The quiet Endof theWighteour. 99 truthof Religion: I fay again and teftifie, thefe reafonswhich I have alledged be. ing weighed;that aPapaff by his owndoé rive can never expeCì that which Simeon did, adeparture hence inpeace : He knows he muff to torment, he is taáght that he cannot know in this world that God will pardon him. In the next place let uscome nearer home to our felves : that we midi all die, no vfe z. thingmore certain, Dufl thouart, and to duff thoufhalt return. God bath decreed Exhortation, it, and it cannot be revoked : ifour end be not peaceable, our dime after cannot Gen. ;. 333. be happy. Let our care then be fpent about this one point, ho -v one may attairi to this, to end our dayes inpeace ; I doubt not but we will all be ready to fay, we hope fo to do : but this is nothing, for when the wickedman dieth, his expetlation perifheth. What becomes of the hope of the Hypocrite ( faid fob ) when God takes jab 27.8. awayhisfoul? But what courfe then !hall we take , that we may fiuiih our courfe with joy ? I will tell thee in few words, (I touched it a little before) the bell: means for a peaceable departure, isa godly and religious life : I havefought thegoodfight, faith Saint Paul, and he could comfortably from thence infer, that therefore there wá;; laid up, for bim a tiown of righteoufnefi. It was Chrifts own inference, /have glorifiedthee on earth,! havefinilhed the workwhich oboegaveft me todo,aud therefore = 4. 7, 8. now, O Father, glorifie thou me with thineownJiff.. 17. q, s. The reafoh;.of it is firft Gods`promife blejfedfhall be theundefiled in the way P(al. up .r. Thofe that honour me, 1will honoeo4 faithGod. Now this promife Godwill not ,Sam. z. zo. break. He that goeth this way, though it be with much weaknefs , with many falls, with fundry imperfe&ions, with divers wandrings, yet he cannot mils of the promifedpeace. Secondly, life eternal hath three degrees , the firft is hi this lift, when a man repenteth , and believeth , and is purged from dead works , to ferve the living God ; The fecond is in death, when the body goes to earth, and theSpirit returns to him that gave it. The third is at the laft judgment : Thefe three degrees hang together like three links, the fecond followeth the firft, and the third the two former : the loft cannot he hopedfor,where the firft is wanting : for except ye repent, Luk. t;; ye (ball allperilla. The firft being obtained, the !aft muff needs enfue : for he ú z Thef, 24. faithful that pathpromifed. So then, wouldeftthou have peacein death? labourfor grace in thy life ; wouldeft thou endthy dayeshappily ? make confcience to fpend them holily. A godlefs man that lives in fin, may die fenfelefly,orfullenly, he can- not die peaceably. Oh confider this all ye that forget God, that fpend your da).es in vanity, and your years according to the lofts of your own heart, that have hitherto hated to be reformed, and will not be reclaimed from your former fa- shions, but live yetítill, as you werewont to do. Think a little withmeofyour Ilaftend, which how near it is you do not know; when your confciences a little awaked, shall make report of bur life pail, how in matters of Godyou have been ignorant, fuperftitious, carelcfs, negle&inghis worfhip,defpifinghis Word,. blafpheming his Name, mifpending his Sabbaths, in dealing with men you have been cruel, falfe, unmerciful, oppreflïng ; in theufage ofyour own bodies un. chaff , vicious , lultful , proud , wanton, wallowing in excefs ; what peace can; your fouls have, when thefe things be thought upon? what calmnefs of fpirit . ?( what hope ofentring into reff ? how can you think that the end can be comfor table, when the life hath been abominable. what anfwer madeJehu to foram, when he demanded, Is it peaceMu? what peace (faid he) fo long as the whore- domes ofthy mother Jezabel, andher witchcraft; are fo many ? So when Death z )#ing 9; a. comes like Phumarching furioufly againft you and you enquire ofhim, whether he comes with peace or no, he will anfwer whatpeace, whenyour whoredomes, and your grofs and crying fins are yet in great number ? What peace, when thefe make; a partition betwixt your fouls and the Lord ? Certainly there can be no peace,! but a fearful expeftation of Judgement, and violent fire to devour. Suffer me then! geb, 10: zg, to conclude this exhortation, as Danieldid his fpeech to Nebuchadnezzar ; b King u break off thy fins by righteoufnefs , and thine iniquities by (hewing mercy to the poor. So fay I, break of_yourfins by repentance, your ignorance by leek-, Dan. q. 27.
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