green Bay-Tree: There's the prefent 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 hall bring a Man Peace at the laft.

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

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

2. That a good Life, which the Pfalmist here expreffes, 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 eve ry 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 Syllogifm.

That which will bring a Man Peace at the laft, 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 moft diligently heeded.

I begin with the firft Confideration,That Peace at the laft is more to be valued than any of the Temporary Pleasures of Sin.Now this Term, at the laft, may be taken Two ways; either for the laft and concluding Period of a Man's Life in this World, and then Peace at the laft will be all one with Peace at the Hour of Death; or elfe,for the lat and unchangeable State of Man in the other World, and then Peace at the last will be the fame with Everlasting Peace. I fhall confider the Propofition with refpect to both thefe Senfes And Firft, for Peace at the Hour of Death; The ineftimable value of which, though none are fo well able to judge of, as they who are really and actually concern'd in that dreadful moment, yet we may take fome measures of it, by confidering a little, what it is to Dye; and how miferable is the condition of thofe, who have lived fo ill as to want this Peace at the Hour of Death.

And Firft, let us confider (that which I fear we feldom do) what it is to Dye: Death is a thing of a strange and dreadful confideration; dreadful in it felf, as 'tis a Diffolution of Nature, the manner of which, becaufe we do not know, we mightily fear; but much more fo, in its Iffue and Confequence,

which is both great and doubtful; for upon this one thing more depends, than upon all the things in the World befides. Indeed the lofs of Life,and the Pains and Agonies wherewith it is loft, are the leaft part of Death. This indeed is the whole of it to brute and irrational Creatures; they fuffer Pain for a while, then refign 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 con fider, that he is juft now launching out into the fathomless Deep of Eternity; that he is entring upon a new, ftrange, dark, and withal unalterable,ftate of things; that he fhall be, within fome 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 Caft;and to be refolved, once for all, of his whole Condition; that he is now paffing 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 Tranfaction; when a Man ftands 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, ex

cept

1

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

And now, fince to Dye is no less a thing in its confequence, than to be either Damned or Saved, to be either Eternally Happy, or Eternally Miferable; it cannot fure but be matter of vaft importance to a Man, to confider which of these two is like to be his Lot, when he is juft about to try one of them. Nay indeed, 'twill then nearly concern him,to be pretty well affured of the welfare of his After-ftate; then if ever, he will rightly understand the ineftimable Price of a quiet Confcience, 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 Feaft, is now a Sovereign Cordial and the Food of Angels; for never certainly is Peace and Comfort more feafonable than at this Inftant; never fo much need of it, and never fo much value to be fet upon it; never can it more avail us to be fatisfied concerning our final condition, than when we are juft entring upon it; never more refreshing to have fome few Beams of Light, than when we are paffing through the dark Valley and fhadow of Death. Then therefore, if ever, we fhall duly value this

rich Pearl, a good Confcience; and be well content if we had parted with all our Subftance for the Purchase of it. We fhall 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 Aufterity, 'twould have been abundantly recompenfed by the Satisfaction and Confolation of this one Moment. And that 'tis worth while to live Rigidly,if 'twere 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 fees a Life well fpent; if forward, he has before him a bright Profpect of Light and Glory: When he can fay with King Hezekiah, Remember now O Lord I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in Truth and with a Perfect Heart; Ija. 38. and, with the great Apoftle when within view of his Diffolution, 2 Tim. 4. 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 fay, it muft needs be an unfpeakable, an unconceivable Satisfaction, for a Man in his laft Hour, when he is tak

Ι