( in the evil day. glorious a Bride poor,) Go and comfort thy fell with the exile- Ration of thy Bridegrooms coming for thee , and when the evil day approaches, and death it felfdraws nigh, looknot now with terrour upon it, but rather revivewith old yacob, to fee the chariot which fball carry thee over unto the embraces ofthy husband, whom thou heareft to be in fo great Honour and Mai jetty in Heaven, as mayallure thee he is able tomake thee wel- come when thoucomeft there. Amongft the all things which areours by being Chrifts, the Apoffle forgets not to name this to be one, Death is ours. And well, be did fo, or elle we fhould never have look't upon it as a gift, but rather as ajudge- ment. Now foul, thou art out of anydanger of hurt that the evil day can do thee. Yet there remains fometbing for thee to do, that thou anayeft walk in the comfortableexpedation of the evil day. We fee that gracious perfons may for want of a holy care fall into fuch difternpers, as may put a fling into their thoughts of the evil day. David, that at one time would not feare towalkintke valley of the fbadoW of death, is fo af- frighted at another time when be is led towards it, that he cries, Spare me, 0 Lord, that 1 may recover my firength,kefore I go hence, Pfal. 39. Thechilde, thoughhe loves his father, may do that which may make him afraid togo home. Now, Chri- ftian, if thou wouldeft live in a comfortable expectation of the evil day, Firft, labour to the to this life, and the enjoyments of it eve.; ry day more and more. Death is not fo ftrong to him, whole natural firength has been wafted by long pining fickneffe, as it is to him that lies but a few dayes, and has ftrength of nature to make great refinance. Truly thus it is here, that Chriftian, whole love to this life and the contents of it, bath been for ma- ny years confuming and dying, will with more facility partwith them, then he whole love is stronger to them. All Chriftians are not mortified in the fame degree to the world. Paul tells us he died daily. He was ever fending more and moreof his heart out of the world, fo that by that time he came to die, t all his affedions were pack't up and gone, which made him the more ready to follow, ovrivelop.os, 1 am ready to be offered up, 2, Tim. 4. 6. If it be but a tooth to pull out, the faller it Rands the more pain we have to draw it. 0 loofen the roots B b b of 369
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