The Blessedness of the Death of these that die in the Lord, and more especially in ane evil time;  
Excellently discoursed in seven very searching, but very sweet Sermons, on Revel. 14. v. 13.  
Wherein, several weighty cases relating to death in General, and to dieing in the Lord in particular are succinctly, solidly, and satisfieingly handled.  
By that Faithful, Fruitful, and Famous Minister of the Gospel, Mr. JAMES DURH AM some time Preacher thereof at Gla sgow  job 14. v. 14. — All the days of my appointed ●…ime will I wait, till my change c ome Psal. 90. v 12. So teach us to number oh ur days that we may apply our hearts to wisdom▪ 
Nunc age, quod moriturus agas.  
Whereunto, at the desire of the Worthy Widow and other Judicious Christian Friends of that singularly successful Minister of the Gospel, Mr. William Guthry, there is affixed a vin dication of his sweet smelling memory, from the high injury done thereto, by the pitiful y ignorant and grossly nonsensical mis-printing of some of his Sermons  
Printed in the Y ear 1681   

To the Very much HONOURED and Virtuous. LADY MADAM JEAN COKBURNE, Lady to the Right Honourable Sir ROBERT HEPBURNE OF KEITH-MARESCHAL In East-Lothian, Knight.  
MADAM,  
WHen I was casting in my thoughts, to whom I should address the dedication of these, few following Sermons, your Ladyship's self readily offered, being a person to whom I am upon many accounts singularly obliged, As I am likewise unto your Honourable Husband; Having also had the retirement and conveniency not far from you, for reviseing and making them ready for the Press, which as you partly know, and as others may conjecture, was not so very easy a piece of work, considering that they were not taken from the Author's Pen, but from his mouth when preaching, by one of his ordinary hearers no Scolar, and afterwards transscribed by another person of less Judgement: Your La: being withal a genuine and undegenerat Daughter of the Ancient, Honourable, and Loyal Family of Ormestoune, eminently instrumental in our beautiful and blessed, in our great and glorious, work of Reformation from Popery, and famous (as it is hoped it will through grace still continued to be, if the like sad occasion, as we wish it never may, should again occur) for ready and cheerful receiving, herbouring, cherishing, and incourageing the faithful Servants of God and Martyrs of Jesus; particularly of renowned Mr. George Wishart, who was thence taken under trust by the unhappy Earl of Bothwel, now extinct and his memorial with him (the mentioning whereof, I know your Honourable Husband Sir Robert's just regaird for the Reformed Protestant Religion, will easily persuade him oh bear with, though he may be, for any thing I know, one of the nearest relations of that sometime great Nobleman now surviving) while the house of Ormestoune stands and flourisheth still; which Mr. Wishart, I say, was taken thence, and thereafter most cruelly murdered at Saint-andrewes', the than seat of Cardinal Beatton, who in great state and much pompuous pride, looking out of the Window of his Castle there, now almost leveled with the ground fed his lustful eyes with the horrid and pitiful, but to him pleasant, spectackle, of that eminent Saint and Servant of Christ, his bei●… brunt alive and consumed into ashes: The measure that Master Patrick Hamiltoune that notable person nobly descended, having been 
* See Spotswoods Hist. pag. 52.  nephew by his Father to the Earl of Arran, and by the Mother to the Duke of Albany (no blood being too noble or precious to be let by these butchers, or to be sucked by these bloodthirsty leeches) met with at the hands of Arch-Prelat Beatton Uncle to the said Cardinal, not many years before in that same place. O! terrible truculent and Tragical actings, yet such as may be eracted amongst us, if ever (as God forbidden) the Roman Antichrist that scarled coloured beast drunk with the blood of the Saints, and Martyrs of Jesus, shall again recover his interest in these Kingdoms, now the Kingdoms of the Lord and of his Christ.  
But it may be some care less and unconcerned Gallioos will, for silenceing and satisfying us, say that these things were done by Law; As we are told by a late petulant and profane Pampheleteer, that all these horrid and hideous persecutions raised and prosecuted against many Protestants in the neighbouring Kingdom of England, in the short but very bloody reign of Queen Mary, notwithstanding her solemn Professions made to the Northfolk and Suffolk Gentlemen, and in plain Council, to the contrary; Were according to Law, So that the Martyrs in her days can not more be ●…ounted such, than those who suffered since the late Popish plot; (above 200. of whom, being in all but 277, according to his reckon, (though he reckoneth amiss) were, as he falsely and impudently allegeth, executed as profligat persons, speaking this malicious and grossly calumnious lie purely out of his own, in exact imitation of the Father of lies; for famous Mr. Fox that indefatigably laborious searcher after all occurrents of that nature, gives us no such account; of whose exact scrutiny in the sufferings of the Martyrs under Queen Mary, ingenuo●… and impartial Master Fuller speaking in his ecclesiastical History, sayeth; This point hath been handled already so curiously and copiously by Mr. Fox, that his industry herein hath starved the endeavours of such as shall succeed him, leaving nothing for their pens and pains to feed upon; for what can the man do that cometh after the King? But that which hath been already done, and Mr. Fox appearing sole Emperor in this subject, all posterity may despair to add any remarkable discoveries which have escaped his observation, wherefor to handle this subject after him, is to light a candle to the Sun; and further according to his commendable candour, he adds, as if it had been in designed contradiction to this Detractor, And now to take our leaves of these Martyrs, what remains but— that we embrace and defend that doctrine which they sealed with their lives, and as occasion shall offer, to vindicat and assert their memories from such scandalous tongues and pens, as have or shall traduce them; Neither doth Doctor Burnet, in his late History of the Reformation of the Church of England, give us any such account; Nay neither Speed nor Baker, whom he most injuriously voucheth for his Authors of this calumny, hint any such thing): But the man hath forgotten, or would not remember, that there have been, may be, and still are in the world, thrones of iniquity which establish mischief by a Law, wherewith God, the great Lawgiver, hath no fellowship; And that the primitive Christian Martyrs, who were most cruelly put to death by the persecuting PaganRoman-Emperours, particularly by Trajan, Hadrian, the Antonins and Severus, were so dealt with by them, according to the Then-lawes of the Roman Empire; for which reason, it is very probable that john the Divine in the Revelation, brings in some of these persecutors with a pair of balances in their hands, insinuating thereby, that they pretended to weigh and measure out their persecutions of Christians, by exact Justice according to Law: Who are therefore no more to be accounted Martyrs; Nay, all that have suffered most exquisite torments and cruel deaths on the account of the Protestant Religion, not only in Scotland & England, but in France, Germany, the Low countries, and elsewhere since the beginning of the Reformation, and our forsaking the Apostate Church of Rome: and in Tholouse, Bohemia, the Valleys of Piedmont, and in other parts of the Christian World before that time, for that very same Religion, though not under the denomination of Protestant, must needs according to the new doctrine of this pretended protestant Author, be dashed out of the roll and catalogue of the Martyrs of Jesus Christ; because forsooth, they were generally put to death by and according to the laws of the respective Countries wherein they suffered, though these human Laws were framed on the matter in contempt and defiance of divine Laws to the contrary. And yet we need neither wonder nor strange to found this man basely bespattering, as so many profligats, the Protestants who suffered in Queen Mary's days, and ranking them almost in the same class and category, and setting them near by on the same level with the Papists, that were lately executed for their accession to the horrid and hellish plot, and denying the former to have been Martyrs more than the latter; who roundly and boldly in the face of the reformed Churches dar assert, that all the difference betwixt the Popish and Protestant Religion is, in modes and circumstances, and no more in reality; and that the Laws which established the Protestant, and abolished the Popish Religion, cannot be otherways altered but by ane equal power with that from whence they had their being, King and Parliament, who by aggreeing, not more prejudge the public in order to Heaven, than they did before, that being only accidental and extrinsical to the substance of Religion, by which alone, and not by forms or ceremonies, men are to be saved. What? are there no material and highly momentuous doctrinal differences betwixt Papists and Protestants? As about the Pope his arrogantly claimed & Usurped universal, Civil, & Ecclesiastic supremacy, whereby he taketh on him to transfer Kingdoms, to depose Kings and Emperors, and to lose subjects from their sworn alleadgences to them; to interdict as to all sacreds, and on the matter to excommunicate, not only particular persons the greatest crowned heads not excepted, but whole Christian Kingdoms at his pleasure, none being warranted to say, what, or why dost thou? And all this as Christ's Vicar on earth, whereas indeed he is the Arch-enemy of Christ, even that Antichrist to whom all his characters assigned by the Apostles Paul and john, do most exactly and punctually aggree. About his fond fancied infallibility, times and ways out of number to the conviction of the World, not only fallibilized, but grossly falsified and belied; as for instance undeniably appears in a matter of very great moment, to wit, the different translation of the old vulgar latin Bible by Pope Sixtus the fifth, and by Pope Clement the eight, some three years only interveening betwixt the one and the other 
† See Mr. Thomas James his Bellum Papale, and his Defence thereof. ; each of which translations, is in the preface or bull thereto prefixed, declared to be authentic and obligatory of the whole Christian World, to own the same as such; the printing or publishing of any other translation, being under the pain of the greater excommunication severely discharged; and yet these two translations, are not only in a multitude of places, upward of a thousand, different the one from the other, but in many expressly contrary the one to the other; so that the Pope's pretended infallibility, doth infallibly prove fallible, and falls down flat; for if the one of those translations be infallibly true, the other must needs be infallibly false, or if they should still say, which it seems they cannot have the e●…rontry to do, that they are both infallibly true, than their Popes will not only be made infallible, but (if it did not involve a blasphemous repugnancy) superomnipotent, by attributing to them a power to make, most really, plainly, and palpably contradictory propositions true at once (So that we need not henceforth wonder, that their Canon-law styleth the Pope, Our Lord God the Pope); besides that several of these pretended infallible Popes, have by the published confessions of their own writers, been found respectiuly guilty of grossest Heresy, Simony, Perjury, Adultery, Sodomy, Necromancy, Sacrificeing to Idols and Devils, and of other most vile and abominable villainies; yea, their great Champion Baronius at the year 897; expressly sayeth, that for the space of ane hundred and fifty years together, the Popes were rather Apostats than Apostolicks, and that they were thrust into the papal chair, by the power of harlots, and by the violence of the Princes of Tuscany; which Sandy foundation of alleged infallibility being overturned, all the rotten and tottering superstructure of his false doctrines reared up thereon, as so many castles of comedowne, must needs fall to the ground; It is indeed a wonder that any rational man should have the confidence to own such a fancy, but a greater wonder that any professing himself to be a Christian, should make it a grand article of his belieffe, and a basis of the eternal salvation of his immortal soul; alace! its to be feared that ane evil conscience cauterised, and some predisposition to Atheism, are with many, the great inductives to it. About the authority of the sacred Scriptures, which they will have wholly as to us, to depend upon the authority of the Church, that is to say at bottom, of the Pope, blasphemously alleging, that the authority of the Pope is above the authority of the Scriptures, that no book, nay, nor chapter in the whole Bible, is to be held for canonical, without the Pope's authority, and that the authority of the Scriptures is no more to be valued than Aesop's Fables 
† See Pighius de Hier. Eccl. lib. 1. cap. 2. Prierius his dialogues against Luther. See Greg. 7. Dict. in Conc. Rom. See Hermannus. , unless it were for the Testimony of their Church. And about the perfection and perspicuity thereof in all things necessary to Salvation, which they endeavour to disgrace, by the impious imputations of imperfection and obscurity, calling them a Black Gospel, Incken Divinity, and a Nose of Wax 
* See Pighius ibid. lib. 3. cap. 3. . About the necessity of unwritten traditions in matters of faith, as proceeding from the same divine authority, and to be received with the same divine belief, and under the same pain of divine wrath and damnation, that the divinely and infallibly inspired Scriptures are; For the Council, or rather causelessly cursing Conventicle, at Trent, sayeth, that they are to be received with the same reverence. About the unwarrantableness of translateing the Scriptures into vulgar languages, and of the people's reading of them, in point blanck-contradiction to the Scriptures themselves; and whatever be pre●…ended, mainly intended to keep them still in gross ignorance of divine Scripture-truths, and in utter incapacity to discover, detasse, and abandon their abominable errors; and how dar the people presume to read the Scriptures? Since his holiness' Pope Innocent belloweth out like a beast this fine infallible interpretation of that Scripture, anent the beasts not touching the mountain whereon the Law was given, This mountain (saith he) which must not be touched by the beasts, is the high and holy Scriptures, which the unlearned must not read: And their Doctors commonly affirm, that the People must not be suffered to read the Scriptures, because forsooth, We must not give holy things to dogs, nor cast pearls before swine: such account make these Pastors of the people, as to rank them amongst beasts even the vilest of them, dogs and swine; which sayeth, such Pastors are fit to feed and keep dogs and swine, than to feed and watch over rational men and women that have immortal souls: And one of them, Alphonsus de Castro, asserts, that from the reading of the Scriptures, all heresies come; though this hath been ordinarily more through the fault of learned men than of the common people, and in neither, through any fault of the Scriptures; They are so mad angry at the translation of the Bible into vulgar languages, that some of them have boldly belched out this blasphemy, That people's being permitted to read the Bible, was the invention of the Devil 
* See Peresius. ; there is ane English Pamphlet printed Anno 1663. entitled, The Reconciler of Religions, that hath these horrid words, pag. 41.— The protestant Bible is not more the Word of God, than is the Koran or Aesop's Fables, it is a Diabolical invention, and a sacrilegious instrument to deceive and damn all such poor souls as believe it, and therefore worthy to be burnt with fire in the middle of the merket at noon, and let all the People say Amen, so be it. About justification by works and inherent righteousness, and not by the imputed righteousness of Christ; whereby sinners have access to boast and glory, as being made their own immediate saviours, and to offer a false sacrifice which God will never accept of, to the great dishonour of the alone Saviour Jesus Christ. About the possibility of not only fulfilling the Law perfectly in this life, though the whole Scriptures, the universal experience of all ages, and men's own consciences reclaim; but of out-doeing the Law, and doing more than it requireth or oblidgeth men unto, by their works of supererogatione; whereby they think to oblige God, and to merit from him not only for themselves, but for others also, and whereby they will needs have the righteousness of one supererogating Saint, to be imputed to other persons, and hold this for a very real truth, while in the mean time they flout at the imputation of Christ's merits and righteousness, as but a putative and merely imaginary thing, so great is the strength of judicially infatuating delusion. About antiscriptural, irrational, nonsensical, and monstrous Transubstantiation, whereby they will have the bread and wine in the Eucharist turned, and that by the Priest when and as often as he pleaseth, into the very body and blood of Christ, and so will have him, whom the Heavens must receive or contain till the time of the restitutione of all things, to be corporally or bodily present therein, and that in thousands of places at once, as to his whole body; and so to be chewed with the teeth, digested in the stomach, and sent forth into the draught of the profainest wretches that participate of that Sacrament; yea, it may be, to be eaten by mice and rats, terrible to be once but thought of. And their abominable unbloody sacrifice of the Mass, offered daily for the sins of the Living and of the Dead, highly derogatory unto that one propitiatory and Justice-attoneing bloody sacrifice, offered up once for all unto God by Jesus Christ the great high Priest, on the golden Altar of his divine nature, by which sacrifice he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. About the Sacraments conferring grace on such as receive them by the very deed done; and the necessity of a right intention in the administrator of them, not only as to the fruit and effect, but as to the validity and very being of them; whereby not only their Opus operatum is overturned, but most things in popery as such, namely their Transubstantiation, and sacrifice of the Mass, nay the very Papacy itself (as some of their own noted writers seem to be convinced 
† See Puteanus, who in 22. q. 1. art. 6. teacheth that it is not absolutely of faith, that the existing Pope (v. g.) Paul the 5th is the true Vicar of Christ, and Successor of Peter, because it suppons two propositions, Paul is baptised (N. B.) and Paul is canonically elected, neither of which is absolutely of Faith.  are rendered utterly uncertain; and in truth nothing left certain among them but this, that there is ane uncertainty of most, if not of all things. About their halfe-communion, whereby, on most frivolous and foolish reasons, such as their fear lest some of the wine or blood as they call it, should remain on the Laiks' beards or moustaches, they sacrilegiously rob the people of the cup, most expressly contrary to Christ's allowance thereof on them, in the divine unalterable institution of that most precious ordinance, appointed for the spiritual nourishment of his people. And the absolute necessity of baptism in order to salvation; whereby all the Children of them who believe no other place that souls departed go to after death but Heaven or Hell, are for the mere want thereof, though neither neglected nor contemned by the parents (for of such contempt or neglect the infants themselves are incapable) are most cruelly damned to Hell fire for ever. About purgatory, a mere fable and figment, but indeed a very serviceable fire for the Pope's Kitchine; whereby the alone, purely, and perfectly purging virtue of Christ's precious blood, is mightily disparadged. And about the Pope's pardons and indulgences (or rather emulgences or purse-milking and emptying devyces) offered to all who will give money for them on their saying of so many Ave Mary's, and Pater-nosters, and doing other such poor, childish, and foolish faites; and manyest to them that give most money, but utterly denied to those poor wretched souls that have nothing to give. About their praying publicly in the Church, in a language utterly unknown to the generality of the common people; whereby he that should be their mouth to God is a Barbarian to them, and they incapacitat to join with him understandingly, or to give their assent to what he prays; in plain and palpable contradiction to what is most clearly and convinceingly discoursed in the Scripture to this purpose. About praying to Angels and Saints departed, not without deep and dishonourable reflections on the intercession of Jesus Christ our alone Mediator. And About praying for the dead, who are by death put into ane eternal unalterable state, and so set quit without the reach of the benefit of the prayers of the living. About worshipping of images with religious and divine worship; which if any of them for shame should deny, their great Angelic Doctor, Thomas of Aquin 
† See Thomas in 3. q. 25. Art. 3, 4.  will give them the lie, who expressly says, that the same reverence is given to the Image of Christ, which is given to himself, and because Christ is worshipped by the worship Latria (which is the highest worship) his image therefore is to be worshipped with the same worship Latria; he affirms the like of worship given to the cross of Christ, or the Crucifix of whatever matter it be made. And on the matter About the obligation of the Second Command, which because it cannot be bowed nor bended, not not by the plenitude of the Pope's power, to patronise nor in the lest to favour their grossly Idolatrous image-worship, they will needs not only break it, but dash it quit out of the decalogue in despite of the great Law giver, who hath so vexed and confounded them by that Command, that they cannot evite the dint of it; and hath involved them into such a Labyrinth that they cannot extricat nor bring themselves out of it, not not by the clew of the smallest Spunthreed of their most subtle distinctions. About the Apostasy of the Saints, and the uncertainty of their Salvation, the very cutthroats of the comfort that is allowed by Jesus Christ on them that unfeignedly believe in him; and about many moe weighty things. Are all these but Ceremonies and Circumstances in Religion? Can the man be so grossly ignorant as to think so, or so wickedly prejudicated to say so when he thinks otherways? Are all the very substantial differences betwixt Protestanisme and Popery thus dwindled away into mere Modes, and Circumstances, Forms, and Ceremonies? And shall we look on the great multituds of Protestants, who on the sole account of their Religion have been put to so many, various, exquisite tortures and most cruel deaths, as a company of silly shallowpated ridiculs, rather to be pitied than as patterns to be imitated, who knew not how to distinguish betwixt the substance and mere modes and circumstances of Religion, but would needs injudiciously and foolishly throw away their lives, burn quick, and run themselves into so many extreme sufferings, for their obstinate adhering to modes and circumstances of Religion, wherein the substance of it was not at all concerned, nor so much as trenched upon or touched? God forbidden that we should dar, especially at so high a rate, to offend against, and condemn the generation of, these righteous people, who overcame by the blood of the Lamb, by the word of their Testimony, and by not loving their lives unto the death; or suffer ourselves to be whidled into such a sinister and perverse belief of these witnesses and worthies, of whom the world was not worthy, and that upon the bore and unproved assertions, and malign whispers, of this truckler after, and trafficker for, Rome; who, yet if ye will trust him, never was, nor is like to be, addicted to Popery, he is not sure but he may be, and who I pray that is not over credulous will believe him, or any other man of his Kidney, that looks at all differences betwixt Protestants and Papists, as matters of mere Mode, Circumstance, and Ceremony, but that he will be easily prevailed with, to forgo the one and to embrace the other Religion, both being in his account the very same for substance, if especially by the change he may come to a little more substance in the world?  
However, since such industrious endeavours are used to disparage, disgrace, and vilify sufferers and Martyrs for the Protestant Religion, and to make little and light of all the great and weighty differences betwixt Protestanisme and Popery, It should alarm, as with sound of trumpet, your La: and all sound and upright hearted Protestants in Scotland, to rouse ourselves, and by all suitable, sinless, and warrantable ways earnestly to contend for the reformed Protestant Religion, the very faith once for all delivered by Jesus Christ and his Apostles to the Saints, (I say the very faith so delivered, because we reform Protestants hearty own all the doctrine of faith contained in the sacred Scriptures, and own nothing as necessary to be believed or practised in order to salvation, that is not contained there, either in express words, or that is not deducible therefrom by genuine, unconstrained, and necessary consequence) that hath been signally sealed from Heaven by the conversion, edification, and salvatione of multitudes of souls; That hath been confirmed by the sufferings & deaths of many thousands of Martyrs thorrow the world, and of not a few in these Kingdoms; That faith for which our noble and renowned Ancestors did so strenuously strive and wrestle, by all lawful means and ways, that the same might be handed down to us; And which God and they have committed to our trust and custody as a most precious depositum, obliging us under all highest pains, even of his eternal wrath and curse, that we endeavour to transmit the same inteir and untainted to them that shall come after us; And that faith which we are withal by solemn ingadgements, taken on before God and the World, indispensibly obliged to maintain, profess, avouch, and bear testimony unto, at any rate or hazard, as we are called to it, It being indeed the true glory of a testimony, to give it when God calls for it in the face of danger; Let us therefore be prevailed with, and persuaded by all these and other such considerations, earnestly to contend for this faith, and to stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, that we be not again entangled with the yoke of Antichristian bondage. And that we may thorrow grace, be the better disposed and capacitated to do so; We would endeavour, 1. Thorrowly to know, and to be well acquainted with, the principles of the Religion which we profess, that we may be able and ready always, with meekness and fear, to answer every one that asketh us a reason of our faith and hope; even to have our loins girt about with the truth. 2. We would seek to be fully assured and persuaded of the infallible truth and divine authority of the sacred Scriptures wherein our Religion is contained, and that from the inward work of the Spirit of God bearing testimony thereof unto our Spirits according to the Scriptures. 3. We would yet more than ever endeavour to receive the love of the truth, or to receive the truth in love, for the neglect whereof many have been, and moe, if God prevent not, will be, given up to strong delusion to believe lies. 4. We would covet earnestly to feel the power and more and yet more of the power of our Religion upon our hearts, captivating us to its obedience, and mightily influenceing our practice to ane universal exact conformity to it, that no part nor point of the truth may be detained in unrighteousness, nor made, as it were, a prisoner of, by setting a guard of corrupt affections about it, not suffering it to look out and show itself in our practice. 5. We would study to be and abide near God, not only to make sure on good grounds, that we who were sometime far of, are now made nigh through the blood of Christ's cross as to our state, but by all appointed means to endeavour to draw nigh as to our frame, disposition, and walk, (for though it be impossible that there can be any drawing nigh to God in respect of frame where the distance of state remaineth still, yet there may be, as many doleful experiences of the Saints put beyond all reach of debate, great distance of disposition and frame where there is nearness of state) that we may hear this to be the unanimous voice of all the occurring providences of these days, that its good for us that we draw nigh to God; It was sure always good but never better, always necessary but never more necessary than at such a time, wherein distance from God, usually attended with darkness and deadness, is singularly dangerous and portends sadly. 6. We would endeavour to have the honour and glory of Jesus Christ much endeared to our hearts; To have, and to keep up, a high and superlative esteime of him as transcendently and incomparably precious, and of the worth and excellency of our Religion, as coming from him, as conforming us to his image, and as disposing and fitting us for the enjoyment of him; that in comparison of the excellency of the knowledge of him, by and according to Scripture-Religion which we profess, all things in this world, pleasure, profit, and honour, may in our esteime be degraded, and detruded into the very lowest degree of baseness and vileness, even to be accounted but as loss and dung; which will not ably predispose to part with, forgo, and actually to suffer the loss of them, when any of them or all of them together shall presume to compare or come in competition with the excellency of Jesus Christ, and of the Christian reform Protestant Religion: This is a time, wherein all the lovers of Christ and of their Religion amongst us, are in ane especial manner called to have such a low esteime of all these things in this competion, to cry down the market and to let the prices of them fall, to sit very lose of them, to be very denied to them, and to be ready on a call to let them all go, when we cannot brook them and Christ and our Religion together. 7. We would set ourselves down with greater and more grave deliberation than ever, to count what Christ and our Religion may cost us; And to this purpose we would cast up (to say so) the King's Book of Rates, the Book of the holy Scriptures, that there we may see what all the followers of Christ are most expressly called to lay their reckoning with the loss of, for his and the Gospel's sake, and what Christ and the very same Religion which we profess, hath cost many of the Saints recorded there; We would also review, as we have access, human writings concerning the many various, great, and grievous losses and sufferings of the Martyrs of Jesus, for him and for our Religion, that we may thence further see what they have been put to expend on that noble and non-such account, who yet all reckoned their greatest expense and cost infinitely below the worth of the cause for which they were put to it; We have generally hitherto, and that for a considerable time, held and possessed our Religion at mighty easy and cheap rates, it hath cost us but very little; It may be, yea, it's probable that the rates will be raised, that the market will be up; Which calls aloud on us to sit down seriously and soberly and count the cost, whither we will be able to finish and go through with our undertaking, and that thorrow the neglect and defect of such previous deliberate reckoning, we be not with the surprising and unexpected change and cost put to give over in the midst of our work, and so expose ourselves to be the objects of the scorn and derision of all observing passers-by. 8. We would beleivingly take Christ's bond and obligation, for his gracious and free compensing of all losses that shall be honestly undergone for his and the Gospel's sake, even ane Hundred fold in this present time as to what is infinitely better than that which is lost, and life eternal in the world to come, with the comfortable clause non obstante persecutione, with or notwithstanding of persecutione, and to show that he is not complementing sincere sufferers for his sake, by giving them this his bond for upmaking of their losses, nor putting ane empty spoon into their mouth, but speaks his very heart to them, he hath ordered the recording or regestrating of it by three of his Evangelists, and in every drawght of it (which is worthy observation) he hath prefixed a grave asseveration, verily; O! highly valid, good, and sufficient security, given with such sincerity by so infinitely Responsal a person, whom God hath trusted as great Surty and Cautioner for the debt and duty of all the elect, who can never breck or be unable to pay his debt; And who is willing his people should beleivingly, prayerfully, and humbly sue him, in the court of Heaven for implement of his bond for compensation, and will never refuse the debt, nor will he suffer his bond to lie untaken up, nor will he take it up till he hath completely paid all that he hath most freely become debtor for by his bond and obligation; And when that shall be done, than sure all losses for Christ and the Gospel, for true Religion's sake, shall be fully, superaboundantly, and to ane infinite overplus, made up.  
Madam, I am the more encouraged to address the dedication of these few Sermons on this sweet, serious, and savoury subject to your La: that I know you will read them concernedly, as will also your honourable Husband Sir Robert do, as being, through grace, more immediately contributive towards his excitment and upstirring, to make ready for his quickly approaching dissolution, walking now betwixt threescore and ten and fourscore years, the outmost ordinary boundary fixed by God in these last ages of the world for the continuance of the short life of man; I know he readeth much, would to God that all the Gentlemen in Scotland old and young, gave themselves as much, when not otherways necessarily and suitably avocked, to reading of profitable and edifying books as he doth; they might, through his blessing, be much more accomplished both men and Christians, and a great deal more fitted to serve their generation, according to the will of God, in their respective capacities and stations. That you both may be helped of God, to live more and more so as you may have the well-grounded, lively, and soul-refreshing hope of dieing the blessed death of them that die in the Lord, who rest from their labours and whose works follow them, is the very serious desire of  
Madam Your La: very much obliged Servant, and hearty Wellwisher in the Lord J. C. july 1681.   

To the Christian READER.  
Christian Reader.  
MAny and various are the vicissituds and changes to which sin hath sadly subjected us poor, transient, itinerary, miserable Mortals, grieving, groaning, dwining, and decaying nothings; the Reireward of all which changes is at length brought up by Death, that last, great, and vastly momentuous change, which puts a final period to all the changes that shall ever befall us in this world; and whereby every one of us without exception of sex, age, descent, degree, calling or capacity, will be put into an eternally unchangeable state of happiness or of misery: If so, than sure it is very sad, and never enough to be lamented, if it were with tears of blood, that men and women who have rational and immortal souls endued with a discurring faculty, and capable of eternal happiness in the enjoyment of God, and of eternal misery in separation and destruction from his presence, should for most part, so much abstract from the serious thoughts of that most important change, followed with so long a train of everlastingly concerning consequents, and in their retired meditations, take so few turns in this long gallery of Eternity; As if all that the divinely inspired Scriptures say of it, and that many every day experience the truth of, were a mere Romance, or cunningly devised fable: And yet notwithstanding Death is most incontrovertibly certain, all men being by Divine appointment concluded under a necessity of dieing; which appointment taketh in not only the infallible certainty of the thing, but the determination of the precise time, when, of the place, where, and of the manner, how; whither by a violent or natural death, whither by a more sudden and surprising, or by a more lent and linger, death: For our times are in the hand of the Lord, the years, months, weeks, days, and moments of them, with all their incident changes and revolutions are at his dispose; There is an appointed time to man on earth, he hath determined the times before appointed; the times and seasons are keeped in the Father's own power; our days are determined, the number of our Months is with him, he hath set bounds to us which we cannot transgress: There is no possibility of circumduceing the day prefixed to the continuance of our life by his appointment (which is not at all gainsaid by what the Psalmist saith of bloody and deceitful men, that they shall not halve, or live out half their days, that is, they shall often not live half or near so long as they might according to the ordinary course of nature, or not half or near so long as they desired, designed, and expected, or, they shall be cut of in the throng of their business, and in the midst of their projects and designs; nor by that sentence of death of a disease mortal in its own nature, denounced against King Hezekia, and the addition of 15. years to his life, which imports only the change and reverse of a tacitly conditional commination and sentence (as in that against the Ninivits▪ and that against Abimelech in the matter of Sarai) but no change at all of God's purpose and decree, who is not as man that he should repent▪, whose counsel stands and with whom there is no variableness nor shadow of turning, who had decreed in his eternal purpose the drawing forth of Hezekias' life that length, and had by his decree infallibly insured the performance of the condition, to wit, Hezekias praying, humbling himself, and rouseing up of himself yet more to the serious exercise of Godliness, and his useing prescribed means for the recovery of his health; Nor is it gainsaid by any other scripture rightly understood●…. So that it seems to be (to say not worse) Atheologick, and no thing consentient to Divine-Scripture-dictats, positively and peremptorly to deny that the outmost term and period of this mortal life is unalterably fixed in the eternal purpose of God: It being very unreasonable to subtract and exempt so concerning and important a thing as the last term of man's life, or the precise time of his death, which in the Scripture▪ is by way of eminency above and beyond all other changes called His Change, even that whereby he steps over the border of time into eternity, from the sovereign influence of his decree and of his Providence that doth most vigilantly and accuratly inspect the infrustrable execution thereof; since they reach the lest momentuous and most minute things, even the numbering of our hairs, and the falling of a sparrow to the ground. Beside, whatever is or can be said against this, seems with equal strength to militat against the immutability of the divine purposes and decrees about the everlasting state of men; and to infer as great an uncertainty of the later as of the former. And indeed it is worthy Observation that those who most violently maintain (I say most violently; because I know there are some otherways Orthodox who demur in this) that the term of human life is unfixed, mutable, and ambulatory, even in the eternal decree and foreknowledge of God, as well as it is contingent and uncertain in respect of natural and second causes, do also patronise and peremptorly pled for the mutability and conditionality (for both come to the same amount) of God's decrees about man's spiritual and everlasting state, making him either daily to acquire new knowledge, though known to him be all his works from the beginning, or at lest to be doubtful and irresolved in his purposes till new emergents arising from an uncontrolled and selfe-governing freewill cause him take new measures and resolutions: Which is a doctrine justly exploded by all truly Orthodox Divines, as being unworthy of, and injurious to, the infinitely wise and absolutely supreme Governor of the World; And as having a tendency (however it may be honested and plastered over with specious and splendid pretences of somewhat else to narrow and limit the sovereign dominion and will of the infinite Majesty of God the Creator, that the will of the finite and fecklesse Creature may have the greater scope and latitude of liberty; which yet is no liberty indeed, nor worthy the name of liberty; because it is not that wherewith the Son of God makes free: And to take the crown of the glory of the conversion and salvation of sinners of the head of free grace, and to set it most sacrilegiously on the head of their own Lord Paramount freewill: And in down right contradiction to the Scriptures of truth, to make poor man proudly boast, that it is not God, but he himself, who hath made him to differ from others; and that he is more obliged in the Matter of his conversion and salvation to his own toward, tractable, gentle, courteous, compliant, and obsequious freewill, than to God's decree of election, and the efficacious, omnipotently sweet, and sweetly omnipotent, infallibly and necessarily will-inclining and determining, though not forcibly violenting, or compulsorily coacting, influence of sovereignly free grace: If wantonly curious, superciliously insolent, tumultuantly mutinous, corrupt human Reason (ambitiously affecting to take up and comprehend the great Abyss, the shoarlesse, bottomless, and incomprehensible Ocean of the Decrees and Providence of God within its own little and shallow cockle-shellcapacity) would suffer its self to be sobered and becalmed into a humble and just consideration of things, all those high and haughty reasonings and debatings against the unalterable fixedness of the last term of man's natural life, and against the immutability of his Decrees in reference to their spiritual and everlasting state, would quickly be let fall; for than it would easily see the great congruity, and pleasing sutablnesse that is in subjecting all, and particularly the rational Creatures being but derivat and borrowed bits of being from that first fountain, and original being, that being of beings, in all the events that befall them, and in all their motions, actings, and operations, according to their respective natures, entitatively, morally, or graciously good; And all the adhering●…nomies, ataxies, and vitiosities of them; to the Majesty of the most high God, as to his efficient producing of the one, and as to his permitting, bounding, ordering, and directing of the other, to his own holy and blessed ends; without being justly chargeable with any the lest culpable accession to them; who is, by the most absolute perfection of his purest nature, infinitely removed from all possibility of being reached by any tincture or touch of pollution: It would also see clearly the most profoundly and admirably wise connexion, that in these Decrees of God, and in the execution of them by his all eye-providence, is ordered betwixt the ends, and all the several midses leading thereto; it being evident beyond all hazard of rational contradiction, that the boundary of the life of Ahab, and of that unbelieving Samaritan Lord who was trodden to death in the gate of Samaria, and of our blessed Lord Jesus himself, was determinately prefixed, since it was expressly foretell, as the Scripture clears; And it is simply impossible that Divine predictiones can prove false; And yet the man that shot at Ahab acted freely in so doing: Those who trampled that Lord to death were not forced by any to gather themselves together into such a crowd, or to be so regardless of a person of honour; and the Murderers of Christ were not a whit the less guilty, that they did nothing but what God's hand and counsel determined before to be done, nor yet did our Lord any thing that was irrational or foolish, in using lawful and fit means for his own preservation, in so frequent retireing and hiding himself from the jews violence as he did, though as the Scripture often makes mention, His hour was not yet come; by which instances it is very clear, that the determinatnesse of the decrees of God, doth no ways violent or infringe the native freedom of the wills of Men, nor yet is it any excuse for their sin, or encouragement to their neglect of means, since it is by the using rightly or neglecting of these, that God causeth his unalterable decrees to take their designed effect.  
As than it is most indubitably certain, that we must die, so the time for the continuance of our life and days here, is very short, even but as an hand-breadth, and our age as nothing before him, our days are spent as a tale that is told, they are as a shadow on the earth, and there is none abiding; they are swifter than a Post, they flee away and see no good; they are passed away as the swift Ships, as the Eagle that hasteth to the prey, they are swifter than a Weaver's shutle; our life is even as a vapour that appeareth for a little time, and than vanisheth away; as a little warm breath, that is turned in and out at our Nostrils, which is very easily and quickly stopped. The precise time also of the expiring of this breath of life is (however to God, to whom (as is said) are known all his works from the beginning, most infallibly certain) to us most uncertain; death comes on us ordinarily, in such an hour as we do not think of; It comes on us as a thief in the night; We are now strong and in good health, and on the sudden we grow weak and sicken: Now we live, and by & by we die, & see men not more in the land of the living. All which, to wit, the certainty of our death, the exceeding brevity of our frail and brittle life, with the great uncertainty of the precise time of our dieing, do with one voice unanimously call aloud unto us seriously to mind, and with all our might to make for an other life; to make sure peace and friendship with God through the blood of Christ's cross; to secure an interest in him (the choice and wale of all interests, the only everlastingly durable interest, in comparison of which, all other interests are but petty and inconsiderable, to which they all aught to cede and give place, and, as it were, to strick their flag and lower their topsail) by sincere closing with Jesus Christ on his own terms, and cordially consenting to, and taking hold of, the Covenant of Grace; and to live so as it becomes them, who are very certain that we shall die, and very uncertain how long we shall live: To endeavour thorrow grace to have our loins girded, to have our affections, as it were, trussed up that they may not hung down and trail on the earth, and to have our lights burning, not only to make sure on solid and good grounds that we have a stock of habitual grace, but to endeavour to have it▪ lively and vigorous in its excercise, even as it were burning into a flame; that we may be as men that wait for the coming of their Lord, that in whatsoever watch he shall come, we may be ready to open to him immediately, even at the very first knock, were it on a night's, or a day's, or an hours, yea, were it but on a moment's warning, having our house (to say so) in such order, and the spiritual affairs of our souls so well disposed of, and in so good a postour and case, that we may not be taken tardy or napping, nor be on the sudden sadly surprised to our unspeakable prejudice; even to be in that most desirable and delightful condition, that to us to live may be Christ, that the very principal scope and end which we propose to ourselves in desiring life and health, may be the honour and glory of Jesus Christ; looking at life with all the external conveniencies and comforts of it, as but little valueable and unworthy to be desired were it not mainly in order to this end: And than we may confidently and comfortably conclude, that death whenever, wherever, and however it should overtake us, would be gain to us, by putting a final and eternal period to all the remainders of indwelling sin, to all tentationes to sin, to all desertion, and to all complaints and fears of desertion and hydings of God's face; to all doubtings about our gracious estate and about our interest in God; to all fears of backsliding, and of offending, or of giving offence; to all trouble, sorrow, sadness, and sighing on whatsoever account; to all indisposition to serve, worship, and glorify God; to all interruptions of fellowship with him, and to all fellowship that is but mediate and in part: To all smful ignorance and imperfect knowledge, or but in part; These great Theologues there read all their divinity without book, and without any the lest difficulty in that beatifical immediate Vision of God's face: And by ushering us in to that blessed estate, wherein we shall be satisfied with his likeness, and that both objectively and subjectively▪ being than admitted to see him in himself as he is, face to face, even to full, immediate, and never to be interrupted fellowship with him; and being privileged to see him in ourselves, perfectly conformed to his image in holiness according to Creature-capacity; and put in case to serve him there, where his Servants serve him as well as ever we desired to serve him in the best frames we were ever in, and in the best hours we ever had on earth in the most countenanced public ordinances, or in the sweetest secret duties of his worship; Nay, which is yet more, where we shall serve him as well as ever he commanded us to serve him, or shall desire us to serve him, that sure will be in such spiritually noble state as we never before served him while we sojourned here on earth. Alace! How few, how very few, how lamentably few are there, even amongst the great multitudes of professing Christians, of pretenders to godliness, and to the hope of that gain and blessedness which attends them that die in the Lord, who make it the great business of their life to live thus? even all the days of their appointed time, to wait till their change come; coveting and crying in prayer to God that he would graciously and effectually so teach them to number their days, that they may apply their hearts to wisdom? How many are there that may at their death sadly complain, as it is storied of one Similis Captain of the Roman Emperor Hadrian his Guard▪ who having lived long in the City and at Court, and having some seven years before his death retiered himself unto a private Countryhouse, where he thought, it is like, he enjoyed himself more, being freed from the avocations, distractions, noise, and cumbersome converse of a Court-life, commanded that after his death it should be written over his grace, Here lieth Similis who was many years, but lived only seven: How many Professors of Religion are there, I say, that may thus sadly and sorrowfully complain of themselves when they come to die, Ah! we have been many years, but have lived either none at all, or but very few years: For that life that is not lived to God, and to the honour and glory of Jesus Christ, is not at all worthy the denomination of life, since we are all the time we live so, but dead while we live: It is astonishing to think that Reasonable Men and Women professing they have immortal souls, living especially under the clear light and sunshine of the Gospel, who do not at all design nor endeavour to live to God, nor to live the life that they now live in the flesh by the faith of the Son of God, should foolishly fancy themselves to live, and fond flatter themselves in a golden dream, that they shall be well at death, and die in the Lord, and so be blessed with them that die thus; who rest from their labours, and whose works follow them; who enter into peace and rest in their beds, every one walking in his uprightness; O! fools Paradise; O! deplorable and damnable delusion. Who ever therefore would be, (as all of us are unspeakably concerned to be) undeceived as to this selfe-murthering and soul-ruining gross practical error and mistake, and seriously and sincerely desire to live so as they may have the well-grounded hope of dieing in the Lord, and of being truly blessed at and after their death; (without which it had been much better for them never to have lived at all, or to have lived the life of brutes, even of the most abject, vile, contemptible, and abominable brutes, which when they are dead are done, annihilated, and gone) Let them diligently peruse, and gravely ponder these few following Sermons, and pray for the blessing of them; The Design whereof (excellently driven by the Author, who did most edifyingly and exemplarly, most convinceingly and comfortably▪ live and die thus) is to rectify such miserable mistakes; and to airth right (which he doth by a most admirably divine art) towards the only sure and safe way of dieing happily, which is by living holily.  
I doubt not, Christian Reader, of thy having read several other Tractats on this subject, but I suppose thou hast hardly read any more solidly and succinctly, more pertinently, powerfully, and pungently written, and withal, more suited to the various cases and conditions of all sorts of Readers, than this. As for me, while I was revising these Sermons, and making them ready for the press, I was sometimes, as I still am, made to doubt (I shall not deny but my little acquaintance with other man's writings may considerably influence this doubt) whither any ordinary Minister of the Gospel, hath readily to this purpose handled so many notable purposes to better purpose, several of them surprising, yet all of them clearly dependant upon, and natively consequent unto, one another, in so few words.  
Read than this little Book (which is Mr. DURHAMS, from whose pen or mouth, no thing hath hitherto dropped into the press, that hath been unsavoury or unacceptable to the Churches of Christ) again and again, and digest it well, and I think I may with humble boldness say, that if thou shouldst read nothing else on this concerning subject but it, and what is written thereof in the book of the sacred Scriptures, (which in this and all the other purposes treated of in it, doth infinitely transcend all the writings of the ablest and holiest men in the world) thou mayst, through God's blessing, be sufficiently instructed thence, how to die the blessed Death of them that die in the Lord. Now blessed eternally be our blessed Lord Jesus who by his accursed, but most blessed Death, hath procured all this Blessedness that attends and follows the death of them that die in him; Who are all blessed and shall be blessed in despite of the Devil, of the World, and of the Remainder of Corruption dwelling in them till their dieing day; He himself hath pronounced the blessing on them, and who shall, who dare, who can reverse it? They are all blessed that live and die in the Lord, and none but they; all true blessedness is entailed upon, engrossed and monopolised unto, this honourable Society; Not a drahme-weight of it (to say so) being to be found all the World over beside; Whatever ignorant, deluded, and befooled men may fancy to the contrary. That thou mayst be found associated with this blessed Company, is the earnest desire of  
Thy Servant in the Gospel J. C.   


SERMON I  On Revel. 14. v. 13. And I heard a voice from heaven, saying unto me, writ, blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their Labours; and their works do follow them. 
THese words are singularly useful, material and momentuous in themselves, and it is not for naught that the Spirit of God puts such a mark on them, and that a special commission is given to john to writ them; we have therefore thought it meit to speak a word of them beyond what we can easily reach in the lecture, they including a truth so very concerning to us even the right way of dieing and the happiness that follows them that die in the Lord; blessedness hath in all ages been thought of and sought after by men, though alace many have sadly mistaken it, and the way how to come at it, here is the neirest step and door to it, even to die rightly and well, and that is to die in the Lord.  
That we may a little open up the meaning of the words we would consider that this verse set down by way of transition coupleth the two last parts of the chapter together; for when john hath spoken of the warneing and advertisement given to the world by the Ministers of the Gospel, ere he come to denunce Judgement for despising of the preached Gospel, these sweet words are interjected by a voice from heaven, written says he, blessed are the dead which die in the Lord etc.  
The scope of them than is this, since there were sad and doolfull days coming and Judgements were like to be very universal after God's beginning to reckon for despising of the Gospel, that he may both set out the greatness and terribleness of the Judgements and comfort the Godly against them, the Lord bids john written down this, that none who die in him neids to be afraid of them; as if he had said, though these Judgements that are coming will be very great and though many will be removed and sweeped away by them, and though withal the coming-calamities will be such that the Godly will be ready to think them happy that were taken away, yet notwithstanding, all these that die in me are blessed.  
There are 4 things considerable in this verse, 1. A preface, I heard avoice from heaven, saying unto me written, importing the weightiness of the matter and commission, for it is sent from heaven to john and he is bidden written it, it's a heavenly message sent by Christ to his Church and even to his Church in these times and days wherein we live. 2. A plain maxim, conclusion, or general doctrine laid down as a most certain truth, written sayeth he, blessed are the dead which die in the Lord, registrat and record this sayeth Christ, it hes been and shall be a most infallibly certain truth to the end of the world, let never so many confusions come and let Kingdoms be turned upside down, they are blessed that die in me. 3. There is a qualification of this truth not denying the universality of it, but seeming to apply it as especially verified in such a time, from henceforth, yea saith the Spirit. We cannot so expone these words as if the meaning of them were, that from the time of their death they are blessed who die in the Lord though that be a truth, 1. Because it agries not with the scope, these words being a diversion relateing to this time, and intended for a peculiar comfort to the Godly against the evils of Judgement coming in this tyme. 2. Because it will not agrie with the particle here used, from henceforth or now, (as it is in the original) to expone it so, for than it would have been said, from thenceforth, that is from their death forward; but it is from henceforth, that is now in this sad time that is coming; and if any should ask what shall be the singular happiness that these shall have who after this time shall die in the Lord? The answer may be drawn from the reason that is subjoined, which is the 4 thing in the text, that they may rest from their Labours and their works do follow them; this implieth a special tosseing and troublesome time coming, and says this much, that its very good to be in heaven ere that time come; and out of this reason we may see a threefold respect wherein their happiness that die in the Lord is applicable to this time, and they do all agrie to the scope. 1. They are freed from much tossing toill and trouble that the surviving godly would be involved in who should have a hard & toilsome life of it under the coming judgements (for the scope is to set out the greatness of the approaching judgements); and they are happy that are taken away from the evil to come, as Solomon says Eccles 4: 2. I praised the dead which are already dead, more than the living which are alive, meaning they are freed from these troubles vanities & vexations that the living were waited with; they are (as if the Spirit had said) freed from a toilsome and troublesome world, more so now and at this time than at other times. 2. They are happy in this respect that now when the Gospel is brocken out, they die with more confidence, being freed from the fear of purgatory, being clear in the matter of their salvation, and assured of their going immediately to paradise; and this is holden forth in the end of the words in that it is said their works do follow them; though they have no expectation to receive any thing by way of merit, yet it shall be well with them who have keeped a good conscience, for they shall eat the fruit of their do, as it is Isai. 3. for though God give not any thing to his people for their works, yet he rewards them according to their works, so proportioning his proceeding with them as nothing shall be found to have been done by them for him for naught; and this is a special part of their happiness, that they shall be freed from the anxiety that the darkness of these superstitious times keeped men under being now cleired by the light of the Gospel. 3. Compareing this with vers. 11. they are blessed that die now in the Lord after life and immortality are brought to light by the Gospel, because they are freed from the scroching hell that these got who worshipped the beast; now when the light is come are they not blessed who die in the Lord and are freed from that which they would have met with if they had not lived and died in him but in darkness and ignorance of him? And so the words say, that when the Gospel breaketh forth men must resolve to live and die in Christ, or to live and die in a more damnable condition than the heathens that lived before them without the Gospel.  
In this conclusion or general doctrine we have these three things employed, 1. Something common to all, and that is dieing, good and bad have that lot, all must die. 2. That there is a difference in dieing as to some, though death be common to all, and that is to die in the Lord, 3. That there is a peculiar effect or advantage to them that die with this qualification, and that is happiness or blessedness, and these two last imply that there are many who die not in the Lord, and that consequently they are accursed who neither live nor die in him.  
The general doctrine is plain and it greatly concerns every one to take notice of it, it were good that this text were engraven in deep & legible characters on our hearts that we may learn to reckon blessedness not so much from our life as from our living and dieing jointly together; be what we will in our life if we die not in Christ there is a great let and mancke in our happiness, a curse in stead of a blessing, and if this indispensiblie requisite qualification be in it, it entitles us to this blessedness, O! therefore let these plain words and the necessity of the doctrine speak home to you.  
First than it is employed here that there is a necessity of dying lying on all, for while it is said, blessed are the dead that die in the Lord, it says plainly that there is a sort of dieing that is in the Lord, and a sort of dying that is out of the Lord, and all sorts of men and women die one of these ways, as if he had said, would ye know who are indeed happy? It's not all who die, but such only as die in the Lord; ye know what death is, we need not describe it to you, and ye are disposed to think that this needs not to be proved that all must die, and we wish it needed no proof, however see 1. Heb. 9: 27. It's appointed to men once to die and Rom. 5. where it is said, that death hath passed upon all men and that death reigns over all men, verse. 12. and 14. And 2. it is certain from the cause of death, which is sin and Gods curse for sin, death is the wages of sin, and where sin is as the cause death must be as the effect, yea 3. it may be confirmed from near 6000 years' experience, wherein none that have been borne throughout all generations but they have died; we speak not of these extraordinar examples of Enoch & Elias who were particularly and singularly by the sovereigning dominion of God exempted from death, neither will we speak of what the Lord did to them in the place of death or for putting them in capacity to sustain immortality; Gods ordinary way of dealing with menis that which we are called to look to, it's enough that they▪ have put of mortality and put on immortality though we know not the manner and way; but look on the race of mankind and ye will found that these who lived longest died at last as Adam, Enos, Cainan, Mahalaleel, Iared, Gen. 5. and Methuselah who though he lived nine Hundreth Sixty and nine years yet died, and its said Eccles. 8: 8. There is no man that hath power over the Spirit to retain it, neither hath he power in the day of death: and there is no discharge in that war, neither shall wickedness deliver those that are given to it; there is no man that hath power to keep his soul in his body, there is no dimission or forloffe in that war, no way to escape death, the profanest man that puts death furthest of from him shall not shifted it; and seeing he takes it forgranted & all generations have proved the truth of it, we shall insist not further on the proof of it but come to the use.  
Use I It serveth to settle and fix the impression of the truth of this point deeply upon us, and withal to reprove our living so much from under and without it; alace we take general truths ordinarily for granted, but as for any suitable use or application of them in our practice we live for most part as if they were untruths; we live as mortal in respect of seiknesse, infirmities and fears, but we live as immortal in respect of the stayed thoughts of a world to come; let me therefore pose you in sober sadness, how often do ye think seriously of dying? When laid ye your reckoning solidly for it? When descended ye into your hearts to see how it would be with you at death? how often have you made your testament this way to say so? and when took ye your leive and farewell of the things of a world and laid them some way by, on this consideration that death will make a final separation betwixt you and them? Take these two or three evidences that ye do not indeed mind death and mortality. 1. The stupid security we generally live under and our great unwatchfullnesse sayeth plainly that we do not really mind death, if we were thinking on death would we be so careless in counting with God and so little afraid what will become of the immortal soul, and live as if there were not a life eternal, and as these of the old world did who eated and drank and never, to say so, once altered their pace? Ah! Is it not so with the most part now? Death lights like a falcon out of the air on the most part of men unawar, because this general truth is not practically believed, there could not be such deep and senseless security if there were serious thoughts and real belief of dying. 2. The great earthly mindedness and unsatiable coveting and lusting after the things of the world as if men were perpetually to abid with them, clearly and convinceingly speak out this, believe me, serious thoughts of dieing would much wean and estrange from these things; men alace seek after a happiness here in time as if they were to have ane eternal abode in the world, as that poor rich man in the Gospel did who brutishly said to his soul, soul take thee rest for thou hast much goods laid up for many years eat and drink & be merry; if men were on their wing looking for death, sure they would not thus glut themselves with these wordlie empty things, hugely disproportioned objects for satisfying the vast appetite of ane immortal soul which by its constitution is elevated to the capacity of an happiness of a higher and more excellent nature than these things can possibly amount unto; take this than for a palpable evidence of your Atheism and unbelief in this concerning point, and let the thoughts of death come in to bond and moderate your eager and inordinate pursuit of the world. 3. The great and intolerable pride and loftiness of men and women is a demonstration of this, if ye minded death in good earnest and believed that it were near even at the door, and that your breath is in your nostrils, it would make you humble in your walking with God and in your converseing one with another. 4. Little preparation for dieing and for the life to come, if there were no more says plainly and undenyablie that ye lay not death seriously to heart, which if ye did ye would be seeking more to lay up treasures in heaven and to be flitting (to say so) your affections thither and towards things above and to be casting your anchor within the veil.  
Use 2. In opposition to the former security and stupid unconcernednesse let me beseech you to mind this more seriously which is so certain & to take more pains to the prepareing of yourselves for it, eternity is long O vastlie and incomprehensiblie long, heaven and hell are matters of great unspeakablie great moment and consequence, when the master or goodman of the house is (to say so) laid down and hath shut the door there will thenceforth be no opening; it's now your summer, provide O provided for your long winter, its ill thrift to leave that which is of greatest concernment hindmost, and to put over the securing of your eternal state till the time of sickness & death, ye know not if ever ye shall get advertisement by any l●…inthened disease; and sickness will have much to do with itself, neither know ye but ye may be snatched away in a moment on the sudden, and believe it, it's no common thing to die well, and to have death as the entry and door to happiness.  
Therefore to stir you up seriously and timeously to mind dying that ye may not with the sluggard say yet a little sleep yet a little slumber, and yet a little folding of the hands to sleep, whereby the fool is slain, consider 1. that it will not be bore wis●… as that will make you die well, Balaam had many such wishes to die the death of the righteous and yet was nothing the better of them, spend not your days idly, trifle not away your time unprofitably, for death is always coming on and will not stay and wait for your preparation when it comes; seek therefore to be found in a watchful and praying frame, blest is that servant who when his master comes is found in that postour waiting for the coming of his Lord and ready to open to him immediately (or at the very first knock) as it is, Luke 12. vers. 36. O! Strangely Emphatic word! 2. Consider how few they are who at death are ready and how few they are who at death get the liberty and blessing to make themseluès ready; some I grant as one thief on the cross finds mercy, that none may despair, yet it's but one that none may presume, but that all may be alarmed to look well and watchfully to themselves; many will go to hell no doubt who will seek to enter into heaven and yet will not be able, a sort of whinging and youlling at death may be in very godless and Atheistical persons, because they did not begin in time to seek to enter, as the scope of that parable showeth; if ye heard the language of many in hell. O! How would they to the life preach this point? Bewar of dallieing and putting of the time, many that are there did ye hear them speak would readily say. O! That was our ruin and did undo us; but if the word of God do not affect you, nor work you up to the serious consideration of this though one should rise from the dead and preach to you, it would not affect you to any advantage. 3. Consider that the longer ye be of thinking on death it will be the terribler when it comes, serious and suitable thoughts of death before hand would do much to mitigat the terror of it, but when death comes violently and suddenly on you and finds you settled and sitten down in the world and will needs have you loosed and raised it is in that case indeed as the King of terrors, whereas if ye were dieing daily and by converseing with death came to have experience as it were of little deaths before hand, that would make death itself when it should come much more easy, if especially ye were dieing to your lusts and Idols, mortified to the world and to the things that are in it, death should have in that case but little to do when it came; for it is the cleaving of your hearts to these things and your being glued to them that makes death so terrible, for it will not tryst nor treat, but suddenly and inexorablie separate you and them. 4. Consider the longer ye be a beginning to mind your eternal state and to think seriously of dieing ye will have the more to do when death comes; O! There is much work about dieing even to these who have been thinking on it, how to get faith in Christ right, how to get themselves rolled on the everlasting covenant for salvation, how to be in a patiented calm and composed frame to encounter the terrors that accompanies death, how to be weaned from the world and to have their affections heavenly; sure the longer ye put of ye will have the more to do and will readily be the less able to do it; and is it wisdom think ye, to leave your greatest and most necessary work to your last, weakest, and unfittest time to go about it? Which yet alace is the lamentably foolish, demented, rueful, and soul-ruining practice even of many hearers of the Gospel; there is none of these things but it must be done before death or not at all; what's in the bargain or business than? O what is in it? It's not ten or tuentie thousand years' happiness or misery but ane eternity of happiness or misery in the greatest measure and highest degree that can be imagined; and should such a business be delayed and put of? And this is even it in the Text by which dieing in the Lord is so much commended.  
Now before I close this Sermon let me speak a word to what it is to die in the Lord, which is holden forth as the great and necessary qualification of them that die with well grounded confidence and warantablie expect happiness; and there are three Scripture-phrases that conduce very much to the opening up of it. 1. It implies a being in Christ as that word is, 2 Cor. 5: 17. If any man be in Christ be is a new creature, this holds out union with him by faith, when Christ openeth his arms and takes the soul in to himself which flieth to him closeth with, and cleaveth to him like a graft that is imped in the stock, or like the manslayer sheltered in the city of refuge; this is the first step and ground of happiness and it hath with it a new nature and a new life. The 2 phrase is Gal. 2: 21. I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me, and the life that I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the soon of God, and this is a step further, when a man by faith is fled to Christ & improves and makes use of his title to him and interest in him for performing the acts of life; this living in Christ or by the faith of Christ expresseth and holdeth forth a new nature and life in the acts of life in bringing forth the fruits of the Spirit, and makes the person indeed a Christian man or man-christian, doing not only the duties of religion, but all his moral, civil, and natural actions to Christ living thus Christian like, as spiritual and from the Spirit, as the word is, 2 Cor. 5: 5. Living not to ourselves but to him etc. 3. There is a dieing in the Lord here in the Text which follows upon the former; living in him is the way to happiness and dieing in him is the very door through which he entereth into the possession of happiness; now this dieing in the Lord presupposeth the former and hath somewhat more in it, to wit, as ane acting of faith for living in him, so ane acting of faith for dieing in him; it takes in; 1. a flying to Christ a fresh and of new for refuge, as it is Philip. 3. vers. 9 A seeking to be found in him, leaping as it were out of ourselves and betakeing ourselves to him as our ship to sail in through death to life, renunceing our own righteousness of new and closeing with his, yea and renunceing the very acts of our faith as they are acts. 2, It takes in a giving of credit to Christ for bearing us through death, acquiesceing in, and resting on him on that ground, sticking close by our gripes of him, being well content and satisfied to adventure to go thorough death in his hand, and having gotten a word from Christ resolvedly to keep the grippe of it, and with old Simeon to say now lets thou thy servant departed in peace; Lord I am content to take shipping, as it were, in Christ & in that bottom to sail throw the gulf of death when thou william. 3. It taketh in a humble quieting and satisfying of ourselves on this ground, not only delighting ourselves in him as alsufficient, but comforting ourselves in our thus resting on him & counting ourselves happy in it: something of all these last three we will found holden forth in these called the last words of David his swanlike song when he is going to die, 2 Sam. 23. vers. 5. Although my house be not so with God, yet he hath made with me ane everlasting covenant; here is the first step his betakeing of himself and flying for his life to the grace of God in Christ holden out in the covenant. 2. He goes forward and concredits himself to and contents himself in this covenant calling it a well ordered and sure covenant, able & sufficient to do his turn, O! it's a tied veshell that cannot have a leck, as if he had said, I may sail through death in it safely & not fear. 3. There is his delyting and satisf●…eing himself in it, his acquiesceing in it, this is all my salvation and all my desire it's all my heart can wish, its mensura voti, the very outmost measure of my wishes, I need not more & I desy●…e not more. Now when we speak of dieing in the Lord we would have you to take all these three steps together. 1. Study to be in him, there is no possible dieing in him without being in him, any that would be happy by dieing in him would by all means accept of the offer of the Gospel, flee to Christ for refuge & close with him by faith, and endeavour to put that out of question that ye are in him; O! Make it sure that thou hast given him a soul to save, and acquiesce in him as thy saviour. 2. Live by faith in him, there is none that can expect to die in Christ that never seriously sought to live in him, make it manifest that ye live in him by having another sort of life than brutish men still in their natural state have; God may call a thief on the cross and make him die in Christ that hes not lived in him, but none of you can comfortably expect that he will deal so with you, and where one is so dealt with, tuentie if not a Hundreth, even very many die without it: and let me say it if ever at any time God was striking men and women with stupidity at death, it is palpable he is striking many so in this time; it may be some of you may know Gods striking some with stupidity that made a mock of the serious exercise of Godliness in their life time; therefore I say again make your being in christ sure, evidence your being in him by your living in him & to him. We shall not insist further at this time on this subject, God calls us all seriously to think on it; sickness, smiteing with Judgements and death have not readily been more frequent, & if ever there was a time when folk were called to believe and lay to heart such a doctrine this is the time; it may be there are some here who ere a few days go by may experience the truth of it, and who knows who these some shall be? As ye expect happiness learn to die, and as to die in Christ so to live in him; and as the Lord bids john writ these words, so we bid you read them & think often on them, blessed are the dead, that die in the Lord, from henceforth saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours and their works do follow them.   

SERMON II.  Revel. 14: 13. Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord etc. 
THere is one thing common to all men and that is a natural inclination to, and ane appetite and desire after happiness or blessedness, but there are two things wherein the most part of men do exceidingly err; 1. In seeking blessedness where it is not to be found and in accounting that to be blessedness which is not so, but leaves them eternally miserable. 2. That when some glances of happiness and wherein it consists are gotten they grosslie mistake the way to come by it; these words give a notable description of true blessedness, and a clear direction towards the way how to come at it, they show plainly where it lieth, let the blind and prejudicated world esteem of it as they will, blessed are the dead which die in the Lord, that is only true blessedness which the dead in the Lord enjoy, and that's the only way to true blessedness, to be in Christ & to live & die in him.  
This is a most concerning subject and singularly suitable to our times; it being probably with respect to these times that the words are spoken, we shall therefore proceed to add a little to what we said the last day.  
The doctrine which we shall now propose and prosecute lieth plainly and obviously in the very words of the text, they are blessed and happy, yea they are only blessed and happy that are dead in the Lord Christ or shall die in him; a voice from heaven asserts it to john, and the Spirit adds a confirmation of it, yea says the Spirit, who is the Spirit of Christ and the Spirit of truth; we shall ere we proceed further in a word or two clear these things in the doctrine which are also in the words. 1. What this blessedness is? It is spoken of here as that which is singularly so, it's the only happy condition that can be truly thought of in all the world, it's even to be fully and compleitly blessed. 2. What is the necessary qualification of these persons who are pronounced to be blessed? It's not these that die, but these that die in the Lord that are thus blessed; and for cleiring of this beside what we said the last day we shall now add, that there are two sorts of dieing spoken of in Scripture. 1. There is a dieing in sin, if ye believe not in me, ye shall die in your sins, says Christ to the Jews john 8. vers. 24. and this implies two things. 1. Ye shall die under the guilt of your sins, and under the curse and wrath of God which ye deserve, before death, at death, & after death. 2. Ye shall die in a sinful estate in opposition to repentance for sin, ye shall slip away and be removed in that sinful condition, ye shall departed and go of the world in that sinful state, O sad & sorrowful departure! 2. There is a dieing in the Lord and this implies two things also just opposite to dieing in sin. 1. That persons in the sense of their sin have betaken themselves to Christ and are freed from the guilt of sin by faith in him and are clothed with his righteousness or with a right and title to it. 2. It implieth a breaking of of the course of sin, and the bringing forth the fruits of a new nature and life, by a liulie faith in Christ in whom as the true vine they are as so many branches grafted abiding in him and bringing forth fruit to him that his father may be glorified and they manifested to be his disciples john 15. Who as they have union with him by faith, so they have communion with him in the fruits of sanctification; these and these only are thus blessed, and this blessedness is restricted unto and entailed upon them only, and peremptorly denied to all others and they utterly excluded from it.  
In prosecuting the doctrine I shall, 1. Cleir the truth of this, that they are blessed, exceedingly blessed and only blessed who are dead or shall die in the Lord. 2. I shall offer two or three reasons proveing that this blessedness is peculiar to them and not to any other. 3. I shall speak a little to the use and improvement of it.  
For cleiring of the first, that they are exceedingly blessed that are dead or shall die in the Lord, we need to do not more but to describe happiness or blessedness, & we will found it exactly to agrie in all its propperties and circumstances to them that are dead or shall die in Christ; O! Sirs look not on this as a story or some airy notion, but as that which is a great reality, a thing which some of our Christian acquaintance dead in the Lord do now enjoy, and which others ere long shall enjoy, and that which by faith in him ye may all enjoy if ye prejudge not yourselves of it; there are two things necessary to, and constitutive of, true blessedness or happiness, 1. Ane absolute freedom from all evil, from every thing that troubles or may be the cause of trouble, and from any sinful unblamable or unsuitable defect or want, for happiness cannot consist or stand with any thing of that kind. 2. A concurrence of all the good things that are necessary to complete blessedness or happiness, both which are enjoyed by all these that die in the Lord and by them only.  
For the first part of it they that die in●… he Lord are perfectly freed from all evil, which holds true whither we look to it more generally or with more particular respect to the scope; they are freed from all these evils that ane evil time hath with it: to descend into the particular consideration of this blessedness would not be easy, let us only therefore look on some general heads to clear it so far forth as concerns t●…e present point. 1. They have freedom from all sin that is the fountain of all evils; the Spirits of just men are made perfect, before the throne no flesh or blood as corrupt is permitted to enter in there, no rebellion in the law of the members against the law of the mind is there, no remainder of the evil heart of unbelief in drawing a back from the living God, nor any wearieing of holy duties but a delightful serveing of God day and night, that is, without any the lest interruption, for there is not day and night, but constant day in that life, than O! Than is that petition so often put up to him in his people's prayers, thy will be done as it is in heaven, fulfilled, there is than a most perfect doing of is will, there his servants serve him, in such Spiritually noble state as he was never ●…erved by them on earth; this light, vain and unstable heart shall than be established and even fixed as ane immovable pillar in the temple of God, the looseness of a wavering gauding and wand'ring mind shall than be 〈◊〉 and for ever removed, and the thoughts of it so strongly stayed in the contemplation of that most blessed object that they shall not for so much as one moment be diverted, there will not than be any the lest inclination to, nor capacity of a diversion▪ O! What would some give (were it to be bought) for this part of happiness? even to be fully and finally delivered from a body of death and from the many si●…ull pranks of it, and the dangerous precipices it drives them upon? 2. They have perfect freedom from all tentations to sin, there doth not in that most clear and serene upper region breath the lest air of tentation, there is no tentation to sin from without as there is no inclination to sin from within and consequently there is a full freedom from all fear of hazard and danger o●… sinning, no unclean thing comes within the gates of the new jerusalem; sin and death & the devil being cast into the lake; there is no evil example there, but on the contrary if there were any need of stirring up, strengthening and encouradging one of another, it's there eminently; there is withal there a holy freedom from the difficulty that is in watching here, which though it be a requisite useful and necessary duty in sojourning saints yet it hath with it a painfulness and fear, from which the dead in the Lord even triumphing saints are perfectly freed. 3. They are freed from all challenges for sin, they have there no troublesome nor disquieting exercise of conscience, the immediate enjoyment of God's company so quiets and satisfieth them, that nothing can disquiet them; there they are under no desertion nor fear of desertion, and these are often two sad exercises to the godly here, the challenges of their conscience for sin, and the weights on their Spirits because of desertion; there is moreover no lukewarm nor any lyfelesse Spiritual condition there, but a condition always fresh, liulie and at the very best, they are continually praising in the sense of the love of God overflowing them in duty: the dead in the Lord must than certainly be in a most happy condition when they are freed from all these & from all fear of them. But 4. they are freed from all the effects of sin, there is no curse, no wrath, no sickness of body, no anxiety of mind there, no terror nor apprehension of indignation; no poverty no scarsi●…ie nor want to them of any thing there (how poor soever a life they may have here), but God is all and in all, he by himself immediately fills the room of all things, and fills up the vastest capacities of the soul; they are also freed from all the toss and troubles that are here in this lower world, there are no confinings nor fynings, no sequestrations nor forefaultures or hazard of loseing estates, no quarterings of soldiers to discompose the quiet and tranquillity of families there, which some would think a piece of happiness to be quit of; there is no reproach, no discredit nor disgrace there, but a new name given; there are no mistakes nor jealousies, no alienations nor animosities, no rents nor divisions, no unsuitable passiones nor heats there, but a most comely and compleit union and holy harmony in the praising of God, there is no darkness of mind there, the understanding being perfectly enlightened, no disorder in the affections, but a most exact regularity, no preversenesse nor backwardness in the will, but a most thorrow compliance in all things with the will of God, all within the man sweetly conspiring in a holy harmony & in a due subordination to the head; there is no scandal or offence given nor taken there; there is no sadning reports nor ill news there; nay its impossible there can be, since God order all immediately; and they approve all that he does, they applaud to, and are well satisfied with all; there are no overturnings of Kingdoms and states, nor confusions or desolations in Churches to mar their happiness there; but they being fully acquainted with the infinitely wise proceed of God, there is nothing that can mar their happiness, suppose they knew all these overturnings confusions and distractions that make us sad here below; they cannot be troubled with the want nor with the fear of the want of any thing, and thus they continued to be for ever and ever; yet this is but a little piece of their happiness that die in the Lord, how small a portion of it do we know?  
As to the other half of their happiness (and O! That ye knew and believed what the happiness is which they have that are now before the throne) we said in general that there is in it a concurrence of all good things necessary for making of them compleitly happy; and it must have these four things concurring to this end which are all in their estate who die in the Lord. 1. Ane enjoying of God the chief good, for no other thing nor person can communicate true happiness nor make one truly happy. 2ly. Because there cannot be ane enjoying of him without some suitableness to him, therefore a suitableness for the enjoyment of God is required, for we could not, we dow not fully and immediately enjoy God in the estate wherein we now are. 3ly. It requires full measures and degrees of enjoying God. 4ly. It requires a perpetual and eternal enjoying of him, and all their concur, as I said, to complete the happiness of them that die in the Lord. 1. They do fully enjoy God the chief good, look where Abraham is there are they, he is in the Kingdom of his father, & so are they, and therefore most happy; hence it is that Christ speaking of blessedness to his disciples he tells them that they shall sit with Abraham Isaac and jacob in the Kingdom of heaven, Matth. 8. vers. 11. they have places among them that stand by, Zech. 3. vers. 7. they see his face and are therefore happy, blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God, Matth. 5. vers. 8. when we speak of enjoying God, it is far very far above and beyond what we can express; it must sure be a great happiness and delight when the object of their delight is no created thing, but the infinite and alsufficient God, it must be a pure heavenly and excellent delight that flows from the enjoyment of God with whom is the fountain of life. 2ly. They are made meet and suitable to enjoy him in a full measure and in a high degree; if we would imagine man's understanding to be enlarged to conceive of God, and the enlargement of it to be very far beyond that which we can now Imagine or conceive, it shall▪ be thus dilated and filled; it shall than have a distinct and fully satisfying knowledge of the great mystery of the adorable trinity, as Christ assures his disciples, joh. 14. vers. 20. At that day ye shall know that I am in the father, the affections shall than be made capacious to receive & shall be filled and satisfied with delight in the enjoyment of that clearly and distinctly known object; it satisfies Angels and must satisfy the Spirits of just men made perfect, it makes them happy to behold and enjoy him, and the greatest happiness that the Scripture speaks of, is to be in Christ's company, beholding the glory that he hes gotten from the father; and if ye could suteablie conceive what condition David, Paul, and some that have gone a few years or months since into that blessed rest are in, it would make you long to die in the Lord, and would through grace put you to give all diligence in time to make that happiness sure. 3ly. As they are made suitable and meet to enjoy God in a full measure and high degree, so they shall enjoy him in a full measure and degree actually, there is no more desired nor desyreable, it is full glory and full joy, none can imagine or wish more, it being a thing to which there can be no accession made according to the capacity that they are put into; for though there be different degrees of glory and some conceive and receive more and some less, yet all are filled even filled with the love and loveing-kyndnesse of God with that fullness of joys and these pleasures that are at his right hand; and they have all this not in bore notions but most really and in ane incomprehensible way (to us now at lest incomprehensible) communicated to them. 4ly. This enjoying of God is perpetual and eternal, for ever & ever without interruption or intermission, it's not only a full but ane everlasting joy and glory, sorrow and sighing shall than for ever flee away, and everlasting joy shall be upon their heads for evermore, the crown is ane eternal and immarcessible one even a crown of life that is perpetually flourishing; yet all that we have said falls hugely short of, and as to our manner of expressing it, unworthy to be compared with the happiness of them that die in the Lord; if any of them heard us speak of their condition they would wonder to hear us do it so childishly, poorly, meanly & bauchly; O! That we could stretch ourselves to believe that which we cannot so distinctly conceive of this blessedness.  
The next thing I proposed to speak a word or two to, is the reasons why blessedness is peculiar only to them that die in the Lord and not to any others; I shall shortly hint at three, the 1. whereof is, because only they that die in the Lord Christ are made partakers of his satisfactione, and therefore they and they only are freed from the curse by believing in him, john 3: 36. He that beleiveth on him is not condemned but hath everlasting life, but he that beleiveth not is condemned already and the wrath of God abideth on him, john. 3. vers. 18. & 36. They that believe have gotten a discharge of their debt, the hand-writing that was against them is canceled; but they that believe not have the bond still standing over their heads, and they for their debt undischarged shall be hailed before the Judge and cast in prison where they must lie till they pay the utmost farthing which will never be done.  
2. Because they only that are in Christ and die in him are privileged with the adoption of sons, and consequently they only have right to heaven and eternal life, to as many as received him he gave power to become the sons of God, that is, to as many as believed on his name, Joh. 1. 12. And if sons than heirs and joint heirs with Christ, Rom. 8: 17. If we be not sons than are we not heirs.  
3. Because only they that live and die in Christ are new creatures, if any man be in Christ he is a new creature, 2 Cor 5. vers. 17. And in Christ jesus nothing availls but a new creature, Gal. 6: 15. Except a man be borne again he cannot enter into the Kingdom of heaven, John 3. vers. 3. And there being none borne again but they that are in Christ, and our regeneration and faith in Christ going inseparably together, none can be happy but these that live and die in him.  
We come now in the 3d place according to the method proposed to speak to the uses of this doctrine, which must needs have many uses being such a high point as holds forth the right way and the only way to true blessedness.  
The first use than is to put us all to be more seriously exercised how to die well, & that is to die in the Lord; seeing happiness and such a happiness depends on it, & only on it, than sure folks should be exceedingly concerned to walk by this middle, of dieing in him as they would meet with happiness at the end. There are many things that press this; as 1. if peace and tranquillity of mind and conscience be of concernment, than this is of concernment, for how can they possibly have peace that know not whither they shall go to heaven or hell? 2. If comfort in any thing or all things be of concernment, than this is of concernment, for how can man's sleep, meat, drink, apparel, or any thing they enjoy be comfortable to them if they know not that they are in him and shall die in him? This one word may mar all their mirth and happiness, that they that are not in him shall die miserable and so lo●…e all other comforts. 3. If it be of concernment to have boldness and confidence to god-wards at death, this is of concernment; for if death sadly surprise men how can they have peace, confidence or boldness since they are not in him? All the world cannot buy nor purchase a quiet and good conscience to them. 4. If we think heaven or happiness to be of concernment, than this is no doubt of concernment, for heaven and happiness are knit to dieing in him; and therefore let me in the name of the Lord lay it upon you, by all suitable means to endeavour to bear it upon your very hearts to have your peace with God made in time, that die when ye will, it may be made sure that it shall be in him; think ye that to be eternally in ●…e●…ven or in hell is of little concernment? It's your way of dieing that makes the difference, as the tree falls so it will lie; there will be no revocking of that sentence nor any change of your state after death; and knows any of you when it will come? Are any sure to get time or grace than to make peace with God when seiknesse and death comes? Are there not many stricken wish hardness, sensless●…esse and conscience benuming stupidity at their death? Remember therefore that death is coming and study to have this much in your eye.  
To prosecute this use a little and to reprove the great stupidity that the most part live in as i●… they cared not how they die, (for how live many grosslie profane and Atheistical men, as i●… they were to die like beasts? And now many presumptuous hypocrites are there, that think it a veri●… easy matter to die, yea that it is nothing; and how many are there who have frequent fears and convictions especially at death, who yet never come this length to make it sure on good grounds that their sins are laid on Christ, and to make it their great business to have their corruption mortified by his grace that they may die in him? And how many are there that have some good in them w●…o are very lazy and careless and who in a manner let death come as it will?) We shall seeing it is of such mighty concernment) press it on you by a familiar laying before you some things that are very ordinary to men and women at death▪ we look a●…ace upon death 〈◊〉 of, but we should bring it near to us and have it always before us, the neglect whereof makes folk very ordinarily to die as they live, and that's not well nor in the Lord: there are four cases or conditions that we most ordinarily meet with in the plurality of them that die. 1 We found some senseless and stupid without any fear of God or regaird to their souls, they lived a stupid life without all fear and awe of the majesty of God, and they die so, thus Churlish Nabal died as he lived most stupidly and senselessly; it might possibly be edifying though very sad to speak of the lamentable condition of some graceless persons that die among us; therefore put away senselessnesse and stupidity now along your life, as ye would not die senseless and stupid. A 2d sort of persons we meet with who have been p●…esumeing all their days, and will needs pertinaciously disput it out at their death that all shall be well with them; and though it may be palpably discerned that they are without all due sense of sin and utterly voided of grace, yet they will confidently aver that they be e●…ved all their days, and will not quit their deluding hopes that all shall be well with them now at death; O! Sirs think ye that to be a good condition, to die without sense of sin, and with wersh, teastlesse, lifeless and groundless apprehensions of mercy; dread therefore and deprecat presumption; O! But it's hard to get some of you convinced of it, and yet it is a special thing that keeps you from coming in good earnest to Christ. A 3d sort are these that die with some little challenges, and at the best with much doubting, and many fears who have had their own convictions fears and doubtings in their life, and yet never laboured in God's way, to be through in the matter of their interest in, and peace with God; they are afraid to die, and yet die they must, the faith they had mi●…gives them, and the strong apprehensions they have of wrath quite overturnes their confidence and hope, the just recompense of living in a doubtful and doubting condition without serious seeking after thorrow clearness; I grant this condition is somewhat better than any of the former two, and yet ane evil and dangerous condition to die in; words sp●…ken to them do neither satisfy nor settle them, for either they have little Judgement or tentations are strong and vigorous, or bodily infirmity is growing fast on them. There is a 4th sort of selfe-righteous persons, that please themselves with a hope of heaven, because they have been good neighbours, and lived harmlesslie, they were not grossly profane, they were not drunkards, swe●…rers, sabbath-breakers nor extortioners etc. But civil and honest, faithful and just in their deallings and their callings, they had prayer in their families and in secret, they waited on ordinances etc. And at death they confirm themselves from these grounds that all shall be well; we condemn not duties, God forbidden, but it's a sad and hazardous case when they are mainly laid weight on and stuck to at death; such selfe-justifiers are brought in by the Lord Luke 13. saying Lord we have eaten and drunken in thy presence &c whom yet he boasts away from him; see how the proud and selfe-justifieing Pharasie on such grounds as these is sent away unjustified Luke 18. folks habituating themselves to these grounds of confidence in their life-time makes them stick stiffly to them at their death, and keeps them from seeing the absolute necessity of Christ's imputed righteousness, and from fleeing to it for their justification.  
The 2d Use is of exhortation to stir up yourselves from these considerations to think on death more seriously, and how ye may die in the Lord; and to this end we shall propose three questions that ye would lay your account to be put to answer at death.  
1. Think how ye will answer the challenges that death will readily bring along with it and urge you for a satisfying answer unto, where there hath been a negligent life there will be many challenges, yea where there hath been a diligent life there will not be challenges wanting, ye would see how to prevent or answer these; I shall instance only in fyve of them. 1. When this comes, thou hast stifled many good purposes and resolutions, or suspended the conscientious execution and practice of them, thou hast delayed and put of from day to day the making of thy peace with God, how wilt thou answer that? When conscience gins to reflect and look back and to ask how is all? Is the house out of order through thy negligence? Tell me man what is the reason thou made not thy peace with God sure before this time? Didst thou shuffle by such and such a duty when thou wast called to it and when it was pressed on thee? Why didst thou forbear to mortify such and such a lust? Consider, O ●… Consider how ye will answer such a challenge when ye will not dar to adventure on death▪ and yet will not be able to put it of, O secure Atheists and contemners of Godliness consider in time what ye will say to this. 2. Another challenge will be this, the conscience will say thou hast been bussied in following after some vain Just, busy about the bigging of a house, about the gathering of some gear or richeses, about making conquest of such a piece of land etc. Now what will all these advantage thee? And what profit hast thou of all these things whereof thou art now ashamed? Why didst thou set thine eyes on, why bestowed thou so much labour and spent so much time and pains on that which cannot satisfy, on that which is not? What good will they than do to thee? It shall be said to thee, fool this night thy soul shall be taken from thee and than whose shall these things be; what advantage is there or can there possibly be in gaining the whole world if thou loose thy own soul? And O! What grounds of such challenges are there in this generation? A thing which when death comes will stick to and gnaw in the consciences of many of you that hear me this day, even that you have been cumbered and careful about many things while in the mean time the one thing necessary hath been postponed and quite neglected. A 3d challenge, the ground whereof is alace very common, will be, careless slothful and idle trifling away and mispending of precious time, and neglecting the great work of salvation, easy letting pass without improvement opportunities of getting good and doing good, when ye shall look back and ask yourselves what have we been doing in this our day? And the conscience will answer and say, ye were vainly discoursing or tippling or vaiging and wandering thorrow the fields bussied in doing nothing or worse than nothing, than ye will cry but in vain, O! To have some of these precious opportunities back again, that we thought little of when we had them; we have passed 30. or 40. years' time in the world, and yet are no surer of our salvation now than when we came into it, but we have much more sin and guilt than we had; Ah! Will some say we have lived 50. or 60. years and yet none of all that time hath been well spent. A 4th challenge will be, folks formality & hypocrisy in the worship of God, that they came to the Church to hear, but sleeped or wandered and were nothing careful to profit, that they sat down and prayed, but were not in earnest in it, never sought after the Spirit of grace and of supplications, it may be they prayed in their families, and in secret, but when the conscience looks back and sees that all hath been but formal and hypocritical work, that they knew not what communion with God was, they knew not neither cared to know whither their persons were accepted and their prayers heard, they studied not experimentally to be acquainted with the life & power of godliness, O! How sad will this be? And how will it all be goat answered? A 5th challenge will be abuseing of many means of grace, of many mercies and favours, such as Sabbaths, Sermons, Conferences etc. that ye lived not under heathenish or Antichristian darkness, but where the pure light of the Gospel shined clearly, that ye might have known the right way and would not, that ye might have made use of such ane Instrument, of such a Sermon, of such fellowship, of such a book etc. And it would have been better with you, but ye did not, ye would not; the conscience will say, here ye were negligent, there ye dallied, here ye wearied, and there ye sat up and gave over, and what can ye now answer for all? There are many in Glasgow and else where, that will meet with this challenge if not with God's Judgement for the sins whereon it is founded; as ye would die in the Lord, for Christ's sake, study to prevent such challenges, and to get them scored out by timeous turning to God in Christ and seriousness in the way of faith and holiness; for assuredly death will bring along with it many more and many other challenges than most have now while they live and are in health, they will prick & bit in ane other manner than quickly transient lighter touches of convictions do now.  
The 2d Question we would propose is, how will ye answer some peculiar tentations that death useth to bring along with it; for tentations are than more sly and subtle as challenges are more loud and peirceing, and the devil is than more than ordinarily busy, and if tentations be than yielded to, he hath almost win the cause; O! Consider how ye will answer these tentations; I shall only instance these fyve tentations that use to assault and set upon folk at death; the 1. is a tentation to fretting against God's dispensation in removeing and calling away a person at such a time and under such circumstances, which fretting floweth from a unwillingness to die; O! As enmity will be ready to burst out in being angry at God's chopping by death at the man in the midst of such a design and project or before he got such a bargain ended, such a purchase made, or such a child provided for etc. And if the devil prevail by this tentation to fretting and repining at divine disposal, it will mar the fruit of any thing that might be than expected, and will further estrange you from God that ye cannot come near him, and yet O! How rife is such a tentation? Study to walk therefore in a sweet pliableness and readiness to die, for if ye go on following one design after another, and one wordlie business after another without this study, ye will be taken unawarse suddenly surprised in the midst of them as many are, and be in eminent hazard of being prevailled over by this tentation to fretting and grudging at deaths arreasting though by the great and righteous Judge his order. A 2d tentation is to Atheism, for as folk have lived in Atheism, so the devil assaults them by tentations to Atheism at their death, to make them despise death and desperately to harden themselves against it, and with a profaine and damnable sort of delicacy Agag like to throw themselves into the pit; hence many desperate souls who as they tushed along their life at the thoughts of death, so when death comes they trouble not themselves with it, but shake of all fear and study a sort of godless gallantry of Spirit, and seeing they must die they will die, and will not so much as seem to regaird it; but will ye that way outface the wrath of God and dar to laugh in takeing the cup of his indignation in your hands? It is true, I grant it is a piece of God's dreadful justice that these who have not stood in awe of him in their life, should die Judicially hardened, but such will meet with a most fearful wakening after it. A 3d tentation is to presumption and hypocrisy, which prevaills especially with civil and formal professors, that dow never abid to be evened to hell, nor could ever endure to be called natural folk; as such did presume and were hypocritical in their life, so the same tentation sticks to them and prevaills over them at death; and they will it may be, speak something of the consolations of God with their mouths when they have no feilling of them in their hearts, and of faith in Christ when yet they never knew the real exercise of it, and will need like the foolish virgins go forth with the wise to meet the bridegroom keeping their lamps till their very death; that same principle of Hypocrisy that made them dissemble in their life will make them speak many good words for a name at their death; therefore beware of it, hunt not after a name of religion, and affect not to be accounted and to be called somebody, but seek to be sincere, to be really that which ye seem to be, and when ever a challenge comes for this, rather entertain it and make some good use of it than shake it of, for though ye could pass away undiscovered by man, God will found you out and discover you; and often not a few of such persons make such discovery of themselves, that a discerning eye will see them in their own colours; always I say take notice of it as a mighty tentation, when folk take more pains to faird and paint their condition over with fair words and shows, than to be real before God, and be upon your guard against it. A 4th tentation is to conceit of self-righteousness, and which even some holy men at their death have been more troubled with than any other tentation, and it prevaills much with formal professors (such as the Pharasies' were) who as they lived in conceit of it, so readily it cleaves to them at death, such will be ready to say, I thank God I keeped the Church, I was never heard with my neighbours, I dealt truly and Justly with all men, it was God's goodness to me, I was ay on the right side, I read, prayed, keeped the Sabbath etc. These are good in themselves I grant, but not to be laid weight upon and lippened to neither in life nor at death as the main foundation of salvation and consolation, therefore guaird against it as a tentation when ever Satan comes to speak a good word to you in order to merit or deserving. The 5th and last is a tentation to doubting yea to desperation, which is not so frequent I grant, yet it prevaills with some who have lived it may be very secure in their life, and when death comes the devil says, ye have never sought God in earnest all your days, and now time is gone the door is shut ●…e will not hear you, this may through grace be answered and it would not be strengthened by refuseing the offer of God's grace even than, especially if God call thick, to say so, and some of the senses it may be begin to fail and to be taken away.  
The 3d and last Question is to inquire at you what think ye will be your thoughts at death? And I shall draw forth this also into four or fyve; 1. What will ye than think of the world, of all its pleasures, gains and honours? In health and prosperity men have big and high thoughts of this and that vanity, project and design▪ but what will ye think of all outward prosperity, and of barns full of corn, of cellars full of wine, and of houses full of wealth and ric●…es, of high places, honours, credit and repute in the world when death comes to summoned you to leave them all? The mind will not feed upon them than, the glory and splendour of them will than grow dim and dark, they will than loose their blossom and flower, the teast and sweet relish of them will than quite vanish; hath not the experience of many men who did sweem in pleasures and abound in wealth and honour, verified the truth of this? Have they not found all than to be but vanity and vexation of Spirit, and have they not some times proclaimed them to be so? Yea even it may be before death when under some great pain or sickness or some quick and sharp challenge of conscience; all the man's richeses, pleasures, and honours could not than ease his mind. 2. What will be your thoughts of the cheiffest grounds ye have to build your peace on now? Ye can presume now and have no doubt of your Salvation, but at death your grounds will be narrowly sifted, and in stead of a solid assurance, ye will scarce get a harleing thought of it, to say so, in stead of faith ye will readily have doubting, and for hope ye will have fear; how many at death have been made to think and even to say, they have been but beguileing themselves? and will not many of you, if God prevent not, think and say so? when ye begin to look on eternity and God's Justice, and to found that many things ye have leaned unto, will not than abid the trial nor be able to bear the weight of your soul's salvation, nor to answer the challenges which they answered, as it might be, in health; Hence is it that many at death will cry for a Minister and for Prayer, that cared little for their Company and for that duty along their life, and when the Minister is come they will than tell him they can do nothing, and indeid they can do nothing till grace friely give both to will and to do, but this bids you beware of putting of till death. 3. When ye draw near your latter end, and death comes to sit down on your eye lids, when the eyes and ears begin to fail and eternity stairs you in the face (for I suppose the persons to have still the exercise of their Judgement) what will be your thoughts than? may we not Imagine the thoughts of many will be like these of the poor Heathen Emperor Hadrian, who bespoke his dislodging soul thus, O poor soul whither art thou going? And think with yourselves what ye would give for a Sabbath than, for one Sermon than, and when relations and neighbours will be weeping about you and ye groaning under a burden of sin and fear of wrath, and also of pain and sickness, and feign would ye stay but ye may not, the soul must go and not one hours' delay will be granted, what think ye would ye give than, and at that hour to be suffered to come back again, and stay a while here? and yet that hour is not far of from many of you, from some not a year, from othersome it may be not a Month yea possibly not a week. 4. What think ye will be the condition of the soul when it goes out and dislodgeth from the body, and when the sentence shall be passed, and when Legions of Devils shall harle and drag the soul away to hell the place of Torment that was thinking to go to heaven; what think ye will be the thoughts of such a soul that in the persons life-time would have disdained & stormed to hear a Minister or any other eiven it to hell, when it shall be thus unexpectedly seized on and hurried thither? Do ye think Sirs that there are no souls in hell, or that few or none at all are in hazard of being there eternally? If ye will deny neither but grant both, do not than think ye, all they infinitely wrong themselves who securely drive over their time and think not seriously on their dieing in the Lord? which is the scope of all: This Doctrine lays before you Life and Death, Heaven and Hell, if ye live and die in Christ, ye shall get life and be eternally blessed, but if ye live and die in your sins in stead of life ye shall without all doubt meet with death, and such a death as ye heard of in the Lecture, a death that hath the Wine of the Wrath of God without mixture in the Cup of his Indignation, and torment even eternal Torment without any the lest intermission or mitigation, whereby ye will be made everlastingly most miserable. Lastlie, is it not think ye of your unspeakablie great concernment to think seriously on your living and dieing in the Lord before death come? Let me but put this one question to you; what will be the thoughts of many in Hell, who have gotten fair warning of this ere it come? many of you if grace prevent not will than remember better on this preaching than you will do a day or two hence, ye may reject and beaten back a word now, but ye will not get it beaten back than, but it will take hold of you, it will gall and torment you, the Prophets do not live for ever, says the Prophet Zacharie Chap. 1. but the Word of the Lord will live for ever, it will take hold of them that despised it, it will take them by the throat, as it were, and make them gasp eternally; The Lord graciously knock hard at your hearts by this so concerning a truth, that it may have access to you, and keep you from slighting of it; Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord, they rest from their labours and their works do follow them.   

SERMON III.  Revel. 14: 13. Blessed are the Dead which die in the Lord, etc. 
THere are some things of such concernment to us that if we go suteablie, seriously & singly about them, we can be hardly too much in them, and therefore these four things that are called man's last things, Death, judgement, Heaven and Hell, have been so frequently recommended to Christians as the most constant subjects of their Meditation; and among them all, death aught to have the first place in order at lest, it being the door whereby we enter into Judgement, and as men die so they shall rise and may expect a final decision and sentence from the Judge about their eternal state, & the Spirits casting in this to divert john and the Reader a little from following the series of the History, does put a commendation on it, and says that it is no digression, for his People to bestow some serious thoughts on it.  
The last thing we spoke to was a Doctrine from the words as they lie, that they and they only are blessed who die in the Lord; now ere we further prosecut the main uses of the Doctrine we shall speak a word to that which is manifestly employed here, and it is this, that as they are blessed who die in the Lord, so they are exceedingly miserable that die out of him in their sins; for the affirming of the one implies and supposes the other; and it might follow on the former Doctrine as ane use, however it's clearly in the words and commends dieing in Christ to you all, and serves to stir you up to be serious to make that sure, and therefore we exhort, beseech, and obtest you to count it of concernment even of the greatest concernment unto you, it is to you Men and Women that we speak and not to walls, to timber and stones, sleep not neither let your minds vaig and wander, for we are speaking the words of truth, that many of you may be made to found the truth of too late.  
In prosecuting this Doctrine, we shall speak a little to the cleiring of both the branches of it, and than come to the use. The first branch is, that there are many that die not in Christ, this is clearly employed in the words; It's looked on as a rare thing in the spreading of the Gospel after the reign of Antichrist to found People dieing in the Lord, he is a rare so a happy man that dies in him. The second branch of it is, that be who they will that die not in him but die out of him in their sins, they die exceeding miserably; we shall confirm the first, and than speak a little to the explication of the second.  
For the first, that there are many that die not in Christ, it appears from Matth. 7. vers. 22. and from Luke 13. verse, 24. These three will confirm it abundantly; 1. the plain words of Scripture where Christ speaketh of Heaven as having, for coming to it, a narrow way & a straight gate so that few enter in thereat, and of Hell and Destruction as having a wide gate and a broad way into which many enter, and when he speaks of the day of Judgement, he says, many shall come to him in that day and say, Lord, Lord, open to us, to whom he will say departed from me I never knew you, and he will set the goats on his left hand and sand them thence into everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels; these Scriptures speak not only of such as are without the Church, but also if not mainly of many visible Professors, yea even of such as preached in his name, and yet say of them that they die not in Christ. 2. If ye will look to the ordinary connexion that is betwixt men's living and dieing, ye will found that the way of the most part of men declares plainly that they die not in the Lord; for as we show, men's being and living in Christ must preceid their dieing in him, before they can die in him they must needs be in him; we do not say that all must be and live so many years in him before they can die in him, but that they must be sometime in him before they can die in him, and that they must live and put forth some acts and breathe of a spiritual life, of the life of Faith in him, if it were but a few words to God's glory and for others edification, or a few sighs, groans, and looks to him; as we may see in the thief on the Cross though his time was very short; And if this being and living in Christ must preceid dieing in him, if ye compare it with the most part of your lives, Ah! how sad a prognostic gives it, of what is like to be your way of dieing? How many are there of you that live still in black nature and were never borne again? If I could class the lives of the most part I would essay it. 1. How many are living like Atheists not calling upon God at all, casting of fear and restraining Prayer before him? And as these live so they die for the most part either securely or desperately. 2. How many live in formality and never knew what it was to mortify the Flesh, or sincerely to aim at the power of godliness, and yet sayeth the Holy Ghost Rom. 8: 13. If ye live after the flesh ye shall die, but if ye through the Spirit mortify the deads' of the body ye shall live; if grace be not in the heart and Kith not at all in the conversation, ye cannot warrantably expect to die in Christ; except a man be borne again he cannot enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, this is a large and great class and takes in all that live and die as they were borne, and seek not after another life than that which they brought with them into the World. 3. How many are there that have some outward fairding and paint and yet have no reality of Religion within? Whereby they mock God and dissemble with Men: It is to such that Christ speaks John 8. 21. and tells them that they shall die in their sins, and against this sort of men he denounceth many woes. 4. Are there not many that live without Faith in Christ? Without which they cannot possibly please God neither living nor dieing, and shall be damned if they continued so, for sayeth the Lord John 3. v. 18. he that believes not is condemned already: Now when all these Classes are laid aside, there will be but few behind; all which proves abundantly the truth of the thing, and that there is but too good ground to think that there are many, very many who die not in Christ. A third ground of confirmation of this sad truth may be drawn from the ordinary way that the most part die in, and pass out of time into eternity; O! how many die securely, stupidly and (as we said before) senselessly, and are not more affected with the thoughts of the immortality of their souls than if they had none at all? How many die presumptously confident? how many found their faith of dieing well on wrong grounds? how many die doubtinglie not knowing what shall become of them? And how many die desperately? So that (alace) there are but few among us that close their eyes like dieing Persons in Christ; and though we will not be peremptour in passing Judgement upon, or in censureing of particular persons as to their final state, yet all this shows that it is no very common nor ordinary thing to die in the Lord.  
As for the second branch of the Doctrine, to wit, that these who die out of Christ in their sins, die in exceeding great misery, It is also very clear, for as the happiness of them that die in Christ is unexpressibly great, so the misery and unhappiness of them that die not in him is also inexpressible, for they are excluded and shut out from God and from all good, and have his wrath, his furious indignation, and his most sever Justice persueing them for ever and ever; we shall only consider it briefly in these two generals; 1. They are put out and secluded from the greatest happiness that can be Imagined, and that in all the degrees of it. 2. They are concluded and put under the greatest misery that can be conceived, and that in all the degrees of it. 1. I say they are shut out from the greatest happiness, and that is, from the fellowship of God who is the chief good, from converseing with the Lamb, glorious Angels and Saints, they shall not have one Saint in all their Company, there is not nor shall be the lest evidence of the love of God among all the thousands in Hell, not one drop of cold water to cool the tongue of any of them who are tormented in these fiames, they have judgement without the lest mixture of mercy, jam. 1. 13. and that for ever without intermission; they shall never have the lest glimmering of light nor the lest slaiking or mitigation of their pain, they shall have no rest night nor day; and which aggreageth all even to the very height and extremity, they have no outgate nor hope of it, but lie in utter desperatione under that felt eternal torment; it would be some lightning to the damned in Hell if their torment were to continued but for some thousands of years, yea or but for some millions of thousands of years, as poor Spira said, that it would have been a comfort to him if Hell had been but for twenty thousand years; but it is for ever. And 2. If we look to the other part of it, they are in this hopeless condition under the greatest misery drinking for ever of the Wine of the wrath of God without mixture in the cup of his indignation, which shall be both their meat and their drink; and their company shall be the Devil and his Angels; O! that we were serious in speaking and hearing and thinking of these things; the Odds and Difference is both great and strange, in stead of shareing in the Glory of God, of Christ, and of his Angels, to be shareing of the Torment of the Devil and his Angels; If it be a very evil, nay the very worst condition, for a Person to have enmity at God in the height, and to have God ane everlastingly irreconciliable enemy furiously persueing his quarrel, though without all passion in him, yet with wondered horror in the person that is thus plagued, It cannot sure be told to the full, how inconceavably evil and miserable their condition is that die out of Christ, nor what the hazard is that many of you are in, in reference to it.  
The first use of this is, for exhorting you not to think it of light or little concernment how ye die, nor a thing unworthy of your most serious and painful endeavours to be made sure on good grounds that ye shall die in him; if it be of great concernment to get heaven and to escape hell, to be 〈◊〉 God's company and not in the devils for ever, to have love and not hatred to God for ever, and to have God's love to you & not his hatred for ever (for death casts the balance); set, O! Sett yourselves seriously to obtain the one and eshew the other; and there is no way to win at it but by being, living, and dieing in Christ.  
A 2d use, serves wonderfully to check and reprove the senseless secure multitude that have the common profession of the faith of these things, and yet are utterly careless to have this most concerning question clearly, distinctly, convincingly, and satisfieingly answered, whither they shall die in the Lord? Certainly there are many of you when your souls shall dislodge that will found yourselves exceedingly mistaken in this matter; O! If we could pity and lament over the lamentable condition of many of you who are so senseless, stupid, and unconcerned, that what ever is spoken of the life to come and of the necessity of making your peace with God through Jesus Christ, it is as if it were spoken to so many stocks or stones as to any suitable effect it hath upon you, for who of many of you quit their profaneness, formality, hypocrisy, and security? Who through grace mends any thing faulty and amiss? Or sets more timeously and seriously about the learning of this great lesson of dieing in the Lord? The supine, lazy, and gross neglect of all which, bids you look for and lay your account to meet with the deeper, sorer, and sader challenges at your death and appearance before God's terrible tribunal.  
But it may be asked here, what is the reason that so many die out of Christ? How can this be, seeing they have no happiness, but so much and so great misery by it? How cometh it to pass that so many take the one way of living and dieing out of him, and so few choice the other way of living to him and of dieing in him? To insist long and at large in answering of this question would lead us to give reasons why men eat and decline the study of holiness and will be profane, why they despise the Gospel and embrace the world and their lusts; but to leave such generals we shall speak a word or two more particularly and clossly to this, why it is that so few die in the Lord? And the 1 Reason is this, because the faith of these general truths that there is a heaven and a hell, a life eternal and a Judgement to come, is scarcely received by the multitude of the hearers of the Gospel, yea the very faith of their own dieing in particular (though they know they will die and though experience may teach them the same daily) sinks not into their hearts; who are they that believe practically and with particular application that they will die and come to Judgement, and that they shall be put into ane eternally unchangeable condition after death? And if this be not indeed believed than to allude to the Apostles words 1 Cor. 15. our preaching is in vain and your faith is but vain; that these things are not really believed we hinted before when we began to speak on their words, and the practice of most undenyablie proves it; for though all in word profess they believe that they will die, yet who are they that on the matter mind not to outlive this day, and the next day, and the day following and so on? So that in effect it turns to this, they would live eternally here; and this is a root-evil or ane evil root that destroys many souls; most people are like to these spoken of in the days of Noah, Math. 24. eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, suffering one day to come and another to go till death come and surprise them ere they be awar, and than are they confounded and put through other, to say so, with the very first thoughts and appearances of it: if men were seriously thinking on death and Judgement and a particular reckoning with God and were really believing these things, is it possible they would thus delyt themselves in their sinful lusts and pleasures and have their affections so glued to a present world? Not certainly, the thoughts of death and Judgement would put gall and wormwood in these things and embitter them. A 2d reason may be drawn from people's gross mistakes about the right way of dieing, they take dieing in the Lord to be quite another thing than indeed it is, for even as folk mistake all other duties, so they mistake this, they take that for repentance, for faith, and for holiness, which is not repentance, nor faith, nor holiness indeed; so they take that to be dieing in the Lord which is not dieing in him: and here we shall touch on two or three things which we conceive many take for dieing in the Lord wherein yet they are exceedingly mistaken. 1. They think if they can die without any public scandal or known sin▪ or without challenges, and if they can get their presumptuous conceit and good opinion of themselves kept up to their grave (as if it were enough to say Lord Lord open to us) and if they can go away calmly and quietly like these spoken of, Psal. 73. vers. 4. Who have no bands in their death; that than they are well enough and die well, but this is a great mistake. 2. They trow they die well if they die with a sort of hope that it shall be well with them, and for this they will toughly debeat, and when Christ comes and tells them they are beguiled they will hardly trow him, but rather as it were allege that he is mistaken and they are not the men, what? Have we not eaten and drunken in thy presence, have we not heard thee preach in our streets, have we not been at many preach and communions? We have always had a good hope towards God and why should we now fear death? O! The strong presumption that some die with? And this is another great mistake. 3. Some think if they can die after some prayers and convictions and that which they think to be repentance, all will be well, these things indeed if they were real, were good; but how many play the hypocritegregiously in them? There are not a few that fancy they have the grace of repentance because they have some sadness for sin, or some little anxiety or a few challenges, who yet never took seriously with the corruption of their nature, and the quarrel that God hath with them on that account, Nor ever fled to Christ for refuge, but go away in their fit of carnal sorrow, and this is another great mistake. 4. Some lay down a mould of religion of their own, and if they have a civil life with men, and some formality of Religion towards God, they think themselves well enough; how many such are there who thus breck their neck at death? O! sad mistake.  
A third cause of folks not dieing in Christ may be this, that there are many who have some right thoughts and apprehensions of dieing well, but they never seriously endeavour to bring them to practice, they seek not to have their practice answerable to their light, they in effect make a prisoner of their light, by putting a guard of corrupt affections about it; for either they take ane absolute dispensation to themselves, as to some particular lust or sin, or a liberty for such a time, & when that time is by they intent to quite & abandon such a lust and to think on death, but they will not quite it yet, nor prepare themselves for dieing; they must needs first have their families in such a postour, they must have their children, or such a child provided for & disposed of, they must have such or such a business put by their hand first; not knowing or not considering that this hardens them and that they daily become further slaves to such things, and that Judgement may suprize them unawares, before their time come; there are many that will not deny but a strict way of holiness is requisite, but they dow not, they cannot prevail with themselves to fall about it yet; and are like that ill and slothful servant who because the Lord delayed his coming, went to eat and drink and to take his pastime, but his Master comes in ane hour when he is not looked for, nor the servant awar, & on the sudden appoints him his portion with Hypocrites; Ah! is it not thus with the most part, who if they get such a sickness put by or such a cross dispensation over, they think that Christ will bid a while longer, and so still they put of till it becomes too late.  
A fourth cause may be this, that few are serious in going about these things that concern death, or in minding what will be their own case at death, few very few make conscience to examine themselves and to search their bygone ways, and therefore they know not their hazard; and among the many advantages of selfe-examinatione this is a special one, that it notably fits, through God's blessing, for dieing in the Lord, whereas when it is neglected, souls are keeped still securely sleeping and accounts lie over uncleared and unadjusted, they neither distinctly know their danger nor their need of the remedy; all their Prayers are by guess and at hap hazard, as it were, neither can they comfort themselves in any duty they go about; we name these things not only that ye may know them, but that ye may eat them, and that ye may withal learn to draw some directions and duties out of them for your practice.  
We come now to a third and main use of the general Doctrine, seeing it is of such concernment to die in the Lord, as it hath eternal happiness depending upon it, let all of you seriously set yourselves to fall about such a way of living, as when death comes ye may die in him; As ever ye would attain to this happiness and eshew this misery whereof ye have been hearing, take I say, such a way of living as death may found you in him.  
To cleir and press this a little I shall speak a word to these three things; 1. Somewhat further to what dieing in the Lord is; 2. To some rules or directions that all, who would solidly comfort themselves in the hope of dieing in the Lord, would make use of, and walk by, in their life. 3. To the necessity of takeing these directions and walking according to them, even as ye would have the comfort of these that die in the Lord; and of doing this speedily without delay or dallieing.  
For the First, we shall not insist in it having touched on it a little before; what we would say of it now, we shall briefly sum up in these two; 1. To some things that are in the affections that accompany a person that dies in the Lord, or in some propperties that go along with it. 2. In something of the grounds that these flow from.  
For the first, there are these three things or propperties that go along with dieing in the Lord, or with them that die in him, that are exceedingly desyrable; 1. A dieing willingly and cheerfully, not going to death as to a prison, but as through a trance to a palace, It's a dieing as old Simeon died, Luke 2, Now (saith he) lettest thou thy servant departed in peace for mine eyes have seen thy Salvation; though death be the King of terrors, he heasteneth to it; or it is a dieing as Paul died, who desired to be dissolved and to be with Christ, as being best of all, 2. It is a dieing with holy confidence and boldness, not with fear and terror or anxiety, doubtfully disputing what will become of them, but being confidently assured of a mansion in Heaven; We know, saith the Apostle, 2 Cor. 5. v. 1, 2. if the earthly house of this tabernacle be dissolved, we have a building of God ane house not made with hands eternal in the Heavens; for in this we groan earnestly, desyreing to be clothed upon with our house which is from above; being confident that at death his happy condition was but as it were beginning; to die in Christ makes a man to set himself boldly against death and all its terrors. 3. It's a dieing not only with peace and quietness but with complacency and satisfaction, and even so that if the soul had its wish it desires no more, the man does not fret nor complain that he is taken from a good and plentiful estate, from a fine and commodious dwelling, from friends & relations, from honour and repute in the world etc. but he dies with contentment being fully satisfied with his right and to-looke to the fair inheritance above, this we may see in David, who sweetly says & sings, 2 Sam. 23. 5. This is all my salvation and all my desire, although he make not my house to grow: and therefore he will Ps. 23. walk resolutlie through the Valley of the shadow of death and fear none evil, because the Lord is with him: and indeed it is no small matter to die these three ways, willingly, cheerfully, confidently & boldly, and with quietness, contentment, and satisfaction. But secondly, the grounds that these three flow from do mainly answer and determine the question, for it's not a counterfeit willingness, nor a natural boldness or manliness of Spirit, nor a carnally secure peace and quietness flowing from senselessnes, but such willingness, boldness, & quietness as come and flow from these 3 pregnant grounds: 1. From peace with God through Jesus Christ, the soul having really fled for refuge to Jesus Christ and committed itself to him; faith says, that is a good, sure, thorough, and everlasting bargain, & so the man rests on it and hath peace. 2, From a good conscience giving a good testimony, which is ane excellent ground to come before God's Judgement with; the testimony of a good conscience either in respect of ane endeavoured blameless life, or if the man have not so a good conscience in that respect, but many failings and so many challenges, yet he hath a good conscience in respect of its being sprinkled with the blood of Jesus, through whom all his failings and transgressions are pardoned, which also takes in a good conscience of sincere endeavour to study holiness. The third ground is, a liulie and distinct frame of Spirit, whereby faith hath some present acting on Christ, and on the everlasting Covenant even in death, that the soul is by and by to meet with; we will not say but there is a difference amongst their three; the first of them is simply and absolutely necessary; and the second is necessary also in one of the two forementioned respects; the third may not be always necessary (for a beleiver may die in the rage of a fever, in a fit of high distemper, or in a stupifieing palsy) yet it is always to be pursued and sought after, with submission to God's blessed will, and it conduceth much to the beleivers confidence and comfort, to have some present actings of faith in a distinct way on Christ and on the Covenant of grace.  
I suppose now that this is such a sweet condition to die in, as there is none of you but would desire to be in it at your death; but let me say it, the most part takes not the right way to attain it; therefore in the second place let me speak a little to these rules and directions that ye must needs seriously, and in the strength of grace endeavour to live by, without which ye cannot with well grounded confidence promise' to yourselves these comforts at death, and the blessedness that follows it.  
And for the more clear prosecuting of this, I shall first, in a word put by that which is not the way of dieing in the Lord. And than secondly, I shall at greater length propose to you the way wherein ye should walk, in order to the attaining of this desyreable end.  
First than, it is not the way of dieing in the Lord, to die in external quietness, and with all our friends about us, or in a sort of calmness with little pain or sickness, many heathens, many carnal and civil men, and many hypocrites, have died that way; It's but a common outward thing, and many may, and do slip quietly into the pit. Nor 2. Is it to be much taken up with bore wish and desyreing to die so, nay nor with some esteime of dieing in the Lord, it is good indeed in so far, to wish and desire it, and to esteime of it, but Balaam who had a most miserable exit, and made a very wretched end, came that length, Numb. 24. and yet this is a great part of many folks Religion, yea, the almost all of it, who it may be will now and than commend it when in a good mood. Nor 3. is this the way of dieing in the Lord, to have some coldrife Prayers to die so, and to be good friends with God, as we use to speak, there are none so graceless but seeing that they must needs leave the world, would rather be in Heaven than in Hell, and will readily have some general desires after it, and words of Prayer for it, but that will not do the turn, for many will seek to enter, that shall not be able; Luke 13. v. 24, many will pray to be taken to Heaven that neve●… walked, neither loved to walk, in the right way to it; Nor 4. Is this the way of dieing in the Lord, to be takeing some pains in the externals of holiness, to be hearing preach, and frequenting Communions, if that be all, it will not do the turn neither: It will not be sufficient that ye heard Christ preach and sat at one table with him; halfeing of holiness is no holiness, to be almost a Christian will not make a Christian indeed, there is a necessity of being a Christian altogether; to have half holiness, and to be almost a Christian only, will be but to be half saved, and that will be indeed no salvation, but will period in eternal damnation, and so cannot be dieing in the Lord. Nor 5. Is it to die with a persuasion in our own mind, but ill grounded, that we are in him and that all shall be well, many take themselves to be well and in a good and safe condition, because they trow it, and fancy that they are so, and they are very unwilling and loathe to let themselves think ill of themselves: When we speak than of dieing in the Lord, it must be such as will abide God's trial, and it is not he that commends himself, but he whom God Commends, that will abid his trial and be approven.  
But secondly, what than will do it? may you say; we shall (as we promised) commend to you some rules to walk by, for attaining this end of dieing in the Lord; and ye shall take them in several directions, but we will not now in the close of this discourse enter on the particulars, only take this word in the general; that all these who propose this end to themselves, would previously take along with them their three necessary antecedents; 1. That they have their peace made with God through faith in Christ, and that they see well they be not living with a standing quar●…el betwixt God and them, for it's by faith that we are united to him, and without faith we cannot be in him, and so cannot possibly die in him. 2. This would be taken along, not only to have faith in Christ, and our peace made with God through him, but to know that we have it, to know in whom we have believed; It is true this is not essential as the former, yet it is hardly possible to die comfortably and confidently without it, therefore Christians are exhorted, 2 Pet. 1. Give diligence to make your calling and election sure. 3. That they be exercised to keep a good conscience in all things, and always towards God and towards men, It's impossible in ane ordinary way to die well except folks endeavour seriously and singly to keep a good conscience along their life, and to squair the same according to the rule of the word, and walk suteablie to their profession; All these three are put together by the Apostle Peter, 2 Pet. 1. v. 5. He wills them to whom he writes, to add to their faith the exercises of the other graces of the Spirit, than, v. 10. he exhorts them to give diligence to make their calling and election sure; and than by so doing, he assures that ane entrance shall be ministered to them to the everlasting Kingdom, which is as if he had said, by fastening your faith on Christ, by the exercise of grace, and by studieing to make your calling and election sure by well doing, a wide door shall be made to you at death to enter into Heaven, and ye shall have the greater comfort and confidence to lay down your life; whereas on the contrary when Christians do much neglect the fastening and fixing of their faith, the exercise of grace, and the making of their calling and election sure, the entry is straight and difficult, and others that altogether neglect these things, do found the door quit shut and no entry at all: If there were no more spoken but these three words, to be in Christ by faith, to live in him by the exercise of faith and other graces, keeping a good conscience towards God and men, and to make your calling and election sure, they might furnish you with work and duty to take you up all your days; and they may also serve to convince and reprove many who vainly entertain themselves with the hope and expectation of dieing in Christ, but do not at all betake themselves to this way of being, and living in him, even to go with a blecked face & a stopped mouth to the throne of grace, and cordially close with Christ's Offer, being content to adhere to him for righteousness, and utterly to renounce their own, and than in a way of diligence in duty, and by the fruits of a new nature and life, to evidence their union with him; this is the very marrow and substance of what we would be at, and that which is the hinge of our salvation, even the right exercise of faith for righteousness, the right exercise of grace for sanctification, and the right setting of ourselves ere death come, to have the grounds of our interest sure and clear; But such of you as have taken no pains to walk in this way, but still walk on, and continued in, your own old ●…arnal way, ye cannot warrantably expect the benefits and comforts that flow from faith in Christ, and from walking in him, and these are, to die in him and to reign with him; now God himself bless this word and make it useful to you.   

SERMON IU.  Revel. 14: 13. Blessed are the Dead which die in the Lord, etc. 
IT is ane easy matter to speak and hear of the most spiritual and highly concerning truths, in comparison of what it is to make them practicable, and hence it cometh to pass, that so many speak and hear of them, and that so few practise them, and the neirer that truths or duties come to press upon us the mortification of our lusts, and to abstract us from the world, or to prepare us for dieing, we are the loather and the more reluctant to engage in the practice of them, and to keep close at it; It's a hard and difficult business to be both living and dieing at once; though every man living may be said to be dieing daily in so far as he is hastening to it: And therefore seeing what follows concerns your practice, and is the main and most material use of this great doctrine, let one and other harken diligently and give ear to what we are to say from God on this important subject, with a serious purpose and resolution to practise, for it will not otherways be of advantage to you, and ye would so prepare yourselves though grace to hear, as ye may firmly resolve to keep that which is of so great and everlasting concernment to you.  
We 〈◊〉 last occasion at ane use of exhortation, commending to you the right way of living so as when death comes, ye may have some well grounded hope of dieing in the Lord; And we proposed three things in prosecuting this use to be spoken of. 1. What we called dieing in him, and we show it was to have solid faith and cleirnesse of Interest in Christ, cheirfulnesse and comfort, quietness and satisfaction in dieing, a most desyreable and comfortable condition when we enter the lists with death, even to have this confidence that we are in him and shall die in him.  
We come secondly, to some directions that are so many steps in the way to the attaining of this comfortable end of dieing in the Lord, we entered on them in General, and now are to prosecute them a little further, through the help of God's grace; Before we could be particular in directions, we show that these three things behoved to preceded; 1. There would be flying to Christ by faith, and making peace with God through him; 2. There would be endeavouring to make our calling and election sure by well doing, for though our Justification before God depend not on our cleirnesse in this, yet much of our comfort and confidence depends on it, and it is no doubt our duty to labour to make it sure. 3. There would be a holy walk whereby we may have a good conscience at Christ's appearing, for there can never be boldness and confidence where there is a stinging conscience within, and challenges for sinning against light.  
To proceed than more particularly to these directions, how to live as ye may die well, wherein if we should be large and say all that might be said to this purpose, it would lead us to speak of all the duties of holiness, and that with respect to all the conditions of our life, sickness and health, prosperity and adversity &c. to our particular and general callings, and to all events; for as we carry in these, so we may expect to die, but these being general we shall pass them, and only propose some five or six directions in order to men's dieing in Christ, as the great scope of this doctrine.  
The first direction is, seek to establish yourselves in the faith of these general truths that concern your dieing, especially to be established and confirmed in the faith of death, judgement and eternity, wherein it will be either well or ill with you for evermore; And this is not only to have a general conviction of the truth of these, but by meditation to draw them down to particular application to yourselves, that ye will die, that after death ye will come to Judgement and be eternally happy or miserable; for as we said before, one of the great evils that cherisheth Atheism, is men's living as if they were never to die; so than it is a foundation of well doing, solidly to believe death, judgement, and eternity, and they can never live well who lay not this for a ground, that they will die and come to Judgement, and who consider not what will readily be their challenges at death, that they may seek to answer them now, and what may be their tentations, that they may be guarded against them; therefore ye would be established in the faith of these generals, and endeavour to draw death and judgement near to you, you would pursue them close in your meditation; Suppose that death were this very night approaching you, consider with yourselves if ye durst appear before God's tribunal to be judged; more of this in our thoughts would help us, through God's blessing, to mortify lusts, and to give death little to do when it comes; But the truth is, the most part never think seriously on death, and because they desire not another life than the present, they eat to think of death; I commend the necessity of this to you from the great averseness that your carnal hearts and humours have from the serious and stayed thoughts of it, I pose you that are given to pleasure, can ye endure to think on dieing? And you that are glutting and surffetting yourselves with the world, Dow ye abid to think on that word, Thou fool this night thy soul shall be taken from thee, and whose shall these things be? And you that are profane, dow ve think on that sad sound of the trumpet, arise dead and come into judgement; that word of job is meet to be carried along with you, I know thou wilt bring me unto death, though the good man was mistaken in thinking he would die at that time, yet he knew he would die ere long, and be brought unto judgement after death, and carried along with him the thoughts of it: And if we would be induced to try our prepareing for death by these thoughts, how few of us would be found to mind it, though it be of everlasting concernment? Ah! how few hours are taken to think upon it? if ye were to come before men or ane human court with a cause that much concerned you in the world, how would ye think of it before hand, and think of it again? and yet the most momentuous of these are but very trifles, being compared with this great cause and case of conscience, how you shall die, and appear before the great God his Judgement seat.  
The second direction is, that though all duties of holiness be requisite, yet there are some particular duties that ye would in a special manner make conscience of (without neglecting any other called▪ for duty) as having a special influence on preparation for dieing, and as coming neirest (to say so) to death, though much slighted. As 1. the duty of selfe-searching and examination, we would be very impartial in selfe-examination and in comp●…ing with God; If men (as Solomon exhorts) should see to the state of their herds and of their flocks, much more should they see to the condition of their souls: Is it possible, think ye, to die confidently and comfortably if ye be not acquainted with the state of your spiritual affairs, and endeavour not to have your accounts with God stated and adjusted? If there be a plague on men it is the neglect of this; and if there be ane aw-band and restraint on their Spirits from unsuitable latituds and lousnesse, it's the conscionable practice of this duty; that which makes death so terrible to many, is their living, some 30, some 40, some 50, some 60, years; without having ever endeavoured to fit their accounts with God, let be to have them discharged. 2. The exercise of repentance (which is alace●…a rare thing even among Christians in these days) is a special duty to be gone about in order to our dieing in Christ, that when we see ourselves wrong in any thing (as many wrongs may be easily found in the forementioned search) we let them not lie over, but be earnest with God till we get a discharge, and that cannot be gotten till repentance be exercised; where this grace of repentance is, it hath faith always with it, and it makes the heart tender, and removes challenges which make death terrible, it is also a great enemy to security, presumption, and pride, and keeps the heart withal melting, and much in pouring out itself before God; the want whereof in these day's Kythes in the coldness of our duties of avorship, and in the carnalness of our walk; however they that would die in the Lord, would study to be found much in the exercise of this grace (we do here indifferently design these, duties or graces,) for if repentance be called for when the Kingdom of Heaven is near, than sure it is called for, when death is near, and there is nothing more requisite than a kindly penitent heart as a spurr to chase to Jesus Christ, when we are to meet with him at death. 3. A third duty, is the exercise of mortification, it is a painful but a profitable duty, to be crucified to the world, to die to our lusts and carnal delights; by mortification we mean not only that which takes away the dominion of sin, and sets on to the study of holiness, but that which plucks up the roots and tapouns of sin, and slays the motions of it, and as it were, weids it out of the heart, that which puts you to mortify your distempers and passions of invye, anger, pride, inordinate desires etc. And to seek to have your affections heavenly, which notably fits for dieing in the Lord. A 4. duty that would be carefully practised, is sobriety, let your moderation, sayeth the Apostle, be known to all men, the Lord is at hand, mortification looks much to things in themselves sinful and unlawful, I say much, though I will not say only, and sobriety looks to things lawful in themselves, wherein insobrietie is the bain and plague of many, who being so glued to the things of a world, and to these delyts and pleasures which are lawful in themselves, and whereof a moderate use is allowed, that they are entangled and fettered with them and made as unfit for dieing, by their insobrietie in them, as by their doing of some things that are in themselves sinful, O! how doth inordinate love to children, friends, lands, houses, farms, oxen, and to the married wife, unfit them for dieing, therefore the Apostle exhorts Christians, 1 Pet. 1. To gird up the loins of their mind, to be sober 〈◊〉 hope to the end; for when men are unsober in the use of the creatures, they are like to these that have long garments which take the feet from them, as it were, and impede them in their walking and at their work, when the affections hung lose and drag on the earth and the things that are in it, and the mind takes liberty to vaig and roave after these things, the man cannot be busy at his main work, or make progress in his Journey to Heaven; but sobriety fits him for his work and makes the way easy to him, makes him well content with his house or place and station and with whatever is his condition and lot in the world, it suffers not his affections to be entangled with them, it makes him so to use this world as not abuseing it; As the Apostle exhorts, 1 Cor. 7. to have a sort of sanctified denyednesse to a lawful use of the creature-comforts, that the heart be not glutted and surffetted with them, from which, our blessed Lord Jesus doth most powerfully dissuade, Luke 21. v. 34. where he says, Take head lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surffetting and drunkenness and the cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares; where he plainly insinuats (which is strange and little believed and considered) that there is ane overcharge by cares about the things of this life lawful in themselves, as well indisposeing and unfitting for death and Judgement, as ane overcharge with surffetting & drunkenness is. This sobriety prepares for dieing in the Lord, to which preparation on the contrary, ane overcharge with worldly cares is a mighty impediment, as these words of our Lord put beyond all debeat; especially when these two are trysted together, a distempered mind with such worldly cares within, & many tentations and stumbling blocks from without.  
A third direction is, they that would die in the Lord would carry the thoughts of death along with them, as if every day and moment were their last, and as if they were just now to appear before God, and as if they were holily indifferent what hour or moment he would call upon them, for God hath set (as to our knowledge of it) no time precisly to our living here; it is observed by some on Eccles. 3. that there is a time for every thing, a time to be borne, a time to die, a time to laugh, and a time to weep, but there is none for living, for none can say I must or I shall live till to morrow, therefore he bids the porter watch, and would have all standing with their Armour on them in a watchful posture, waiting for their Lords coming that he come not on them unawarse; nunc age quod moriturus agas, do that now which thou wouldst be found doing when death comes, hath been ane old and excellent saying.  
It may be objected or queried here, is it possible that a beleiver can always actually remember Christ's coming and carry the thoughts of death along with him? Answ. It is in this duty as in others, as when it is said do all to the Glory of God, it is not so to be understood as if we could actually mind it all-alonge in every thing we do, our minds being but finite, and so unable actually to mind many things or different things in the same instant of time or at once, that is impossible, but as there is a habitual minding of the glory of God, so there is a habitual minding of Christ's appearance, which implies these three things. 1. That when in cold blood (to say so) and at ourselves, we resolve to wait for, and carry ourselves sutablie to the expectation of his appearing, and to do nothing that we would eat or think shame of, or would not desire to be found doing, if he were appearing; which is in effect to be continually on our watch. 2. That when ever we take ourselves napping, we stir up ourselves to ane actual minding of it, and endeavour to squair the actions of our life accordingly, ask our own hearts, if we durst do this or that if he were to appear, and accordingly to be sweyed with the awe of his appearing. 3. That in our ordinary walk, we be often reviveing the thoughts of Christ's appearing, putting ourselves often in mind of this rule, even to walk so as if he were immediately to appear; hence beleivers are often styled in the Scripture, waiters for, and lovers of, his appearing; and hence also the duty of watching is so frequently commended to them: so than we would not have this so universally to be understood, as if beleivers were to do nothing more, nor if it were spoken by a voice from heaven that they would presently die, or that Christ were presently to appear, for than they would leave many actions undone, and leave of lawful Journeys and Voiadges, and other actions they are called to, but the meaning is, that we endeavour to be found in, or at, nothing, we will think shame of when he appears, and in all things always to keep a good conscience, a conscience voided of offence towards God and towards man.  
A fourth direction is this, these that would die in the Lord would be timeously acquainting themselves with the cross of Christ and not seeking after a pampered life, or to have the world at their will, but learning to fold, bow, and stoup to difficulties and straits; not that I would have any procureing crosses to themselves, but as they would not procure them, so they would not peremptorly determine to eshew them when the Lord calls to take them on, and bear them; but 1. they would carry along a resolution to fold to crosses when they come. 2. When they come, they would neither with sinful anxiety, seek to eat them, nor would they lie down discouradged under them, but deny themselves, take up their cross pleasantly, and cheerfully, and follow Christ. 3. They that have personal freedom from crosses would kindly sympathize with them that are under the cross, Hence Solomon says, that it is better to be in the house of 〈◊〉 than in the house of feasting, Eccles. 7. v. 2. there is a greater good to be had there nor in the house where there is banqueting, revelling, and carrousing; The reason is, because few living in prosperity are content and disposed to die, and adversity doth best lose folks grips from the world; O! it is hard to be glutting in the things of the world, and to live in a prosperous and plentiful condition, and not to be withdrawn thereby from spiritual things; therefore is the cross and dieing to the world so much commended, for little crosses are, as it were, bits of death or little deaths and pieces of the curse, as well as death itself is (though by the death of Christ they are turned into blessings to beleivers) and if we be habituat to these little deaths, there will be a much easier yielding to the great▪ death, and less to do when it comes.  
A fifth direction is, that we study to die daily, and it is drawn from the Apostles words, 1 Cor. 15 31. I protest by your rejoicing, which I have in Christ jesus our Lord, I die daily; which not only sets out his hazard daily, but his seeking to prevent death, in dieing while he was living and ere death came, and it implies, 1. a conviction carried along with him of the necessity of dieing. 2. A looking on the continual hazard of dieing; 3. A preparation for, and continual readiness to die; and 4. Ane activeness in essaying to die, or ane acting of death, in a manner, before death come: We would follow the same way and be frequently putting ourselves before God's bar, and considering how we will answer deaths call, bowing our stubborn humour that it may not be found untractable at death, doing that every day that we would be found doing when death comes, studieing to have all things in that order that we would desire to have them in than, and habituating ourselves (as I said) to dieing; when going to our Prayers in the morning, to put ourselves in such a postour as if we were no more to go abroad in the world, and lying down at night, as if we were not to rise again in the morning, and when we speak or do, to speak and do like men that have not long time to live after our speaking or doing.  
The sixth and last direction shall be this, that ye would put in practice what your own conscience, your light according to the Scriptures, and the means ye have, hold out as necessary for making and keeping of your peace with God, and the keeping of of a quarrel betwixt him and you; This ordinarily is one of the main challenges that meets folks at death, that they have suspended the practice of many things they were convinced of, that they have shifted, delayed, and put of seasons and opportunities of called▪ for duties, and have sitten down on this side of them; that they have not reform such faults as they were convinced of etc. it is commonly said of laws, that we had need of one law to make other good laws be put in execution, and so have we need of some one direction to help us to make other directions practicable, according to that word, Eccles. 9: 10. Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with all thy might, for there is no work, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, nor devyce in the grave whither thou goest; we are all posting on towards our grave, and there is no doing of duties nor mending of faults there; therefore what ever the light of the word, and of our conscience well informed thereby, cleirs to be duty we would be serious and diligent in the doing of it, and in the doing of it without delay: and if this one thing were made conscience of, it would do more, through God's blessing, than many: your consciences are convinced I suppose, that the former directions are very helpful, and that such as live thus will die the better, but alace! Many of you do not so much as think on them let be practise them; it may be they shall not be in your thoughts till this day eight days, and when it is so to what purpose are all directions, for what use serve they? Are they not, think ye, useless unless they be put in practice? therefore put not by this as a thing of little concernment; death is the door to heaven, and death is at the door; and living well is the way to dieing well, and as ye would live and die in the Lord, ye would lay weight on these directions, and fall about the practice of them in the strength of his own grace.  
But before we proceed any further, though there may be a conviction that what hath been said is all true, yet there will be ane inward murmuring against it with many profain persons & readily two objectiones will be started by such.  
The first objection will probably be this, if none die well but such as betake themselves to such a way of living, who will or can die well? Such a life is impossible to us, therefore we will hold on in our own way and hope well; many when they hear such doctrine are ready to think and say as they did, john. 6. Who after they had murmured at Christ's discourse, said vers. 41. This is a hard saying who can bear it? We shall by this means, will they say, be restrained in our liberty, we shall thus be put to haunt always the house of mourning, and never suffered once to laugh or smile (although that be not our meaning, to keep men from being merry and cheirfull when called to be so, but to keep from being carnal, and to set just bounds to them in their mirth); But for answer to these men's question, we would; 1. Ask them this Question, is this the truth of God, that such as would die in him must aim and endeavour to live as we have said? Is living well the way to dieing well, and dieing well the gate to Glory? If so, will it than, think ye, be a satisfying answer to God to tell him, that though this way of living is the way chalked out by thee for dieing well, yet we cannot close with it, we cannot walk in it, it's so uneasy and so narrow a way? If it be God's way will ye put it of so? Or will ye carve out another way than God hes carved out to you? 2. Let me ask such, is not the gate straight and the way narrow that leads to heaven and eternal life? Will ye not therefore go to heaven through such a gate and way? And is not the way of living so as to die well and in the Lord the way to heaven, and must it not have difficulty in it? And yet thirdly let me say to such, that this way is but difficult and uneasy to corrupt nature, to a proud and carnally delicate heart that cannot endure in the lest to be disquieted in the enjoyment of its sensual pleasures and delyts, and to a sinful selfish humour that will not stoop to God, yet to such as love to walk in this way, all the duties are possible and the difficulties superable through grace, yea it is thorrow-out a most pleasant path and way, Philip. 4. vers. 13. Prov. 3. vers. 17.  
They will secondly object, all yonder things the man speaks of may be true, nay we cannot deny but they are true, yet we may be doing and yet hope through God's mercy to win to heaven; have not many who have lived even as we do died well and been saved? And such will readily have the thief on the cross to cast up, which would in reason speak to them for their reclaiming, and from this they profainly conclude that they may hold on their own way, and yet hope to mend and grow better at length and so to get mercy when they die; but for answer; 1. O! Thou graceless and profaine wretch is that the use thou makes of mercy, even to sin because God is merciful, and to sin that grace may abound? Is that the end of Gods revealing his grace and mercy, to make him a minister of sin? How can ye look mercy in the face that so abuse mercy? And yet O! How rife is this among profain souls, to sin because God is merciful, to abuse his grace and make him, as I said, a minister of sin? Consider of it, if ye will dar to look grace and mercy in the face that have thus stumbled and brocken your necks on them. Secondly though there be some that God hath given mercy to at their death, yet how many are they who have sinned presumptously and have gotten mercy? The thief on the cross, it is true, got mercy, but did he ever despise and abuse God's grace and mercy as ye do? It is one thing to sin out of infirmity and humbly to pray for, and to expect mercy, and another thing to sit warneings, and profainly to turn the grace of God into wantonness, and yet to have a presumptuous hope of mercy. Thirdly how many are there in hell, and how few are there in heaven who have lived as ye do? God's Judgement hath come upon them and surprised them, so that they got never leave to repent nor seek after God's mercy, and they are now smarteing for delaying to embrace the offer of mercy, and for their despiseing of it, and cannot mend it? How many are like the rich glutton crying in the place of torment, who if they were permitted to speak to you would say, go tell these our Brethrens that they put not of time, and that they dally not in their day with the offers of grace and mercy as we did, lest they come into this place of torment with us. fourthly, Who ever got mercy to whom their sin hath not been bitter to them? And will ye continued in that which hath been so bitter to others? If ever ye get mercy ye must come to it, thorrow the way of repentance, and by weeping-crosse, to say so, and it shall be more bitter to you soon or sign, than all the pleasure ye had in sin was sweet to you.  
The third and last thing to be spoken to, is some few Considerations to press the necessity of takeing these directions, and of walking according to these rules, that ye may not be unfruitful hearers but doers of this truth; for it is practice▪ that is the life of Religion, and if any thing aught to be practised, sure this is it, even to learn the right airt of dieing in the Lord; And therefore that ye may not decline it; Consider, 1. Wither or not the authority of God and of his Son Jesus Christ lays on this doctrine, if there be a command for it, that all that expect a dieing in Christ should live in him, and if to die in him be a duty, than to make use of these means and directions that conduce to it, must lykewayes be a commanded duty, and these must be the true and faithful say of God; it is a wonder that ye can have any thing to say against them, for ye cannot deny them to be the truths of God, and yet as it is Psal. 50. ye (many of you I mean) cast them behind your backs, ye will not it may be bow a knee to God in prayer when ye go home, ye will not so much as ask yourselves what postour your soul is in for all that hath been or can be said; remember that ye will have God and not us to make ane account unto; and therefore any of you that have consciences and any the lest measure of rendernesse in them, mind these duties, or know that ye shall, will ye nill ye, be the more unexcusable; if we darr confidently press any truth upon you, It's this anent dieing in Christ, and holiness as the way to it, as the sum and scope of all our preaching, which will only do you good as it works to this end; And therefore let us with all earnestness obtest you to think more seriously on your dieing in Christ, and in order to that, on your living in him and to him that ye may have boldness at his appearing, otherways we do seriously and solemnly protest unto you in the Name of God, that you shall never see his blessed face, nor enjoy his blessed followship.  
The second consideration is taken from your own great advantage, and the mighty concernment that is in giving obedience to these directions, though there be a second death to them who make not ready for the first, yet there is but one death to all of you as to the final sentence, & upon this depends Heaven & Hell & the eternal condition of your immortal souls, whither they shall be under the curse of God drinking of the cupe of his Wrath for ever, or under his blessing drinking the cup of his love for ever, whither they shall be in the case of enemies, or in the case of friends, whither they shall enjoy God's company or have the company of Devils; And think ye the●…e is no odds or difference betwixt these two, blessedness and misery? and are ye not concerned which of these two shall befall you and be your lote for ever more, are ye beasts that have no immortal souls? or are ye Heathens that never heard of the right way to Heaven and happiness, that ye should thus walk on in the broad way that leads to Hell and destruction, and turn your backs upon the narrow way because it is narrow, and so willfully precipitat yourselves into the bottomless pit, and into the deep gulf of God's curse and wrath for ever? How little soever ye may think of these things now, yet ye shall, if ye look not to it, to your eternal cost found the certain and sad truth of them one day.  
A third Consideration is drawn from the great work that there is about death, and when it comes to dieing, & when the immortal soul must be dislodged & leave the body, and will not possibly be got keeped any longer in it; ye never made such a voyadge, ye never had such a piece of work in hand as this will be found to be, when infirmities of the body grow on you apace, and at a great height, when the encumberance and fashrie (to say so) of the things of the world, when the affection of relations and friends, when eternity stareing you in the face, when the Devil the great accuser, not only of the brethrens but of all other men, with his libels waiting on, when the Law in its passing the sentence and curseing every transgressor, when Christ's dreadful sentence, departed from me ye cursed etc. are all to be met with and encountered at once; and when the conscience within will be clamouring to you that ye were not at all solicitous and careful to eshew that sad sentence; and beside all these ye will yet have a greater party to deal with than your conscience, even the great God the just and righteous Judge of all the earth, and O! but it be a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God, and when withal ye shall have a multitude of challenges and tentations to enter the lists with, this will be found another sort of thing than a Journey to London, or a voiadge to Holland, France or Spain, or to the east or west Indieses; and think ye who have put by and spent all your life in vanity, that ane hour or two, or a little time at death will be enough for prepareing you to encounter with it? O! sad and soul-ruining mistake, are there not many poor wretched souls when death comes, who are forced to wish, Oh! if we had another life-time to live, we would spend it better, and with such a wish as that, poor souls, they slip away.  
Consider fourth, the connexion that God hath established betwixt your dieing in the Lord and the following of these directions, betwixt holiness and happiness, now holiness is not the speaking of some good words when ye come to die, otherways why should it be so much pressed in your life? the end of holiness is Heaven and happiness, and the end of the broad way of profanity and formality, is Hell and destruction; It is true, as I have often said, that God may pluck some by a miracle of his grace out of the broad way at their death, but they are very few with whom he deals so; the way to destruction is broad and easy, and many walk in it; O! how is this road beaten by multitudes of passengers, and usually as men live so they die, if they live wickedly they die accursedlie and fall into perdition, hence is that proverb, such a life such ane end; a man that is worldlieminded, or presumptuous and selfe-conceated in his life, ordinarily dies so; And can ye promise' to yourselves a comfortable death if ye live profainlie or hypocritically? be not deceived God will not be mocked, for if ye sow to the flesh along your life, ye shall most certainly of the flesh reap corruption at your death; O! know therefore and believe the absolute necessity of living well, of living in, and to the Lord, if ye would die well and in the Lord.  
fifthly, Consider and think seriously upon the great hazard ye are in of spiritual Judgements, if so be ye neglect holiness and the following of these directions in your life, be afraid of blindning, hardening, of delusion, of a reprobat mind &c, be afraid that though ye should get a long time before death, that yet ye may never get grace to repent who thus delay and put it of so long; if ye than would die well and prevent such plagues, live holily, or if ye care not to die miserably, go on in your profanity or in your presumption notwithstanding of the hazard of being thus plagued, and of perishing at the last, on the fancied hope of mercy, for one of these ways ye must live and die; but we say again, consider what spiritual Judgements ye may fall under in your delaying, ye know not but a commission may come forth from God to his word and messengers, to make your heart fat, your eyes blind, and your ears heavy etc. such a sad commission as the Prophet Isaiah get●…s in the sixth Chapter of his prophecy to many of his then-hearers; It may be a challenge hath been resisted, or a motion of the Spirit quenched at this very time, and who knows but ye may never henceforth meet with another that shall do you good? are there not many Judgements of this kind reigned on sinners daily? are not many preached blind, deaff, and hard, so that the plainest, clearest, and most home-pressed truths have no more influence on them than upon as many stocks or stones? and whence is this I pray? Is it not from your not making use of the light holden forth to you from this Word of God, and from your resisting, stifling, and smothering of challenges and motions of the Spirit ye have had? because of which God smites you with senselessnesse.  
Sixthly, Consider what possible advantage there is or can be in delaying this so necessary a work, and what certain prejudice there is in it, 1. There is no advantage, for the longer ye continued to delay ye are still the further behind, and the further out of the way, and the greater will be the difficulty to get yourselves recovered, there will still be more guilt contracted, and more challenges to deal with, and the greater labour to get your Spirits put into a good frame which ye have so much and so long distempered; yea, it will be a piece of a begun hell to you, when ye consider how ye have brought yourselves to such a woeful necessity of hastering, mangleing, and spoiling all that work and business that ye should have gone about so deliberatlie, orderly, timeouslie, and carefully in the time of your health; so that all your advantage will be but more sin, and that will bring on a greater heap of desperate sorrow and wrath. secondly, ye will not only have no advantage but ye will have much prejudice by it, for beside what hath been said, ye cannot comfortably answer deaths call and summons to appear before the tribunal of the great Judge; How many of you if ye were to die just now and never to go out of this Church alive, how many are there, I say, of you that could not have peace and comfort at your death? If the walls of this house were shaking, would not horror take hold on you, as pangs of a woman in travel? It may be some that are beleivers in Christ would be somewhat disquieted and a little surprised, yet they would soon through grace recollect themselves and be composed, but could the most part of you lay down your life with peace, calmness, and comfort if death should thus come upon you now or before to morrow? and you are not sure but it may, for you know not what may befall you ere ye go home, nor when ye lie down if ever ye shall rise again; And is it possible that ye can have peace or comfort on solid grounds when death comes, if ye be not found having your peace made with God through Jesus Christ, and walking in the way of holiness? It will be put poor and cold comfort than, to think that you have made such ane advantageous bargain in the world, that you have such a land-estate or so much money, such a commodious dwellinghouse, so fine orchards or gardings, or such a well furnished shaped etc. that one word will mar all that comfort, fool this night they shall require thy soul, and whose than shall all these things be?  
Seventhlie, Consider the particular crosses, infirmities, and afflictions ye are under and may be shortly under, which may put you in mind of dieing, and invite you to make for a change to the better; now ye are in health, within a little ye may fall sick; now ye are in safety, and by and by ye may be in hazard; do not so many changes call on you aloud to make for ane unchangeable estate, and to endeavour to make sure that it may be a happy one?  
And now when we have spoken both to directions, and considerations pressing and enforcing the practice of them, for ordering our life and walk with a due regaird to dieing, and to dieing in the Lord; we are afraid that it shall be but as water spilt on the ground, and but little further the conviction and edification of many of us, which God only can prevent; and therefore we shall shut up all with a word to two sorts of you; The 1. is to you that are stricken deaff and dead with the spiritual Judgements of God, who not more regaird or mind your immortal souls than if ye had none at all, who live rather like beasts than like reasonable men and women, or like pagans rather than like Christians, what through carnal joveltie and mirth in some, what through profanity & mocking of piety in other some, what through idleness in a third sort, what through the earthly mindedness & grovelling in the world that is in a fourth sort, and what through security, formality, and hypocrisy that reigns in the greatest part; I assure you in the name of the Lord, that death is coming and God will not be mocked, as ye sow so ye shall reap; think ye it sufficient preparation for death, or a suitable readiness to die, to laugh and sport and play over your time, or to have your buildings going up, and your bargains going on? beguile not yourselves there is a reckoning quickly coming which will be very sad, and many of you will found yourselves behind and at a loss in the main business: do not think, Sirs, that we speak their words for the fashion, your case requires them all, and therefore yet again as ye would eshew the evil and misery that follows the slighting of such a warning, do not put it easily and lightly by you, for the Lords sake, for it is hugely above all your greatest concerns in the world, to look for death and to provide for it. The second word shall be to you that thorrow grace have begun to provide for it and are fallen slack, remiss and negligent, O! be alarmed and roused up to diligence; Alace! but few carefully and conscionably study the airt of dieing well and in the Lord, and make in any tolerable measure as they aught, for their appearing before Christ's tribunal; look Christians to the tract of the best of your lives, and how unsuitable it is and how short of that it should be, there is (alace!) much carnalness, ruggedness, and untenderness amongst us, much formality and overlinesse in duties of worship, much earthlie-mindednesse, much passion, much pride and vanity; It is a wonder that any, who have the faith of their appearing before God, should dar to play such untender pranks (to say so) and to take such unsuitable latitudes to themselves beside the rule, and to have so groffe, so carnal, and so uncircumspect a walk as many of us have; Study more tenderness Christians, for the Lords sake, otherways though you will get your souls for a prey, and will arrive at last safe at that harbour of rest prepared for the people of God, yet ye may and will probably have a very unpleasant and uncomfortable voyage not without several tempests and storms sometimes threatening utter shipwrak, and found a very straight and difficult entering into the port; when death cometh to look you in the face, and when you begin to think of your being so near to ane appearance before God, you may be in considerable fear; now the Lord himself▪ whose word this is, make it effectual for your edification and advantage through Jesus Christ.   

SERMON V  Revel. 14: 13. Blessed are the dead, which die in the Lord, etc. 
IT hath been ane old saying of many, that none can be called blessed before their death, though possibly in the sense that some Heathens took it, it be not sound, yet we who are Christians may say, if death be not taken in, and if a man be not blessed at his death he is not blest at all, and though death after a very short whiles abode in the world puts men out of time, yet it hath a long train of eternal consequen●…s following it, appearance before God in Judgement, and everlasting well or ill being, are no trivial nor light matters; and yet as men close their eyes in time at death, so they may expect the misery or comfort that Judgement and eternity will bring along with them; and it is the great scope and design of this Scripture to commend to you dieing well from the blessedness that accompanies and follows it.  
We were in the forenoon pressing, as we could, the practice of some directions how to prepare for death, and shall now speak a little to one question ere we proceed to make any further use of the doctrine, and it is this.  
What shall they do at death who have quite neglected these directions, or not so minded them as they should have done, and who are brought in a surprise of providence, ere they be awar, near the border and brink of eternity, who have but few days or rather hours to live and cannot promise' one to themselves? A very concerning question, (and O! That folk would study to prevent it by minding the former directions in time) & withal a difficult question to answer solidly and cautiously; for indeed it is not easy to speak to dieing persons (what ever many may think of it) who when they are living will not hear; and therefore let none make a wrong use of what shall be said to the question, & this certainly is one wrong use of it, to delay time and to shifted preparing for death till it come on you; but first, put this question seriously to yourselves, how ye should live that ye may not have such a question to ask at your death, and that ye may eshew the anxiety that such a question hath with it at such a time; ye will very readily ask the question but heartleslie in sickness, who in your health put it of carelesslie till death surprise you, and therefore be rather in holy dread of that time when it may be ye will scarcely get ane hour to think on the business, or it may be get none to speak to you to give you clearness about it, or possibly ye may not have liberty for pain and sickness to think on it, or to hear one speak to you anent it, which should in reason stir you up by all suitable means to endeavour to be in a good, meet, and ready postour before that time come. But to speak a little in answer to the question, we shall distinguish unpreparedness for dieing in three sorts or kinds of it, or there may be three sorts of persons that may be suprised by death in ane unprepared condition, and to each of these we shall speak a word. 1. There is one sort which are absolutely and most sinfully so, that never take any pains at all to be prepared for death till it cometh upon them; we may speak to stones in the wall as well as to many of you who are such. A second sort, is of these who have had some tenderness, but they are fallen slack, negligent, and out of a good frame. A third sort is of such as want feiling and comfort & are without clearness of their interest, and fear to die in that condition.  
As for the first sort, we say to you, it is no wonder that ye slip away securely, and fall into the pit of destruction that live senselesslie and stupidlie till death come upon you, ye that never think of death till ye and it meet, what can ye expect should be spoken to you for your comfort? always we shall lay down some grounds to be made use of, even in such a deplorable and desperat-like condition, when folk have quite neglected preparation for death in their health, if such have but one hour to live, they would consider 1. That repentance is than possibly attainable, they are within trysting terms with God as long as they are in the land of the living and the sentence not past. secondly, That there is than no peace to be had with God, but in the same way it is gotten now, that is by faith in Jesus Christ, which goes along with repentance, and by folk's betakeing themselves to a new way of living were it but in a sincere resolution; Christ is the way the truth and the life, none can come to the father but by him, and without faith there is no union with him, and whoever look for eternal life, must have it through faith in him. thirdly, That though a person were to live but one hour, somewhat of these must be, some faith, some repentance, some endeavoured clearness of interest, some peace, some holiness though it were but in the bud, so as to speak but a few words to God, or to others standing by, as we may see in the thief on the cross, grace wherever it comes were it but of one hours' age or standing, is grace and hath the same virtual substantial fruits, or fruits in the bud, as I said, that grace of older age and longer standing hath. Yet fourth, where short time is, there is need that there be some difference from what is ordinary in the death of Christians of longer standing in the state of grace in pursueing of these things; 1. In respect of time, to go the speedilier through them, that is, to run (as it were) the more swiftly and speedily through repentance and selfe-examination, fleeing to Christ, and the fruits of holiness; If time be short these would be contracted, not that they would be slighted, but there would be endeavouring to put them some way together, The Lord sayeth, Matth. 11. 12. The Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force; there must be a sort of violence even in health in this matter but more at death, that is, if they get not all doubts answered they would know there is ane absolute necessity to be at Christ, which must put them to step over these particular difficulties; as the preaching of the moral Law in John's time forced people some way to step over the Ceremonies of the Law to Christ, so by Analogy, persons who have been negligent in their life must use the same violence at death, they must have sound repentance and faith, and by these betake themselves to Christ speedily, and this speediness is, as I said, to be understood in respect of time; these things fit and qualify for him and would be made use of speedily to unit to him. 2. A difference would be in respect of the measure, though repentance be in this case shorter, the humiliation would be deeper, though the challenges be shorter, the pangs would be so much the sorer, the person would be further down in selfe-loathing and abhorring; regeneration and the new birth in such persons borne again so very late, will readily be with greater pain and sharper pangs, with higher indignation at sin and greater hatred at their own evil ways, than if they had been sooner regenerated. 3. There would be a difference in respect of eagerness and holy broudennesse, which would be beyond ordinary; it is never good to delay repentance, faith, and holiness, but yet folks may come in to Heaven with a somewhat flower pace (to say so) in health, than when they have put of and delayed these till sickness and death come on them, than they would be in a special manner always restless till they be at a point, 4. Having thus exercised faith and repentance, they would die resolving to be the more in free grace's commoun and debt, for if any of all Adam's posterity be obliged to God, and bound to be the very humble slaves (if we may speak so) of most soveraignlie free grace, most certainly these persons are most singularly so, who have been rescued and snatched from death, hell, wrath, and the Devil when he was even ready and about to lay presently▪ his hands on them, and pull them to the pit with him: And now I say again, none that are in such a condition, nor any of you all, have any the lest ground of encouradgment given from this doctrine, to put of or delay faith, repentance, and the study of holiness, let none therefore take any, lest they be put to smart for their folly eternally.  
As for the second sort that have had more tenderness, but are backslidden and fallen negligent and out of frame, they are to take the same way; when death puts them in a flaught, as it were, and conscience with challenges stairs them in the face, they would renew their repentance and faith in Christ, and the fruits of holiness, the more speedily and eaggerly, they would be the more humbled, flee the more hastily to their city of refuge, come with a more stopped mouth before God, and acknowledge grace to be the freer, and allow it to have the greater glory.  
As for the third sort, who have keeped up more tenderness, and who would feign have their interest and peace clear, and to this day could never attain to it, or if once they had it clear its grown somewhat dim and dark, and even in a manner worn away again, they grow heartless when death comes and surprises them; to such I would say. 1. That beleivers may die without sensible comfort and die well, for as sensible comfort is not essentially necessary to folk's justification, so neither to their dieing in Christ; folks may die sleeping, or in a distemper, or in a spiritual fear, and yet that fear have faith and love in the bosom of it; and that condition which mars not Christian's peace once made with God in their life, and is not so sinful, may also be died in; they may be in the dark and yet die well. Secondly, distinguish and put a difference betwixt the sense of the joy of the Spirit, and that comfort and joy which a beleiver may have from God's word of promise; beleivers both living and dieing may want the one and have the other; though they have not the flow of the Spirit in sensible comfort and joy, yet they may have solid peace and consolation, because they have God's word of promise to rest on, who have fled to him for their life, and their conscience hath ane inward testimony, that they have denied their own righteousness and betaken them to his, and in this they have peace; else how could a beleiver possibly lie down in any measure of true quietness under desertion, even for their trial, it may be, more than for their sin? And if we look to David dieing though we will not peremptourlie determine, yet it is like he had not much comfort, for in these that are called his last words, 2 Sam. 23. 5. He betakes him to God's Covenant, though he did not so feill the fruits of it, and rests there as at ane anchor; And therefore thirdly, they that are in this condition would with the more confidence put themselves in over upon, and within the compass of, the Covenant, and make their faith the sickerer because they want sensible comfort; and readily it is and will be so with beleivers at that time, for than they are most out of conceit with their own righteousness, and in a holy fear and solicitude in themselves; for as he suffers some to be the more untender in their life, and therefore makes them walk without sensible comfort to keep down their van●… and pride, so may he exercise some at death. fourthly, Let such so much the more trust God with their throwbearing, and resolve to be the more in his debt, and they never took shipping thus in death's boat that had cause to fear to be drowned and cast away, He is the beleivers God and guide not only to death but even throw death; He may go therefore through the valley of the shadow of death and fear none evil Ps. 23. We come now to add some further uses of the main doctrine to these we made before.  
And the first use is, seeing they are happy that di●… in the Lord, & miserable that die out of him whatever their external condition be; 1. Lay the less weight on the comforts of this life, and 2. be the less feared for the afflictions of it O! Beleivers in Christ; There are, ye see, two parts of this use, 1. (To begin with the last) If happiness be the portion of them that die in the Lord, what needs Beleivers, who have clearness of Interest and well grounded hope to die in the Lord, fear the afflictions or be much troubled with the ups and downs of a present life? Though they meet with contempt, reproach, poverty, disgrace, imprisonment, fineing, confining, exile, many challenges etc. These have ane end, death will put a period and close to them all; their great happiness is not here, it is at the back of death; all your miseries will be soon at ane end, and its a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory that is laid up for you; your time here away will not be long, it will be but 30 or 40 years to some, 10 or 20 years to othersome, some moe or fewer, and it may be but one year to some of you, and than our blessed Lord Jesus will come and wipe all tears from your eyes, and the comfortless remembrance of these trials, troubles, and tosseings shall never enter into heaven with you; it's a shame that beleivers who have such a hope should be so heartless when they meet with crosses, and walk so discouradgedly under them. Secondly, seeing happiness follows after death, lay not much weight on the comforts of this life, what comfort or satisfaction can ye have in them at death? And seeing they can yield you no solid satisfaction than, are ye not far wide, and much mistaken that bestow your travel and pains in seeking satisfaction among creature-comforts, and never labour to enter into his rest; needs there any more be said to fright you from this foolish course but this, even to tell you that ye leave and forsake the fountain of living waters, and betake yourselves to the cisterns that can hold no water, and which will dreadfully beguile and disappoint you; what will richeses, pleasures, grandour, honours, and great places do to you at death? these make but a poor happiness and will soon have ane end, and yet there is no lesson in the world that men and women learn less than this; As all creatures say that wisdom is not in them, Job 28, So they all cry with one voice that happiness is not in them; It's not in richeses, for they take to themselves wings and flee away; It's not in honour, for man that is in honour and understandeth not, is like the beast that perisheth, and he that is high in court to day, may be hanged the morrow; neither is it in pleasures, for the laughter of the fool is madness, and hath grief and ●…adnesse of heart with it and even in the midst of it.  
A 2d Use is, and it hath other two branches, If happiness follow them that die in the Lord; 1. It calls for a willingness as well as a readiness to die when ever God calls you believers to it. 2. It serves to condemn a general unwillingness to die, and possibly somewhat of it, even among the people of God. 1. I say if happiness be in dieing in Christ, than they that are in the way to it should be ready, willing, and cheerful to die. And 2. It must be ane exceeding great distemper when folks dow not hear of death with patience, and it argues strongly that either folk are out of the way, or not through and clear as to their being in the way; therefore reflect on your condition; what if God should call any of you this night, are ye willing to die? I believe there is not one amongst many that could heartily say it, there is scarce one among many, but when death comes they would feign shifted it, I speak not this to condemn the use of lawful means in sickness for recovering health, but to check our great loathness and unwillingness to die, which is such that we would always suspend and put it of; which speaks either; 1. Little faith of this truth that they are happy who die in the Lord, otherways it could not be but if it were solidly believed, folk would be more willing to die and to be with Christ, yea, there would be a desire to be there; if it were testified to men by persons worthy of credit, that there were a good, pleasant, and fertile land to be inhabited in such a place of the world, many would repair thither for making a good fortune (as ye use to call it) in this life, And yet for all God's testimony (who cannot possibly lie nor deceive) of the happiness that follows dieing in Christ, yet it's not believed, and therefore few are willing or desirous to go through death to enjoy it, very few are like Paul, who desired to be dissolved and be with Christ which was best of all, weakness of faith makes want of willingness to die. Or 2ly, it speaks out great want of love to Jesus Christ, unwillingness to die is no little sin, but want of love is greater, when folks prefer the being with Husband, or Wife, or Children, or Friends, to being with Christ; O! love to Christ strangely looseth the heart from these, and makes the soul breath after being with him, as that which is best of all; Or 3ly, It speaks much earthly mindedness, and addictedness to the things of a present world, hence it is that many carnal and earthly minded wretches would never desire a better life, nor another life than their house and bit of land in quietness, the fellowship of their natural relations and other external enjoyments.  
For clearing of this use further, let us in a word touch on a question or two, 1. If all willingness or desire to die be good? 2ly, If a Christian may not sometime be warrantably unwilling to die.  
For the first of these, to wit, If all willingness or desire to die be good? To cleir it we would distinguish and put a difference betwixt these two, a sinful and a commendable willingness.  
First there is a sinful willingness or desire to die in folks carnal fits, and it is threefold, 1. A desperate willingness; when folk's dough not abide some present horror on their Spirits, or some pain of their bodies, or some other very heavy and sharp cross, they will wish to be away, and some in such fits dispatch themselves by their own hands, so judas dow not endure the horror of his own conscience, and therefore hanged himself; but this is rather ane unwillingness to submit to, and bear their present lot and case, than any willingness to die: the other two are incident to the Godly if not only to them; The 2d willingness than is, when the Godly have many crosses that they dow not well bear, and are afraid that God be dishonoured through their fainting or other miscarriages, or when they see it going ill with God's People and his public work, and they cannot do any thing to mend it; they look upon themselves as useless and would feign be away, So Eljah 1 Kings 19 preys, Lord take away my life, because they had slain his Prophets, digged down his Altars and he only was left, as he apprehended, and they sought to take away his life; but the Lord tells him that he was wrong, that he had yet more to do with him, and that matters were not so ill as he trowed, for he had reserved seven Thousand who had not bowed the knee to Baal; Thus some eminent godly men in ane evil time, will readily wish to be away, they dow not endure to be always fight, striving, and contending to help and heal, especially since they think they can do no good: And yet sometimes it is not so much the case of the public, as fear of being straitened or disappointed in some one or other particular of their own, that is the great ground of their fainting and wishing to be gone, as we may see clearly in eminently godly and faithful Baruch, Jer. 45. The 3d willingness to die is, when a dispensation or affliction reflects ●…ore on folk's credit, whither they be preachers or more private Professors; either some slip or miscarriage in themselves, or some affront put on them by others, which makes them think they will do not more good (though it may be such a thing hath come sinfully from others), or it may be from want of success in some work committed to them, or some disappointment met with which they may desire to have removed, as we see in jonah Cap. 3. where he desires the Lord to take away his life, he conceaving himself as a Prophet to be discredited, and he is so headstrong that when the Lord asks him, does thou well to be angry jonah? He answers pettishly, I do well to be angry even unto the death; where God hints it to be his passion that precipitated him, and by the gourd lets him see that it was his particular that too much swayed him, & that he was not right in his desire of death, or in his willingness to die.  
For the 2d, The commendable willingness, I shall show you what it is by four or five propperties that it hath. 1. Right willingness to die is content to die in prosperity, and is submissive to live in adversity; when all things prospero with men, it's a very rair thing to see them willing to die, though in fits of crosse-dispensations, they may seem to be willing; and to have a submissive mind contented to live in adversity, yea, in the midst of greatest troubles that are incumbent or imminent, is as rair: to be as Paul was, Philip. 1 23. content to abid or go as God thinks meet, is a sweet temper and frame of soul; to be willing to live shamed and reproached, and not to be discontented with the down-lookings of honest folks, and to go through evil report as well as good report, in all things labouring to keep a good conscience, and in prosperity, as I said, to be content to leave the world and all that is in it▪ when God calls by death, is a great matter. 2ly, right willingness hath this proppertie, that it flows not so much from a desire to be quite of the troubles of the world, as to enjoy Christ and the good which the soul hopes for in and with him; it is not because either the persons own particular crosses grow, or because confusions, distractions, and contentions in the public increase, that they covet to be out of that life and to be gone, but because they long to be with Jesus Christ, We (sayeth the Apostle 2. Cor. 5. v. 4.) that are in this Tabernacle do groan being burdened, and what is the ground? not that we would be unclothed but clothed upon; not so much to get the infirmities of the body laid down, as to have the glory promised; it is that which sways mainly in the right desire of death or willingness to die. 3. Right willingness to die hath much desire and endeavour after communion with Christ here, and if it cannot come soon enough (so to speak) to full, immediate, and never to be interrupted communion with him in the next life, it seeks to make it up by pressing much after the nearest communion with him in this life; It is ane evil token when folk are desyreous to die and to be away, and yet are found neglecting communion with Christ while they are living; these that are rightly willing to die will be much in desire and longing after fellowship with Christ, and much in the delightful contemplation of Heaven ere it come and in their practice tending thitherward, and very loathe to do any thing that may obstruct that so much desired fellowship; This we may see in David, in the old Testament, and in Paul in the New, O! how do they pray and pant after, and O! what pains are they at to keep communion with God? and how do they labour along all their conversation so to behave, that no obstruction from them may be laid in the way of their so much longed▪ for fellowship with him; let none than think that it can be a right willingness to die, that puts not men to be tender in the study of holiness, and of conformity to Christ in their life; Therefore it is said of Simeon, who was so willing to die, that he was a just and devot man, waiting for the consolation of Israel; and by him and other such godly persons in his time, was the Temple frequented night and day. 4ly, That is right willingness to die that is not by fits, but continueing and distinct and goes upon solid grounds, I speak not of sensible comfort but of the grounds of faith, of some clearness of interest, and of sweet submission to God's blessed will; for though none needs to wonder much of Simeons' willingness to die when he hath gotten Christ in his arms, yet it hath this sweet submission to God in it.  
The 2d Question is, if even beleivers may be unwilling to die? And if this be warrantable? I answer, They may be sometimes unwilling to die and that not unwarrantably; And for clearing of this we shall speak to two things. 1. To ane unwillingness to die upon carnal grounds; 2. To ane unwillingness to die upon good grounds; For the first, Beleivers may be unwilling to die from a sinful unpreparedness to die, they may have a loathness to look death in the face throw the conscience of some, yea much carnalness in their life; beside that there is in all naturally ane averseness from dieing, beleivers may have sometimes their own carnal designs that may make them unwilling, but this is sinful; for where there is a good conscience sprinkled with Christ's blood, solid faith, and clearness about our peace with God, in so far they will make willingness to die. But 2ly, There is ane approven unwillingness that sometimes hath been in the Saints, as in David and Hezekiah, which is rather asweet submission to live, than a direct desire to live, for other reasons, for if it be a fear about the want of temporal or spiritual things for soul or body, or about any thing that relates to God's public work, faith will answer these; but there are two reasons that the Saints have gone on, by which they have been induced to this, that made them approven in their unwillingness to die. 1. The great stroke and influence that their removal might have had on the work of God, as it was in Hezekiah, josia and Paul, their case; if the former two should have been removed, it would very probably have overturned the Work of God, as Paul's removal would have made many sore hearts amongst Christians. 2ly, When their dieing in such a case, or under such a dispensation seems to carry some blot with it on innocent godly persons, or on godliness and the profession of it; As if job should have died in his affliction, it would have confirmed his Friends in their erronneous opinion or tenet; and David's dieing in the hands of his enemies before he came to the crown, would have left some blemish on the faithfulness of God, and on the profession of Religion, and been matter of shame and blushing to the godly; Therefore says he, For their sakes return thou on high; And so that unwillingness to die that flows not from respect to a man's self, but from respect to the public work of God, to his glory and others good or either of them, is warrantable.  
A 3d Use is, which hath also two branches, 1. Learn from this Doctrine to try and Judge what true blessedness is, it is even to die in the Lord. 2. Learn to cast at that as ane unhappy thing, which conduceth not to this end of dieing in the Lord. First I say, if ye would try your own hearts, when they are in a spiritual frame, take this as a mark of it, if ye do really accounted this to be bessednesse; if ye were to hear a voice from Heaven, declareing who is the blessed man, and if ye had the Spirits Testimony sealling it, here he is, blessed is he that dies in the Lord; It's not they that conquer, and overturn, and transferr Kingdoms, that obtain many victories, and have great success in their atcheiuments and undertake, that are blessed; It's not to be a Protector, or sole Governor of Nations, that makes a man blessed, but this is it, to die in the Lord; this is the language of Heaven and that which is laid weight on there, and so should be by you. And 2ly, Lay all the things ye can Imagine in this world in the balance with this, they cannot possibly weigh equally with it, let be down weigh it and what follows it; when they are all laid in the balance with dieing in the Lord, and with the consequent glory and happiness, they are light as a feather, yea lighter than vanity utterly unworthy to be named in a day with these; As there is therefore no happiness in them so cease to seek it in or from them.  
A 4th Use is, and its of other two branches, If there be a necessity of dieing and dieing in the Lord to them that would be happy; There is nothing so forcible to press the study of holiness. 2. Nothing so forcible to scar from profanity, which are the great scope of all preaching: I say consider this doctrine rightly and it will be found, 1, To be most powerfully provocking to holiness, the reason is, because dieing well, and living well are knit together, and nothing can more demonstrat the absolute necessity of holiness, without which none shall see the Lord; it's as necessary as peace with God and Heaven, and who ever they be who think not so now, when ever they shall be summoned to remove, they shall without all peradventure found it to be so. 2ly, Is there any thing more scarring at, and deterring from, profanity and a carnal walk? Gather all that the world can afford whither of sinful pleasures, or of lawful temporal delyts immoderately often used, and suppose that ye could come by your very hearts desire and wish in them, what will they all advantage you when death comes? to have so many thousands or hundred thousands of marks, to have so much land or so many houses, will do you no good at death; what will it advantage you to spend your time in pleasure, in the lusts of the flesh, in tippling and drunkenness? And ye that are swelled with pride and ambition, and would have all others backing you, and beckoning and bowing to you, what, I say, will these profit you when death shall put ane end to them all, and make ane eternal divorce betwixt you and them, and when ye must lie down amongst the dead, and when the worms must be a covering to you? It's even a wonder (if aught of this kind could be a wonder to our carnal and profaine hearts) considering the necessity of dieing and of dieing in the Lord to all that would die well and happily, with the faith and conviction that we generally profess to have of them, that we think so little seriously of death, and of such a death, and are at so little pains in the study of holiness to prepare for it.  
I shall therefore in the last place speak a word or two to several sorts of persons, who should be thinking upon, and prepareing for death, but put it far away from them: 1. To them that are young and take a merry life of it, and dow abide nothing but to be carnally Jovial, ah! poor wantouns, is not death fast approaching? Will it not be upon you ere ye be ware, and ere many years go by? Certainly your life will not be eternal, and who knows but your time may be shorter than ye dream of? The grave may be as soon filled with you that are younger, healthfuller, and stronger, as with the more aged, sick, and infirm, what reason than have ye to be so merry and jovial, when your peace is not made sure with God? It's a most remarkable and alarming word that is spoken to you by the Spirit of God, Eccles. 11. 9 Rejoice O young man in thy youth, and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thy heart, in the sight of thine eyes; but know that for all these things God will bring thee into judgement: Ye may go on, if you will at your peril, slighting all warneings and admonitions, but be assured Death and Judgement are quickly coming when ye will be called to reckon with God, not only for every open, but for every secret thing good or evil; Therefore be exhorted to review and to cast your eye along your youth, and to consider seriously how it hath been spent, and see if there be not reason for your taking the exhortation that follows, Remember now thy creator in the days of thy youth etc. Eccles. 12. 1. and to spend some more time in thinking of, and prepareing for death; 2ly, To them that are exceeding wise in their own generation, very provident for Summer and Winter, and for all seasons of the Year, and who can manage their estates very well and put all things in good order for themselves and for their children, to make them a convenient life in the world, but do not at all in good earnest mind ane other life, how many such are there, that are very wise for this life, but for the matters of God and their own souls are stark fools the veriest fools in the world? Many like Martha (who though a good woman was nevertheless much prevailed over by this distemper, albeit it did not reign in her nor obtain dominion over her, as it doth over unregenerat persons) are careful, cumbered, and troubled about many things, and neglect the one thing that is needful; Is it not a wonder that such very rational and wise men should waste all their precious time, except what they spend in eating, drinking and sleeping, upon the things of a present life, and not allow so much as one hour of all the week to think seriously on their souls and of death? I appeal to your own consciences if this be reasonable and a practice worthy of rational men having immortal souls capable of eternal happiness and misery? And if your time be not spent on these things which are but vanity, and which at death will do you no good nor profit you, and concerning which you will than be made to cry, What profit have we of these things whereof we are now ashamed? 3ly, To such as are frequent in their attendance on public ordinances, and in the use of other commanded means, and yet never thought nor believed their souls to be in hazard, nor in good earnest prepared themselves for dieing; O! think yet upon your hazard, for that is the first spring of making ready for the remedy, O! seek grace to examine yourselves, to believe in Christ, to repent, and to live as it becomes them that profess themselves to be dieing persons; It's really both strange and wondered how it comes to pass that ye can so often hear and yet give no obedience to what ye hear, do ye or can ye think that it is religion enough to hear? Hath not the Scripture said, James 1. That it is not the hearer, but the doer of the word that is blessed in his deed or doing? I beseech you therefore be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only deceiving your own souls, or (as the word is) deludeing and playing the Sophist with your own souls. 4ly, To them that have greater parts and abilities, and higher places and power than others, and have withal more opportunities to be prepareing for death; who are masters of families and can command their children and servants to read the Scripture, to fast and pray, and seek God; and who know from the word what is right and what is wrong, what is duty and what is sin▪ and yet are so very little in the practice of these directions in order to their preparation for death; Consider I entreat you what your knowledge, parts, places, and power, will do to you or advantage you when ye are dieing, if there be not faith and love, and the fruits of both in practice; It's really a wonder that so many men should have light in, and conviction of, these things, and yet should so dally with their light and conviction and not endeavour to make them practicable. 5ly, To them that are aged and have their one foot as it were in the grave, who are near fifty or sixty, or a very few more years which not many exceeds, and yet are, even when so far on in years, as secure and negligent in preparing for death as if it were ane hundreth years from them; consider what ye are doing, age (alace) and years do not necessarily bring along with them more tenderness in soul-concernes, for we see it in experience oftentimes, that the more aged men are, the more stocked are they in ignorance and senselessness; certainly if this word speak to any, it speaks to you that should in a manner carry your deaths-cloaths about with you, and be exemplary to others in prepareing for death; ye would therefore take it to you. A 6th and the last sort we shall speak to, are these that are in a poor mean and low condition in the world, for all are not rich and wealth nor have a plentiful outward condition, many can scarcely get their families maintained, and yet even but few of such (which is a wonder) are seriously seeking after Heaven, and prepareing for dieing in the Lord that leads to it; the rich have a tentation that ye want; If any in the world should seek after Heaven it should be you who are poor, and yet how many of you will be miserable, not only here but also eternally hereafter ere ye betake yourselves to the way of holiness? If ye were wise, as ye aught to be, ye would bless God that ever this Gospel came among you and was preached to the poor, which hath happiness and everlasting richeses in the bosom of it to all that will embrace it: O! take this word to you poor and rich, ye will all most certainly lie down in the grave, but this will make the difference, ye will die happy or accursed, as ye die in Christ or out of him. Finally, I must say this word to them that have some acquaintance with God, and some conviction of the fecklessnesse and great deficience of their endeavours in prepareing for death, for their both humbleing and further upstirring to diligence, that there is amongst us both little rouseing of ourselves, little hastening to the coming of the day of God, little going out to meet ' the bridegroom; Alace! We will, to speak so, take both a put and a call to make us advance towards death, though we be drawing neirer to it daily, yet few of us, as I just now said, are waiting for, and hastening unto the coming of Christ and of the day of God.  
I shall close up all with this one word, it may be that many of us shall teast of death before we hear so much spoken of it; take it therefore as ane advertisement and call from Heaven to mind more that which is so much forgotten, and yet so necessary to be always remembered, even to live so as we may die in the Lord Christ, and so be eternally and unspeakably blessed.   

SERMON VI.  Revel. 14: 13. Blessed are the Dead which die in the Lord, etc. 
ALthough we have already spoken at greater length on these words than at first we intended, yet somewhat remains that is useful, and which seems to be their main scope; therefore we shall insist a little further. The way that we gather what we are to say is by considering the Spirits purpose and design in this place, which comes in very remarkably, having no particular dependence (as would seem) on the former words, nor connexion with what follows; what can be the reason that betwixt the denunciation of Judgement before, and the Prophecies of Judgement that follow, there is such ane interruption & breaking of from the series of the History made? I heard a voice saying to me, writ, blessed are the dead which die in the Lord, from henceforth, yea saith the Spirit etc. there must sure be some reason; We shall offer these two reasons that point especially at the scope of the Spirit of God and are insinuated in the words, that will be the grounds of two doctrines; The 〈◊〉 reason is, That the Lord when he is speaking of sad things to come upon his Church, and and of Judgements to come upon the enemies thereof, casts in this as a ground of profitable meditation to his people at such a time, so that whither we look to Judgements to come on enemies, or to trials and tentations his own people are to meet with, this is cast in seasonably as a practical lesson plain in itself, & profitable to them. A 2d reason is, that God by such a word, when death should be frequent & trouble & confusion should grow, may comfort and encourage his people, that death may not be bitter nor terrible to them since the Lord puts this motto, to say so, on men's dieing in him in the darkest and saddest times, that they are blessed.  
These two being the scope, the one to prepare them for dieing, and the other to comfort them against dieing, they yield us these two useful points of doctrine, the first whereof we shall speak to at this time, which is this.  
Doct 1, That death and the happiness of them that die in the Lord, is a suitable and profitable subject of the meditation of God's people, especially in times of difficulty and trouble; This we conceive is clearly employed in the words, certainly the Spirit that is so wise, and who most opportunely timeth and trysteth things for the good of his people, would not so abruptly have brocken in on this purpose at this time, if it were not very pertinent and suitable to such a time; there is not in all this book such a remarkable diversion from the series of the History, having such a word prefixed to it, and such a word affixed and subjoined to it as this; no doubt to stir up God's people that have this book to read, when they come to this memorable passage, to think and consider of it the m●…re seriously: To clear the doctrine more generally a little, we will found that these who have been most holy, have been most frequent in the thoughts and meditation of death, so David prays, Psal. 39 Lord make me to know mine end, and the number of my days, that I may know how frail I am; and Moses, So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts to wisdom, Ps. 90. (the numbering of our days, is this, serious thinking and meditating on approaching death) We may here also look on the example of our blessed Lord Jesus Christ, Luke. 9 31. who speaks at his transfiguration on the mount with Moses and Elias of his decease▪ which he was to accomplish at jerusalem; for though there was something peculiar in his death, yet his speaking of it, and prepareing for it, belongeth as a common duty to us, and should be a pattern to us; And O! how doth Solomon commend the meditating on death, Eccles. 7: v. 2. and 11: 8, 9 and Chap. 12. throughout.  
But for further and more particular clearing of this doctrine, we shall speak a little to these three contained in it; 1. What is meant, when we say that death is a suitable subject of meditation? 2. What profit or advantage comes to the people of God by it? 3. Why do we say it is especially profitable and advantageous to be thought upon in ane evil time?  
For the first, when we speak of death as a suitable subject of meditation, It is not to be strictly taken as contradistinguished from other things that preceded, accompany, and follow death; But 1. we take in the thoughts of the certainty of dieing, and the uncertainty of its time and other circumstances as to us; It's than to think on death as the way of all flesh, as that which no man can get a discharge from, and of the uncertainty of the time and manner of it, how sudden and surpri●…ing it may be. 2ly, When we speak of the meditation of death, we take in all that accompanies it, the pain and outward diseases whereby men are made unable to do any profitable work in their generation, as also all the challenges, convictions, tentations, terrors, and anxieties that accompany death, and the estimation of things that we see dieing men to have; All these would be taken in as a part of this meditation. 3ly, When we speak of meditating on death, we mean not that it would be meditated on, only as it is a natural thing after the fall of man, but would consider and distinguish it in its several kinds as its dieing in sin and dieing in the Lord, the first and second death; we would look upon death on the one side, as ane effect of the curse, and on the other side, as sweetened with God's love and as ane entry into happiness: And we would add to this the causes of the one and of the other, what it is that makes death miserable to one, and happy or the entry to happiness to another. 4ly, When we speak of thinking on death we would take in the effects and consequents of death, our appearing before God, Judgement, and Eternity, that are at the back of death; The entering into an unchangeable estate of well or ill being, meeting with a sentence that is irrevocable, the eternal happiness of them that die in Christ, the eternal misery of them that die in sin, perfection of Joy, and extremity of sorrow for ever, which men and Angels are not able to conceive and farlesse to express; And when we speak of meditation on death, we say its a suitable subject to be thinking often and frequently on all their, not only at more solemn and set times, but even in the midst of our callings and employments, in the midst of our Joy, and of our grief and sadness, to be takeing some serious looks of this day that will put ane end to all these in the way before spoken of; in your youth 〈◊〉 be considering that this day of darkness is comei●…g, and in old age especially, when the shadow of death sits down on the eye lids and the strong men begin to bow themselves etc.  
As to the second, To commend this duty to you all consider what advantage flows from it, though we spoke of meditation in general at another occasion, and hinted some what at meditation on death, yet it being so frequently spoken of in Scripture and so profitable to beleivers, we shall speak a little to some advantages that will commend the expedience of the duty, as well as the necessity of it to you; And 1, Much of the improvement of the great truths we have been speaking of to you these days past, depends on your meditation on death, and these things that go before, accompany, and follow after it; its impossible to know a right, and to believe how great a task and work it is to die well, and what is the happiness of them that die so, if we be not takeing pains to be cleared and confirmed in it by Scripture and by meditating on it; folks take but a glance at it in the by, but stay not to look on the quarrel and controversy that is betwixt God and them, neither do they consider seriously what is at the back of death, and therefore it surpriseth them when it comes; whereas that man can speak of death boldly and advisedly that hath been acquainting himself with it before hand. 2ly, There is nothing that readily doth more heighten the estimation of God and of Christ than the thoughts of death, the thoughts of it brings folks closer and nearer to his bar, and make them look on him as Judge, they put them to consider their fecklenesse, baseness, and vileness upon the one hand, and the greatness of the Majesty of God upon the other; O! how sublimely do David and job speak of God? when in the one word they talk of the grave, and of the cover of worms there, and in the other word, highly exalt the Majesty and greatness of God; Meditation on death brings the thoughts of what God is, and of what we are, very near us, and represents to us before hand what he will be found to be at and after death, and what we will be than; whereas on▪ the contrary, it is given as a root of our despising God, when men put the evil day far away, as no doubt a root of reverence and respect to God, is serious meditation on death. 3ly, Moore particularly, look to beleivers converseing with others that have grace, or that abound in corruption, we will found it exceeding needful, useful, and advantageous to carry along the thoughts of death; It would make christian's walk loveingly and edifieingly with others, loather to do wrong, more patiented when they suffered wrongs, and more easy to forgive, and more ready to forget wrongs; our carnal humours would not get such way, if the thoughts of dieing were suitably entertained; and half an hour's discourse together with the impression of it on us, through God's blessing, would edify and profit us mutually, more than many days meeting without it could do. 4ly, In reference to a man's self: 1. Moore generally, meditation on death is a most quieting and Spirit-sobering thing, it stays the mind, it diverts from vanities, and removes them from being the object of his pursuit, nay it someway crucifies him to them; And hence it is that men are seldom or never in a more sob●…r and in a better frame, than when they are seriously apprehensive of death, as suppose men to be in sickness, or in danger at Sea or on Land, they will readily be in another frame than ordinarily they use to be in, and when the danger or straight is by, that impression wears readily much away; but were we more in meditation of death, this frame might be more constant and lasting. 2ly, Moore particularly 1. It contributs, through God's blessing, to rectify a man's Judgement that by orriginal sin is darkened, and accounteth ill good and good ill, the thoughts of death make a man wise, discreet, and condescending; men while they are in health and without these thoughts, will not quite ane inch of their will, they will rather wound their conscience than their credit; and to get their barns full and all going well with them in the world, wholly takes them up, but the serious thoughts of death makes them wise to discern and judge of things, therefore Moses joins these two together, thinking on death and the applying of the heart to wisdom, Psal. 90. when folks think not on death, they are cumbered with many things, they r●…ne to cisterns and turn their back on the fountain; whereas serious pondering on death, let's the vanity and emptiness of these things be seen; how many see we daily when dieing, counting little of these things they thought much of before, and calling & accounting themselves fools that suffered themselves to be so carried away with them; and however God's Spirit calls them fools that make such a choice. 2ly, As it enlighteneth the Judgement, so it ordereth the affectiones and rules the passions, therefore when Solomon is speaking to the young man who will be tied with no bands, he Ironically bids him rejoice and laugh on, but withal wills him to remember that for all these things he will come to Judgement, the meditation of Death and Judgement would say of laughter thou art mad, and of mirth what dost thou? It would make men look on them as vanity, folly, and madness; & these thoughts especially would become folks in prosperity, and in their youth when their humours are more high bended and light; meditation on death is a notable bridle to lightness. 3ly, If we will yet look more particularly forward, It's exceeding profitable to advance mortification, to bring us out of the entanglements of a world, and to help us with singleness and denyednesse in following Christ, thou fool, (says death) this night thy soul may be taken from thee, and whose shall all these things be? It makes men's carrouseing and good fellowship (as they call it) teastlesse; conscience would in that case speak and say, what if thou die drunken or with the cup in thy hand? this meditation makes a man care little for the world, richeses, pleasures, and honour; it would make all to grow very unsavoury, in a word, it mortifies these three which are the world's trinity, pride, covetousness, carnal lusts. 1. It mortifies pride, as we may see in David, who says, Psal. 39 Lord teach me to know my end and the measure of my days, that I may know how fraill I am. And in job, who says to corruption, it is his mother, and to the worms, they are his Sisters; It puts to say, dust I am and into dust I shall return. 2. It mortifies covetousness, for the meditation of death wrings the heart from the things of the world, and gives the man other thoughts to think upon; how many when death approaches are forced to say, they have cumbered themselves with the world and it hes beguiled them. 3. It mortifies carnal pleasures, for what can vain fleshly lusts do to men that are dieing? For as merry as they are now, say these thoughts, they must appear within a little before God in Judgement, and if this be not a bridle to these lusts, I know not what will be a bridle. 4. It stirs up to the diligent exercise of all duties, and to the going about them soberly and seriously, one preaching or prayer after serious meditation on death would have more weight, and be waited with more advantage, than many others without it; It puts to humiliation, selfe-examination, selfe-searching; it furthers the exercise of the fear of God, and brings the soul to stand in awe of him before whom it is to appear shortly: It furthers repentance and prayer, Job 41: 25. Because of break they purify themselves; they make themselves for death by repentance, prayer, and the offering of sacrifices even these Heathens in the Ship with jonah; And if meditation on death put profaine men to the form of Religion, how much more will it put beleivers to be serious and spiritual, in the exercise of these duties and in the practice of Religion? And if God give them time and seriousness at dieing, their prayers will be more feckful and fervent at that time than before. 5. It is exceeding profitable to work kindly submission to crosse-dispensations, and to make folks go softly under them; what will a man care, (carkeingly I mean) that is taken up with meditating on death, for the fore faulture of his estate or to have his house brunt, or his land wasted? He knows death will put ane end to all these things. 6. As it fits for all duties and restrains from all vices, so it exceedingly prepares for death itself which is the great scope; Solomon describes sickness and old age, Eccl. 12. to make the young man ready for death ere it come, and if there were no other advantage by meditation on death, this is no small one, not to be surprised with it: Yea, it some way also mitigats the bitterness of death, so that it's not so terrible to them that have been thinking on it seriously, as it is to others who have never made it the subject of their meditation? And what wonder is it to see many either mightily terrified or very stupid at death, since they never studied the lesson of dieing before it came on them?  
But as to the 3d, Why add we this, that it is especially advantageous in evil times? Which seems to be the very scope of the words, and the godly such as David and others have thought it so; we do not say that meditation on death is especially profitable and advantageous in ill times, as if it were not to be thought on in times of prosperity and peace, but that it is exceeding necessary, and singularly profitable in ane evil time, and in such ane one as we now live in; And the great necessity and advantage of this ariseth from three things that accompany ane evil time; 1. Many snares and tentations; in ane ill time flesh and blood is ready to postpone a good conscience and to prefer self preservation; now living in the meditation of death guards against that; if the tentation say, man spare or save thyselse, the soul that is thinking on death will say, I may soon loss my good conscience by yielding to such a thing for preservation of self, and yet it may be myself shall not live a year after it, and though I should live twenty yet shall I be brought to com●…t for it, And therefore I will rather hazard on the loss of any thing, yea of life itself, than by wounding or shipwrecking my conscience on provocking God; Hence the Apostle tells us, 2 Cor. 5. that he was not swayed with outward things. 2. Another evil accompanies ane evil time, and its carnal sorrow, fainting, perplexity, discouradgment; meditation on death mitigats these, It says that these things, or any other thing the Godly can suffer, are not eternal, It sweeteneth our grief, it diverts the mind from carnal thoughts to that which is more profitable, it easeth the mind, and layeth the ●…lormes, and calmeth the confusions, that outward difficulties and troubles raise and awake in it, and gives a profitable use of sad things. 3ly, There is in ane evil time ordinarily, much confusion and distraction; that is down which we think should be up, and that is up which we think should be down, and our minds are ready to stagger and reill to and from like a drunken man, because of these confusions; but the thoughts of death stay the mind, and say, that death er long will bring all these things to ane end or else ane end to us, and will bring them all to be recognosced and judged over again; To this purpose compare, v. 16, and 17. of Eccles. 3. where Solomon says, I saw the place of judgement that wickedness was there, and the place of righteousness that iniquity was there; And what does comfort him against this? I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked, for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work; oftentimes there is not a season for things here, but at death there is a season for every thing, all sentences that have been wrongously passed here will be reduced there, the consideration of this stays his heart and comforts him.  
The Uses are two, The 1st is by way of exhortation, to commend this excellent though much slighted duty, not only meditation in the general, but meditation in particular on this subject of death; folks have often as little mind of this duty as if it were not in the word of God, and yet it is frequently called for there, and if in any generation, than in this, wherein there is so much confusion, turneing of things up side down, and reilling to and from; so many snares and so many grounds of grief and sorrow; when so many are carnally weighted and dejected, and so many are declineing and going wrong: And (as we show before) we think that this text relats to this time of the World, the time of God's beginning to execute his Judgements on Antichrist before the full harvest and vintage come; and therefore we would speak to this use a little more particularly, because it's very useful and a notable mean to make you go profitably about the practice of all that we have spoken to this purpose; for it puts us in mind of these directions for right living in order to dieing, and it holds us at them; without the minding of death, there can be no minding of them, for these that mind not the end can never mind the midses; because, I say, it's thus useful, We shall therefore for further clearing of it speak a little to two things; 1. To some directions or rules, showing how ye should think on death. 2. To some helps and means thereto.  
For the first, ye remember when we said death was a suitable subject of meditation, we took in death in its circumstances, concomitants, and kinds; And our first direction or rule shall be this, be particular in your meditation, let it not be abstracted from yourself in particular, It's not enough to take it for granted that death is common to all; So does job, cap. 30. 23. I I know that thou shalt bring me to death, and so does David, Ps. 39 Lord teach me to know mine end and the number of my days, how frail I am; go through all the concomitants of death, and consider what may be your case at death, what will be your challenges, tentations, and thoughts; and what will be the effects and consequents of death to you, when ye must with these same eyes and none other for you behold and face your Judge. 2ly, Cast a reflex look on yourselves and your own way in meditation, when ye look to that way that prepares one to die well, look back and see if such a preparation be in you, consider how your way suits with that which the Scripture holds out to be the way, if such a challenge may meet you at death, and what course is taken with it to answer or prevent it; this was jobs way Chap. 31. where he tells us that he durst not slight the cause of his manservant or maid-servant when they contended with him, for than he should not have had a good answer to his judge, & that if he had done otherways, it would have marred his boldness. 3ly, Labour to have your affections moved in your meditation on death; This is a chief end of meditation; otherways we will but run to and from, and roave up and down to inform the Judgement, and carry the thoughts of death as a common place along with us, but will get not more good of it; the special thing is to have somewhat dropeing from it that may melt the heart, as it was with David, Psal. 77. I thought on God and was troubled; and Psal. 63. My soul shall be filled as with marrow and fattnesse; there is something like this in meditating on death, it affects the heart with terror, when the soul thinks on dieing without clearness of interest; It affects the heart with comfort and joy, when the soul is clear in its interest; to think on dieing in Christ so as thereby to be advanced a step nearer unto it, and to drink in what we have been thinking upon, that is the truly profitable thinking on such a thing; the meditation that is without affecting of the heart, is like the chewing of meat that is presently spit out again and not swallowed down and digested; or to the looking only on what is profitable without making any further use of it: Such, I say, is all our preaching, hearing, speaking, and thinking of death, when they do not affect the heart. 4ly, Study to be practical in your meditation, that is, to have it tending to some profitable use in your practice as its end; when ye have found out such a thing to be wrong, presently to set about the amending of it; when ye have found out some thing spiritually profitable, resolutly to go about it and all the means to attain it. 5ly and lastly, Seek to be much in prayer to God, and in dependence on him for direction in this particular, go about meditation on death as a duty commanded by God, with prayer to him and with dependence on him for his assistance and his blessing on it, many look not on the meditation of death in particular as a peculiar duty, and therefore it's so much slighted: When we commend it to you as a duty, we mean these three things; 1. That ye should look upon it as required of God, and as being useful and profitable as well as any other duty: 2ly, That ye should go about it as in his presence, ordinarily folk take a greater latitude in meditation than in prayer, but ye would remember and consider that he is witness to your meditation as well as to your prayers, that he is the great subject of it, that it is laid on by his command, that su●…eable meditation is and must be wrought by his Spirit, and that ye will and must count to him for your wand●…ings in it, as well as in prayer. 3ly, That ye should take in all, at lest, the general circumstances of it pointed at before, that ye should take time to it, and betake yourselves to it of set purpose, and even now and than when possibly ye might have some other thing to do that is not necessary for the time; and that ye should by prayer seek Gods guiding in this particular duty as well as in any other duty, as Moses doth Psal. 90. Teach us to number our days: Be not frighted from it by the apprehended difficulty of it, for as meditation in the general is hard and difficult, so is the particular meditation of death even a subject that we are naturally very averse from, therefore David Prays, Psal. 39 Lord teach me to know mine end, etc. and indeed, more frequent and habitual exercise and practise of it, would, through God's blessing, make it more easy.  
For the 2d, Because there is difficulty in this duty as we have just now hinted, we shall therefore propose or point at a few things that may be helps to it; There is nothing we have more motives to, nor moe memorandums of to say so) than of this, take than these helps. 1. Consider seriously the frequent deaths and burials among you every day, whereof ye are witnesses and at which ye are present, and possibly of several younger, healthier, and stronger than yourselves, and of whom it might have been thought not many days since, they would have outlived you: And than reflect upon yourselves and see if ye be prepared for death, when ye are in your houses, or going in the streets, and hear the bell giving notice of the death of such and such persons, or see the corpses carried forth to their burial place, think on these things, for they are helpful: Therefore Solomon says, Better is the day of death than of ones birth, and he gives the reason, for the living will lay it to heart, that is, the living should lay it to heart. 2ly, Look unto, and consider well, your own infirmities, sicknesses, and diseases of one kind or another: There are none but they have the seed of lesser or of more diseases in them, besides fits of sickness that befall them now and than, and what is the language of all these but this? Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return: When folks have in their bodies the beginnings of rottenness or of a gangerine, they will spread; ye would hear all these infirmities, diseases, and distempers crying aloud upon you that ye will and must die, for these cry to you every day as that man was cried unto by one whom he appointed to cry at his door every morneing, thou art mortal. 3ly, Consider the extraordinary events that befall many men and women, some are suddenly stricken down with palfies, some fall down and never rise, some go abroad and never return, some are stricken with fury and madness; and are any of us exempted from these or any of them? 4ly, We commend to you frequent reading of, and meditating on, these Scriptures that speak of death, and of other books that treat of that subject, and set forth most lively the shortness of man's life; be often reading of the death of the Saints, many are rather taken up with reading vain Romances or Stories, that are unprofitable in comparison of this; and others are, it may be, taken up with mysterious, dark, doubtful, and little edifying questions and debats. 5ly, We commend to you to think seriously upon the names that death gets in Scripture, and the comparisons whereby it is there holden forth, for there are not many things that we can readily mention or meet with, which may not serve to put us in mind of dieing; do men put of their clothes? Death is compared to that, 2 Cor. 5. do we lie down in our beds to take rest? Death is also compared to that Isay 57 vers. 2. where the Prophet speaking of the righteous, sayeth. He shall enter into peace, they shall rest in their beds: So to the same purpose death is compared to a sleep, one generation goes and another comes and every one sleeps their sleep Psal. 76. v. 5. would ye but reflect when ye are going to bed and consider what postour ye are lying down in, and from this bethink yourselves what is out of order, and how ye may be suitably affected with it, and raise up in the morneing with a resolution to practise accordingly, it were a profitable meditation; death is also called, the way of all flesh, and can we reckon our age or number our years, but it must at lest should put us in mind of death that is fast coming? Yea, can we so much as breathe (which is one of the most ordinary things) but it must or at lest might put us in mind of death? Thou takest away their breath, they die and return to their dust, says the Psalmist, Psal. 104. 29. If there were but a stop put to this continual breathing of ours, than our life should be quickly found to be but as a vapour that goes up and returns not again, that appeareth but for a little time and than vanisheth away, as james says, cap. 4. 14. So that we want not sufficient occasions to put us and keep us in mind of death; but alace! We want heart and affection to the thing, and spiritual-mindednesse to make use of these occasiones; Always we leave it on you not only as a duty, but as a very profitable duty, to meditate more on death and to make use of these and the like means to help you to it, and the Lord himself bless them to you.  
A 2d Use is for reproof and conviction, and O! what ground of reproof and challenge does it bring along with it? Were this the very time of our going to die, and of our appearance before our judge, how many of us can say, we have made conscience of thinking on our last end? So that the Lord may expostulat with us, as he did with his people of old, Deut. 32. as with a foolish people and unwise, O! that they were wise, O! that they understood this, that they would consider their latter end; many may sadly say, that they scarcely ever reckoned it among their duties, nor the neglect of it among their sins and grounds of challenge, and we fear, which is yet worse and more sad, that it may be said of many, that they do not resolve to rank and place it amongst their duties? But if ye will not be prevailed with, to make it and mind it as your duty, be assured it shall be your sin and ye shall have it for your challenge; What? Have ye not the command of God enjoining it? Hath not the Saints practiseing of it so much, some weight with you? The plainness of the duty will make your guilt the greater and you the more inexcusable in your neglecting it; there are none of us but we may go home with many challenges for our being so much entangled with the things of the world; and for the levity, unstaidness, unsobernesse, and carnalness of our Spirits, which make us think so little and speak so little of dieing; and if any thoughts of it occur now and than to our minds, they sink not, they affect not, they leave not suitable impressions: If ye would essay it seriously ye should found the fruit of it, it should further holiness, it should sober and compose you, and fit you for any thing that may be coming in ane ill time, for doing and for suffering as ye should be called to it, and for death itself; God himself give you so to essay it, as ye may found the blessed fruit and advantage of it.   

SERMON VII.  Revel. 14: 13. Blessed are the dead, which die in the Lord, etc. 
SInce sin entered into the world, death hath been one of the most terrible things that the children of men have to meet with, even the most terrible of all terrible things; and indeed it is no wonder that they who know not of ane other and better life to come, nor of the way how to come at it, esteime so of it; It is called by job cap. 18: 19 The King of terrors, all other terrors are but petty and inconsiderable in respect of this; and it is one of the beleiving-Christian his great Privileges, that he is armed for death, and that death is disarmed as to him; Death is made a kindly friend to the beleiver, and the terror of it is taken away; & that which the stoutest dar not, dow not, composedly look in the face (though in a fit of manliness as they call it, or rather of desperateness indeed, some will endeavour to brave it out against death and to bear down the terror of it) the true Christian only through faith in Christ is a victor over even over this enemy death: The scope of these words as we show, is, that the Lord knowing how in these calamities & troubles that were coming, death would be frequent, and that many of the bodies of his Saints would go among the rest, though their death be very precious in his sight; And knowing also how despicable their death would be in the eyes of the profane world; and how that they would be accounted the only wise and happy men that could best shifted suffering for Christ and for his truth; and knowing withal how tempting this would be unto them, he premits this seasonable and sweet word of comfort, Blessed are the dead, which die in the Lord, etc. as if he had said, let not beleivers in Christ think much of death, it will not mar their happiness but shall rather further and hasten it: So that this word is given to strengthen and comfort the godly against such ane evil time.  
From which ground we propose this second doctrine: That God hath fully furnished the beleiver in him with comfort and encouradgment against the terriblnesse of death, so that though death be terrible in itself, yet the beleiver hes good and sufficient ground of encouradgment against it, and may quietly and comfortably die when God calls him, where and however it shall be; there is nothing in death that needs to fear him, the Word of God hath given him notable grounds of comfort and encouragement to bear him through it most heartsomely, and in the faith of that word he should walk confidently and comfortably throw the valley of the shadow of death and fear none ill; There are two things in this doctrine much to the same purpose: 1. That the Lord allows the beleiver to be comforted in his death, and therefore hes allowed him grounds of strong consolation. 2. That the beleiver who hath these grounds, should make use of them to bear him cheerfully and comfortably through death; so the Lord speaking of Death and Judgement, Luke 21. 28. says to, and commands, beleivers in him, When ye shall see these things come to pass, than look up and lift up your heads for the day of your redemption draweth nigh, beside many other commands t●…at are frequent in the Scriptures to this purpose; and how many of the Saints resting on and improveing these grounds have died most willingly, pleasantly, comfortably, and joyfully? Take for instance old Simeon, who sweetly says, Luke 2. Now lettest thou thy Servant departed in peace, etc. He begs leave to be gone; And if ye look to Paul, O! how earnestly does he long for his pass and dimission, and how hearty does he welcome the thoughts of it? Philip. 1: 21. To clear the doctrine a little, we shall speak somewhat to these two things. 1 What are the things that ordinarily make death terrible. 2. What are the grounds of comfort and refreshing, or the refreshful considerations that beleivers have in the way of grace against these grounds of terror, and the latter will be found very far greater than the former; only take this word of caution or warning, that we speak not of death so, as if it were comfortable to die simply, or as if it were so to all; not not so, for its terrible to all them that die in sin and out of Christ; but to them that believe in him, and take his own way to this blessed end of dieing in him, to all them and to them only, is death comfortable and refreshing, and to none others.  
But 1. As to these things that make death terrible and so much to be feared, they are especially these five. 1. There is something natural in death that makes it terrible, and that is, the dissolution of that intime, close, and straight union, which is betwixt the soul and the body; which separation of these two great intimates being contrary to nature, cannot but be abhorrent and terrible to it; and death withal, in its large extent, being a part and fruit of the curse, and a bitter fruit of man's departure from God, it's no wonder it be terrible. 2ly, There is something in death that is penal; as it is the wages of sin (just now hinted) it hath challenges flowing from the law with it, which speak in the conscience; this is the fruit of sin, and hath a right with it to dominion over the sinner flowing from the breach of the Law of God; and were there no more than this in death it might make it terrible to all; Hence it's said, 1 Cor. 15: 20. that the sting of death is sin, because it were nothing to die if there were no challenge for sin in it; and the strength of sin is the Law, because the Law curseth every one that continues not in all things that are written in it to do them, Gal. 3. 10. So that by this means death hath dominion over all, and brings all as in their natural condition under wrath. 3ly, There is something that is accidental (if we may so speak) in death, and that is, the greatness and greivousnesse of pain that ordinarily takes hold of men and women when death as a King of terrors draws near; and sometimes some other circumstances concur to make it terrible, as namely, that it comes at such a time, very surpriseingly, that it comes by such a sort of sickness that it may be is loathsome and somewhat thought shame of, that it trysts the person in such a place and among such a company, and it may be at distance from all friends and familiars. 4ly, There is a●…e uncowthnesse and strangeness in the thing, that makes it terrible; the man that now is a dieing never died before, and none can tell him to the full and to the life what and how great a thing it is to lay down his life; a thing which he never experienced before; for his thoughts, affections, delights, desires, and designs are all much changed and altered from what they were; Yea, that wherein he had pleasure is possibly his bane and torment; his thoughts of the world are quite another thing than sometime they were; It is than no wonder that folk's scar and be very fearful to adventure on a voyage, whereof none can give them a particular and exact account as having sailed it before them, and with which they themselves have never been acquainted, and which hath such terrible effects, especially where faith in Christ is wanting. 5ly, That which accompanies and follows death makes it terrible, if it were to go to the dust as the beast doth, it were nothing so terrible, but to have ane immortal soul that must appear before the tribunal of the great God, and must go through the hands of his holy severe Justice, where the lest sin will draw on damnation, and where the sentence that's once past is never to be revoked; O! what a concerning and terrible thing is that? And however while men are in health they think but little of it, yet it hath a broad look at death: Nay if you will consider men as men, much more as having some light of the Gospel, ye would think it matter of admiration, that the serious thoughts of what followeth after death, doth not put them quite beside themselves, and fright them out of their wits; However, to die carelessly and without satisfaction anent ane interest in Christ, is doubtless a most terrible thing.  
In the 2d place, If ye look to the allowance that beleivers have, and to their grounds of comfort against these things that are terrible in death, ye will see them to be far greater and stronger than they are terrible; For clearing whereof, Consider, 1. The grounds of the beleivers peace and comfort in dieing. 2. The fruits that flow from these grounds, which are exceeding refreshing and encouradging, and which ye would carefully gather and lay up against the time of dieing, and take such a way of living as ye may have right to them when ye come to die.  
First than for the grounds of beleivers peace and comfort, consider these, 1. God's over-ruleing providence in the lest circumstance that concerns a beleivers death, Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his Saints, Psal. 116. v. 15. He looks to their death as a matter of special concernment, the time, the sickness, the kind of death, whither a violent or natural, a lingering or sudden death, are all determined & concluded with him. I said, says David, thou art my God, my times are in thy hand, deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, Psal. 31. 15. his interest in God sweeteneth all to him, and it also comforts him against the persecution of enemies, that it was not in men's hand to put ane end to his life when they pleased, but in Gods. 2ly, Consider our Lord Jesus his special commission in reference to death as he is Mediator, whom God hath furnished with all power in Heaven and Earth; Therefore when john is afraid to die Revel. 1. v. 18. He laid his hand on him, and said unto him fear not, I have the keys of Hell and of Death: The godly need not be surprised with it, as if it could seize or take hold of them without commission, for death hath not the keys of itself in keeping, but he bears them all; the world cannot take the bodily life of a Saint from him, till he grant a commission for that effect: Is it not than very comfortable to be in such a blessed estate about which he doth in a special manner order and command all? Most certainly it is. A 3d ground of consolation, is taken from our Lord's satisfaction and death; and this is a main one which hath many grounds of comfort in it, he died and was laid in the grave; Hence 1, He hath satisfied the Law and taken away the curse, 2 Cor. 5. v. last. He was made sin for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him: Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us. Gal. 3. 13. Blotting out the hand-writing of ordinances that was against us, and that was contrary to us, taking it out of the way and nailing it to his cross, and having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly triumphing over them in it, Col. 2: 14, 15. his death is our victory over death, he disarmed the Devil by his dieing, and became the death of death, as it is, Hosea 13. O death I will be thy plagues, O grave I will be thy destruction; He by lying in the grave hath sweetened it to beleivers, so that they need not fear to lie where he lay. 2. His resurrection completes the consolation, it shows that death is his captive, that it prevailed not over him, but that he prevailed over it and spoiled it of its power; so that beleivers may sweetly sing, O death where is thy sting? O grave where is thy victory? Thanks be to God who hath given us the victory, th●…ugh Christ's resurrection, he having satisfied for them and in their room; this is the ground of the Apostles triumph, Rom. 8. 33. Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods elect? It is God that justifies, who shall condemn? It is Christ that died, yea rather that is risen again; Let the Law, Justice, the Devil, and sin come forth, they have no just ground of challenge or plea against the beleiver, for the debt is paid, Christ is dead and risen and hath goat a discharge; this is the foundation of a beleivers comfort, considering that Christ died to prevent all right in any party or person to challenge or implead him. 3. His intercession yet further completes the consolation, for he hath not left the beleiver to die his alone nor to live his alone, but the benefits of his purchase are made forthcomeing for him, according to his prayer, John 17. 24. (& he is the same now in Heaven that he was on earth) where he sayeth, Father, I will that these whom thou hast given me be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory: The sum of his intercession, is to ge●…t beleivers made conquerors, and it is not fully satisfied ●…ill they be completely so; This is a very great ground of comfort, that when the beleiver cannot pray for himself, and possibly his senses fail and are gone, and the prayers of others can be but little refreshing, that even than he is reached by the benefit of Christ's intercession. A 4th ground, is the consideration of God's Covenant, and of his love and faithfulness in keeping Covenant, even in and through death, when David 2 Sam. 23: 5. is about to comfort himself against death (which seems to be his scope in these words) he draws his comfort from this ground, that God hath made with him ane everlasting Covenant, ordered in all things and sure: And the Covenant holds forth five propperties in God, that do most strongly comfort against death: 1. The Love of God, that is stronger than death, for death will never overcome it, but it overcomes death; Who shall separat us from the Love of God, saveth the Apostle, Rom. 8: 37 shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution & c? Nay in all these things, we are more than conquerors through him that loved us: The love of God gets the victory, and gives the beleiver the victory over all not only in life but in death, it being of infinitely broad extent and of everlasting duration. 2. His Faithfulness in this Covenant is plighted to the beleiver, which death takes not away, hence God is said to be the God not of the dead, but of the living; Though Abraham be dead yet is he his God still, the covenant-relation is not dissolved, but as he is faithful in keeping Covenant to him while he is alive, so is he at death, which is the prefixed term for making all the promises of the Covenant fully forthcomeing, and for entering beleivers in possession of them. A 3d propperty, is God's Wisdom in frameing the Covenant so suitably, that it comforts not only in life but at death, therefore it's said to be ordered in all things, the promises of grace and mercy in the Covenant, are not only to give pardon here along the beleivers life, but assured quietness at death, even though sense and feiling be gone. A 4th propperty, is the justice of God, which though it seem to be most terrible, yet is it comfortable to beleivers against death, Henceforth is laid up for me, sai●…h the Apostle, 2 Tim. 4. 8. a crown of righteousness, which God the righteous judge shall give to me at that day: For it is just with God to give to beleivers what Christ hath bought and purchased at so dear a rate for them, to give them comfort who have betaken themselves to him for it; for though he gives nothing to beleivers on the account of their merit, yet there is a su●…eablenesse and proportionableness by which he walks towards them, and without all doubt Christ hath merited these great things for them, which God in Justice is obliged to him to bestow on them The 5th and last propperty, is the Power of God, which is engaged for the keeping beleivers to salvation, 1 Pet. 1: 5. he hath spoken the word and he can and will make it good, and there is nothing wherein his power shines forth more conspicuously, than in their supportance and through-bearing in their death, when tentations are readily strongest. A 5th ground, is the begun operation and work of the Spirit of God, considered either as his comfortable work, as he is the Spirit of adoption bearing witness with their Spirits, or as it is his sanctifying and mortifieing work, killing inward lusts, or as it is his strengthening or quickening work, whereby he keeps life in the beleiver, and gives him ane earnest of that which is coming; the more of these he hath he may the more quietly and comfortably die, the seed of God is in him and is kept still alive in him; And now since God in his providence, Christ in his death, resurrection, intercession, and administration of his offices, God's Covenant and all his propperties, with the work of his Spirit, are all engaged for the beleiver; what more can be required for his comfortable through-bearing in death? And yet all these are God's allowance on him, even on every one that hath made his peace with God through Jesus Christ; are they not than, O! are they not blessed that die in the Lord?  
In the 2d place, take some comfortable considerations as so many fruits that spring from these grounds, or as so many fruits of God's love and everlasting Covenant. 1. God gives charge to his Angels to attend on beleivers at death, for convoying their souls to the bosom of Abraham, Luk. 16. for if Angels be ministering Spirits to page and wait on them in their life, they are much more so at their death; God is so tender of them that he hath Angels moe than one waiting on them; And though this come not up the length of the former grounds of comfort, springing more immediately from the Father, the Sun, and the Holy Spirit, yet its exceeding comfortable when neither Minister nor Friend can comfort, that they have glorious Angels to be with them for ever, to convoy them to Heaven, which is by them accounted ane honourable piece of service. 2. The present happiness wherewith the soul is possessed on the back of death, (for it's immediately carried as I said, to the bosom of Abraham, or rather to the bosom of Jesus Christ) Take a word of it in these two (which we spoke to more largely before,) 1. They have a perfect freedom from all ills of this life, no sin, no challenge, no accusation, no cross, no difficulty, no weight, all ●…ears are wiped from their eyes, sorrow and sighing flee away, they have absolute freedom from all the disquietness that is here: 2. They are brought to the possession of their hope, they are brought to the immediate enjoyment of God and of Christ as man visible, they are furnished with all desyreable perfections, nothing is now in part, all is perfect, they are perfect in knowledge, they have a clear resolution to all their doubts anent things which we disput long about here with much contention, and seldom come to a clearly satisfying close; a glance of God and of Christ fully satisfieth as to all these; There is ane admission to all the privileges of Heaven, a place given among them that stand by, a sitting on Thrones with Abraham, Isaac, jacob▪ M●…ses, Samuel, David, and with the rest of the Prophets; with Paul, james▪ john, and the rest of the Apostles, where they behold the face of God and of the Lamb, and are amongst his attendants serveing him always without any the lest weariness, weight, or burden, without any difficulty or indisposition, and blessing and praising him for ever and ever; And is not this a most heartsome and comfortable life and lot? May not a beleiver than yield to death, yea and make it very welcome on this ground? Considering what a miserable world he lives in, and how eminently, abundantly, and superexcellently all the vain and evanishing shadows and shows here away are made up, by what is most real, solid, substantial, satisfying, and abiding there. There is 3ly, the resurrection of beleivers bodies; though this tabernacle be dissolved and go to the dust, yet up again it must; and that part of Isaias his song, Cap. 26. is than eminently verified, Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise; awake and sing ye that devil in the dust, for their dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead: As in winter the herbs are not seen, yet the roots remain in the ground and they rise again in the spring, so (sayeth faith resting on the word of promise) shall the bodies of the godly and these that lie down mortal rise immortal, having agility and aptitude to follow the Lamb whithersoever he goes; these bodies that were sown in cor●…uption & dishonour, and which after a while lying in the ground become very loathsome, shall be raised in incorruption and glory, even conform to the glorious body of Jesus Christ; these bodies that were sown in weakness, even such weakness that they could not go on their own feet to the grave, nay that were without all life, motion, sense, and feiling, shall be raised in power, as you may see at greater length in these excellently sweet and comfortable words of the Apostle, 1 Cor. 15. wherein not only he clears the great truth of the resurrection, but also shows what grounds of comfort himself and other beleivers had against death in it. 4ly and lastly, Consider what will be the souls and the body's case when that desyreable day of the resurrection comes, when these two old intimats shall meet together, and as it were renew their acquaintance again in much better condition than they parted, there will be not more a wrestling thenceforth betwixt flesh and spirit, but a holy harmony in ane unit and joint enjoying of God, in ane unit and joint delighting in, and serving of God, and in ane unit and joint satisfaction in God and in being with God for evermore, for we shall be for ever wi●…h the Lord, saith the Apostle, 1 Thess. 4. Wherhfore, sayeth he, comfort one another with these words; As indeed there is good and non-such ground to do: Consider withal the great honour they will have at Judgement, and the happiness following it. To return than to what we proposed, seeing beleivers in Christ have such pregnant and impregnable grounds to comfort them against death, and seeing such sweet and passing-excellent fruits flow from these grounds, and since there is such a begun good at death that hath no end, may they not be very quiet in their life and at their death, and be exceedingly comforted, whatever be the time, the place, or manner, that God in his wisdom shall think fit to call them by death out of this present evil world?  
We come now to the Uses of this sweet point of doctrine; And the first use is of exhortation to beleivers: 1. To lay up this comfort, and 2ly, To bless God for this comfort, that he hath provided so very well for you both in this life, and at and after your death; 3ly, Bless him that ever he was graciously pleased to bring you to this happy condition, when he might have left you altogether comfortless both in life and death, O! bless him that he hath given his Son Jesus Christ, that he is come, and that grace is through him extended that broad as to take you in: It should make you cry with holy David in a transport of admiration, what am I, and what is my father's house, that thou hast brought me hitherto: 2 Sam. 7. and with him to say, I bless the Lord that hath given me counsel, Psal 16,  
But 2ly, There are two uses we would speak a little more particularly to, the first whereof, is to exhort you to that which is the sum of all we have spoken to you from these words, even to study to live so as ye may die in Christ, which death, hath so many and so strong grounds of consolation waiting it, that all the world cannot possibly parallel or equal them; If here were not another motive to press you to faith in Christ, and to mortification, and to the making of your calling and election sure, this is sufficient, that these things have such comforts at death and against it, which are the most uncontravertibly sure, stable, and lasting grounds of comfort; other grounds of comfort that go quite dry and vanish at death, are but miserable comforters, and like Iob's winter-brookes of water, that in summer disappoint the weary traveller, and sand him away ashamed; but these comforts can guard the heart against the law, against challenges for sin, and against the Devil; nay let us suppose, that there were millions of Devils, and of challenges for sin, and of laws transgressed thereby, to speak and pass sentence against the beleiver in Christ, there is mighty and mervelous ground of comfort for him against them all here, he may appear and appeal and confidently say, there are more with me than against me; death to him wants its sting, and ●…in its strength, and he may stop over the bound-rode (to say so) and border of time into eternity, with a song of praise and triumph in his mouth, and die as quietly and confidently as if he were to lie down in his bed, as it is Isa. 57 v. 1, 2. yea, with a great deal more quietness, confidence, and cheerfulness: Therefore were ye to choice a way of living, let it be this, even to live so as ye may die in Christ; This is, as I said, the great scope of all that we have spoken from these words, even to stir you up to live so as ye may be happy at your death, and that is to die in him: I shall propose but one consideration to enforce this upon you, and its this, that way of living and dieing hath with it ane alteration of the nature of all things; when a man is ane enemy to God, all things are accursed to him, but when he is befriended to God and in good terms with him, all things are blessed to him, and work together for his good, Rom. 8. v. 28 and death comes in amongst these all things; All things are yours, saith the Apostle, 1 Cor. 3. at the close, whither Paul, or Cephas, life, or death, things present, or things to come, they are all at your service, they are all yours as to the blessed use of them; they work together for your good, and prove all contributive and subservient to your bringing to glory.  
The 2d Use on the other hand, is to let all of you see what great prejudice ye suffer, and what disadvantage ye lie under, that live not so as ye may die in Christ; ye have nothing to do with any the lest of all these consolations, and therefore in the name of the Lord ye are inhibited and discharged to meddle with them; See that none of you who resolve not to rest on Christ by faith, to live holily, and to show forth his praise, by a shineing and exemplary conversation, dar to prefume to put forth your hand to touch these consolations; that terrible word in the 7. of jeremy, calls for your consideration, Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and come and stand before me in this House, and say we are delivered to do all these abominations? Will ye take your own way of profane living, and yet expect any benefit of my Covenant, or any saveing fruit of my grace; As God reckoned with profaine Israel, so shall he reckon with you, and shall separat you from his people unto a curse, and the anger of God shall smoak against you; not one graceless sinner shall be permitted to join himself with, or to lurk amongst, the great company and congregation of these godly; Angels shall separat you from them, and the sentence of the judge shall separat you from him and them with that doolful, departed from me, ye workers of iniquity; and that sentence will be as terrible to you as the godlies sentence will be comfortable to them, Come ye blessed of my Father etc. Take notice of this all ye that think ye would feign die well, (and no mervel, for so did profane Balaam desire to die the death of the righteous) but have no care to live well; when all t●…is doctrine is summed up, it will draw your happiness on this very hinge and bring it to this issue, whither ye will indeed in the Lord's strength se●…t yourselves to live so as ye may die in Christ, than in this case all these consolations, even all the consolations of the Gospel, shall be yours, but not one of them all is yours otherways; To them that die in the Lord and to them only, is happiness promised, but on the contrary to all them that live not to him, and die not in him, God is ane enemy in life and in death, his curse follows them here, and cleaves close to them as a girdle doth to the loins of a man in the grave, so that they shall never be able to shake it of; sins and challenges shall than be multiplied, death shall than put forth its sting and sin its strength; the grave shall than obtain full victory over them, it shall feed on them; but it shall not be so with the godly, it shall have no dominion over them as it hath over the wicked that die in their sins and out of Christ, death and the curse make a morsal, as it were, of all that live and die out of Christ, it eats them up & consumes them for evermore; when the first death is over and gone, the second death takes hold of them and never let's go its hold; so that death will still, even through all eternity pursue the quarrel against them, And therefore let me shut up all with two words; The 1st whereof is to you who make conscience of being and living in Christ, though ye come short of that which ye much covet and long to be at, and is called for from you, which is your burden and affliction; yet consider what a comfortable allowance ye have from God, who is the God of all consolation, and be comforted in it; what ever be your lot and condition in the world, be what it will or may be, a little time will put it by and to ane end; Therefore I say, take encouragement from these grounds of consolation that God hath given you against the terribleness of death, and walk so as ye may not mar your own comfort; and withal, bless God who hath given you such good ground of hope, ye have more to make a truly comfortable life to you, than all the Kings and great men in the earth have that are out of Christ; ye may be very sinfully defective in this much called-for duty of blessing God, who hath provided so notably well for you, and may robe him of the glory that is infinitely due to him from you, on many O! very many accounts, if ye look not to it.  
The 2d word, is to all of you whom we would earnestly beseech, for the Lords sake, and as ye prise these mercies, to take the way that God hath shalked out to come by them; dieing in the Lord is the great qualification that hath all these comforts annexed to it, and living in, and to him, is the indispensably requisite qualification of all that would die in him, and this is to live by faith in the Sun of God, and to live Christ-like, to live so as Christ may live in you and ye may live in him, that the truth and the straightness of your union with him may be evident and apparent by the fruits of it; In a word, to live in continual communion with him, and in the close and constant pursuit of conformity to him; We will dar to say to you that live so, yea, to all of you on condition ye will through grace choice this way of living, that ye shall die happy, for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it, and will make it good, Blessed are they which die in the Lord, he hath pronounced blessedness on such, in death and after death; And upon the other hand, if ye will betake yourselves to the way of the most part, and live carnally and carelessly, and will not think more on death, and will do not more to prepare and make ready for it, alace! we must say to you, and dar not but say to you, and the Lord will ratify and confirm it, that ye have nothing to do with these comforts of his people, nor have any part or portion in them; And if so, what have ye to comfort yourselves in, though ye were all Kings and Queens, of the most opulent, potent, and flourishing Kingdoms in the World? God will say to you, that ye had nothing to do, to take his Covenant in your mouths, since ye hated to be reform: And though poor wretches, ye now live in carnal mirth and jollity, yet your laughter and joy, your singing and dancing, shall by and by be turned into mourning, into weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth, as your mirth and laughter end, your weeping and howling shall begin but never end: Is there not than, O! is there not great, vastly great difference betwixt dieing in sin and dieing in Christ? And all this depends on your way of living, And is there not a necessity, a most absolute and indispensible necessity of your being in him, and of your living in him and to him, as ye would not to your eternal prejudice and loss, be found mistaking or not duly considering these things that belong to your peace, till this your day be over and gone, and matters betwixt him and you be passed all ridding and remedy? Now the Lord himself who only can do it, powerfully persuade and prevail with you, so to live that ye may have the well-grounded hope of dying in Christ, since blessed and only blessed are they who die in the Lord, who rest from their lábours and whose works follow them.   
FINIS.   

Advertisement by Agness campbel, relict of the deceased Mr. William Guthrie, late Minister of the Gospel, to suc●… unto whose hands some printed papers, called Sermons, bearing the said Mr. William Guthrie his name, may come.  
Christian Reader.  
BEing much afflicted with the sight of some printed papers or Sermons, to which the name of my worthy Husband, now with the Lord, is prefixed, by these who have published them, because I found many things therein injurious, not only to his memory, but to the truth; I was therefore at the pains to cause compare them with his notes I have beside me, and likeways, to interrogat some of his most conscientious and judicious ordinary hearers yet living, anent the same; And after due and serious consideration of the whole, I dar very confidently declare, that they are not the genuine works and Sermons of my forsaid Husband, which may be very evident to all that knew him, considering the perplexed stile, the confusion and want of connexion, and a multitude of vain repetitions, that are oftentimes to be found therein, as also want of that clear method familiar to him, together with the unsoundness sometimes of the matter, which was known to be far from him, being well instructed in the form of sound words, which in all discourses to the people he held fast. More●…ver, there be many things therein clear nonsense and not intelligible by the ●…eader, a fault very far from his way in preaching But this is to be the less wondered at, seeing that w●…en he was yet alive, some made bold to print some S●…mons of his without his knowledge, which he wo●…ld not own, and therefore was necessitat to emit these papers himself, to the advantage of the truth, which otherways had been wronged. It is hoped therefore that every conscientious person will be so far tende●… of the truth, and of the fame of such a faithful Minister of the Gospel, who is not now to speak for himself, that they will not look upon these printed Sermons a●… his works, seeing they have been put forth to the public view, without the knowledge or consent of any of his relations, or Brethrens of the Ministry, who were particularly acquaint with him and his way of doctrine, and to whom if he had minded any thing for the press, he would have left the charge of the oversight thereof: The world hath already had a taste of his gift, and of the Spirit that appeared in him, in that useful little book published by himself, and blessed of God to the edification of many, which I hope will easily move the observing and judicious Reader, to have these lately printed under his name in suspicion; I shall add not more but for the future entreat, that nothing bearing his name, may be looked upon as his, that is not attested by his nearest relations, and his Brethrens of the ministry, This from  
Thy Wellwisher A. C.