a certain affinity with the prefent life, muft needs create in the faints a defire to be with Chrift, which is best of all.

Laftly, Confider the great imperfections attending this life. While the foul is lodged in this cottage of clay, the neceffities of the body are many; it is always craving. The mud-walls must be repaired and patched up daily, till the clay-cottage fall down for good and all. Eating, drinking, fleeping, and the like, are, in themfelves, but mean employments for a rational creature; and will be reputed fuch by the heaven-born foul. They are badges of imperfection, and, as fuch, unpleafant to the mind, afpiring unto that life and immortality, which is brought to light through the gospel: and would be very grievous, if this ftate of things were of long continuance. Doth not the gracious foul often find itfelf yoked with the body, as with a companion in travel, unable to keep pace with it? When the fpirit is willing, the flesh is weak. When the foul would mount upward, the body is as a clog upon it, and as a ftone tied to the foot of a bird attempting to fly. The truth is, O believer! thy foul in this body is, at best, but like a diamond in a ring, where much of it is obfcured; it is far funk in the vile clay, till relieved by death.

"

I conclude this fubject with a few directions how to prepare for death, fo as we may die comfortably. I fpeak not here of habitual preparation for death, which a true Chriftian, in virtue of his gracious ftate, never wants, from the time he is born again and united to Chrift; but of actual preparation or readiness in refpect of his circumftantiate cafe, frame, and difpofition of mind and fpirit; the want of which makes even a faint very unfit to die.

Fir, Let it be your conftant care to keep a clean confcience, a confcience void of offence toward God, and toward man, Ausxxiv. 17. Beware of a standing controverfy betwixt God and you, on the account of fonie iniquity regarded in the heart. When an honeft man is about to leave his country, and not to return, he fettles aecompts with thofe he had dealings with, and lays down methods for paying his debts timeoufly; left he be reckoned a bankrupt, and be attacked by an officer, when he is going off. Guilt lying on the confcience is a fountain of fears; and will readily fting feverely, when death ftares the criminal in the face. Hence it is, that many, even of God's children, when a dying, are made to with paffionately, and defire eagerly that they may live to do, what they ought to have done, before that time. Wherefore, walk clofely with God, be diligent, ftrict and exact in your courie; beware of a loofe, careless, and irregular converfation: as ye would not lay up for yourselves, anguifh and bitterness of fpirit, in a dying hour. And because, through the infirmity cleaving to us, in our prefent flate of imperfection, in many things we offend all, renew your repentance daily, and be ever wathing in the Redeemer's blood. As long as ye are in the world, ye will need to wash your feet, John xiii. 10.

that

that is, to make application to the blood of Chrift, anew, for purging your confciences from the guilt of daily mifcarriages. Let death find you at the fountain; and if fo, it will find you ready to answer its call.

Secondly, Be always watchful, waiting for your change, “Like unto men that wait for their Lord, that when he cometh and "knocketh, they may open unto him immediately," Luke xxi. 36. Beware of flambering and fleeping, while the bridegroom tarries. To be awakened out of fpiritual flumber, by a furprizing call to pafs into a another world, is a very frightful thing: but he who is daily for the coming of his Lord, fhall comfortably receive the grim meffenger, while he beholds him ushering in Him, of whom he may confidently fay, This is my God, and I have waited for him. The way to die comfortable, is to die daily. Be often effaying (as it were) to die. Bring yourfelves familiarly acquainted with death, by making many vifits to the grave, in ferious meditations upon it. This was Job's practice, chap. xvii. 13, 14. I have made my bed in the darkness. Go thou, and do likewife; and when death comes, thou fhalt have nothing ado but to ly down. I have faid to corruption, thou art my father; to the worm, thou art my mother and iny fifter." Do thou fay fo too; and thou wilt be the fitter to go home to their houfe. Be frequently reflecting upon your conduct, and confidering what courfe of life you wish to be found in when death arrefts you and act accordingly. When you do the duties of your station in life, or are employed in acts of worship, think with yourselves, that, it may be, this is the last oppertunity; and therefore act as if you was never to do more of that kind. When you ly down at night, compofe your fpirits as if you was not to awake, till the heavens be no more. And when you awake in the morning, confider that new day as your laft; and live accordingly. Surely that night cometh, of which you will never fee the morning; or that morning, of which you will never fee the night. But which of your mornings or nights, will be fuch, you know not.

Thirdly, Employ yourfelves much in weaning your hearts from the world. The man who is making ready to go abroad, bufies himself in taking leave of his friends. Let the mantle of earthly enjoyments hang loofe about you, that it may be eafily dropt, when death comes to carry you away into another world. Moderate your affections towards your lawful comforts of life: and let not your hearts be too much taken with them. The traveller acts unwifely, who fuffers himself to be fo allured with the conveniencies of the inn where he lodgeth, as to make his neceffary departure from it grievous. Feed with fear, and walk thro' the world as pilgrims and ftrangers. Likeas, when the corn is forfaking the ground, it is ready for the fickle: when the fruit is ripe, it falls off the tree eafily: fo, when a Chriftian's heart is truly weaned. from the world, he is prepared for death, and it will be the more

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eafy to him. A heart disengaged from the world is an heavenly one: and then are we ready for heaven, when our heart is there before us, Matth. vi. 21.

Fourthly, Be diligent in gathering and laying up evidences of your title to heaven, for your fupport and comfort at the hour of death. The neglect hereof mars the joy and confolation which fome Chrif tians might otherwife have at their death. Wherefore examine yourselves frequently, as to your fpiritual ftate; that evidences, which ly hid and unobferved, may be brought to light and taken notice of. And if you would manage this work fuccessfully, make folemn serious work of it. Set apart fome time for it. And, after earnest prayer to God, through Jefus Chrift, for the enlightning influences of the Holy Spirit, whereby ye may be enabled to understand his own word, to difcern his own work in your fouls; fift yourselves before the tribunal of your confciences, that ye may judge yourfelves in this weighty matter.

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And in the first place, Let the marks of a regenerate ftare be fixed, from the Lord's word: and have recourfe to fome particuJar text for that purpose; fuch as Prov. viii. 17. "I love them that love me." Compare Luke xiv. 26. "If any man come to me, and hate not his father and mother, and wife and children, and brethren and filters, yea, and his own life alfo, he cannot be my difciple." Pfal. cxix. 6. Then fhall I not be afhamed, when I have respect. "unto all thy commandments. Pfal. xviii. 23. I was alfo upright "before him: and I kept myself from mine iniquity." Compare Rom. vii. 22, 23. "For I delight in the law of God, after the in"ward man: but I fee another law in my members warring againft "the law of my mind, &c. r John iii. 3. And every man that hath "this hope in him, purifieth himself, even as he is pure, Matth. v. 3. Bleffed are the poor in fpirit, for theirs is the kingdom of "heaven. Phil. iii. 3. For we are the circumcifion which worship (or ferve) God in the fpirit, and rejoice in Chrift Jefus, and have no confidence in the flesh." The fum of the evidence arifing from thefe texts, lies here. A real Christian is one who loves God for hinfelf, as well as for his benefits; and that with a fupreme love, above all perfons and all things: he has an awful and impartial regard to God's commands: he oppofeth and wrestleth against that fin, which of all others most easily befers him: he approveth and loveth the holy law, even in that very point, wherein it ftrikes against his most beloved luft: his hope of heaven engageth him in the study of universal holiness; in the which he aims at perfection, though he cannot reach it in this life: he ferves the Lord, not only in acts of worship, but in the whole of his conversation; and as to both, is fpiritual in the principle, motives, aims, and ends of his fervice: yet he fees nothing in himself to trust to before the Lord; Chrift and his fulness is the ftay of his foul; and his confidence is cut off from all that is not Chrift, or in Chrift, in point

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of justification, or acceptance with God; and in point of fanctification too. Every one in whom these characters are found, has a title to heaven, according to the word. It is convenient and profitable to mark fuch texts for this fpecial use, as they occur, while you read the fcriptures, or hear fermons. The marks of a regenerate state thus fixed; in the next place, impartially tearch and try your own hearts thereby, as in the night of God, with dependence on him for fpiritual difcerning, tha ye may know whether they be you or not. And when ye fid them, form the conclufion deliberately and diftinctly; namely, that therefore you are regenerate, and have a title to heaven. Thus you may gather evidences. But be fare to have r courfe to G, din Carift by earneft prayer, for the teftimony of the Spirit, wh fe office is to bear witness with our spi: it, that we are th children of God, Rom. viii, 16. Moreover, carefully obferve the course and method of Providence toward you; and likewife how your foul is affected under the fame, in the various fteps thereof: compare both with fcripturedoctrines, promifes, threatnings, and examples: fo fhall ye perceive, if the Lord deals with you as he useth to do unto thofe that love his name and if you be going forth by the footsteps of the flock, this may fford you comfortable evidence. Walk tenderly and circumSpectly; and the Lord will manifest himself to you, according to his promfe, John xiv. 21. "He that hath my commandments and "keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me, "fhall be loved of my Father: and I will love him, and will mani"felt myself to him." But it is in vain to think on fuccessful felfexamination, if ye be loofe and irregular in your converfation. Lafily, Difpatch the work of your day ar d generation with speed and dil gence. David, after he had ferved 'his own generation by the will of God, fill on fleep, Acts xii. 36 God has alloted us certain pieces of work of this kind, which ought to be dispatched before the time of working be over Ecclef. ix. 10 "Whatfoever thy "hand finde h to do, do it with thy might for there is n work. “nor knowledge, nor wifdom in the grave, whither thou goeft." Gal. vi. 10 “As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good "unto all men, especially unto them who are of the boufhold of "faith." If a paflenger, after he is got on fh pboard, and the ship is getting under fail remember that he has omited to d fpatch a piece of neceffury business when he was ashore, it must needs be uneafy to him; even fo reflection in a dying h. ur. upon neglected seasons, and loft opportunities, cannot fail to oilquiet a Chriftian. Wherefore whatever is incumbent upon thee to do for God's honour, and the good of others; either as the duty of thy ftation, or by fpecial opportunity put into thy hand, perform it fecfonably, if thou wouldst die comfortably.

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Marvel not at this: For the Hour is coming, in the which all that are in the Graves, fhall hear his Voice:

Ver. 29. And fhall come forth, they that have done Good, unto the Refurrection of Life; and they that have done Evil, unto the refurrection of Damnation.

TH

HESE words are part of the defence our Lord Jefus Chrift makes for himself, when perfecuted by the Jews for curing the impotent man, and ordering him to carry away his bed on the Sabbath; and for vindicating his conduct, when accufed by them of having thereby profaned that day. On this occafion he profeffeth himself not only Lord of the Sabbath, but alfo Lord of life and death; declaring in the words of the text, the refurrection of the dead to be brought to pafs by his power. This he introduceth with the fe words, as with a folemn preface: Marvel not at this: i. e. at this ftrange difcourfe of mine: do not wonder to hear me, whofe appearance is fo very mean in your eyes, talk at this rate: for the day is coming, in which the dead fhall be raised by my power.

Obferve in this text, (1.) The doctrine of the refurrection afferted, All that are in the graves fhall hear his voice, and shall come forth. The dead bodies, which are reduced to duft, fhall revive, and evidence life by hearing and moving. (2) The Author of it, Jefus Chrift, the Son of man, ver. 27. The dead fhall hear his voice, and be raised thereby. (3) The number that shall be raised: All that are in the graves: ie all the dead bodies of men, howfoever differently dif pofed of, as it were, in different kinds of graves; or all the dead, good or bad. They are not all buried in graves, properly fo called; fome are burnt to afhes, fome drowned, and buried in the bellies of fishes; yea, fome devoured by man-eaters, called Cannibals: but wherefoever the matter or fubftance, of which the body was compofed, is to be found, thence they fhall come forth. (4.) The great diftinction that fhall be made betwixt the godly and the wicked They fhall indeed both rife again in the refurrection. None of the godly will be mifling though perhaps they either had no burial, or a very obfcure one; and all the wicked fhall come forth; their vaulted tombs fhall hold them no longer than the voice is uttered. But the former shall have a joyful refurrection to life, whilft the latter have a dreadful refurrection to damnation. Laftly, The fet time of this great event:

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