Book IV. DEATH COMPARED TO A sLEEP. 941 VI. Ic may ftir up all to labor to take hold of eternal Life. If our Days here are few, let us get a well-grounded Hope of living in Heaven; for they never die, wh<> live in that Kingdom. VII. Let us alfo endeavor to improve the Opportunity of Time; I mean thole graci~us Advantages God is pleafed to afford us for che everlafting Good and \'Vell-be– ino- of our Souls when T1me and Days lhall be no more. Men of the World take <>reat C:~rc to improve all Opportunities to enrich chemfelves, or incrcafe their outward Sub– tlance. They will nor lofe their Market-time, nor Cl1ange-cime, nor Fair-time. They wi!l be fore to come early enough, and every 'vVay to beftir themlelves with Wifdom and Diligence: And fhall not we be as wife and as diligent for the enriching our Souls? Shall we ilight Seafons, Sabbaths, Sermons, Convictions, &c. Let all remember, Now zs the accepted 'l'ime ; 110w is the Day of Salvation, 2 Cor. vi. z. Now, whilft it is called ro bay, or never; now Sinners may get an lntereft in Chrift, Union with God, the Gifts and Graces of the Spirit; now they may obtain Pardon of Sin, and Peace of Confcience; now there is a Prize put inro rhc;ir Hands ; they may be made for ever. if they luok wifely about them; now they may be made Heirs of God, Heirs of a. Kin,.dom, Heirs of a Crown, of a Crown of Life, of a Crown of Glory, of a Crown that fade~h not away. But if they lofe the prefent Opportunity, they may never have the like again. Time is, but in .a very fnort :-.pace, it may he faid, Time was, nay, Time is paft. \Vill it not be fad to hear God tell thee, and Confcience tell thee on thy Death– bed, Now 'I'ime is paft, it is loa late now, theft 'l'bings jha/l.be d:nicd )'OU liaw, )'OU muft pcrifh far ever, and be damned in your Sins. THE BODY OF MAN IN THE GRAVE COMPARED TO SEEDTHAT IS SOWN. 'I'hou Foal, that which thou faweft is 1101 quickened, except it die, I Cor. xv. 36. THE Apoftle compores the Body of Man that is laid in the Grave, to Seed that is fawn. P A R A L L E L ~ I. SEED that is fawn lies fome confiderable Time in the Earth before it rifes or fprings up: ~o the Bodies of Men l1e fame Time Ill the Grave before the Refurrecbon, thou,yh fame lie much longer than otht:rs; as fuch who lived in Adam's, Noah's, and Abraham's D:1ys ; yet gentrally .all lie, and !hall lie fome Time in rh~ Grave, before they rile again. 1[. Seed, that it may not abide alone, is lirfl: fawn and die1, and then it rifes again : Verily, verily I Jay unto you, except a Cam of Wheat fall la the Ground and die, it abid– eth ala;JC; but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit , Joh;z xii. 24. So the Body of Man muO: die, or be changed, or it can never arife nor ?e m1dt: glorious to bring forth rhe eternal Fruit of Praife to God. As Seed lofes nothing by being fown : So the Bo– dies of the Saints fhall loft nothing by Death; Death, I meao, will be no ways to their Difadvanr:1o-e, hut comrariwife to their gre,lt Benefit. IlL The 0 Body of the fame Seed or Corn of Wheat that is fawn, rifes again. Every .5eed bath its owil Body, 1 Cor. xv. 38. So the fame numerical Body that is laid in the Grave, Oull rift again. If it was not thus, the Dead rife nor;, he that denies this, denies the Refurreel:ion of the Dead : And though after my Skin Warms dejlray this Body, yet in my Flejh jha/1 I fee Gad, whom I jha!l fee far myfe/f, a11d mine E;·es jha/1 be– hold, and iiOI another, though my Reins be canjitmed withill me, Job xix. z6, 27. DEATH CO'MPAR ED TO A SLEEP. And many of them that jlecp in the Duft of the Earth, jhall ~wake, Dan. xii. 2. Even fo them aiJa that fteep in Jefus, will God brmg wllh hlln, I 'l'hejf. IV. I4. DEATH is often called a Sleep in the holy Scripture. Sleep is a Figure or Image of · Death, a fit Refemblance of Death; as will appear by the following Parallels. uG PARAL-
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