The Life of Faith. a` be thy joy ? and where wilt thou have refuge, if thou fly from God ? if perfeF,F cndicfs pleafures be thy terrour, " where then dolt.thou expel$ content ! ifgrace have taught "thee long ago, to prefer the heavenly and durable felicity ; C° refute it not now when thou art fo near-the port ! if it have " taught thee long ago, to be as a firanger in this Sodom, and " to renounce this tìnful world and flefh ; linger not now as c` unwilling to depart; repent not of thy choice, when all " that the world can do for thee is pall , repent not of thy warfare, when thou haft got the vief>ry ; nor of thy voy. " age, when thou art pall the florins and waves, and. ready " to land at the haven offelicity. Thus Faithmay fing our Nunc diatittie, when the fl;fh is lothetito be diffolved. But we mutt live by faith, if we would thus die by faith. Such a death doth not of to be the period ofa fhfhly worldly life; nor of acarders, dull and-negligent life. Nature, which brought us into the world, without our forecaft or care, will turn us out ofthe world without it : But, it will not give us a joyful paffage, nor bring us to it barer world without ir. It eofleth worldlings no finali care to die in an honourable or plentiful eftate, (that they may fail from anhigher plaie than, others, and may have fomething to makedeath more grie- vous and unwelcome to them, and may have a greater ac- count to make at Judgement; and that their paffage to Hea- ven maybe as aCamels through a Needle.) And may a be- lieving joyful death be expected, without the preparations of exercife and experience in a believing life? Nature is fo much afraid of dying, and an incorporatedfoul is fo incarcerated in fenfe, and fo hardly rifeth to fcrious and fatisfying apprehen- fions of the unken world, that even true Believers, do find it a work of no fmall difficulty, to defire to depart, and be with Chrifi, and to die in the joyful hopes of faith. A little abatement ofthe terrours of death, a little fupporting hope andpeace, is all that the greater part ofthem attain, inflead of the fervent deliires, and triumphant joyes, which the lively beliefof endlcfs glory fhould produce. O therefore make it the workof your lit cs ! ofall your lives ! your greateft work; your contiant work,to live by faith ; that the faith which bath fielt
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