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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
work_n	covenant_n	grace_n	justification_n	7,486	5	9.7652	5	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
B03501	The mystery of faith opened up: or Some sermons concerning faith (two where of were not formerly printed.) Wherein the nature, excellency, and usefulness of that noble grace is much cleared, and the practice thereof most powerfully pressed. Whereunto are added other three sermons, two concerning the great salvation, one of these not formerly printed, and a third concerning death. / By that pious and worthy servant of Jesus Christ, Mr. Andrew Gray, late minister of the Gospel in Glasgow. All these sermons being now carefully revised, and much corrected.	Gray, Andrew, 1633-1656.; Traill, Robert, 1642-1716.; Stirling, John, b. 1621?	1668 (1668)	Wing G1616; ESTC R177630	121,416	225

and is crying out that word in Isai 65.1 Behold me behold me O may we not summon Angels and those twenty four elders about the Throne to help us to wonder that ever such a command as this came forth that we should believe on the name of the Son of God after that we had broken that first and Primitive command That we should not eat of the forbidden tree VVas not this indeed to make mercy rejoice over judgement And O may we not wonder at the precious oath of the everlasting Covenant where●…y he hath sworn that he delighteth not in the death of sinners What suppose ye were poor Adams thoughts when at first the doctrine of free-grace and of a crucified Christ Jesus a Savior was preached unto him in Paradise What a divine surprisal was this that Heaven should have preached peace to earth after that earth had proclaimed war against Heaven Was not this a low step of condescendency to behold an offended God preaching peace and good-will to a guilty sinner What could self-destroying Adā think of these morning first discoveries of this everlasting Covenant Christ as it were in the morning of time giving vent to that infinite love which was resting in his bosome precious heart before the foundatiō of the world was laid We know not whether the infiniteness of his love the eternity of his love or the freedom of it maketh up the greatest wonder but sure these three joyned together maketh up a matculess and everlasting wonder Would any of you ask that question what is Christ worth We could give 〈◊〉 answer so sutable as this It is above all the Arithmetick of all the Angels in Heaven and all the men on earth to calculate his worth all men here must be put to a divine non plus This was Jobs divinity Job 28.13 Man knoweth not the price of wisdom and must not Jesus Christ who is the precious object of faith and wisdom of the Faither be a supereminent excellent One who hath that name of King of Kings and Lord of Lords not only engraven on his vesture which pointeth out the conspicuousness of his Majesty but even also upon his thigh to point out that in all his goings motio●s he proveth himself to be higher than the Kings of the earth And howbeit the naked proposing of the object doth not convert yet if once our souls were admitted to behold such a sight as Christ in his beauty and Majesty and to be satisfied with the divine rayes of his transcendent glory then certainly we should find a blessed necessity laid upon us of closing with him for Christ hath a sword proceeding out of his precious mouth by which he doth subject subjugat his own to himself as well as he hath a sword girded upon his thigh by which he judgeth and maketh war with his enemies We confess it is not only hard but simply impossible to commit an hyperbole in commending of him his worth being always so far above our expressions our expressions alwayes so far beneath his worth therefore we may be put to propose that desire unto him Exalt thy self O Lord above the Heavens But now to our purpose being at this time to 〈…〉 discourse upon that radical and precious grace of Faith we intend to speak of it under this twofold notion consideration First we shal speak of it as it is justifying or as it doth lay hold upon the righteousness of a crucified Savior making application of the precious promises in the Covenant of free grace which we call justifying Faith And in the second place we shal speak a little unto Faith as it doth lay hold upon Christs strength for advancing the work of mortification and doth discover the personal excellencies of Jesus Christ by which we advance in the work of Holiness and divine conformity with God which we call sanctifying Faith However it is not to be supposed that these are different habits of Faith but different acts flowing from the same saving habit laying hold and exercising themselves upon Christ indifferent respects and for diverse ends Now to speak upon the first we have made choise of these words The Apostle John in the former verse had been pointing out the precious advantages of the grace of Obediēce of keeping of his Cōmands that such an one hath as it were an arbitrary power with God doth receive many precious returns of prayer As likewise that one who is exercised in the grace of Repentance is Gods delight which is included in this that he doth those things that are well pleasing in his sight And now in these words he doth as it were answer an objection that might be proposed about the impossibility of attaining these precious advantages seeing his commands were so large and that hardly could they be remembred This he doth sweetly answer by setting down in this one verse a short compend or breviary both of Law Gospel viz. That we should love one another which is the compend of the Law and that we should believe on the Name of his Son which is the compend of the Gospel by this he showeth the Christian that there are not many things required of him for attaining these excellent advantages but if he exercise himself in the obedience of these two comprehensive commandments he shall find favor both with God and man And as concerning this precious grace of Faith we have 1. The advantages of it implyed in the words clear also from the scope as no doubt all the cōmands have infinite advantages infolded in their bosom which redoūds to a believer by his practising of them And 2. the excellency of it holden forth in the words in that it is called his command as if he had no other command but this And the Greek particle is here prefixed which hath a great deal of emphasis and force in it and this is his Commandment But 3. there is this also the absolute necessity of this grace holden forth here in this word his Commandment as if he had said by proposing of this command I do set life and death before you and that you would not conceive that it is an arbitrary indifferent thing for you to believe or not but be perswaded of this that as an infinite advantage may constrain you to the obedience of it so absolute necessity must perswade you to act that which is of your everlasting concernment And lastly ye have the precious object upon which Faith which is justifying doth exercise it self and that is upon the name of the Son of God and no doubt faith is that excellent grace which doth elevate the soul unto a sweet inseparable union with Christ and is that golden precious knot that doth eternally knit the hearts of these precious friends together Faith is that grace that draweth the first draughts of Christs precious image on our hearts by love doth accomplish and perfect them No Faith

a kind of Omnipotency as is clear that all things are possible to them that believe but it hath a kind of Omnisciency and all knowledge that it can take up and comprehend all the greatest mysteries of Heaven according to that word Prov. 28.5 He that seeketh the Lord shal understand all things As if he had said there is nothing dark to a believing Christian as there is nothing impossible to a believing Christian As likewise Faith is that grace that must take aside the vail that is spread over the face of a crucified Christ and Faith is that precious Spy thatgoeth forth and taketh up these wonderful excellencies that are in him The grace of Love as it were is born blind and it hath nothing wherewith to solace it self but that which is presented unto it by this noble and excellent grace of Faith Now before we shal speak any thing to these things that we did propose to speak of at last occasion we shal yet speak a little unto some things which are necessary to be known for the distinct uptaking of the nature of justifying Faith which is the great commandment of this everlasting Gospel and that which we would first speak to shall be this What is the reason and ground that the Gospel conveyance of righteousness and life and of the excellent things of this everlasting Covenant should be thorow the exercise of the grace of Faith for it is not said in the Scripture that Repentance justifieth that Love justifieth or that Mortification justifieth but it is Faith only that justifieth and it is Faith by which a Christian inheriteth the promises So that is clear that Faith is that conduit-pipe thorow which are conveyed to us the great blessings of this everlasting Covenant I. And the first ground of it is this it is thorow Faith that all our blessing may be known to be by love and by free and unsearchable grace as is clear Rom. 4.16 while the Apostle is giving a reason why the inheritance is conveyed to a Christian through Faith It is of Faith saith he that it might be of grace for if the inheritance were conveyed to a Christian thorow a covenant of works then these spotlesse draughts of infinite love and of unsearchable grace should not be written on our inheritance as it is clear Rom. 4.25 And it is that g●eat design of Christ to make his grace conspicious in conveying salvation to us through Faith II. There is this second ground likewise of it that all the promises and blessings of this everlasting Covenant might be sure and stedfast to us therefore they are conveyed to us through the exercise of the grace of Faith as is clear Rom 4. ●6 They are of Faith saith he that they might be sure or as the word is that they might be setled When the promises of life and of eternal salvation were conveyed to us through mans obedience were they not then most uncertain and unstable But is not Heaven your everlasting crown now stedfast unto you seeing ye have that golden pillar of Christs everlasting righteousness to be the foundation of your Faith and the strength of your confidence in the day of need III. There is this third ground why the promises excellent things of this Gospel are conveyed to a Christian through the exercise of Faith that all boasting and gloriation might be excluded according to that word Rom. 3.27 By what law is boasting excluded Not by the law of works but by the law of faith And certainly seeing Chirstians have all the great things of heaven conveyed to them through the exercise of Faith think ye not that this shal be your first song when ye shal be within the gates of that new Jerusalem Not unto us not unto us but unto thee doth belong the glory of our salvation O what a precious dignity were it but for an half hour to be admitted to hear those spotless sōgs that are sung by those thousād times ten thousand thousands of thousands of holy angels that are round about this throne Doth not David that sweet singer of Israel now sing more sweetly then he did while he was here below Doth not deserted Haman now chant forth the praises and everlasting songs of him that sitteth upon the Throne And doth not afflicted Job now sing sweetly after his captivity is reduced and he entered within that Land where the voice of joy and gladness is continually heard Would ye have a description of heaven I could give it no term so sutable as this Heaven is a rest without a rest for though there remain a rest for the righteous yet Rev. 4.8 These four beasts that stand before the Throne they rest not night nor day crying Holy holy holy is the Lord God Almighty yet there is much divine quietness in that holy unquietness that is above IV. There is this last ground why the blessings of the Gospel and life and righteousness are conveyed to us through the exercise of Faith that the way to attain to these things might be pleasant and easie We a●e certainly perswaded that the way of winning to heaven by a covenant of works was much more un●leasant and difficult but it is not an easie way of entring into the Holy of Holies to win unto it through the exercise of Faith Are not all wisdoms wayes pleasantness And are not all her paths peace Was not that just self-denial in one that said he would not take up a Crown though it were lying at his foot But oh that cursed self-denial doth possess the breasts of many so that though that Crown of immortal glory and eternal blessedness be lying at your feet yet ye will not imbrace it nor take it up Is not the hatred of many to Christ covered with deceit And therefore your iniquity shal be declared before the Congregation Now that what we have spoken upon this might be more clear and that the nature of justifying Faith be not mistaken we would have you take notice of these things 1. That the grace of Faith doth not justifie a Christian as it is a work or because of any inherent excellency and dignity that is in this grace above any other graces of the Spirit but faith doth alone justifie a Christian instrumentally and objectively that is it is that by which a Christian is just by laying hold on the precious object of it the righteousness of Christ And to clear this we would only have you knowing this that saith doth justifie as it closeth with Christ but not because it closes with Christ which some vainly are bold to assert because there is not any dignity or worth in the act of Faith inclosing with Christ that can be the foundation of our justification else it were to confound that precious degree of free grace 2. There is this that we would have you all knowing that faith is not the instrument of justification as justification is taken in an active sense though it is

can have no other foundation it will build it self upon humility and a Christian will grow proud in this that he is growing humble Thirdly it is a difficulty for a Christian to examine his growing in grace and not to be puffed up It is certain a Christian ought to examine his growth in grace humbly according to that Psal 63.8 My soul followeth hard after thee thy right hand upholdeth me He doth not only take notice of this that his soul did follow after God but of the measure of that pursuit my soul followeth hard after thee and yet sweetly acknowledgeth it was not his own feet which carried him nor his own hand that kept him from falling 3. Ye are not to build your faith upon your works and upon the righteousness of the Law I need not stand long to refute that practical Popery that is amongst us that thinketh we can go to heaven through a covenant of works I told you not long since what your going to heaven through a covenant of works speaketh even this horrible blasphemy that it was an act of monstruous folly to send Christ to die for sinners for if you can go to heaven without him was not then Christ crucified in vain And I would tell you now that this speaketh out your damnable ignorance of the weakness and deceitfulness of your own hearts O ye that are so great defenders of Salvation by the covenant of works I beseech you what is the reason that ye break the covenant of works oftener then any For there is none that thinketh they will go to heaven this way but those that are the greatest breakers of the covenant of works And is not that inconsistent and contradictory Divinity your faith contradicting your practice and your practice telling you that your faith is a lie 4. We must not mix our own righteousness with Christs as the object of our believing This is indeed an evil that often lodgeth in the bosom of the most refined hypocrite when Satan cannot prevail to exclude Christ altogether then he is content with that whorish Woman to divide the child and let the object of our Faith be half of Christ and half of self And the truth is many of these poor unwise sons who stay long in the place of breaking forth of children do willingly hearken to this overture for fear it be presumption for such poor wretches to meddle too boldly with the riches of Christ but it were good such weak ones would consider that word Rom. ● 2 where the holy Gost calleth the making 〈◊〉 of his righteousness an act of submission they 〈◊〉 not submitted saith he unto the righteousness of Christ O will ye not lay this to heart that our Lord will take your believing or your putting on his righteousness for an act of great humility and will take your misbelief as a marvelous act of the highest pride and presumption 5. We are not to make providence the object of our faith I know there are some that ask the ground of their right of heaven they will tell us that God hath been kind to them all their dayes I would only say to such He may be feeding you unto the day of slaughter and no man knoweth love or hatred by any thing that is before him Thus much of the object of Faith negatively And now to speak to it positively we see the Text holdeth out Christ himself as that excellent and compleat object of Faith This is his Commandment that we believe on the Name of his Son And thus Faith closeth with Christ under a fourfold consideration First it closeth with God in Christ not with God immediatly and nakedly for he dwelleth in light inaccessible that no man can approach unto He is higher than the Heaven what can we do and deeper than hell what can we know Job 11. Therefore we must approach unto him thorow a vail even the vail of Christ his flesh Heb. 10. God is a consuming fire and of purer eyes then that he can behold iniquity a●… therefore we must first cast our eyes upon tha● blessed Dayes-man that laid his hands upon us both and look unto God as in Christ reconciling 〈◊〉 world to himself and so draw near unto hi●… through a Mediator who is the first and the last and he that liveth and was dead and is alive fo● evermore able to save to the uttermost all th●… come unto God by him seeing he liveth for ever to make intercession for them Secondly Faith closeth with Christ as tendered freely in a covenant of promise we would have had nothing to do with Christ if he had not been given of the Father and offered himself in a free covenant of promise but he being thus holden forth upon terms of free Love which doth utterly abominate hire and so noble a proclamation issued forth under the great seal of Heaven That whosoever will may come and drink of the water of life freely Upon this the poor creature draweth near by vertue of a right and stretching out the arm● of most enlarged affections doth run upon him with that joyful shout My Lord my God and then maketh an absolute resignation of it self to him which is holden out in the Scripture by that sweet expression of kissing of the Son And there are three parts of Christs blessed body that the Christian must endeavor to kiss and embrace the mouth of Christ the hand of Christ and the feet of Christ The kissing of his feet importeth the exercise of love the kissing of his hands the exercise of subjection and the kissing of his mouth the exercise of communion and fellowship with him Thirdly Faith closeth with Christ as the purchaser and meritorious cause of all the good we receive He is the person that hath purchased all these things unto us and there is not one blink of love there is nor the smallest enjoyment that a Christian meeteth with but it is the price of the blood of Christ Christs precious blood was laid down for it Fourthly Faith closeth with Christ as the efficient and worker of all our mercies all our enjoyments are from him as the efficient cause that is he is the worker of all things in us it is his preciouss fingers that must accomplish that blessed work of grace and they are from Christ as the dispenser of these things Christ is the great steward of heaven that doth communicate unto believers all the treasures of the higher House For him hath God the Father sealed O! but that word that Christ once spake is much verified by himself It is more blessed to give then to receive Christ is that fountain and treasure in whom all our gifts and graces are ●reasured up for before the blessing come to believers they come to Christ as the head according to that word 2 Tim. 1.9 Which grace was given to us in him before the foundations of the world were laid It was given to Christ before the world was made and

this great salvation are those persons who go about to establish their own righteousness and will not submit to the righteousness of Christ in a word it is that sort of persons who think they may win to heaven by a covenant of works and will not take the Gospels way of travelling to heaven in the covenant of grace And surely there is not a person here who hath not that cursed in●lination to be as little obliged to Christ for his salvation as he can We would go to heaven without the way which is Christ And believe me there are many in this Congregation who go thus about to establish their own righteousness And I shal propose six sorts of persons who ●all under this first rank 1. The first sort are those who trust on their own civility and think that will carry them to ●eaven those are the persons who go about to stablish their own righteousness Say they I de●y the world to say any thing to me I was ever●ore an honest man and I trust therefore that I ●hal go to heaven But I say to thee O Atheist I ●hat thou art thou shalt never win to heaven by ●ose means till thou come to Christ with this ●ll my righteousness are as filthy rags 2. The second sort are those who build their confidence upon their denyal of their good works but yet never come this length to make use of Jesus Christ 3. The third sort are those who build their confidence upon their duties they think they will come to Heaven by their good prayers by their reading and by their fasting like unto that Phatisee Luke 18 11. I thank God I am not like other men for I fast twice in the week I pay tit●er of all that I possess But I say unto thee thy dutie● will never bring thee to Heaven if Christ be not the end of all thy duties nor can you perform a duty without him 4. The fourth sort of persons who fall under this first rank of slighters of the great salvation are those who trust on their convictions If the have once been convinced of their sin and miserable estate they think there is no more to d● Christ will never reject them so they sit dow● and build their hope upon these convictions 5. The fifth sort of persons are those wh● build their confidence upon their resolutions 〈◊〉 they oftentimes have I resolved to be a bette● man then I am therefore I think which is 〈◊〉 first delusion of many that God will accept 〈◊〉 will for the deed but it had been good for ma●… such a word had not been in the Bible or th● their cursed eyes had never read it But kn●… this that though thou hadst as strong resoluti● as Peter or as good wishes as Balaam had if th● never labor to bring them to practise God sh● say to thee Depart from me I know you not Any of you who build upon your resolutions you will build upon a sandy foundation these being many times a goodness but like the morning dew 6. And the sixth sort of persons who fall under this first rank of slighters of this great salvation and wherein the evil is most subtil are those who build their salvation upon their graces these also go about to establish their own righteousness But I say to such their graces cannot be the foundation of their hope although they may be as evidences to strengthen their hope Now are there none here who fall under this first rank of stighters of the great salvation Or are there none here who will confess they have gone about to establish their own righteousness I say to thee who wilt confess put a rope about thy neck and come to Christ for he is a merciful King I say to thee come to Christ with this All my righteousness is like filthy rags And if thou wilt come with this in sincerity he shall say Bring forth the white robe and put it upon him If thou canst be brought to speak that in sinceri●y to Christ there shal be no more betwixt Christ and thee but Come and cloath him with the white ●obe II. Secondly those persons slight the great Salvation who delay their taking hold of the ●recious offers of the Gospel for there are many when we preach this Gospel and when we ●old out the great Salvation unto them who ●ay I will follow Christ but I must first go home and bury my father and so they delay to take hold of this great Salvation But I say to you whoever you be that thus delay to take hold on this great Salvation you are the slighters of it Is there a person within these doors who dare but acknowledge that he hath slighted this great Salvation and delayed to embrace it O! tell me what do your consciences speak Are there any but they must acknowledge they come under this second rank And I say to you who have thus delayed will you yet embrace it I say even unto you who are old men now past sixty years and have slighted this great Salvation so long yet this day this great Salvation is offered unto you What say you to it O! what do you say to this offer Are ye saying I must now delay and not receive this great Salvation till min● harvest be by and over I say unto thee th● the harvest of the wrath of God is ripe and 〈◊〉 shal put in his sickle and cut thee down I sh●… say no more to those who thus slight this gre●… Salvation but this Why stand ye all the day 〈◊〉 the market place idle and doing nothing 〈◊〉 will you be at last induced to take and embra● this great Salvation before it be hid from you eyes III. Thirdly those persons are the slighte● of this great Salvation who complement w●… Christ when they are invited to come and pe●… take of it and say silently to the Mioister or ●ther to their own conciences I pray you have 〈◊〉 excused at this time as those Luke 14.18 〈◊〉 I would only ask of such Have you any lawful excuse why you will not come and partake of this great Salvation Is there any person here that hath any lawful excuse to present I shal never take that off your hand Have me excused But be sure of this I shal never excuse you but accuse you therefore I desire that those persons who have slighted the great salvation by complementing with Christ that they would complement no more with him at all but now embrace it IV. The fourth sort of persons who slight this great Salvation are those who give way to ●iscouragements and unbelief so that they will not come and partake of this great Salvation I say such of you are slighters of it and Christ ●ill esteem you such Oh if ye knew the worth ●nd vertue of this great Salvation there would not be a temptation you could meet with that would hinder you from embracing it But if ●hou couldst not

it to study saving wisdom this is clear Psalm 90.12 where David putteth up this request So teach us to number our days that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom As if he had said I will never think my self wise till I know that blessed piece of A●ithmetick How to number my days I would desire every one of you all to think with your selves every morning when you arise Now we are an hour nearer unto eternity then we were before and at the end of every hour Now we are a day nearer unto eternity then we were before I say think often yea always thus We were never so near death as we are now for oh are we not all nearer to eternity to day then we were ye sterday The seventh advantage attending the faith of approaching death is this That it will make a Christian very careful in preparing for death it is impossible for one to believe really that death is approaching and not prepare for it Say what you will if you be not careful in preparing for death you have not the solide faith of this truth that you shal dye Believe me it is not every one that thinketh he believeth this truth that believeth it indeed And O how dreadful is it for an unprepared man to meet with death He desireth not to dye yea he would give a World for his life but dye he must whether he will or not for death will not be requested to spare a little when he cometh and therefore I say unto you Set your house in order for you shal surely dye Old men and women Set your house in order for surely ye must dye Young men and women Set your house in order for to morrow ye may dye and be cut off in the flower of your age Think not that there are any who can sell time for I say you shal never get time sold unto you Alace I feat the most part of persons that dye now death findeth them at unawares for indeed the persons that dye amongst us when we come to visite them we may give you a full account of them for we think they are all comprehended under these four sorts First when we go to visite some persons on their death bed they are like unto Nabal their heart is dying and sinking like unto a stone within them they are no more affected with death then if it were a fancy Alace for the great stupidity that hath overtaken many Therefore I intreat you delay not your repentance till death lest the Lord take away your wit so that you cannot then repent for your senslesness and stupide frame of spirit A second sort we find in a presumptuous frame saying They have had a good hope all their days and they will not quite it now they will go down to the grave with their hope in their right hand or rather they will go down to the grave with a lye in their right hand they live in a persumptuous frame and they dye in the same delusion for when we tell them that by all probability they are going down to hell they answer God forbid I was all my time a very honest man or woman But I love not that confession for there are many such honest men and women in hell this day The third sort we find have some convictions that they have been playing the fool all their days but we can get them no further I shal only say to such To go down to the Grave with convictions in their breast not making use of Christ is to go down to hell with a candle in their hand to let them see the way and truly the greater part that dye dye in this manner Fourthly there are some whom we find in a self-righteous frame trusting upon the covenant of works and their own merits and trusting by these to go to heaven yet neglecting the offer of Christs righteousness But alace we find not one of a thousand in this frame I desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ that is best of all And scarcely do we find any in such a frame O wretched man that I am who shal deliver me from the body of this death Therefore I say unto you who are all here O will you mind death before it take hold on you Oh mind your work now for you will find that death shal be work enough for it self though you leave no work till then The eighth advantage that attendeth the Christian believing this truth that once he must dye is this Death will not be so terrible to him as it is to many when it cometh What think you maketh death a King of terrors What maketh many to shake like the leaf of a tree when they are summoned to appear before Gods Tribunal It is even because of this they have not been thinking on death before it came so as to prepare for it and I fear many in this place may be feared for death and that when it cometh to them they will say unto death as Achab said to Elijah Hast thou found me O mine enemy Surely death will take you and bring you to the Judgement-seat of Christ therefore study by all means to think ofren upon it and make ready for it for believe me death is a very big word for it will once make you stand with horror in your souls if your peace be not made up with God I know not a more dreadful dispensation then death and a guilty conscience meeting together The second thing that I shal speak unto from the first observation viz. That it is a most certain and infallible truth that all persons shal once see death shal be to give some good considerations for pressing you to prepare for death The first consideration is this that to dye well and in the Lord is a most difficult work therefore I intreat you prepare for death It is a difficult work to communicate aright it is a difficult work to pray aright and it is a difficult work to confer aright But I must tell you it is a more difficult work to dye aright then any of these it is true it is more difficult to communicate aright then to pray aright yet it is much more difficult to dye aright then to communicate aright for it is a most difficult work to dye in the Lord. Death will put the most accurate Christian that is here to a wonderful search and therefore I will tell you nine things that death will try in thee 1. Death will try both the reality and strength of thy faith it may be easy for thee to keep up faith under many difficulties but death shal put thy faith to the greatest stress that ever it did meet with Yea know this that the faith of the strongest believer may get and ordinarily doth get a set at death the like whereof it never got before therefore prepare for death 2. Death will try thy love to God some persons pretend much love to

him but death will propose this question to such a person Lovest thou him more then these Lovest thou him more then thy wife More then thy house More then thy friends But your unwillingness to dye giveth us much ground to fear that many have little love to Christ but much to the World and so dare not answer the question Lord thou knowest that I love thee 3. Death will try thy enjoyments some of you may be ready to think that you meet with many enjoyments so that you might reckon as you think to fourty enjoyments and sweet out-lettings but beware that death bring them not down to twenty I have known some who thought they had met fourty times with God but when death came it made them take down the count to the half therefore seeing death will try the reality of thine enjoyments O prepare for it 4. Death will try thy patience thou mayest seem to have much patience now but when death cometh thou art put to dye it will put thy patience to a great tryal therefore prepare for it 5. Death will try the reality of thy duties yea even those duties wherein thou hadst most satisfaction as thy communicating aright in such a place thou hopest that is sure thy reading the Scripture at such a time aright thou hopest that is sure thou prayedst at such a time aright and hopest that is sure thou meditatest in such a place aright and thou hopest that is sure But believe me death may make thee change thy thoughts for there are some persons who have communicated and prayed c. as right as any in this generation who for all that will not find six duties wherein they can find satisfaction at death 6. Death will exceedingly try thy sincerity when it cometh An hypocrite may go all along his whole way undiscovered yet death may bring him to light and make it appear what a man he is 7. Death will discover unto thee hid and secret sins of which thou never had a thought before yea albeit thou thoughtest these had been forgotten death will let thee see them standing between thee and the light of his countenance 8. Death will accurately try thy mortification Some think they have come a great length in mortification but believe me death will try it and put it to the touch-stone 9. Death will try thy hope whether it be real or not I shal only say this that all the other graces must low their sails to faith and so it is faith must carry us thorow being that last triumphing grace which must fit the field for us when all the other graces will faint and ly by It is faith that must enter us fairly within the borders of eternity It is faith must gainstand all the temptations of death yea all the other graces as it were stand by and see faith strike the last stroke in this war The second consideration to press you to mind death is this That ye are to dye but once O! labor to do that well which you are to do but once and the wrong doing of which can never be helped If ye pray not aright ye may get that mended and if ye communicate not aright ye may get that also mended but alace if ye dye not aright there is no mending of that Therefore O prepare for death that ye may dye well seeing ye are to dye but once The third consideration to press you to mind death is this That ye are pronounced blessed who dye in the Lord Rev. 14.13 Blessed are the dead which dye in the Lord. O let that provoke you to prepare for death that so ye may dye in the Lord that is the only way to make you eternally happy I confess it is a question difficult to determine whether it be more difficult to dye well or to live well I shal not answer it but rather desire you to study both The fourth consideration to press you to prepare for death is this viz. That though thou put all thy work by thy hand before death ye shalt thou find that death shal have work enough for it self yea as much as thou shalt get done It will then be much for thee to win to patience it will be much for thee to win to the sight of thy justification and it will then be much for thee to win to assurance O then is it not needful for thee to put all thy work by thy hand before thy latter end come Wherefore I may say to you as Moses said in his Song Deuter. 32.29 O that they were wise that they understood this that they would consider their latter end O that ye had this piece of divine wisdom I pray you consider that sad word Lam 1.19 She remembered not her last end and what of it Therefore she came down wonderfully So will the down-coming of many in this generation be wonderful who consider not their last end The fifth consideration for pressing you to prepare for death is this viz. That their labor shal end but their works shal not be forgotten as is clear from that fore-cited place Rev. 14.13 They rest from their labors and their works follow them and is not that a glorious advantage The sixth consideration to press you to prepare for death is this viz. That death may come upon you ere ye be aware ye know not but death may surprise you this night before ye go home to your houses and therefore let that press you to study a constant preparation for death The seventh consideration to press you to prepare for death is this viz. That as death leaveth you so will Judgement find you If death shal leave you strangers to Christ ye shal appear before his Judgement-seat strangers unto him therefore I intreat you all to prepare for it I think that noble practise of Paul exceeding worthy of imitation 1 Cor. 15.31 I dye daily which I think doth comprehend these three things 1. That Paul had death always in his sight 2. It comprehendeth this that he labored to keep such a frame as that every moment he should be ready to dye so that whensoever death should put the summonds in his hand he should be content to answer 3. It comprehendeth this that he labored to lay aside and remove all things out of the way that might detain him from laying down his tabernacle O saith Paul I labor so to clear my self of all hinderances as that when ever I shal be summoned to remove out of time I may willingly lay down my life Therefore I would ask you this question viz. When did you make your last testament I think it were suitable for us to be renewing our latter-will every day for in so doing Paul made an excellent testament the better of which none that died since have made 2 Tim. 4.7.8 I have fought a good fight I have finished my course I have kept the faith these are very sweet articles and then he addeth Henceforth there is