and grant that ye may long live together in all god. linefs and holiness, Amen.

The end of the form, for the confirmation of Marriage before the church.

The confolation of the fick, which is an inftruction in faith, and the way of falvation to prepare believers to die willingly.

INCE Adam was created just and good, that is

to fay, holy and righteous, and dominion given him over all the creatures which God had created and whereas he did not long remain in this &ate, but has through the fubtilty of the devil and his own rebellion fallen from this excellent glory, whereby he hath brought upon us the mifery of temporal and eternal death; this is the original fin of which David fpeaks in the 51 Pfalm, faying, "I was fhapen in iniquity and in fin did my mother conceive me:" Pf. 51. v. 5. In like manner Paul faith to the Romans, "that by one man fin entered into the world, and death by fin, and death paffed upon all men, for that all have finned," Rom. v. 12. For as foon as Adam was thus fallen, he immediately came under a certain curfe, as we read in Genefis, where God faith, "curfed is the ground for thy fake, in forrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life, in the fweat of thy face hait thou cat bread, till thou re

turn unto the ground; for out of it waft thou taken : for duft thou art, and unto duft fhalt thou return, Gen, iii. 17, 19. Whence we certainly know, that all things which receive life, muft once die: this David clearly teftifies, faying, "what man is he that liveth, and shall not fee death?" Pf. lxxxix. 48. "for Solomon faith, the living know that they fhall die." Eccl ix. 5. For here we have no continuing city, but we feek one to come. Heb. xiii, 14. And to the Hebrews, that it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the Judgment. Heb. ix. 27. For as the fcripture faith: we muft needs all die, and are as water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. 2 Sam. xiv. 14. For our days, (faith Job) are like the days of an hireling, and fwifter than a post. Job, ix. 25. And we pafs away (faith David) like a ftream, yea like a leaf which the wind driveth away, and a withered stalk, and a For the duft muft return to garment moth-eaten. the earth, as it was, and the fpirit unto God who gave it; as Job faith, we are aflies, and muft return to afhes. Eccl. xii, 7. Likewise James faith, that man's life is even a vapour that appeareth for a lit tle time and then vanifheth away. Jam. iv. 14. Yea our time paffeth away as a cloud and is confumed like a mist, and- vanifheth as a fhadow. And Peter alfo faith (quoting from. Ifaiah) that all flesh is as grafs, and all the glory of men, as the flower of grafs; the grafs withereth; and the flower thereof falleth

away, Peter i. 24. Again Jefus Syrach faith, this iss the old covenant, you must die ;—the one to day,, and the other to morrow, like as green leaves upon a tree, some fall off, and others grow again: thus it goeth with mankind, fome die and some are born.. As Solomon faith, to every thing there is a feason, a time to be born, and a time to die. Eccl. iii. 1, 2. And this time is in the hands of the Lord, as Job› faith, man hath his appointed time, the number ofhis months are with him, he has appointed our bounds that we cannot pafs. Job xiv. 5. Which Paul alfo faith; that God hath determined the times be-fore appointed, and the bounds of their habitation.. Acts xvii. 26. And David faith, that our days are as an hand-breadth by the Lord, and ourage is as no-thing before him; Pf. xxxix. 5. How vain are all men who live fo unconcerned? for our days are lighter than a weaver's fhuttle, and swifter than a poft. Job vii. vi, and 9,25. Heb. xi. 13. Moreover: we are here only pilgrims and ftrangers for a fhort time. For the days of our years are threescore years and ten, and if by reason of strength they be four- fcore years, yet is their ftrength, labour, and forrow:: for it is foon cut off, and we fly away. Pf. xc. 10. And when we live long, we live an hundred years :: as drops of water are to the fea, fo are our years to eternity, And Peter faith, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day: Pet. iii, 8. even fo are our years to eternity; >

whereas then we must all die, according to holy Scriptures. Who would not earnestly wish for death, when we behold in what ftate and ruin we are plunged through Adam, namely, in all unrighteousness, misery and trouble; inafmuch that we are wicked, and inclined to wickednefs from our very infancy. For as Paul faith, we are by nature the children of wrath, and reprobate unto every good work, having nothing of ourselves but fin. Eph. . 3. and ́Tit, i. 16, As David alfo faith, Pf. xiv. 1. "there is none that doth good, they are all gone afide, they are altogether become filthy." Rom, xvii. 19. "For the good that we would, we do not," by reafon of fin that dwelleth in us. Of this inherent fin, David witneffeth, Pf. 51. that we are conceived and born in fin and proceed in the fame, For the inclination of men's hearts is to evil from their youth.

Since we thus lie under the wrath of God, and in the fhadow of death, yea, in hell and damnation, therefore Chrift the light of the world appeared unto us, and the fun of righteoufnefs is rifen. Rom. iv. 25. "Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification," and hath also quickened us, when we were dead in fin, and hath forgiven us our fins, "and blotted out the hand writing of ordinances that was against us, and took it out of the way, and nailed it on the cross;" Col. ii. 14. whereby he hath triumphed over all our enemies, as death, fatan, hell and the curfe of the law,

as God hath spoken by the prophet Hofea, "O death, where is thy fting? O grave, where is thy victory? Thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory, through our Lord Jefus Chrift," I Cor. xv. 55, and 57. who hath alfo (according to the promife of God). bruifed the head of the devil, in whose power we were kept captives, by reason of the tranfgreffions of fin.

God to the end that he might deliver us therefrom hath given us his deareft pledge, namely, his. only beloved Son in whom the Father is well pleaf. ed, and commands us to hear him. Whom he hath "For God given for a propitiation and a ransom. fo loved the world,that he gave his only begotten Son, that whofoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life," John iii. 16.

Alfo in this. was manifefted the love of God towards us, because that God fent his only begotton Son into the world that we might live through him." r John iv. 9.. "And this is life eternal (faith Chrift) that they might know thee the only true God, and Jefus. Christ whom thou haft fent." John i, xvii, and iii. He is the true Meffiah, who came into the world in the fulness of time, true God to crush the power of the devil; and true man to be our mediator before: God, that he might deliver thofe who were captive under the law. He is that lamb without blemish,. that was wounded and offered for our tranfgreffions, to be a propitition or all our fins, as Ifaiah clearly