Ambrose - Houston-Packer Collection BX5200 .A49 1674

Ob[erv• I, 2, \'elf. 16, . •· Ex. DA md[,,. "'' ,. You hear the Texts harmony, of each firing we will give a touch, and firll: no 1 c the time, ThiJ night. This.] l\ ' 0 oth:r but This ? were it dourtn~ght,a feven-night i any ~ut This] night, and Ills gnefs were !clfened: the news IS more heartleffe m that lt comesmorefudden. You may obfcr-:c,Thtnare the.greateft loffes when th_cy co~1te o_nm.by htaps,& withoutfear orji{picwn •f any fuch matter. Here was a man fw1mmmg m h1s fulneff'e, andafudden d' ath robs him of all his treafures. To give you a full view, fee his poffeffions and how great was the loffe, becaufe of the (uddenneffe: This] night. ' Fir!r,. thofegoods, whereof he boall:ecl,are now confifcate; not a penny, nota dram, not a m1te fhall be left hnn, fave only a token of remembrance, (I mean his windillg– lhect) which he carries along with him to his grave. Secondly, hisgoods andground< both were took ftom him at his death; He that com. n:anded fo much of e~rth,, ~ull: now have no more earth to pleafure him but a grave : whot a change was th1s ~ h1sgrounds were f~rtile, and they brought forthplentJtOHjly, but a blall: of death hath ll:ruck both thefrutt andground; and nothmg IS now left him but a barren Tomb. Thirdly, his lands and ho•tf'sboth went together. You may gueffe that great dc– meafneffe mull: have !lately Halls: We read of his building,and efpecially of his Barns· when thefe were too little for his I!ore, he tells us, he will pull them down, and he wili buildgrcatcr. He never thinks of any little roorr. in the bowels of the poor. But now what a firange lot happens on him? his H~lls, Houfes, Barns, Buildings, aU runne round in a dance of Death before his eyes. ( · Fourthly, his honfe andfriends both left him when death came. The Parable iscorn• mon: A man had three friends, t!Vo whereofhe loved moft entirely, thethird he m•de n• account of: this man being fent f or to come before his King, he defires his ftrft friend to s• with him, bm he could not, onely he would give him fomet hing f or his jounJty : He deftres his fecond friend to go with him, but he woHid n91, only he would_brmg him a little piece ofhis way : When both thefo forfook_him, hegoes to the !aft, which before he cftcemed haft, and thisfriend was the party that went with him to the King, and11nf wcredfor him in all hiscaufes . This is thecafeof every man dying; the.Kingour Judge fends Death his Serjeant to fummon you to your judgement.Come to your firll frimds (I mean your riches) alas! they cannot go with you,but give you a fheet as neceffary for your journey : t:ome to your fecond friends, (I mean your acquaintance) alas! they will not go with you, but bring you to your graves, and th<'fC leave you to your fclves. Come to your !all: friends, which you now leafi think of, (I mean your Con– fciences) and you fhall finde that is the trucll:friend that will go with you to theJudge, anfwer for you to the King, and either acquit you , or condemn you; bring you to the gates ofheaven, or deliver you to the go1l of hell. Have a care of your Co~ fliences, if you mean to fpeed well at this day: How bleffed a man had this World– ling been, if 0nly a good confetence hadaccompan~ed him to the Judge of heaven! but now when dtath fummons him, there is nofriend to folicite, no Advocate to plead, no man to fpeak one word in his fouls behalf : it is hisbad c·onji:ience keeps him company, and though all others leave him, he can devife no means to fhake this from him. Fifthly, there is a jewel irrevocable, of which this fudden death robs him, l mean his rime and what a loffe is this? all his goods, grounds, barns, buildings, were they more w~rth than the world it fdf, yet were they not able to rd l:orc one minute of his time : if thrs could be purchafed, what a rate would he give for a little rcfpite? no– thing is now fo precious as a piece of time, ,~hich before by moneths and .years he Ja. vifhly mjf-pent: they that pa!fe away ttme With mmh and pafii~ne, !hall one day fee to their grief what a.Joffe they have; now we revcl1t out, dally 1t away, ufe all means and occaOons to make it fhort enough ; but when th1s golden fhowre IS gone, and thofe opportunities of falv 1 tion loll: by negligence, then we may wifh: and willi again, 0 had we a fittlcttme, a little[pace torepent! lmag1~e that th1s :vorldlmg. (whom nowy_ou mull: fuppofe to lye frying in helHlames) were d1fpenfed With for. a httle wn<, to l1~e .1 -here again o!\ earth amongll: us; would but the Lord vouchfafe hm1 one hourof anew trial, a minute-fcafon of a gracious vifitation, Oh how h1ghly would he pnze, how eagerly

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