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mily or not, to improve the day of health, in making ready for the time of fickness. Be much in the exercife of felf-examination, humiliation for fin, believing in Christ, renewing covenant with God, mortifying of fin, trimming the lamp, meditating of heaven, living by faith, deniednefs to the world, ftudying to overcome the love of life and fears of death. Concerning all which I have given directions in the foregoing chapters of this book, when fpeaking to the fick and the diftreffed. These exercises are not only proper for the fick. but also for those in health; and are fuitable preparations for ficknefs and death, and to be studied by all men in every condition. But there are fome things further moft neceffary to be minded by people in time of their health, in order to prepare them for the time of fickness and of dying, before it come.

1. Make your latter will, and keep it by you, that you may not be incumbered with your worldly affairs, in time of ficknefs, or at a dying hour. Surely it is great wisdom to put this work by hand in time of health. But I have spoken largely of this in Chap. I. Direct VI.

2. Take heed in time of health, that you lay not up fad provifion against the day of fickness, by your carelefs and untender walk. As it is fin that brings on fickness upon us, fo it is fin that imbitters it unto us. O beware of all known fin, and particularly the fins of earthly mindednefs, unthankfulness for mercies, lukewarmnefs in religion, neglecting to improve Chrift, neglect of prayer, and formality in it, quenching of the Spirit, falling from your first love, breach of vows, mif carrying under fignal mercies, finning after afflictions, returning to old fins. Guard against thefe evils now in time of health, otherwife they will put thorns in your pillow where fickness cometh. Dare not to live in fuch a courfe as you would not adventure to die in. How do you know but your next step may be into the grave? and would you be willing to lie down there in your fins, with earthly, dead, formal, wandering, and unbelieving hearts?

3. Sit loofe from the world, and live as ftrangers

in

in it, that you may be able to pack up and be gone from it upon fhort warning. Let death find you dead before hand, dead to the world. If your affections be glewed to the world, it will be a violent rending and fad parting you will have with it when the dying hour cometh. You will be ready, like Lot's wife, to linger, hanker, and look greedily back again.

4. Keep fhort reckoning with God and confcience, that you may not have old scores to reckon upon when you come to the death bed. O what ftinging, pain, and torment may one fin unmourned for cost you at that time! let confcience then bring in the accounts of every day before you fleep, and speedily make up every controversy that may fall out between God and thy

foul.

5. Dwell much upon the thoughts of death, that you may learn to be acquainted and familiar with it, as Job was, who faid, before-hand, "to corruption, Thou art my father; and to the worm, Thou art my mother and my fifter," Job xvii. 14. For this caufe the Egyptians used to place a dead man's fcull in fome confpicuous place of their rooms; likewife the Jews had their fepulchres in their gardens of pleasure, that fo in the midst of their delights they might think on their dying time. We read of Philip, king of Macedon, that ordered a page to roufe him from fleep every morning with these words: "O king, remember that thou art a mortal man." By this often repeated leffon he laboured to humble his lofty mind, and make his acquaintance with death, that it might not feem strange or furprising to him, when it fhould actually come and fnatch him away.

6. Study to spend every day as it were to be your laft, and perform every duty as it were the laft, still looking on fickness and death as very near. That which makes moft men fo unconcerned about ficknefs, death, and eternity, is, they view them as things afar off, at thirty or forty years diftance. "They think their time will be long here: Why? they are healthy, of a frong conftitution, and their fathers lived fo long; which furely are falfe rules to judge

by."

by." It was the expectation of many years that helped on the ruin of that rich fool in the gofpel. It were far better for every man to look on himself as standing every day and night at the very door of eternity, and hundreds of diseases ready to open the door to let him in. When you lie down at night, leave your heart with Chrift, and compofe your fpirit fo, as if you were not to awake till the heavens were no more; for certainly that night cometh, of which you will never fee the morning, or that morning of which you will never see the night. But which of your mornings or nights these will be, you know not, feeing your times are not in your own hands.

7. Set apart fome time daily for thinking in a retired way on your time that is paft, and upon eternity that is to come. The neglect of this duty of meditation and retired thinking, is very prejudicial both to the godly and ungodly. It was David's practice to think, and to think upon his ways; which engaged him to reform whatever he found amifs in them, Pfal. cxix. 59. Oh! it is the ruin of many a foul, they are utter ftrangers to this way of thinking. I have read of a father, who on his death-bed left it as a folemn charge upon his only fon, (who was a prodigal) that he should spend a quarter of an hour every day in retired thinking, and let him chufe any fubject he pleafed. The fon thinks this an eafy talk, undertakes it, and after his father's death fet himself to perform his promife: One day he thinks upon his by-paft pleasures; another day he contrives his future delights; after a while he begins to think feriously what might be his father's defign in laying this talk upon him: At length, he thinks his father was a wife and good man, and therefore he furely intended and hoped, that, among the rest of his meditations, he would fome time or other think of religion. When this had truely poffeffed his thoughts, one thought and question comes upon the back of another, about his by-past life and future ftate that he could not contain himself in fo fhort a confinement, but was that night without fleep; yea, and afterwards could have no reft till he became ferioufly religious. O that I could per

fyade

fuade all careless and unthinking fouls to go and de likewife! Ah, how many fpend their days in a hurry about worldly affairs, and perifh for want of think ing!

8. Among other fubjects of your retired thoughts, fpend fome time in thinking, how awful and terrible a thing it must be for a poor Chriftlefs foul to make its appearance before an angry God after death: For who (faid the Prophet) can dwell with devouring fire? Who can abide with everlasting burnings? I have read of a certain king of Hungary, who being on a time marvelloufly fad and heavy, his brother, who was a brifk and gallant man, would needs know the reafon: "Oh. brother, (faid he) I have been a great finner against God, and I know not how I fhall appear before his judgment-feat." His brother anfwered, "Thefe are but melancholy thoughts ;" and fo made light of them, as moft courtiers ufe to do. The king replied nothing at that time; but the custom of that country was, (the government being abfolute) if the executioner founded a trumpet at a man's door, he was presently to be led to execution. The king fent the executioner in the dead of the night, and caufed him to found his trum. pet before his brother's door, who hearing and feeing the meffenger of death, fprang in trembling into his brother's prefence, falls down upon his knees, and befeeches the king to let him know wherein he had offended him. O brother (faid the king) you never offended me, but loved me; but is the fight of an earthly executioner fo terrible to thee; and, thall not I. who am fo great a finner, fear much more to be brought to the judgment-feat of an angry God?"

9. Think often how religiously men use to wish they had lived when they come to the fick and dying time. Thofe who have spent their time most carelessly, begin to have other notions of religion when they fee the grim meffenger approaching. Go to their bedfides and afk them, Whether floth or diligence, formality or fervency, drinking or prayer, loving the world or loving Chrift, be the beft; would they not

tell

tell you, that there are none fo wife as they that are moft religious Think, O man in health, with thyfelf, if thou was juft now upon thy death-bed, and faweft. thy friends ftanding mourning round about thee, but unable to help thee, what wou'd be thy thoughts and difcourfe at that time? O then, let fome of the fame thoughts and difcourfe fill up every day and hour of thy life now. Why? Thou knoweft not but this moment thou mayeft he as near death as if thy friends and phyficians likewife were defpairing of thy life, and had given you over for dead.

10. Be employed now in fighting the good fight of faith. You have many enemies to deal with, and death is the last of them. Would you obtain the victory over them? Then get on the Chriftian armour, and make much use of the shield of faith. We read in the book of Efther, that king Ahafuerus would not recal the proclamation he had emitted against the Jews; but he gave them full liberty to take up arms to defend themfelves, and attack their enemies: So here, God will not recal the fentence of death he hath paffed on all men in the garden; but nevertheless he allows, yea, commiffionates all true Ifraelites to take up arms against death, to conquer and trample it under foot by faith.

Laftly, Be diligent now in health, providing and laying up a ftock against the time of ficknefs and affliction; which may contribute to your comfortable living then when the world's good things will be taftelefs and comfortless to you. As they, who have a voyage to go, do victual the fhip, and those who have a fiege to hold out, take in provision; even fo do you.

1. Get a flock of graces against that time, especially a stock of faith, of patience, of humility, felf-denial, &c. There will be ufe for all thefe then. A little grace, or a little faith, is not enough: for this will faint under great afflictions. We read, Matt xiv. that, when the winds began to blow fiercely, Peter's little faith began to fail. You have need of a great measure of patience againft that time, that you may wait patiently on God till he come to your relief. You know Hh

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