Death claps his Summons on the Posts of the Door, it trufts 'em not in the Hands of Messengers, or Lacquies; there is no Warning, but it may write down upon it these Words, speaking to him in Person. It furprizes us at home and abroad, in our Closets, and in the Streets, in our Beds, in our Sedans, in the midst of our Feasts, and all our Pomp. It offers Violence to the sacred Person of the greatest Kings in their most sumptuous Palaces, in their most flourishing Cities, in their strongest Fortifications, in the midft of their most faithful Subjects, and most victorious Armies, upon their Thrones, and in their triumphant Chariots. As King Ahab when he was going to take Possession of Naboth's Vineyard, told the Prophet Elijah in a Rage, Haft thou found me, mine Enemy? I Kin. xxi. Thus when the profane Worldlings dream of nothing but of the pleasant Enjoyment of their unjust Poffeffions, and fwimming in the Blood and Sweat of the meaner People, they meet unexpected Death, which they curse in their Hearts; and if it did not stop their Mouths, they would say alfo in a Rage, Hast thou found me out, mine Enemy?

This holy Meditation caused the best King upon Earth to tell us, Man knoweth not his time, as the Fishes that are taken in an evil Net, and as the Birds that are caught in a Snare'; so are the Sons of Men snar'd in an evil time, when it falls fuddenly upon them, Ecclef. ix. 12. This fame Confideration caused this excellent Sentence to be written in the Book of Job, In a Moment shall they die, and the People shall be troubled at Midnight, and pass away, and the Mighty shall be taken without Hand, Job xxxiv. That is, that to destroy Kingdoms and whole Nations, and to carry away the most lufty and mighty Men, Death has no need of any other Affistance but its own Arm.

Do you defire, Christian Reader, to understand the Result of this Discourse? Let me tell you, that fince Death is certain, and not to be avoided, and that there's nothing so uncertain as the Hour of its Arrival, we ought so to live, as if we were to breathe forth the last Gasp at every Moment. We should behave our selves, as if we had always our Souls upon our Lips, ready to yield them into the Hands of our great Creator, and to speak in Job's Language, Having our Flesh between our Teeth, and our Souls in our Hands, Job xiii. In Regard we know not at what time, nor in what Place Death intends to come upon us, let us expect it at every Moment, and in every Place. And as we lodge in this Earthly Tabernacle, without any term prefix'd, let us be ready to depart at the first Warning. For it will be far better for us to go out willingly, than to be dragg'd out against our Will. 'Tis not convenient that Death should carry us away in the fame manner as the Sea beats and tosses a dead Corps upon its Waves. But we must on this Occasion imitate the discreet Mariner, that trims his Sails, and helps by his Art the Winds and the Tide to carry him to his defired Ha

ven.

We should not follow Death as the Malefactor follows the Executioner who drags him to fuffer; but as the Child follows his Father who conducts him to a Feast. We should not engage in a Combat with Death by Constraint, as the ancient Slaves with the wild Beasts in the Roman Amphitheatres; but we should imitate David's Courage, who, of his own Accord, march'd out of the Camp of Ifrael to fight with Goliah : 'Tis better for us to attack and seize upon Death, than to be surpriz'd and devour'd by it unawares.

Come when thou wilt, O Death! thou shalt never surprise me; for I wait for thee at every Moment, with my Weapons ready in my Hand. Thou shalt never drag me forcibly, for I will follow thee willingly and joyfully. Tho' thou art my Enemy, yet will I speak to thee in the Language of the Spouse in the Canticles to her beloved, Draw me and I will run after thee. Nay, I will meet thee in the Way, and receive thee with hearty Embraces; for inftead of dreading thy coming, I defire it paffionately, and hope for it. For at thy first Arrival, as foon as I have seen thee, I shall overcome thee. O blessed and happy Day, that promiseth me such a glorious Victory, and fuch an eternal Triumph.

A

A Prayer and Meditation upon the continual Expectation of Death.

Gracious God, in whose Power alone, and at whose

Pleasure are the Times and the Seasons; Iknow that 'tis appointed to all Men once to die, and that the Grave is the Dwelling which thou hast prepared to receive all Mankind. We understand fufficiently by the Experience of former Ages, that none is able to say, I shall live, and shall not fee Death. Thou, O Almighty God, our fupreme Judge, hast pronounc'd our irrevocable Sentence in the earthly Paradise, that we must die; so that I should be guilty of the greatest Folly, if I did not firmly believe that I must die as others, and follow at my turn in the way of all Flesh. But, Lord, thou hast been pleased to hide from us the Issues of thy Providence, and dost not suffer us to see the Hand that marks out the last Hours of our Life. We can perceive no Shadow to discover to us with Certainty, when shall be the going down of our Sun; we know not at what Hour of the Day or of the Night thou wilt call us to appear before thy great Tribunal. Give me therefore Grace, merciful God,to be always ready to answer to thy Call, and to obey thy holy Commands; that I may be as a Ship at Anchor, that stays only for a Wind to fet fail; or as a Soldier, who waits only for the Signal to march to the Encounter. Give me Grace, O good Lord, that I may be like the good and faithful Servant, who expects his Master's coming, and bears his Voice as foon as he calls; or like the wise Virgins, who are ready to meet the Bridegroom, and to follow him to the Marriage Chamber. Since I am not to know either the Time or the Place when Death will come to me, Othat I might expect and wait for it every Moment, and at every Place! O that I might live in fuch a Manner, as if I were always ready to die! That my Soul were always upon my Lips, prepard to fly away! That I were continually in Readiness to commit it into thy Hands, O my God, my faithful and merciful Creator! By this means I shall receive Death with Joy, when it comes as thy Servant and Messenger; and I shall follow it willingly, being certainly persuaded that it will lead me into eternal Life, and transport me into thy glorious and immortal Palace, Amen.

CHAP. IX.

The Third Remedy against the Fears of Death, is to consider that God hath appointed the Time and Manner of our Death.

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WE

E are either Hypocrites who draw near unto God with our Lips, and honour him with our Tongues, whilft our Heart is far from him, Mat. xiv, Or we must defire the Accomplishment of the Will of God, and refign our selves wholly to it; for every Day we say unto him in our Prayers, Thy Will be done in Earth, as it is in Heaven; therefore we cannot abhor nor fly from Death, so cowardly, if we be rightly perfuaded as we ought, that God hath limited the time, and appointed the Manner of our Death. That which causes us to complain of this last Enemy, is a continual Eye that we have fixed upon the Power of the Fleth, and a too great Confidence upon second Causes. We are like the Dog that bites at the Stone that strikes him, for we commonly curse the Means that God employs to call and withdraw us out of the World.

It will easily appear that God hath numbred our Days, and that by his wonderful and eternal Wisdom, he hath decreed the Hour and Moment of every Man's Death. For besides what our Saviour Christ saith in general, That God hath referv'd the Times and the Seasons in his own Power, Actsi. Job tells us exprefly, The Days of Manare determin'd, the Number of his Months are with thee, thou bast appointed his Bounds that he cannot pass, Job xiv. The Royal Prophet speaks to the fame Purpose in the xxxi Plalm, Itrusted in thee, O Lord, I faid, thou art my God, my times are in thy Hand. He is of the fame Judgment in the xixth Pfalm, Behold thou haft made my Day as a Hand-breadth. And in the lxviiith Pfalm, Unto God the Lord belong the Issues of Death. Mofes teacheth us the same Lesson in his divine Hymn, Pfal. xc. for when he had represented how that it is God who reduceth Man to Ashes, and maketh him return to his first Substance; he tells us, speaking unto God, Thou turnest Man to Destruction, and fayest, return again, ye Children of Men.

King Hezekiah's Comparison is very notable; he compareth the Life of Man to a Thread that God hatlı twisted, and that he cuts off at his Pleasure, Ifa. xxxviii. Mine Age is departed, and remov'd from me as a Shepherd's Tent; I have cut off, like a Weaver, my Lite, he will cut me off with pining Sickness, from Day even to Night wilt thou make an end of me. Hannah, Samuel's Mother, removes all Difficulty, and confirms this Truth sufficiently, 2 Sam. ii. 'Tis God, faith she, who killeth and maketh alive, he bringeth down to the Grave, and bringeth up. There is nothing more fignificant to the same Purpose, than our Lord and Saviour's Words, I am he that liveth and was dead, and behold I am alive for evermore, Amen, and have the Keys of Hell and of Death, Revel. This great God and Saviour closeth the Gates of the Grave when he pleafeth, and 'tis not possible to open them against his Will; In short, Whether we live, we live to the Lord, whether we die, we die to the Lord, whether therefore we live or die we are the Lord's, Rom. xiv.

And our Reason being enlightned with divine Revelation, teacheth us this good and probable Lesson; for if God hath a Hand in our Concept and Birth, and if he appoints the time of our Ente into the World, wherefore should not he alfo hHand in our Death, and mark out the time of departure? David speaks thus to God in the cxxxixth Pfal. My Subtance was not bid from thee, when I was made in fecret and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the Earth: Thine