my, to think how foon they were all to be dead Men. Can you forget that Death is ready to undrefs you? It is but an Inch of Time, and you muft quit the Stage, and fpeak, and breathe, and fee the Face of Man no more. It is a great Change, for Perfons of Honour and Renown to quit their Palaces for Graves, and all their Power for filent Impotence, fo that the pooreft Worm may freely feed on their Hearts or Faces. But for the holy Soul to pass from Prayer to Angelical Praife; from Sorrow, to boundlefs Joy; from Slander and Contempt, to the Bofom of eternal Love; from a tempeftuous World, to univerfal Harmony and perfect Peace; O what a bleffed Change is this, which we now believe, and fhall fhortly feel! For an unholy Soul to see the Heaven he has loft, and feel the Hell which he would not believe; to find that Joy and Hope are both departed, that Horror and Grief must be his Companions, and that Defpair has lockt up the Door, O what an amazing Change is this, after all his fleshly Delights! If you think me troublesome for mentioning fuch ungrateful Things, what a Trouble will it be to feel them? Find but a Remedy against Death, or a Prevention of the miferable Change, and I have done. Confider how the Mutability of the Creature difgraces the Soul that feeks Happiness in it. It disappoints and deceives, and therefore the Ungodly are of one Mind to Day, and another to Morrow. In Health, they are all for Pleafure and Honour, and Profit; and at Death they defpife all. In Health, they abhor Meditation, Prayer, and Preparation for Eternity; at Death and Judgment, they will be of another Mind. Then, O that we had been fo wife as to know our Time! O that we had lived as holy as the C 3 best! beft! But unchangeable Things fix the Soul. Piety is no Matter for Repentance. Believers fpeak against Sin and Sinners, and for Chrift and Holiness; nor will Death or Judgment change their Mind, but confirm it. They even perfevere thro' Sufferings to Death. We faint not, but tho' our outward Man perish, yet the inward Man is renewed Day by Day. For our light Affliction, which is but for a Moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal Weight of Glory; ⚫ while we look not at the Things which are feen, but at the Things which are not feen: For the Things which are feen, are temporal; but the < Things which are not seen, are eternal (s).'Once more, confider the Neceffity of Faith to your Salvation. To believe a Heaven is neceffary to prepare for it; and to believe a Hell, is neceffary to prevent it. The juft fhall live by Faith; but if any Man draw back, the Lord fhall have no Pleafure in him. Be not of them who draw back unto Per'dition; but of them that believe to the faving of the Soul. Take Heed left there be in any of you an evil Heart of Unbelief, in departing from the living God(t).' God declares that they all fhall be damned, who believe not the Truth, but have Pleasure in Unrighteoufnefs (u).' 8. May I now more particularly exhort you to this Life of Faith. Princes and Nobles live not always. You are not the Rulers of a Kingdom which cannot be moved;' but of a Ship under Sail, that will speed both Pilot and Paffengers to the Shore. It was not the leaft or the worst of Kings, (s) 2 Cor. iv. 16.-18. (u) 2 Theff. ii, 11, 12. (t) Heb. x. 38. 39. iii. 12. Kings, who faid, I am a Stranger in the Earth. Lam`a Worm and no Man (w). You are the greater Worms, and we the little ones; but we muft all fay, The grave is our Houfe; we have "made our Bed in the Darkness. Corruption is our Father; the Worm is our Mother, and our Sifter (x).' The inexorable Leveller is ready at your Backs, to convince you by irrefiftible Argument, that Duft you are, and to Duft you shall return.' Heaven fhould be as defireable, and Hell as terrible to you, as to others. No Man will fear you after Death; much lefs will Chrift be afraid to judge you. As the Kingdoms and Glo ry of the World' were contemned by him in the Hour of his Temptation, fo are they inconfiderable to procure his Approbation. Truft not' therefore in uncertain Riches.' Value them but as they will prove at laft. You ftand on higher Ground than others, and fhould fee farther. The greater your Advantages are, the wifer and better you fhould be; and fhould better perceive the Difference between Things temporal and eternal. It is always dark where thefe Glow-Worms fhine. Your Difficulties alfo fhould excite you. To live as in Heaven, in a Croud of Bufinefs, and Stream of Temptations, is fo hard, that few fuch get to Heaven. Withdraw yourselves therefore to the frequent and ferious Thoughts of Eternity, and live by Faith. Let the Things unfeen be ftill at Hand, to answer every Temptation; and shame and repel every Motion to Sin; and to quicken you to Duty, when you are furprized by Backwardness C 4 (w) Pfalm cxix, 19. xxii. 6. (x) Job xvii. 13, 14. and and Indifference; and to refolve you what Company to delight in ; even thofe with whom you may dwell for ever. Let things invifible be your daily Solace, and the Satisfaction of your Souls. If flandered by Mortals; look to that happy Day, when Chrift will bring forth your Righteoufnefs as the • Light.' If defpifed; let it fuffice, that you shall be everlastingly honoured by the Lord. If oppreffed; let Heaven and eternal Joys make you a full Compenfation. Pray for your Enemies, left they fuffer more than you can with them. Give for Chrift's Sake,Protection and Encouragement to the Heirs of the invifible World; that they who preach and live this Life of Faith, may live in the Communion of Saints, and peaceably travel thro' the World as Strangers in it; and whofe Prayers can do more for the greatest Princes, than you can do for them; and whofe Joy is haftened by that which is intended for their Sorrow. On the whole, live as if you faw the glorious Things which you profess to believe. Thus, when worldly Titles are infignificant Words, and fleshly Pleafures have an End, and Faith and Holinefs will be the Marks of Honour, and Unbelief and Ungodlinefs the Badges of perpetual Shame, and when you must give an Account of your Stewardfhip,' and be no longer Stewards, then fhall you be brought by Faith to full Enjoyment. In the mean Time, write upon your Palaces and Goods this Sentence, Seeing all thefe Things fhall be diffolved, what manner of • Perfons ought ye to be in all holy Conversation • and Godliness, looking for and hasting unto the Coming of the Day of God (y)?' (y) 2. Pet. iii, 11, 17. СНАР. Sr. The Life of Faith and Senfe divides the World. § 2. Many profefs Faith, and live by Senfe: § 3. Such are convinced of Hypocrify; $ 4. directed to Faith; 5. urged to get Faith, $6. for fecuring Happiness and efcaping Mifery; § 7. and are alo expoftulated with. §8. [1] Believers, as the Fruit of Faith, are to worship God, $9 [2] use every Creature, § 10. [3] improve Time, § 11. [4] bear Afflictions, § 12. [5] behave in every Station, $ 13. [6] refift every Temptation, § 14. [7] rejoice, § 15-17. [8] and die as Believers. T H E Life of Faith, and the Life of Sense are the two Ways which all the World walk in, to the different Extremes, that are to make their Appearance, as foon as Death withdraws the Veil. God has ordained, that Men's Aown Eftimation, Choice, and Endeavours fhould be the neceffary Preparations for their attaining fuch different Ends. Where earthly Things are C'5 highest |