green Bay-Tree: There's the present Pomp and Triumph of Sin. But I went by, and lo he was gone; I fought him, but his place could no where be found: There's the unhappy Close of the Merry Comedy. Then it follows, as a Practical Remark from the whole: Keep Innocency, and take heed to the thing that is Right, for that shall bring a Man Peace at the laft.

The Words are Naturally resolvable into these three Considerations, which shall be made the Subject of the following Discourse.

1. That Peace at the last is more to be valued, than any of the Temporary Fleafures of Sin.

2. That a good Life, which the Pfalmist here expresses, by keeping Innocency, and taking heed to the thing that is Right; will certainly bring a Man this Peace at the laft.

3. That therefore it highly concerns every Man, to keep Innocency, and to take heed to the thing that is Right ; in one word, to Live well.

The Sum and Force of the whole may be reduced in this practical Syllogism.

That which will bring a Man Peace at the last, is to be chiefly minded, and most diligently heeded.

But a Life of Piety and Vertue will bring a Man Peace at the Laft.

Therefore a Life of Piety and Vertue is

to

to be chiefly minded, and most diligently heeded.

I begin with the first Consideration, That Peace at the last is more to be valued than any of the Temporary Pleasures of Sin.Now this Term, at the last, may be taken Two ways; either for the last and concluding Period of a Man's Life in this World, and then Peace at the last will be all one with Peace at the Hour of Death; or else, for the last and unchangeable State of Man in the other World, and then Peace at the last will be the same with Everlasting Peace. I shall confider the Proposition with respect to both these Senses: And First, for Peace at the Hour of Death; The inestimable value of which, though none are so well able to judge of, as they who are really and actually concern'd in that dreadful moment, yet we may take some measures of it, by confidering a little, what it is to Dye; and how miferable is the condition of those, who have lived so ill as to want this Peace at the Hour of Death.

And First, let us consider (that which I fear we seldom do) what it is to Dye : Death is a thing of a strange and dreadful confideration; dreadful in it felf, as 'tis a Dissolution of Nature, the manner of which, because we do not know, we mightily fear; but much more so, in its Issue and Consequence, which is both great and doubtful; for upon this one thing more depends, than upon all the things in the World besides. Indeed the loss of Life, and the Pains and Agonies wherewith it is loft, are the least part of Death. This indeed is the whole of it to brute and irrational Creatures; they suffer Pain for a while, then resign up their Breath, and lose both the Sense and the Remembrance of both Pain and Pleasure. But to the Dying Man, Death appears in another Light, and with another Face : He is further to consider, that he is just now launching out into the fathomless Deep of Eternity; that he is entring upon a new, strange, dark, and withal unalterable, state of things; that he shall be within some few Minutes, what at present he has no manner of Notion of, and what he must be for ever; that he is now about to throw his last and great Cast;and to be resolved, once for all, of his whole Condition; that he is now passing from Time to Eternity, Eternity of Happiness, or Eternity of Misery.

And what a dreadful moment then must that be, which a little precedes this great Transaction; when a Man stands upon the very edge and brink of the Precipice, just upon the turning off, and has the great Gulph of Eternity in view! Nothing certainly can be more dreadful than this, except

cept that very Point, that narrow Horizon that divides Time from Eternity, the end of the former, and the beginning of the latter; and actually determines the business of our Happiness or Damnation.

And now, fince to Dye is no less a thing in its consequence, than to be either Damned or Saved, to be either Eternally Happy, or Eternally Miserable; it cannot fure but be matter of vast importance to a Man, to consider which of these two is like to be his Lot, when he is just about to try one of them. Nay indeed, 'twill then nearly concern him, to be pretty well assured of the welfare of his After-state; then if ever, he will rightly understand the ineftimable Price of a quiet Conscience, of a fatisfied Mind, and of a Hope full of Glory and Immortality; then if ever, he will find that which was always a Continual Feast, is now a Sovereign Cordial and the Food of Angels; for never certainly is Peace and Comfort more seasonable than at this Instant; never so much need of it, and never so much value to be set upon it; never can it more avail us to be satisfied concerning our final condition, than when we are just entring upon it; never more refreshing to have fome few Beams of Light, than when we are paffing through the dark Valley and shadow of Death. Then therefore, if ever, we shall duly value this rich Pearl, a good Conscience; and be well content if we had parted with all our Substance for the Purchase of it. We shall then be fully convinced (O why are we not fo now!) how much it outweighs all the Temporary Pleasures of Sin, yea, and the Severities of Vertue too; and that if our whole Life had been one continued act of Penance and Austerity, 'twould have been abundantly recompensed by the Satisfaction and Confolation of this one Moment. And that 'tis worth while to live Rigidly, iftwere only upon this one Confideration, that we may Dye Chearfully.

And without Question, it must needs be an unspeakable Satisfaction to a Dying Man, when if he looks backward, he sees a Life well spent; if forward, he has before him a bright Profpect of Light and Glory: When he can say with King Hezekiah, Remember now O Lord I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in Truth and with a Perfect Heart; Ifa. 38. and, with the great Apostle when within view of his Dissolution, 2 Tim. 4. I have fought a good Fight, I have finished my Course, I have kept the Faith; henceforth there is laid up for me a Crown of Righteousness, which the Lord the Righteous Judge shall give me at that day. I say, it must needs be an unspeakable, an unconceivable Satisfaction,

for a Man in his last Hour, when he is tak