is to put on Immortality, Death fhall only open Them the Gate to Everlasting Life: Though the Wicked alfo fhall Arife, but without any Benefit to themselves; not to Joy, but to Punishment; to fuch a Life as St. John calls the Second Death. As they Rev. xx. Dy'd in their Sins Hard and Impenitent, fo their Condemnation abideth, and the Wrath John iii. of God abideth on them.

Since therefore it is to fo very Different States that Death tranflates Men, according as they are Prepared for it, no Man that is Confcious to himfelf that he is altogether Unprepared to Dye, can be truly Happy, or Live Happily in this World, even with a Conftant Gale of Profperity. None can have fo true an Enjoyment of Life as thofe that are Prepared for Death. For let a Man's Circumstances be what they will; Let his Condition be never fo Profperous, and his Temper never fo chearful and gay, yet with an ill Profpect before him of what must become of him Hereafter, he can have no right fettled Contentment, he can take no true Pleasure in all his Prefent Enjoyments; but he will fometimes be difturb'd in the Midft of them with the terrifying Remembrance of Death and the Grave. The very Thoughts of them, if he thinks at all, will hang like a Black Cloud over him, and overcast him with Damps and Dejections of Spirit: And will Startle him upon every Accident or Occur

rence

6.

36.

rence that are of the least Danger, or do but ferve to bring them into his Mind. Nay, the more undisturb'd Profperity he has in this World, the more Terrible will the Thoughts Ecclus. xli. of Death be to him. O Death (lays Siracides)

I.

how Bitter is the Remembrance of thee, to a Man that liveth at Reft in his Poffeffions! Unto the Man that hath nothing to vex him, and that hath Profperity in all Things! It is a Bitter Remembrance indeed, that makes all his Draughts of Pleasure Bitter, throwing Gall and Wormwood into his Cup.

But the Man that is well Prepared to Dye, and does not therefore Fear Death, need Fear Nothing else. Nothing can come amifs to him; he is Ready for all Events, for any Iffue of Providence, to Live or Dye at God's good Pleasure. And fuch Men that are got above the World, and above the Dread of Death, do, of all Men in the World, live the most happily in it. They do indeed pass the Time of their Sojourning here in Fear, but it is in Fear of God only; Not in Fear of Man, nor in Fear of the World, nor of any thing that the World can do unto them; nor yet in Fear of the King Job xviii. of Terrors; as Death is called in the Book of Job.

14.

2dly, Not only the Happiness of our Life, but the Happiness of our Death alfo, depends upon our being Prepared to Dye.

Wretched

Wretched Men little think what they are doing, when they are all their Life-long laying up Matter for themselves of Grief and Repentance, and Anguish of Soul against an Evil Time. The Seeds they have fown long Before yield them Bitter Fruits Then: Their Guilt being now awakened by their Fears, fills them with the Terrors of the Lord. For an Evil Conscience is always the Meffenger of Evil Tidings; It is [gophτns. To nugiseis xana,] a Prophet of the Lord that 2 Chron. never prophefies Good to them, but always xviii. Evil. As God's Vicegerent it pronounceth upon them, and writeth bitter things against them.

This is the State of those that have gone on in Sin as long as well they could, and made no Provifion for Death. When Unthought of, it comes upon them, and catches them fo altogether Unprovided, there remaineth nothing to them, but a Certain fearful Look ing for of Judgment.

But thofe that have not lived in Open Defiance of God and his Laws, nor gone on with an High Hand, and a Hardned and Impenitent Heart, treasuring up to themselves Wrath against the Day of Wrath; yet if they have lived irreligiously, loosely and careleffly, allowing themselves in the common Liberties and Vanities of the World, even This Careless fort of Life, however it may have pafs'd tolerably in the Eye of the World,

and

and may have fatisfy'd them Then, yet does not fo well fatisfy them Now. Such a kind of Life lays in no Stock of Comfort for Death; and therefore their End may be dif confolate enough, when they begin to think that they have too cafily Contented themfelves with the Common Forms of Living, and have lived more by the Examples and Customs of the World, and by the Maxims of Worldly Wifdom, than by the Rules of the Gospel. And now they could heartily Wish, and earnestly Pray, that God would but give them another Time of Tryal."Oh! "that they were but to Live over their Days "again, to correct the Errors and Follies "of their forepaft Lives. How Good, " and Virtuous, and Religious; How Diligent and Careful would they be?"They have heretofore foolishly doted cr on the World, and the Things of the "World, which they can now find no Plea"fure in, nor receive any Comfort from "them. But now they fee their Error; "and Oh! that they had lived otherwise, "more unto God, and lefs unto the World! "Then had they had God Now for their

Support, when their Strength fails them, " and the World forfakes them.

Thus the Great and moft Magnificent Statesman of his Time, when he found his Glory departing from him, and all his Honours and Grandeur finking under him, and

had

had now nothing to Comfort him, laments at his latter End his Fatal Miftake with a broken Heart,-Had I but ferv'd my God, (fays he,) as diligently as I have ferved my King, he would not have given me over in my Gray Hairs. But this is my juft Reward that I must receive, for my not regarding my Service to God, but only to my Prince *.

Learning and Knowledge are certainly the Best Ornaments and Nobleft Accomplish. ments of the Mind: But even They, of themselves, yield no Comfort nor Support for a Dying Man to reft his Soul upon. When Lipfius was drawing near his End, and a Friend of his put him in mind of his Stoick Philofophy, (which he had fo cultivated and admired all his Life,) as what might be of Ufe to him Then, to teach him Patience, and adminifter Confolation to him, he rejects it with Difdain- All That (fays he) is Vanity - but Lord Jefus give me CHRISTIAN Patience t.

A little Gospel-Knowledge received into an Honeft and Good Heart, and well di

See a Book intitled, The Negotiations of THOMAS WOLSEY, &c. by One of his own Servants. [Mr. Thomas Cavendish, who was at that very Time attending him at Leiceffer on his Deathbed.]

tIlla funt Vana refpondit; Digitoque in Chrifti Crucifixi Imaginem intento, Hac eft Vera Patientia: Mox magno Spiritu fubjiciens, Domine Jefu, Da mihi Patientiam Chriftianam. Alb. Miraus in vita Lipfii.

gefted