what is in the heart of a gracious person Isa 3.20 Though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more but thine eyes shall see thy teachers Implying that to a gracious soul the enjoying of God in his ordinances will make amends for the want of temporal mercies and comforts And we read that when David was banished from Jerusalem by reason of Absolons rising up in rebellion against him this was the thing which chiefly troubled him and went unto his heart that he could not see Psal 42.1 2 3 4. God and enjoy him in his Sanctuary as he was wont to do 5. A fifth trial of a mans effectual Calling is the respect he hath to Gods commandments For such a one will desire to know and be acquainted with all Gods Will specially that part which concern's his own duty most His Query will be Act. 9.6 Lord what wouldst thou have me do He will not allow himself in the neglect of any thing which God requires nor pick and chuse among Gods precepts those which are most easie and least dangerous and suit best with his own disposition or interest and show his obedience only there Indeed that is no obedience at all for there is no man so bad but doth some thing which God requires and abstains from some sins which God forbid's He is no good Servant that will do but what he list of that which his Master commands And though no perfection is attainable in this life yet the sincere Christian pants and breathes after perfection prays daily for more grace to serve God better sets himself no stint is humbled deeply for his daily failings begs for pardon and runs to Christ for strength to do better without whom he knows he can do nothing Joh. 15.5 And thus by shewing his sincere respect to all Gods Commandments Psal 119.6 of first and second Table both though he can perform none of them as he desires he gets some comfortable evidence to his own soul that he shall never perish and be confounded He that can by these signs prove his effectual calling may safely from thence conclude his election for so the Apostle teacheth us 2 Pet. 1.10 where he bids us but make our calling sure and we have all under one made our election sure too And he that can do thus may be confident upon good ground that death whether it come sooner or later cannot hurt him yea that death shall be so far from doing him any prejudice that it shall be for his greatest advantage If any should think the foregoing signs serve only for those of Christs Disciples that be of the highest form They are mistaken for where there is but so much grace as a grain of mustardseed it will discover it self by loving God above all by putting such a value upon Christ as upon nothing more by being grieved at the very heart for sin and hating it with a perfect detestation by prizing highly those Ordinances whereby God admits us here unto communion with himself by loving all Gods people deerly and shewing respect to all his precepts without allowing and indulging our selves in any sin He that loves God and Christ either less than or but as much as some other thing cannot truely be said to love him at all As he that loves his Wife or his Child but as he loves an Horse or a Dog hath certainly neither the affection of an Husband nor of a Father in him The least measure of the true love of God is to love him above all the least measure of true sorrow for sin is to grieve for it more then any thing else The lowest degree of true obedience is to have respect unto all Gods precepts When we have laboured thus to make our calling and election sure for both are done with one and the same labour there remains nothing further incumbent upon us in order to our comfortable surrendring our souls into the hands of God at the time of our death but to be daily exercising those two main graces of Faith and Repentance till the hour of our appointed change do come The exercise of them consists in these four Particulars 1. In searching our hearts and lives daily to find out what hath been amiss in either for which purpose we are to view our selvs often in the glass of Gods pure and perfect law 2. In labouring to be more and more deeply humbled for our miscarriages and to work our hearts yet to a greater measure of godly sorrow for them and hatred of them 3. In stirring up our selves to believe and labouring to strengthen our faith by the consideration of the freeness of Gods grace and the infinite value of Christs Satisfaction which is sufficient to make an Atonement for the greatest Sinners To which purpose we must be meditating ever and anon upon the Covenant of Grace wherein nothing at all is required to make us partakers of Christ and his Benefits but that Joh. 1.12 we accept and be willing Christ shall for certain be ours and with him we shall have Heaven and eternal happiness if we be willing heartily to accept him as he is offered in the Gospel that is Act. 5.31 to be our King and Prophet as well as our Priest and Saviour He that will let him take of the Water of Life freely Rev. 22.17 We must consider â—ow many wretched and forlorn sinners some of which have come in at the eleventh hour have been received to mercy and that it is Gods way to shew mercy only to unworthy ones Rom. 5.20 that his grace may be the more magnified We must remember and ponder oft that Jesus Christ came into the Wold on purpose to seek and save those that are lost Luk. 19.10 and that he hath promised None that come to him shall be rejected or cast off Joh. 6.37 4. Lastly in frequent and earnest Prayer for pardon of sin for the graces we find wanting for the strengthning of our Faith and resolution of all holy obedience for help against the tentations of Satan Psal 19.12 Lord who can understand his errours cleanse thou me from my secret faults Pardon to me all the sins I know by my self and all those sins which thou hast taken notice of that I have not observed Work me to a thorow and saving Humiliation strengthen my weak Faith Mar. 9.24 help my unbeleif Lord Is not the blood of Christ if it were applyed to my soul sufficient to fetch out the stains of all my sins I know it is Is not thy Mercy free And hast not thou bidden me Come without money Isa 55.1 and incouraged all that will come to hope for mercy Lord I would fain repent better and believe better and love thee better and obey better But what can I do without thy grace Oh! Let thy spirit help my infirmity I do desire to lay hold on the Scepter of thy Mercy Oh! Deny not thy mercy to me Kill my sins that my soul may live Tread Satan under my feet help me against his fiery darts Let me not be overcome with his tentations to diffidence and distrust Help me to believe and repent and pray and wait and to continue knocking at the door of grace till my last gasp In such exercises and meditations as these some part of every day should be spent And though it should so fall out that we attain not to that measure and degree of Assurance which we desire yet we need not be discouraged but are to hold on praying and knocking and waiting and to throw our selves into the Arms of Jesus Christ bleeding inwardly for all our unkindnesses to him beseeching and begging of him that he would pass them by He that lives and dyes praying and repenting and believing and crying for mercy through Christ and doth so sincerely though haply he obtain not that comfort which God vouchsafeth to some others cannot miscarry Places of Scripture to be often read and meditated on THE 22.31 32. chapters of Job The 38.39 42 49 51 62 71 73 88 89 90 94 103 116 119 139 143 135. Psalms The 3. chap. of Prov. The 12 chap. of Ecclesiastes The 38 53 55 58. of Isa The 5.6 7 13 18 19 25 26 27. of Matt. The 12.13 14 15 16 19. of Luke The 7.8 of the Epist to the Rom. The 15. of 1 Cor. The 14.15 16 17. of John The 5. of 2 Cor. The 4.5 of 1 Thes The 6. of 1 Tim. The 2. of Tit. The 11.12 of Heb. The 2.3 of James The first Epistle of John The 2.3 21 22. of Revel FINIS
DIRECTIONS ABOUT PREPARING FOR DEATH Eccles 11.8 If a man live many yeers and rejoyce in them all yet let him remember the days of darkness for they shall be many All that cometh is vanity LONDON Printed by A. Maxwell for John Baker and are to be sold at the Peacock in Little-Brittain Anno. Dom. 1669. To the much Honoured Sir John Langham Knight and Baronet Honoured Sir 'T IS now about six yeers since that at your Desire and for your own private use I penned the following short and plain Directions your apprehensions of your approching change being the occasion For though God hath been pleased to exempt you from very many of the usual Concomitants of old Age so that you have not known nor do to this day what they mean by your own experience yet the very Number of your Years and the weakness you find creeping on you though through Gods mercy joyned with a good measure of Health cannot but mind you of your long Home Ecc. 12.5 and give you to understand that there is but a little of your Glass to run And as I was by your desire put upon the Writing of the ensuing little piece so am I now upon the Printing of it And if it may prove more publickly useful than I first design'd I shall have cause to acknowledg the Divine Goodness therein and to bless God for it Now the Lord graciously help you in your preparations for your Eternal State which you do well to be much thinking of grant unto you that you may find mercy in that day 2 Tim. 1.18 multiply his Favours Spiritual and Temporal upon your posterity and make them all great blessings in their several stations That being happy Instruments of Gods Glory in this World they may be Vessels of Glory in that which is to come This is the unfained and daily Prayer of Sir your very much obliged Servant in the Lord. T. B. Directions about Preparing for Death THERE is but one and the same Direction for living Well and dying Comfortably And therefore the Holy Scripture which was given to instruct us How to order our conversations aright Psal 50.23 hath in teaching us that Lesson sufficiently withal taught us the other too A good Life cannot but have a blessed Conclusion The end of the upright man sure enough shall be peace Psal 37.37 And doubtless that man's Hope is likely to prove no better than a Spider's web Job 18.14 who expects to reap mercy from God at his latter end and yet in the days of his health makes no provision by sowing in righteousness for such an Harvest Hos 10.12 Esa 32.17 Our Souls are not to be Bequeathed to God as a Legacy at Death but Soul and Body and all we have ought to be devoted to him and his service in our Life-time and throughout the whole course of our lives from first to last Ecc. 12.1 Apoc. 2.10 Yet I dare not absolutely affirm that a Death-bed Repentance is invalid but this is sure He that deferrs his Repentance till then will be hard put to it even to satisfie himself about his own sincerity if his Conscience be awake That which a man gives not till he be necessitated is no proof of his Liberality And if to put off our turning to God and resignation of our selves to him till we be arrested by Death be a sign of our Love 't is hard to tell what Argument there can be of a mind Alienated from Him Yet I should be far from discouraging any man as I said from entertaining thoughts of turning from his evil ways as if there were no hope for him for who can tell but God may shew mercy Jonah 3.8 9. However this is certain To get our Hearts mortified to the World to sue out our pardon through the Blood of Christ to Believe and Repent to Reform our ways to be Holy Righteous and Sober to work out our Salvation with fear and trembling to make our Calling and Election sure are not only works for Dying men but they are every mans Duty even to day while it is called to day Heb. 3.13 15. The Living the Healthy the Strong the Young as well as the Aged are to learn these Lessons while their parts are vigorous while their understanding memory senses are best able to perform their several Ofces Functions These are things concern all so as nothing more as well when they are apt fondly to imagine that Enemie Death a great way off as when they have cause to think they hear the sound of his Feet at the Door How sadly then do those persons delude and abuse themselves and God knows there be multitudes of such who have a strong fancy that they may all the while they live balk the way of Gods precepts those paths of pleasantness to the spiritually-minded but rugged and tedious to such as are carnal Pro. 3.17 Rom. 8.7 and yet find a short cut to Heaven when they dye And in the strength of this Fancy do adventure to run perfectly counter to the direction of our Blessed Saviour Mat. 6.33 seeking to make sure of other things first and most presumptuously promising themselves that the Kingdom of Heaven shall be added to them at last This I know they do in love to their flesh and that they may make provisions for it as the Apostle speaks Rom. 13.14 but it is a most dreadful thing that a man in favour to his flesh should be thus cruel to his own Soul hardning himself against it as if it were none of his as we read Job 39 14-18 the Ostrich serves her young ones being so wholly unconcerned about his own Eternal Welfare and Woe But to let these men pass As for such as are spiritually-wise they will not be tempted to run such hazzards They will be careful with all speed to do those things which others when they come to dye shall wish they had done Not but that the Best of men have their failings which they are sensible of and see cause to be deeply humbled for Psal 19.12 notwithstanding their greatest care to work out their Salvation that they may have nothing to do when Death comes but to Dye And therefore though when their last hour is at hand they have no new work for the main to go about but only that to go over again which every Christian is or should have been accustomed to long before yet they know it concerns them to bestir themselves with the wise Virgins Mat. 25.7 In trimming their Lamps and that so much the more because Night is approaching Joh. 9.4 Though therefore they have oft searched their Hearts and inquired into their spiritual estate they now do it again they review their lives they examine how matters stand between God and their souls they consider what account they shall give of their Stewardship they look over their Evidences for Heaven and stir up themselvs to exercise their Faith and renew their Repentance they labour by Meditation to
disappointment But this World is not the place where nor the Accomdations of this World the things wherein felicity is to be found As to that purpose All 's but Vanity These things and such as these we must often and seriously meditate on that we may learn to use the Apostles expression Rom. 12.3 not to think of the Profits and Honour and Pleasures of this life more highly than we ought to think and then they will be no hindrance to us in our Preparation for death 2. But secondly we must also as I said by Meditation labour to get our hearts affected with those Things within the Vail Those infinitely better things that are to be enjoyed in the other World yea and in this life too as to the first-fruits and Earnests of them Such are those Graces that make us rich towards God Luk. 12.21 those Honours that are confer'd by Him in making us his friends adopting us for his Sons and co-heirs with Christ Joh. 15.14 Jam. 2.23 Rom. 8.17 Those pleasures which consist in Communion and Fellowship with Him and with his Son the Lord Jesus Christ 1 Joh. 1.3 Of such things as those the soul is capable in them consists its Life and Peace and Comfort here and Happiness hereafter The Apostle speaking of Meats 1 Cor. 6.13 saith The belly is for them and they for the belly both must perish But these are things fitted for the Immortal Soul of Man and for which the Soul was made and both endure unto Eternity They fill the heart with joy unspeakable and glorious 1 Pet. 1.18 a joy that 's lasting and will hold whereas that which ariseth from worldly Contentments is but like the blaze of a little brush-wood that is soon extinguished Eccles 7.6 The serious apprehensions of these things will make us as weaned children Psal 131.2 toward things below and work in us a longing desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ Phil. 1.23 that we may have the full enjoyment of what we now hope for So as we shall be ready to say with Austin's Mother when she had heard a discourse of the Glory above What do I here then and with Simeon to welcome death and say Lord now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace The strong and restless inclinations of our Souls in seeking happiness do certainly shew that there is to be found some where that which will satisfie it if this world yield it not sure enough the other doth The Childs eyes and ears and the other Organs of his Sences are framed we know even when it is in the Mothers womb and yet while it is there it finds not Objects for them But yet this very thing that God hath given it those Organs is proof sufficient that he hath prepared Objects somewhere else And when the Child comes into the world he meets with them Thus it is in the present case we may be sure God would not have put that uncessant earnest and unwearied longing after Happiness into our Souls if he had not also provided that which might fully satisfie us and therefore we may be certain though in this life we find it not Riches and Honours and Pleasures have it not in them yet in another world there is that to be had which here we do so restleslypant and gasp after If our affections were taken with these things Death which is but the Saints passage to the fulness of these joys would not be dreadful to us nor should we be unprepared for it 2. As we must Meditate much and often upon these eternal things so we must be earnest and importunate in Prayer with God to take off our Hearts from the creature and to draw them forth to Himself Lord thou hast made the creatures for me and my use but hast not made me for them Thou hast given me a noble and immortal Soul that is capable of communion with thine own Majesty Thou hast made my Heart for thy Blessed Self and I find it is restless and for ever will be so till I come to enjoy Thes Psal 73.22 Ah! how foolishly have I mispent the greatest part of my days in digging broken Cisterns that can hold no water Jer. 2.13 while in the mean season I have forsaken thee who art the fountain of living water How have I wearyed my self in following after the Wind Hos 12.1 How hath my head and heart been filled and perplexed with cares and thoughts about every thing almost save that one thing necessary Luk. 10.42 I have been solicitous about my estate about my honour about my Accommodations here about providing that I and mine might live in repute and ease but Ah! How hath my Soul and the concernments of it mean while been neglected by me And now Lord what doth all this advantage me How true is that which thou hast told me in thy word that a man hath no profit of all that wherein he hath laboured under the Sun Ecc. 1.3 Death is at hand the Judgstands before the door I shall be called I know not how soon to give an Account of my stewardship I must shortly go hence and return to my house no more nor shall my place know me any more Job 7.10 And as I brought nothing into the world with me so must I carry nothing away of all I have 1 Tim. 6.7 and if I could what would it avail me or do me good Lord I see my errors and my folly though it be late and I humbly bless thee that I do so and hope it is not yet too late Through thy favour I have enjoyed abundance of those outward mercies others have wanted and while thousands have been put to great exigencies and straits that have deserved as well My cup hath overflowed thou hast anoynted my head with oyle and spread my Table in the presence of mine enimies Psal 23.5 But heavenly Father I trust thou hast other and better blessings in store for me than these and that thou wilt not put me off with these for my portion Psal 17.14 It is thy favour and love Psal 106.4 that favour thou bearest to thy chosen ones that must make me happy I am not I cannot be satisfied with any thing else Oh! be pleased to bestow thy Self upon me Give me more and more to see and to be convinced that the riches and honours and accommodations of this present life are no further at all valuable than as opportunities of doing thee more service than others can do who want them and that otherwise they are meer vanities and worse and will prove to be so at last Give me to remember they are but Talents Mat. 25.27 which thou hast intrusted me with not for my own use only but to trade with for thy service and honour who art my Lord and Master and wilt call for v. 19. an account of them as certainly and more strictly than ever I called my servants to account for any moneys of mine that I committed into
satisfied my self oft-times in holy duties with the work done not sufficiently caring whether my communion with thee were improved by my approaching to thee And when I have been about those secular employments which thou allowedst me to be busied in under the Sun how little have I served thee in them Or hearkned to the directions thou hast given in thy word for men to follow in their worldly labours So that if my estate and wealth and honour and outward Accommodations should prove snares unto my soul as they do to thousands Psal 69.22 and occasions of my miscarrying unto all eternity I must acknowledg thy justice and blame none but my self who have refused to hearken to thy counsail and would not be perswaded there was any danger to be feared in such things And yet how often have I heard and read in thy Word that the cares of this World and the deceitfulness of Riches do choak the World so that it becomes unfruitful Mat. 13.22 And thereupon that those that are rich shall very hardly enter into the Kingdom of Heaven Mat. 19 2â—.24 How apt have I been to trust in uncertain riches rather than in the living God 1 Tim. 6.17 to make Silver and Gold my confidence and to have my heart stollen away from thee And for those talents thou hast trusted me with how ready have I been to forget that I am but a steward that nothing I have 1 Cor. 6.19 Hos 2.8 9. Hag. 2.10 is mine own but that all is thine and to be disposed of as thou prescribest For Lord What have I that I have not received and must not be accountable for Much thou hast done for me more than for thousands and ten thousands but where hath been my thankfulness mine obedience my care to please thee so much the more for all the good thou hast shewed me and done for me Thou hast reached out to me with a liberal hand My beginning was but small Job 8.7 and inconsiderable but thou hast greatly increased my latter end What outward Blessing whether of estate or of repute or of health or of long life or of a numerous and hopeful posterity do I want What a number of dangers and hazards Psal 107.23 24 25 26. and troubles by Sea and Land by Night and Day hast thou mercifully carryed me through But ah my unthankfulness my forgetfulness of that God who hath thus watched over me and preserved me and provided for me and mine hitherto And upon whose bounty and goodness I have lived all my days Ah what poor returns have I made for all that I have received Are there not many of thy Saints who in want and scarcity of what I enjoy have done thee more faithful service loved thee better been more zealous for thy Glory yea more thankful than I in the abundance of all that I have enjoyed Ah Lord no words are sufficient to set out my sins and the hainousness of them which have been committed some of them against Conscience and knowledg of my duty some of them oft fallen into and persevered in long some of them against many renewed purposes and vows of better obedience all of them against many calls and invitations from thee to return and against many signal favours of thine vouchsaf'd to me unworthy Blessed Father Thou knowest my sins better than I do and they are all of them so many debts which are recorded in thy book Lord I have nothing at all to pay of those infinite summes which I owe unto thy dreadful justice I have no way to make thee any amends or satisfaction Lord I do here judg my self 1 Cor. 11.31 worthy of what ever punishment either in this life or that which is to come thy Word hath denounced against sinners I deserve to lye everlastingly under thy curse If thou shouldest send me unto Hell I must I will justifie thee Psal 51.4 in thy proceedings and say It is I only that have undone my self 2. The next thing to be done in order to the suing out our pardon is to plead the Satisfaction and payment which Christ hath made to Divine justice for the sins of so many as lay hold on him and penitently seek pardon and favour from God through his blood For He Joh. 1.29 is that Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world and his blood speaketh better things than the blood of Abel doth Heb. 12.24 This is to take sanctuary at the horns of that Altar from which a believing and repenting sinner shall not be pulled away This is like the escaping to the City of refuge from the Avenger of blood In a word it is to fly from God by flying to him to fly from his justice by flying to his mercy Lord I have deserved thy wrath and it might be just with thee to write bitter things against me Job 13.26 for the sins of my youth and of my riper years My sins are so many my guilt so black and horrid that the Devil tempts me to despair and my own heart is ready to misgive me and to tell me there is no mercy for me that I come now too late and shall not be accepted And if the mercy and grace that hath been so oft offered to me and slighted by me should now be denyed me if now that I come to knock thou shouldest bid me depart and refuse to take any notice of me I must confess thou shouldest be righteous Thou hast called on me and I have refused thou hast many a time stretched out thy hand to me and I regarded thee not how justly therefore might I call and not be heard and seek thee with importunity and not find thee Prov. 1.24 25 28. Lord my Conscience accuseth me my own heart condemns me and is ready to pass sentence against me But blessed Father Is not thy grace free and doest thou not use to bestow it upon such as are both undeserving and ill deserving too Doth not the mercy and compassion of God as far exceed the mercy and compassion of the most tender-hearted among the Sons and Daughters of men as the Heaven is higher than the Earth Isa 55.9 Hast thou not declared that this is thy Name Exod. 34.6 7. The Lord The Lord God merciful and gracious long suffering and abundant in goodness and truth keeping mercy for thousands forgiving iniquity transgression and sin that is sins of all sorts sins that one hath been habituated in and accustomed unto Yea and that I might have strong consolation through hope Heb. 6.17 18. thou hast sworn that thou Ezek. 33.11 delightest not in the death of a sinner but rather that he should repent And hast told me that thou blottest out the transgressions Isa 43.25 of sinners freely for thy own sake If none should be received to mercy but those that deserved it and were worthy of it there would be cause indeed for me to wring my hands and lye down in horrour and despair But as long as thy
grace is free my unworthiness can be no hinderance to me from obtaining thy favour which thou art wont to shew only to unworthy ones for thy names sake And though Holy and Glorious Lord I am not able to make the least satisfaction or to pay one farthing of that dreadful summ wherein I stand indebted to thy Justice yet I am sure there hath been a full and complete Satisfaction made to that infinite Justice of thine and that by thine own and ever blessed Son in behalf of as many poor sinners as feeling their extreme need of such a Saviour plead his righteousness and beg mercy upon his Account He was delivered unto death the cruel and cursed death of the Cross for our offences Rom. 4.25 and was raised again for our justification He was bruised for our iniquities and the chastisement of our peace was upon him and by his stripes Isa 53.5 poor sinners are healed And I read further in thy word of trueth that the Lord Jesus Heb. 7.25 is able to the uttermost to save all such Ah! What a sweet and comfortable word is that All such as come to God through him This is all I have to alledg and say for my self and this is enough Lord I desire no more to plead before the Tribunal of thy justice but only the satisfaction of thy Son I hope he hath accounted for my sins my original sin my actual rebellions all those evils that I have been guilty of and lived so long in and that therefore they shall not be charged upon me The blood of Christ I know is sufficient to cleanse from all sins even those which are as Searlet and as Crimson Isa 1.18 Nor is it any presumption for me or any poor sinner upon thine encouragement to hope for an interest and part in that redemption which that Blessed Son of thine hath wrought for I have learned in thy word that the salvation procured by him is a common salvation Jude v. 3. not limited and restrayned to a few only but purchased for and offered to all that will and whosoever will is bidden to come and take of the water of life freely Rev. 22.17 and whosoever is a thirst to buy without money and without price Isa 55.1 And though I am an hainous sinner as I must confess yet Lord Have not many grievous and horrid sinners been received unto mercy The Apostle speaking of himself and other believers that had found mercy saith Tit. 3.3 We our selves were sometime foolish disobedient serving divers lusts and pleasures living in malice and envy hateful and hating one another And the same Holy Apostle tells the Corinthians that some of them who had formerly been fornicatours adulterers theeves drunkards covetous extortioners and guilty of other foul and horrid sins 1 Cor. 6.9 10 11. were yet through grace washed and justified and pardoned and sanctified What an infinite number of poor sinners have been healed and cleansed by the Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ And indeed What case can be desperate when such a Physician is pleased to undertake the Cure And though I come thus late and even almost at the eleventh hour yet why should I despair as long as I hear my dear Lord and Saviour calling me and saying unto me Come Come thou that are weary and heavy laden Mat. 11.28 Return thou backsliding soul and I will heal thee I come Lord as well as my feeble strength will permit Draw me and I will run faster Cant. 1.4 I would fain believe Mar. 9.24 help me against my unbelief Make me partaker of thy pardoning grace Oh! Happy are they whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sins are covered Psal 32.1 2. Blessed are they to whom God imputes not their sin Blessed are they between whom and thy wrath Christ interposeth himself as a skreen to keep them from the heat of thy fiery indignation And Oh! Let me be so happy as to have a part in this priviledg then will I fing Psal 16.6 The lines are faln to me in a pleasant place and I have a goodly heritage for God is my portion What is long life and honour and a great Estate or any thing or all things that this world affords if my sins should be charged upon me and I be sent to prison till I had paid every farthing of the debt I owe to thy justice What good will all these things do me if I be not justified and pardoned and received into thy favour through Christ Oh for Christ's sake let me be remembred with the mercy with this mercy thou shewest to thy chosen ones Oh! Visit me with thy salvation Psal 106.4 Save me from my sins and by thy grace I will be thy servant and own thee for my Lord my Soul and Body and Estate and all I have shall be at thy command Oh! Save me and I shall glorifie thee and sing Hallelu-jah to thee with all thy Redeemed ones to all Eternity 3. The Third and last thing to be done in order to a preparation for our comfortable departure hence is daily to give all diligence to make our election sure 2 Pet. 1.10 that is to labour to get some evidence which will not deceive us that we are of the number of those for whom that inheritance in Heaven which is incorruptible undefiled and neverfadeth away is reserved 1 Pet. 1.4 How this may be done the Apostle tells us viz. by making our effectual calling sure 2 Pet. 1.10 So that if we can get some infallible evidence of our Vocation we may safely from thence conclude our Election from all eternity so our Salvation in the world to come And how cheerfully may he lay down this earthly tabernacle that knows when it is dissolved he hath a building of God an house not made with hands eternal in the Heavens 2 Cor. 5.1 What the signs of effectual Calling are will easily be discerned if we do but consider what effectual Calling is and wherein it doth consist And it is nothing but this viz. A Blessed work of Gods Almighty power and free grace whereby poor miserable sinners whom he hath a favour for and who by nature lye dead in trespasses and sins among the rest of mankind are made in his due time to hear the voyce of His Word and Spirit so that their eyes are opened their hearts are changed and renewed and they so hearken to his Call that they are Joh. 6.44 drawn off from their sins and vanities unto communion with himself by Faith in his Son and give up themselves wholly to be at his command Effectual Vocation therefore makes a manifest and a mervailous change in a man from what he was before He sees these spiritual and eternal things within the vail which were formerly hidden from his eyes his heart love's and closes with those objects which formerly as he had no fight of so he had no affections for And there is in a manner as much difference between the man and himself as