900 [ontemplationl. L1s.VIT - havedonethat we came for,it is rime for us to be gone;Thisemh is only made for acbon,not for frumon : the femces of Gods chtldren fl10uld be ill rciVarded,ifthey A mull flay here alwatcs.Let no man tlunk '?"'h thatthofeare fctcht away which are ' fatthfullto God;thcy fhould not change,tf 1t were not to thcirprefcrroenvJt i>ourl folly that we would have good men ltveforever, & account tr,.,.,·1i>.at!l meautre,that theywere.He that lends tilemto the world,owes rhem iJ~<er turn then this earth can pay them.It were inJurious to wifh,that g9odndfefl10uld hinder any nun fi-om glory. So is the death of Gods sa·nl~PreciouS,th<:t it i•certain. U110fts m_ufl go up to moumNel1~,and dte.The nm_e,the place,and every circum- !lance ofhiS dlfTolunon ts 9vterhuned.Thar one dtes mthe fidd,anorhcr in his bed another in the water: one in a fona.ine Nation, another in his own, is fore-decreed in heaven. A~d,though we heare it not vocally, yet God bath called every man by il his name,& fatth,Dte thou there.Oneman feems to dte cafually,another by an inexpeeled violence: both foil by adcfliny;& all is fer qown rousby an eternal! decree. He that brought us into the world,will carry us out according to his own pmpofes. U14ofts muflafcend up to the hill todie.He received his charge for Ifrael upon the hill ofSinai; and now he delivers up hischargeon the hill ofNeb'o: His brorher Aaro" dyed on one hill,he onanorher.As Chrifl was transfigured on an hill,fo was this excellent rype ofhis; neither doubt I, but that thefe hils were types to them of that heavenwhither theywere afpiring. It is the goodneffeofour God,that he will not have his chtldren dye anywhere, butwhere they may fee the Land ofPromife before them;neither can theydepart without much comforr,tohave feene it: Contrarily, a wicked man thatlooks down, and fees hell bcfor. him,how can he chufe c but finde more horror in the end ofdeath,thcn in the way ~ How familiarly doth Ultofis hearofhisend! It is no more betwixt God & Ulfofts,but,Goe upand dye. Ifllt had invited him to ameale, it could n~t have bin in a more fociable compellation;no otherwife then h~ (aidto his otherProphet,Up and eate. It is neither harfh, nor newes,to 9od~ children, to heare or think of their departure; To rhem death bath loll his horror, through acquaintance: Thofe faces which at firfl li~ht feemed ill-favoured, by oft viewinr,~row out ofdillike : They have fo oft thought & refolved oftheneceffity, ando t e iffue oftheir diffolurion, that they cannot hold it either ftrange or un\Velcome: He that bath had fuch intire converfation with God, cannot feare togoe to him. Thofe that know him not, or ~now that he will not know them, no marvell if they tremble. D This is nofmall f:tvour,thatGod warnesMofrs ofhis end; he that had fooft made Mofis ofhiscounfell, what he meantto doe with Ifrael, would nornow doe ought with himfelf,without his knowledge. ExpeCtation ofany maine everit,is afcreat advanrar to a wife hearr; If the fiery chariot had fethtaway Eli.u unlookt or, wee fhoul have doubted ofthe favour ofhis tranfportation: It is atqken ofjudgement, to come as athiefe in,he nigbt. God forewarnes one by Jickneffe, anoth<r byage, al)Other by his fecret inflinC<s, to prepare for their end :Ifour hearts be not now in a readineffe,we are worthy to be furfcrifed. • But what is this I heare ~ Difplea ure mixedwith love~ and thatto fo faithful! a fervantas Mofos? he mull but feetheLandofPromire,he fhallnottread upon it;bec.aufe he once,long agoc,(inned,in diflrufling. Death, though it were to biman en: E ' trance into glory,yet O>all be '!lfo,1 chaflifement ofhis infidelity. H9wmany noble pt:Oofes ha~c..Mofls given ofh.ls courage and flrength of fai\h~ Howmany gracious Cervices had he done to his Mafler ~ Yct.for_one atl ofdiflrufl, he mufl be gathered to his fathers. All our obediences cannot beare out one finnc againCl God; How1 vainly fhall we hope to make amends ~o~ot!,for our former tl'efpaffes,by our better, behaviour,whenMofts hach this one fin la\d mIus dtOJ,after fo many and worrhy te. ftimonies ofhis fidelity ~ When we have forgotten our fins, yet God remembers tlrem,and(a!thougb not in anger,yet) he cals for 011r atrehages. Alas,Jifhl!fi!Jall ~- come ofthcm with whom God hath ten thotlfand gre~tcr quarrels; tht~monglt , many milliQns offins, have [catttred fome few aas o.ffurmall fervJces !.lf '-!'f•foi tn,u!l di11rht.'lirl\ death foro11e faq_lt,how 1halthey efcape the fecond f'orVinmng alwayes~
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