according to the provision he makes on earth; and they that will find a treasure in heaven must now lay it up there. (Matt. vi. 19, 20.) I do not blame a man that is well in his wits, if he be loth to die, till he hath some comfortable assurance that it shall certainly go well with him in another world. And every man's assurance, as I have proved, is imperfect. And there I doubt not but, 1. We may pray for recovery from sicknesses. 2. And may rejoice in it, and give thanks for it, as a great mercy. 3. And may pray hard for our godly and ungodly friends in their sickness. 4. And must value our time highly, and improve it, as a mercy which we must be accountable for. 5. And every godly man is so useful to the church, ordinarily, that, even for the church's service, he may desire to live longer, as Paul did, even till he come to the full age of man, and while he is able to serve the church, and it hath need of him. No man should be over hasty to a state that must never be changed, when both assurance of glory and his fitness for it are still imperfect; and ordinarily the saints grow fitter in their age. But then this must not be in love of earth, but we must take it as our present loss to be kept from heaven, though it may tend to the church's and our own future advantage, and so may be desired: so that you must still see that heaven be valued and loved above earth, even when you have cause to pray for longer time, as she that longs to be married to a prince, may desire delay for preparation. But, First, This is nothing to their case who are still delaying, and never willing; whose true discontents are at death itself, more than at the unseasonableness of dying. Secondly, Though such desires are sometimes lawful, yet must they be carefully bounded and moderated; to which end are the former considerations. We must not be too absolute and peremptory in our desires, but cheerfully yield to God's disposal. The rightest temper is that of Paul's, to be in a strait between two; desiring to depart, and be with Christ, and yet to stay while God will have us, to do the church the utmost service. But, alas! we are seldom in this strait: our desires run out all one way, and that for the flesh, and not the church. (Phil. i. 23.) Our straits are only for fear of dying, and not betwixt the earnest desires of dying, and of living. He that desireth life only to prepare for heaven, doth love heaven better than life on earth, for the end is still more beloved than all the means.

Sect. XXIV. Object. But is not death a punishment of God

for sin? Doth not Scripture call it the "king of fears;" and nature, above all other evils, abhor it?s

Answ. I will not meddle with that which is controversial in this: whether death be properly a punishment or not: but grant, that, in itself considered, it may be called evil, as being naturally the dissolution of the creature. Yet being sanctified to us by Christ, and being the season and occasion of so great a good, as is the present possession of God in Christ, it may be welcomed with a glad submission, if not with desire. Christ affords us grounds enough to comfort us against this natural evil; and therefore endues us with the principle of grace, to raise us above the reach of nature.

For all those low and poor objections, as leaving house, goods, and friends, leaving our children unprovided, &c., I pass them over, as of lesser moment, than to take much with men of grace.

Sect. XXV. Lastly, Understand me in this also, that I have spoken all this to the faithful soul. I persuade not the ungodly from fearing death. It is a wonder rather that they fear it no more, and spend not their days in continual horror, as is said before. Truly, but that we know a stone is insensible, and a hard heart is dead and stupid, or else a man would admire how poor souls can live in ease and quietness, that must be turned out of these bodies into everlasting flames; or that be not sure, at least, if they should die this night, whether they shall lodge in heaven or hell the next, especially when many are called, and so few chosen, and the righteous themselves are scarcely saved. One would think such men should eat their bread with trembling, and the thoughts of their danger should keep them waking in the night, and they should fall presently a searching themselves, inquiring of others, and crying to God, that if it were possible they might quickly be out of this danger, and so their hearts be freed from horror. For a man to quake at the thoughts of

Jam nemo est qui esse nolit, quam nemo est qui non beatus esse velit. Quomodo enim potest beatus esse, si nihil sit? Ita vi quadam naturali ipsum esse jucundum est, ut non ob aliud, et hi qui miseri sunt, nolint interire. Et cum se miseros esse sentiant, non seipsos de rebus, sed miseriam suam potius auferri velint; etiam miserrimus, siquis immortalitatem daret, qua nec ipsa miseria moreretur; proposito sibi quod si in cadem miseria semper esse nollent, nulli et nusquam essent futuri, sed omni modo perituri; profecto exultarent lætitia, et sic semper eligerent esse, quam omnino non esse.-August. de Civit. lib. xi. cap. 26. Sed hoc de tolerabili tantum miseria intelligendum est.

death that looks by it to be dispossessed of his happiness, and knoweth not whither he is next to go, this is no wonder. But for the saints to fear their passage by death to rest, this is an unreasonable, hurtful fear.'

CHAP. III.

Motives to a heavenly Life.

SECT. I. We have now, by the guidance of the word of the Lord, and by the assistance of his Spirit, showed you the nature of the rest of the saints, and acquainted you with some duties in relation thereto. We come now to the close of all, to press you to the great duty, which I chiefly intended, when I begun this subject, and have here reserved it to the last place, because I know hearers are usually of slippery memories, yet apt to retain the last that is spoken, though they forget all that went before. Dear friends, it is pity that either you or I should forget any thing of that which doth so nearly concern us, as this eternal rest of the saints doth. But if you must needs forget something, let it be any thing else, rather than this: let it be rather all that I have hitherto said (though I hope of better) than this one ensuing use.

Is there a rest, and such a rest remaining for us? Why then are our thoughts no more upon it? Why are not our hearts continually there? Why dwell we not there in constant contemplation? Sirs, ask your hearts in good earnest, What is the cause of this neglect? Are we reasonable in this, or are we not? Hath the eternal God provided us such a glory, and promised to take us up to dwell with himself, and is not this worth the thinking on? Should not the strongest desires of our hearts be after it, and the daily delights of our souls be there? Do we believe this; and can we yet forget and neglect it? What is

For comfort in the death of friends, the nine considerations of Gerson are excellent, Operum, part. iv. fol. 146; and his following tractate De Consola. tione Mortis Parentum. Lege et Grotii Epist. ad Gal. 26. p. 67: Mali cum non possint de sua vita rectam rationem reddere, cumque timeant coram judice sistere, dilatant mortem quantum possunt, corpus lautis opiparisque ciborum generibus pascendo: ut si possent in perpetuam in hac vita permanerent. Mulier adultera, quæ domi adulterum habet, quando maritus ad ostium pulsat, non ita cito aperit, sed tardatur, ut interim abscondere possit adulterum ; ita mali, &c.-Stella in Luke xii. tom. ii. p. 109. a.

the matter? Will not God give us leave to approach this light; or will he not suffer our souls to taste and see it? Why, then, what mean all his earnest invitations? Why doth he so condemn all our earthly-mindedness, and command us to set our affections above? Ah, vile hearts! if God were against it, we were likelier to be for it; when he would have us to keep our station, then we are aspiring to be like God, and are ready to invade the divine prerogatives; but when he commands our hearts to heaven, then they will not stir an inch like our predecessors the sinful Israelites : when God would have them march for Canaan, then they mutiny, and will not stir; either they fear the giants, or the walled cities, or want necessaries; something hinders them; but when God bids them not go, then will they needs be presently marching, and fight they will, though it be to their overthrow. If the fore-thoughts of glory were forbidden fruits, perhaps we should be sooner drawn unto them, and we should itch, as the Bethshemites, to be looking into this ark. Sure I am, where God hath forbidden us to place our thoughts and our delights, thither it is easy enough to draw them. If he say, "Love not the world, nor the things of the world," we dote upon it nevertheless. We have love enough if the world require it, and thoughts enough to pursue our profits. How delightfully and unweariedly can we think of vanity; and day after day employ our minds about the creature! And have we no thoughts of this our rest? How freely and how frequently can we think of our pleasures, our friends, our labours, our flesh, our lusts, our common studies, our news; yea, our very miseries, our wrongs, our sufferings, and our fears! But where is the Christian whose heart is on his rest? Why, sirs, what is the matter? Why are we not taken up with the views of glory, and our souls more accustomed to these delightful meditations? Are we so full of joy that we need no more: or, is there no matter in heaven for our joyous thoughts: or rather, are not our hearts carnal and blockish? Earth will to earth. Had we more spirit, it would be otherwise with us. As the Jews use to cast to the ground the book of Esther before they read it, because the name of God is not in it; and as Augustin. cast by Cicero's writings, because they contained not the name of Jesus; so let us humble and cast down these sensual hearts that have in them no more of Christ and glory. As we should not own our duties any further than somewhat of Christ is in them, so should we no further own our hearts; and as we should

delight in the creatures no further than they have reference to Christ and eternity, so should we no further approve of our own hearts. If there were little of Christ and heaven in our mouths, but the world were the only subject of our speeches, then all would account us to be ungodly, why then may we not call our hearts ungodly that have so little delight in Christ and heaven? A holy tongue will not excuse or secure a profane heart. Why did Christ pronounce his disciples' eyes and ears so blessed, but as they were doors to let in Christ by his works and words into their heart? Oh, blessed are the eyes that so see, and the ears that so hear, that the heart is thereby raised to this blessed, heavenly frame! Sirs, so much of your hearts as is empty of Christ and heaven, let it be filled with shame and sorrow, and not with ease.

Sect. II. But let me turn my reprehension to exhortation, that you would turn this conviction into reformation. And I have the more hope because I here address myself to men of conscience, that dare not wilfully disobey God; and to men whose relations to God are many and near, aud therefore, methinks, there should need the fewer words to persuade their hearts to him; yea, because I speak to no other men but only them whose portion is there, whose hopes are there, and who have forsaken all, that they may enjoy this glory; and shall I be discouraged from persuading such to be heavenly-minded? Why, fellow Christians, if you will not hear and obey, who will? Well may we be discouraged to exhort the poor, blind, ungodly world, and may say, as Moses, "Behold the children of Israel have not hearkened unto me, how then shall Pharaoh hear me?” (Exod. xvi. 12.) Whoever thou art, therefore, that readest these lines, I require thee, as thou tenderest thine allegiance to the God of heaven, as ever thou hopest for a part in this glory, that thou presently take thy heart to task; chide it for its wilful strangeness to God; turn thy thoughts from the pursuit of vanity; bend thy soul to study eternity; busy it about the life to come; habituate thyself to such contemplations, and let not those thoughts be seldom and cursory; but settle upon them: dwell here; bathe thy soul in heaven's delights; drench thine affections in these rivers of pleasure, or rather, in this sea of consolation; and if thy backward soul begin to flag, and thy loose thoughts to fly abroad, call them back, hold them to their work, put them on, bear not with their laziness, do not connive at one neglect; and when thou hast once in obedience to God tried this