66 Deathprevented, or, The change by death mutt befal all men. thing : there the thing ceafeth utterly to be ; here the thing only ceafeth to be as once it was; fo it is with Death, itdoth notreduceus to nothing,but alter ourfor- merfome thing, it changes our manner,ororderofbeing,not our beingabfolutely: Now obferve, Death is a changein five refpe&s ; Firft, it changes thatncer unibu of theSoul and the body, and makes ofone two feverals ; they that were as thehands mutuallyclafped, or as twoperfons conjugally tied together, when Death comes it plucks them afunder , and divides one troth the other, as far as heaven iaibm the earth. Secondly, it changesour a&ions or work. Whiles life remained here in (Air SO- dies, whileour day larked, we might have fed the hungry, clothed thenaked, vifired thelick, relievedthe diffreffed, frequented the ordinances, bewailed our fins ; but when death onceenters,the night is eome,inwhich noman can work, thou art then turned, changed into an infenfìble, rotten,and loathfomecarkafs. Thirdly, it changes our country. Whiles we livehere, we are as children pkir a- broad to fchool in a Orange place; hence it is we are fo often in the Scripture called Pilgrims and ftrangers. . Thisearth,this lowerworld is not theproper home ofthe Soul. But when Death comes we change our country, wego home to our own place,to our own City ; the wicked dhall go to their ownplacetis it is laidofJIda"; and the godly to their own Mountain, to theirown Kingdom. Fourthly, it changes our company. In this life we converfe with finfül empty creatures, infinite miferies, innumerable confli&s; but whenDeath comes; all this (hall be changed, we fhall go to out God, andFather, to our Chrift and Savi- our, and to theinnumerahlecompany ofbleffedAngels andSaintr, andtheíßirits ofjnfb men madeperfeEt. Fifthly, it changesour outward condition. When Death comes thou (halt never fee the wedgeofgold again, thou (halt never find thydelights in fin anymore: all theexcellency of the creature, and the contentmentsof them, and the fenfual rejoy. cingin them, (hallgoout with life : Death (hall flintand dole them up moaneter+ nal night, which thall never rife to anotherday. So much for the firft thing, that Death is a change. I come now to fpeak briefly of the fecond, thatthis changeofDeath will befa! all the fons of men, Pfd. 89.48. ev/sat manis he that livetb,andfha/Inotfeedeath, fFallhedeliver hisfoulfrom thehandofthegrave ? We love to fee mofkthings, thé . eye is never fatisfied with feeing,andyet many things there are whichwe fhali never fee. EverymanCannot fee that which onemandoth, but there is one thing which everyman all fee, he mullfee death. There are manyenemies from which we can deliver our(elves, and many more fromwhom we may be dclivered; but yet there is one enemyfrom which wecannotdefend ourfelves, nor bedefended byothers, he will be too ftrongforeveryman;let himftrive,repine,orderhis diet,imreat,do what he will or can ; No (faith the Pfalmift) none (hall deliverhis foulfrom the hand of the;rave. And he puts aSelab, a noteofobfcrvation at the end of the verle. That all the fons ofmen' arefubje& to this change bydeath,will appear to youby therefamiliar Arguments. The Firft may be taken from the quality, of our lives, which is fweetly let out in the Scripture under the terms ofchangeable things, all which point outunto tas thecer- . taintyofdeath Sometime our life is compared to a thew, Pfal.39. S. Surelyevt rymanwalkkeeb in a vain(hew. Ina thew you know there is fome devile or other opened, carried a-while about, but at length it is (hut up ; fo it is with our lives. Sometime again it is compared to a fhade or a thadow, lob 8.9. Ourdaysupon tarthareafhadow; adhadow is butan imitation ofa fubftanee, a kind ofnimble pi&ure which.is Rill goingandcôming, and will let at lark, perhaps it is fuddenly cchpfed, fo is our life. Sometimes again it is comparedto avapour, Yames 4.54.' what is yourlife, it it evenavapour that vanifheth away. Like a poorcloud, tome times lookingwhite,fometimes black; fometimes quiet a®d fetled,fometimes again toiled up and down with every wind, andatlafk confumed and brought to nothing, fo itis with our lives. Sometimes all) compared to a Tále, Pfal.9o.p. we lendoar ears asa talethat is told, a metedifcourfe of this thing, and that thing; and indeed but
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