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and discharging you from the troubles of the soul, far more painful than the most insufferable tortures of the body? No, no: death, that thou dreadest so much, is not the death of the faithful, but the end of his miseries, and the last period of all his torments. Noah, (Gen. viii.) when he went out of the ark that stopped upon the mount Ararat, had never so much cause to praise God, and to offer to him the sacrifice of thanksgiving, as we have, when he is pleased to cause us to see the end of the inundation of so many evils and calamities, and to make this floating life, or this living death, to stop upon Mount Sion.

The children of Israel sang songs of thanksgiving when they came out of Egypt, and saw themselves delivered out of a bitter and painful bondage; where they had been employed in gathering stubble, and burning of brick: But we have much more cause to rejoice, and to sing songs of praise, when Death takes us out of the world, where we suffer a kind of bondage, labouring in vain, and enduring the scorching heat of many afflictions that consume us. Thou findest fault with some of that inconstant people, who murmured to return again to Egypt, when they were upon the borders of the Promised Land: but rather find fault with thine own filthy flesh, if it offers to murmur and revolt, when thou art at the entrance of thy celestial Canaan. Joseph rejoiced when the king of Egypt sent for him out of prison, Gen. xiv. And have we not cause to be joyful, when God sends for our souls out of the world, and causeth them to go out of their bodies, which to them is a kind of dungeon?

If therefore we can speak without impatient murmuring, I conceive we have as good reason as Jonas, to say, “OLord, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live," Jonas iv. or as the prophet Elias,

"It is enough, Lord, take away my life," 1 Kings xix. Such a soul may, in an holy transport, safely speak in the language of David, the man after God's own heart, "Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise thy name. The righteous shall compass about me; for thou shalt deal bountifully with me," Ps. cxli,

A PRAYER and MEDITATION for a Christian, who comforts himself with the Consideration, that Death delivers us from temporal Evils without Number, which so often assault us.

Glorious Prince of my salvation! Thou hast hitherto strengthened me against all fears of death; but now I heartily beseech thee to afford me such grace that death may not terrify nor afflict me, but fill me full of joy and comfort. Suffer me not to follow the example of the Israelites, who forgetting the hardships of their former bondage, and minding only the pleasures and plenty of Egypt, mutinied to return back from the borders of Canaan. Let not the delights of this world, nor the fleshly lusts, possess my soul; but grant that I may so mind the labours and miseries of this present state, that as a workman contented to see night put an end to his toil; or as a traveller, either by sea or land, willingly enters the haven or inn where he is to rest; I may look upon death in the same favourable manner; and rather, because of the terrible confusions, the calamities, streams of blood, and mischiefs of war, of fire and sword, that threaten and devour us. The lamentable state of thy distressed church chiefly affects me; this is like a small boat in the midst of roaring and swelling waves, ready to sink, were it not for thy powerful protection, who commandest the boisterous element; or like Daniel in the lion's den, in danger to be devoured, didst thou not defend it from the furious beasts. I am weary to behold so many bloody tragedies acted, to continue so long

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in a world of wickedness, and to be an eye-witness of the sufferings, and to hear the complaints, of thy chosen people. O heavenly Father, I am contented to be freed from this chain of misery, from this life, where so many calamities oppress and afflict me; calamities of sickness, and distempers that torment my body; and of other afflictions, of which I am sensible. When wilt thou release me, O my God, from this prison and dark dungeon, that thy blessed angels may convey my soul to a better state, out of the reach of the devil's malice and power! When wilt thou send for me to introduce me into thy celestial Jerusalem, where I shall, with the rest of thy chosen, glorify thee, my God, and forget all my former sorrows, that shall be swallowed up in everlasting joy; where no pain or grief shall ever come near us, but shall be secured by thy divine presence from the sense andapprehension of all evil, and be put in possession of an everlasting happiness! Amen.

CHAP. XXI.

The ninth Consolation; Death shall deliver us from Sin, which we may see reigning in the World, and from the Remains of our Corruption.

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WHEN God sent angels from heaven to fetch Lot out of Sodom, and secure him from the flames with which he intended to destroy that abominable city, this good man's wife could not forbear looking back; but she was, in that very moment, sufficiently punished, by being turned into a pillar of salt, the emblem of that holy prudence that this example recommends to posterity. That which made this unhappy woman break the angel's express command, was her affection for the riches, plenty, and pleasures of that country which she had left; not thinking upon the baseness, filth, and abominable vices, that brought God's wrath and ven

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geance upon the unworthy inhabitants. Likewise, when God intends to take us out of the world, and to secure us from the sense of his dreadful judgments; that which causeth us to look back, and hinders us from following the angels that God sends to us, to lead us up to the mountain of our salvation, is, that we think upon nothing but the riches, honours, and pleasures of this wretched world, instead of considering the iniquities that reign here below, wherewith we are defiled, while we continue in this corrupted flesh.

Christian souls, will you prepare yourselves to go to God? And do you wish, that death would comfort and rejoice your hearts, instead of afflicting them? Cast your eyes upon those dreadful vices that are so common, under which the whole creation groans as under an heavy burden. O good God! in what an age are we born! An age like that of Noah; for all the earth hath corrupted its way, Gen. v. Nothing but a deluge of fire is able to purge it. There never was more injustice, perfidiousness, treachery, debauchery, insolence, and envy; never more vanity, luxury, pride, cruelty, blasphemies, impiety, and atheism. We may justly apply to our days that which the prophet Hosea said of the corruption of his time: "There is no truth, no mercy, no knowledge of God, in the land: There is nothing but swearing, lying, kill. ing, stealing, and committing adultery: They break out, and blood toucheth blood," Hos. iv. Therefore we have good cause to make David's prayer, "Help, Lord; for the godly man ceaseth, for the faithful fail from among the children of men. They speak vanity every one with his neighbour; with flattering lips, and with a double heart, do they speak, Ps. xii. O wicked world, a world overflowing with iniquity, a sink of impurity, a burning furnace, heated with the impure flames of the bottomless pit, and choaked with the smoke of hell!. But sin reigns not only in this wretched world, but it defaces also the church of God, and causeth most fearful disorders

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disorders among those that bear the glorious name of Chris tians. They were anciently to be discerned from the rest of the world by their speech, conversation, and behaviour! but the devil hath wonderfully debauched them; he hath blotted out God's image in their souls, hath taken from them that noble distinction that removed far away all difference between them and the world. We cannot with justice say to most Christians of our age, as it was said to the apostle St. Peter, "Thy speech bewrayeth thee:" nor appropriate to them what Isaac said to one of his sons, "Thy voice is the voice of Jacob; but thou hast the hands of Esau;" for they have both the voice and hands of the profane Esau; they speak and live as he did, they publish their crimes with a brazen face, and endeavour to glory in their shame. The air is infected with their profane and filthy language, with their impudent lying, with their fearful oaths, and grievous blasphemies; and the earth is defiled with their horrid sins, and abominable crimes: covetousness, ambition, lust, and all manner of vices, have ascended the throne; they act and command in chief in every place. They who have in their mouths the holy name of the Lord Jesus, and make profession of following his sacred footsteps, give us good cause to take up again St. Paul's lamentation and complaint, "Many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ; whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things,” Phil. iii.

If we would seek in these days for the Christian virtues, where shall we find faith, hope, and charity? Where shall we meet with righteousness, fidelity, holiness, innocence, goodness, meekness, humility, patience, piety, and devotion? You daughters of heaven, what is become of you? We cannot see any more your angelical countenances. We are so far from beholding the delightful beams of your divine presence,

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