faid to his friends, "As for my death, I bless God I feel and find fo much inward joy and comfort to my foul, that, if it were put to my choice whether I would die or live, I would a thousand times rather choose death than life, if it may ftand with the holy will of God."

43. Mr Robert Rollock, when a-dying, prayed, "Lord, I have hitherto feen but darkly in the glafs of thy word; now grant that I may enjoy the eternal fruition of thy countenance, which I have fo much defired and longed for. Hafte, Lord, and do not tarry: I am weary both of nights and days: Come, Lord Jefus, that I may come to thee. Break these eye- ftrings, and give me others. I defire to be diffolved, and to be with thee; hafte, Lord Jefus, and defer no longer. Go forth, my weak life, and let a better fucceed. O Lord Jefus, thrust thy hand into my body, and take my foul to thyself. O my fweet Lord, fet this foul of mine free, that it may enjoy her husband."

44. Galeacius Carracciolus, marquis of Vico, when a-dying, took his leave of his wife and all his Christian friends, telling them that he would lead them the way to heaven. And he cried to Jefus Chrift, that "as he had fought him all his life, fo now he would receive and acknowledge him as his own."

45. The famous lord Dupleilis in France, when adying, was much concerned for the church of God in diftrefs, praying earnefly for her deliverance. He particularly blefled fuch of his grand-children as were following the ftudies of learning, faying, that " he was affured they should be bleffed with the bleffings both of heaven above, and of the earth beneath." When a mimifler spoke of the fervice he had done the church by his writings, he faid, "Alas, what was there of mine in that work? Say not that it was I, but God by me." Then, lifting up his hands above his head, he cried three times," Mercy, mercy, mercy." Adding, that he did it, to thow that it was alone the mercy of God to which he had recourfe. And declared, that his "faith was altogether founded upon the goodness of God in Jefus Chrift, who, by the Father, had been made un

to

to him, as to all others that believe in him, wildon,
righteoufnefs, fanctification, and redemption.
" A-
way, (faid he,) away with all merit; I call for nothing
but mercy, free mercy :" When one was bleffing God
for giving him fuch peace and comfort at his end, he
faid, "I feel, I feel what I fpeak." As to his faith of
the truths of God, " He faid he was entirely perfuaded
thereof, by the demonftration of God's Holy Spirit,
which was more powerful, more clear, and more cer-
tain, than all the demonftrations of Euclid." When
fecretly praying, he was overheard faying, in broken'
fentences, fly, I fly to heaven. Let the angels
"I
carry me to the bofom of my Saviour." Afterwards,
he faid, "I know that my Redeemer liveth, and I fhall
fee him with thefe eyes, Hifce occulis;" which words
he repeated four or five times.

46. Jerome of Prague, when he was faftened to the
ftake, and the executioner began to kindle the fire be
hind him, he bade him kindle it before his face.
"For
(faid he) if I had been afraid of it, I had not come to
this place, having had fo many opportunities offered
me to escape it."

47. Mr Hooker, a minifter in New-England, when one that stood weeping at his bed fide, when he lay adying, faid to him," Sir, you are going to receive the reward of all your labours ;" he replied, " Brother, I v am going to receive mercy."

48. Mr Heron, another minifter there, when dying and leaving a family of many fmall children; his poor wife fell a-weeping, and faid, alas! what will become of all these children? He prefently and pleasantly replied, "Never fear; he that feeds the young ravens will not ftarve the young Herons." And indeed it came to pafs accordingly. It was an ancient obfervation concerning the English martyrs under the bloody Marian perfecution, "That none of them went more joyfully to the ftake than those who had the greatest families to commit unto the Lord."

49. Chryfoftom, when the empress Eudoxa (an A. rian) fent a threatening meffage to him, he said, " Go tell her, Nil nifi peccatum timeo, I fear nothing but fin."

When

When he was fentenced to banishment, he faid, "None of these things trouble me; for I faid before within myself, if the emprefs will, let her banith me; the earth is the Lord's, and the fulnefs thereof. If the will, let her faw me afunder; Ifaiah was fo ufed: if the will, let her caft me into the fea; I will remember Jonah: if the will, let her caft me into a burning fiery furnace, or to the wild beafts; the three children and Daniel were fo ferved: if the will, let her stone me, or cut off my head; I have St Stephen and the Baptift for my companions: if fhe will, let her take away all my fub ftance; naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked fhall I return thither again."

But I must break off, for time would fail me to enumerate the many inflances of the faith, love, patience, hope, courage, and conftancy of the faints and martyrs of Jefus, when in the view of death. Some have told the perfecutors, "That they might pull the hearts out of their bodies, but they could never pluck the truth out of their hearts" Others have faid, "That if every hair of their heads were men, they should all fuffer for Christ and his truths." "Oh (faid one of them) can. I die but once for Chrift?"

To conclude, let thefe examples prompt us to feek grace from God, and make it our earneft ftudy to imitate and follow fuch a cloud of witneffes, that we may die martyrs in refolution, our graces may be moft lively at the latt, our evening fun may thine brightest, and we may go off the ftage glorifying God, and leav ing a sweet favour behind us, as these famous worthies, whofe praise is in the churches, have done before us.

DIRECT. VII. Let Dying Perfons be much in Prayer and Ejaculations to God.

PRAYER is the native breath of renewed fouls; it is as neceflary to their fpiritual life, as breath is to the natural life, Lam. iii. 59. "Hide not thine ear at my breathing." The first thing a child of God doth, when he is new-born, is to breathe by prayer, Acts ix. II. "Behold.

"Behold he prayeth." And it is also his laft work in the world to pray, Acts vii. 59. 60. "And they ftoned Stephen, calling upon God, and faying, Lord Jefus, receive my fpirit. And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this fin to their charge. And when he had faid this, he fell afleep." A dying Chriftian hath many to pray for; he is to pray for the church of God, for his friends and relations, and alfo for his enemies, as Stephen did, of whom I spoke before. But efpecially he must pray for himself, that fin may be forgiven, and that he may have fafe conduct through the dark valley. I have heard of fome that have been found dead upon their knees: A noble pofture to die in! How agreeable is it, to enter praying into the land of praife? So did Stephen; yea, fo did our bleffed Saviour himfelf: "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. Father, into thy hands I commend my fpirit." The laft words that holy Uther uttered were, "But, Lord, in a fpecial manner forgive my fins of omiffion." "Lord, (faid dying Beza) perfect that which thou haft begun, that I fuffer not fhipwreck in the haven." I remember to have read of an old minifter, when he found death approaching, he faid, "I defire to die like the poor thief, crying to the crucified Jefus for mercy. I am nothing, I have nothing, I can do nothing, except what is unworthy. My eye, and hope, and faith, is to Chrift on his crofs. I bring an unworthinefs like that of the poor dying thief unto him, and have no more to plead than he Like the poor thief crucified with him, I am waiting to be received, by the infinite grace of my Lord, into his kingdom." Let us in like manner die, crying to a crucified Jefus for mercy, Lord, remember me, now thou art in thy kingdom.

O dying Chriftian, remember the time of prayer is near an end, after death there will be no more occafion for prayer. O then beg that the fpirit of prayer may be fo poured down upon you at this time, that you may be enabled to pour out your heart before God, both for yourfelf and others. O how earneftly fhould you pray then, when you are taking your leave of prayer! mind the example which your Redeemer gave you; it was VOL. I. before

B b

before his death that he offered up prayers and fupplication with ftrong crying and tears unto God. I acknowledge, fick and dying perfons are frequently out of cafe for making prayers of any great length or continuance (which confideration fhould excite us to the greater diligence in prayer in the time of health) and therefore they ought to be the more frequent and fervent, in fhort and fuitable ejaculations and petitions to God, as their exigencies do require.

Some Meditations and Ejaculations, proper for fick and dying perfons, and efpecially for a dying Believer.

O LORD, thou art the God of my life, and haft the keys of death in thy hand. Thou haft measured the length of my life, and appointed the hour of my death. The number of my months and days is with thee, and thou haft appointed the bounds, over which I cannot país.

What is my life but a vapour that appeareth for a little time, and then vanifheth away? at the longest, how fhort is it; and at the strongest how weak! "What man is it that liveth here, and fhall not fee death? When a few days are come, I will go the way whence I fhall not return." God hath decreed it, fin hath deserved it, my frailty demonftrates it, death's harbinger proclaims it, and I must expect it.

There is no difcharge in this war, no exemption from death's ftroke. Death's meffengers are come to warn me, that my last day and hour draweth nigh. The found of their Mafter's feet is behind them. This clay-house must be diffolved, my foul, diflodged, and my place here shall know me no more; I will be quickly as water fpilt on the ground, that cannot be gathered up again.

O that I may be fuitably exercifed in my prefent weak and dying condition! when my flesh faileth, and my heart fainteth within me. O that God my be the strength of my heart, and portion for ever! When the keepers of the houfe do tremble, let God watch over