40:2.- l!Deatbs ~nell. ---------------------------------------- ]ob, 7• rs· choojing rather to befirangled and die than to be in his bmes : \Vere not this a fit objell for Deathscruelty? Would he fpare the nch, he lhould be welcome to the poor~ but Death is inexorable, he mull: not hve, n·or !hall the Beggar beg his owndeathfor another: Of thee] it is rrq~<ired. But (Death!) yet ll:ay thy hand, here s a better furety ; v1hat needs death a preire when he may hav~ volu~teers? there ~ands an old man ?s, ready for the grave, asth~ grave for him; h1s face IS fnrrowed, h1s ha1rs hoary, h1s back bowing, his hammco !.w~ ,, , 9 ; bending, and therefore no fong 1~ litter than old Sumons, Lord, now lettejl thoJt thy for– vane depart in peace: Youth IS loath,but Age is merry to depart from mifery; let Dcarh then take him that ll:andeth nearell: deaths-door; No,. the old mull: die, but the young may ; he m~ll: d1e foon, yet be fure thou !halt not hve long. Ofthee J ittsrequi>·ed. Cannot th1s fer~e? let D eath yet ll:~y h1s hand, there ~ands a[<r·v..mwaiting at rhis rich mans beck as 1f he woulu fpend h1s own hfe to fave Ius Maflers? He can make a Pageant of Cringes, act a whole fpeech of flatteries; every part owes him fervice feet to run, hands to work, head to crouch, andas the eyes ofa ma:den nmo thehandof a M ijlrejfe, fo the eyes ofhis fervants look unto the hands of their Maflcr : But where be thefeattendants when Death comes? Was ever any Mall:er better than Chrill? were ever any fervants truer than his Apoll:les? Yet fee their fidelity : mull: their Sa– viour dye? One betraies him, another forfwears him,all run from him, and leave him alone in midll: of all his enemies: What then is the truft of fervants ? The rich man may command and go without, if death fhould require them, they would not; or if they lhould delire death, he will not; his arrejl concerns uot the fcrvams, it is for the Mall:er himfelf; he that tommands others, nowDeath commands him : Of thee J it is required. , · Will not all do? Let Deathbut ll:ay this once : there fl:ands af riend, that will lo'e 1./ln IS· 1 >· his own,to fave hislife: Greater love than this hathnom~n,(faith our Saviour) when any man bejlotveth hu Lifefor hu fnends, John 15. q . R1ches may perhaps procure fuch love, and get fome friend to Anfwer deathsquarrel which he owes this mcm : Jonath.n loves Da~·id, David Abfalom ; and fure it was a love indeed, whenJonathanprefcrves the life of David, and David wi!heth a death' to himfelf in the ftead of A bfalom : 0 . S 8 3 my fon Abfalorn, wotdd God I had died f or thee ; 0 Abfalom, my [on, myfon. But ~ ""'· 1 • 3 ' where be any friends fv rcfpeClive ofthis Worldling ? He wants a Jonarhan, a David; upoa a ll:riCl: enquiry we findnofriend, nof .;ther, nofon, neither hcirs nor ~tffi.~nes toll'bom he may beflow his ltmds. But what ifhe had friends as near to himfelf as himfelf? No r[•lm 49·1>8 man can die for another : or as the Pfalmill:, No man may deliver hisbrother, mr mAk! agreement unto Godf or him : for it coftmore to redeem theirfoHis, fo that he muft let rhat alonefor cwr. Should the po•Y mlfnbeg,the old 1i111n pray his fervantsknecl, hisfriend< lie (lt deaths feet, and all thefe o!fer up all their lives forthis rich mans recovery, all were but vain ; it is thyfoul is arrcll:cd, and it is thy fdf mull: yield it: Ofrhce] ic is required. You fee there is no waybut one with him : to conclvde then, wee'! bid him his fare, well (this is the latl: office we can do this rich man) and fo wec'l leave him. , The hour is come, and the dawning of that dreadful day appeareth ; now he begins to wifh that he had fome fpace, fomc piece ,.,f time to repent him ; and if he might ob– tain it, 0 what would he do? Or what would he not do? Relieve the wrn/z., vifo the jick...,feed the h11ngry, lodge the firanger, cloatil the nakJd, giw hnlf his goods to the po•r, and ifhe had done any wrong, rejlore it him again[even fold. But alas.! all is too late, the candle that but followes him, cannot light him to heaven, a f nddw deathd<– nies his fuit, and the increafing ofhis fickndfe will give him no leafure to fulfiU thofe dutyes : Wl)at cold fweats are thofe tha,t feize upog him ? his fenfes fail, his fpeech falters, his eyes fink, his breaft fwells, his feet die, his heart faints, fuch are the out– ward pangs; What then are the inward griefs? if the body thus fuffers, what cares and confi(Cls endures the foul! had he the riches ol Cr11Jfw, the Empires ofAlexander, the robes ofSolomon, the fare of that rich man who lived deli<'io~tjly tvtry day; what could they do in the extremity ofthefe pangs! 0 rich man, thoJt rouldjl tell us ufpHlling .!own Bnrns And b11ildinggrenter; hHt now imagine the vnjl ~ope of hraven thy B11rn, (nr.d thnt wtre lnrge enough) & llll the riches of thewor.ldthy grain (and that werecr.fpo:ORg/;) yec "" thefe cannot buy a minme ofcafe, now that death W11l have thy body hdlrh;f";l. Odarkdungeono.f irnprifoned men! whofe help·wilt thou cr.ave ? 1vhofe a1d w1lt thou
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