that can retard but for a Moment the Approaches of Death, this last 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 highest Castles, and the most inacceffible Rocks. It blows down the strongest Barricadoes, and laughs at all our military Trenches ; every where it finds the Weaknefs of our Armour, and through the best tempered Breaft-Plates it ftrikes the proudest 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 furnifh us with nothing able to protect us from Death's cruel and infatiable 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 Senfe of Humanity and Goodness, commonly spare in their Rage the weakeft Age and Sex. But unmerciful Death hath no more Regard of fuch as humble themfelves, than of others that refift and defie it. 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 moft ravishing Beauties. It ftops its Ears to the Requests of trembling old-Age, and cafts to the Ground the grey Heads as fo many withered Oaks.

At a Battle, when Princes and Generals of the Enemy's Army are taken Prisoners, they are not treated as common Soldiers; but unmerciful Death treads: under Feet as audaciously the Prince as the Subject, the Master as the Servant, the Noble as the Vaffal, the rich Dives and the begging Lazarus together. It blows out with the fame Blaft, the most 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 Cap, than for the Shepherd's Crook,

Crook, or the Slave's Chains. It heaps them together, shuts them in the fame Dungeon, and in the fame Mortar pounds them to Powder.

There is no War tho' ever 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 last tired with bloody Conquefts; but infatiable Death never faith, It is 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 present in a triumphantChariot, may become theFootftool 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 with Blood. The strongest Sampfons, and the most victorious Davids, who have torn in Pieces, and overcome Lions, Bears, and cut off the Heads of Giants, have at laft yielded themselves, and been cut off by Death. The great Alexander, and the triumphing Cæfars, 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 stately Trophies were raised to their Honour, Death laughed at their Vanity, and made Sport with their Perfons. The rich Marbles, where fo many proud Titles are engraven, cover nothing but a little rotten Flefh, and afew Bones, which Death hath broken and reduced 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

was

was beholding it with Aftonishment, a little Stone cut out of a Mountain, without Hands, was rolled against the Feet of this prodigious Statue, and broke it all to Pieces; not only the Clay and Iron were broken, but alfo the Gold, the Silver, and the Brass; all became as the Chaff which the Wind blows to and fro. This great Image reprefents the four univerfal Monarchies of the World: That of Babylon, of the Perfians and Medes, of the Greeks, and that of the Romans. It represents also the Vanity and Inconftancy of all Things under the Sun. For what is the Pomp, the Glory, the Strength and Dignities of this World, but as a Smoak driven with the Wind, and a Vapour that soon vanishes away? All is like a Shadow that flies from us, or like a Dream that difappears in an Inftant. Man created in the Image of God, at his firft Appearance, seems to be very glorious for a while, and becomes terrible. But as foon as Death ftrikes at. his earthly Part, and begins to break his Flesh and Bones, all the Glory, Pomp, Power and Magnificence of the richeft, of the moft terrible and victorious Monarchs are changed into a loathfome Smell, into contemptible Duft, and reduced to nothing; Vanity of Vanities, all is Vanity.

Since therefore Death is fo impartial as to fpare none, and its Power fo great, that none can escape or refift it, it is no Wonder if it is become so terrible, and fills with Fear, Grief, and Defpair, the Minds of all Mortals who have not fettled their Faith and Affurance upon God. For there is no condemned: Prifoner but trembles when he beholds the Scaffold erecting, upon which he is defigned to be broken upon a Wheel, or when he spies in the Fire, Irons with which he is to be pinched to Death.

In the midst of a fumptuous Feaft, King Belshazzar faw the Fingers of a Man's Hand writing thefe Words upon the Wall of his Palace, Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharfin, which the Prophet Daniel hath thus interpreted Mene, God hath numbered thy Kingdom, and

finished

finished it; Tekel, thou art weighed in the Balance, and art found wanting; Perez or Upharfin, thy Kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Perfians. As foon as this great Monarch had caft his Eyes upon this miraculous Writing, it is faid, that his Countenance was changed, and his Thoughts troubled him, fo that the Joints of his Loins were loofed, and his Knees fmote one against another. Certainly, the proud Worlding has a greater Caufe to be difmayed in the midft of his Glory and Pleasures, when he may perceive Death writing upon every Wall of his Houfe in vifible Characters, and printing upon his Forehead, that God bath numbred his Days, and this in which he now breathes, fhall be foon followed by an eternal Night; that God bath weighed him in the Balance of his Juftice, and found bim as light as the Wind; and that the Almighty Creator, unto whom Vengeance belongs, will foon divest him of all his Glory and Riches, to cloath therewith his Enemies. What Comforts can be found for the wretched Sinners, who do not only understand their final Sentence, but also hear the thundering Voice of the Great Judge of the World exafperated by their Impieties? They may now perceive Hell prepared to fwallow them up, and the fiery Chains of that doleful Prifon ready to embrace them. They may at prefent feel the Hands of the Executioner of divine Juftice, that feizeth upon them already, and fee themselves before ftretched and tortured in that Place, where there fhall be nothing but weeping and horrible gnashing of Teeth. At prefent they may feel the fierce Approaches of that Fire and Brimstone which is the second Death; for it may juftly be faid of these wretched Varlets, That Hell comes to them before they go to Hell; and that in this Life they have a Pre-fentiment of the grievous Pangs of their future Torments. Therefore fome of them in Despair offer Violence to theinfelves, and commit an horrid Murder upon their own Perfons, as if they were afraid not to die by a Hand wicked enough. The Expectation

of

of Death to them, is more fufferable than Death it felf, and they had rather caft themfelves into the bottomless Pit of Hell, than endure the Apprehenfions and Fears of Hell in their guilty Confciences; and, to be delivered of the Flashes of Hell-fire, and mount up their Souls in this Life, they caft themselves in a brutish Manner into that unquenchable Burning.

That which is most terrible, is, that the horrid and infufferable Fears that feize upon the Wicked, are not short and tranfitory; for as a Criminal that knows there is a Sentence of Death pronounced against him, continually thinks upon thofe Torments that are preparing for him, as foon as he hears the Door unlocking, or a Fly buzzing about his Ears, he imagines that some are entering to drag him from his Prifon tò Execution. In fome Senfe, he defires what he apprehends, and haftens the Approaches of that, which he wishes, but cannot avoid. Thus defperate Sinners, that know there is a Sentence of eternal Death proclaimed against them in the Court of the King of Kings, and that from this Sentence there is no Appeal nor Escape, muft needs be in continual Fears. Such foresee the fearful Image of Death that difturbs, their Quiet, and as St. Paul expreffeth himself, Through Fear of Death, they are all their Life-time fubject to Bondage, Heb. ii. 15. That is, they are like fo many wretched Slaves that tremble under the inhuman Power of a mercilefs Tyrant.

I know that there be fome Atheists who talk of Death with Contempt or Scorn, and who make an open Profeffion of braving Death without the leaft Sense of Fear; nevertheless, they feel in their Souls some fecret Thorns, with which Death often gauls them; fome Fears and Apprehenfions, with which it tortures and difquiets them when they dream leaft of it. It is true, they, for the most Part, boaft of not fearing the Approaches of Deah, and laugh at it when they imagine that it is at a Distance from them

but