7 8 The Sting ofDeath, or, Eccicf. tse How a man (tall know whctherl)eath (tall come with a fling to. him. Eccicf. "al: 9. How is that ? Pull out thefling of him now, then Death is conquered. How will you difann the tongues of maliciouskanderous perfons, and deprive themof their viperous fpecch ? by an innocent life. So, how will you take away the fling of death ? watch again(} Sin, cake away fin, and you takeaway the power from Death, Cet upon Sin, and Death is overcome, fo much fin as is now dead, fo much is Death conquered. I befecch you ferioufly confider thefe particulars. Fir(i, that it will not be long, ere Death knock at theft doors of ours, thefe houfes of clay muß lhortly be ruinattd, we mu(} certainly be refolved into duf{. What is this Cafe ofours, but as a (hip that is driven by a ale of breath? When the breath cf man ceafech, the (hip lieth in a dead calm. Mangoethto his long home, ( faith Solomon) and the mourners follow in theflreets. Death is our long home, we all are the mourners, we follow in the âlreets. This dead carcafs is an example that leads us to our home, and a fermon to tell us that we mull follow : we follow now in a charitable expreffion, but we fhall follow one day, in paying of the fame .iebt. Look over all the timesof the world, and the difrofitions of perfons, look over learning and folly, greatnefs or poornefs, find me a man that doped Death. Die we mull ; and we have need to have this much preffed upon us, for it is a hard matter to believe that we mull die, that I mull be the man that mull die : common notice ofDeath aregranted, but that I muß die, and lie in the duff, and hand before God, it is ahard matter to believe this. And confider this fecondly, that Death will be terrible to thee, ifhe knock and find a fling in thee. Thou that nowwilt not be reclaimed from fwearing ; Alas what will become of that blafpheming foul of thine, when death (hall comeand find a fling of blafphemy in thee? How claret} thou thinkof giving up that fwearing foul of thine to the Judge ofheaven and earth ? Thouunrighteous perfon that wilt not fanetifie the Lords day, how dareß thou give up that unholy foul of thine to the holy God ? Doh thou chink tohave an eternal reh in heaven, and wilt not give God a reh here ? So I might fay for all kind of (inners. Think ofthis, take heed left Death find a Ring in thee, for all thefling that Death hash, it findeth in thy felf look toit, thy condition will be fearful, ifDeath come and find Sinunmortified, unra' pentedof in thee. God willcertainly bring thee to judgement, for every thought, and word, and anion. Thirdly confider this, that naturallywe are fo tempered, that ifDeath come, he (hall find his weapons, and hrength in us, in every man of us, I mean confidered naturally. Jut how shall I know whether Death when he corned:, shall find a fling in me or no? I will only give you two tryals, you shall know it thus. Firft, if thy conffiencenow fling thee for fame approved fin,if thou repent not,Death will affuredly meet thee with a fling ; that approved fin of thine will be thefling ofdeath. Conscience willfling a man either for the all done, or for the approbation ofthe alt, if confcience fling a man, for his approbation of a finful quality, or for a fin- ful courfe, if a man continue in that courfe, finely that will be the fling of death to his foul : therefore look to thy felf, perhaps thou art convic$ed of fuch a fin, per. haps thy confcience bath fo wrought on thee, that it bath flung thee for fuch a fin, thou yet approveh thy felt in it, and thou wilt go on in thy pride RI, .in fuchand fuch fins {till, thou wilt do fo : do, but know this, that fand thou never fo much upon thy refolution ; Death will certainly come, and if he find thee in fuch a fin a- gainft thy confcience, thouhaft referved in thy felf a fling for Death. Secondly, a man khan know ifDeath come with a fling by this tryal that Solomon giveth us in Ecc1. r a ,9, Rejoyce ob young man in thyyontb,and letthyheart chem.thee in rho dayes of thy youth, and walkinthe wayes ofthy heart, andfight of thine eyes, but know that for alltbefe thingsgodwillbring thee tojodgment,If thou live a voluptuous Iife,Death will certainly come With afling. Dives he lied a voluptuous life,hadhe not aflingfor it ? Soothers inScripture, did not their plentiful tables, and voluptuous courfes bring a fling on them ? A voluptuous life;makes ailing for Death. When a poor wretch is a dvin
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