THAT Great Question, being once put unto a Wise Person, How may I most wisely Order my Life? It was a Wise Answer then given thereunto, So Think, so [...]o, so Live, as you would have Chosen to have done, when a while ago, you thought your self a Dying. 'Tis very certain, That the Follies of Mankind, appear in this One Thing, & proceed from this One Thing, as much as any One Thing what­soever; Men will not Entertain, the same Appre [...]nsions, and the same Disposi­tions, [Page 4] while they Live, that they will have when they come to Dye. A Dy­ing Man ordinarily hath other and bet­ter Notions of things [...] had, while he was Living under the Enchantments of the Flesh. When the Dimness of Death sits upon the Eye lids of a man, and his Eyes are g [...]ing to be closed up­on all Earthly Obje [...]ts for ever▪ he then commonly has a Truer Sight of Things, than the Hurries of Life would allow unto him.

What greater Service can I now do, for you, My Neighbours, than to set be­fore you, the Resentments of Things, which I am fully sure, will come upon you, in the Minutes of your Departur [...] [...]om this Bewitching World? And [...], I can pretend, the more sensible, to set before you those Resentments, because I have, not only by the State of my own Health, been placed many a time on the Brink of Eternity, but also, I have hundreds, it may be, thousands of Times had my sad opportunities, to Behold the [...] of others, that have been passing thro' the Dark Valley of the Shadow of Death. Where­fore, [Page 5] I have nothing to do, in the Hour that I have now to spend among you, but only to make you a Faithful and an Awful Report, of what I have been dai­ly observing in my Dying Friends, to whose Assistences I have been continual­ly called for now Seven more than Ten years together: Experience enough sure, to afford such Assertions, and such As [...]u­rances, as I am now, from Thence, to ad­dress you withal. But a Text of Scrip­ture, must [...] the Admonitions, which are to be [...] out of this [...]

We are n [...]w [...] in S [...]mons [...]o [...]ch: Even in [...] ▪ that stan [...]s [...] Solomon. The [...] a [...]i [...]ing his own [...] every Young man like [...] Youth is [...] to say, the Folly of, [...]. And the [...] this Advice is [...] Concern▪ which [...] the Fool by Si [...]ning [...] God [...] have upon the [...] Spiri [...], [...], concerning [Page 6] this their Sinful Folly. At the Last; That is, When Death makes near Approaches unto them; THEN! Then 'tis, that men come to call themselves Fools, with Furi­ous Reflections of Conscience, upon the Ex­orbitances, which they once pleased themselves withal. Hear the Summ of the matter.

When the Sinful Children of men, see themselves likely to Live no longer, they are commonly sensible of the many Sin­ful Errors, with which their Lives, have been Disordered.

This Observation, supposes, that men have been Illuminated, with the Truths, and Rules, of the Gospel; and that these men have some Exercise of Rational Fa­culties, when they see their Death advan­cing upon them. Upon such a Suppo­sition, we say, That men are commonly Guilty of much Disorder in their Lives, while they Live in Prosperity, and while they Dream of having [...] many a fair Day to Live: But, at the Last! At the Last! they see the Gross Errors of this Disorder, and they see them with ho [...]ri­ble Regret. What is it that ordinarily be­trayes [Page 7] men, into much Disorder of Life? One cause of it, is, their thinking, like the Rich Fool, in Luk. 12.20. That there will be many years, before their Souls be required of them: One cause of it, is, their doing like the Ill men, in Amos 6.3. Put far away the Evil Day. But when men come to see, their Souls just going to be Required of them, and the Evil Day just laying its Arrest upon them; Then! even at the Last, they see, that all their Disobedience against God hath been an unaccountable Folly. The most of men, when they are just Going to the Dead they see that Madness has been in their Hearts, while they have Lived: and they see it, with wonderful Agonies of Astonish­ment.

The CASE, wherewith I am now to treat you, is;

What are the main Instances, wherein men usually, when they come to Dy, do with changed Sentiments, Reflect upon the Er­rors, wherein they Lived!

The Thoughts of men in Health, and [Page 8] in Ease, & under Temptation, are common­ly vain enough: The Lord knows that they are very vain. But it is well worth the while for us to be informed, what will be our Thoughts at the Last! and I am very sure, that I can give you a thorow Information. When men are a Dying, we usually see, and say, They are Chan­ging: yea, but a Change of mind, is not the least part of the Change, which then comes upon them. And the thing, after which we now make, I hope, our Profi­table Enquiry, is, Wherein do men usually Change their minds, when they feel the Chan­ges of Death, hastening upon them? I will now give you, [...]one but, Faithful Sayings, and such therefore, as are Worthy of all Acceptation, in Answer to this Enquiry.

I. At the Last, When we see our selves likely to Live no longer in the World, We shall see and say, That it is a Miserable Thing to be put off with a Portion in the World. While men think, of con­tinuing yet many a long Summers Day in the World, they are strangly & strong­ly, Fascinated with Worldly Accommoda­tions; [Page] and they Scarce pursue any other Portion, than what this World affords; Rem, Rem, quocunque Modo Rem! But, at the Last! When men see themselves just leaving of the World; Then, they cry out, with Words, not unlike those of the Psalmist, in Psal. 17.14. O deliver me from (ever being like) the Men of the World, that have their Portion in this Life! Tis very certain, that at the Last, when you are taking your leave of this World, you will be full of Disdainful Exp [...]essions concerning it, and Express your selves to this purpose; Vain World! False World! Oh! that I had minded this World Less, and my own Soul more, than I have done! When the Jubilee drew near, the People set but a Little Price on their P [...]ssessions: In allusi­on whereunto it is, that the Apostle says, in 1 Cor. 7.29. This I say, Brethren; The Time is Short; It remains that they who buy▪ be as though they possessed not. Well, And This I say, Brethren; When we per­ceive our Time is now but Short, we then say of all that we have in this World, Alas, If this be all that I have, then I have just nothing at all. At the Last, on the Cur­tains [Page 10] of our Death bed, we shall see Writ­ten, (as a MENE TEKEL, upon all Worldly Enjoyments,) those very Signi­ficant Words, in Matth. 16.26. What is a man profited, if he Gain the whole World, and Loose his own Soul? The Uneasiness of a Death bed, will, at the Last, Effectually Teach us, if no Afflicton in our Life, have, with Briers and Thorns, taught it unto us, That no Rest may in this World be hoped for, At the Last, how shall we Slight our fine Houses here, when we are going into the small, dark, and Cold House ▪ of the Grave, appointed for all the Living? How shall we despise our Lands, when we are going to be Covered with the Clods of the Earth, and Confined within Six Foot of Earth? How shall we despi [...]e our Cloathes, when we are going to be Shrouded in our Winding-Sheets, and have our Fallen Jaws Muffled up? What will our Chests of Treasure be unto us, when we are our selves going to be Nail'd up in the Black Chest, of a Coffen? We may now fondly Bless the Coveteous, and Commend the Pru­dence of them, whose chief concern 'tis to get as much as ever they can of this [Page 11] Earth into their Hands; though the God of Heaven, do Abhor such a man, as much as he does the Vilest Sinner upon Earth. But how will it be, At the Last? Then, the True Estate of such a man, will appear to be That, in Jer. 17.11. He shall Leave his Riches in the midst of his Days, and at his End he shall be a Fool: Yea, and at that End, he shall most bitterly call himself a Fool, for his looking after none but such Deceitful Riches. There are some who so read those Passages, in Job 22.24▪ Make no more of thy Gold, than Dust, Esteem the Gold of Ophir, no better than the Stones of the Brook; So the Almighty shall be unto thee, both Gold, & Plenty of Silver. Truly, when men are going to appear before the Almighty, all their Gold will be of no more account unto them. It hath been an Observation sometimes made, That Solenne est in confinio mortis posi [...]is, re [...] Huma­nas ex ignota et Supernaturali causa fastid re. Men do a little before they Dy, contract from some supernatural & unaccountable, Impression upon them, a strange Distast for the Affairs of this World. Sy [...]s, This World, will become a Distastful, and an [Page 12] Insufficient and an Insignificant sort of a Thing unto us, when we see our selves going out of it. Some Greater Good, even something that is not Mortal, for an Im­mortal Soul, will then be desired, with a more Ardent Rage of Soul, than what is in the Thirst of the Hart after the Water­brooks.

II. At the Last, When we see our selves Likely to Live no longer in our Sin, we shall see and say, That there is no Evil so Odious, or Dangerous, or Damnable, a our Sin. Tis a saying, which the Jewes as­cribe to our Father Adam, No man would Sin if he sa [...] from the Beginning to the End. Alas, The Children of Adam, when they come to the End, their Sin does not seem such a Trivial, and such an Harmless [...] as it might, at the Beginning. I [...] to tell some of you, That the Sin, whereof you now say, The Stolen Waters are sweet, At the Last, when you come to D [...], you will say, I am sure, Solomon said so; 'Tis more bitter than Death it self. It is remark'd of a Wicked man, in Psa. 36 2. He flatters himself, in his own Eyes, until his Iniquity, be found to be Hateful. [Page 13] While men are wallowing in the Plea­sures of Sin, which are but for a Season, they Flatter themselves with vain Con­ceits, That Sin is not such an Evil, as indeed it is. They please themselves in Sin, as having some Delight, or Profit, attending of it, and they Sp [...]r [...] themselves in their own Delusions. But, at the Last, when that Short Season of Enjoying the Pleasures of Sin, Things not worthy to be called Enjoyments, is out, Oh! Then, SIN appears in its own hateful and hor­rid hue, unto their awakened Souls. If we do Now make Light of Transgres­sing the Law of God, in any Commission, or in any Omission, whatsoever, the Trans­gression will not appear a Light matter unto us, at the Last, when we are just going to make our Appearance, before God the Judge of all. Let any Friend, then ask us, What is the heaviest Load that now Lies upon you? I know, what An­swer we shall make, because I have of­ten heard That Answer made; We shall not say, The Losses, and the Reproaches, and the Sicknesses, that we have met withal; but we shall say, My SIN, my [Page 14] SIN! my Iniquities, They are as an heavy Burden, too heavy for me! When Male­factors have been going to their Execu­tion among us, they have solemnly, e­ven with the Groans of Deadly Wounded men, professed unto me, That they had rather go on to the Terrible Death before them, than go back to Drink, and Whore, and Game, and Profane the Lords Day, as they did use to do. What saith a Solomon, about the Sin of Drunkenness? in Prov. 23.32. At the Last, it bites like a Ser­pent, and Stings like an Adder. Some write of that Snake, that when it first fastens on a man, the poison seems a plea­sure to him, it so tickles him that he can hardly forbear Laughter at the Titilla­tion; but when the poison hath fully insinuated it self into him, Then Intol­lerable is the Torment of it. Such will be the Torment, of them whom this Loathsome Sin, has Envenomed, at the Last! So have they found it, from whose Dying mouths, I have heard those woful cries, Ale houses are Hell houses! Truly, At the Last, men will say, The Juice of T [...]ads, were not a more vene­mous [Page 15] Liquor, than that with which they have been heretofore Intoxicated. At the Last, men will say, They had better have taken Burning Coals into their B [...] ­some, than have Lodg'd in their Heart the Burning Thoughts of Wantonness. At the Last, Men will say, They had bet­ter have had their Tongues bored through with Hot Irons▪ than have Sworn, and Curs [...]d, and Ly'd, with their Dishonourable Tongues. At the Last, Men will say, They had better have Starv'd, and Dy'd, or begg'd their Bread from Door to Door, than have done one Dishonest Thing for Bread. Those Vain Companions, even those Knots of Evil Company, which now, O Young man, keep thee Tied fast in the Bond of Iniquity; certainly, 'twill be thy Lively Cry in a Dying Hour, Lord, Gather not my Soul with such Sinners! And be it now known unto thee, O vain Young man, that if some of these Lewd Companions may come into thy Chamber, when thou art Ly­ing on a Death-Bed, the sight of them will smite thee with more Horror, than if so many Rattle Snakes were then hor­ribly [Page 16] crawling about thee. How often have I heard the Groans of young peo­ple, when the Anguish of Death has been upon them, and their quivering Souls have sat upon their pale and cold Lips, ready to take (as one said) A great Leap in the Dark; Lamenting, Oh! my vain Company, it has undone me: I wish I had never seen the face of such and such young people; Their Company hath been the Damnation of my Soul! And shall I add yet one thing more: The Sin of Conten­tion must have this Mark particularly set upon it. If a Swarm of Bees are Fight­ing, the way to part them, is to throw Dust upon them. Truly, Men, even Good men, will keep v [...]xing and sting­ing one another; but at the Last, when they see the Grave Dust, is quickly to be thrown upon them, then (like the Bles­sed Ridley and Hooper) they are sorry for those Contentions; they will ask Forgive­ness from all the World, and they will have Charity for all the World. If the ground of Difference, be then put unto the Contending Parties, and their Advice be required, whether the Contention shall [Page 17] be carried on, after they are Dead? They'l Reply, Oh! by no means; but let the Contention Dy before us, if it be possible; and unite all Hearts and all Hands as fast as you can.

III. At the Last, When we see our selves likely to Live no longer, under the Offers of the Lord Jesus Christ, we shall see and say, That a CHRIST is the most precious Thing imaginable. When David was drawing near his End, his mind ran much upon a Christ. Thus we read, (for so I read it) in 2 Sam. 23.3, 5. Now these be the last words of David; There shall be a Ruler over men, Just, Ruling in the Fear of God; [name­ly the Messiah.] This is all my Salvation, and all my Desire, altho as yet He make Him not to Spring up Even so, a CHRIST; That will be all our Salvation, and all our Desire, when we are uttering our Last Words before the Lord. Men hear the Report of the Lord Jesus Christ, from Day to Day; but, Lord, Who hath Be­lieved the Report! The Prince of Life, is every Day Preached unto the Children [Page 18] of Death; but as long as they Live at Ease, they undervalue all the Offers of that Prince, and of His Life. Do, Mad­men, Do! Go on to do so! But I can tell you, when you will cease to do it. At the Last, When you Ly a Dying, Then, this Prince of Life, will be esteem'd with you, The Pearl of great Price; and you will Prize Him, above whole Rocks of Diamonds, and whole Mountains of Gold. It is said of the Faithful, in 1 Pet. 2.7. To you that Believe, Christ is precious. Well, and it may be said of the Dying too; You will believe then that a Christ is precious! The Dying, do in some sort set their Seal, to that Esteem of a CHRIST, which all the Faithful have of Him. THEY are the Folks, that somewhat feel the circumstances of their Departing Souls, which call for a CHRIST. At the Last, the Wisdom of a Christ, for an Ignorant Soul, the Righteousness of a Christ, for a Guilty Soul, the Sanctification of a Christ, for a Filthy Soul, and the Redemp­tion of a Christ, for an Enslaved Soul, will be with Inexpressible Ardors called for. Men oftentimes don't judge aright, [Page 19] of the One Thing Needful, till they are going away from the Many Things, whereof they had been careful. But then, at the Last, their voice is that, in Luk. 10.42. One Thing is Needful; And, a CHRIST, is that Thing which they reckon so: The Salvation of the Lord Jesus Christ, Oh! we shall call it a Great Salvation, when we are taking our Leave of the Little Things, which we have here been taken up withal. When we are going from every Temporal Fruition, there will be nothing so valuable unto us, as that Eternal Salvation, whereof the Lord Jesus Christ is the Author, unto as many as Obey Him. At the Last, the Atonement of such a Priest, as a CHRIST; At the Last, the Instruction of such a Prophet, as a CHRIST; at the Last, the Protecti­on of such a King, as a CHRIST; This will be the One Thing, that we shall count, of all, the most Needful for us. E're Long, if that Thing be put unto us, What is it, that will now give you most of Satis­faction? What shall we wish for, and pray for, on your behalf? I know what you will say, for I have many and many a [Page 20] Time heard it said, A CHRIST, Oh! A CHRIST, for a Perishing Soul!

Our Justification through the Righte­ousness of the Lord Jesus Christ, by the Free Grace of God Reckon'd Ours, we shall particularly then reckon, to be infinitely Needful for us. At the Last, We shall see, that there is a Law of Righteousness, wherein the Great God, hath denounced the Extremest Wretchedness unto us up­on the least Failure of our Obedience unto Him; and that our Sins against this Law, have been so Innumerable, that, If thou, Lord, shouldest mark our Iniquities, O Lord, who could stand! We shall then count it a Blessed Thing, for the God of Heaven to Release us, from the Sentence, wherein the Law hath Doom'd us, to suffer the Vengeance of Eternal Fire, for our Sins, and clear us from our Obligations to Endure Endless and Ease­less Plagues: And for the God of Hea­ven to pronounce us, not meerly Innocent, but also Righteous, before His Tribunal, and possess us of such a Righteousness, as the Law hath annex'd and adjudg'd Life Eternal, to be a Reward unto. With the [Page 21] Psalmist, we shall Exclame, Oh! the Bles­sedness of the man thus dealt withal! But where shall we have such a Righteousness? While men are Living, and perhaps Writing & Fighting against one another, they will oftentimes advance their own Evangelical Obedience, to be farther than it is, the Matter of their Justifying Righ­teousness. But, as Bellarmine, the Goliah of the Romish Philistines, having argued, a Great while, for the Interest of our own Merit in this Matter, he came at the Last unto that memorable Issue, [Tutis­simum est,] By reason of the uncertainty of our own Righteousness, and the Danger of Vain glory, tis the safest course, to Repose our whole Trust, in the Mercy and Grace of God alone: So, there are Multitudes, even of Good men, who at the Last, will Dy, upon other Principles, of Justification, than those which in the Blind Heats of Life, they often Disputed for. If (like that Infamous and Fiery Bishop Gardiner) men do not relish this Justification by Faith, as a Good Breakfast, for [...]em to Live upon, they will have a Relish for it, as a Good Supper, for them to Dy [Page 22] withal. Briefly, The Son of God, assum­ing our Nature, became a Mediator, par­ticularly Exercising a Priestly Office ▪ in the yet more particular Capacity of a Surety, for us. This our Surety, did both Endure the Penalty of the Law, and Fulfil the Precept of it, in our stead; according to the Covenant of Redemption, wherein both God the Father and the Son, consented unto such a Dispensation. There was in our Lord Jesus Christ, an Habitual Recti­tude of Nature, which He was Born with­al; Our Lord Jesus Christ Walked most Holily, Blamelessly, Exactly, for many years together; Finally, our Lord Jesus Christ, underwent the sad Pain, & Shame, and Horror, that are the Essentials of the Punishment, whereto our Sins made us Obnoxious. God, in the Justification of His chosen, Imputes all of this Righte­ousness unto them; that is, He graciously Looks on it, as Theirs; as belonging to Them, in order to their being Judicially dealt withal, according to the Merit thereof. Thus, even Thus to be Justified, will be a Thing marvellously agreeable unto us, when at the Last, we shall see [Page 23] our selves chargeable with Original and Actual Sins, and Numberless Provocations. Man, If thou Dy, with the Guilt of so much as One Sin, lying upon thy Soul, what will become of Thee, and of thy Soul, throughout Eternal Ages! Alas, Thou wilt be a Vessel, for the dreadful Justice of Heaven, to make its direful Impressions upon forever. When you see This at the Last, you will then see, That you cannot Supply your selves with a Righteousness, wherein you may dare to appear before that God, who is of Purer Eyes, than to Behold Iniquity. As Jerom speaks, All Hands will then be dis­solved because nothing done by our Hands, will be found to answer the Righteousness of God If your Good Works were never so perfect, according to Law, you will see, that they can be no Expiation for your former Evil ones; for they are no more than you should have owed unto God, if you had never Sinned against Him at all. Yea, but you will also see, That you can here have no Good Works at all of your own personal Performance, and that when you have done your best, the [Page 24] Broad Law of our God is far from an­swered. The Righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ, will Then be unto you, your only City of Refuge: You'l see, there is no Direction, like that in the Ancient Directories for the Visitation of the Sick; Even, For the Sick man to say, O my God, I now place the Death of the Lord Jesus Christ, between me, and my Sins! And you'l say, at the Last, Lord, I will make mention of thy Righteousness, even of thine only!

IV. At the Last, When we see our selves likely to Live no Longer Time, we s [...]all see and say, That Inexpressible is the worth of a Little Time. They that fancy, they have a deal of Time to Live, how Little do they often Value their Time! A Moral Heathen complained of it, Quem mihi dab [...]s, qui Diem aestimet! Where will, you find a man, that sets upon his Time, any convenient Aestimation? Hence 'tis, that a certain Thing they call, Pastime, has been. Invented: Men have their weary Inventions, for no other Intenti­ons than this, To pass the Time away ▪ A most prodigious piece of Nonsense! But, [Page 25] at the Last, when a man sees, the Last Sands of his Time to be running; Oh! Then he cryes out for more Time; & his Cry is that, in Psal. 39.11. O Spare me, that I may Recover Strength, (and have a Little more Time,) before I go hence, and be no more. A Little more Time, how much would the most of Dying men give to purchase it! They had a Tradi­tion, among the Ancients, that the Last Words of Nimrod were, Oh: for one year more! Oh! for one year more! Whether it were so, or no, These are among the Last Words of the most of men on the Earth, especially of those that have been the most Mighty Hunters, after the Earth, Oh! for a Little more Time! Yea, at the Last, that Cry, hath been some times heard, from the Mouth of a Dying man, A World of Wealth, for an Inch of Time! and that Cry, ha's been horribly roar'd out, Call Time again, Call Time again! All the Time of Y [...]uth, not given to the Service of the Lord Jesus Christ, with what An­guish of Soul, at the Last, shall we say, Oh! If I could fetch it back! And all the Time that we have mispent in Excessive [Page 26] Recreations, how shall we, at the Last, with an Exceeding bitter Cry, like that of Poor Esau [...]s, when he Slip't his Time, wish for the Revocation of it! At the Last, men will say, The Time that I Lost in Di­versions, Oh! if I had it again, I would now spend it in Devotions! The Time that I lost in Romances, I would now spend it in the Scriptures! The Time that I lost at the Ta­vern, I would now spend it in my Closet; Endeavouring to make my Vocation and E­lection Sure! As Good a man as John Hus, Extremely Laments his former loss of Time, even at that Innocent and In­genious Game of Chess, when he per­ceives his Death going to cut off all the remainder of his Time. It was said, in Eph. 5.16. Walk, not as Fools, but as Wise, Redeeming the Time. And when men come to the Period of the Time, which they have not Redeemed, they will Scourge themselves with furious Rebukes, What a Fool was I, to throw away whole Dayes & Weeks of the Time, whereof One Minute can­not now be fetch [...]d back, by all the Angels in Heaven! When the most Learned Sal­masius drew near the End of his Time, he [Page 27] went out of the World, with these words in his Mouth, Oh! I have Lost a World of Time! Time, the most Precious Thing in the World; whereof, if I had but one year long­er, it should be spent in the Psalms of David, and the Epistles of Paul. O Sirs, Mind the World Less, and God More; all the Learn­ing in the World, without the Fear of God, is nothing worth, Shall I tell you? Tis no rare Thing▪ for eminent Saints, when they ly a Dying, to profess, as we find in the History of their Lives, that some of them have done; The Loss of Time, is a Thing, that now Sits heavy on this Poor Soul of mine! And therefore, we had need, all of us, make as Good an Use of our present Opportunities, in our several Ca­pacities, to do Good, as ever we can. One that hath Sustained any Publick Station, whether Sacred, or Civil, will, at the Last, when he comes to Dy, be very Uneasy to think, That he did so Little for the Lord Jesus Christ, in his former Station. The Talen [...]s of men are Weighty Things; and they will feel the Weight of them, when they are just called away, to give an Account of those Talents. What shall [Page 28] I say; Men ordinarily Dy, with words, like those of that Great Person, Sir Henry Wotten, uttered with Tears, How much Time have I to Repent of! and how Little Time to do it in!

V. At the Last, When we see our selves likely to Live no longer Naturally, we shall see and say, That there is all manner of Reason to applaud the Wisdom of them that have Lived Religiously, All men, while they are Living, do say with him, in Numb. 25.10. Let me Dy the Death of the Righteous, and let my last End be Like his. Yea, but they that never said it before, will, at the Last, when they are Dying, say, Oh! Tis a good Thing to Live the Life of the Righteous! When Grotius, that Great Scholar, and Great States-man, drew near his End, he profes­sed, That he would Gladly now give all his Learning and Honour, for the Religion of a poor Mechanick in the Neigh­bourhood, that spent Eight Hours every Day in Prayer, Eight Hours in Labour, and Eight in Sleep, and other Necessa­ries: And unto some that were com­mending [Page 29] the wonderful Diligence of his Life, he replyed, Ah, vitam perdidi, Operose, nibil agendo, Alas, I have spent my Life Diligently, in the Doing of Nothing! But unto some that asked the best Counsel, which a man of his At­tainments could give, he only said, Be Serious! Truly, To be [...] Religious, will, when you are Dying, appear to you a thing Infinitely Reasonable. What is Religion! Religion is a mans Consecra­tion of himself unto the business of pay­ing perpetual Acknowledgments unto the Lord JESUS CHRIST, and God in Him. Now, if we have not Ac­knowledged, the Lord Jesus Christ, in all our wa [...]es, when we come to the End of our Wa [...]es, 'twill Trouble us exceedingly: I am very c [...]rtain, At the Last, it will t [...]ou [...] us exc [...]dingly. 'Tis an Expres­s [...]n concerning Wisdom, in Job 28.22. D [...]struction and Death say, we have heard the [...] thereof with our Ears. I sup­pose, the meaning to be, That the Wis­dom of God is display'd wonderfully in that Law of the Creation, whereby De [...]truction and Death comes, in a [...] [Page 30] period, upon every thing that is Gene­rated. But by Destruction and Death, some suppose to be meant, men that are Nigh unto Destruction and Death; and it is very sure, that such men will give a good Report of Religion; even this will be the Fame of it, with them, The Fear of the Lord, that is Wisdom, and to Depart from Evil is Understanding. There is ordinarily, no Scoffing at Reli­gion, in the mouth of a Dying man▪ Man, Death will make thee Serious, and in thy Dying Day, at the Last, thou wilt wish, Oh! that I had been more Serious in my Life! and, Oh! that I had more seriously pondered and pursued, that serious Errand, which I came into the World upon! An Eminent French Minister of State, unto whom the General Embroilment of Europe, at this Day, is in a great measure owing, when his Life was near its End, one Day grew very sad; and being ask'd the cause of his being so sad, he said, O the Soul is a Serious Thing; it must either be sad here for a moment, or be sad for ever. A Renowned Privy Counsel­lor, to several Monarchs in the English [Page 31] Nation, at the End of his Life, gave this as the Result of all his many years Experience, I find, That Seriousness is the greatest wisdom, Temperance is the best Phisick, and a good Conscience is the best Estate. Syrs, If you will not Pray with­out Ceasing, while you Live, you shall Pray when you are Ceasing to Live; and when you Dy, you shall wish that you had Pray'd more, while you Lived. At the Last, men will wish, That in their shut Closets, they had every Day Pray'd un­to the Heavenly Father, whom, through their wanting the Filial Spirit of Prayer, they dare not now call their Father. At the Last, men will wish, That they had made the daily Offerings of continual Prayers, with their Families, which they are now Leaving under the Fury of God, for their not therein calling on His Name. The Word of God, at the Last, when you come to Dy, you'l wish, Oh! that I had more studied this Word of Life; 'Tis more to be desired than that of Gold, which I spent my Life in hunting after! The five last verses in the Second Chapter to Titus, were then unto the Incomp [...]rable Sel­den, [Page 32] of more account, than all the Vo­lumns of his mighty Library, The House of God, when you come to Dy, and Go into the House for all the Living, you'l say, An Hour in that House was bet­ter than a Thousand elsewhere: Oh! that I had not been so frequently, and so needlesly absent, from the Gates of Wisdom, while I was not so near as I now am to the Gates of Death! Church-Fellowship, How ma­ny are loth to be at the pains, and in the V [...]wes, which are therein called for! But, at the Last, when men are going to be Enroll'd among the Dead, they will wish, that they had been Written a­mong the Living, in the Ecclesiastical Catalogues of Communican [...]s, at the Table of the Lord; and they then of­ten say, Well, if the Lord will now Reco­ver me, the first thing I'l do, after I co [...]e abroad, shall be to joyn my self unto some Society of His Pe [...]ple. Among all our Expences of Estates, which, at the Last, shall we Review, with most of Com­fort? Verily, That which we have Ex­pended, in Pious Uses, our Almsgiving, and our Charity, will most of all com­fort [Page 33] us, when we are just going to Leave all that we have, unto others, that can­not Help us, and perhaps will not Thank us.

VI. At the Last, When we see our selves Likely to Live no Longer on Earth, we shall see and say, That a Promise of Heaven is more Desireable than any Possession on Earth. Earthly Things are like, a Bird in the Hand, unto men that apprehe [...] ▪ they have a Great while to stay on Earth: For Heaven, they are inclin'd as the unbelieving Israelites were for Ca­naan, When they despised the pleasant Land, and believed not the Word of God. But now, Spiritual Blessings in Heavenly places, Enquire of a Dying man concerning them, and He will tell you, Oh! Nothing like 'em! The Promises of the New Covenant are, as they are called in 2 Pet. 1.4. Exceeding Great and Precious Promi­ses, But men do rarely count them so, till they can Promise themselves no long­er continuance here among the Vanities, which cause them to despise the pleasant Land. Then! At the Last, what will be the best Cordial that can be on a Death-bed [Page 34] provided for you? When the Damp Sweats of [...] are upon you, Oh! no such Cordial, as a Promise in [...] Covenant of Grace. At the Last, one such Promise as This▪ I will be thy God! At the Last, one such Promise as This, Be of Good cheer, thy Sins are forgiven thee! At the Last, one such Promise as This, Thou poor Spirit, thine is the Kingdom of Heaven; Thou Mourning Soul, Thou shalt be Comforted; Thou Pure Heart, Thou shalt see God! Any one such Promise, of the New Covenant, Oh! Twill then be reckon'd a Richer Thing, than a Massy Ingot of Gold. Won't you Believe so? Then observe the next man [and what if it should be Thy self, O Man?] whom thou shalt see with the Shadow of Death Sitting on his Eye­lids, — When his Breath is Failing, and his Heart is Fainting, and his Hands & Feet are Chilling, and his Aff [...]ighted Soul is just Ready to be gone into an astonish­ing Eternity; Ask of that man, What is a Promise of Pardon, and of Glory, now to be Valued at? Surely, At the Last, he will say, No Earthly Riches are to be com­pared unto so Rich an Heritage; Let this be [Page 35] my Heritage, and it will be the Rejoycing of my Heart!

VII. At the Last, When we see our selves Likely to Live no Longer on Earth, we shall see and say, That the Wrath of God in Hell, is of all things the most For­midable and Astonishing. The Wrath of God, seems not very Terrible, unto un­godly men, while they are by a Life of Ungodliness Exposing themselves unto that Wrath; Perhaps, They Mock at the Fear of it. But when they are near to the Death, which Ensues upon such a Life, they are terribly Surprised, with the Ter­rors of that Wrath, which they formerly and foolishly Despised. Then, even, at the Last, it will be with Sinful men, as it was when the horrendous Thunder storm, was rending the Sky, over the Assyrian Armies, in Isa. 33.14. The Sin­ners are afraid, and Fearfulness doth Surprise the Hypocrites; they Cry out, Who amongst us shall dwell with the Devouring Fire? who amongst us shall dwell with Everlasting Burn­ings? I knew, a very stout man, who, as he was going to Dy, said, I have been a­mong Drawn Swords, and Armed men; I have stood before the mouths of Roaring [Page 36] Canons, and where the Bullets have come as Thick as Hail about me; and yet I never knew what it was to be afraid: But now I am apprehensive of my being Exposed unto the Anger of the Almighty God, my Heart is overwhelmed with the Dread of it, my Heart even Dies within me, at the Thought of That! At the Last, When the De­parting Soul of a man, sees himself rea­dy to be Seized by the Vengeance of God, it strikes him with an Horrible Amazement, and, as Job speaks, he would fain flee out of the Hand of the Almighty: and he makes a Cry, like that of Corah going down into the devour­ing Pit, Oh! must I be swallowed up! Examine an Expiring Sinner, at the Last, what he thinks, of the Worm that never dies, of the Fire that never shall be quenched, of Lingring through an Eterni­ty of Wretchedness that never can be Lingred through, and of Lying under the Blows of Exa [...]perated Holiness in the Lowest Hell, until the very Hea­vens be no more? With Inexpressible Anguish, he will then cry out, Oh! 'Tis a fearful Thing thus to fall into the Hands [Page 37] of the Living God! Or, as a miserable man, when he was passing into a doleful Eternity, said, If I were to Endure the Wrath of God, for ten Thousand years, Perhaps, I could think of Enduring it; but, when I think of Eternity, That, That amazes me! Conscience, wilt not thou then Whisper unto unhappy men, these Intimations of A Judgment to come, at which they will Tremble, when they feel their Summons unto that Judgment? I have seen Per­sons Quaking on their Death-beds, and their very Beds therewith Shaking under them; From whence their first Shriek unto me, ha's been. Oh! Sir, The wrath of a Dreadful God, makes me Tremble; I Tremble, I Tremble, at that Wrath! And with such Horrors upon them, will the Unregenerate, at the Last, go Trem­bling out of the World.

¶ Upon the whole then; What bet­ter Improvement can be made of these things, than in that Sigh, Deut. 32.29. O that they were Wise, that they understood this, that they would Consider their Latter End! Possibly that Passage, may more immedi­ately [Page 38] Refer to the Blessedness, whereto the Jewish Nation shall be brought, in the Latter End, when the Long Tribula­tion, which is now upon them, shall come unto an End. But the Thing that is now to be propounded is This; O that we were now so Wise, as to understand Now, what we shall understand at our Latter End! Repentance, is a Thing to be urged upon us; and a speedy Repentance ▪ a present Repentance. What is Repentance? Tis for a man to Change his Mind, as one of the Greek words for it, in the New Testa­ment Signifies. Well then, Let us now so Change our Mind, as to be now of the Mind, that we shall be of when we come to Dy. A Prudent man, will Dy Daily; and This is one Thing in our Doing so: Tis to Live Daily under the Power of such Impressions, as we shall have upon us, when we come to Dy. Oh! Don't put off our Change of Mind ▪ until the Last; but Repent Speedily, Repent Pre­sently, if you would have any Hopes that you Repent Sincerely.

Attend unto a Threefold Admonition.

First, Know, That it will not, it can­not, [Page 39] be Long, before we come unto our Last. We are not only by Scripture, but also, by Repeated and Continual Experi­ments, advised, as in Jam. 4.14. What is your Life? It is even a Vapor that appeareth for a Little while, and then it Vanisheth a­way. When there is a Little Vapour spent, even that Little Vapour, of our Animal, or our Vital Spirits, we shall then see our Last: And this Little Va­pour may not be Long i [...] Spending. How swiftly doth our Last Hour advance upon us? Every Time the Clock Strikes, it may Strike upon our Hearts, to think, Thus I am one Hour nearer to my Last! But, O mark what I say; That Hour is probably Nearer to None than to such as Least Think of it.

Secondly, Know, That as our Last, will come upon us very Speedily, so it may come upon us very Suddenly. What says the Preacher? in Eccl. 9.12. Man Knoweth not his Time. Even this is the Thing, that I must Preach to you, if I would not forget, and forfeit the Name of a Preacher; but this is the Thing that we are all of us, most of all, to Preach [Page 40] unto our selves. We see Sudden Disasters, ever now and then overtaking our Neighbours; Now, I say unto you, Except we Repent, we may all of us Perish Like­wise in such Disasters. When we go Out in a Morning, we are not certain, that ever we shall Come Home; when we come Home, in an Evening, we are not certain, that ever we shall Go Out again. Think we, I know not how soon I may come to my Last; or, Whether at my Last, I shall have any Time for Deliberation.

Know, Finally, That a Repentance at the Last, if there be any Space for it, is mostly an Insincere, but always a Sus­piti [...]us Repentance. Dying Penstents, for the most part, can have no better Ac­count given of them, than that, in Psal. 78.34, 36. When He slew them, then they sought Him; and they Returned and Enquired Early after God: Nevertheless, they did flatter Him with their mouth, and they Li­ed unto Him with their Tongue. The Change of Mind, which takes men upon a Death bed, is usually no more than a Conviction upon them; there is no Real [Page 41] Conversion in it. Men are then only like Iron softned in the Fire; they soon Re­turn to their former Hardness if God spare them from going down into the Unquenchable Fire. We have generally seen it so; and it has been an Observa­tion particularly heretofore published un­to the World; ‘I have known many Condemned Malefactors, under the Ex­pectation of their Execution, to have such marvellous Expressions of Repen­tance, that one could not have imagined meer Hypocr [...]sie in the bottom of all; and yet I m [...]st freely say it, of those pretended [...]e [...]ven [...]s, who have been Re­p [...]i [...]ved and Pa [...]doned, I can't Remem­ber Two, but what have afterwards proved P [...]odigies or Wickedness.’ In an History of no less than Four Thousand years, there is but One Instance of a true Repentance at the Last, and he so circum­stanced, as never any Sinner can be af­ter him. What says the Apostle, in Phil 2 12, 13. Work out your own Salva­tion with Fear and Trembling; For it is God which worketh in you, both to will and to do of His own good pleasure. Sy [...]s, The [Page 42] Repentance to Salvation, you can't give it unto your selves, at your own plea­sure; Then Fear, Then Tremble, to De­lay your Complyance with the motions of the Holy Spirit of God, now inviting you unto Repentance. Madman, wilt thou drink a Draught of Deadly Poison, because thou hast heard, that there is one Antidote for the poison, though thou art not sure of obtaining that Antidote? Every Sinful Error of thy Life, is a Draught of Deadly Poison ▪ Oh! Don't Forecast a Repentance, at the Last! No, you have had the fairest Warning, that it is possible any persons Living, should have, to amend the Errors of your Lives; and there is cause to be Afraid, [Let me speak such a solemn and awful word!] that God will never give a Death bed Re­pentance, unto many of you that have had such a Warning. Indeed the Grace of God, is Infinite, and may not be limit­ed: But if you go on still in your Er­rors, 'tis willingly, 'tis wil [...]lly, 'tis in Defiance of the Holy God: The Spirit of God, and of Repentance, is hideously D [...]fi'd, by this procrastination of Repen­tance: [Page 43] You do all that you can, to make your selves Incapable of the Gift of Re­pentance, and you Treasure up for your selves Wrath against the Day of Wrath.

Wherefore, Let us come unto a sound mind, and Resign our selves up unto the Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ, that we may, even with a Good Principle infused into us, be Renewed in the Spirit of our mind; and so be able to say with him, in Psal. 119: 59, 60. Lord, I thought on my wayes, and I turned my Feet unto thy Testimonies; I made haste, and I delay'd not to keep thy Commandments.

¶ And now, having been thus un­gainsayably Reasoned withal, and ha­ving had such Reasonable Things, with such plain and fair Warnings, now set before you, what remains but that a most Particular Effect hereof should be obtained!

The Effect most particularly to be desired is, That you Turn these War­nings [Page] into so many Prayers. Do it, Syrs, lest the Almighty God at length turn them into so many Torments! Many Stripes, will be the Fruit of these Ad­monitions, if you do not now make your Seasonable Supplications to the God of Heaven, That you may Now Think, and Now Do, as you have been Admo­nished. Look back, I say, upon the Warnings that you have had, and suita­bly to every One of them, Let your Pe­titions be now spread before the Lord, That you may Now Believe, and Now Practise, and Now Avoid, and Now Pur­sue, and Now Enjoy, all things accor­ding to those Apprehensions, which at the Last, will come upon you. But that which is above all Now to be En­deavoured, is, that you may immediate­ly give such an Answer unto the Stri­vings of the Holy Spirit with you, as may Settle your Eternal Peace, and give you to find your selves at the Last, provided of Peace, yea, of Joy Unspea­kable and full of Glory. I am verily per­swaded that the Holy Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ, is from what you have [Page 45] heard, now Striving with you. Those Devout Motions, which are now Stirring in your minds, are the Motions of that Holy Spirit, so Striving with you. If you Resist them, Deny them, Divert them, it may be, that Grieved Spirit will withdraw from you, for ever; Then, this will prove but a Funeral Sermon for that unhappy Soul of thine, O man; and at the Last, the Omnipotent Spirit of God, will Smite thy Soul, with Endless, and Easeless Tortures, as with flashes of hot Lightning for ever. But, Oh! being thus Warned, of What is to come at the Last! I beseech you, to make, [and yet own at the Foot of Soveraign Grace, that without His altogether Undeserved Help you can­not make!] Such a Return unto the proposals of the Holy Spirit, as may assure your Safety, and your Com­fort, at the Last.

Retire, I beseech you, and bestow a Distinct Pause on each of those Pro­posals, pausing on them, till with a Consenting Soul, you say, Amen, unto them.

[Page 46]The Holy Spirit of Christ, now de­mands of you;

Shall I bring thee out of that Sinful, and Cursed Estate, which by Sin thou art fallen into?

He demands of you;

Shall I Carry, and Unite, thy Sinful Soul, unto the Lord Jesus Christ, and assist thee to accept that Righteousness of His, by the Im­putation whereof, thou shalt stand perfectly Righteous before the Throne of God?

He demands of you;

Shall I help thee, in Thankfulness unto the Lord Jesus Christ for His Righteous­ness, to Serve Him, in Constant Endea­vours to Glorify Him, according to the Rules of His Gospel, all thy Dayes?

He demands of you;

Shall I Save thee from all the Snares of the Flesh, and the World, and the Devil, which would keep thee, at a distance from thy Lord Jesus Christ, and cause thee, that Renouncing of Them, and their Corrupt Interests, thou shalt Return to God, and Converse with God, and Place thy whole [Page 47] Delight in the Lord JEHOVAH, as thy Best Good, and thy Last End for ever?

All This, is the Holy Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ, now offering to Do for you. Refuse His Offer, and you una­voidably Perish at the Last! Souls, You'l Mourn at the Last, and say, How have I slighted the best offer that ever was made unto a Miserable Sinner! Embrace this Offer, and at the Last, you shall Triumph, in the Glad Con­sequences of it. Yea, You and I, shall wonderfully Rejoyce at the Last, that ever you had of me, A Faithful Report of Matters uttered by Many in the Last Minutes of their Lives, and a Solemn Warning unto all to Conform their Lives unto the Belief of such Unquestionable Matters.