fict with this king of terrors, under whofe hand the Pompeys, Cæfars, and Alexanders of the world, who have been the terrors of nations, have bowed down themselves; I fay, that when your turn and time comes, as the Lord only knows how foon it may be, you may efcape the ftroke of its dart and fting, and tafte no other bitterness in death, than the natural evil of it: to this end I have drawn the following queftions and anfwers, which, if you please, may be called The Seaman's Gatechism. And, oh! that you might not dare to launch forth into the deeps, until you have seriously interrogated and examined your hearts upon thofe particulars. Oh! that you would refolve, before you go forth, to withdraw yourfelves a while from all clamours and distractions, and calmly and ferioully catechife your own selves in this manner.

Quest. 1. What may the iflue of this voyage be?

Hnfw. Death, Prov. xxvii. 1. "Boaft not thyself of to-mor row, for thou knoweft not what a day may bring forth." Jam. iv. 13, 14. "Go to now, ye that fay, To-day, or to-morrow, 66 we will go into fuch a city, and continue there a year, and

buy and fell, and get gain: whereas you know not what shall * be on the morrow; for what is your life? It is even a vapour "that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away." Queft. 2. What is death?

Anfw. Death is a feparation of foul and body, until the refurrection, 2 Cor. v. 1. "We know that if our earthly house of this "tabernacle be diffolved." Job xiv. 10, 11, 12. Read the words. Quest. 3. Is death to be defpifed and flighted, if it be fo? Anfu. O no! it is one of the most weighty and serious things that ever a creature went about: fo dreadful doth it appear to fome, that the fear of it fubjects them to bondage all their lives, Heb. ii. 15. "And to deliver them who, through fear of death, "were all their life-time subject to bondage." And in scripture it is called, The king of terrors, Job xviii. 14. Or the black prince, as fome tranflate. Never had any prince fuch a title before. To fome it hath been fo terrible, that none might mention its name before them.

Queft. 4. What makes it fo terrible and affrighting to men? Anfw. Several things concur to make it terrible to the most of men: as, first, Its harbingers and antecedents, which are ftrong pains, conflicts, and agonies. Secondly, Its office and work it comes about, which is to transfer us into the other world. Hence, Rev. vi. 8. it is fet forth by a pale horfe: an horse for its use and office to carry you away from hence into the upper, or lower region of eternity; and a pale horse, for its

ghaftliness and terror. Thirdly, But above all, it is terrible in regard of its confequence; for it is the door of eternity, the parting point betwixt the prefent world and that to come; the utmost line and boundary of all temporal things. Hence, Heb. ix. 27. "It is appointed unto men once to die; but after this "the judgment," Rev. vi. 8. " And I looked, and behold, a "pale horse, and his name that fat on him was Death, and hell "followed him." Ah! it makes a fudden and strange alteration upon mens conditions, to be plucked out of house, and from among friends, and honours, and fo many delights, and hurried in a moment into the land of darkness, to be cloathed with flames, and drink the pure wrath of the Almighty for ever. This is it that makes it terrible.

Queft. 5. If death be so weighty a matter, am I prepared to die?

Anfw. I doubt not; I am afraid I want many things that are neceffary to a due preparation for it.

Queft. 6. What are thofe things wherein a due preparation for death confifteth?

I.

Anfw. Many things are neceffary. First, Special and faving union with Jefus Chrift. This is that which difarms it of its fting: "O death, where is thy fting? Thanks be to God, who "hath given [us] the victory, through [our] Lord Jefus Chrift," 1 Cor. xv. 55, 57. So John xi. 26. "Whofoever [liveth], "and [believeth] in me, fhall never die." Whofoever liveth, (i. e.) is quickened with a new fpiritual life and principle, and fo puts forth the principal act of that life, viz. faith, he fhall never die, (i. e.) eternally. This hornet, death, fhall never leave its fting in his fides. Secondly, To entertain death comfortably, the evidence and knowledge of this union is neceffary, 2 Cor. v. 1. "For we [know], that if our earthly "house of this tabernacle were diffolved, we have a building of "God," &c. And then he cannot only be content, but groan to be uncloathed, ver. 2. A mistake in the former will cost me my foul ; and a mistake here will lofe me my peace and com. fort. Thirdly, In order to this evidence, it is necessary that I keep a good confcience in all things both towards God and man, 2 Cor. i. 12. "This is our rejoicing, even the teftimony "of our confcience, that in fimplicity, and godly fincerity, not " in fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our "converfation in the world." This good confcience refpects all and every part of our work and duty to be done, and all and every fin to be renounced and denied: fo that he is that is early united unto Chrift by faith, hath the clear evidence of that uni

on; and the evidence fairly gathered from the teftimony of a good confcience, witnefling his faithfulness, as to all duties to be done, and fins to be avoided, he is fit to die; death can do him no harm; but, alas! these things are not to be found in me. Quest. 7. But what if I die without fuch a preparation as this is? What will the confequence of that be?

Anfw. Very terrible, even the feparation of my foul and body from the Lord to all eternity; John ii. 36. "He that believeth on the Son hath everlafting life: and he that be"lieveth not the Son, shall not fee life; but the wrath of God "abideth on him." He batt not fee life; there is the privative part of his mifery, feparation from the bleffed God." And the wrath], mark it, not anger, but wrath; not the wrath of man, but of [God], at whofe rebukes the mountains kip like frighted men, and the hills tremble: the wrath of God not only flashes out upon him, as a tranfient flash of lightening, but [abideth], dwells, sticks faft; there is no power in the world can loose the foul from it. [Upon him], not the body only, nor the foul only, but on [him], (i. e.) the whole perfon, the whole man. Here is the principal pofitive part of that man's mifery.

Queft. 8. Can I bear this mifery?

Anfw. No: my heart cannot endure, nor my hands be ftrong, when God fhall have to do with me upon this account. I cannot bear his wrath; angels could not bear it; it hath sunk them into the depths of mifery. Thofe that feel but a few fparks of it in their confciences here, are even diftracted by it, Pfalm lxxxviii. 15. Chrift himself had never borne up under it, had it not been fupported by the infinite power of the divine nature, Ifa xlii. 1. "Behold my Servant whom I uphold." How then fhall I live, when God doth this? what will be done to the dry tree? Oh! there is no abiding of it, it is infufferable! "The finners in Zion are afraid; trembling furprizeth "the hypocrite: who among us fhall dwell with the devour"ing fire? Who can endure the everlasting burning ?" Ifa. xxxiii. 14.

Quest. 9. If it cannot be borne, is there any way to prevent it ?

Anfu. Yes, there is hope in Ifrael concerning this thing. And herein I am in better cafe than the damned; I have the [may be's] of mercy, and they have not. Oh! what would they give for a poffibility of falvation? Ifa. i. 16, 17, 18. "Wafh ye, make you clean, put away the evil of your doings from "before mine eyes; ceafe to do evil, learn to do well," &c.

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"Come now, let us reafon together: and though your fins be "as fcarlet, they fhall be as fnow." Ifa. lv. 7. "Let the "wicked forfake his way, and the uhrighteous man his "thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will "have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abun"dantly pardon." Though my disease be dangerous, it is not defperate, it doth not fcorn a remedy. Oh! there is balm in Gilead, and a phyfician there. There is yet a poffibility, not only of recovering my primitive glory, but to be fet in a better case than ever Adam was.

Quest. 10. How may that be?

Anfw. By going to the Lord Jefus Chrift, Rom. viii. t. "There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in "Chrift Jefus." Rom. viii. 33,34. "Who fhall lay any thing "to the charge of God's elect? It is God that juftifieth, Who "is he that condemneth? It is Chrift that died, yea, rather, "that is rifen again."

Queft. 11. But what is it to go to Chrift?

*

Anfw. To go to Chrift, is to embrace him in his + per fon and offices, and to reft § entirely and closely upon him for pardon of fin, and †† eternal life: being deeply ‡‡ sensible of the want and worth of him. John i. 12. "To as many as "[received] him, he gave power to become the fons of God, 66 even to as many as believed on his name." John iii. 36. He that believeth [on the Son] hath life." 1 Cor. i. 3o. "And of him are ye in Chrift Jefus, who of God is made "unto us wisdom, righteoufnefs, fanctification and redemp❝tion." Acts iv. 12. "Neither is there falvation in any "other," &c. Acts xiii. 39. " And by him all that believe "are [juftified from all things,] from which ye could not be "juftified by the law of Mofes." Ifa. xlv. 22. “Look unto "me, and be ye faved," Acts ii. 17. "Now when they heard "this they were pricked to the heart," &c.

Quest. 12. But will Chrift receive me, if I go unto him? Anfw. Yes, yes; he is more ready to receive thee, than thou art to come to him; Luke xv. 20. " And he arofe, and 66 came to his father: but, when he was yet a great way off,

his father faw him, and had compaffion on him, and ran, " and fell on his neck, and kiffed him." The fun doth but go, the father ran; if he had but received him into the house, it had been much; but he fell on his neck, and kissed him. He

* John i. 12. † John iii. 26. 1 Cor. i. 30. & Acts iv. 12, || Acts xii. 39. tt Ifa. xiv. 22. *‡‡ Ads H.37.

bespeaks him, much after that rate he expreffed himself to returning Ephraim: My bowels are troubled for him ; I will "furely have mercy on him," Jer. xxxi. 20. There is not the leaft parenthesis in all the pages of free-grace, to exclude a foul that is fincerely willing to come to Chrift.

Queft. 13. But how may it appear that he is willing to receive me?

Anfw. Make trial of him thyfelf. If thou didst but know his heart to poor finners, you would not queftion it. Believe what he faith in the gofpel; there thou fhalt find that he is a willing Saviour; for therein thou haft, firft, his most serious invitations, Matth. xi. 28. "Come unto me, ye that are "weary and heavy laden.". Ifa. lv. 1. "Ho! every one that "thirfteth, come ye to the waters." Thefe ferious invitations are, fecondly, backed and confirmed with his oath, Ezek. XXXV. 11. "As I live, I defire not the death of a finner." Thirdly, Amplified with pathetical wishes, fighs and groans, Luke xix. 42. "Oh! that thou hadst known, even thou, at ❝ least, in this thy day." Fourthly, Yea, delivered unto them in undiffembled tears, Mat. xxiii. 37, 38." He wept over it, " and faid, O Jerufalem, Jerufalem!" Fifthly, Nay, he hath fhed not only tears, but blood, to convince thee of his willingnefs. View him in his dying posture upon the cross, stretching out his dying arms to gather thee, hanging down his bleffed head to kiss thee; every one of his wounds was a mouth opened to convince thee of the abundant willingness of Christ to receive thee.

Queft. 14. But my fins are dyed in grain; I am a finner of the blackeft hue: will he receive and pardon fuch an one?

Anfw. Yea, foul, if thou be willing to commit thyfelf to him: Ifa. i. 18. "Come now, let us reafon together; though your "fins be as fcarlet, I will make them as fnow; though they "be red like crimson, I will make them as wool."

Queft. 15. This is comfortable news; but may I not delay my clofing with him for a while, and yet not hazard my eternal happiness, feeing I refolve to come to him at last?

Anfw. No; there must be no delays in this cafe; Pfalm. cxix. 60. "I made hafte, and delayed not to keep thy com

"mandments."

Quest. 16. Why may I not defer it, at least for a little while? Anfw. For many weighty reafon's this work can bear no delays. First, The offers of grace are made to the prefent time, Heb. iii. 15. "Whilft it is faid to-day, harden not your heart.” VOL. VI.

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