gSS- A Dijcourfe of Man' i Mortality. cernments of our Lives,and therefore much more of our Lives rhemfelves . and if a H;zir of our Head1 cannot, much lefs fhall not we our felves fall to the g;ound without our Heavenly Father. Secondly, At God bath appointed the exaff critical Hour, fo a/fo the particular Mamier of our Death. It is he char appoints whether it fhall be fudden or ferefeen ; by Difeafes, or by Cafualty; whether the Thread of our Life !hall be fnapt irt pieces by fome uriexpelted Accident, or worn and fretted away by fome tedious and lingring Con1Umption, or burntafunder by fome fiery Fever. Inwhatever manner or lhape Death may appear re us, is a Secret knO\\m only umo God; but thiS we know that iris always hisSerjeam,and wears his I.ivery; and all the Circumftances ofour Death are ofGod's:tppointment, as well as our Death it felf. And in whatever lhape it fhaU appear to us, if we diligently endeavour by a hrily Life to prepare our felves forit, it fhall not be frightful or terrible to us. Now to make iOme Pratlical Improvement of this. And, U{t J. Firft, If Gqd thus unaltuably appoints to 111 our /aft period, if he bath 'rht/4 a;. pointed us to Die, if all men are concluded under that irrevo~ab/e Law; iet 1hii thtn [trUe to ~on'Vinct us of the grofs and notQT'iOHS f~lly of jerting our AjfeElions eagerly upon thu pre{ent 'w()T'Id, a World that we muft fhortly leave beiund us. Death Within a very little while will moft certainly pluck us from it, and it wi-U prove a violent repding to us i( our Affect-ions are inordinately fet upon any tliing here below. It was a ftrange and perverfe ufe alfo chat the Ancit'iit Heathens made of the necellity of dying, when in their Feafts their cuftom was rO bring in the refembHmce of an Anatomy to their Guefts, thereby toeXcicethe·m to Mirtb, and Voluptuoufnels, whilll they !hould relifh fuch delights os were then befOre them, becaufe lhortly they muft be as much duft and bon·es as what 1 Cor. 15. they faw. Like tHofe the Apoftle makes mention of, who fa id, Utrueat and1iliin'k, 32 • for to htorro1v 'vejhall die. But how much better ufe doth the fame Apoftle ·reach ns to make of this, when in che fame Epijlle he tells us, Bitt thiS I {ay, Brttlirm, the time iJ jhort. Why, what then? Why, fays he, It 'rtmaim therefo,·e that 1bej that ha'Vt }Fi'VtS be as though they had none, and they that weep 1as •tliou'j,ft thq ')ziept not, and they that rejoyce as though theJ refoJced not, 'ilnd thry •tbJt buJ d1 tliough theJ pojjej{ed not, and they that u{e tbii WtJrld as Hot ilbu]!'tf'g it,for llicfnjhionof thisWorldpaf!tthawny. Death one would think fhould >bea't down the price of the World in every wife Man's elleem. Why Jl)ould we lay otft our affetl:ions upOn thofe things from which we may be r'avHhc in a moment? Doth they and we perilh in the ufing of them; they are dying com:.. forts, and we muft die alfo that enjoy them. Oh! what Folly then is ic to toil and wear a~ay our Lives jn lpurfuing fuch vain things, from Which We may Be fnaccht before we can caft another look at them! Sour Death Will fobn con~ vince us that all is but vanity and vexation of fpiric chat we here fer Our eyes and heart's upon. And therefore, U{e II. Secondly, Seeing b1 the appointment of God we muft all jhortly die, ltt (m lie perj1vqded to be always in a readinefs ttnd preparation for it. Our Souls are rm... Diremm1 mortal, ltrtd ni.uft live fbr ever, and when our Bodies die and fall into the Duft, r• pr_q+'fe they iinmedilltely ehterinto an Eftate that is for ever unalterable. Now here l fo' Dwh, lhall qnly lay down a few directions, and fo conclude, Gtt htllrt! Firft, ~Wean your Htarts from an inordinate /we of the World. D'etlth muft '~»tllntd and will pluck you from it; and; Oh! it will be a violent rending if yoUr f;-;:1;~' affections be glewed' to it. Confider that all things in this prefenr World' are fading and perifhirig, hut your precious Souls are ever living and immortal; be not therefore unequally ydaked, joyn not your ever living Souls to dJing corn· forts, Th.isis a tyranny worfe than that which was Exercifed by rhofe of"old, who tied living Bodies to dead Carkalfes. Oh! what a fad parting hour will it he to thee, Whenthoufhalt go into ~mother World, and leave behind thee aU that thou C:c,>tinteft goOd in this; how wile thou protraa and linger, and Wifhly look back-again, upon all thofe precious vanities and dear nothings and ' foUiCs that heie thbu placedftthy happinefs :ind contentment in? But now)when-t-he heart fits l6'bfefrom all thefe things, with what fatisfaClion lhall 'w<>be':iblero Die, ad:ou'ntihg what we lofe by Death to be no great matter, hecaufe Whiit"'vc gain thereoy 'will be iJ\finitely more to 6wtadva.ntage, Secondly,
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