tribute to establish them in the practice of holiness, and to quicken them in their diligence in ferving and glorifying of God in the days of their health, to hear a dying believer fay, "Of all the time which I have lived, I have no comfort now in reflecting upon one hour but what I fpent in the fervice of God. Were I to begin my life, I would redeem time more carefully than ever. One hour in communion with God is far fweeter than many years spent in worldly pleasures. Come here, then, all ye that fear God, and I will tell you what he hath done for my foul. O taste and fee that God is good!"

4. Confider the examples of God's children in former ages, how ufeful and edifying their words have been, at fuch a time, to all round about them. But this head I intend to infift fully upon afterwards.

Queft. "But how fhall I behave fo as I may glorify God and edify others, when I am fick or dying? I would have fome particular directions for it."

Anf. 1. You may do this by your patience under pain, and fubmiffion to God's will, with refpect to the event, whether life or death. It is ftumbling to others, to fee believers fretful in trouble, and unwilling to leave the world, when God calls them. But it is mofl convincing and confirming, to fee them frankly refigning themselves to God's difpofal, faying, "Let God himself choose for me; he is wife, and knoweth beft what is needful and moft proper for me: I have no will, but God's will." For any man to defire to live when God calls him to die, or to defire to die when God calls him to live, is equally a fign of cowardice: for he that defires to live is afraid to look death in the face; and he that defires to die, would flee from fome calamity, and take fhelter in death. But he is the moft valiant man that can die willingly when God would have him die, and live as willingly when God would have him live; this is true Christian valour.`

2. By pious exhortations and warnings to thofe that are about you. It may be the laft occafion you may have of glorifying God this way: O do not lose the feafon which may be ufefully improven for the good

of

of fouls. For thus a believer may bring more honour to God, and more advantage to precious fouls, by his fickness and death, than ever he did by all his health and life in the world; for their fpeeches have more weight with people at fuch a time, than at any other. Hence the patriarchs, knowing the prevalency of fuch words, do urge Jofeph with Jacob's dying charge, Gen. 1. 16, 17. And they fent a meffenger unto Jofeph, faying, thy father did command before he died, faying, fo fhall ye fay unto Jofeph, forgive, I pray thee now, the trefpafs of thy brethren," &c. And as we ought to be ready to give good counfel to all when we lie on fick-beds, fo efpecially we fhould be concerned for children and near relations: they are more affected than others with our ficknefs, and fo will they be with our fayings; our admonitions may do them good, when we are rotting in the dust.

Ques "What ought to be the fubject of our dif courfes and exhortations to others at fuch a time?"

Anf. 1. It is very proper to be much in commending the Mafter you have ferved, and the excellency of his fervice, to thofe that are about you. Tell them of the equity and goodness of thofe laws which you have obeyed, and of the bounty and faithfulness of that Lord whom you have worshipped, loved, and praifed; and of the greatnefs and eternity of that reward you are going to poffefs. Let the children of God extol their Father, and his care of them, and kindness to them. Let the ranfomed of the Lord magnify their Redeemer, and his wonderful love and fufferings for them. Tell others what sweetness and fatisfaction you have found in your own experience in attending God's ordinances, and in fecret duties; what comfort you have found in Chrift, and the promises of his covenant. And thus let your laft breath be fpent in exalting and commending Chrift and his religion to others.

2. Be warning others of the vanity of this world, and of all its wealth and pleafures. Tell them that they may fee, by your cafe, that these things which people are betwitched with in the day of their health, can fignify nothing to a fick or dying man; they cannot ease

as

us in our pains, they can afford no peace to a troubled foul, they cannot lengthen our lives one hour, and far lefs can they fave from the wrath of an angry God, "Oh," may you fay, "what a miferable cafe had I been in at this time, if I had had no better portion than this world, and nothing elfe to look to but its riches and pleasures! Wherefore, firs, fet not your hearts upon it, but forfake it before you be forfaken by it, and make choice of that which will be fupporting to you in the evil day."

3. Be warning them of the evil of fin, and what mischief and deceitfulness you have found in it Tell them, that though the devil and the eth would tempt you to look on fin as a harmless thing, yet the pleasure will foon be gone, and a sharp fling will be left behind. Sin will appear no light matter, when the foul is going hence into the awful prefence of an holy God. You would give a thousand worlds then for Chrift, and the blood of atonement to answer for your fins.

4. Tell them of the great difference between the godly and the wicked man's choice. The godly man chufeth the better part that cannot be taken from him; he lays up his treasure in heaven where none can reach it, fo that it yields him rich fupplies when fickness and death come upon him. But O how foolish is the wicked man's choice, that for one moment's flefhly pleasure, doth lofe his immortal foul, and everlasting happinefs; warn them to mind the one thing needful in time, and not to pamper their bodies for the worms, but to fet themselves presently to close with the offers of Christ, and make fure an intereft in his righteoufnefs to cover them in the evil day.

5. Be telling them of the evil of floth and negligence in the work of their falvation; and be exhorting them to mind it, and to do it with all their might. For however fome may cenfure and deride God's people now, for their strictnefs, diligence, and zeal in the matters of religion; yet, when they come to die, they will be ready to wish that they had been more diligent in falvationwork; that they had loved God, fled to Christ, and had fought and ferved him with all their hearts, and fouls; and to cry, "O for a little more time! O if

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God would recover and try us once more with health, how diligent would we be! And tell them, that those who have been most serious, and painful in falvationwork, yet, when they come to die, do much lament their floth and negligence: yea, thofe that have been moft reproached by the world for their diligence and fervency, do often with at that time, "O that we had been a thousand times more diligent and laborious in God's fervice !"

6. Labour to perfuade others of the preciousness of time, the wisdom of improving the time of youth and of health, and the great folly of delaying repentance, and putting it off to a fick bed. Say to them, "I find now, by experience, that a time of ficknefs is a moft unfit season to do any thing to purpose for the foul; my mind is fo diverted and indifpofed for fpiritual-work, by fickness and pain, that I cannot attain to any suitable compofure for it. And, how miferable were I, if I had all my work to begin at this time! O take a warning, and improve precious time, and especially the day of the gofpel, the time of the Spirit's ftrivings, and the time of youth, which is the most usual feafon of the converfion of fouls, and of bringing finners into acquaintance with Jefus Chrift."

DIRECT. VI. Let God's children, when fick or dying,

be expreffing a great concern for the advancement of the kingdom of Chrift, and of true Religion in the rifing Generation.

ZEAL, and public fpiritedness, for Chrift's intereft, is very becoming his people in all the periods of their life, but more efpecially at this time. When Chrift is ready to take you into his kingdom in heaven, O be not unmindful of his kingdom on earth. It would be acceptable to God, and pleafant in the fight of men, to fee you expreffing a warm concern for the rifing age, and for promoting the welfare of the fouls of your children, and others that furvive you; and feeing you can be no longer useful to those you leave behind, by

your

your counfels, examples or prayers, as formerly; do your utmost for them now. And this concern, the children of God in time of ficknefs may evidence feveral ways.

1. By earnest prayers to God, both for the profperity of his church and the flourishing of religion in general; and alfo for your children and relations in particular, that they may be a holy feed, and a generation to serve God, and fhow forth his praife in the world, when you are gone off the ftage.

2. By intrufting the care of your children's education to fuch tutors and guardians as will be much concerned for their fouls, and will fet before them godly examples and inftructions, in their young and tender years.

3. By filling your latter wills and teftaments with many pious advices and folemn charges to your children and relations, with refpect to their ferving God, and worshipping him in their families and in fecret, fo as they can never look into your teftament, and the legacies left to them, but they will hear fomething that may be affecting, upftirring, and edifying to their fouls.

4. By honouring the Lord with your substance, and leaving fomething of what God hath bleft you with, to pious ufes particularly for the religious education of the children of the poor, for buying bibles to them, and other excellent books; and for the propagating of Chriftian Knowledge in ignorant places, fuch as the Highlands and Iflands, by erecting and maintaining of schools therein: which glorious work is happily begun, and pretty far advanced, by that honourable fociety at. Edinburgh, whofe treasurer is ready to receive donations from all fuch as the Lord pleaseth to move to make a free-will offering for promoting that pious defign. Many pious perfons have contributed already thereto; and it were defirable that others, whom God hath enabled for it, fhould mind it before they die; for by fatal experience we may obferve, that the most godly parents do not know how their children will employ the eftate they leave them, whether as fuel for their