444 Of DEATH. Chap. VUi. extraordinary difpenfation, yet there is a peculiar.Re;vard analogical to it; for thofe who walk circumfpealy, they Jhall not fee Death With its Terrors, but ufually have a hol Chearfulnefs, a peaceful Joy in their palfage through the dark Valley to Heaven nft prefumptuous Sins againft external and internal Reltraints, the convincing Llw of God and the .Directions of Confcience, (to which even the Saints of God are liable here a; ,appears by Davtd's earnell: Pray.er to be preferved from them) fuch Sms grieve the l;ol Spirit, and wound our Spirits, and, if continued,_ fequell:er us from the comfortable Priv[ leges of the Gofpel, and render us unfit for the. Kmg~om of Heaven. And when the are retraRed by Repentance, yet there often remams a bllter Remembra~ce of them ; as ~eep Wounds, rho cur'd, yet are felt m change of Weather. And fometimes a Spring-ride of ~~:}:tel~, ~e:;~~:·:~':r!fu~~at~;~derfe.~!~~~ Souls, in the !all: Hours: the Death brings l· The zealous D1fcharge of the Duties of our Place and Calling, tl1e ConjunRion of om Rcfolutions and Endeavours to glorify God ; and do good according to our abilities and opportunities of Se;vice, fweetens the Thoughts of Death to us. For the true End and PerfeRion of Life Js the Glory of God ; and when with Fidelity it is employed in or. der to it, Death brings us to the blelfed Refl from our Labours. Our Saviour when he was to leave the World, lf\ddrefs'd himfelfto his Father, I have glorijed thee on Earth, Ihavefinifb. ed the Work thougavejl me to do. .And now, Fatlm, glorijj me wtth thy felf, with the Glor.f rvhtch I hdd rnth thee before theWorld wa.s. John '7· A Clmll:ian that imitates and honours Chrift, and with Diligence perfeveres in well-doing, may with a humble Confidence in the Divine Mercy expeB: the promifed Reward. The RefleRion upon a well-fpcot Life is joyn'd with a joyfulProfpea of God's Favor and Acceptance above. But to the carelefs and remifs, to thofe who are wilfuiJy negligent of their Duty, how fearful is Death that fummons them to give an account of their Talents to the Righteous Lord ? 4· A holy indifference of afle£tion to prefent things, makes it eafy to part with them · and Death lefs fearful to us. David, the a King, declares he was a Stranger on Earth' not only with refpea to his tranfient Condition, but his inward Difpofition; and that h~ was as aweaned Cluld from the adm1ted Vamues of the World. Chryfoftom in a Letter to Ciriacru, who was tenderly fenfible of hts Bamfhment, wrote to him, ''You now begin to. " lament my Banifhment, but I have done fo for a long time : for fince I knew that Heaven " was my Country, I have ell:eem~d the ,whole Earth a pl~ce of Exilement. Conjfantino- " pie, fi·om whence I am expell'd, JS as dJll:ant from Paradife as the Defert to which l:hey " fend me. But when our Af!eRions are fer upon external things, and we are irregular in our aims, intemperate in our ufe, and immoderate in our delights, how fenftble and cutting is the divifion from them? How bitter is Death that deprives a carnal \Vretch of all the Materials of his frail Felicity ? What a ll:orm of Paffions is raifed, to lofe all his good things at 09ce? For 'tis a Rule in Nature,_What is polfefs'd with rranfporting Joy, is loft with exceffive Sorrow. As the Ivy that twmes fo clofely about the Tree, and is in- ~.~~:~~t~eft~~~"b~ft~~~'Fo ~h~~st~! ~~:;,r:h~~~~~~~s; i~~~r~'i~~~~c~~d,:i~';,a;;,~v~~~~: Hzc.c~;,. cfi is taken away, the Heart it felf isgrievouflyrent by the violent Separation. And the infe- ~r~~~~~~:~ ~~i~bt~Jn~a;j~~ieaT~e~f~~~~~~~e~~Ji~kt~et~~i~yti~~;Lk~~:1;et~~ ~~~~1 t}~~g~c~i~t d~rr~~~u~:~l~ c~m.r._tor.Jcmes cleave to them, and give Tefrimony againftthcmbefore tl:eir Judg. But when the Affec.. ~)~~:;~~:~ !~J~~~J~~;.~~fo~'fi!o;/,~ ~~~~01ofP~I~~~:~~fth 0~~.~eaal~~~i~~~ ;'s" ~\~~isp~~~~~so"J'taG~~~ A'<· Garment to be clothed with a Royal Robe. 'Twas the wife Counfel of Ttrtt~llum to the S«mu•<XP<· Women of the firft Ages of the Church, not to value and love the Jewels and Ornaments d;"' ~d om·. of Gold, that they might be more ready and refolved to obtain by Death, Martyrdom, f,~~~~~·;~~ and by Martyrdom, Eternal Glory. And ~hat we may difentanglc our Souls from thofe relinquerc ti- voluntary Bands that fallen us to prefent thmgs, we mull: have a fincere uncorrupted J udg- ".1eamus;. Re- mcnt of their meannefs. The Apoftle exhorts Chriftians to Moderation in their Temper f~:~~~i 1~;- and Converfation, with refpea to the BuGnefs and Eojoyments here ; that t!Jey who have fiu. Jf!ives, be as tho they h11d none; that thofe that rejoice, be as tho they rejoi~ed not ; and they_ tbat D' " 1!·hm. b.ry, as tho thrypofJefJed not; andthry thatrlje the World, as not abujing tt: for the fajbJOnof the World pafJetb mvaJ. To a wife and pondermg Obferver, what companfon iS there betweenShadows and Dreams, and fubftantial everlall:ing Blelfednefs? If Men had the fame opinion of. this-World whilft they live, as they win have when they are to die,. they would not mordmately feek lt. They who have magmfied temporal Honours and Riches, andiived in Pleafures without Remorfe, yet in their dying Hours, when Men fpeak w1th moft feeling and !call: aff~Ration, how have they vilified _rhofe empty appearances of Har; pincfs? with what movmg expreffions declared the vamty and brevity of worldly thin~;
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