of her Sickness That though her sins were as Scarlet Is 1.18 God could make them Snow though red like Crimson they should be as Wooll § 15. Moreover she did thankfully acknowledge the Mercies of God to her in the former part of her Life whereof she had very many both Personal and Relative And particularly desired that Thanks might be returned to God for his singular goodness to her during her Sickness § 16. She was very desirous of Prayer to God on her behalf and very joyfull and well pleased when she had it and being at any time ask't what particular request she desired should be made to God for her she mention'd not her Recovery and the lengthening of her days but the forgiveness of Sin through the Merit of her Redeemer an humble submission to Gods disposal and a prepared heart to acquiesce in his appointment And so in one sence she was full of dayes though she dyed very young being satiated with the Time she had liv'd on Earth and not importunate for a longer stay § 17. Within a few hours before her dissolution of the approach whereof she was more apprehensive than those about her she was very desirous that a worthy Minister whom she named Mr. S. F. might immediately be sent for to commend her Soul to God Who accordingly came though at Midnight She her self joyn'd in that last Office with great seriousness and affection and afterward return'd him her hearty thanks for his great kindness therein saying Now I have nothing more to do but to dye Only requested him not to leave the house that night as knowing that his Company and Counsel might administer to the support of her Affectionate Mother and other Relations whom she should leave in sorrow though she her self was passing to Eternal Joy § 18. After which she composed her self to rest and refused every thing that was offer'd her to take making Signs with her hand of her unwillingness to be disturbed § 19. In that short space of her Continuance which was not an hour she was heard to say Be gone Satan Be gone Thou art a Lyar from the Beginning and the Father of Lyes O come Lord Jesus And soon after she said He is Come he is Come And so fell asleep as in the Arms of her dearest Saviour or as the Jews Report of Moses That he dyed with the Kiss of God O Death where is now thy Sting O Grave where is now thy Victory The sting of Death is Sin and the strength of Sin is the Law But thanks be to God who hath given us the Victory through our Lord Jesus Christ And Blessed are the Dead that Thus dye in the Lord. § 20. Would to God that the Account here given might effectually convince us of the great difference between the Death of the Holy and the Vnholy of the Righteous and the Sinner Might convince us of the great Blessing of holy Parents and a good Education and encourage Parents to be diligent and faithful to be serious prudent and affectionate in the Education of their Children because such a deportment is most likely to be owned by God with the desired Success And Convince us likewise of the Vanity of Youth the shortness of our Lives the uncertainty of our Time the nearness of our Change the necessity reasonableness and manifold advantages of Remembring our Creator in our younger Years And withall might hasten our Preparations and spirit our Desires to depart and be dissolv'd whenever God shall call us That following their Example who by Faith and Patience are gone to inherit the Promises We may at length meet those Precious Souls above who are gone before us that with them and all the Children of the Kingdom we may be for ever with the Lord which is Best of all FINIS
to be with Christ to be absent from the Body â— Cor. 5.8 and present with the Lord with that merciful Saviour who had compassion on me when as an ignorant Blasphemer I persecuted his Members who call'd me to be an Apostle and enabl'd me by his Grace to own his Truth in the face of Dangers and hath hitherto comforted me in all my Tribulation I desire to depart that I may be with him With him not with the blessed Angels or departed Saints though their Society will make a part of the heavenly Joy Not the former they are but ministring Spirits and menial Servants imployed under him and though they shine as Stars yet he is the enlivening Sun from whom they derive their Lustre and borrow all their glory Not the latter they have no Blessedness but by his Donation and Purchase no Crowns of Life but what he puts on Therefore 't is not to be with them only or chiefly that made him thus groan to be dissolv'd thus earnestly desire to depart but to be with Christ Which is far better simply and in it self more desirable by much more better the Comparative being double in the Greek Text and yet I wot not what to choose for I am in a strait betwixt two On the one hand his Love to the Philippians who needed his prefence many false Teachers being at that time crept in among them V. 24. made him willing to abide in the flesh and deferr his own felicity for a time upon their account But the Glory of Christ's presence on the other and his own unspeakable advantage by it made him desirous of a Departure and therefore though he determines for the former and was content to Live and 't is probable had some secret intimation from Heaven that all his work in this World was not yet finisht yet he grants the latter to be simply more eligible having a desire to depart and to be with Christ which is far Better Which words are not more suitable to a Funeral Solemnity than expressive of the dying Thoughts and Temper of our deceased Friend and were chosen by her as the Subject of my present Discourse And that I may comprehend the Substance and Design of the Text according to the desire of the Dead for the Benefit and Instruction of the Living let us consider 1. When and how far it is warrantable for a Christian to desire death 2. In what respects to depart and to be with Christ is far Better than to abide in the Flesh 3. On what Grounds and Principles a Christian may expect a future Blessedness with Christ after his departure so as to encourage and excite his desires after it 4. Whence it comes to pass that even those who acknowledge it Far Better to be with Christ than to continue in the body are yet unwilling to depart in order to it and what Remedies are proper to the case of such 5. The Application of the whole particularly with respect to the sad Occasion of our present Meeting 1. When and how far is it warrantable for a Christian to desire to be dissolv'd This Inquiry may be answered in the following Propositions 1. Our dissolution and departure as a natural or penal evil as contrary to Nature or as the Punishment of Sin cannot possibly be the Object of a rational desire If God hath promised a long Life as the Encouragement and Reward of our Obedience and threatned an hasty death as the punishment of Impiety If it be universally true that the Soul of man desires Union with the Body and unavoidably dreads a separation from it If Torturing pains and loathsom Diseases are the usual Antecedents of dying If the Corruption of the Body and its Imprisonment in the Grave till the general Resurrection be the certain Consequent of our dissolution We cannot but think of Death as a natural Evil and as such decline and fear it Much less desirable will it appear if considered as the Wages of Sin and the Fruit of Gods displeasure and the Just Sentence of his Vindictive Justice but how far our dissolution in this latter Notion of it is changed by the death of Christ in reference to Believers is another question and will more properly be considered under the third Inquiry 2. Our dissolution and departure ought not to be desired Only as a freedom from Temporal Evil as preventive of present suffering or delivering us from it The Apostle doth not mention the uneasie Circumstances of a Prison or the continual hardships to which he was exposed from the malice of his adversaries as the ground of his desire to depart but to be with Christ he knew very well that a Christian may serve the ends of God's glory and be useful to others in a state of suffering and therefore when he saith in another place We that are in this Tabernacle do groan being burden'd 2 Cor. 5.3.4 he adds the limitation in the following words not to be unclothed but cloth'd upon that mortality may be swallowed up of Life not meerly to avoid the inconveniencies of our abode in so poor a dwelling but to come to the possession of the building not made with hands eternal in the Heavens Not meerly to find relief and deliverance from our present burdens Job 7.13 Jon. 4.3 when through melancholy or discontent we are weary of Life when we have set our Hearts on somewhat we cannot obtain or struggle with some difficulties we cannot master or are impatient under bodily pains or quite dispirited by the sad prospect of approaching Calamities in such a case to wish for Death and desire to depart is unbecoming the Character the incouragement and hopes of a Souldier of Christ much less will the Gallantry of a Roman or a Philosopher legitimate the desire of Death only to prevent Slavery or avoid Disgrace or miss the sight of an unwelcome object As Cato resolv'd to dye that he might not behold Victorious Caesar whom by all means possible he had endeavoured to ruine â—icero in â—uscul â—est lib. 1. and Cicero saith expresly of him that the reason of his choice was just and that Cato ought to dye rather then see the face of a Tyrant But we have not so learn'd Christ for 3. We must not designedly precipitate or hasten our own departure nor wilfully neglect any probable means to preserve our Lives how desirous so ever we are to be with Christ we acknowldge God as the Author and Owner of our lives and shall we presume to dispose of what is his without a declaration of his consent and order to authorize us Are we bound by the sixth commandment to preserve the Life of our neighbour and may we be negligent and careless of our own is not every man nearer to himself than any other can be and is not self-murder a violation of the Law of nature and condemned by a general suffrage and can we suppose it a sufficient Justification of our selves that
Religious Exercises which cool our Zeal and abate the fervor of our Spirits in the service of our Redeemer which weaken our Confidence in Prayer and shame our faces before the Lord in secret And is it not far better to part with the body of flesh that thereby we may be rid of this body of sin and death Rom. 7.2 and be like our Saviour in perfect purity Do we not complain of our Ignorance of Divine Truths and the blessed Mysteries of the Gospel notwithstanding all our means of knowledge of our Earthliness and unbelief of unbecoming Thoughts of God and holy things of proud Imaginations and carnal reasonings against his Works and Word of languishing and imperfect Graces to be recovered and perfected c And is it not better be with Christ where that which is imperfect shall be done away Is not God dishonor'd and provok't by our frequent Omissions and slight Performances of duty do we not resist and quench and sadden his holy Spirit and are we not often griev'd by God's rebukes and frowns by the wounds and smart regrets of our own Conscience so that we remember God and are troubled and cry out in the bitterness of our Souls Hath he forgotten to be gracious and will he be merciful no more Are not our holy Purposes inconstant and our best Resolutions wavering and unsteddy and very quickly very easily shatter'd by the breath of a small Temptation Have we not a constant Watch to keep over our Hearts and wayes a perpetual War to manage with the Infernal Trinity the World the Flesh and the Devil and do we know his rage and malice and serpentine policy with the Multitude Strength and Power of his Temptations How often we have been foil'd already and how soon we may be so again and shall we not be desirous of a sinless state in the presence of Christ where no Tempter no Temptation shall ever be admitted Yea had we no corruption or Sin of our own to be delivered from yet our concern at God's dishonour by the sins of others should make us willing to depart as much more desirable than our abode on earth Job 24.9 〈◊〉 24.4 Which is given into the hands of the wicked and defiled by its Inhabitants Where the very Air is infected with Oaths and Blasphemies prophane discourse and filthy Talk Where the very Being of a God is question'd his Providence denyed and his Authority mock't Where the Gospel of Christ is disparag'd and despised his Laws contradicted his Worship polluted his Institutions subverted and his holy Name made a cloak for Licentiousness and his faithful Servants trampl'd on by the foot of Pride and scorned by men at ease and forc't to own his Truth with the peril of their Lives And can we say It is good to be here or is it not far better to forsake such a Place and Company that we may be with Christ 3. Let us consider what are the grounds and Principles by which a Christian is assured of this Blessedness in the presence of Christ after his dissolution This Inquiry is necessary because the discourse of our future Bliss with Christ cannot be supposed to have any effect or influence upon us to make us desire our departure while we disbelieve or make a doubt of the matter I hope it were needless to prove the Possibility of the Souls existence in a state of seperation from the Body Whether in the body or out of the body 2 Cor. 12 2. would not have been a doubt to this great Apostle if he could not possibly have liv'd but in it neither could he desire to depart that he might be with Christ if after his departure he should not be at all And supposing the existence of the Soul notwithstanding the dissolution of the Body we have as full an assurance as the nature of the thing is capable of that holy Souls shall be present with the Lord in glory when absent from the body 1 Thess 4.17 Joh. 17.24 Matth. 25.23 Rev. 3.21 c. But because the Text hath a special relation to Christ and to be with him is the Blessedness on the account whereof 't is desirable to depart I shall only mention his Death and Resurrection as a sufficient ground to confirm our Faith in the certainty of being with him and to excite our Desires of a departure in order to it 1. The Death of Christ He hath cancell'd the Hand-writing against us and put away Sin Eph. 1.7 which is the sting of Death by the Death of the Cross a way is now open for us into the holy of holies by his blood not for our Prayers only but our Persons Heb. 10.19 He hath wounded the Head of the old Serpent even by permitting him to bruise his Heel by crucifying his humane Nature which was only Vestigium Deitatis 2 Sam. 23 21. Heb. 2.15 As Benaiah slew the Egyptian with his own Spear Having destroyed death and him that had the power of it and delivered those who were all their Life time subject to bondage through the fear of death He hath set his foot on the neck of this Adversary disarm'd it of it's weapon and rob'd it of it's sting and abolisht the ugliness and poyson of it He hath dismounted Hell and Damnation from behind him who Sat on the Pale-horse Rev. 6.8 Whether the first Adam were buryed in Calvary where the second was crucifyed as some affirm I need not enquire we know that his Death was our Victory and his Cross may be our Triumph since the Devil is conquered and death Sanctified and the Grave perfum'd by his burial so that we need not be afraid to lodge in a Sepulchre where our Lord himself hath slept Yea since the effusion of his Blood there is an amiable ruddiness in the Face of death for that which was the Instrument of Justice is now the messenger of Peace and Joy that which was the gate of Hell is the way to Life He hath brought sweetness out of the Strong and meat out of the Eater 1 Cor. 3.21 and therefore Death as well as Life is reckon'd in the Inventory of the riches of the Saints All things are yours because you are Christs and Christ is Gods 2. His Resurrection and Exaltation his rising from the Dead not only discovers the possibility of our Resurrection and gives us a pledge and assurance of it as declaring the sufficiency and acceptation of his Sacrifice Rom. 8.11 Is 26.19 that therefore the Dead in Christ shall live and with his Dead Body arise But being punctually effected according to his prediction and promise it confirms the Truth of all his Word and seals the promise of eternal Life unto all Believers He hath open'd the Prison doors and loos'd the bands of Death 1 Cor. 15. â—0 and roll'd away the heavy Stone from the Graves of his people he is now become the first fruits of them that Sleep in Jesus And
Souls love and reap a Happiness by doing so bigger than our present Hopes and far above our highest Thoughts about it For in his presence is fulness of Joy and at his right hand are Everlasting pleasures And can we imagine that a blessedness purchas'd by infinite Merit contriv'd by infinite Wisdom and prepar'd by infinite Power and bestow'd at length through infinite Grace will in any thing be defective Doth not our Apostle describe it best by assuring us it cannot be describ'd that 't is greater than we ever saw beyond what we ever heard and far above what we can ever think Doth not the very hopes of seeing him revive our drooping hearts Oh what will be the Glory of that blessed sight is not the pledge and assurance of it by the Harbinger of his holy Spirit exceeding comfortable Oh what transcendent Satisfaction will his presence give us We now comfort our selves with the Contemplation and one another with the Discourse of it and if our dark Faith and our faint Hopes can give us such a Joyful prospect of what shall be consequent to our dissolution into what ravishing Joy shall we enter by the open Vision and full enjoyment Is the encouragement and support of a Christian now from his presence with us here and will it not be far better to be present with him above to be for ever with the Lord When we shall never question his Love to us or doubt of ours to him but have a full assurance of the one and a glorious exercise of the other And because our knowledge will be still increasing our flames of Love shall still rise higher But what additional Bliss the Soul shall have by the Resurrection of the body and the great Transactions of the Judgment Day we know but in part Blessed God we know so much in this imperfect state enough to excite our desires and quicken our preparations and encourage our Perseverance And let 's bless him more that he hath prepared such a glory for us in the presence of the Redeemer as we cannot fully understand till death convey us to him But to be with Christ is not only eligible in it self as expressive of our future Glory but much rather to be desired if considered comparatively Therefore 2. In what respects is it preferrable to an abode in the flesh so as to make us rather choose to depart that we may be with him than Continue in the Body and be absent from the Lord 1. Is not a state of Rest and Joy much more desirable than to be continually harrass'd with Trouble and Sorrow We ordinarily begin this World in Tears and solemnize our own Nativity as we do the Funerals of our dearest Friends as if we were then sensible of that universal Curse which hath afflicted Mankind since the first Transgression and had a clear prospect of the miseries we are born to and must afterward suffer And in all the Portions of our little time what and how many do we every where encounter How many things are there which we find are wanting both as to our Accomplishments and Enjoyments and how much are we disappointed if we look for satisfaction from the lusts of the flesh 1 Joh. 2.16 the lusts of the eyes and the pride of life which saith the Apostle is all that is in the world Earthly Pleasures Wealth and Honour Do we not find that what doth rejoyce and please us one day appears with another Face when we view it next or if we think it would please us still 't is gone e're we are aware and with all our skill and power we cannot protract its duration Do not evil accidents overtake us on a sudden and our most probable designs miscarry in the birth as if all things were governed by Chance and there were no Intelligent Director to oversee and regulate the Affairs of the World and the Actions and Conditions of men Insomuch that the Race is not to the swift Eccl. 11. â— nor the Battell to the strong nor Bread to the wise nor Riches to men of understanding nor Favour to men of skill but Time and Chance happens to them all Our Pleasures flatter and deceive us and our Afflictions trouble and disquiet us We are imposed upon by our Senses and misguided by our Passions Cross'd in our Desires and frustrated in our Hopes griev'd by present evils or perplext with the fears of future and our Spirits for the most part discompos'd either by personal or relative Calamities Some rueful Spectacle is ever now and then presented before our Eyes some evil tidings or unpleasant sound doth grate our Ears We bewail the wants of the Poor which we cannot supply or envy the prosperity of the Wicked which we cannot hinder or grieve at the Afflictions of the Righteous which we cannot remedy We have some suffering Friend with whom to sympathize some distressed or deceased Relation to lament some unhappiness of our own or of those we love to be concern'd for Besides the Treachery and unfaithfulness of our seeming Friends the Hatred and Malice of our open Enemies the scandalous Actions of professing Christians their Divisions and Animosities among themselves and their despiteful usage and entertainment from the World the Complaints of the Miserable the Groans of the Sick the Cries of the Oppressed and our own bodily Infirmities weaknesses and pains c. enough one would think to make us defire to depart and render us extreamly willing to lay down and dye if God think fit that we may be at rest especially having the expectation of being for ever with the Lord. For otherwise even * M. Anton. â—ib 3. 4 â—rr Epict. â—ib 4. c. â—0 Boeth Conul Philos 1. Heathens have spoken excellently of the Advantages of Death as the period of our present Sorrows 2. Is not a state of holiness and perfect purity far better than a Life of Temptation Corruption and Sin How are we now buffeted by Satan by his Sinful suggestions his subtil devices and snares and his fiery darts and by that means our Integrity assaulted our peace of Conscience unsettled and our Perseverance indangered Our Conflict with him is so difficult and the issue of the battel as to what depends on us so very uncertain that we are often ready to throw down our Arms and give up all as Lost For though he be a conquer'd and baffled Adversary through the victory which our Captain hath obtain'd against him yet we cannot now Triumph over him as hereafter we shall And is it not far better to abandon this world Cor. 4.4 Eph. 2. of which he is the God and get above that Air of which he is the Prince that we may be with Christ Moreover how doth our depraved Nature continually cast forth mire and dirt what remaining filthiness is there yet to be purg'd what powerful Lusts to be mortified and subdued which indispose us for Spiritual duties and derive a damp and deadness upon all our
hath the Keyes of Death and Hell Rev. 1. even the two most formidable enemies are under his Dominion who though once he were dead doth now live yea live for evermore And for this very end did God raise him up 1 Pet. 1.2 that our faith and hope might be in him in reference to the Blessedness of another Life Yea saith the Apostle concerning that Act. 13.3 he raised him from the dead no more to see corruption God said I will give you the sure mercies of David Is 55.3 or an Everlasting Covenant which Death shall not dissolve and his being risen is the ground of our Faith and Hope that the promise shall be fulfill'd For the Resurrection of Christ is the evidence of the validity and Efficacy of his Death and Sacrifice and a sufficient proof that his Precious Blood shed upon the Cross Heb. 13. â— was the blood of an Everlasting Covenant Establishing a Covenant of Grace and making it truly Everlasting for we know that he is a Priest for ever after the Power of an endless Life And therefore know Heb. 7. â— to our unspeakable Satisfaction Incouragement and Joy in whom we have believed and that he is able to keep unto that day what we have committed to him 2 Tim. 12. Phil. 1. Jude 2. Col. 3.3 to perfect what he hath begun and at last present us blameless before the presence of his glory with exceeding Joy For our Life being hid with him in God we are fully assured that when he who is our Life shall appear 1 Joh. 3. we shall appear with him in glory and because he lives we shall live also and when he shall appear we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is 4. Let us consider Whence it comes to pass that notwithstanding the Blessedness of being with Christ and our assurance of it by his Death and Resurrection that yet we are so backward and unwilling to depart What is the true reason why so many of those who acknowledge it far better to be with Christ yet cannot say with the Apostle That they desire to be dissolv'd that they may be with him 1. The weakness of Faith concerning the Invisible World and the future Glory of the Saints is the reason why so many Christians are unwilling to dye They are very sensible of the inconveniencies of their present abode they complain to God and men of Corruption Temptation and Sin and they hear of a blessed Deliverance from all these by Death and a perfect Felicity in the presence of the Redeemer after their dissolution but unbelief makes them stagger at the Promise They are not fully satisfied that such a transcendent Glory will be Consequent to Dying Did they but soundly believe the Testimony and Revelation which God hath given in his Word concerning it they would choose to be absent from the body Some of the Ignorant Heathens have been desperate in their Choice of death only as the Period of present Calamities but others who were doubtful of the Consequence have yet entertained it with an hearty Welcome As Socrates for instance who profess'd That he ought not to fear death because he could not tell whether it were good or evil And shall not we who understand the Grounds and Principles the greatness and certainty of a future Blessedness after Death be as willing to depart A confirmed Faith is therefore necessary and adviseable in the present case and the rather that thereby we may quench the fiery darts of Satan who if he cannot hinder us of our Crown would rob us of our Joyful Prospect of it if he cannot prevent our future Glory would render us dejected in our passage thither if he cannot prevail to exclude and banish us for ever from the Presence of Christ would darken our present comfort by the desire and Hope of it but more especially at the prospect and approach of Death for that is his hour and the power of darkness But by this shield of Faith Eph. 6.11.16 we may be able to stand even in that evil day of our dissolution 2. The Pains of Death They pray that God would hasten his Glorious Kingdom and bring them to it and believe it to be most eligible to be with Christ yet are loth their own Prayers should be answered and the end and object of their Faith obtain'd through the discouraging apprehensions they admit of a dying hour Would we not be with the Lord and know him better and Love him more and enjoy him fully and shall we stick at a little pain as introductory to so great a Happiness A Pain that will speedily convey us to Eternal ease and rest which thousands of Holy Souls in Glory have indur'd more of than we can fear But suppose the Agonies of Death are ne're so frightful to Flesh and Blood hath not Our Redeemer a Rod and Staff to comfort us in the dark Valley Ps 23.4 Doth he not know what it is to dye and how much we dread it doth he not understand our weakness remember our frailty pity our infirmities and bid us ask for support and Strength Ps 73.2 yea hath he not promis'd that when Heart and Flesh shall fail that he will be the Strength of our Hearts and our Portion for ever Shall Ignorant hopeless Heathens without God in this world without the expectation of being with Christ in the next be so desirous of Immortality as to dispatch themselves and be their own Executioners to force an escape from the Body and shall we resist and struggle draw back and fear object and be unwilling when our Saviour calls us to endless and unspeakable Felicity Is not this the last Experiment of our Faith and Patience and holy Resolution the last essay of our Christian Courage Are not the antecedent pains of dying the fruit of sin no less than the throws and pangs of Travelling Women and are the Latter tolerable in hopes of Children and their own deliverance and may we not support the Former by the assistance of a greater and better Hope Are they at all considerable and worthy our fear if put in the ballance with the promised Salvation to follow on our departure Are they comparable in the nature of evil to the blessed Life they lead us to in the nature of good or comparable to the gripes of Conscience which unpardon'd sinners meet with in Life and Death yea do we not think them greater and make them worse by our foolish fears than most do find them Is not the sting of Death remov'd and the Heavenly Mansions prepar'd and promis'd and is it a reasonable request that God should vary from his settled course and fixed Law upon our Sole account will nothing else content and please us but that Heaven must descend to Earth or we be in a moment translated thither to prevent our pain and supersede the necessity of our dissolution which we fear will be so
attended As a proper Remedy in the present case let us familiarize the Thoughts of Death by frequent serious Meditation Let us view it oftner in our way that it may not meet us with so much Terror at our Journeys end Let us admit the Thoughts of a departure with particular application to our selves and improve the Funerals of our Friends as a seasonable memento that our own is near Let us lay open the Picture of Death naked to our view and urge it to our Hearts with the Infinite Glory that immediately succeeds and take in the Death and Promise of Christ as our assurance of it And this will reconcile us more to a Departure and help to overcome our unreasonable fears of pain and sickness antecedent to it 3. The weakness and declension of our Love to Christ is another ground of our unwillingness to depart and to be with him To a degenerate Soul that is destitute of the Love of Christ an Everlasting distance would be more desirable than a Local Presence For that could not make him happy he would still be as far remov'd from Bliss by being with the Lord as the Center of a Milstone in the bottom of the Sea would be from moisture But the company and converse of those we Love must needs be eligible and the more we Love them the stronger still will be our desire of being with them and the more impatient shall we be of every delay And is it not the sence and secret language of our Hearts Whom have we in Heaven but Christ And are we not desirous to forsake this Earth to enjoy his presence Certainly the growth and strength and exercise of Holy Love to Christ would even render our dissolution grateful in order to it and make our Hearts rejoyce at the approach of Death as it did old Jacobs to see the Waggons that are sent to fetch us to our beloved Jesus who is Lord of that Country whither we are going 4. Immoderate Love to this present World and our Temporal Life Were we crucifyed to fleshly Pleasures and sensual Joyes to worldly Honours and earthly Riches we should less regret the thoughts of dying and more heartily desire to be with Christ For as the pangs of Death are not ordinarily so violent and intolerable to one whose strength is wasted by a pining Sickness as to him who is arrested suddenly in his full strength and vigour so will he more easily leave this World who for some time past hath been dying to it Gal. 6.14 Were we more crucifyed to the World and the World to us by the Cross of Christ we should not so affectionately hug the Carkass of a dead Enemy whom we our selves have crucifyed and slain but wait for the Time and long for the happy hour when we shall leave it and be gone to our Eternal Rest Let us therefore make use of all the Christian methods of Mortification and look on this world as a strange place and our selves as Pilgrims and Strangers here as Exiles from our own Country and hastening to it And we cannot but wish our selves at home and desire a departure as necessary thereto and in the Interim sigh to think of the vast disproportion and difference between the slender entertainments of our Inn and the plentiful Provisions of our Father's house 5. Blotted Evidences and the want of Assurance concerning our Title to the Heavenly Glory And this we all pretend as the reason of our unwillingness to dye A Sadducee is loth to dye least he should not be at all an unprepared sinner for fear of being miserable and a doubting Christian because he knows not whether Happiness or Misery shall be his portion after his departure For were we well assured we should be with Christ for ever we could not be so backward and unwilling to be dissolv'd Had we any better grounds to hope that sin was pardon'd and God our Covenant Father that Heaven would be our Inheritance and we should not come into Condemnation we might rejoyce to think of our departure when and how it shall please God to call us When the Psalmist could say The Lord is my Shepherd Ps 23 4 6 he could boldly venture upon death and walk through the valley of darkness without fear of evil But when distress had brought his sin to remembrance and made him doubt of his condition he cries Ps 39.13 Oh spare me a little longer that I may recover strength before I go hence and be no more seen Could you say with the Spouse of Christ in the Canticles Cant. 6.3 My Beloved is mine and I am his you might chearfully joyn your Amen when you hear the Spirit and the Bride say in the Revelations Come Lord Jesus Rev. 20.2 Come quickly Therefore Try your State and examine your selves afresh and endeavour with your utmost care and diligence to obtain a well grounded Assurance founded on the Testimony of a good Conscience by comparing the Promises of Remission and Eternal Life with the requisite qualifications and Conditions of them For if our hearts condemn us not we shall have confidence towards God Joh. 3.21 even in a dying hour To which end let us endeavour by daily acts of Repentance to obtain a daily pardon Let us summe up our accounts at the foot of every page I mean reflect every Night on the passages of the preceding Day That we may rest on our Beds with the sence of a daily pardon and be as fit to dye as we are to sleep 6. Our fond affections to our Friends on Earth may make us loth to dye though we hope to be with Christ in Heaven But is not his Bosom more desirable than the arms and embraces of our dearest Friends and nearest Relations must we not abandon and hate them all for his sake Luk. 14.26 i. e. use them as contemptible and hated things if they keep us from him Have we not solemnly engag'd to do so by our Covenant with God and shall we not stand to our agreement Is there no difference between our Friends on Earth and our beloved Saviour How often is an unactive pity vouchsafed in the room of succour when they need our assistance or we intercede for theirs We know if they are unholy they shall forever be banisht from the presence of Christ and we may well be asham'd to be unwilling to dye on their account and if they are holy though we shall not return to them yet we know that they shall shortly come to us And cannot God instruct them in his fear order their Conditions dispose of their affairs provide for their comfort and answer all our prayers in reference to them after our departure yea hath he not often done so Have we any Friends on Earth that are every way so accomplisht as alway to delight and please us or are we so perfectly wise and good as never to disgust and disoblige them Is there not some selfishness