IF Men, as it the Saying of an eminent Father of the Primitive Church, would always have Death and Judgment be­fore their Eyes; if they would but fancy se­riously that they heard the dreadfull sound of Arise ye dead and come to Judgment, continually in their ears, they would never do amiss: and certain it is, however they may flatter and in dulge themselves in a long Security, It is ap­pointed for all Men once to dye, and after that to come to Judgment; and where then shall the Sinner and Ungodly appear! how shall the unprofitable Servant look his Lord in the Face, when he has not only neglected to [Page 6]improve his Talent, but has idlely and vain­ly squandred away the precious moments of Time allowed him to traffick with Hea­ven for Eternity! with what Face can he ap­pear before the Judge of all the Earth, to whom all darkness is as day; and to whom all secrets are layed open; all the Sins even from the first Commission to the Grave stand open and naked to his view, when even himself shall be bound to confess he knew the Will of his Master and did it not!

What I say, will those that triffe away their days in ease and idleness, and the pur­suit of vanity do in that day of fury and fear, when a universal flood of Fire shall over­stream the whole World, and consume both the Beauty and Glory thereof! when at the sound of the Trumpet all Graves shall open and the drousie dead shall break from the Chains of Death to appear before the dread Tribunal of their Judge! for if Job confessed he always trembled before the Majesty of God like one that failed in a stormy Tem­pest, and that his fear hath been so great that he hath been unable to bear it: needs must then the Sinner accompanied with no­thing but an accusing Conscience tremble much more, when he sees the Book opened wherein are Registred all his past actions, [Page 7]even every evil Thought, for which he, when least able, must give an account for▪ as the Wise man saith, God bringeth every secret Work into Judgment, whether it be good or evil: and St. John says, The Book was opened, and the dead were judged out of the things that were written therein. Oh! then it will be that the Rocks and Mountains will be called upon in vain to hide the Guilty from the face of the Lamb, and from the Face of him that sitteth upon the Throne.

Oh consider! it is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God; for the Kingly Prophet affirms that if his Wrath be but a little kindled in his Breast, Blessed are they that put their trust in him, Psalm. 2.12. For who can dwell with the everlasting Bur­nings! Isa. 14 and with such must those dwell not for a time but to all Eternity, who put far away the Evil day, and by re­lying, at most, upon a Death-bed Repentance, are found unprovided of a Wedding Gar­ment when they come to the Marriage Feast; and sad was his case and ever to be deplo­red who was so found, as you may read it, Mat. 22.11.12.13. viz. And when the King came in to see the Guest, he saw there a Man that had not on a Wedding Garment, and he said unto him, friend, how camest thou in hither [Page 8]not having a Wedding Garment? and he was speechless, then said the King to the Servants, Bind him hand and foot and take him away and cast him into utter darkness, there shall be weeping and nashing of teeth: in the like man­ner shall Sinners in the last day be speechless that is, confounded and amazed at the sense of their guilt, not knowing what excuse to make for the breach of those Laws that were enjoyned them upon no lesser a penalty than eternal Death to those that break them; and on the other hand, no less than an Eternal weight of Glory, a Crown of Righteousness and Pleasures that fade not away, to those that keep them and persevere in them. For when the Son of Man shall come in his Glo­ry and the Holy Angels with him, then shall he sit upon the Throne of his Glory, and be­fore him shall be gathered all Nations; and he shall separate them out from one another as the Shepherd divideth the Sheep from the Goats, and he shall set the Sheep on the Right hand but the Goats on the Left, Mat. 25.31.32.33. then shall the one be rewarded and the other punished, for by the Sheep are meant those that have persevered in well-doing, those that know their Lords Will and obey it; and by Goats those that despise his Coun­sells and will have none of his Reproofs, as [Page 9]will plainly appear in the subsequent verses of the foregoing Chapter, and in the 46. verse the definitive Sentence, viz. These, meaning the Goats placed on the Left hand, shall go into everlasting punishment; but the Righteous, meaning the Sheep, on the Right hand into Life Eternal.

Consider these things, all you that have as yet the Golden opportunity left by Time in you hands, and Kiss the Son least he be angry and ye perish in the way. Psal. 2.12. for al­though the young man shine to day like the glist'ring of a Dove's neck, and dance like a bubble upon the Waves, yet too morrow he may set in the gloomy shades of Death and his place remember him no more. How many are there that sink suddenly into the blackness of night, and are laid up in the gloomy Caves of during Darkness, till the Arch-angel's Trumpet rouze them from their long sleep, to appear with the rest gathered from the four Winds of Heaven, when they the least dream'd of leaving their Pageant Glories, when they thought they most se­curely hugged and embraced the trifling va­nities of the lower. World, putting far away the evil day, like the Fool in the Gospel, who flattered his Soul with ease and plenty for a long time, but found alass! his Ex­pectation [Page 10]failed; for even that very night his Soul was required of him, and then too fatally he found that he had troubled himself in gathering Riches and knew not who should enjoy them; in gathering Riches that made themselves Wings and flew away, and cou'd not, had they been more perma­nent and durable, have at all relieved him in his last and greatest necessity, as you will find it in Luke. 1. chap. 12. &c. and though as we see the Rich Man whilst he lived upon Earth had all the Pleasures and Delights that the World could afford him, he fared riotously every day, and was clad in purple; yet see how poorly these availed him, for which he had strugled and laboured, perhaps many years; for being in Torment he had not a drop of Water to cool his tongue, the Mammon of Unrighteousness that had barr'd him of Eternal Life, cou'd not admi­nister him the least relief, when suffering under the divine Vengeance, but rather increased with their sad remembrance his Torments in those flames. Yet to these, even through what Seas of Blood will some Men wade, as if they were the chiefest of all good, when indeed they bring a sting with them that pierces through the Body and wounds the very Soul, too frequently de­stroying [Page 11]our peace on Earth, and more fre­quently everlastingly causing the names of the too too fond Possessors, who make their Bellies their God, and put their trust in Rich­es, to be blotted out of the Book of Life. Oh that Men would be wise! and consider this, that they would consider upon the pre­sent Moments of Life depends Eternal Joys or Everlasting Woes; and that it cannot profit a Man if he gain the whole World and loose his own Soul, for with the immortal Soul what can stand in competition! not all the glittering Glories of ten thousand worlds, were they put in the Ballance, would weigh any thing, in the terrible day when the Lord cometh with ten thousand of his Saints to execute Judgement upon all, and to con­vince all that are ungodly among them, of all the Ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, &c. Jude, 1.14.15. if all the things so valued in this World can­not bribe Death, which is the in let to Eter­nity, much less can any expect that the im­partial Judge of all the Earth should any way regard transitory things; or that they should weigh in the least with him at whose disposal and in whose hands is all the breath of Life, and who indeed is the very Centre of the Soul of Man, and by whom it is alone [Page 12]comprehended, so that the World can ren­der it no satisfaction as to its Eternal estate nor is it capable of attaining for the least Transgression, When the Lord Jesus shall b [...] revealed from Heaven with his mighty Angels in flaming Fire, taking vengeance on those that know not God and obeyed not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, 2. Thessa. 1.7.8. when those who conceived themselves securely fenced by Riches and Honour, shall be tumbled by Death from a Bed of Downe in­to a Bed of Flames, what relief can they hope for or expect from all they possessed which at most, if any remembrance of tempo­ral things be left beyond the Grave, will prove but a Melancholly sight to shew them the height of Happiness from whence they fell, and the depth of misery into which they are fallen; especially if we consider what a dreadfull sentence is pronounced in the fol­lowing verse of the foregoing chapter, viz. Who shall be punished with everlasting destructi­on from the Presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power; a destruction irrevocable, not to be recalled, but as long as God is God, so long shall it continue infinite ages of Eternity and never expire; for cou'd there be the least room for hope of ease to those in Torment, though at the Revolution of [Page 13]Millions of years, it would in some measure mitigate their pain: but shou'd a heap of Sand be piled up to the Clouds and a Bird carry away a Grain every day, a thousand such heaps, so removed, stand not in com­petition with the endless flight of never end­ing Eternity. The consideration of which, made St. Austin in a manner dwell upon the word Eternity, by repeating it often that it might be ever in his mind to make him look up with the more earnestness to the Author and finisher of his Faith, and oblige him to set the lighter esteem on temporal things; remembring that he was a Stranger and Pil­grim upon Earth, and that here he had no tarrying City but looked for one not built with hands in the highest Heaven: on that alone then let us steadfastly fix our eyes, and even deny our selves to the flatt'ring plea­sures and vanities of the World, that we may with the more ease run the Race that is set before us, and strive with earnestness to obtain the Crown that is held forth to true Believers and to such as persevere to the end, viz. Be thou faithfull until Death, and I will give thee a Crown of Life. Rev. 2.10. a Crown more valuable than ten thousand worlds, or any thing on this side the fruition of the bea­tifick Vision; the earnest desire of attaining [Page 14]which, made Holy David say, His Soul pan [...] ed after God as the Hart panted after the wate [...] Brook, and in the midst of his Rapture crye [...] out, O how amiable are thy Dwellings, th [...] Lord of Hoasts! my Soul longeth and panteth t [...] enter into thy Courts. Psal. 84.1.2.

To conclude, if Foelix who was a Heathe [...] tremb [...]ed when Paul reasoned of Righteous­ness, Temperance and Judgment to come let us that are Christians consider what man­ner of men we ought to be if we expect to stand in the day when the Sun shall be dark­ned and the Moon shall not give her light and the Stars shall fall from Heaven, and the Powers of the Heaven shall be shaken▪ for then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in Heaven, and then shall all the Tribe [...] of the Earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of Man coming in the Clouds of Heaven with Power and great Glory; and he shall send his Angels with a great sound of a Trumpet, and they shall gather together the Elect from one end of Heaven to the o­ther, Mat. 24.29.30.31. for the which, that we may be all right and fitly prepared, Grant dear Jesus for thy Mercies sake. A­men.