· 302 Cafn ojth Sainll', S~ate IV. CAsE IV. I am u~dtr afad decaJ i.n rljpet! ~.fmyfpiritu- «1 conditiDn. ANsw. Bodily confumptions may make dtath eafy, but it is not fo in fpiritual decays. I will not fay, that ··.,, a godly man cannot be in fuch a caf~, when he di.es; but 1 . beJieve it is rarely fo . Ordinarily,(1fl\ppofe) a cry comes ro . awaken .fleepy virgins before death co~e. Sampfon is fet to grind in tbe prifon; ut:ltil his locks gr.ow again. David and • Sr;/omOJt fell und.er great fpiritual decays; but, before they died, they recovered t~eir· fpiritual fir.ength , and vigour. However befiir ye yourfelves without· delay, to flrengthen t.he thing1 tha,t remain : your fright will be the lefs, that ye awake from fpiritu·al .Oeep, before death come to ycur bedtide : and you ought to Iofe ne time, · feeing you know not bow foon death may feize yon. · ·I ' CAs I' V.' It iJ terrible to think ofthe other •u.x;r/d, th'at q)Jr;r/d ofj)iritJ .which I have ftJ little acquaintance ~ith. AN sw. 'Thy,befi friend is Lord of that other world. A bra• ham's bq[om. is . kind~y, even to thefe who.ncver faw-his face. After death thy foul becomes capabk. of converfe with the blelf~d inhabitants of,that dther world: 7 §e /pirit; r;Jj ufl ?J!m made p~rfi..rJ . were once fuch as thy fpirit .now is. And' · as for .the angels, ·howfoever they be of a fupe~ior natur-e in the ,rank of · bei~gs, ·yet our nature is digni'fied above their~, in the .maa ChriW: and they are, all of them, thy Lord.'s fervants, and fo thy fellow-fervaot~. · CA$E .. V,I. rh~ .. pa1Jg.f of death are ·t.errible. AMSW. Yet not fo .terrible as.paogs of confcience, caufed by a pie~c·ing fenfe of g'.uilt, and ~ppre~enfions of divine wrath, with whi~h 1.fupp'o{e t~ee to be not altogethet unacquainted. But who would not ecdu~e . bodily-.ficknefs, that the foul may become fQuod,. ,and.every."M:bitwhole? ,Each,p'ang of death will fetlin a. H~p nearet the coor ; ~nd with the lail: breath, the hody ()j jiJ: \vi.ll br.eathe.out its';lafi. Th~ pains· of death. will not laft long; a~d t.he .I,ord rhy .G.od will not leave, but .fup- · F. ort thee under them. · . ' CASE VII. But I.am '/tke to 'be.cttl off in the mi.djlo.fm.JI d.a)'f • . 4 N s.w. Do not complain;' you will be the fooner at home: you have thereby the a-dvan.tage of your fellow-la– bourers, who .were at WQrk befQre yo.u in the vineyard. God, i~ t.~e . courfe of his providence, ' htdes fome of his faints ' early jn , t_he , &rav~l ; that they may ·be taken away from ·tt··.e ' · · · enl· '
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