Chap. 30. sin Expofrtion upon the Backe of Jr o a. Verf. 23. 213 Firfi when wee are undergreat f :cknefe and wea,ynefeof bo- dy, it ie very properfor us to loake upan our Delves as brought to the very gate and valley of the Jhadotr of death, and dropping into the grave. When weeare very feke'tugood to have a perfwafion that weJhnll dye. It is our duty to thinke we muff dye ere long, and may dye quickly when we are in health, and ftrength, when wee feelenot the left ach inour bones,nor diftemper in our bodies,(T fl;wer andbt ff poi-et-lions of nature are no fuperfedeas, noflop to prefent death) but when a man is nothing but loares, and fickneffes, but paines and paroxifines, what bath he elfe to thinke of, or what elfe fhould he thinke ¡Abut his diffolution and his grave ? When a man feelcs the impreffions of death upon him, and fees vifions ofdeath before him, what fhould he either meditareor fpeake of butof dying, or of his preparations for death ? What thould he doe but labour to let all evenbothGod-ward and world-ward, to fee that all is right between God to whom he is going, and his own foule ; as alto between himfelfe and the world, which he is leaving, or from which he is going. Wee fhould not put the evils day farre from us in a good day, but when the evill day bath over-takenus, then to be talking of life,and hopes of recovering, is not only unfutable and incongruous, but very unfafe and dan- gerous. Some are hardly perfuaded they (hall dye , though the tokens of death appeare upon them : and form vilters of the ficke, when they íe the pi&ure ofdeath in the ficke mars face, will yet feed him with hopes of life: is is good to comfort our friends in fickneffe with the thoughts of eternal life, but to flat- ter them with hopes of this life may prove deadly. How (hail they ever dye with comfort, who are troubled to heare death fpoken of l Wee find 70b in that condition talking freely ofhis grave,I know (faith he) that thou wilt bring mee to death : I look upon this as a fickneffe untodeath; and that now I sm upon my death bed. Secondly , Comparing this with the event ; Obferve; Agodly man may 6e muck miflaken about the parpofes of Cjod to him in outward things, and afßeciallj about the date of kis owns life. I knew
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