And now, good Christians, if you have attended to what has been faid upon this fubject, you will, I hope, be difpofed to come to fome fuch refolutions as these following:

'I will no longer flatter myself, that my time is in my own power; this fhort and ' uncertain time of life is my time of trial, of grace, and of fitting myself for heaven and happiness: how long it will last, God only knows, and therefore, through his grace, I 'will not let it flip and lofe it. I will thank 'God for his patience in waiting fo long for 'the fruits of his graces; and beg of him to ' enable me to bring forth fuch fruit as his mercy and goodness will accept of. And I 'will endeavour, by a fincere repentance and an holy life, to prevent the fad reproaches of an awakened confcience, when I fhall ⚫ have no more time to do any thing towards making my peace with God.

с

It is not now a question among Chriftians, as it was among heathens, -What ' will become of us when we die? Our Lord 'Chrift came down from heaven to let us * know this, and that death infallibly fends us to a much better, or much worse place, ' than that we are now in. And therefore I ' will make it one part of my daily prayers, 'that God may not fuffer me to forget my 'latter end, and what will follow. I fee the advantage it would be to myself, and to the 'world, if we were often put in mind of this

'by

by thofe that are ordained to inftruct us. It would teach us more than we are aware of; it would tie up our hands from injuftice, oppreffion, and every evil act; and keep our • hearts from malice, from every finful pleasure, which we shall then go to account for.

'I will, therefore, (will every serious chrif'tian fay) I will blefs God for the pastors he has appointed to put us in remembrance of these things; and I will endeavour to profit by their inftructions.

I fee plainly, that every thing confpires 'to make us lofe the remembrance of the dan

gers that encompass us. The pleasures we ' are fo fond of are only an art against thinking of death. The cares of the world, and 'the love of worldly things, are only a de'vice of Satan to make us fet up our reft here. Every vice we are fond of, every fin 'we commit, makes us ftill more unwilling ( to think of death. What then would be'come of us, if it were nobody's duty to fhew 'us whither our steps will certainly lead us? In one word, we fhould live, as we speak, by chance; we should never seriously confi'der what we came into the world for; what we are doing; whither we are going.

I will not look upon the inftructions of 'the minifters of God as the words of men, but, as they are indeed, grounded upon the 'word of God, and as fuch I will hearken to them. And I will hope and depend upon

it, his bleffing will go along with them, if it is not my own fault.-They watch for our fouls as they that must give an account. What

a mournful account will they have to give ' of those that will not hear their instructions? ' And what a mournful end will they make who shall defpife their reproof?'

Horrible, (faith the wife man) horrible will be the end of the unrighteous: they have no hope, no comfort, in the day of trial. But the righteous bath hope even in his death.

These are the thoughts which will fupport his departing foul:

I have obeyed the voice of my teachers, ⚫ and inclined mine ear to them that inftructed C me; and their inftructions have not been in ' vain. They often put me in mind of the thoughts I fhould have when I should come to die; and these thoughts made me more careful of my duty, and kept me from a thousand evils. The return of every Lord's day brought along with it its efpecial blessing; either fome advice, or fome reproof, 'fome duty I had forgot, or fome fin I had unwarily fallen into. Thefe I received as meffages from God, and ordered my life accordingly, and now I have the comfort of doing fo, when I most stand in need of it.'

Who would not wish to make fuch an end?

And furely it is in the power of every foul of us, through the grace of God, to make

• Wifd. iii.

fuch an end. Than which no fight upon earth is fo charming, so desirable, as to fee a dying man cheerful, and a foul departing with comfort, with a certain prospect of a blessed refurrection.

O God! grant that this may be the case of myself, and of every one that hears me. That we may love, and attend to, the word and minifters of God. That we may live in the fear of God, and die in his favour, for the Lord Jesus' fake.

To whom, &c.

SERMON