence, care, and zeal, to be exercised on things impertinent and vain; that are perishing in themselves, and can con

tribute nothing to our eternal welfare!

And is it not thus with reference to all that men toil and labour for with the neglect of an immortal state?

The voluptuous Sadducee will not refuse the present gratification of his sensual appetite, because he is uncertain of another day. "Let us eat and

drink, for to-morrow we die." Should not the same motive quicken my diligence in a better work? and, because my Lord may "come suddenly, as a thief in the night," I immediately prepare to meet him? Let me now, therefore, O my soul! look forward to the end of life and time! and so let me esteem, and seek, and choose, and do, every thing, in the first place, which then I shall wish I had! Let me do nothing now which I verily believe I shall then be ashamed of or sorry to reflect on; that, by thinking what a condition I shall then wish to have my soul in, I may now provide myself much better than I have done hitherto. That, while I am in the greatest probability of living, I may suppose my change to be near, and so not dare to do any thing but what I would or might do, if I were in the persent expectation of death. To this end, let me go down to the potter's house, descend to the consideration of my mortality, and dwell among the tombs! remembering the Egyptians built themselves better tombs than houses, because they were to dwell longer in them. Let every night's repose serve me as a memorial of my last sleep! the model of my coffin! be dead to this world; to be able to judge of things now, as we shall do after death, according to immutable eternal truth.

and let my bed stand for

This is the only way to

SECTION X.

The brevity of life considered as the fruit of sin. There are but three ways of leaving this world, as Abel, Adam, or Enoch. of time further pressed, wailed.

A diligent improvement and the neglect of it be

days is the fruit of sin. ever been in the world We die because we

THE shortening of our All the funerals that have have been caused by sin. have sinned, and yet we should not sin as now, if this were not forgot, that we must die. From the first transgression of Adam we derive our death; and therefore some of his posterity lived longer than Which proves that the lengthening of our days is the peculiar gift of God; and yet it is such a gift as was more desired formerly than since the appearance of Christ: for we read of none in the New Testament, since "life and immortality are brought to light by the gospel," who desired a long continuance here on earth.

he.

Were we delivered from sin, the sting of death, by having made our peace with God by the blood of Jesus, death would not be frightful, or put on such a ghastly vizor, as to most it doth. But we are uncertain of our justification, we waver between hopes and fears, as to our final sentence; and are conscious to ourselves that we are not ready for our great account. This makes death so terrible; considering withal that it is inevitable; "the way of all the liv

ing." For, though the curse be removed, and the sting be taken out by our blessed Saviour, so that the souls of believers are safe, and shall not be touched by the second death, yet God hath not taken away the stroke of it from the body. Though a Christian is assured of deliverance from hell, he is not exempted from the grave, as his passage to heaven.

Prepare me, Lord, by the free remission of all my sins, and make me meet for the blessed inheritance by thy sanctifying grace; and then thy time is best; "thy holy will be done." No matter, then, whether my death be violent, or that we call natural. It will be one of the two, for I cannot expect to be translated by a miraculous change, as holy Enoch was; and as they shall be, who shall be found alive in the world, when our glorious Judge shall come again. There are but those three ways of leaving earth; and the three first men, of whose departure we read in Scripture, are instances of all three. Abel of a violent death, Adam of a natural one, and Enoch of a translation. The variety and

order of their departure, as one observes, are very admirable, and deserve to be considered. For all mankind must follow one or other of those three examples. Every man or woman, that is born into the world, must leave it by one of those three ways; either be cut off by a violent death, as Abel, the first man who died; or die a natural death, as Adam did, who was the second; or be translated, as Enoch, who was the third we read of.

But though I know, that within a few years, at farthest, I must leave this world by one or other of