DEATH'S ALARUM: OR, security's WARNING-PIECE. A Sermon preached in S. Dionis Back-Church, at the funeral of Mrs. Mary Smith (Daughter of Mr. Isaac Colfe, formerly Minister of God's Word at Chadwell in Essex, and late Wife of Mr. Richard Smith of London, Draper) who died the 9th. day of Novemb. 1653. and was buried the 16th. of the same month. By NATH: HARDY, Mr. of Arts, and Preacher to that PARISH. Revelat. 16. 15. Behold I come as a Thief, Blessed is he that watcheth and keepeth his garments, lest be walk naked, and they see his shame. Greg. Mag. Hom. 13. in Evang. Horam ultimam dominus noster idcirco voluit nobis esse incognitam, ut semper possit esse suspecta, ut dum illam praevidere non possumus, ad illam since intermissione praeparemur. LONDON, Printed by J. G. for Nath: Web, and Will: Grantham at the sign of the Bear in S. Paul's churchyard near the little North door. 1654. ERRATA. PAge 7. line 22. read from, p. 8. l. 14. blot out the fig. 5. l. 25. for foremarning r. forearming, in marg. bl. out est. p. 12. l. 30. for souls r. skulls, p. 14. l. 2. for so r. to, l. 14. for {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} r. {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman}, p. 15. l. 16. after readiness add consisteth, p. 24. l. 11. before sense r. high, l. 12. blot out high. To the Reverend Mr. Abraham Colfe, Minister of Lewisham in Kent: After the numbering of many years on EARTH, years without number in HEAVEN. Worthy SIR, UPon your first motion of publishing this Sermon, I took it into a serious review, and finding the notions very common, and the expressions homespun, I adjudged it unworthy to survive (except in the memories of the Auditors) that hour wherein it was preached: But being loath to deny your desire, I resolved to deny my own judgement, and withal, hoping it may prove useful (though not to inform the judgement, yet) to awaken the conscience of the Reader, I am willing to hazard my own reputation, if I may advance the edification of others. That which (Reverend Sir) I conceive to be a subordinate end in your intention, is to testify your abundant (yet deserved) respects to your deceased niece, in taking care that whilst her body rots her name might live; and surely, since the memory of the just is blessed, an endeavour Prov. 10▪ 7. to perpetuate it is pious. Praiseworthy then is your regard of her memory, but much more commendable is that course which you have taken for preserving your own, by an eminent and lasting * The building and endowing a free grammar School by, and Writing-School in the Town of Lewisham, together with an annual Maintenance for 7. Scholars to be sent from thence to the University. act of charity, for which the generations to come shall call you blessed. Indeed by this worthy work you have honoured the Parish whereof you have been, and are a careful watchman; the Church of England, to which you have been an obedient Son; the Gospel, of which you have been a laborious Preacher; and Protestant Religion, of which (I trust) you are a sincere Professor. And truly, both the present and future ages will be very ingrateful, if they shall not highly honour so munificent a Benefactor. However (I hope) you have so learned Christ, as not to make men's applause the scope at which you aim, or mark whereat you shoot, well knowing that vainglory sullieth the splendour, and evacatueth the reward of our best actions, turning Christian charity into pharisaical hypocrisy. To God's merciful acceptation▪ and gracious remuneration (I doubt not, good Sir) but you commend your pious and charitable design, who (though men should) Hebr. 6. 10. will not be unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love. To his powerful protection and most wise direction, I commend both you and your endeavours, who will not forsake you now you are aged, but preserve 2 Tim. 4. 18. you to his heavenly kingdom. To whom be glory for ever and ever. AMEN. I subscribe myself (Sir) A cordial honourer of your virtues, NATH: HARDY. MATH: 24. 44. Therefore be ye also ready, for in such an hour as you think not, the son of Man cometh. THis Chapter is a Sermon, The Preacher whereof was no other than the Lord of Preachers and great Prophet of his Church: The theme whereabout it is conversant is his coming, and that in a way of Judgement. And those two genuine parts of a Sermon, Explication and Application divide the Chapter: The former describeth the signs and manner of his advent, from the first verse to the 42. The latter prescribeth an expectation of, and preparation for it, from the 42. to the end. The Text I am now to handle lieth within the compass of the latter and most practical part of the Sermon: in which, (the design of our blessed Saviour being to urge a watchful readiness for his coming) he pursueth a double Metaphor (couching logical reasons under rhetorical allusions) the one in the following verses, the other in the foregoing. The subsequent similitude is borrowed from a servants behaviour in reference to the coming of his Lord. No topics more prevailing, especially with vulgar judgements, than those which are drawn à commodo & Sallust. Bell. Catiline. incommodo, from the danger or benefit, detriment or emolument that accrueth by the neglect or performance of that to which we persuade, upon which account it was that Catiline said to his soldiers, Quem neque gloria neque pericula movent, nequicquam hortere, That man is unperswadable who can neither be affrighted nor allured: both these arguments Christ is here pleased to make use of, at once representing the comfortable felicity of a vigilant, and the doleful, nay dismal misery of a secure servant, when their Lord shall come. The precedent resemblance is seemingly very harsh, and yet really very fit, wherein you find mention made of an householder and a Thief, yea (which is the Riddle) Christ compared to the Thief, and his Disciples to the householders. That those who are (most justly) afterwards called servants, should here be termed householders, is somewhat strange, and yet this in some respect is very congruous; since every man's body is an house wherein he dwelleth, his thoughts, words, and actions, are as his family, which he must govern, and his soul, more worth than a world, the treasure which he is to take care of. But though this part of the comparison may admit of a favourable construction, yet the other seems altogether incompatible. Methinks when I read Christ resembling himself to a Thief, I am ready to say, as once Math. 16. 22. S. Peter in another case, Be it far from thee, Lord, this Phil. 2. 6. shall not be unto thee. Blessed Jesus, thou thinkest it no robbery to be equal with God, and dost thou here, as it were, equalise thyself to a robber? thou callest thyself, and not without good reason, a little after this, Lord, and can the Lord of the house become a Thief, the Owner a Robber? Thou didst tax the Multitude for coming against thee as a Thief, and dost thou here speak of thyself Mat. 26. ●. 27. 38. as if thou wert a Thief? It was an high affront, when the Jews numbered thee with Thieves, nay preferred a Thief before thee, and art thou so injurious to thyself, as to clothe thyself under the appellation of a Thief? Rather Rom. 3. 4. (to allude to S. Paul's expression) Let Christ be true, and every Man a thief. Indeed, well may the thief lie at our doors; our first Parents were robbers in eating the forbidden fruit, and we, their unhappy Progeny, are no less guilty, not only in their loins, but in our own persons, by uncharitableness, by sacrilege, by idleness, and profaneness: but as for the innocent Messiah, what hath he done that may deserve the title of a Thief? To all this the answer is easy, if we consider that it is not a charge or accusation, but only an allusion or comparison. Christ doth not make himself the same with, because he likens himself to a thief, nor indeed, is it himself▪ but rather his advent, which is here compared to the coming of a Thief. But it will still be objected, how can this be verified? We elsewhere find Christ plainly opposing his to a thiefe's coming, The thief cometh not but to kill and John 10. 10. steal, and destroy, but I come, saith Christ, that they may have life. True, but that is spoken of his first coming, which was in mercy. It may be replied, this cannot be asserted of his coming in displeasure, since the coming of a thief is to take from men their own, to do wrong, to injure the innocent; whereas the coming of Christ is, like that of a judge, to give every man his own, to do right, to punish the nocent; and these two are so far from being like, that they are directly contrary. To unfold this riddle, therefore, you must know, that this expression is parabolical; and parables, like knives, cut only in the edge, to wit, the scope: now his aim in likening this advent●o that of a thief is only to take in the consideration of the time. Excellent to this purpose is that of Simon de Cass●a, Similitudo Christi Cass l. 6. c. 28. ad furem non est personae ad personam, nec negotii ad negotium, sed temporis ad tempus, The parallel here holdeth not between person and person, or business and business, but between time and time; and therefore the Apostles, Paul and Peter, though (after Christ's 1 Thes. 52. 2. Pet. 3. 10. example) they are bold to use this allusion, yet with an explicatory addition, where they say, The Lord cometh as a thief in the night; and thus it fitly agreeth, since as the coming of a thief in the night is unexpected, because the goodman of the house is then asleep, & thinketh not of it; so is oft times, especially to wicked men, the coming of Christ; and that this is the meaning of the Protasis in the former, appeareth by the Apodosis, or reddition of the similitude in this verse which requireth our constant preparedness, because of his sudden coming, Be you therefore ready, for in an hour, &c. The words (if taken in their fullest latitude) present us with four considerables: Here is, 1. An Advent supposed in the last word Come, and what coming of Christ is here intended would be a little inquired into: To clear which we must distinguish of those several comings which are attributed to him in Scripture, nor can they (in my weak capacity) be more clearly differenced, than by considering a salvifical and a judicial advent of Christ, and each of these as both visible and invisible. Christ's coming to save is either in the flesh, or in the spirit; his first coming into the world, and his daily coming into our hearts, are in their prime intention salufiicall; his visible coming was to be the son of Man, that in our nature he might purchase salvation for us; his invisible is by his spirit, to make us the sons of God, and thereby apply this salvation to us; but neither of these can be here meant, since his coming in the flesh was already past, whereas he speaketh of a future advent; nor can we make ourselves ready against his coming in the spirit, but it is the coming of the spirit which must enable us to make ourselves ready. pass we on therefore to his judicial coming, which is either general or special, personal or virtual, and so visible or invisible. There shall be at the end of the world, a glorious coming of Christ in person, to execute a manifest and righteous judgement upon all mankind, rewarding every man according to his works; in the mean time, Christ cometh in his power by secondary instruments to every particular man, and sometimes to whole nations: in which respect, when by plague, famine, and war, kingdoms are destroyed, and when by casualties, or sickness, persons are cut off, Christ is said judicially to come to them: Now all these, after a sort, and in some sense, may be here understood, That coming of Christ, which is literally and most properly meant, is, doubtless, his coming by Titus Vespasian against Jerusalem, to overthrow it, and thereby bring vengeance on the Jews, for their most unjust and ungrateful murder of him. But though this be the literal and primary sense, yet it will not (I conceive) be denied by any, but that many of the things mentioned in this Chapter are, or at least, may be applied to that last coming of Christ, since we may look upon that destruction of Jerusalem as an Emblem of the world's judgement; and yet (to draw nearer this present occasion) the latter part of this chapter, and so this verse may morally be accommodated to the particular coming of Christ, by death, to every person: in reference to which, the counsels here given are very pregnant and apposite. 2. Next to the advent supposed, is observable, the person characterised, by this appellation, the Son of Man, a title which our blessed Saviour very often giveth to himself, thereby setting us a pattern of humility, in having low conceits, and using mean expressions concerning ourselves. But that which would here be considered, is upon what account he calleth himself by so mean a title, when he speaketh of so glorious a coming. If you cast your eyes on the 42. verse, you shall there find him using the magnificent title of a Lord, a term, as most truly agreeing to him, so best fitting his advent, wherein he manifested himself as a Lord punishing his Rebels; but yet it is not without a reason, that having called himself Lord, before, he styleth himself, the son of Man; here, namely, to prevent the scandal which might be taken at the meanness of his present condition: likely it is that the tenuity of his external aspect rendered his prediction contemptible. What need we regard the words, or fear the threats of this Carpenters son? might the Jews say, at least within themselves. To prevent which, Christ is pleased to call himself the Son of Man, as if he would say, in answer to such an objection. However, I am a poor weak man, yet the day is at hand when I will come in might and power, to avenge myself upon my enemies. 3. The third observable is the time of this persons advent specified, and that to be both speedy, and sudden, in an hour when you think not; speedy, because in an hour, one of the shortest dimensions of time; it may be long before Christ come, but when he cometh he will not be long about it, and therefore he saith, not in a year, or a month, or a day, but an hour; nor is it only speedy, but sudden, because in an hour men think not of, and by this, an addition is made to the preceding expression, in that parallel verse, there it is, you know not in what hour, and that lets us see how secret death is from, and therefore how uncertain it is to all men; here it is in an hour you think not, which lets us see how sudden, and therefore unexpected it is to many men. 4. The last particular (according to this Retrograde, yet logical order) considerable is, the inference deduced, what conclusions must be drawn from these premises, what effect these considerations of the thing, person, and time, aught to work upon us, and that is in these words, be ye therefore ready, namely, to have all things fitted before Christ cometh, that we may have nothing to do when he cometh, but to meet him. Cum inferre de be●et vi●ilare ●ontim ò id omi●it ne intolerabile quid praecipere videretur sed estote parati, ad significandum continuam vigilantiam esse paratam. Avendan: in Math. Quod superius dix●rat {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} illud jam exponit per {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} ille enim vere vigilat qui semper paratus est. Gerard▪ Contin. That which he calleth for in the forementioned verse, is watching, that which he requireth here is readiness; two phrases, one whereof explains the other. On the one hand, lest the command of watching always might seem impossible, Christ showeth, that the continual watching he expects, is only so far as to put ourselves in a ready posture, that we may not have grace to get when we should spend it. On the other, lest we should think it enough to watch, that is, think of his coming; he calleth upon us not only to watch, but to be ready, enjoining such an expectation of, as leads us to preparation for his coming. 5. Time will not give me leave to insist on each of these particulars, and therefore I shall contract the four to two, and dichotomizing the Text, here is observable in it, Praedictio eventus, A Prediction of something to come to pass, In an hour you think not, &c. Praescriptio operis, A Prescription of something to be done, Be you therefore ready: Or, if you will, here is Praemonitio periculi, A Danger forewarned, In an hour you think not, &c. Admonitio officii, A Forewarning advised, Be you therefore ready: Yet once more, The two important truths of this Scripture, are, Inopinatus Christi adventus, The suddenness of Christ's coming, In an hour you think not, &c. Necessarius Christiani apparatus, The necessity of the Christians preparing, Be you therefore ready. Between these two I shall divide the following discourse, beseeching this Son of man that he would in this hour, by his spirit, come into our hearts, that every one of us may be swift to hear, and ready to receive these divine Lessons: And so I begin with the suddenness of Christ's coming, in an hour which you 1st. Gen. think not the son of Man will come: This is that truth which S. Paul excellently exemplifieth, When they 1 Thes. 5. ●. shall say peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travel upon a Woman with child; when men say peace and safety, they little dream of war and ruin, pain cometh ofttimes upon the woman in the street, at the table, in an hour when she lest thinketh on Je●. 19 ●●. Significatur inextectata & improvisa Chald●●orum in Jerusalem irrup●io ●●▪ pot● qui n●● per portas, in quibu● sunt vigiles, fed per ●urorum foenestras clan▪ culum instar furis irrumpant Lapid in H●er. Luke 21. 35. it. Such is Christ's coming, especially to careless and secure sinners: That expression of the Prophet Jeremy may not unfitly be made use of to this purpose, by way of illustration, when he saith, death is come up into our windows; the true man cometh in at the door, but the thief at the window; coming in at the door is usual, but coming in at the window is unexpected; So is Christ's coming to men by death in such a way, at such a time as is unlooked for; This truth is that which our Lord himself elsewhere illustrateth by the metaphor of a snare, and that day is said so to come, for its secrecy and tanquam laqu●us ●cil. propter non apparentiam & impraemeditationem. Eu●h. in Ma●h. unexpectedness; Agag flattereth himself, that the bitterness of death is past, and then Samuel giveth order to hew him in pieces before the Lord in Gilgal: and usually, when men think death the farthest off, it is the nearest to them. To enlarge this more particularly, be pleased to take notice, that there is a fourfold hour wherein men usually make no account of Christ's coming by death, and yet in which Christ frequently cometh to men, to wit, hora carnalis voluptatis, mundanae prosperitatis, corporalis sanitatis & juvenilis aetatis, the hour of carnal pleasure, of worldly prosperity, bodily health, and youthful age. 1. The hour of carnal pleasure is a time wherein death is scarce at all thought upon. While the ambitious Statist is climbing high, he dreameth not of falling low into a grave; whilst covetous Mammonists are heaping up thick clay, they think not of being themselves made an heap of dust; and whilst voluptuous Epicures are feeding on dainties, and dallying with dallilahs, they seldom make account of conversing with, and being fed upon by worms; in this respect, no doubt it is, that our Saviour warneth his Disciples, Take heed to your Luke 21. 34. selves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares, thereby intimating that this day cometh unawares upon them, who are plunged into the cares and delights of this life, and yet even in this hour the son of Man is pleased to come and arrest presumptuous sinners. Belshazzar is quaffing Dan. 6. 5. in his Cups, carousing with his Companions, when as in that selfsame hour came forth the fingers of a man writing upon the wall the destruction of him and his kingdoms. Herod is glutting his aspiring humour with popular applause (forgetting in the pride of his heart, both God and himself) when as by a strange Acts 12. 23. judgement he is immediately devoured by worms alive, and giveth up the Ghost. Finally, worldly men spend Job 21. 13. their days in getting wealth, and in a moment they go down to the grave. The coming of the flood upon the old World is a little before made an Emblem by Christ Verse 38. of his coming, and (that as the amplification demonstrateth) in this very particular, as the flood came upon the old World, when they were so far from fearing ruin, that they were eating, and drinking, and giving in marriage: So doth Christ seize upon sinners in the midst of their delights, whilst they are indulging to their lusts. 2. The hour of worldly prosperity is a time wherein men are very regardless of Christ's coming: in affliction and misery many wish for death, but in enjoyments and prosperity they scarce think of it; when the Sun shone so bright upon Sodom in the Morning, they little expected to be consumed by a dismal fire from heaven before Evening: when the world is flowing in upon a man, it is very hard to entertain thoughts of going out of the world. If the mountain be strong, even Psal. 30. 6. David is ready to say, I shall never be moved: no marvel if presumptuous Babylon being in her chair of Revel. 18. 21. state, say, I sit a Queen and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow. But yet very frequently, this is the hour wherein Christ cometh; so the threatening runneth against Isa. 47. 7, 8, 9 both literal and mystical Babylon, evil shall come upon her in a moment, in one day: and so it was verified in the rich Fool, who bidding his soul to take its Revel. 18. 9 ●ase, by reason of his worldly abundance, had that Luk. 12▪ 19▪ 20. very night his soul required of him, and carried to torment. 3. The hour of bodily health and strength is a time in which men cast the thought of death behind them, whilst they have colour in their faces, agility in their joints, appetite in their stomachs, health in their bodies, How rare are their Meditations on Death? Go preach your Lectures of Mortality (say they) to the weak, and the lame, and the sick; as for us, we have no reason to trouble ourselves with such melancholy thoughts: What do you tell us of dying and rotting in the grave? whilst our bones are moistened with marrow? We feel no infirmity, and therefore fear not mortality: And yet how often doth Christ come by death in such an hour? one dyeth (saith Job) in his full strength, being wholly at ●ase ●ob 21. 23, 24. and quiet, his breasts are full of milk, and his bones are moistened with marrow: How many valiant and stout men hath death laid upon their backs, on a sudden tripping up their heels? Have you not sometimes seen a sturdy Oak quickly blown down by a violent wind? a strong and tall vessel presently sunk by a leak? So are ofttimes men snatched away in the strength and vigour of their body, by death. 4. The hour of youthful age is a time wherein few Eccles. 12. 3, 4. make account of dying; It is soon enough (say young men) to think of our death in the day when desire shall fail, to look for a grave, when they that look out at the windows are darkened, and to fear the approach of both when the keepers of the house shall tremble: these gravecloths are too sad for the freshness of our life, we are young, and may see many a fair year pass over our heads before death cometh, and therefore think not that like the mad man in the Gospel we will spend our life among the tombs. But alas! how frequently, even in this hour, doth the son of Man come: In Golgotha (saith the Hebrew Proverb) there are souls of all sizes, and our weekly bills, for the most part, afford a greater numbers of dead Children than aged men. The Poets have a fable, that Death and Cupid lodging together at an inn, exchanged their arrows, whereby it hath since come to Sic mo●itur juvenis sic moribundus ama●. pass, that many times Old men dote, and Young men die. The truth is, death doth not summon us according to our years, even the blossom is subject to nipping as well as the flower to withering. That threat which Almighty God denounceth by the Prophet Amos, is very often in this moral sense made good, Dices ●u qui ●● juvenis kondu●●●n●c●ui, noki ergo decip●, non d●●●●itur mors ce●to tempore aetatis, neque ●i●●t co● qui sunt in ipso fine ●tatis. G●●g Nys●ad●▪ e●s qui ciff. Bapt. orat. I will cause the Sun to go down at noon; nay, not only so, but even in the morning of youth doth the sun of many a man's life go down. To apply this, let it then be the care of every one of us that Christ's coming may not be to us in an hour we think not of, and to that end, let no hour, at least, day of our life pass without a serious thought of the day and hour of our death; larks in Theocritus are called {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} because they carry the form of a Sepulchre upon their heads. Such should all Christians be, having permanent impressions of death, not on but in their heads and hearts. The Indian Gymnosophists were so much in love with these thoughts, that they caused their graves to be made before their gates, so as both at their going out and coming in they might be put in mind of their death: and truly, however the most men in the days of their vanity, account a life spent in meditation of death to be a miserable life, a death rather than a life; yet when the time of their death approacheth, they will change their note, and say as dying Theophilus did of devout Arsenius, Beatus es Abba Arseni, qui semper hanc horam ante oculoshabuisti, They are happy men who set death daily before their eyes. Indeed, by Bibl. patr. T. 9▪ Ap●th●g●. this means the coming of Christ, as it will not be altogether sudden, so neither terrible to us, nor can any man Nec dignus est in morte acc●p●re solatium qui s● non cogitavit esse moriturum. Cypr. Ep. 5 2. (so use S. Cyprians words) receive comfort at his death, who did not before make account of dying. A late writer hath, in this respect, piously fancied, that Clocks were invented to mind us not so much of the sun's motion in the Heavens, as the passing of our life here on Chrefol. Mystagog. Earth: Since the sounding of the clock telleth us that the past hour is as it were dead and buried, which at some time, or hour of some day or other, must be our lot. Oh then, what ever our present condition is, let us still entertain thoughts of our latter end: Art thou in health and strength, remember, a wise and good man, even then (as Gregory Nazian. saith) {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} Greg. Naz. Orat. 28. will look both upwards to heaven, and downwards to his grave. dost thou enjoy the pleasures of life? learn of Joseph of Arimathea to make a tomb in thy garden, and season thy delights with thoughts of thy dissolution. Finally, art thou advanced to an high estate in this world? forget not how low thy highness must come ere long, and what one was appointed to have in his hands at the inauguration of the Grecian Emperors, namely, in the one a burning firebrand presently consumed, and in the other a vessel full of ashes, and dead men's bones, have thou in thy heart by renewed meditations of thy mortality. To close up this part, It is reported concerning the Maids in the Isle of Man, that the first thing they spin is their winding-sheet, which they wear about them as a girdle at their feasts: well were it, if we would in the midst of all our enjoyments, gird ourselves about with our winding-sheets, fixing our thoughts upon our end, that so by this means we may not have cause at last to sigh forth the fool's words, Non putaram, I did not think my death had been so near: Blessed is that man, whom Christ, when he cometh by death, shall find, not as Jaell did Siserah, asleep, but as Jonathan's arrow came to David standing in the field, and looking for it, yea, so looking, as to be fitting himself, which leads to the preparedness required in every Christian for this coming, 2d. Gen. Be you therefore ready. For the better and clearer dispatch of this, I shall endeavour both to unfold the nature, and press the practice of this duty. 1. To illustrate the nature of this preparation, be pleased to observe both the intent of the thing, and the extent of the time; by the former we shall see wherein this readiness, and by the latter when it ought to be performed. 1. The duty itself being of very weighty importance, It should be a little inquired into, what things are requisite to denominate a man ready for Christ's coming. The several metaphors of a bridegroom, of a Lord, and of a thief, under which the coming of Christ is represented to us, may very fitly be made use of to this end and purpose. 1. They are ready for the coming of the Bridegroom, who have on their wedding garment. And this is no other in a spiritual sense than that white raiment, to wit, of Christ's righteousness, apprehended by faith, which our blessed Lord adviseth the Church to buy of Revel. 3. 1●. him: indeed, when death▪ cometh it will strip us of all other induments; Job saith of himself (and it is no more than what every man shall find true) Naked J●b 1. 21. came I forth of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither, only of this garment it cannot bereave us; and he alone, who is thus clothed, may, with comfort, look death in the face. 2. Again, he is ready for the coming of his Lord, who hath discharged the trust reposed in, and improved the stock left with him by his Lord. Indeed, thus to do in reference to God exactly, is impossible, but yet this to endeavour is necessary: and he only is fit for death, who hath been careful in life to employ his talents for God's glory, and to keep a good conscience in all things. When the Lord cometh he expects an account of the Servants receipts, and disbursements, and how unfit will the idle or wasteful servant be to make up his account? That life must needs render a man unprepared for death, which is spent in doing nothing, or that which is worse than nothing, in abusing the mercies we receive, to the dishonour of him, who hath bestowed them on us. Finally, he is ready for the coming of a Thief, who keepeth himself and his family waking, hath his door locked, bolted, and barred, and is furnished with weapons both of defence and resistance; So must we prepare ourselves for Christ's coming, by awaking our souls out of carnal and sensual security, by keeping our hearts with all diligence, and by putting on the whole armour of God; the condition of that man will be very sad, whom death finds asleep in sin, without a spiritual guard, and destitute of those graces, which should arm him against its venomous sting. If you desire a more distinct explication of this preparation, let Christ be his own expositor in that elegant Scripture, where he adviseth his Disciples to have their loins girt, and their Lamps burning; The work of Per primum prae●●pium jubemur c●hibere nos à malo & impedimenta removere: per sccundum excitamur ad bene operandum. Tole● in Luc. Quid est lumbos ac incto●? declina a malo: quid lu●●rnas ardentes habere, hoc est & fac bonum. Aug. Serm. 39 de verb. dom. preparation for death is both privative and positive, in removing what may hinder us, and procuring what may enable us to meet Christ at our death, with comfort. Both these we are taught under those metaphorical allusions, the former in the girding of our loins, the latter in the burning of our Lamps. 1. To be ready, is to have our loins girt▪ where by loins we may very well understand, our affections and lusts, which are to be girt, by repentance and mortification. The sting of death, saith S. Paul, is sin, so that we are never fit to die till we have taken out the sting by subduing sin; he that liveth in any lust is so far from being armed for death, that he armeth Succ●●gere debemus lumbos id est expediti esse ab impedimentis lasciviosae vi●ae & implicitae. Tertul. contr. Marc. l. 4. 29. death against himself; death is a journey, called therefore a going to our long home; but how shall he be fit to go this journey, who hath not laid aside the weight of sin, and girded up his loins, which will be a sore impediment to him? More especially, this girding of loins may refer to the expelling of worldly love out Ut divinum illud moriendi exemplum nos admonere●, humanarum rerum contemptum & amaritudinem morti praeire debere ut consumma●i ad mortem obeundam esse videamur. Velasq. in Phil. c. 1. v. 21. Annot. 3●. Sen. Epist. 26. of our hearts. To this purpose, both that action of Christ's drinking Vinegar, and those words of his, It is finished, immediately before his death, are not unfitly moralised, to teach us that by despising the world as vain and bitter, we are more prepared for the finishing of our life. Oh how unwilling is he to go out of the world, whose heart is glued to it? And therefore let it be our wisdom to hang loose in our affections from all earthly relations, that as Seneca divinely, if we be called to it; Nihil nos detineat, nec impediat quo minus parati simus, quod quand●que faciendum, statim facere, no worldly thing may hinder us from being ready to do that presently, which must be done at some time. 2. To be ready, is to have our Lamps burning, to wit, the Lamp of our soul, burning with the graces of God's spirit; the Lamp of our Life, burning in the Lucernas ardentes habere, id est mentes a fide accensas & operibu● veri●atis relucentes. Tertul. contr. Marc. l. 4. c. 29. exercise of good works towards God and man. Certainly he is very unfit to die, who hath not yet begun to live; thy condition must needs be desperate, if the lamp of thy life be put out before the lamp of grace be kindled: S. John saith of them who die in the Lord, their works follow them, to wit, those good works which have gone before their death in the course of their lives; Rev. 14. 13. he only is fit to meet Christ in death, who can say to him in Hezekiah's words, Remember, Lord, how I have Isaiah 38. 3. walked before thee in truth, and with a perfect heart: a renewed nature, and a reformed life are the best preparatives to a comfortable and happy death. 2. You see the duty itself: The next thing to be considered is, the time when we should make ourselves thus ready; it is that which must by no means be left out, since though we all agree about the thing, yet we differ about the time, we must be ready for Christ's coming, that is acknowledged, but when we should go about it, is not so easily determined. The answer to this is not expressly given in the text, but yet manifestly employed in the context, since the householder no● knowing when the thief will come, & knowing he will come, is always expecting and providing for him: and indeed this we shall find in the ●parallel Scripture expressly supplied, where our Saviour bids his Disciples to watch and prey {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} always. It is that than Luke 21. 36. which ought to be the wisdom of every Christian, always to be in a readiness for the coming of Christ: suitable to this is that resolve of holy Job, when he saith, All the days of my appointed time I will wait till Job 14. 14. my change come; not only one, or a few, or some, but all his days were days of watching for the approach of his change, according to which is that counsel of S. Basil, {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman}, Bas. hom. 2●. we must every day of our life be in a posture ready to go out of this life, if our Lord require us. To clear this more fully in two particulars: 1. We must begin betimes to make ourselves ready. It is an undoubted maxim, in re necessaria non d●u deliberandum, where the matter is clearly necessary to dispute much, or deliberate long about it, is both needless and dangerous; nothing of more needful concernment or greater importance to every one of us, than the being ready for Christ's coming: surely then, just it is we should set about it presently, and make it our first business. Almighty God in his sublime speech to Job, saith, concerning the warlike horse, that he smelleth the Job 39 25. battle afar off; what nature teacheth him, let grace us, to smell that encounter we must have with death afar off long before (at least in probability) it will come, and that is, in the days of our youth. The life of man is not without good reason compared to a night: Now among the Jews there were four watches in the night, the first was called Conticinium, when all things are silent; the second Intempestum, the unseasonable time of midnight; the third Gallicinium, which began at the Cock crowing; the last Antelucanum, about break of day: by these four watches of the night are morally resembled, the four ages of man's life, childhood, Youth, manhood▪ Old age, and it is worth our observation, that when Christ speaketh of our being ready for his coming, he mentioneth only the second and the third watch: Thophilact's reason, {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman}, &c. Theoph. in Luc. I confess, is most probable, because the second and third watches are, as it were; the dead time of night, when most men are in their soundest sleep, so that he that is wakeful in those watches, may be presumed not to sleep in the first and fourth, and so to be ready in the second and third, is as much as to be always ready; but there may be another apt allusion to our particular purpose; as for the first watch he mentioneth it not, because Child hood is in no capacity of performing this duty (though even then it concerneth Parents to make their Children ready, by bringing them to the Holy Sacrament of baptism:) and as for the fourth watch of Old age, he specifieth not that neither, because Rarissimi sunt qui ad extremum vitae differentes bene operari, Tolet ibid. inveniuntur ita facientes, They are very rare who are found ready at Christ's coming, and yet have not begun before the fourth watch: Let it then be our care to begin at the third watch of Man hood, nay, sooner▪ at the second watch of Youth, to prepare and provide for Christ's coming. Happy is that man who fitteth himself for dying, so soon as he cometh to know that he liveth, and consecrateth the beginning of his rational life to a religious Meditation of his mortal end. 2. We must hold out to the end of our days in this ready posture, daily endeavouring greater measure▪ of preparation. Those two excuses will be found alike invalid whensoever Christ cometh, Fuisse & futurum esse, I resolved to be ready hereafter, and I was ready heretofore; since it is neither what thou wouldst be, nor what thou hast been, but what thou art; when death cometh Unbend not then the bow of thy pious endeavour, till the string of thy life break; cease not running the race of piety till thou art put out of breath; be always preparing to meet Christ till he come to thee. It is to this purpose well observed, what a difference there is between the other life and this; as to that life, it will be Ho● diff●rt vitapraesens ab illa quam expectamus, quo●a● totum bonum futurae vitae consistit in hoc quod est recte illam incipe●e praes●ntis vitae bonum: è contra consisti● in rect● finiendo illam, &c. Avend. in Mat. cap. 24. Greg. Mag. sufficient, bene incipere, to begin well; if we can but enter into that joy of our Lord, it is enough; he that is once entered into a possession of that bliss, shall go no more out, but as to this present life, the great care is been finire, to end well, since incassum bonum agitur si ante vitae terminum deseratur, That work is begun to no purpose, which is left off before it is finished; no● can this work of preparation be finished, till life be ended. But it may, perhaps, and not improbably, be objected, even by good Christians: Alas, the practice of this duty in this extent, is impossible; who is there that can at all times so order his conversation, as to be ready for his dissolution? We meet with many remoras to stop us in, many avocations to turn us aside from this work, the labour of our callings, the care of our families, lawful recreations, many worldly businesses take up our time, so that we cannot always be at leisure to think of, and so provide for Christ's coming. To resolve which doubt, be pleased to take notice of a double preparation for the coming of Christ, to wit, habitual and actual. actual readiness consists in the exercise of those spiritual graces, and practise, of those religious duties, which are fit for us to be conversant in at the time of our death, such as are self examination, penitent humiliation, believing invocation, charitable condonation, and the like; and truly thus to be always ready, is not possible, nor requisite: It is not possible, for our natures, which at best are but in part renewed, to be wholly taken up with divine performances; nor indeed is it requisite, since God hath given us time for secular as well as spiritual businesses, yea, for recreation as well as devotion; and if Christ shall come by death to us when about our civil callings, or lawful refreshings, our condition were not therefore to be adjudged desperate. Indeed, on the one hand, because death may come at such times, it should be our endeavour, as much as may be, to carry about us heavenly hearts in our earthly employments; and on the other hand, because the best of us are too deficient in this kind, we may, nay ought to beg of God (if it be his will) that death may rather find us praying, than playing; in our chambers, than in our shops; about devout exercises, than worldly businesses. In this respect, that prayer of the Church (From sudden death good Lord deliver us) which by our arrogant novelists, among other passages of the liturgy, is causelessly denied, is fit to be made, not only by the worst, but by the best of men, to whom death may be, and many times is so sudden, that they cannot be in an actual readiness for it, and therefore if it be (as doubtless it is) a very desirable thing to have space before our death of renewing our faith, repentance, and charity, yea, and of expressing all these for the comfort and benefit of others that belong to us, it must needs be a fit request for all Christians to put up, that they may be delivered from sudden death. But besides this actual, there is an habitual readiness, which refers not to the action but the disposition; the exercise, but the state of the person; so that he, who is by faith engrafted into Christ, and by the spirit regenerated to a lively hope, and so in a state of grace, is habitually ready for the coming of Christ, according to this sense Brugensis with others giveth the interpretation of this text, Paratus est qui semper eo statu consistit, Brugens. in loc. quem dominus requirit, qui semper eum vitae tenet statum qui deo gratus, He is ready, who is in that estate which is required by, and will be acceptable to Christ when he cometh to call him. And thus it is our duty to be always ready, not daring to live in a state of impenitency, yea, to give God and our selves no rest, till we have in some measure made our peace with him, through Christ: look as when we are enjoined to pray continually, the meaning is, not that we should be always upon our knees in the continued exercise of that duty, but that we should be frequent in Qui rogat semper roge●, etsi non semper precatu●, paratum semper habeat precantis affectum. Ambr. in Ps. 118. Serm. 19 the work, and have a mind disposed to pray upon all occasions; so when we are enjoined to be always ready for death, it is not that we should be continually in the practice of those duties, which are proper for a dying man, but that we should every day set some time apart for those exercises, and always be in a regenerate condition, having the graces of faith and repentance really wrought in our souls. By this time, I hope, you see what the duty is, which here our blessed Lord calleth upon his Disciples to perform, what remaineth, but that I now, after Christ's example, endeavour to press the practice of it upon you: And indeed, so much the rather, because it is that wherein I fear the most of us are miserably deficient. It was Tertullian's Character of the Christians in his time, that they were expeditum morti genus, a sort of Tertul ●●de spectac. cap. 1. people prepared for death, and that not only natural, but violent, and so in that sense which S. Paul speaks of high concerning himself, when he tells his disconsolate friends that he was ready, not only to be bound, but to die for the name of Jesus, Act. 21. 13. But alas, of how few Christians in our days can this be truly said, and that in the lowest sense, the most being so far from a readiness to lay down their lives in suffering for Christ, that they are not in a readiness to meet Christ, if he should come in an ordinary way to take away their lives. Alexander cashiered that soldier, who had his weapons to sharpen when he was to go to fight: But Lord, how many Christians (in name) have the work of preparation to begin, when their lives are almost at an end, never thinking of doing good, till the opportunity Impii runquam didicerunt bona facere, nisi c●m jam non est tempus faciendi. O▪ cast. of doing it be past. Suppose, beloved, our Lord Christ should now come against this City, as he did once against Jerusalem, to take vengeance on it and destroy it, in what an unprepared condition should he find the greatest part of the inhabitants? some sporting with their wantons, others burying themselves in their chests of gold, some quaffing in their riotous bowls, others belching out blasphemous oaths, the most wallowing in some wickedness or other? Nay, to come nearer, suppose Christ should come by death to any of us here present, this night, this evening, this hour, are we ready for him? could we give up our accounts with joy, and look him in the face with comfort? I fear the most of our Consciences tell us we should not be able to do it. Receive then (I beseech you) a seasonable word of advice, and think (for so indeed it is) that what Christ here saith to his Disciples, he saith to all, be you ready, And (which should render this duty so much the more acceptable to us) it wants not a therefore to enforce it, indeed there are many and those weighty motives, which may very well infer the performance of this duty, as not only useful, but needful to be done, and that at all times. For, consider 1. The Son of Man will certainly come at some hour or other; be you therefore ready. In other matters we provide for those things whereof we have at most but a probability, no certainty. The Husbandman plougheth, Multi domos aedifican●, cum tamen n●sciant an per unicum diem ea debeans colere, ad incertam vitam parantur, certam mortem non curantes. Stella in Lu●▪ and tilleth, and soweth his ground against the next year, when yet he is not sure to reap the fruit of his labour; Parents lay up Riches, purchase Lands, build Houses for their Children, though they are not sure they shall enjoy them; shall we provide for what only may be, or at most, is but likely to be, and take no care to prepare for what shall certainly be? That rich man in the Gospel might well be called a fool, when as he took so much care to build large barns, and lay up Goods in those barns as a provision for the uncertain years of his life, but regarded not to make ready for his grave, which he knew to be certain, and proved to be so near. Oh let not us incur this brand of folly by the like incogitancy. 2. At what hour the Son of Man will come, you cannot certainly know; be you therefore ready; nay, always ready. It is true, Christ will come; nay, he hath told us he will come (no doubt for this reason) that being praemoniti we may be praemuniti, having notice of, we may provide for it; but when he will come he hath concealed from us (and doubtless for this cause) that we might always stand upon our guard, and be ready Si inimicus tuus sic tibi minaretur in tali borá te expecto, sufficeret tibi usque ad illam horam quiescer●: tamen si sic dixisset observa me, nam ubicunque te inv●n●ro te totis viribus invadam ●am tunc nullum tibi qui●tis dabatur tempus Avend. in Math. for him. If thy enemy shall say to thee, at such a time, in such a place, I will meet you; it were enough to be ready at that time; but if he say, where, or whensoever I meet you, I will set upon you, it concerneth to be always armed for him: Such indeed is both the wisdom and goodness of our blessed Lord, that he hath forewarned us of the thing, not of the time, that knowing he will come, and not knowing when, we may be continually prepared. It was the policy of Julius Caesar, never to acquaint his Army beforehand with the time of their march, Ut paratum, momentis omnibus, quò vellet, subito educeret, that they might be ready to march upon all occasions: Such is the wise dealing of Christ with us, and that for our good, not revealing to us the time of our death, that we may never be secure. And therefore (to use Aulus Gellius his comparison) as a fencer Aul. Gell l. 13. c. 26. not knowing at what part of his body the Antagonist will aim, composeth his body and holdeth his weapon, so as he may readily defend any part; so must we, not knowing in what day of our life Christ will come, so order our ways, that we may be fitted whensoever he shall come unto us. 3. There is no hour of your life wherein you can assure yourselves that the Son of Man will not come: Indeed, as no place can exempt from death's approach, it may come to thee in the Church, in the Street, in the Shop; in the Field, as well as in the Bed; so no time can privilege from death's arrest, in the night as well as in the day, in youth and manhood, as well as old age, Christ may send it to seize upon thee: Hast thou not need then to be everywhere, and at all times prepared? Consider this (oh vain man, whoever thou art) that puttest off thy preparation in hope that Christ will delay his visitation; thou purposest to be ready when thou art old; I, but what if Christ come whilst yet thou art young? Thou promisest to prepare thyself to morrow; but what if thou diest to day? Oh beware that thy promises bear not a date far longer than thy life. It is storied {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman}. Bas. hom. 13. of ambitious Archyas, that having by fraudulent and unjust courses, at length compassed the government of Thebes; he with his complices kept a riotous feast, in the midst of his intemperance a messenger cometh to him with a letter from a friend, importuning him speedily to peruse it, but he slighting the admonition, and putting Plurarch. in Pelopid. it under his pillow, said, {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} serious things to morrow, when as the thing, which the letter concerned▪ was effected that night, to wit, deprivation at once, both of his life and dignity, by a combination of the Citizens. This, this (my Brethren) is, I fear, the doleful case of too many who purposing to be serious and pious hereafter, are snatched away before that hereafter come. Couldst thou, oh man, assure thyself▪ the continuance of thy life for a day, a month, a year, thou mightest with more pretence of reason defer thy preparation so long; but Cui sit exploratum Ci●. de S●nect se ad vesperum esse victurum, saith the heathen Orator truly, who can assure himself he shall live till evening? nay, who can justly promise to himself the next moment? Be not then so foolish, nay mad, nay Stultum in tali ●ta●u vivere in quo quis non aud●● mori. Aug brutish, as ●o live an hour, a moment in the estate wherein thou wouldst be loath to die. 4. That hour, in which men make least account, is commonly the time of the Son of Man's coming, Be ye therefore ready. whilst the Croc●dil being asleep openeth his mouth the Indian Rat getteth in and eateth up his bowels; whilst the Theban sentinel was nodding, Epaminondas came and thrust him thorough; when men are secure in their sins, death stealeth upon them unawares. At what gate there is the least guard, smallest strength, the besieger maketh his onset, and endeavoureth entrance: Oh fear, lest in that day death approach to thee, wherein thou art most regardless of death. 5. All the time allotted you before Christ's coming, is little enough for this great work; Be you therefore always endeavouring to make yourselves ready. Tota vita discendum est vivere, said the Philosopher, we scarce learn to live well in the whole space of our lives; nay, Totâ vitâ discendum est mori, saith the Divine, our whole life is scarce sufficient to learn the art of dying well. Were a short prayer, or a single sigh, a God forgive me, or Lord have mercy upon me, a valid preparation for Christ's coming, the work were easy, and a little time might dispatch it; but be not deceived, God is not mocked. This great work is not so facile a task. Do but ask the servants of God, who have taken much pains, and spent many years in this work, and you shall hear them complain, that to this day, notwithstanding all their prayers, tears, fastings, watchings, and strugglings, they find themselves very unready for death; and is it not a wretched presumption in any man, to think he can fit himself for death, as it were at an hour's warning? 6. When the Son of man cometh, there will be no opportunity for the doing of this work: Be you therefore ready. Likely it is, at the approach of death, many men w●ll be earnest suitors, in David's words, Oh spare me a little, Psal. 39 13. one month, one week longer; but in vain; their request cannot be granted, nor the time delayed. Very apt to this purpose is the story of S. Gregory concerning Greg Dialog. l. 4. c. 38. and Chrysorius, a man as full of sin as he was of wealth, who on his dying bed, in a bitter agony of spirit, cried out, Inducias vel usque mane, inducias vel usque mane, Truce but till the morning, stay but till to morrow; but with these very words he breathed his last. Christ may sometimes stay long before he cometh, but when he comes he will not stay {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman}— saith S. Basil excellently, learn to be wise by the foolish virgin's Bas. ●om. ●3. example, for whom the bridegroom being come, would not stay a moment, and only they that were ready went in with him to the Marriage. 7. Your preparation for, will be no acceleration of Christ's Math. 25. 10. coming; and therefore be you ready. It is the fond conceit of many, that if they think of, and prepare for death, death will presently come to them; upon which ground it is, that they put off the setting both their house and soul in order; but let not vain fears beguile thee, thy death is not the nearer, but only it will be the sweeter, graemeditati mali mollis ictus, the blow will not come the sooner, but it will be the easier; nay, indeed, by being ready to die, thou art the fitter to live, and both thy life and thy death will be the more comfortable. 8. Finally, the son of Man's coming will be most dismal and exitial to all unprepared persons; Be you therefore ready. S. Chrysostom, upon these words conceiveth, {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman}. Chrys. in loc. Math. 25. 7. 22. 13. that Christ representing his coming under the resemblance of a thief, checketh our ●luggishness, who are less careful to be ready against Christ's, than the householders is against the Thiefe's coming, whereas the Housholder's danger is only the loss of his goods, or money, or jewels, but ours of our precious souls: Oh, my Brethren, if Christ, when he cometh by death, find us unprepared, woe to us that we were born, our case will be like that of the foolish Virgins, against whom the door of Heaven was shut, and no entreaty could prevail for the opening of them; nay, like that of the man, whom when the King came in, he found at the feast without a wedding garment, who was bound hand and foot, and cast into utter darkness; yea, like that of the evil servant in the end of this chapter, when his Lord coming, cut asunder, and appointed him his portion with the hypocrites, Ver. 15. there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. And oh that any, or all of these considerations, might awaken our security, and quicken our industry. This Son of Man hath been pleased to call upon us often for the performance of this duty: perhaps he will come to some of us before the next call: Oh then, delay no longer, but be we ready whilst it is called to day, and whilst this day he vouchsafeth to call upon us. It was an excellent saying of an ancient, when his corrupt heart tempted him to procrastination, I will make use of the day to repent in, and leave the morrow to God, so do thou say, Hodie poenitentiam ago, craft●num Deo relinquo. Apothegm. in Bibl. pat. Christ may come to morrow, I will be ready for him to day. Thus let the remainder of out mortal life be a preparation for death, and then our death shall be a preparation of us for an immortal life. To close up all, with reference to this doleful occasion, the interring of our diseased sister's corpse. In respect of her dear friends, I may very well take up the latter part of this verse, in an hour when they thought not, the Son of Man came to her; yea, even then, when they seemed to hope and say, the bitterness of death is past, the danger of her childbearing is over, death seized upon her: But though her dissolution was at this time unthought of by them, yet I have good reason to believe it was neither unlooked nor unprepared for by her, partly because as she, many months before, knew what an hazardous condition she was to pass thorough; so charity bids me hope that she made use of that time to provide for the worst, chiefly because her foregoing life, as to the general tenure of it was unblameable & virtuous, Et illi mors improvisa, cujus vita f●it provida, even sudden death cannot be a sad consequent, when a good life was the antecedent: Her education, no doubt, was religious, being the Daughter of a reverend Minister, M. Isaac Col●e. now with God, and her conversation every way corresponding to that education: Much of her time she employed in the pious services of reading, meditation, and prayer, not neglecting the public Ordinances, those duties which belonged to the relations in which God had set her, of a Daughter, a Wife, a Mother, a Mistress, Sister, Neighbour, Friend, she did not more intelligently know, than conscientiously perform. In a word, like good Mary, she chose that good part, whilst her adorning was Luke 10. 4●. ● Pet. 3. 3, 4. not that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, wearing of gold, putting on of apparel, (in which she only regarded decency, not affecting curiosity:) but to use Tertullian's allusions, Sericum pietatis, byssinum sauctiatis, purpura pudicitiae, The fine linen of purity, the silk of sanctity, the purple of modesty; or to follow S. Peter's expressions, The hidden man of the heart, and the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which as in the sight of God is of great price; so it was the grace wherein she surpassed most of her sex. Thus she both lived and died like a lamb, lived meekly, and died quietly, lived obediently (in some measure) to God's commands, and died submissively to God's decree. Let not then her affectionate consort, and loving allies, mourn over her grave inordinately: She died young indeed, but yet not before her time, because not before she was ready for death; she was cut down betimes, but yet not before she was ripe for the harvest. Rather than do you, nay let all of us here present, think with ourselves (to imitate S. Peter's words to Sapphira) that the feet of them which has brought her to her long home, Acts 5. 9 are at the door of our houses, to carry us out also, and therefore every one so to lead our lives, and order our conversations aright, that at what time soever Christ shall by death approach unto us, his coming may not be unexpected to us, nor we unprepared for his coming. Amen. FINIS.