verfien, and contain a Love to God and Godliness; or whe ther it be only the fruit of fear, and would come to nothing if you were restored to health: But he that hath truly repented beretofore, and lived in uprightness towards God and man, and hath nothing to do, but to difcern his fincerity, and to exercife a fpecial Repentance for fome late or fpecial fins; or to do that again which he hath done unfeignedly before, will much more eafily get the affurance and comfort of his forgiveness and falvation.

Dirca. 2. Renew your sense of the Vanity of this world: Which at fuch a time one would think, fhould be very eafic to do. When you fee that you are near an end of all your pleafures, and have had all (except a grave to rot in) that ever this world willd e for you, may you not cafily then fee, whether the godly or the worldly be the wifer and the happier man? And what it is that the life of man fhould be spent in feecking after? Matth. 6.33. Ifa. 55. 1, 2, 3. Ecclef. 7.3,4,5,6..

Direct. 3. Remember what Flesh is, and what it bath been to you, that you may not be too loth to lay it down. 4 Of the daft it was made, and to the duft it muft return: Corruption is your Father, and the Worm is your Mother, and your Sifter, Job 17. 14. Drought and beat confume the Snowwaters; fo doth the grave those which bave finned: The womb hall forget him the Worm shall feed sweetly on him, Job 24. 20. Fleft and blood shall not inherit the Kingdom of God; but this mortal must put on immortality, ty being made a ffiritual body, 1 Cor. 15.

And this fich hath coft you fo dear to carry it about'; fo much care and labour to provide it food, to repair that which daily vanifheth away; and fo many weary, painful hours; and fo many fearful thoughts of dying, that methinks you should quietly refign it to the grave, which hath been fo long calling for it.

Efpecially confidering what it hath done, by the temptations of a vitiated appetite and fenfe, against your fouls: into how many fins it hath diawn you, and what grief and fhame it hath procured you; and what affurance and hea venly pleasures it hath hindered, and how many repentings,

and

and purposes, and promifes it hath fruftrated, or undone : Methinks we fhould conceive that we have long enough dwelt in fuch an habitation.

Direct. 4. Forefee by Faith the refurrection of the body, when it fhall be raised a fpiritual body unto Glory; and fhall be no more an enemy to the foul.

Direct. 5. Renew your familiarity with the blessed ones above. Remember that the great Army of God (the fouls of the just from Adan till now) are all got fafe through this Red Sea, and are triumphing in Heaven already; and that it is but a few fraglers in the end of the world that are left behind: And which part then fhould you defire to be with? And remember how ready thofe Angels which rejoyced at your converfion, are to be your Convoy unto Chrift, Luke 16.23.

Direct. 6. But especially think with greatest confidence and delight, that Jefus your Head is entred into the Heavens before you, and is making interceffion for you, and is preparing you a place, and loveth your company, and will not lofe it. You thall find him ready to receive your fouls, and prefent them fpotless unto God, as the fruit of his mediation. He will have you be with him to behold his glory; and none fhall take you out of his hands. Let his Love therefore draw up your defirest, and ftablish your hearts in confidence and

reft.

Direc. 7. Remember, that all that are living must come after you; and how quickly their turn will come; and would you with to be exempt from death alone, which the whole world. below muft needs fubmit to?

Direc. 8. Think Bill of the Refurrection of Chrift your Head, that you may fee that death is a conquered thing, and what a pledge you have of a life to come.

Direct. 9. Dwell fill in the believing fore-thoughts of the bleffedness of the life to which you go,as it is your perfonal perfection, and the perfeŭ Love and fruition of God, with his perfe&t joyous praife.

Remember ftill what it is to fee and know the Lord, (and all things else in him, which are fit for us to know.)

Ffff

And

And labour to revive your Love to God, and then you revive your defires and preparations.

Direct. 10. Give up your felves wholy to the Will of God; and think how much better it is for upright Souls to be in Gods hand, than in your own. The Will of God is the first and laft, the Original and End of all the creatures, Belides the Will of Infinite Goodneß, there is no final Reft for humane fouls. But mans will is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning or first efficient, and the ultimate end of all obliquity and fin: Be bold then and thankful in your approach to God, remembring how much more fafc and comfortable it is to be (for life and death) at Gods difpofal, than our own.

B: fides thefe, read the Directions against the faar of death, in my Book of Self-denyal; and what is faid in my Saints Reft, and other the Treatifes before mentioned.

CHAP. XXVIII,

How by Faith to look aright to the Coming of Jefus Chrift in Glory.

Ecause I have faid: fo much of this also, in my Saints Reft,

Band in many other Treatifes, I will now pass it over

with thefe brief Directions.

Direct. 1. Delude not your fouls, nor corrupt your faith and bope, by placing Chrifts Kingdom in sings too low, or that are atterly uncertain,

Think not fo carnally of the second coming of Chrift, as the Jews did of the fifft, who looked for an earthly Kingdom, and defpifed the fpiritual and heavenly: And make not the unknown time, or other circumstances of his coming, to be to you as the certain and neceffary things; left you do as many of thofe called Millenaries, or Fifth-Monarchy men among us, who have turned the doctrine of Chriftian hope into an outzagious fury, to bring Chrift down before his time, and to make themselves Rulers in the world, that they might pre

fently

fently reign under the name of the Reign of Chrift; and have by feditious, rebellious railing at Chrifts Minifters, and hating those that are not of their mind, done much to promote the Kingdom of Satan, while they cryed up nothing but the Kingdem of Chrift.

Direct. 2. Do all that you can in this day of grace, to promote Chrifts prefent Kingdom in the world, and that will prove your best preparation for bis glorious coming.

To that end labour with all your might, to fet up, Life, and Light, and Love, abhorring Hypocrific, Ignorance, and Uncbaritableness; turn not Religion into a ceremony, carkass or dead Imagery or Form: Nor yet into Darkness, Error, or a humane wandering, diftra&ting maze : Nor into felfish, proud, cenforious faction: Build not Chrifts Kingdom as the Devil would do, by hypocritical dead fhews, or by putting out his Lights, or by fchifm, divifion, hatred and ftrife. Read James 3.

Direct. 3. Yet leave not out of your faith and hope, any cer tain part of Chrifts glorieus Kingdom. We know that we halj for ever be with the Lord, and in the prefence of the Father in heavenly glory; and withall, that we fhall be in the New Jerufalem; and that there fhall be a new Heaven, and a new Earth, in which fhall dwell righteousness, and that we shall judge the Angels and the world. And if we know not the circumftances of all these parts, let not therefore any of them be denyed, 1 Thef. 4. 11. 2 Cor. 5. 1, 3, 8. Rev. 20, & 22. 2 Pet. 3.13.

Direct. 4. Think what a day of Glory it will be to Jefus Chrift, Matth. 25.31. O how different from his fate of humiliation! He will not come again to be despised, spit on, buffeted, blafphemed and crucified: Pilate and Herod muft be arraigned at his bar, it is the marriage-day of the Lamb; a day appointed for his glory, Rev. 21, & 22.

Dire&. 5. Think what a day of honour it will be to God the Fatbery how his Truth will be vindicated,his Love and Justice gloriously demonftrated, Matth. 25. 2 Thef. 1. 8, 9.

Dirca. 6. Think what a day it will be to all the children of God; to fee their Lord, when he purposely cometh to be

Ffff 2

admired

admired and glorified in them, 2 Thef. 1. 11,12. To see him in whom they have believed, whom they loved and longed for, 2 Pet. 3. 11, 12, 13. & 1 Pet. s. 8. To fec him who is their dearcft Head and Lord; who will justifie them before all the world, and sentence them to life eternal: To fee the day in which they must receive the end of all their faith, and hope; their prayers, labours and patience to the full, 1 Pet. 1. 8, 9, Rev. 2, & 3. Matth. 25. 2 Pet. 4. 13.

Direct. 7. Think what a day it will be to the fame of fin, when it shall be the reproach and serrour of the world, and to the Honour of Holiness, when faith, obedience and love shall be the approved honour of all the Saints: And what a day of. admirable Juftice it will be, when all that feems crooked here, fhall be fet ttrait : O the difference that there will then be in the thoughts of fin and holiness, in comparison of those that men have of them now!

Direct. 8. Think what a confounding day it will be to the infernal Serpent, and all bie feed, Matth. 25.41, 16. When impudent boasters thall then be fpeechless, and all iniquity fhall ftop her mouth, Math. 25. 44, 822 12. Pfal. 107.42. And when Lazarus shall be seen in Abrabam's bofome; and the enemies of the Saints fhall fee them advanced (as Haman did Mordecai,and vejoycing when the Glory of Cbrift is revealed, 1 Pet. 413. When every corners mouth fhall be flopped, and all stand guilty before their Judge, (Rom. 3.4.19.) and the wretched unprepared fouls must for departing from God, be fentenced to depart into mifery for ever, Matth. 25, 41, 46. Jude v 6.

Direct. 9. And think what a change that day beginnetb both with the Saints, and with the world What a glory is it that we must immediately poffels, in body and foul, and how we muft partake of the Kingdom of our Lord: Saints fhall be fcorned and perfecuted no more: The threatnings and promifes of Chrift (hall be no more denyed by unbelievers: Sin will be no more in honour, nor pride and fenfuality beat fway: The Church will be no more ecclipfed, either by its lamentable imperfe&ions, and difcafed members, or by the divilions of fects, or the seatterings of the cruel, or the flanders

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