' Chap. VI. Of DEATH. due to Autumn that is dedicated to the Vintage ;,and Winter required it to expel the cold, ~r:. w~~~r~0~~\nt~he~;~:af~~~~]tsLJ''(~t,~:!r~!er~e7;o~~~~~~~~at~~.c ~~a1r~~;~r ji~~ ;r.Qft f~'*1~ f~.%~ ~:~"!~n~sd:l~~ ~:.~;;~·~~ic:~~ !~;~ ~~~i~~~~~~~.~~ ::~e~~e~i~~f~: 457 upon nolefs Penalty than being excluded from his ble!fed Reft for ever: Heb. z. 7, 8. Yet . the felf-~eceiving Sinner preaches another Gofpel to h1mfelf, and tlunks the Vanities of'l!"'~';,_r, . Childhood, the Pleafurcs of Youth, the Bufinefs of Middle Age, and the Infirmity of:~,b\;"~';:;~,. Old Age, are plaufible Pretences to put of!· the ferious Work of R~jJCnta~cc: 0 that fuch "'"' ,;,,; _r., ~~~~e~~;~~d=~~h~1:f~rf~~;;:~:lf_ry u~n wh1ch Me~ build rhc1r H~pes of a fu- ~~:f~~~~0~~ cer~;hWn·~~%:~fil~~c~~r;.!in~r:~r&~~~rc~~~~ r~ff,is i!'~:;:~b'~ ~~~nre1; r..~~;;:~'r the time of our fojourning here : For if Men, tho liable to Death every hour, and therefore lb.ould ne under juft Feat left it furprize them unprepar'd, yet againft fo ftrong a Curb run with that exorbitant vehemence after the prcfent World ; how much more Jicenti~us would they be, if fecured lrom fudden Death ? but none can promife to himfelf one Day. Death com<;s not acc?rding · to the Order of Nature, bt1t the Decree of God. How many in the flower of thetr Youth and Strength thought thcmfti \'CSat as great a dillance from Death, as the Eaftisfrom the Weft, when there was not the fpace ofa0 Hbur between them and Death, between the~ and Hell? Tho Lamp fudtlenl y expires by a blaft of Wind, when there tS plenty of Otl to feed "· The RJCh Man pleafcd himfdf :~!' ~~~nl~~~ rrf':1i:.t~%~")J;~/~~ jb;!,X;""s~~il r:~e~~~,,~oifr~he:.he 4~,:n~~t~:c:';~ pronounced in Heaven againft thoufands that are now alive, converfant in the Vanities and Buunefs of the World, eating and drinking, playing and tradin'!\, and all unconcerned as to dying, yetlball breath their !aft bef9rc tomorrow, and theit· unwilling Souls be rent from the embra~ of their Bodies• . In various manners Men die ti·om inward and outward Caufes_; an Apoplexy, ~n Impofthume, a flux of Rhume napping Refpiration, kills the Body Without any prefagmg Stgns of Death : As •f the Roof and all the Chambers lbould fall_within the Houfe, while. the Walls are ftaoding entire.. And h?w many unforefeen Acctdents, and therefore mevttable, put a fudden penod to JAe? Is tt not our tru~ft Wifdom, by an early Repentance, to prepare for Death, when the feafon is certain' ly lbort, and bu~ uncertainly continu~d; and thc0 1 miffion IS irreparable? , , • 2. Suppofe Life be contmued, yet Suums that delay Repentance, can have no rational hopes that they lball fincerely repent in time to come. For, inrt,fiS:~r~l!i~~:t:~~ee~r:;~(r~~i\s0~f ~~~&~~tisi~~~:~fe ~~at\,~h~;.~c~;,'~~~;;~o~~~} his Providence leading them to Repentance, fhould at la!t obtain Converting Grace 1 ~.~~::tot~~~: ~t~i~!~~ ~i(f~~~n~~:J\/r~~ lb1fined 1::~~ ~~o~~~a~;; .~~~~x~b~~~~~ ~~~ vour receive afterwards more powerful Grace, to over-rule then· tluhborn \V 1IJs and make them obedient? To expect Divine Grace atid the pQwerful Worldngs of rhc Spirir; after Ion& refiftmg hiS Holy Excttauons,_ ts both uprcafOnablc·and unrcvealed. 'Tis written as wtth a Sun-beam, that God wll1 grac1oufly pardon rcpenrmg Smm.:rs that reforni their Lives ; _but ~tis ~o where promifed that he will give f~ving Repcma!JCCto thoii: who ~cmocrw ~h~:~!~sc~~~~~et~~a~1~~gYf8~ cll~~~~~~~~:~~~~r!~~~~~~~~\:·~~~:~;d:t~~J~~ w~~~;~ feVJJ~~~ ~~:~~~:~ jb40 be taken aW4J: Yet Men u1_1wi11ing at prefcm t9 f-Crf<1kc their Sins dl' Plcafurcantl Pro- nJi trir. A lit, vainly hope they lball obtai~ Grace hereafter, withom any Promifc li·on] c,xl, nnd againft the Tenor of his Threatnmgs. God has thrcatncd rhat his Spirit foallnol1 ,.fi,•a;s !~~; 7~~bi:6tttc:'~~;~~ i~r!~~1~ ~~e;~,~~.a~:r:;;~·~~~r'e:9.~:;:~~1'~:~~ ~t~t~:,~ ~~~~i~! by degrees, lofe thetr ApJlCtrte, Colour and Strengtlr, rrll at lafl thC)' hrc hopdc!s: So the withdrawing~ of the Spirit a_re gradual, h~s Matrons arc not fo ll(o,~ nOr lreqtrent; a ne! upon the contmued provocauons of the D.fobcdtenr, finally leaves them under that mol! fearful doom, He thatu filth;, let him be jil~h; jli/1; He ~hat u rmriglneous, let 'him berm' rtghteous jls/1: and thus pumfl1es them on tins fide Hell, as he dOes the Damned by ,, iving ~hem over t?Sin.. 'Tisa bloody adventure for Men to i~dulge their carnal Appeti~es, as •f they had mfalhble a!furance that they. fl1ould not d•e•utan impenitent ftate: The Delayer does not regularly truft, but tempt God, " 2d/y. Suppofe the Holy Spirit be not totally withchw!!J yet fiy exery days continuance in Sin, the Heart is more hardnetl againft thll impfellions·of"Grate-, tnore averfe from - i·cturning
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