I . Vfo. l!.ecl•f·3~· »• Ecekf.g. 3 ~<pon him, and th4t he m~<ft leave thof~ things_ to othtrs, and die, The higher our Babel– tower <if joy is raifed, the nearer 1t 1s to rume ana confufion; Sodom in the heat of their fins, had that fhowre·of fire poured on the1r heads: Nebuchadnc:u.ar, in the height of. his pride, became fuddenly a beaft, .that ruled before as a King : once for all, here was a man folacing, fingi~g, warblt?g our pleafant fongs of eafe and paftime; but (0 the mifery !) in the m1ddcft of h1s note here IS a fudden flop; he dreams of longs and larges, he hears of bmfes and[mttbnefer; no longer a day, but this1Jery nighc,and then fhall thyfoul be taken from thee. See here the many loffesof one man, hi.rgoods, his gro1mds, his ho•1ts, his f riends, ·hu time, hisfoul, and all on afudden, \Vhilcft the word is fpoken, this] night, Our neighbours firey<:annot but give warning of approaching flames. R emember his judgement, thine alfo may be likgwife: unto me yrft(rday, andumo thee to d")'. Whofc turne is next, God onely knowes who knowcs all, Is not mad11ej{e tn the hearts •f men whiles they live? In the !call: fufpition of lofing worldly riches, all watch and break their fleep; you fhall fee men work, and toy!, and f~ar, and care, and all too little to prevent a loffe; but for all thcfe loffes which are linked together, our riches, land,, hoHfos, friends, time, andfoul, and all we have, there is few or none regards them : 0 that men are fo careful in trifles, and fo negligent in matters of a great importance' It is fioried of Archimedes, that whenSyracu(e was taken, hJ: only was fitting fecurcat home, and drawing circles with his compatic in the dull. Thus fome we have, that when the eternal falvation of their fouls is in quefiion, they arc handling their duf1, no– thing but fuits or money-matters are their daily objects: but (alas!) what· will your goods, orgromtds, or hou.fes or frientls avail you, when death comes? W here did ever that man dwell, that was comforted by any of thefe, in that !all: and forett con/li{t ~ Give me a man amongll: you,that fpends the fpan of his tranfitory life in grafping gold, gathering wealth, growing great, inriching his pofterity, without any endeavour or care to treafure up grace again(! that fatal hour; and I dare certainly tell him, whcnfo· ·ever he comes to his deaths-bed, he fhall finde nothing but an horrible confufion, cx– trcmell: horrour and heavineffe of heart ; nay,. his foul lh1ll prefently down i11to the Kingdome of darknelfc, and there lye and fry in everlall:ing fires. Nor fpeak I only to the covetous (though my Text fe-em more diredly to point at them;) but whofocvcr thou art that goefi on daily in a courfe of linne, in the fear of God bethink thee ofmor· tality: fome of you may think I fpeak not to you, and others, I fpeak not to you; the truth is, I fpeak to you all, but to you more efpecially that to this day have linned with delight, but never as yet felt the fmart for fin Dpon your fouls or confcicn– ces : 0 beloved! this is it I call for, and mufi call for till you feel a change, a thorow• change in you: would but fome ofyou at this prcfent examine your confciences, and fay whether have I not been inordinate in drunkenneffc, or wanronneffe, or covetouf. Relfe? whether have I not fworne an oath, or told a lye, or diffembled in my heart, when I have fpoken? 0 who can fay amongtl: you, I am clean, I am clum? and alfurc your felves, if you arc guilty, you mull: either feel heart-grief, or you can never be provided for deaths difmal arrell:. If you were but fcnfible of fin, ifyou felt but the weight and hoiTour ofGods wrath for finne, I am verily perfwaded you would not take a quiet fleep in your beds for fear, and horrour, and heavineffe of heart_: what is it but madneffe of a man to lye down in eafe upon a feather-bed, and to lodge m h1s bo– fome that deadly enemy, fin? But (horrour ofhorrours !) what if this night, whilell: you fieep in your ftn, elenth fhould arrell: you on your beds ? This I tell you is 110 wonder; are fudden deaths corn· mon and ordinary among the fonnes of men? How many have we heard that went to bed well over night, for ought any man could t~ll, and yet were_ found dead in the morning? I will not fay earned away out of thetr beds, and call: mto hell fire, whe– ther it be fo or no, the Lord our God knows: but howfoever it is with them, if we for our parts commit fin, and repent not thereof by crying, and fobbing, and forrow· ing for finr1.c; it may be this night, (and tha~ is not long to) you '?ay fieep your lafi m this world, and then thall your fouls be burned by Devtls to that mfernallake,whence there is no redemption. 0 beloved! 0 wretch, whofo~ver thou art ! c~nft tho• poJfivlyf/eep inf~ch a cafe as this ! ' Canfl: thoU go to bed With a confc1ence laden ,w1th linne? Canft thou take any fieep (which is the brother.of death) when thou ltef1 oowff in danger ofeternal death? Confider, I pray, what fpace, whatdif1ance, ~ow fare, is thy foul frollllieath from h~U from etcmitv? Nimore bHt" ~mlth, •m brwh, er ) .,, ~ f , tiO
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