clay, to fly among the cæleftial inhabitants; where they are better welcom'd than among depraved mortals. Oh! but do not quite leave us, O ye divine Graces; do not utterly forfake thofe few who earnestly defire your grateful company; tho' they are prefs'd down by loads of dirt, and the weight of thofe chains by which they are tyed to their earthly tabernacles.

And grant, O Father of mercies, that at laft Christendom may become chriftians indeed, and we may all let our lights fhine before men, that they may fee our good works, and glorify thee our Father, who art in Heaven. That every one that nameth the name of Chrift, may depart from all iniquity. O that we may all understand in this our day, the things that belong to our everlasting peace! Amen. Amen.

November 3, 1689.

Being the day on which one Orton of our College

W

died.

VII. Of Death.

Henfoever we think or write of any things that concern this prefent life, we do it with fome fenfe and feeling of that about which we are converfant, because we have ourselves experienced them, or the like to them. But when we reason and difcourfe of death, we are about what we never have had any tafte of, nor any idea of our imagination, to which we might apply ourfelves to defcribe it in a right manner. We indeed fee, that after a hard ftruggle with a difeafe, at last the corpfe grows ftiff, cold, and fitter for a grave, than thofe actions to which before it always was fo ferviceable; but as to the immaterial part

the

the foul, we have no notices what is become of it, with what pangs it parted with its old companion the body, what faculties and affections it retains, whither it is doom'd, or how it fares with it in that other state; I fay we know nothing of all this by experience, till it is too late to defcribe it to others. The Almighty having, in his unfearchable Wisdom and Providence, thought fit to hide from men many of thofe things which we have the greatest natural defire of being acquainted withal; to teach us entirely to depend on his revealed word and will, to keep us humble and watchful, knowing, that if we refufe Mofes and the Prophets, Chrift and his Apoftles, neither would we be perfuaded though one rofe from the dead, to tell us by his own late experience what paffes in that other world, how gracious God is to his children, and how fevere towards incorrigible offenders. 'Tis fufficient for us that we are fure we must all die, and we know not at all what hour our Lord will come to require an account of our ftewardship; fo that we know enough to make us watchful, and always prepared to meet the king of terrors; to make us cautious how we venture on any fin, in the very commiffion whereof we may be fnatch'd away to God's dreadful tribunal. The brute beafts, who have no account to render, and fo it matters not much when or how they die, do not at all fear or forefee their own flaughter, though hundreds of their fellows be flain before their eyes. But man has reafon, by viewing other's mortality, certainly to prefage his own; and fo has all the obligation imaginable to provide before-hand for what he knows will fhortly come to pafs. How inexcufeable are we then, miferable mortals, having fpectacles of death every day almoft before our eyes, to put far from us the evil day! to reckon upon fo many years to come! and thereby to forget a due pre

paration

paration till death feizes, and we are juft upon the brink of eternity! Oh that we would all wait till our change come with Job; and, as Horace bids, Omnem crede diem tibi diluxiffe fupremum; that at laft, after the example of 5000 years mortality, we would live as those that know not but they may be in another world by the next morning; that we would improve that time which is lent us on purpose to work out our own falvation in fo warily, as believing it to be a talent for which we must be accountable to him who lends it to us; that we would, at length, be perfuaded to labour hard for the few minutes of this life, in hopes of winning a crown of immortality; and not by our careless behaviour, and cuftomary fins, provoke God to cut off that thread of life which he sees we abuse so much to his dishonour, and our own ruin. We usually esteem it a great unhappiness to be taken away in the fpring and youth of our age, before we have had fufficient experience of the folly of fin, and goodnefs of religion; when, I believe, 'tis often a point of the greatest mercy and compaffion in Almighty God, to cut off fome finners at firft; he foreseeing, if he fhould let 'em to go on, they would but augment the number, and aggravate the guilt of their fins, and fo plunge themselves deeper into that lake which burns with fire and brimftone; and involve themselves fafter in thofe flames which will never be quenched. So that it seems in mercy to be ordered by God, that very many fins foon draw death after them, and fo take away the fins and the foul together; left if the authors fhould be fuffered to live long, they would more and more heat the furnace of God's wrath against themfelves, and fo partake of a fadder condemnation. For when men have once abandon'd the grace of God, and caft off the fuggeftions of confcience,

and

and motions of God's Spirit, and given them. felves to Satan, to work all uncleannefs with gree. dinefs, 'tis impoffible to do them a greater kindnefs than foon to take them away, and hurry them to a less punishment, that they may avoid a greater. Though if this be the best of the wicked man's death, 'tis very fad and deplorable. How can any finner have a good countenance, a chearful look, or one dram of comfort and pleasure, while he is wallowing in thofe vices which only wait an opportunity to turn him into hell? How can one fmile fit on his brow who muft shortly wail and howl for ever? much lefs can any thing yield him any comfort when fickness feizes him, and the meffenger of the judge of the world arrefts him, and drags him out of this world, from all his old companions, pleafant cups, vain jollity, and brutish pleasures, to give an account of all those fins which he has been heaping up many years to his own deftruction. At this hour what can help, what can any way comfort? nothing on every fide but fin, an offended God, an accufing confcience, an aggravating devil, and eternal burnings! Oh the madness of wretched finners! to court those lufts, and hug those fins, which will at last reduce them to fuch a defperate and intolerable condition, the sadness and horror whereof is unexpreffible! but, on the other hand, if we look on the death of a good and righteous man, we fhall perceive 'tis fo far from a curfe, that 'tis his only rescue out of the miseries of this frail ftate, and the beginning of never-failing pleasures in the other. This is the bridge that carries him over from time to eternity, from forrow to joy, from care and fear to peace and fecurity, from a far country to his father's houfe, from earth to heaven. O happy meffenger, may the good man fay when death feizes him; welcome thou ambaf

fador

fador of my Father, thou finifher of sadness, and fountain of happinefs! I willingly deliver up the uncertain tenure of this carcafe into thy hands, who, I hope, will one day reftore it me freed from thofe ills and maladies, thofe achs and pains, which I now endure by it. Welcome thou bleffed deliverer! who, I truft will free me from the clog of this dull clay, and elevate my foul above flesh and blood; who wilt beftow on me, till my old tenement the body be re-edified, a more light and glorious vehicle; through which I fhall more eafily fee the beauty and lovelinefs of my God, and perceive fomewhat of thofe joys which I hope for at the refurrection of the juft. How does thefe thoughts, this glimpse of my future happiness, enliven my decaying habitation? How does it enfpirit my flying foul? and make it expect, with impatience, the minute when my Lord will come, and take me to himfelf? tho' I have been a great finner, and utterly unworthy the leaft mercy, yet my humble hope is, that, through my dear Redeemer's precious merits and mediation, my hea venly Father will graciously accept of my hearty and fincere endeavours of pleafing him, and obeying his holy commandments; and that he will not overlook the meaneft integrity of heart.

Farewel all ye my weeping friends; lament not my death, but prepare for your own. Farewel my dear relations, and make it your conftant care to live fo that we may meet again in heaven. I commend you all into God's hands, and my departing foul to the grace and mercy of my Redeemer. Come Lord Jefus, come quickly!

And, O my God! let me die the death of the righteous, and let my laft end be like his. Let thy grace enable me fo to overcome the temptations of this enfnaring world, that I may not be afraid or afhamed to die, and appear at thy dread

ful