OUr Blessed Saviour having Preached an Excellent Sermon, full of very Serious Advice, in many Par­ticulars, of which you have an Account in the Fore­going Verses of this Chapter; for the better Fastening of the whole upon his Hearers, he falls in the Close of it, up­on a Subject of a very Affecting and Moving Nature, namely, the approaching Day of Judgment, and the Necessity of liv­ing in the Continual Expectation of, and making daily Pro­vision for it. This he enters upon in the 35th. Verse of the Chapter, and prosecutes to this 40th. Verse, which I have now read unto you, wherein you have these four Things ob­servable:

1. The Duty that he presses upon his Hearers, Be ye ready.

2. A Strong Motive to back and enforce it: For the Son of Man cometh at an Hour when ye think not.

The Son of Man cometh: 'Tis that more Eminent and Fa­mous Coming of Christ, to judge the World at the last Day, which is here plainly meant. But under this, is comprehend­ed also the Day of a Man's Death; For so you shall sine the [Page]Scripture uses this Expression, Philip. 1.10. That you may be sincere, and without Offence till the Day of Christ: 1 Tim. 6.14. Keep this Commandment till the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ. These Phillipans and Timothy have been dead many Ages since, and yet the Day of Christ is not come, he hath not yet ap­peared: How therefore is this to be understood? 'Tis meant of the Day of their Death; and so the Scripture words it, because the Day of every particular Man's Death, and the Day of the Universal Judgment, is to him in Effect one and the same; his State is as truly, and as fully determined there­upon, as it will be when Christ shall come to judge the World; no Alteration can possibly be made in it after we are once dead: As to that, such as we are when we leave this World, such shall we be when we come to stand before the Bar of Christ at the last Day, to receive our Unchangeable Sentence.

And as this Coming of Christ is Certain, so many times 'tis a very sudden thing too; The Son of Man cometh, that is, Death and Judgment come in an hour when you think not.

3. The Persons here spoken to: Who they are, you may learn from Peter's Question, in the Verse immediately follow­ing my Text; v. 41. wherein, says he, Lord, speakest thou this Pa­rable to us, v. 42. &c. or even to all? And from our Lord's Answer, where­in he continues this Discourse of his, and particularly applies it to the Wise and Faithful Rulers and Stewards in his House. So that the best of his Ministers are as much concerned in it, as any of the Family; they are as liable to a Sudden Sum­mons by Death and Judgment, as any of their Hearers; and 'tis as much their Interest, yea more, because of the heavier Account they have to make, to be Always ready for it.

4. The Connexion of these Words with the Fore-going Verse, Be ye therefore ready also. Which suggests another Motive to our Thoughts. In the preceding Verse our Savi­our had represented the Suddenness of his coming, by the si­militude of a Thief, who sets upon a House unexpectedly in the Night, which if the Owner thereof had known of, he would certainly have watched, and not have suffered it to have been broken open. And then comes in my Text, Be ye therefore ready also: q.d. If Men are so prudent and careful, that they be not surprized in Matters of a lower Nature, where the ut­most that they can lose is their Worldly Substance, and [Page 3]their Temporal Lives; how much more should they be so in a matter of the highest Concern, whereupon their Souls, their Everlasting Welfare, their All does depend? And therefore be ye ready in this case also; for the Son of Man cometh in an hour when ye think not.

From the Words thus divided and opened, I shall raise this Doctrine, as the Subject of my present Discourse.

Doct. Seeing Death and Judgment may suddenly and unexpect­edly seize upon any, even the best of Men and Ministers, there­fore every Man should be always ready for them.

In the managing this Point, I shall do these four Things.

1. I shall say somewhat to Vindicate and Justifie the Provi­dence of God, in the sudden and unexpected Death of Good Men and Ministers.

2. Shew you wherein this Readiness for Death and Judgment doth consist.

3. Set before you the force of the Argument, from the Suddenness of them, to be always ready.

4. Apply the whole.

I. I shall say somewhat to Vindicate and justifie the Providence of God, in the sudden and unexpected Death of good Men and Mini­sters. And this is requisite, because such thoughts as these, upon such Occasions, are apt to arise in our Minds. ‘For a Vile Person indeed to be Driven away in his Wickedness, like Chaff and Smoak before the Wind, in those Storms which his own Sins have raised, may be easily accounted for; but that very Holy Men, in the height of their Usefulness, and in the midst of their Work, should be snatcht away almost in the same manner, seems at first View to be very strange and severe. Their Enemies will be apt to censure and re­proach them, and look upon this as a Black Mark from Hea­ven upon them; and their Friends cannot but bitterly bewail it. For had Death made its Regular and Leisurely advances, they might have had many an Opportunity of speaking in Commendation of the Ways of God and Religion, from their own Experience, and of giving suitable Advice and Counsel to us; and the last Words of our dying Husband or Father, [Page 4]of our dying Friend or Pastor, would to be sure have made very deep and lasting Impressions upon us, and have been of mighty Use and Service to us all our Days. Why therefore, O why, did God deal so unkindly with him and us, as to hurry him away from us in so hasty a manner, as hardly to suffer him to speak one Word, when he took his Everlasting Fare-well of us?’

By way of Reply to all this, I have these five or six Things to offer.

1. Consider the Absolute Soveraignty and Dominion of God.

This Divine Attribute is displayed when he closeth his right-Hand to hide these Stars, Rev. 3.1. wherein they were formerly held; or when he seals them up in a Sudden and so thick a Darkness, Job 9.7. that we can neither see them, nor receive any further Influences from them. And if we had nothing else to urge in the Case, even this alone were enough to stop all our Mouths. Shall we not allow God that which we challenge to our selves, to Do with his own what he pleaseth? Ps. 46.10. Be still, and know that I am God. And the Exercise of this Attribute about Good Men, even when it seems to bear a little hard upon them, should least of all be re­gretted by us; because it has been employed about them in vastly greater Instances, so much for their Advantage. For it was Divine Soveraignty that selected them out of the Com­mon Mass of Mankind, when others were passed by, and Crown­ed them with all those Gifts and Graces wherein they did ex­cel. Now if the same Hand that framed them into Vessels of Honour, break them in pieces with one single stroak, it becomes us to bow our Heads, and humbly adore him, crying out, How unsearchable are his Judgments, Rom. 11.33. Eph. 1.11. and his Ways past our finding out, who yet Worketh all things according to the Counsel of his own Will!

2. God orders it thus, That Men may not judge of his Love or Hatred by meer external Providences. This is a deceitful Beam, at which we are very prone to weigh Men and Things; but hereby God gives us a plain and sensible Proof of the Truth of that Scripture, Eccles. 9.2. that All things come alike to all, and there is one Event to the righteous and to the wicked. The best Rule whereby to form our Judgments as to this point, is from the manner of Men's Lives, and not from that of their Death: And that the suddenness of their Departure alone, is no Black Mark from Heaven [Page 5]against them, is very plain, from this convincing Demonstra­tion, that there shall be Saints alive at that very hour wherein Christ shall appear to judge the World, 1 Thes. 4.17. 1 Cor. 15.52. who shall be suddenly Changed, and Caught up in the Air, to meet him in a moment, in the twinkling of an Eye.

3. God orders it thus, Because he would prevent the Prayers of his People, for the prolonging such a Man's Life when his Day is come. Such a Value has God for his People, and their Prayers, that he would not have them wrestle with him, for what he intends not to grant; and therefore when Wrath is determined against any, and there is no Remedy, he is wont in a great measure to restrain the Spirit of Prayer, and take off the Hearts of his People from interceding for them. But it neither is, nor can, nor ought to be so with them, when the Life of an Emi­nently Ʋseful, Christian or Minister is in apparent danger; such a one is always very Dear and Precious to them; they would, Gal. 4.15. as the Galatians for Paul, Pluck out their very Eyes for him; much more will they pour out their Souls to God in his Behalf: The Church would do by him, Act. 12.5. if the Lord's Prisoner by a lingering Sickness, as they did by Peter when he was Herod's, Prayer was made to God for him without ceasing. Now when such a Man's Work is done, and his determined Time run out, God suddenly removes him, that he may not give leisure to the People to lay hold on his Arm, and endeavour to prevent that Blow, which he is resolved to give.

4. God does this as an Act of Favour and Kindness to the Good Man himself. Hereby he is effectually preserved from ma­ny of those Evils, wherewith some of the Saints of God, who have more slowly gone off from the Stage of this World, have been sorely distressed. As,

1. The Great Pains and Anguish of a long and tedious Sickness: This darkens the Mind, shatters the Judgment, breaks the Spi­rit, stakes and binds down the Soul to a Continual, sad Medi­tation on the Misery it feels, making a Man pine away in the bitterness of his Soul from Morning unto the Evening.

It indisposes a Man for any Duty, even that of a Delightful Communion with God in Private; hinders his Activity in it, and quickly diverts him from it. Alass, they are but a few Frag­ments only that we can then present our God withal; a few, [Page 6]short, broken Petitions, that we can offer up to him, and those also with much adoe; [...]art up a Prayer to Heaven one Minute, and fetch a longer Groan the next. The Sense of our pressing Evils will be like a Clog or a Weight, to hinder the flight of our Souls towards Heaven, check them when they are mounting, and presently pull them down again. When God from Morning even to Night is breaking his Bones like a Lion, Isa. 38.13, 14. even Hezekiah himself can but Chatter like a Crane, or a Swallow, or mourn like a Dove; O Lord, I am oppressed, undertake for me? When the Instrument, the Body, is thus out of Tune, and its Strings slackned or broken, the most Skilful Artist can't make that Melody before the Lord, as at other times he doth.

Besides, this is a strong Temptation to Impatience, to Jealousses, to hard and suspicious Thoughts of God. When he thus smites us, the best of us betray too much of Opposition to his good Will, and too strong an Affection to our own Ease.

Further, sharp and long Bodily Pains, often prove the Oc­casion, even to Good Men, of groat inward Trouble and Di­stresses of Soul. David's Sickness often cast him into great Doubts and Fears about his Sins, that God had not for given them. Indeed all his Griefs springing from other causes, at last did run into this Channel, as any Distemper turns to the Plague in the Time of a Raging Pestilence. The troubles of my Heart (saith he) are enlarged, Ps. 25.17, 18. I am desolate and afflicted. But what was the Reason of this? he lay under Affliction and Pa [...]n, and that [...]us'd many desponding Thoughts about the Par­don of his Sins.

A sudden Dispatch to a Prepared Soul is a Favour more Eli­gible, than to be continued a long while upon such a Rack.

2. The Ʋneasiness of taking a Solemn and Formal Eare well of Near and Dear Relations and Friends; which is very unpleasant at all times, but more especially in some cases.

As for Instance, When a Good Man considers the Difficul­ties, and the Siorms wherein he shall leave them. This was the Gose of Holy David. Though he had the Covenant of God, [...] choice and rich: Cordial at his Heart, for the Sup­port of his Fainting and Sinking Spirits; yet methinks I see how the [...] stood in the good Man's Eyes, at the Thoughts [Page 7]of those Calamities which he foresaw were coming upon his Children, after his approaching Decease. And this is very plain from the Beginning and Ending of that Verse, in the 2 Sam. 23.5. Although my House be not so with God, yet hath he made with me an Everlasting Covenant, ordered in all things, and sure; for this is all my Desire, and all my Salvation, although he onake it not to grow. He begins the Verse with these Words, Although my Non so be not so with God, that is, not as the light of the Morn­ing whon the Sun riseth, even a morning without Clouds, as he ex­presses it in the beginning of the foregoing. Verse; but many a sad Providence will overshadow it, and darken the Glory of it. And then he ends the Verse with these Words, Although he make it not to grow, that is, not to Spring as the tender Grass out of the Earth, by clear shining after the Rain; as he expres­seth it in the latter End of that 4th. Verse; but my Family will wither away, like the Grass of the Field, when burnt up by the Heat of the Sun. Hereby he evidently shows, that the Distresses that were coming upon his Family made a deep Im­pression upon him, cut him to the quick, and created some very uneasie thoughts in his Mind, as he lay a Dying.

Another Occasion, wherein this taking our solemn Farewell is so very uneasse a thing, is, when our Friends cannot resign us up without the Indecent Workings of a Violent and Passionate Sorrow: A thing that Paul himself could not bear, to whom the Weeping of his Friends was more grievous than any Death that he could endure from the Hands of his most Eura­ged Enemies: And therefore he that was Ready not to be bound only, but also to dye at Jerusalem for the Name of the Lord Jesus; crys out, What mean ye to weep, and to break my heart: Act. 21.13. As tho' he could bet­ter endure the shedding of his own Blood, than the pouring out of their Tears.

3. The Sore Buffetings of Satan. He is very busie about the Death-Beds of good Men, and more especially may we suppose him ready at such a time to fall with a greater Degree of Fury and Malice, upon an Eminent Minister; whose Business it has been all his Life long to batter and destroy his Kingdom. When such a one retreats slowly out of the Field, the Enemy hath the Fairer Opportunity, and being animated with Revenge, will be sure to summon up all his force, and draw his Bow with [Page 8]his full strength, to shoot his most envenomed Arrows against him. 'Tis a Mercy to be carried away into that Heaven, into which he can never enter, in so swift a manner, that he shall not be able to fling one of his fiery Darts after us, to wound, or so much as to affright us in our Passage thither.

For my own part, on mature Deliberation, I don't think it a desirable thing for a good Man, who is ready, to be worn away like a Stone, by a long and continual Dropping. May my House and Soul be in order, and then the sooner it quits this Vile Body, and leaves this wretched World, if in the twinkling of an Eye, so much the better. To which there is but one Circumstance more, which I should desire may be added, viz. that I may dye Preaching the Ever­lasting Gospel, or Administring the Lord's Supper. May my Taper be blown out in the Sanctuary, and may I presently pass in an In­stant from Serving the Church Militant here on Earth, to joyn with the Church Triumphant in Heaven. But we must not be our own Choosers; and to be sure God will dispose all things in the best manner for them that are his.

5. God orders this, as a Punishment to surviving Friends and Relations. When he sends long Sickness, he weans our Hearts from them by degrees, gives us time and leisure to get our Souls into a readiness for parting with one another, (though even then too it is hard work for the most of us.) This is like digging about the Roots of a Tree, loosning and preparing of it for a more easie fall: But a very Sudden-Death, is like the violent blowing of it down with a Whirlwind, which tears up the ground along with it, and makes a gap so wide, that it is not easily filled up again.

6. And Lastly, God does this for the Instruction of others. We think, that if a Holy Man had but time and leisure given him, his dying Words would have a great influence upon us: And I grant there is somewhat in it; and they must needs have very impenetrable Souls, that should not be at all affected with his last Speeches. But when God hastily snatches away a good Man, Providence it self turns Preacher, and crys with a loud Voice, and the Man of Wisdom will hear, and learn; and he who does not do so, would not be made better, not only though the Preacher had taught him with his dying Breath, but tho' [Page 9]he should rise again from the Dead to warn him. For,

1. This is an awakening Consideration to us, to use great Diligence in doing good to, and receiving good from our Friends and Relations, while their Lives and ours do last. With what Care and Diligence should Parents and Ministers instruct their Children, and their Flock, Watch over them, Warn, Reprove, Exhort, Beseech, Counsel and Comfort them, Travel in Birth with them, 'till Christ be formed in their Hearts; endeavour to bring them into, keep and quicken them in the ways of God, and prepare them for Heaven, as not knowing how soon Death, that great Silencer of Ministers, whom none can resist, may so effectually stop their Mouths as not to suffer them to Preach their Farewell Sermon, or utter one single Sentence for the good of those whom they leave behind them.

With what readiness and thankfulness should Children and People listen to their Instructions, receive their Reproofs, hear­ken to their Wannings, shew them that Honour that is due to them for their Works sake; not only rejoycing, but walking in the light, while they enjoy it, as not knowing how soon either one, or the other, or both, may be in the Grave, Job. 3.18. where the Voice of the Preacher is not heard, no more than that of the Op­pressor. It is but a Melancholly thing, Luk. 17.22. to have that Scripture sullfilled upon us, The day is coming, when you shall desire to see one of the Days of the Son of Man, and shall not see it.

2. It is a loud Call to Repentance, for our Non-improvement of those Advantages we enjoyed whilst such Relations were continued to us. Such is our Folly, that we seldom duly value, or rightly use any Mercy while we possess it, which gives but too much cause for deep Remorse of Spirit when we are deprived of it. 'Tis true indeed, no Man can weep his Father, his Friend, his Pastor out of the Grave. Our Loudest Cries will not awaken them that are fallen asleep in Jesus; nor can our Sighs infuse a new Breath into them, whose Spirits are departed. But what cannot profit them may be of great Advantage to our selves: And so it will be if our Grief run in the right Channel; if our unsuitable Carriage towards them be deeply laid to heart, as it ought to be, when our Sins have been the Occasion of cutting down the Spr [...]ding Tree, because we sat idly under its Shadow, and did not stretch our [Page 10]our hands, to gather the good Fruit wherewith it was loaden.

3. 'Tis a proper Means to Cure our inordinate Affection to, and Dependance upon surviving Friends, and all Wordly Comforts. Cease ye from Man, Isa. 2.22. whose Breath is in his Nostrils, whence it easily passes out, or where it may be presently stopt by any little matter, and therefore, Wherein is he to be accounted of? Hereby we see, these Pipes may soon be cut off, these Springs be presently dryed up; and therefore, because at the utmost the Time is short, and may be much shorter than we are aware, 1 Cor. 7.29, 30, 31. it remaineth that both they that have Wives, be as tho' they had none; and they that weep, as tho' they wept not; and they that rejoice, as tho' they rejoi­ced not; and they that buy, as tho' they possessed not; and they that use this World, as not abusing it, for the fashion of this World passeth away.

4. 'Tis a plain Admonition, that our Time and Life are in God's hands. Sometimes indeed they are said to be in our own; I put my Life in my hand, Judg. 12.3. Ps. 119.109. said Jephtah; My Soul is continually in my hand, saith David. But then hereby is meant the great Dangers to which our Lives are perpetually exposed; as a brittle Glass, which may presently be broken by slipping from him that care­lessly holds it; or a valuable thing, that may be easily snatcht away from him that shews it in his open hand. But as to Do­minion and Power, Ps. 31.15. Eccles. 8.18. so our times are in God's hand alone, he pro­longs or shortens them as he sees fit, and no man hath Power over his own Spirit, (much less over that of his Brother) to retain it one moment when he calls for it. Ps 49.7. Dan. 4.35, 36. The most high doth what he will in the Army of Heaven, and among the Inhabitants of the Earth, and none can stay his Hand, as the proudest of Kings acknow­ledged, when his Reason returned to him; and so snall we, ex­cept our be departed from us.

5. It is a sensible Evidence of the Frailty and Ʋncertainty of our Lives: That the best of Men, in their best Estate, are but as the Flower of the Field, Ps. 103.16. which, as gawdy as it looks, if the Wind do bus paltiover it, immediately it is gone.

6. 'Tis [...]loud Call to us to Redeem our Time. What Stupidity is it to lavish away one Day or Hour, which for ought we know [Page 11]may be our last? and then there's no Preparation to be made for Eternity. We stand upon hollow ground, which may present­ly fall in, and therefore Whatever thy hand findeth to do, Eccles. 9.10. do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom in the Grave, whither thou goest.

7. 'Tis a mighty Check to Carnal Security, and pleasing our selves with the hopes of a long Continued Happiness in this World. This is but too natural to us all, when we are in flourishing Circumstan­ces. They that lye at Ease are very Subject to such idle Dreams. That rich Man in the Gospel, was not the only Person that ever said to himself, Soul, thou hast Goods laid up for many years, Eat, Drink, Luk. 12.19, 20. and be merry. And how like a Fool did he look, When God said unto him, This Night shall thy Soul be required of thee? David himself was so over-seen, Ps. 30.6, 7. that He said in his prosperity he should never be moved. But Providence soon confuted him, and his Mountain which he thought stood so strong, was presently, moved and shaken to that Degree, that he himself was suddenly cast from it within a Hairs Breadth of the Grave; whereupon he immediately adds, v. 9. What pro­fit is there in my Blood, when I go down to the Pit, shall the Dust praise thee? When others drop in this manner before our Eyes, 'tis a lively Comment on that Scripture, Go to now ye that say, James 4.13, 14, 15, 16. to day or to morrow, we will go into such a City, and continue there a year, and buy, and sell, and get gain; whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow: (Thou may'st travel to thy long Home before thou reach that City) For what is your Life? It is even a Vapor, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. And therefore, Ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live and do this or that: But now ye rejoyce in your Boastings, please your selves with such vain Thoughts and Projects; All such rejoycing is evil: 'Tis a sottish Thing so to do, for you are not Lords of your own Lives, and therefore not of your own Actions; and if your Breath fail, in that moment all these great Thoughts of yours, shall perish like a proud and swelling Bubble that is broken by a single puff of Wind.

8. 'Tis a strong Motive to Thankfulness to God, that he hath nor so surprized us it our Natural state, or in the very Act of some Sin and Folly. A single Affront puts our Thoughts and Spi­rits into a mighty Ferment, and Agitation, which makes [Page 12]our Wrath immediately kindle, like an heated Vapour, by its own Motion, in a sultry Evening; and we are apt to be quick and severe in avenging our selves on our Adversa­ries, if it be in the Power of our hands. How easily could God have cut us off when we were Enemies to him; struck us down dead at his Foot in an Instant, when the Weapons of Iniquity were in our Hands, without affording us any lei­sure to bethink our selves what we had done, or whither we were going? Astonishing Patience, that he hath not long since torn away our guilty Souls from our Wretched Bodies, sending one to the Grave, and plunging the other into Hell: That his Wrath hath not smoaked against us, yea, broke forth into a devouring Flame. His Forbearance is so much the more admirable, Eccles. 8.11. because perverse Man takes an Occasion from hence to Embolden himself in Sin. Because sentence against an Evil Work is not executed speedily, therefore the Heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil. His Power over himself is great as well as over us, otherwise his Anger had been let out like a Flood upon us, and we had been violently and hastily car­ried away before it.

9. And Lastly, 'Tis an evident Demonstration of the Ne­cessity of our being continually in a prepared Posture for Death and Judgment. And this Naturally leads me to the

II. General propounded; which is, to shew wherein this rea­diness for Death and Judgment does lye.

This is twofold.

• First, Habitual.
• Secondly, Actual.

The one, as to the State; the other, as to the Frame of our Souls: The one, in Order to a Safe Departure, the other in Order to a Comfortable one.

1. There is an Habitual Readiness for Death and Judgment; which lyes in these two things, Justification by Faith in the Blood of Christ, and Sanctification by the Spirit of Christ.

1. Justification by Faith in the blood of Christ. He is a miserable Creature who has the guilt of any one Sin cleaving to his Soul, because that single guilt binds him over to Eternal Wrath. Who then can conceive the misery of that man, who has upon him the guilt of all those innumerable Sins which he has committed throughout the whole course of his life; every one of which, and much more all of them together, expose him to the Fury and Everlasting Vengeance of God? Such a one is far from being fit for Death and Judgment, who must fall under that con­demning-Sentence, Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire, prepared for the Devil and his Angels. What terrour and con­fusion will the very presence of Christ strike into the Souls of these men! Gen. 45.3. Joseph had concealed himself from his Brethren a long while; but when at last he made himself known to them, and said, I am Joseph; the thought of those Injuries which they had done him, struck them dumb, and they were troubled at his presence, and could not answer him. When our Saviour shall appear, and say to an Unbeliever, I am Jesus, That Jesus, whose Blood thou hast despised, whose Gospel thou hast slighted, whose Spirit thou hast resisted, whose merciful Design thou hast oppo­sed all thy life long, and wouldest not be reconciled to God through me, I am that very Jesus: These words will strike and pierce him to the very heart, and cause him to wail, Rev. 1.7. and call to the rocks and mountains, saying, Fall on me, and hide me from the face of him that sitteth on the Throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of his wrath is come, Rev. 6.16, 17. and who shall be able to stand?

2. Sanctification by the Spirit of Christ. The most glittering Profession, where there is not a work of Regeneration, will not avail in that day. The Foolish Virgins that had Lamps in their hands, but no Oil in their Vessels, will find the door shut against them when the Bridegroom comes, Matth 25.10. as not being ready to enter in with him. Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord. If we are not true Penitents and Converts, Acts. 3.19. our Sins are not blotted out, but shall remain in God's Book against us un­der our respective Names; and then it will not be a time of re­freshing, but of scorching Heat, which we shall never be able to endure.

In a word, There is not a more miserable Wretch out of Hell, than an unpardoned, and an unsanctified Man; who is go­ing to it, and considers not whither he is hasting. All this man's Happiness lies at the mercy of a Disease, of an Accident, of one mo­ment; for if this night God should take away his Soul, where is he? Nay it all lies at the mercy of one wise and sober thought: For did he but understand and consider the true state of his Soul with reference to Eternity, his Mirth would be changed into Trem­bling, and all his Songs into Howlings and Lamentations, into Agonies and Horrors of Conscience: For 'tis not more certain that he is at present out of Hell, than it is, that if he live and die in his present State, he shall in a few moments be in it.

II. There is an actual readiness for Death and Judgment, and that lies in these following things.

1. In a careful abstinence from every wilful Sin, and a speedy and deep repentance for any such, 2 Pet. 3.14. if we have been guilty of it. Wherefore, beloved, seeing ye look for such things, be diligent, that you may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.

Our principal care must be to refrain from such Sins. For tho Repentance be a good thing, yet Innocence is better. Some men walk in a round, and a circle of sinning and repenting, repent­ing and sinning again: Their hearts seeming to be much divided between God and their Lusts. According as Conviction on the one hand, or Corruption awaken'd by Temptation on the other hand doth work in them; they sometimes forbear their Sins, and at other times yield to them: As the tops of Corn that waver and incline this way or that, according as the force of the Wind doth bend and carry them. Now the Hearts of these men rise or fall with the change of their Condition, as the Quicksilver in a Weather­glass doth according as the surrounding Air is either bright and clear, or thick and foggy. A threatning Sickness doth as much alarm them, as the furious march of a powerful invading Army doth the weak and defenceless Inhabitants of any Country. In­deed, as the aking of one small part of our Bodies causeth more sensible grief and pain, than the sound and healthy state of all the rest doth of ease and pleasure; so a few wilful Sins do cause more of terror in the Conscience, than a great many good [Page 15]Actions are able to convey of support and comfort to it. And I dare appeal to the Experience of all sober men, when they are any thing serious, whether these are not the things that do shake their confidence, and make them jealous of themselves. So many wilful Sins as a man hath, of late especially, been guilty of, even after he hath repented of them, so many Arguments hath he to make him doubt of his own Sincerity; so many weights there are in the other Scale, that make the Balance at least to hang even, so that he hardly knows what to think of himself; and in a dying-hour his misgiving-Heart will be apt to say the worst, and reproach him that he hath not been right with God, nor sound in his Statutes. And as all wilful sins must be diligently watcht against, so

In particular, Cruelty and Oppression must be avoided. Jam. 2.13. He shall have judgment without mercy, that sheweth no mercy.

A rigid exacting those Debts which our poor Brother is not able to pay. Matth. 18.33, 34. The Lord was wrath with that wicked servant that would not forgive his fellow-servant a few pence, and commanded him to be delivered to the tormenters.

Drunkenness, and Smiting of our Brethren. Luke 12.41. If that servant shall say in his heart, My Lord delayeth his coming, and shall begin to beat the men-servants, and maidens, and to eat and drink with the drunken; the Lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour when he is not aware.

And it holds, not only as to these particular Sins, but as to all other wilful ones; as appears from what our Saviour adds, And that Servant that knew his Master's Will, Vers. 47. and prepared not himself, neither did according to his Will (and much more if he knowingly went against it) shall be beaten with many stripes.

2. In great diligence and readiness for the doing of every good work in its proper season; every Duty respecting either God, or our Selves, or our Neighbour: For a Christian is like a Clock or Watch that hath several distinct Motions; and as to every one of these, will the Judge examine us, when he shall appear. This is what our Saviour means, when he tells us, Luke 12.35. our loyns should be girt about, in a posture ready for any Service that our Master calls us to. And blessed is that Servant whom his Lord when he cometh shall find so doing. 2 Pet. 3.11. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of Persons ought ye to be in all Holy Conver­sation and Godliness!

3. In the lively exercise of every grace, as we have occesion for it, whether active or passive. Some Graces are to be exercised every day, be our circumstances what they will, such as Faith in Christ, Love to God, and the like. Others are to be exercised under some peculiar circumstances, as the Providence of God gives us occasion, and a call thereunto; such as Patience, Submission to God, Faith in his Promises, &c. If need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold tribulations, 1 Pet. 1.7. that the trial of your faith, being much more precious than that of gold which perisheth though it be tried with fire, might be sound unto praise, and honour, and glory, at the appear­ing of Jesus Christ. That is, either that you may be praised, and honoured, and glorified, as having given such evident proofs of the Sincerity of your Faith under very trying Providences; or else, that Christ in that day may be glorified, when your so no­ble Behaviour shall be displayed in the view of all the World, as the Fruit of his Death and Grace; and men shall see what excellent persons his Followers have shown themselves to be, through his strengthening of them, which will reflect an Ho­nour upon him, as well as upon them. The Skill of the Arti­ficer, and the Beauty of the Vessel will be both admired together.

4. In the diligent improving of every Talent for his Service, Life; Health, Strength, Reputation, Interest, Power, Authority, &c. These are Talents which he hath committed to our Charge; and when he comes, he will strictly enquire what use we have made of them. And we know what became of the Unprofita­ble Servant: Those Feet which carried him to the place where he buried his Lord's Money, instead of walking with it to the Exchangers; and those Hands which were employed in conceal­ing of it instead of trading with it, were bound; and for hiding it in the Earth, he himself was cast into Hell. What then will be the case of him who abuseth many of them, contrary to the intent for which they were given?

5. In perseverance in Faith and Holiness to the last. Heb. 10.38. For if we draw back, his Soul will have no Pleasure in us. And how then shall we be able to look him in the Face? Deserters are wont to be more severely treated than those who were always open and professed Enemies. A sense of this hath come with so great a weight on some Backsliders in Judgment and Practice, as to break their Spi­rits, and sink them down into the Depths of Despair in the close [Page 17]of their Days. Their awaken'd Consciences have lasht them with Whips of Steel, and with siery Scorpions. And therefore, Lit­tle children, abide in him, that when he shall appear, 1 Joh 2.23. we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming. If Christ when he was a Frisoner, by one Look did so dash Peter out of Countenance, when in Words he disowned him, as to make him go forth immediately and weep bitterly; what overwhelming-Sorrow and Confusion will his Majestick and angry Countenance strike all those into, who deny him in their Works, when he shall appear in all the Solemnity of a Publick Judge, in the Glory of his Father, surrounded with all his holy Angels!

6. In a great weanedness from this World, and having our Affecti­ons strongly set upon Heavenly things. Our Saviour plainly warns us, That too deep a concern about earthly matters, exposes men to a fatal Surprize by this great day. Luk 21.34. Take heed (saith he) to your selves, lest at any time your hearts be over-charged with surfeiting and drunkenness, and the cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. How bitter are the Thoughts, and much more the Ap­proaches of Death to him whose Affections cleave strongly to this wretched World! Violence must be used to separate him from it. But he who sits loose to all things here below, is easily parted from them: Like the Beams of Light, which gently touch the Earth, but not being tied to it, are easily withdrawn from it, as soon as ever the Sun begins to set, and the Evening to come on.

7. In getting our Evidences for Heaven bright and clear. Heb. 11.8. Abraham indeed, at the call of God, readily departs from his own Coun­try into a Foreign Land, not knowing whither he went. But 'tis impossible any one should be willing to leave this World and pass into the other, if he be at a great loss in his own mind whi­ther he is going, to Heaven or Hell, and which of these two must be his everlasting Habitation. Where Eternal Happiness or Mi­sery is the Doubt, it must needs be a very uneasy thing to a se­rious Person (and men are generally so in their last minutes) to be tost up and down between Hopes and Fears. But when our Title to that blessed Inheritance is clear, and our Assurance is strong, we may chearfully lay down our Bodies and resign up our Souls. No man can live with half that Comfort and Joy as such a man may dye withal.

8. In watching, waiting, and expecting Death and Judgment eve­ry day: not fancying that certainly we shall dye; but thinking within our selves, that for ought we know we may dye every day. Frequently seasoning our Hearts with such serious Refle­ctions as these, will be like a daily watering the Tree at the roots, which makes the Sap to rise and shoot up into every Branch, it will quicken us to the performance of all the forementioned particulars; and have the same good Influence upon us, as the expecting that Thieves may come every Night, which makes us careful to provide for our own Defence.

9. In well settling your worldly Estates. Do this in the time of Health, that it may be your last Will; yours, and not the Will of those that are about you, who otherwise may be practising upon you when you are sick and weak in Body and Mind too. The neglecting, or the not doing this to their own full Satisfaction, has caused very great uneasiness of mind in many, when they have been suddenly within the near Views of Death. We need not to have these worldly matters to distract and discompose us, when we have much weightier Affairs, enough to take up all the little remainder of our Time, and our most serious Thoughts. For,

Lastly, If our Heads be clear, and we have leisure, we must seriously review the State of our own Souls. Otherwise it will be as improper for us so to do, as it would for a man that is to make a Map of any Country, to pretend to survey it in a foggy day. In this case we must live upon, and draw Comfort from the former Trials of our selves. We must also renew our Repentance for all those parti­cular Sins we can remember, and our Faith in the Blood of Christ for the pardon of them; and again commit and give up our Souls to him; recalling to our minds some of the Promises of God, that are most suitable to our present condition; speaking some­what, if we are able, in the behalf of God, and Christ, and seri­ous Holiness, that may be of use to those that we shall leave be­hind us; lifting up our Hearts to the heavenly Glory, and commending our departing Spirits into the hand of God and Christ.

III. General. I come to shew you wherein the force of this Argument lies, from the suddenness of Death and Judgment, to be always ready for them. And,

1. Death and Judgment will not stay beyond the appointed time, till we get ready. Thy Days are numbred, thy Glass has been turned up, and running for some time; there are, it may be, but a few Sands more, how few God only can toll; and when they are run out, ready or unready all is one, away thou must. Now God gives thee Time, improve it, that the long-suffering of God may be Salvation to thee. But if thou trifle it away now, when the Decree is gone forth to cut down the barren Tree, it shall not stand a moment longer. Many a Time hast thou been sick, and the consciousness of thy having made little or no Provision for Eternity, has made thee cry out in the bitterness of thy Soul, O spare me a little longer! God has been merciful to thee once and again; but the time is a coming, when he will be so no more. How many hast thou known of thy sinful Companions, who have cried as loudly as thou canst do, Yet a little more time! But God would not vouchsafe it, but they have been hurried away to Judgment before they have made up their Accounts.

2. Little or nothing is to be done to get ready upon a sudden Surprize by Death. Thou may'st be struck dead in a moment. Thy Disease may lye in thy Head, may so distract and cloud thy Brain, that as one well saith, if the meer saying, Lord have mercy upon me, would save thy Soul (as it will not) yet thou shalt not be able to utter so short a Petition. But suppose thou hast a little longer warning, how unlikely is it thou shouldest get thy Soul into a meet posture for Death and Judgment, if then it be to begin? When thou hast spent Forty or Fifty Years in Wickedness, is a few Hours time sufficient to make thy Peace with God for such a multitude of Provocations, or pro­cure the Change of thy Heart and Nature, so consirmed in Sin? Soul and Body, by Physick and Pains are miserably indis­posed for so serious a matter; and there is little hopes, that the Grace of God, which thou hast so long resisted, should then con­vert thee in a moment. It may be thy Ignorance will be so great, that having a clear sight of thy manifold and crying Sins, and little or no knowledge of a Saviour, thou wilt be at thy Wits-end, not knowing what to do. It may be God's Spirit will withdraw, and leave thee to the hardness of thy own Heart; and then thou wilt remain stupid as a Block: Or else the [Page 20]Thoughts of so many Sins, of the Terrors of God, the near Approaches of Death and Judgment, and amazing Fears of Hell, will cast thee into terrible Pangs and Agonies of Con­science, and overwhelm thee with a total Despair. Some such I have known, who upon their Sick and Death-Beds have cried out, Ʋndone, eternally undone, there is no Hope, no Mercy for us; there remaineth nothing but a certain fearful looking for of Judgment and fiery Indignation from the Lord to consume us: Who have here­upon howled like a Beast, and roared out like a damned Soul; me­thinks I hear the doleful Sound continually in my Ears, and I hope I shall never totally forget it.

But for the present, let us suppose the best; Provided thou shouldest prove a true Fonitent (which is very unlikely) yet, without a Divine Revelation thou wilt not be able to know it. Many have been affrighted by Sickness into seemingly very seri­ous Purposes, and have been taken for sincere Converts; but when they have recovered, have returned again, like the Dog to his Vomit, and the Sow that has been washed to her wallow­ing in the mire. It may be this has been thy own case, a Fit of Sickness made a great change in thy Countenance, but a greater in Thoughts. But with thy Health thou hast recovered thy ancient Looks, and returned to thy Old Sins again; and all thy good Re­solutions have vanisht away like the Visions of the Night when a man awakes, or the Dew of the Morning when the Sun is risen. The Pangs thou hast undergone have not been like those of a Woman in Travel, which end in the Birth of a living Child; but like the racking and tormenting Pains of the Gout or Stone, which wear off, but no good comes of them. And who can assure thee that special Grace hath now fixed and established thy Heart, which hath so often started aside like a deceitful Bow? So that thou wilt unavoidably dye in a dreadful Cloud, and pass by the very Gates, and within a near View of the Flames of Hell, even though thou shouldest be received into Heaven.

3. It will greatly torment thee, if Sickness should find thee unready. Oh how wilt thou befool and condemn thy self, and say, How often was I put in mind of such an Hour as this? How often have I been called upon to prepare my Soul for it? How often did I purpose to do it? I was even ready to yield sometimes, but still I deferred it till a more convenient Season (as I called it;) [Page 21]such a Fool was I, and so like a Beast have I carried it! Surely I had not the Understanding of a man within me.

4. Great is the Happiness of those who are ready for a sudden Death. Nothing can make them miserable; they walk in the Light of God's Countenance, Peace of Conscience, Joy in the Holy Ghost, and a daily delightful Communion with God; a thing so ravishing, that as that Nobleman said, when in his low con­dition he was tempted with the offer of a Bag of Gold to return to Popery, Their Money perish with them that would not prefer one Hours Communion with God before all the Silver and Gold in this World. They drink abundantly of that sweet Wine, which hath a far more delicious relish and taste than all the Pleasures of this World, were the Spirits of them all extracted and mingled to­gether in one Draught.

And as they do not live, so neither do they dye at the com­mon rate of other men. Much of their Master's Joy comes down into them, before they are received up into it; they dye smiling, yea go away in Triumph into that blessed Place where Delight and Praise shall be their everlasting Work and Employ­ment.

5. And Lastly. The Consequences will be very dreadful, if thou art not ready. If thou hast not the habitual and fundamental readiness, that is, if thou art not justified and sanctified, thou art lost for ever. And except these men's Consciences are seared, if a Cloud be but gathering, if some threatning Sickness do but hover over them, it casts them into a mighty Confusion: But if it actually seize them, they are in the same condition with Belshazzar, when he saw the Fingers of a man's hand writing he knew not what; tho' he could not read nor understand the mystical Character, yet his guilty Conscience concluded it was a Sentence of Death and Wrath; whereupon his Thoughts troubled him, and his Knees smote one against another; and his Countenance changed white as that Wall on which the Hand-writing appeared: And he could not be more in haste for his Wise-men, than they are for the Physician, to tell them what their Fate is like to be.

And though thou hast the Fundamental, yet if thou hast not the actual readiness for Death too, thou wilt be full of Fears and inward distress of Soul, dye very uncomfortably, and go away trembling into the other world.

IV. And Lastly. The Application.

1. Learn hence the Reason of Holy Men's strictness in Religion. They dare not follow a multitude to do wickedly, nor assume to themselves so great a latitude in practice as their Neighbours. They think, and therefore they walk otherwise than the rest of mankind do. They take heed to their Feet, because they don't know but the next step they make may be into the other World. They have impressed upon their Minds a deep sense of those Words of our Saviour, Rev. 16.15. Behold I come as a Thief: Blessed is he that watcheth and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.

2. How sad is it, that so few are, or take any care to get them­selves ready? There is not a plainer instance of the deplorable Corruption and Folly of human Nature than this, That we stand in need of Divine Instruction by a powerful hand practi­cally to know this common and obvious thing, how frail we are. God had pronounced that Severe Sentence against the Israelites, That that whole Generation should die in the Wilderness with­in less than forty Years. And consequently in so vast a bo­dy of men, who were all of them to drop in so short a compass of Time, they could not chuse but have daily Spectacles of Mortality before their Eyes; and yet Moses was jealous that not a man among them would duly apprehend so plain a thing with­out Help from Heaven; He therefore digests his own serious Thoughts on this Point into a solemn Prayer, for the use of the Israelites; that so he might lead the People in their Devotions; as well as in their Wars and Journeyings through the Wilderness. Yea, tho' he was so eminent a Saint, and so well skilled in all the Learning of the Egyptians, of which Arithmetick was one part; yet he saw a necessity of Divine Grace for himself too, that he might be able to reckon aright in this matter; which therefore he prays for in his own behalf as well as theirs, So teach us to num­ber our days, Psa. 90.12. that we may apply our hearts to wisdom.

But the Folly of the generality of Mankind as to this point, Deut. 29.4 is so very manifest, that we have too much cause to take up Moses's Complaint, That the Lord hath not given them a heart to perceive, and eyes to see, and ears to hear unto this day; which is a plain argument that he hath not been seriously ap­plied [Page 23]unto, nor his Instructions obediently complied withal. Our Saviour indeed in his Parable supposes the number of the Wise and Prepared, the Foolish and Unready Virgins, to be equal, five of the one, and five of the other: But surely in our days there is a vast disproportion between these two sorts of persons.

3. Are you ready for Death and Judgment, yea or no? Would not an immediate Summons to appear before the Bar of Christ, put you into as much Disorder and Confusion, as a sleepy and care­less Army, by the sound of their Enemies warlike Instruments in the dead of the Night?

4. Will you make it the great business of your Lives, from this time forword, to prepare for this day; that you may not be sur­prized by it? To do this, is the Wisdom of all: But it would be a most unaccountable Folly in some men, if it should be neg­lected by them. Ex. Gr.

Those who have weak and crazy Bodies, and are frequently alarm'd by Sickness. If the Roof of the House be fallen, and the Floor be rotten, and several pieces of the Wall broken down, and the ragged Remains are visibly bowing and tottering every day, 'tis evident to our very Senses it cannot stand long.

Those who are old, whose grey Hairs make 'em look like Ears of Corn which are white and ripe for the Harvest.

Those who are the Watchmen of Israel, and whose business it is to awaken others; how inexcusable would they be, if they fall asleep themselves? Mr. Ken­tish, (both the Brothers.) Mr. Okes, Mr. Shewen of Coven­try, Mr. R. Mayo. Several of our Orde of late have been struck in the Pulpit, and tho' they have languisht some days, ne­ver recovered the fatal Blow they there received. They have been like a Taper, which while 'tis burning and shining in the Candlestick, on a sudden drops down into the Socket, where it lies for a little time, shooting up its wavering and trembling Light, which is immediately suckt back again, and extinguisht in a few moments. That you may not be surprized by this last Enemy,

1. Strengthen your Faith about the coming of Christ, and be much in consideration of it, and the suddenness of it too.

2. Be often putting Questions to your selves, in a very serious anner; Am I ready indeed? What if I should dye before to morrow comes? O my Soul, art thou in such a Posture as thou art willing to be found in, when Christ shall appear.

3. Shame your selves by considering what care you use to be rea­dy, and prevent a Surprize, in matters of a lower nature.

4. Reflect upon your selves, What Thoughts you had the last time you were Sick, and knew that you were unready, and were inwardly tormented in your minds at the Thoughts thereof.

Lastly, Improve the sudden Death of others to this end. This is the Voice of that Providence, that so hastily removed your late excellent Pastor, Mr. Nathanael Vincent. I need not to tell you, June 22. How on Tuesday was sevennight he was suddenly ta­ken ill in the Morning, and had leisure only to say, I find I am a dying; Lord, Lord, Lord, have mercy on my Family and Congrega­tion. So near did you his People lye to his Heart, even in his last Moments. Herein he resembled his and our common Lord, who having loved his own, loved them even to the end.

He was the Son of a Godly Minister, Mr. John Vincent; and a living Confutation of that Scandal, that the Children of the Prophets do more commonly than others prove Sons of Belial: As also was his late Brother, Mr. Thomas Vincent, a Minister of eminent Usefulness in London while he lived, especially in the time of the dreadful Plague, and whose Memory is still deser­vedly very dear and precious to those that knew him; like a Rose which adorns the Garden, and perfumes the Air while 'tis growing on the Tree, Mr. Bax­ter's Life. Part 3 ^d. p. 95. and hath a fragrant smell too a long time after it is gathered and dead. For he was a serious, humble, godly man, of sober Principles, and great Zeal and Diligence; as the In­comparable Mr. Baxter doth truly describe him.

He was of such pregnant Parts, and so strong a Memory, that by the help of that, when he was but Seven years Old, he was wont, for the ease of his tired Father, to repeat his Ser­mons in the Family in the Evenings of the Lord's Day. He was admitted as a Member of the Famous University of Oxford about the Eleventh Year of his Age, and went out Master of Arts about Eighteen; Preached publickly as a Lecturer at Pulborow in Sussex before Twenty; and at the Age of One and Twenty was Ordained and fixed as Rector of Langly-Marsh in Bucking-hamshire.

After his Ejectment, and a few years spent in a private Family, he came to this City the year after the Fire, and quickly settled among you in this Place. And this being the most publick [Page 25]Sphere wherein he moved, let us briefly consider him as a Mini­ster, and as a Christian (for I shall not draw him at his full length).

1. As a Minister. He had a good share of Learning, and other Ministerial Abilities; which he was daily improving by great diligence in his Study, as wisely considering, he that spends on the main stock, how large soever that may be, and does not endeavour to lay more in, will quickly come to Poverty.

He had a great Zeal against bold Intruders into the Work of the Ministry. And I hope you that are his People will herein re­semble him; turn away from those Men, and do not so much as vouchsafe them the Hearing. These Vermin begin to swarm among us, and disturb us by their hideous Noise, not in Corners or Cham­bers, but in our very Pulpits; and are like to prove an Egyptian Plague to us: If these Illiterate Antinomian Usurpers are not speedily and effectually discountenanced by Ministers and People too, they who are already the Blemish of Nonconformity, will quickly prove the total Ruin of it.

He had Luther's Three Qualifications to make a Man a Go­spel-Minister; he gave himself much to Meditation and Prayer to his last, that he might work things upon his own Soul, and thence more effectually convey them to yours. If Divine Truths are first Engraven on our Hearts, then are we most likely to Print them on those of our Hearers. And as for Temptation, he had been sorely exercised and distressed by it in his Younger days; though from that time Satan left him, and molested him no more in that manner.

He had a natural Fervency of spirit, which made him some­what vehement in every thing that he espoused; which Time and Experience did correct in some matters, making him more Calm and Moderate towards our Brethren who differ from us in things that lie remote enough from the Foundation.

He had a marvellous Readiness and Quickness in Answering any difficult Questions, as soon as ever they were Propounded to him. His Notions were fast locked up in a faithful Memory, but yet the door did presently fly open at the first knock, so as that he could easily bring them forth at pleasure.

But the Gift of Breaching, that most essential and useful Part of a Minister's Work, was that peculiar Talent wherewith God had Blessed and Honoured him. He opened and applied the [Page 26]great Truths of the Gospel, with that mixture of Plainness and Majesty, with that measure of Life and Power, that showed he had a deep sense upon his own Heart of the great Ends of the Ministry, the Glory of God, and the Salvation of Souls. His Delivery and Carriage were Graceful; his Speech Sound, such as could not be Condemned; his Sermons Warm and Serious, such as commanded Attention, raised Affection, and struck an Awe in­to the Consciences of those who heard them. And no wonder then he had so general an Acceptance, and so eminent Success. Many were the Seals of his Ministry; of this and that man it may be truly said, That they were born here.

2. Consider him as a Christian. He has been noted for this, that he was very ready upon all occasions to start some holy and serious Discourse; a thing that is grown almost out of fashion among the Professors of this Age. When we meet together, we talk of News, of worldly Affairs, it may be of the Sins and Miscarriages of our Brethren; we can spend whole Hours toge­ther, and hardly drop one word, of God, or Christ, or Heaven, all the while. But hardly any Company could he come into, but he was like an open Box of precious Ointment, he would leave some sweet Persume, some Heavenly Discourse behind him.

His Compassion to the Poor was great, to whom he gave Alms, and Holy Advice at the same time; and was very liberal in both, doing Good at once to Body and Soul too.

He was a Close Walker with God, and found the fruit of it, by enjoying a constant, settled, calm Assurance of the Divine Love, for many years together; which pass'd the trial, and stood firm and unshaken, several times, when he verily thought him­self to be near his End. When his nearest Relation express'd her great Sorrow at the Apprehensions of his Death, in a for­mer Sickness, he replied, Why weep you for me, who am going to the Eternal Inheritance? And then brake forth into a large and serious Discourse of the Joys of the Saints above.

He had frequent Alarms by the Providence of God, and had a deep sense of his own Mortality thereupon. He said to a Friend a few days since, I do not expect to live long, but I bless God I am ready. Any one that would see his very Heart and Soul, let him read the Introduction to those useful Sermons of his about [Page 27] the benefit of Affliction, Preached and Printed on the occasion of his having been twice seized with a Death-threatning Cala­mity.

His Patience and Resignation under Afflictions, and sharp and severe pains, was very remarkable. When, upon that occasion, a near Relation expressed too much of concernedness, as he thought, for him; His Answer was, Submission, Submission best becomes Creatures. And it was a frequent saying with him, I am in the hands of my gracious God and Father, who best sees what is best for me.

This was the Man, this was the Minister, this was the Chri­stian, whom you have lost. They who saw his Face here so of­ten, and with so much delight, shall never see it more in this place. They who heard the Voice of this Charming Preacher with so much content, shall never hear it more. He shall watch over, exhort, rebuke, guide, direct, comfort you no more. Seeing he is gone whence he shall not return, and can give you no more Advice; suffer [...]e to do it. And I shall speak a few things to you as a Society, and I hope my Counsel will be ac­ceptable to you.

1. Be not too hasty in filling up the Breach which God has made upon you; and yet be not too dilatory neither.

2. Seek out a man, that comes as near as may be to your deceased Pastor, in Doctrine, Discipline, and Ministerial Gifts; a better Pattern I can­not propound to you. And though this be no very easy matter, yet I do not totally despair but such a one may in time be found out; especially if the United Ministers in and about this City, be applied unto, as I think they ought to be upon such an Oc­casion.

3. Till this be done, be very careful whom you admit into the Pul­pit. 'Tis not sit that every private Brother should assume the liberty of thrusting up whom he has a mind unto. Nothing should be done of this nature, without the concurring consent of those who have had some share in the managing the Affairs of this Society. And if this Rule be neglected, it opens a. wide Gap for Breaches and Divisions, for Confusion and every Evil work.

4. Let the Lord's Supper be kept up at its usual and stated times. The Neighbouring Pastors lawfully may administer it to you; [Page 28]and I doubt not but they will at your request. This will keep your Members from scattering, who else will be ready to run into other Folds, and may be tempted from an Occasional, to six in a Stated Communion: And hereby no opportunity will be given to any of those People, who whether by Commission from others, or not, I list not to enquire, are turned Privateers, endeavouring to pick up any Rich Vessel that is separated from the rest of the Fleet.

5. Let not any of the Members of this Society, take this opportunity of leaving it. I know what the Plea of some will be, The re­moteness of their Dwellings. But surely, though your Pastor be, yet your Houses I suppose are not removed, but stand still in the same place they did, and are altogether as near as former­ly they were. But, whatever you may do hereafter, don't drop off now; stay till a Successor be chosen, and the Society well fixed under him; the pulling out of one or two Pins at such a time as this is, may shake and endanger the whole Build­ing. If there be a necessity, and you must, or will be gone; be not in haste; wait but for one year, till things are setled, and then you may slide off without much Observation or Dan­ger.

6. And Lastly, Break not into Parties and Factions: Beware of hard Speeches, unjust Surmises, secret Heart-burnings and Jealou­sies one of another. Beware of private Cabals, and of being practiced upon by any without Doors, who may have little and wicked Designs upon you, for the tearing and dividing you in pieces, and sending a Fireship in among you, in order to the scattering of you: And such there are, who, while they are at a distance, and by the Colours that they hang out one would take for Friends, but shall find them at last to be real Ene­mies.

I shall close all with the words of the Apostle; Heb. 13.7. Remember him that had the Rule over you, that so often spake to you the word of God; whose Faith follow, considering the end of his Conversati­on. And consider his End aright, so that you may all fall in with she Exhortation of our Saviour in my Text, To be always ready; For the Son of man may come upon you, as he did upon him, in an hour when you think not.