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upon the cross is our brazen serpent, and he hath said, "Look unto me, oh, all ye ends of the earth, and be saved." Then by way of consideration, think, and think much with yourselves, what an evil thing it is to sin when a man is ready to cie. Thus you leave not your sin, but your sin you.

Be sure that you do not chew the cud of your former sins, by musing on them with delight, for thereby you justify your former practiee; but rather mourn over them, for the way to keep from future sins is to mourn for former; and the way to be kept from sins of old age, is to mourn for the sins of our youth.

But, above all things, under your study of Christ crucified, be sure that you strengthen your love to God in Christ; for if the boughs of the tree be weak, the way to strengthen them is, not to carry up dung to the boughs, but to lay the dung to the root, for by strengthening the root, you strengthen the branches. Now the root of all our mortification is love, for love is the cause of hatred. "Ye that love the Lord bate evil." Love to God eats out our love to sin, as the fear of God eats out our fear of men; and your love to God is strengthened by the sight of his love to you. For love is the cause of love; the more we see God's love to us, the more we love him, and do hate our sins. Would you, therefore, take up your sinful weeds by the roots? then strengthen your love, and this shall be a staff in your hand, to strengthen and bear you up under all your infirmities, both natural and moral.

CHAPTER III.

THE OLD MAN'S GUIDE.

BUT there is yet one thing remaining and incumbent on the aged, and that is, to plant the positive grace and virtue, which doth best suit with his soil and condition.

What are those good things, therefore, that old men especially are to do in their old age?

They are full of experience, and therefore should be full of faith; for though God's word only be the ground of our

Now there is a Faith of reliance

faith, yet experience is a great help to faith. faith of reliance, and a faith of assurance. justifies, faith of assurance comforts. Old men, therefore, are to exercise the faith of reliance, relying upon Christ's righteousness, renouncing their own; and to exercise the faith of assurance, for it is ill dying with a doubting soul. As zeal is the young man's virtue, so faith is the old man's grace.

Then it is their work and duty to renew their repentance, for they are shortly to appear before the Lord, and to give an account of all that they have done in the flesh and will they appear before him in their filthy rags? Now though we are only washed from our sins by the blood of Christ unto justification, yet we are washed from our filth by the hand of repentance unto sanctification. For as God promises to wash us with clean water, so he commands us to wash ourselves. Isa. i. And if a man will not wash and repent at the last, when will he repent? When the leaves are off the trees, we see the birds' nests in the trees and bushes. Now in our old age our leaves are off, then therefore we may see those nests of sin and lust, in our hearts and lives, which we saw not before, and so be sensible and repent of them.

Then are they also to be much in reading the Scripture, meditation and prayer; for by this reading they shall gain knowledge, by meditation upon their reading they shall add affection to their knowledge, and by prayer they shall add devotion unto their affection.

And because they are ready to weigh anchor, and to set sail for the other world, it will be good for them to observe what is the proper work of this world, and to be much therein. For "every thing is beautiful in the time thereof." Now is a time for believing. Heaven is no time for faith, Now is a time for repent

for in heaven we live by sight. ance; in heaven there is no repentance, for there is no sorrow. Now is a time of patience; in heaven there is no patience under affliction, for there is no affliction. Now is a time of hearing the word preached, and for sacraments and ordinances; there is no preaching, sacraments or ordinances in heaven. Now is a time to relieve the poor; in heaven there is no room for such charity: it is that country where no beggar lies at your door. Now is a time to observe our

relations; in heaven there are no such relations, for "they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels." Now, therefore, whatever is in the power of your hand to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave there is no work, nor in heaven there is none of this work, whither you are going. This, therefore, that is to be done here, and cannot be done there, is now to be done especially.

Then it is the old man's duty to live much in a little time, and to be more exact and strict in his life than ever; for the nearer the stone comes to the centre, the faster it moves; the more wisdom any man hath, the more exactly he works. Wisdom and exactness go together: "See that you walk exactly, not as fools, but as wise," says the apostle. Now grey hairs should be found in the way of wisdom; and the more frequently a man doth work, the more exactly he may do the same. Now those that are ancient, have, or should have been frequently in holy duties; they therefore, of all men, are to live and walk most exactly. Thus it shall not be said of them, as Seneca says of one, he did not live long, but he was long.

Then are they to knock off from the world, and to use the world as if they used it not: " For the fashion of this world passeth away, and the time is short, therefore their moderation should be known unto all men, for the Lord is at hand." If a tooth be to be drawn, and the gum be cut, the tooth doth come out with ease; but if it be fast set in the gum, and not first loosened from the gum, it comes out with much difficulty: and what is the reason that many die with such difficulty? but because they are so fast set in their worldly gums, they are not loosened from their relations. therefore it is for old men, who are upon the brink of death, to cut their gum, and to loosen themselves from this world and all their relations.

Good

Then let the old man take heed of all these evils, that may and will stain the glory of his old age. All sins do leave a blot and stain behind them, but youthful sins do especially stain old age; for the sin is the greater as it is more contrary to the sinner. It is an evil thing for any man to be unjust, but worse for a judge to be so, because there is a special repugnancy betwixt the sin and the sinner: now there is a special repugnancy betwixt old men and youthful sins. Give

me a young man indeed with an old man's virtue, wisdom. Give me an old man indeed with a young man's grace, zeal. But a young man vitiated with an old man's sin, covetousness; or an old man defiled with a young man's sin, wantonness; are an abomination both to God and man, and are stained deeply and greatly. A certain Lacedemonian being asked why he suffered his beard to grow so long; to the end, said he, that looking on my white hairs, I may be put in mind not to do any act unbeseeming my hoary whiteness.

Then it is their duty also to prepare for death, their great change and dissolution. It was the complaint of Cæsar Borgius, When I lived, I provided for every thing but death; now I am ready to die, I am not provided to die. Such providers in the world there are very many; but shall I provide for a journey, and not for this great journey? This is every man's work, but the old man's especially. For though the young man's candle may go out, the old man's will and shall. But what should the old man do, that he may be fit to die?

God will give dying grace upon dying ground. Yet,

He must be sure to do the work of his present day; the only way to be fit for the work of the morrow, is to do the work of the present day.

Then let him examine himself, and make his reckonings even with God, that when he comes to die, he may have nothing to do but to die.

Then let him resign and give up himself and will to God afresh. Thus Christ did as soon as he drew nigh to death. "If it be possible," said he, "let this cup pass; yet not my will, but thy will be done;" which he did again and again, at his first approach unto death, and this he did in his last words, "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit."

Let him long after heaven, and not be afraid to die, for if he be in Christ death itself is his. "All things are your's," saith the apostle, "life and death, for ye are Christ's" and who is afraid of his own? The child is not afraid of the great mastiff, but puts his hands into the dog's mouth; and if you ask him, why so? for he is our own dog, saith the child. Now if a man be in Christ, this great mastiff, death, is his own, and therefore why should he be afraid thereof? Yea, why should he not be willing to die? Was Elijah un

willing to go into the fiery chariot? Is the child unwilling to ride home, because it is a trotting horse that he must ride upon? No. What then, though it be an hard and a sore sickness that you must ride on, yet if it carry you home to your Father, why should you be unwilling to die? Now the only way to be willing to die, is to get assurance of our interest in Christ, and of our own salvation. For what is the reason that men are unwilling to die, but because they cannot tell where they shall land after death. True, says one, I am launching forth into the ocean of eternity, but on what shore I shall land, God knows. Oh, that I might live one year more, one month more, yea, one hour more, until I had assurance of my salvation. And when that comes, then the soul having thereby clasped about and gotten Christ into his arms, cries out and says, "Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, for mine eyes have seen thy salvation."

Then, also, let him set his house in order, make his will, and leave his legacies to his children, friends and posterity. Shall Achitopel, when he changed himself, set his house in order before he died; and shall not an ancient christian set his house and heart in order, make his will, and leave his legacies unto his friends and posterity?

CHAPTER IV.

THE OLD MAN'S WILL AND LEGACIES.

BUT what good thing should the old leave, or give unto his posterity by his last will?

Why first, he must be sure to give his soul unto God while he lives; for if a man gives his soul to the world and devil while he lives, what right hath he to give it unto God when he dies? If I give away an house or land while I live, can I justly give it to another when I die? And if I give away my soul to sin, world or devil, while I live, how can I justly give it to God when I die? it being a maxim in the common law, that vendens eandem rem duobus falsarius est.

Then let him leave a good example unto his posterity: a good example is a great legacy. Thus a man speaks when he is dead, as Abel doth. Heb. xi.

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