A Dijcourfe if Man's Mortality. till God by fome ficknefs fends them a Suminons, and rhofe whom God is plea. fell to'VOll_chfafe a Summons by $icknefs and Diftempers, alas, they think char it is yet poffiblofor them to efcapefrom them again: And rhus all are ready to rhru1l Death from rhem,and to pur rneevil Day afar off: And though God harh cold our to them but a few days or hours, yet they liberally and bountifully reckon upon Yearsand_Ages,as if their time were not in God'shands,but rQeir own. le is a true !itying,t11at ufually the hopes of a long Life,is the Ca ufe of an evil Life. Suppofe now rhat every one of us knew for a cenaimy that o ur lives muft run our with the Glafs that is before Us, char at the end of rhe hour God would firike us all dead upon the plice,fhould we nor all of us have more l ively apprehenfions of Death and EternitY than everyet we have had? Should we not pour out our Souls before God requires them from us, in holy AffeCtions and fervem Prayers? Should we give fcope to the gadding of our Thoughts,and the vanity of our Hearts? Should · we think of fuch a vainPleafure, orfuch a worldl y Employment, if God now from Heaven fhould fpeak audibly to us, and bid us give an account of our Stew~ ardfhip,for we muft be no longer Stewards? No certainly, it is impoffible that men fhould thus behave themfelves. And why,Sirs) is it not fo with you always? For ought you know char Film and Bubble that ho lds your Lives,may be now a breaking,your Graves may be ready to be diggin'g,a nd the !all Sand in your Glafs may be now a running; however,certain itis,it ca nnot be long before it will be fb with all of us : Did we but ferioufly confider b y whar fmall pins this frame of Man is tacked cogether, it would appear eo us eo be no Jefs than a Miracle that we live one day, yeaJ one hour to an end. . The Thirdly, Men generaUy put off the thoughts of Death, and their preparation for ir, be-: Thoughts of catt{e of thofo fr_ightjitl terrours, and that in[upportable dr ead that {uch apprebenjiom bring J!t~thb.r- wirh them. Death is that which above all things Humane Nature rnoft abmgtmblt, hors: Oh! to think of the feparation of thofe near and dear c ompanions,the ;u~fJff·:h:7,. Soul and Bodx,of the.debafemenc,dilhonour and ho rrour of the Grave,rhat there preparation we muft lye m a Bed of !tench and rortennefs, under a coverle t of Worms f•r ' '· crawling upon us,confuming and mouldring away to duft in oblivion and forger... fulnefs: Oh! thefe are too fad and Melancholy Thoughts for the Jovial World to entertain and dwell upon: But though the confide rationof thcfe things are very unwelcome,yea,very difmal unto the minds of finners,yet is there far worfe behind than all this ftill,and that which carries in it far greater terrour and amaze~ ment,and that is the Sin that defervesDtatb,and th e Hell that follows it: foras , Coi: 15 • the Apoftle fays, the fling of Deatb ii jm. And. it's no wonder that Men who are. 56. confcious to themfelves of condemning guilt,dare not think of ftanding before the dreadful Tribunal of God ; and Death now is God's Serjeanc to Arreft them, and to bring them thither ; they cannot bear the thoughts of Eternal Vengeance and prepared Torments to 6e for ever inftict:ed on them by the Almighty Powef of an incen(f:d God, and therefo re it is no wonder that they put far from them the thoughts of Dtath; becflufe their Confciences tell them that that Day whenfoever it cbmes will be to them an Evil Day. Many more Rea{cm might be given of this brutilhnefs of men in puttin g off the thoughts of Death, and'preparations foric, b ut thefe fhall fuffice. c "id " The nexrrhing thar I !hall do !hall be to lay down fome Confiderationsrhat ,/::f:t:':~n ~ay fore-arm Chrifiians againft the Fears and T errou rs of Dcach, 1and mak<; men~gtJi7ifl them willing to fuhmit unto this law of Dying, unto which Go d hath Cubthe fe~rs ofjeded all men. ~b:~:;tl it And, Firft, If th¥ Soul beimmortal, tu certainly it ii, and that partingfrom thii, it immorttJf, enter I upon a bttter Life than this, 1ve mayweO then be contmte d to Die upon thaf acCO!I'IIf. ~~~d p~rt · No mart, fays a R.oman Author,thinks Death is much eo be a\'oil:ied, fince Im- "'/ w~tb fuortality follows Death. I am very fenfible how hard a cask ir is to perfwade ;~;·,.~~~e:- nlen to b-e willing to Die ; but yet let me ask you1 if you are Be~ievers, (for betttr L1fe. in this I fpeak only unto fuch) what is there in Death that is fo ternble to you? I know it is rilonfirous and full ofhorrour if we confider nothing but the Corruption of the Flefh,the ghaft!yfalenefs,rhe ftiff,cold a nd grim vifage, the diflorred Eyes and trembling Limbs o Dying Perfons; and afterwards think of the 1lenc~ and filrhinefs of the 9rave, and laflly rhediffipatio n of the ~ifible parr of Man :· . All thefe Confiderauons make Death very terrible and full of horr~:mr to us. . But now he chat fhall confider after all this, his fpiri cual and invifible parr, what can
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