and expectation whereof has the directest tender 〈◊〉 in it to wean and loosen the heart from all things here below And indeed as St. Bernard hath it he easily contemns all things here who looks upon himself as dying daily 3. It will conduce much to the engaging the heart to Heaven and the things of Heaven to a serious pursuit of a blessed Eternity So we find Heb. 11.13 c. Those all dyed in the Faith saith the Apostle not having received the Promises but having seen them afar off and were perswaded of them and embraced them and confessed that they were Strangers and Pilgrims on the earth that is they were apprehensive they had but a little time to stay here And what then They desire a better Countrey that is an Heavenly the apprehension they had of their departure hence quickned them unto earnest desires and pursuits after the better Countrey the Heavenly Land And indeed one great reason why we breath no more and press no more after Heaven and a blessed Eternity is because we so seldom remember these dayes of darkness 4. It will conduce much to the quickning of the Heart to Duty and to diligence and faithfulness therein Christ himself made use of it for this end I must work the works of him that sent me while it is day the night cometh when no man can work Jo. 9.4 Peter also that holy Apostle made use of it to that end I will not be negligent saith he to do so and so in the way of my Duty as knowing that shortly I shall put off this Tabernacle 2 Pet. 1.12 13 14. The consideration of the near approach of his death quickned him to his Work and Duty And the Scripture propounds it as that which has a tendency to this thing Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do do it with all thy might saith Solomon for there is no work nor counsel in the grave whither thou art going Eccl. 9.10 He propounds the consideration of our going to the Grave as a means to quicken us to our present Work By all which we see how much the serious remembrance of the dayes of darkness must needs contribute to our readiness and preparedness for these dayes Therefore be much in this work For my own part I have hardly found any one thing more quickning and engaging upon my Spirit than this And Souls I would beg you as you would live for ever think often of death 2. Would you indeed set all things right in your souls and make all ready for a dying hour Then be not fond of long life here in this World but rather covet to live as much as possible in a little time I would speak of each distinctly 1. Be not fond of long life here in this World A fond hope and desire of long life here is one of the greatest Enemies to a true preparation of Soul for our departure hence For pray observe take a man that is fond of long life here and all his thoughts and projects are for this World He is wholly taken up about and carried out after the concerns of Time scarce allowing himself one serious thought for Death and Eternity A sad instance you have hereof in the rich man Luke 12.19 he reckoned upon many years upon a long life here and what are the things he is taken up about verily the things of this world only the increase of his Goods and where to store his Treasures Fond hopes and desires of long life here will certainly produce great delays if not utter neglects in the great work and concern of your Souls and Eternity As ever therefore you would have all right and well in the concerns of your souls when you come to die be not fond of long life here but sit as loose in your thoughts hopes and desires both of this life and all the enjoyments of it as possibly you can And indeed my Beloved to reason it a little with you why should you be fond of long life here why should you covet a long stay in this world I would only plead with you in two things as to this 1. What is this world and what have we here that we should here covet a long stay is this world such a sweet such an amiable such a desirable thing it is an angry world a frowning world a dirty world a bewitching ensnaring world 'T is a waste howling Wilderness a strange Land an house of Bondage a troublesome tempestuous Sea an Aceldama a Field of Blood such I am sure 't is oftentimes to the poor Saints and people of God And what have we here Why here we have fears within and fightings without troubles on every side and from all hands from friends from enemies from men from devils here we have sorrows snares losses wounds deaths dangers temptations seductions disappointments vexation of spirit and truly little else is to be expected by us here except that which is worse than all this viz. dayly risings and ebolitions of lust violent eruptions of corruption great aboundings of sin and iniquity both in our selves and others continual breakings with God and departings from him renewing and increasing sin and guilt dayly Indeed this world is full of sin and temptation to sin 'T is as Augustin speaks of it tota tentatio all temptation and as it is all temptation so 't is little else but sin and why should we covet a long stay here Why saith one of the Ancients should we so much desire that life in which by how much the longer we live by so much the more we sin and the more numerous our days are the more numerous will our sins be who would desire to stay long in a Prison or a Dungeon in a state and place of sin and sorrow and such is this world 2. Is there not a better life a better place a better state for our souls to long and aspire after what do you think of the life above a whole Eternity spent in the Divine Presence in the bosom of Divine Love a life of love a life of pleasure a life of joy a life or admiration a life of holiness perfect and unspotted holiness a life every way correspondent to the Divine Life and the Divine Will is not this a better life to be with Christ is best of all Phil. 1.23 To possess a mansion in our Father's House prepared by our Lord and Head Jesus Christ for us to live for ever in the vision and fruition of Father Son and Spirit to dwell in the Heavenly City where no unclean thing can enter to joyn in with the glorious Host of Saints and Angels above and with them to spend a whole Eternity in Songs of Praise and Hallelujahs to God and the Lamb to take up all our waters at the Fountain head and indeed to dive and bathe unchangeably in the Fountain of all delights at the Father's right hand Oh how sweet is this life and how much to be desired by us
a dying hour Truly the longer God spares us if we answer not his end in his sparing mercy the more miserable shall we be for ever It will be sad to perish at all but it will be doubly sad to perish under the long-suffering of God under the abuse of much goodness and long patience O to have many dayes and many years patience and goodness come in to witness against a man at last how sad will this be Think of and seriously lay to heart that Scripture Rom. 2.4 5. Despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and long-suffering not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance but after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up to thy self wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous Judgment of God Every day which God in his patience affords us if we be not led to repentance is a day of treasuring up wrath heaping up to our selves wrath against the day of wrath when wrath shall come upon us to the uttermost Well think then what a mercy it is that God spares you as he does and what an Obligation this sparing mercy of his is upon you to set all things right in the matters of your souls against a dying hour comes 4. Are you sure that those helps and advantages which now you enjoy to further you in your work will alwayes last and be injoyed by you Suppose my Beloved that God should yet spare you and prolong your dayes in the Land of the Living Yet O how soon may all your helps and advantages to further you in this great Work be withdrawn from you Now blessed be God you injoy many blessed helps and advantages for your furtherance in this great Work but how quickly may they all be gone 1. How soon may the Reproofs the Counsels the Holy Examples of your godly Friends Ministers and Relations be withdrawn from you now you injoy the loving Reproofs the wholesome Counsels the Holy Examples of such and such Friends and Relations one reproves you for sin another quickens you to duty one dehorts you from the World and carnal pleasure another perswades you to close with Christ and walk with God to pursue after Heaven and eternal life one wooes and beseeches you another charges and commands you to labour to know God and to live to him to provide for another life and they all shew you the path of Life they tread the way to Heaven in your sight All which are great helps and advantages to further you in this Great Concern of yours But how soon may all these be withdrawn thy Friends thy Ministers thy Relations will speedily be lodged in the dust and thou shalt never have a word of reproof a word of counsel a word of quickning a word of encouragement or a pattern of faith and holiness set before thee by them any more for ever which would be a dreadful thing Now thy godly Father Mother Yoke-fellow Master Friend and Acquaintance is plying thee with counsels and instructions for the good of thy Soul to morrow it may be he or she goes down to the Gates of the Grave and then no more of this for ever 2. How soon may the Word and Ordinances of God which you now enjoy be withdrawn from you Now you enjoy the Word and Ordinances of God you go from Ordinance to Ordinance you have line upon line precept upon precept as it is Isa 28.10 Yea let me tell you you see and hear those things which many Prophets and righteous men have desired to see and hear but saw and heard them not Matth. 13.16 O how is Light and immortality brought to light to you How is the Way of Salvation made plain and manifest before you What glorious discoveries What blessed revelations What sweet and frequent tenders of Christ are made to you How freely are you called to the Marriage-supper of the Lamb How lovingly does Christ invite you to himself How kindly does he stand knocking at the Door of your souls O my Beloved I may now say to you as Paul to the Corinthians 2 Cor. 6.2 Behold Now is the accepted time now is the day of Salvation O what helps and advantages are these But how soon may they all be gone How soon may the Word of God be withdrawn How soon may your light be put out and your souls left in darkness not knowing whither to go Remember that word of Christ and lay it to heart John 12.35 Yet a little while is the light with you walk while ye have the light least darkness come upon you and he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth While you have the light believe in the light that you may be the Children of the light It is a great question whether we may not lose Gospel-Ordinances and all and where are we then 3. How soon may the motions and strivings of the Spirit of God be withdrawn from you Now you have the motions and strivings of the Spirit of God in you and with you he moves upon the face of the waters in your souls he moves and strives in and by the Word and Ordinances Mercies and afflictions now you have enlightening and then you have quickening influences from him now he shews you your work and then he tenders you his assistance now he discovers the odiousness of sin to you and then he displays the beauty sweetness and excellency of Christ and holiness before you But alas How soon may all this be at an end Think of that terrible word Gen. 6.3 My Spirit shall no more strive with man God may possibly the next day yea the next hour say to his Spirit concerning one or another of us let him alone strive no more with him move no more in him convince him no more perswade him no more draw and allure him no more he is addicted to his lusts and to this World let him alone he has no mind to Heaven no desire to make any provision for another World let them alone he is unwilling to see beyond time to eternity he is given to his carnal pleasures let him alone he has a resisting gain-saying spirit let him alone O how soon these and all other helps and advantages you now enjoy may be withdrawn who knows You have all these together in one Scripture which I desire you to lay to heart Luke 19.41 42. When he was come near he beheld the City speaking of Jerusalem and wept over it saying If thou hadst known even thou at least in this thy day the things which belong to thy peace but now they are hid from thine eyes They had had a day they did injoy the things of their peace they might and should have improved their day and the things of their peace by securing their eternal state But they neglected it and now all these are withdrawn from them which caused the Lord of Glory the Joy of the whole Earth to weep over them so
in the day of visitation and whither will you flee for help When death comes what will you do which way will you look will there be any hope any help any refuge for your souls to flee unto Alas there will be none Wilt thou then run to the mercies of God and cry Lord Lord Alas it will be in vain he will then say unto you Depart from me I know you not Mat. 25.11 12. Wilt thou then labour to get grace and pardon Alas it will be too late then the door will be shut against thee Mat. 25.10 Wilt thou then desire others to spare thee some of their Oyl Alas that will be a vain thing they will tell thee they have but enough for themselves Mat. 25.9 Wilt thou then plead thy gifts parts and services for Christ Alas it will be to no purpose unless thou hast done the main work notwithstanding all thy gifts and services he will send thee away with the workers of iniquity Mat. 7.22.23 Wilt thou call upon the Rocks and Mountains to cover thee and hide thee from the wrath of him that sits upon the Throne Alas it wil be in vain Rev. 6. latter end O sinner when thou shalt see thy self launching out into the great Ocean of Eternity and God shall as it were say to thee by the Mouth of thy own Conscience Well now time and days are at an end with you and will never dawn more what hast thou done for thy Soul What provision hast thou made for another world Is Christ thine hast thou gotten thy sins pardoned and the like When it shall be thus I say what wilt thou then do and whither wilt thou then look how wilt thou then cry out Undone undone I am lost for ever my day is ended and my work is still to do woe is me what a God a Christ a Heaven a Blessedness a Glory have I wilfully and foolishly lost truly thou and such as thou are the only persons whose death will be truly lamentable I remember a saying I have read in one of the Ancients They saith he are to be bewailed in their death whom the Devils drag away to the torments of the Infernal Pit not they whom the holy Angels do conduct to the joys of Paradise they are to be bewailed who after death are by the Devils turned into Hell and not they who by the Angels are placed or set down in Heaven O that these things might convince you of your folly and awaken your souls and that so as yet to know the things of your peace in your day and the time of your visitation CHAP. VI. Being a Call to all Good and Bad Saints and Sinners to address themselves to the great work of making all ready for a dying hour WHat is the language of all this Verily it calls aloud upon us all Good and Bad Saints and Sinners to make it our great business to set all things right in the matters of our souls and make all ready for a dying hour And O that we would make this improvement of this great truth and of God's sparing goodness to us he spares us and why does he spare us but that we should set all things right and make all things ready Oh that we would now fall in with the end and design of God herein making it our great care and business in time to provide for Eternity in life to make ready for death Some of you I verily believe are about this work and the Lord prosper you in it You know you were born for Eternity and you do endeavour to live for Eternity your great work in time is to make provision for a blessed Eternity O happy souls that you are Others of us and those by far the most I fear are utterly negligent in this business Death and Eternity are little minded by us but we are in a sleepy drowsie secure spirit and to such methinks this truth speaks in a language much like to that of the Ship Master to Jonaâ— Jon. 1.6 What meanest thou O sleeper Arise and call upon thy God if so be he will think on us that we perish not So what mean you O you sleepy drowsie secure souls arise make ready for a dying hour set all things right all things in order in your spiritual concernments lest death come upon you at unawares and you be lost for ever And to such of us I would say as sometimes God did by the Prophet to Hezekiah Isa 38.1 Set thine house in order for thou shalt die and not live So say I to you set your hearts in order your spiritual concerns in order make all even between God and you for you shall shortly die and not live you shall shortly go hence and be no more and why should we not all do so if you be to change your condition in the world how careful and solicitous are you to have all things ready and in order for that change Why my Beloved you are shortly to pass under that great and last Change a Change from Time to Eternity and will you have no care no solicitude to make ready for that Change if you are to take a journey though but a few miles or to make a Voyage into a strange Land O how are you concerned to have all things ready all things in a prepared posture in order therreunto And my Beloved should not you be more concerned to make ready for your great journey your last and great Voyage you are making a journey a voyage out of Time into Eternity you are just launching sorth into the great Ocean And what nothing in order nothing ready nothing set right in order thereunto That is strange If you have some great business a business of more than ordinary importance to be done or a Suit at Law to be tryed and determined O how close do you follow it and how careful are you to have all things ready in order thereunto And my Beloved should you not be as careful and diligent to prepare and set all things right for the great business of your souls in another world Have you any business any concern of greater importance to you than the concern of your Souls and Eternity if you are to appear before some Earthly Judge especially if it be about a matter that concerns your life O how thoughtful are you to have all things ready and in order in reference thereunto And my Beloved should not you be as thoughtfull and solicitous to make all ready and to set all right in order to your appearing before the Judg of all the Earth and that about a matter which concerns the life of your souls about a matter of eternal life or death Well what shall I say will you set about this great business this great concern or is it all one with you whether you live or die are saved or damned to Eternity God yet spares you blessed be his Name Will you now set all right before you go
one Question Dost thou indeed see thy particular concern in this business so see it as really to make it thy great work and solicitude while living to set all things right and make all things ready for a dying hour Some there are that are so happy as so to do and art thou one of them then why shouldest thou fear death yea why shouldest thou not exult and thy heart leap within thee in the sight and thoughts of its approach true it is a dark Entry but it leads to a fair and stately Palace even the Fathers house 't is a rough and difficult passage but it sets thee safe on shore in a large and fat land true it carries with it some what a black lowring and ghastly aspect to nature and nature may at first possibly be startled and recoil at the sight of it but open the eye of thy faith and behold it in the glass of the Gospel view it in the death of thy Lord and Head and it vvill not appear half so terrible yea thou vvilt find it to be not so much an enemy as a Friend not as a King of Terrours but rather as a King of Comforts not as an object to be dreaded and trembled at but rather to be rejoyced in and triumphed over by thee it vvill appear to be not loss but gain For me to die is gain says Paul Phil. 1.21 yea it vvill be thy great gain 't will be the period of all thy misery and the perfecting of all thy happiness and the truth is vve are never perfectly happy till death comes But for thy further encouragement I shall in a few particulars shew you vvhat Death come vvhen it vvill doth and vvill do for such as make all ready for its coming 1. Death vvhen ever it comes vvill translate thee thou ready soul from Earth to Heaven from a strange land to thine own home and Fathers house and vvill not this be a kindness as for this vvorld vvhat is it to the poor Saints but a strange land 't is Heaven is their home and Countrey hence they have confest and do confess themselves to be Pilgrims and Strangers upon earth Heb. 11.13 and the Psalmist in the words immediately foregoing my Text Psalm 39.12 owns it to God I am a Sojourner and a stranger here yea this world is not onely a strange land but a waste howling wilderness to such wherein they live among wild Beasts Lions Bears Wolves Tygers and the like Lusts within and Devils without ready daily to devour them but now when Death comes that carries them off from this strange land this waste howling wilderness to their own home and countrey which is Heaven yea to their Fathers house there to live with him to enjoy his presence and to adore his grace We know says the Apostle that when our earthly house of this tabernacle speaking of the Body shall be dissolved we have a building of God an house not made with hands eternal in the heavens 2 Cor. 5.1 And you know how Christ speaks to his Disciples Joh. 14.2 In my Fathers house are many mansions if it were not so I would have told you and thither does death carry you when it comes Oh sweet Oh my Beloved to go home to go to our Fathers house and to possess our Mansion there that Mansion which our dear Lord and Head is gone before to prepare for us how sweet is this to think of and how many deaths may it sweeten Suppose one of you were some thousand miles distant from your home Country and Comforts and you were in a waste howling Wilderness among Lions and Bears ready to devour you a wide Sea also being between home and you and suppose withal that a Ship should come and take you into her and in a short time set you down in your own Country and among all your Friends and comforts would not this be a kindness why this is your case here O ye preparing souls and this is the kindness death does for you when it comes while here you are ten thousand miles distant from your home and Country your Friends and Comforts and in a waste howling Wilderness but Death that swift Sailer comes and in a moment sets you down in Heaven your home and Country O how welcom should it then be to you 2. Death whenever it comes will carry thee from trouble to rest from a tempestuous Sea to a quiet Haven there to lie at an eternal Anchor in the bosom of thy sweet Lord. This world ever was and for any thing I know ever will be a place of trouble to the people of God sure I am Christ hath told us In the world you shall have tribulation Jo. 16.33 And who of us does not find it made good This world is a tempestuous Sea wherein the Waves lift up themselves and the poor Saints are afflicted and tossed with tempests and oftentimes not comforted Isa 54.11 We read in Jonah 1.13 that the Sea wrought and was tempestuous and the Mariners were fain to row hard to get the Ship to shore And truly thus 't is often in the case in hand the Sea of this world is tempestuous it works and the poor Saints are fain to row hard to get safe to shore yea as we read Acts 27.14 that an Euroclydon a tempestuous East-wind arose and beat upon Paul and others in the Ship with him which was ready to break all in pieces So truly the Saints in this world do meet with Euroclydons tempestuous winds not a few which beat upon them and are ready to split all and sink all but now when death comes those stormes are all made a calm and they I mean the Saints are brought into the desired Haven Death sets them at rest 't is indeed their dismission to rest There says Job speaking of the Grave the weary be at rest Job 3.17 Death sends the body to rest it frees it from all sensible sufferings when Death comes thy weak body thy sick body thy pained body thy consumptive body shall have its dismission to rest and Death sends the soul to rest that rests in God and with God Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord henceforth they rest from their labours Rev. 14.13 and you have I think both together in one Scripture Isa 57.2 where speaking of the righteous 't is said They shall enter into peace they shall rest in their beds Hence we read that there remaineth a rest to the people of God Heb. 4.9 indeed it remains 't is not here but when death comes that sets them down in this remaining rest Oh what a kindness must this be Rest O how sweet is rest how desirable is rest and rest too after long and hard labour and trouble how sweet is rest to the labouring man that hath wrought hand all the day how sweet is rest to the weary traveller that hath gone a long and dirty journey how sweet is rest to the solicitous Mariner and how