70 ¿JT Re/!mint of ExhorbitantTa'ion, or fha11 not come backagain, nor the man (halt not come back again. Death is a aria Door-keeper, all that pafs out that way,thedoor is (hut on them,they (hall neverrecurr back. We read of many feveral Ages that havegone to the placeof fdence, wenew readof any that camethence,to tell what is done therer Wen evex heard of any yet, chi came back again to reform his courfe. A friendwith all his Prayers and Tears,cannoc bringback a Friend that is dead. It teacheth us a point of wifdom to make good ufe of our time, the time of gran wehave. We drawneerer death every day than othcr,and when once weare dead, we (hall never be brought back again upon the Earth; If a man hadall the world, ar d wouldgive it toobtain an hours time upon earth,to dò what he negle&cd before,he can- not have it : Therefore while it is called to day, hardennot your hearts: Yet a little while andyou(bail have the light ( faith Chrift ) while ye bave the light, walk in the light ; Make ufe of the means of grace : The time may come, when ye may wills( as Dives is defcribed to with ) that Come body, much more that you your [elves might come from the dead. Certainly, if thofe inHell were to come from the dead again,though it were to live a hundredyears on earth, a holy, ftri&, and confcionable life, towatch over all their ways,to keep a good confcience towardsGod and man,they would not omit aduty,nor (lighta duty,theywould not omit an opportunity, a minute, but fpend their whole lift in working out their Salvationwitb fear and trembling, they,would fleep and awake with'fear,left they (hould fin,they would becareful that they hadno frnfulthoughe,thcy would be patterns of the ftrangea espreffions of conformity to the rulethat canbe ima- ined, if is were poffible tobe granted. Youmry cafrly be perfwadedof this, do you lac now,which theywith for, andwith in vam : Make ufe of the time of grace now, there is no corning back again afterward. Thirdly, A third realms is this; 1fh'atlgo tohim. .As if he fhould have raid,' have another bufinefs in hand,now the child is dead,ic is not forme to Rand blubbering,and [pending my time for a dead child ; I am going to him. Theword here is, I /ball re- turn to him. Return fignifieth,togoback to a place where one was before; So David (hall return co his child : For he was there before ; there, in refpe&of his body, the principles of that is in the Earth where the ch ld is, and inHeaven in refpe& of his &.;cr s z. Soul where the child is : 1he Body returneth to dull whence it was taken,asod the Soul to God that gave it. The body is of thedeftr and returneth to dull, the Soul cometh fromGod,. and returns to God again. Therefore he faith here, I (hall return to him, hecaufe I camefrom him. When things are reduced co their principles,the Body to the Earth,and theSonico Gad,they are fard co return. Ye fee the phrafe then. Tile point( briefly,) is this; That thegre treff care of et mans life,thegreatefl ñu/inefs he bath to do on Earth, obfervarion is to prepare for' Death.. from the third teafon. His bufinefs is not to care for his children that are dead, and to foend unprofi cable forrow for them : The main bufinefs of my life is, how I ('hall snake my peace vial God, and befitted for death, fór i am going thither. We ()ould obferve the leach Of others, to flit usup toa'ferious preparation for our own death : The Father iould beflared up by Teeinghis child dead before him, the elder by feeing the younger hie before them : We fee how death path shot his Arrowes beyond, and shore, and shove, and below us, in thofe that are elder, and younger, and richer and poorer, all ores, he will (hike us at lift : This thing (1 fay ) should air us up to prepare for our own diffolution. A man would think that there were no needof fucha thing; the very bare fight of a Corfe, or a fiearfe, the bare fight of a dead corpfe, thebare ringing of a Bell, or a Funeral Sermon, should be warning enough to the living to tell him of death, When a man fees a company carrying a dead body to the Grave; he fhould fay to hi mfelf ; It may be the feet of theft may carryme next. But how cometh is to pafs hat is is not thus ? Certainly
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