8o The Sting of Death, or, Lord ; and if he dte, he dreìh to the Lord, whether we live or air, we sore the Lord . cite is the comfort, we are the Lords, faith he. Hew prov_th he that ? We live unto him : That is the work of a frncere heart ; A true Chriftian liyech no: u himfelF, but to Chrift ;. Now 'drily confcience give thee this teftimony, I have lave, unto iChri(l, then whether I live or die, I am the Lords ; the Apoftle concluded Ir. So right is that of Solomon, Riches availeth not in the day of wrath, bra rigbteaufnefs ele(iverethfrom death. Thy righteoufnefs and fincerity deliverer thee, noc from dying, but from death ; It takes away the fling and powerof Death, Death (hall not be death to thee, it is only a paffage to thee. Therefore remember as to get a part in Chrifl, fo to get a perfect, and (incere heart, and then chef/ingot death is gone. But an hypocritical dividedheart, a heart and a heart, that willfiine .a man. That is the fecond. 3.,Praaife Thirdly, wouldeft thou have thefling of death pulled out now; Then mortifie t. ortification. thy fins now, do is prefendy. Remember what Saint Paul faith ( but I chink he I Cor. r5'. (peaks it in refpeót,of afiEttons ) I profefs by our rejoycing in Chrifl 3efau, I die . daily. Ifit be meant of afflictions, yet it fhould be verified oft s in iefpe6l offin, die daily to fin, and then the (tin of death is gone. Oh beloved, our condition viii be fad, and difcomfortable, Nhen at once we muff enter into the field with Death and Sin ; he that died''- to Sin, he hath nothingto doyvith Death when it cometh ; Death may come eôt° a but cannot hurt him, he may ref, qui- etly when it cometh. And obferve 11. thounow Iparefl;fo ineighff;'uy :Lou referveft for Death, and is it no folly 1 -- : fpaxòsfn that givethialitits.g to Death ? But now , as a man is to crucifie every, in , ( let me pit in this caution, a :emerr.ber this advife ) As thefling of every fin is to be pulled our, fo pull or: efpecially the fling of that Sin, that now flingeth thy confcience, that now lieth span thy confcience ; for if it work now, is will work fearfully at death : Death Moth not leffen the work of fin, but inrageth it ; God will then prefent andfee th) fins in order before thee : perhaps God bath brought thee here to day to hear thi. Word ; get thee home, and let thy foul in order. The love of Sin, and the fear of Death, feldome pert, and where Sin is much loved, Death will there be much feared ; Death is never more terrible, than where tins is mot} delighted in. Therefore crucifie fin, if thou wile have thefling ofdeath taken away. It may be thou thinker, it is a troublefome work : but remember, that chofe lins which thou now fo much delightefl in, and lovefl and live(, in, will then provethe fling of death to thee; If a man would fpend his time in the morti- fication of fin, when death cometh, he fhould have nothing to do but to let hi foul loofe to God, and co give it up to him, as into the hands ofhis molt faithful Creator and Redeemer. And is it not an excellent thing for a man to have nothing to do withDeath whenit cometh ? vfe a; Lallly, here is a ufe of comfort. If it bath pleafed God to give any of us the grace to pull out thefling of death, it is a great comfort. But Death is approaching, you will fay. Oh but Death is difarmed, thefling of it is taken away, what a fingularcomfort is it thento you that Death is coming ? Indeed all the comfort that the foul is capable :f is thi:, that the Flingof death is took away ? Nowwhen Death cemeth upon fuch i man, is doth but free him from all that Bate of mifery heis in here, from all that extremity of condition that he ¡spur into, from all thofe diverfires ofoccafions, prof- fing occafiens, of tumbling aboutin the world, Death slothbut put an end to all. And ( which is an excellent comfort to a Chriciian ) Sin is ended with Death : vhat a9liPtech the foul of a Chriftian, but that he carriech about him a body of 'in, and ofdeath ? This was a trouble to Saint Paul, and is to every true Chriftian. ``low, When Death cometh, there is an end of this Body of fin, thou (halt never in more, thou (halt never grieve the Spirit of God more,thou (halt never be clogged with fuch imperfetRiom, and infirmities in.duty : kat death, that cometh to thee, (hall palsthee, to thé fruition ofeternal glory, and Nat canfithoudelre more, than :o behappy in eternal glory with God? T
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