build the hopes of your juftification and falvation upon, feeing they are wholly infufficient to bear fuch a weight. However much these things have been esteemed and valued by you formerly, in the matter of juftification; yet if you refolve to be a wife builder, you will let them all now go, yea, count them all but lofs and dung that you may win Chrift, (our only hope) build on him alone, and be found in him, not having on your own righteoufnefs, which is but filthy rags.

Well, then, raze and tear up every falfe foundation, dig deep, till you get to the rock Chrift. Dig deep into the holy law and nature of God; dig till you fee the infinite ftrictnefs of Divine juftice, the unfpeakable evil that is in fin, the hidden vileness and abominations of the heart, your own inability to do any thing for your help and relief. Dig yet further, till you fee the infinite fulness and freenefs of God's grace in Jefus Chrift, that fuitable remedy that answers all a poor finner's needs. Dig deep, and dig ftill on, till you get to this rock; let your cry be ftill to God, Lord lead me to the rock Chrift, and his all fufficient righteoufnefs, only. Act faith upon this rock, rely on it, build all your hopes on it, and fay, " this is my reft for ever; here will I dwell, for I have defired it. Lord, the defire of my foul is only to Chrift, and to the remembrance of his name. His name is a fweet ointment poured forth; therefore do the virgins love him."

IV. If you would rightly improve the fparing mercy and goodness of God, let it lead you to repentance and reformation of life. Turn from all these fins, whether of omiffion or commiffion, now in the day of health, which conscience challenged you for in the time of ficknefs. Mind Chrift's caution and warning to healed finners, John v. 14. "Behold thou art made whole; fin no more, left a worse thing befal thee." Olet fin die with thy fickness; and do not relapfe into thy former fecurity and finful ways. Beware of returning with the dog to thy vomit, and like the fow that is washed to the wallowing again in the mire of thy former fins and uncleannefs; left being entangled and

overcome

overcome again with the filthinefs which thou now haft efcaped, thy latter end prove worse than thy beginning.

Lafly, And to fum up all I fhall fay in this chapter, be careful to redeem time, and active in providing for an eternal ftate. O prize and value the mercy of health and ftrength, more than ever. Sympathise with thofe who are ftill lying on fick-beds, and under languishing diftempers; neglect not to pity and pray for them. Remember the diftreffed cafe you were in yourfelves, when you had no rest in your bones, when wearifome nights were appointed to you, and you were full of tollings to the dawning of the day. Confider how flippery is your ftanding. Though the late storm of trouble be over, yet the clouds will return after rain.

CHAP. VII.

Containing directions to thofe fick perfons, who are ap parently in a dying condition, and drawing near to

I'

another world.

HAVE already, in the firft, third, and fourth chapters, given feveral directions concerning our fubmillion to the will of God, making preparation for death, calling for minifters, edifying others by our difcourse, fettling our worldly affairs, &c. which are very proper for dying perfons; and therefore I fhall not repeat them, but proceed to fpeak of other things. Only let me add this word; have you hitherto neglected to make your wills, fettle your worldly affairs, fend for the ministers to difcourfe with, and pray for you; delay it no longer, but do it fpeedily, while you have the ufe of your reafon and understanding. And what I have more to say, take it in the following directions.

DIRECT.

DIRECT. I. Confider, when Death ftares you in the face, that now is the time, if ever, to exert the utmoft activity in preparing to meet with it.

ALAS, it is to be regretted that the most part of men neglect their fouls, mifpend their life, mifimprove their health, and leave undone the work for which they were created, preferved, and enjoyed the gofpel. Surely a near profpect of death and judgment cannot but be uneafy to fuch perfons. What a melancholy thought must it be for a dying man? "Oh! I had all my time given me to make preparation for endless eternity; and, alas, I never minded it till now, that I must leave the ftage of this world. Is there any hope for such a carelefs and miferable finner." I acknowledge the cafe is fad, but yet it is not remedilefs nor defperate; feeing there is a facrifice provided for your fins, and there is an all-fufficient Saviour in your offer, who never did caft out any humbled foul that came to him for mercy. You have great reafon indeed to abhor and condemn yourself before God, for your fin and folly; yet defpair not, but believe, whatever be your fins, your dangers, your fears, and temptations, that Jefus Christ is both able and willing to fave to the uttermoft all that come to God by him, and that his grace aboundeth more than your fin aboundeth. O how glad would devils and damned fouls in hell be, if they were but in your cafe, and had your offers and hopes! how diligently would they improve the time of mercy! O be perfuaded then to fpend the little time that now remains, with the utmost care, in making penitent confeffion of fin to God, and applying the blood of Chrift for pardon. Nay, even the beft of God's people have need to be diligent at this time in making actual preparations for dying. God is now faying to you, as Jofhua did to the Ifraelites, Jofh. i. 11. "Prepare you victuals, for within three days ye shall pafs over this Jordan, to go in to poffefs the land which the Lord your God giveth you." Lay in provifions for your paffing over this Jordan of death: you know not how rough this paffage may be.

VOL. I.

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may hall

I fhall give fome motives to prefs this diligent and active preparation; and therefore confider,

1. The thort time of your life that remains is all the time you have for working out your falvation. What you do for attaining heaven, or avoiding hell, must be done now, or never; for there is no work nor device in the grave whither thou goest, nor is there any coming back to this world to amend what hath been done amifs. Dying is a thing you cannot get a trial of, it is what you can only do once, and no more, Heb. ix. 27.

2. Be diligent now; for as soon as death gets commiffion to cut you off, it will execute it: it will not spare you, nor allow you one minute more time to prepare for eternity. The most merciless enemies have fometimes been overcome by the prayers and tears of fuch as, on their knees, do beg a little more time to prepare for another world; and do hearken to their requests: but this enemy, death, will not grant one moment's refpite.

3. Confider that your eternal state and condition will be according to the state in which you die. Death will open the doors either of heaven or hell to you, in one of which you fhall take up your eternal abode. As the tree falls at death, fo will it lie through eternity.

4. Confider what a serious and awful matter it is to die, and go into another world, for then you will have immediately to do with God your judge; there will be no veil then between him and your foul. You will then enter into a world of fpirits, wherewith you are so little acquainted: you are frighted now to go into a room alone, that is faid to be haunted by a spirit; how frightful then muit the case of those be, who are hurried into a world of fpirits, not knowing but devils must be their companions for ever! Surely then it is your intereft to give all diligence now, to make your acquaintance with the Lord of that world, before you enter into it.

3. Put forth thy utmoft activity for thy foul now; for, to be fure, Satan will put forth his utmost against it. If thou be in a Christless state at this time, he will ufe all his efforts and ftratagems to keep thee from

Christ;

Chrift; either by flattering thee that thy ftate is good, thereby to lull you afleep in fin and fecurity, or by telling thee, it is out of time to help matters with thee, thereby to drive you into defpair. The devil will leave no method unattempted to ruin thy foul, when death is near; for he knows his time is fhort; and, if he catch not the foul then, he will never get it: and nei ther can he hurt it hereafter; for, if once it enter heaven, he can trouble it no more.

If thou art a believer in Chrift, Satan, thy malicious enemy, will not fail to attack thee, at this time, with all his might; for though he may know he cannot keep thee out of heaven, yet he will labour to render thy paffage towards it as dark, tempeftuous, and uncomfortable, as poffibly he can. But it is the believer's happiness, this cruel enemy is under a ftrong chain, and cannot do all he would; for Jefus Chrift is the good fhepherd, that hath undertaken for all his fheep. Nevertheless, by his wife permiffion, this adversary may fometimes give great difturbance to a dying faint; which calls thee to the greatest diligence and watchfulness at this time. It is the obfervation of one, that as the devil is most busy at the conclufion, of a duty, as of prayer, that the Chriftian may be moft disturbed and diftracted, when he is to close up all in the name of Chrift, and fo all his defires be frustrated; fo he is moft bufy in the coclnufion of our days, and when death is at hand, feeking by temptations, diftractions, and falfe imaginations, to do us all the mischief he can, and all because he knoweth his time is fhort; according to that word, Rev. xii. 12." The devil is come down, having great wrath, because that he knoweth he hath but a fhort time." He may fitly be called, the wolf of the evening, mentioned in Jer. v. 6. in regard he comes forth moft fiercely in the evening of men's lives, to fet upon their precious fouls. Yea, fo bufy is he fome times with believers under dangerous ficknefs, feeking to overthrow their faith and affurance, that it is the obfervation of a good man, that he feldom feeth a fick faint, followed close with temptations, recover of that ficknefs; for Satan, knowing he hath but a little time, proves as uneafy to him as he S 2

can