no wonder if Death fills our Souls with Apprehenfions, because it comes to us arm'd with our Sins, and is prefs'd by the Remorfe of Confcience, and Horror of our Crimes. How comes it to pass that fuch a terrible Aftonishment fell upon King Belshazzar, when he faw the Fingers of an Hand writing upon the Wall of his Palace, the Sentence of his Doom? Dan. v. 'Twas because he had prophan'd the holy Veffels of God's Houfe; and was rioting in the Society of lafcivious Women. Wherefore did Felix tremble, when he heard St. Paul difcourfe of Juftice, Temperance, and of Judgment to come, Acts xxiv. 'Tis because he was a wicked Varlet, given over to all manner of filthy and unjust living. Thus, because we prophane the Members of our Body, which are as the Veffels of God's Sanctuary; and because our Life is vicious and diforderly, we can't abide to hear Death mentioned; and when it comes to us, we are ready to fpeak to it in Felix's Language to St. Paul, Depart for this time. So that the Love of Sin, and the Fear of Death, are as two Sifters who hold one another by the Hand; or rather, they are Twins, that are born and die together. As the Prophet Amos faid to the Ifraelites, Ye put far the evil Day, and caufe the Scent of Violence to come near, Amos vi. So we may fay to the Men in this Age; Ye put as far from you as you can the Day of Death, and draw near to all manner of Impurity, Covetoufnefs, Ambition, Pride, Vanity, Ufury, Rapin, Violence, Envy, Malice, and fuch like Soul-Plagues. You don't only draw near to thefe abominable Vices, but what is worse, you lodge them in your Bowels, and harbour them in your Hearts. Certainly we may very well apply to all vicious Perfons, what the Prophet Jeremiah tells of Jerufalem; Her Filthiness is in her Skirts, he remembreth not her last End, Lam. i.

(}IL.

6. I have taken notice of another Defect in us. We mistrust the Providence of God, and know not how to repofe our felves upon his fatherly Care. We have a too worthy Efteem of our felves, and of our

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CHRISTIAN'S

own Sufficiency. We cannot refolve to die, because we fanfie, our felves very useful in the World, and that our Death would bring a confiderable Lofs to the Church of God, to the State, or to our Family.

Because the Soul and Body are link'd together in a very frict Union; we can't imagine how they can be feparated without great and unspeakable Convulfions. Our Infidelity is fo great, that we can't reft fatisfied upon the Promifes of God, who engages to fuccour us in our Diftrefs, and to deliver us from all our Troubles, Ifa. 1. Tis true, Jacob's Ladder that reaches from the Earth to Heaven, may ravish us; but it feems very uneafie to afcend. Paradife is rich, glorious, and delightful to the uttermoft; but its Gate is ftraight, and choaked up with Thorns and Briars.

8. I judge that one of the chief Caufes of the Fear of Death is, because we look upon God as a moft fevere and merciless Judge, inflam'd with Anger and Fury against us, and arm'd with Vengeance. Whereas we fhould confider and acknowledge him to be a merciful Father, full of Compaffion and Kindness for Mankind. Every Slave trembles at the Sight of his Lord, and there is no Malefactor but is afraid when he appears before his Judge, to be put to the Rack. And can I, who am all spotted with Sin, and blacken'd with Crimes; can I appear before that glorious Throne, that caufes the Seraphims to cover their Faces with their Wings? Ifa. vi. How can I that am but Stubble, fubfift in the Prefence of the God of Vengeance, who is a confuming Fire? Heb. x.

6. There is another vifible Fault in us, we don't embrace with a true and lively Faith, the Death and Paffion of our Lord and Saviour. We all fpeak of Jesus Chrift crucify'd, but we don't know the divine Virtue of his Crucifixion, nor feel its Efficacy. We don't confider that his Death hath broken down the Partition that shut us out of the heavenly Sanctuary, and that his Blood hath track'd us a Way to Paradife,

and procured us an Entrance into that Place of eternal Blifs.

Now to prevent the Horror of the Grave, we don't confider as we ought our Lord Jefus Chrift in the Tomb, and that he hath fanctify'd it with his holy and divine Prefence. We don't imprint in our Imagination, that 'tis juft and reasonable that we should be conformable to Chrift in his Abafement, if we will have any Share with him in his Glory and Exaltation.

11. Besides, that which entertains in our Souls the Fears of Death is this; we look upon it as if it were in its full Strength and Vigour. Whereas we should remember, that Jefus Chrift hath overcome and difarm'd Death by his powerful Refurrection, and that for our parts, we need but follow the Footsteps of his glorious Victories, and faften that furious Beaft to his triumphant Chariot.

12. We don't confider as we should, with a ferious and religious Application of the Mind, how our Saviour Chrift is not only rifen from the Sepulchre, victorious over Death, but that he is alfo afcended up into the highest Heavens, as our Fore-runner, to prepare a Place for us; and that by departing out of our miferable Bodies, we follow the Paths of our ever bleffed Saviour, to reap with him the Fruits of his moft glorious Victories.

13. We ftoop too much to confider our frail, corruptible, and mortal Nature; and we feldom enter into this moft ufeful Meditation, that by the Holy Ghoft we are nearly and unfeparably united to Jefus Christ the Prince of Life, and the Source of Light; and that we have already in us the Seeds of Bleffednefs, of Glory and Immortality.

14. As the Children of Ifrael murmured against Mofes in the Defart, and wifh'd to be again in Egypt, forgetting their bitter Slavery, under which they had groan'd, their painful labouring amongst the Bricks and the Heat of their Furnaces, and minding only the Pleasure which they had foft. They dream'd of nothing,

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nothing. But the Plenty of Bread and Flefh, of the Cucumbers, Onions, and of the Meats with which they had fo often filled their Bellies. Thus we repine at Death, because we don't dream of the Evils from which it delivers us, we think only upon the vain Pleafures, and feeming Advantages of which it robs

us.

15. We imagine that Death deftroys and reduces us to nothing; and we don't confider that it never meddles with the principal Part of our Being, but only pulls off from us Sin, and breaks the reft of the Chains of our fpiritual Bondage; fo that Death is rather the Death of Sin than of the Faithful.

16. Here is another great Fault in us; we don't lift up our Minds to confider the Glory prepared for us at the egrefs of our Souls out of our mortal Bodies. However we may demean our felves, and whatever we may pretend, we don't firmly, without doubting, believe the Felicities which God promifeth to us in the Contemplation of his Face. Sometimes we may think upon the Joys of Paradife; but 'tis a Thought that paffes through our Souls with too much Speed, and don't take any Root. So that many, if they were not ashamed, would be ready to fpeak in the Emperor Adrian's Language, My little Soul, my dearest Darling, O Gueft and Companion of my Body, whither art bou now going?

17. To thele former Caufes of the Fears of Death in us, we may add another: That we fuffer our Eyes to dwell too much upon the Rottennefs and Cor ruption that threatens our Body; whereas we fhould carry our Eye-fight to behold its glorious Refurrection that fhall foon, follow. Pleafant Abode, and delightful Companion of my Soul, muft Death, this cruel Death, feparate it from thee with fo much Violence? Muft thou part with thy dear and fweet Companion? Muft my Soul leave thee upon fuch grievous and lamentable Terms? That of fo many Honours which have been heap'd upon thee, thou shalt not carry fo much

as

as their Shadow to the Grave? That of many rich Moveables and Treafures, thou shalt bear away nothing but a Winding-fheet, a few Boards, or at the moft fome Pounds of Lead? After thou haft lived in fo much Splendor and Magnificence, muft thy covering be at last the Worms? After thou haft walked fo proudly in Palaces gilded with Gold, and perfum'd, muft at last thy Confinement be in a ftinking and loathfome Sepulchre? Must these beautiful Eyes be clos'd? Thefe Lips of Coral become pale? This golden Mouth be ftopp'd? And muft this dainty Flesh rot and become odious to the Eyes of the World?

18. In the laft Place, we don't meditate as we ought, upon that eternal Blifs and Glory that hath been prepared for us from the Foundation of the World, and into which we shall enter, when Christ Jefus fhall come from Heaven with his holy Angels, to judge both the Quick and the Dead; when he fhall re-unite our Souls and Bodies together for all Eternity; that may be glorified in his Saints, and wonderful in all the Faithful.

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CHAP. VII.

The firft Remedy against the Fears of Death, is to meditate often upon it.

WE

E become acquainted with the moft dreadful things by Custom and Conversation. Fresh Soldiers commonly quiver and thake at the Sight of an Enemy; they tremble at the Volleys of Shot, and half dead fall to the Ground at the terrible Noife of the great Ordnance. But when their Courage hath been hardned by a long Exercife, they can then without Fear feek the Enemy in his greateit Advantages, and can go as merrily to the Combat as to a Feaft, or a Triumph. The Showers of fmall Shot,

the