GOD is the Supream Lord & Ruler of the world, and Governs it ac­cording to his own eternal Coun­sels, wherein he is absolutely free and Sovereign, and though in all his decrees and dispensations he acts in infinite Wisdom, & according to the spotl [...]ss Purity, & glori­ous Holiness of his own most blessed Nature, and the Rules of the most perfect Equity and Righteousness, yet in some of them he is not only to high for the most soaring thou [...]hts of the w [...]st & most knowing men, and too deep for the reach of the longest line of hu­mane Understanding, but also very cross & contrary to the natural inclinations of men; especially while in their fallen and depraved State, And in particular he is so in the things mentioned in our Text For the opening of which several things may be observed.

[Page 2]1. An Appointment or Decree of God, in these words, It is appointed, that is by God: He is the author of this decree; this is im­plied here, and abundantly expressed else­where in the holy Scripture.

2. The Objects of this decree, and they are Men. It is appointed for men.

3. The Extent of this decree with respect to the Objects of it, and that is noted by this word All. It extends to all men; the decree with respect to the Object of it is of universal extent.

4. The things contain'd in this decree or appointment of God, and they are two, viz, Death and Judgment.

(1) Death It is appointed for all men to die. And here we may observe the Limitation of this, namely of mens dying, by the Divine decree as to time; as God hath appointed that all men must die, so he hath Limited their dying to one time, they must die but once. There have been two men since the world began that never died, viz. Enoch & Elijah And they also that will be alive when Christ comes to Judge the world (as seems plain from Scripture will not die; And some of the lead that were raised to life by Christ & his Apostles, & by some of the Prophets, might (for ought that we know) die a se­cond time; but in all Ages & Generations of [Page 3] men (those mention'd only excepted) we have reason to conclude that all have died & must die, & that but once. This seems to be the decree of Heaven: this is the appoint­ment of the great Sovereign of the world concerning men.

(2) The second thing mentioned in the decree of God concerning men is, that they shall go to Judgment. Now men are favour'd with a time of Patience & a day of Grace; but a day of Judgment is coming, wherein they must receive a Judicial Sentence from God their Judge, and be dispos'd of by him acccording to the Rules of strict Justice.

5. The last thing I shall Observe in the Text, is, the time of this Judgment, & that is, after Death. It is appointed for all men once to die, & after this the Judgment. What is further needful for the Opening of the words, may be left to the Explication of the Doctrine, which is this, viz.

DOCT. The Time is coming when all Persons now Living, must surely Die & go to Judgment.

In many things men in this life do greatly differ, and that both in temporal & spiritual respects, but there is one thing wherein they all agree: Men of all ranks & degrees, of all kinds & qualifications do agree in this, that they are mortal & must die.

[Page 4]And as men greatly differ in their state & condition during this present life (I mean especially while health is continu'd to 'em) so they do in the manner of their dying. Thus it is both as to godly & wicked men. Some that have liv'd a truly godly life say but little when they come to die; others say much, & that to the great comfort of their friends about them▪ Some godly persons die with but a supporting hope, others die with a triumphant joy; & some of the dear chil­dren of God have (without doubt) died in the dark.

The death of wicked men also is attended with very differing circumstances; some of them die in the same carnal security & sense­less stupidity in which they all along liv'd, Job 21.23 Others die as with a guilty, so with an awakenend & accusing Conscience. Some die under delusions & with false hopes, and in others their hope is as the giving up of the ghost. Job 11.20. Terrors are upon them, yea they take hold of them as waters. Job 27.20. They are in great distress upon their death-beds, they die in the bitterness of their souls, Job 21 25. Yea, it hath been the dole­ful case of some that have liv'd wicked lives to go out of the world despairing of mercy. Thus greatly do some men differ from o­thers in the circumstances that their death [Page 5] is attended with & that both of the godly & of the wicked, but in this they all agree, that they come to their end, their breath goeth forth, they return to their dust, their souls go into Eternity, their bodies go to the grave, to the house appointed for all living, they enter into the state of the dead, and there they take up their lodging, lying and sleeping in silence in the dark chambers of death, and have no more a portion for ever in any thing done under the Sun.

And as there is a great difference between some men & others at their death, or in the manner of their dying, so there is still a far greater difference in their state after death.

Men don't all go to heaven when they die, neither do they all go to hell: some go one way & some another. Some go to everlast­ing rest joy & glory, others to endless des­pair, wo & misery: but in this they agree that they all go to Judgment.

The Doctrinal handling of this truth may come under these particulars.

1 There is a time coming when all the living must surely die. 2. God hath made it to be the duty of men, to spend their appointed time in the world in the service & to the glory of their Maker. 3. God hath appointed a time, wherein he will call men to an account how they have acted in their places, & how they have spent their time in the world.

[Page 6]I. There is a time coming when all the living must surely die. All the living have sinn'd a­gainst God, the God that created them & all the world, & therefore they must die. God at first made man in a state of innocency & integrity, & had he continu'd in that state du­ring the time of his probation, God would have setled & confirm'd him in a happy Im­mortality; but our first Father, the first man that God created, by disobedience to his Ma­ker, fell from his first estate, & being consti­tuted by God to be the publick Head & Re­presentative of all that should by ordinary Generation descend from him, all mankind sinned in him.

And then again, All are sinners by their own inherent corruption, Ps. 51.5 Behold, I was sha­pen in sin, & in iniquity did my mother conceive me Job 25.4. How can man be justified with God, or how can he be clean that is born of a woman? And all that live to be capable of it, are sin­ners by actual transgression, Eccl. 7.20. There is not a just man upon earth that doth good & sinneth not. And therefore all the living must die. Man hath made himself a sinful creature, and therefore God hath justly made him a mortal dying creature, Rom 5.12. By one man sin entred into the world, & death by sin, & so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinn'd. The wick­ed must die, because they are under the curse [Page 7] of the Law, of which death is a considerable part: and though Christ hath delivered the Righteous from it, having born the curse for them, yet for great and weighty reasons they must die also.

Should men upon their Conversion be pre­sently made immortal, several great inconve­niences (as might easily be shew'd) would follow upon it, & therefore God hath wisely order'd it otherwise.

And then the death of the Righteous is an occasion of some great and excellent things, which would never have been without it, things that are much to the glory of God, & honour of our Redeemer. I shall very briefly mention some of them, Namely, a humble Sub­mission & Resignation to the Will of God, in the most trying case, in their willingness to die, and so to leave all that's dear to them in the world & to part with life it self because God will have it to be so, Numb. 33 38. And Aaron the priest went up into mount Hor at the commandment of the Lord & died there, &c.

And hence Patience hath its perfect work, in the dying Saint's bearing the pains of his Sickness, yea sometimes of a long & sore sick­ness, and the very pangs and bitter agonies off death it self, as the hand of a Sovereign God upon him, with a humble, holy silence & quiet­ness of spirit, without any discontent or mur­muring [Page 8] And hence Faith also is exercis'd in some of the most noble acts of it, in leaving Children, & others very dear, with God, and in the departing souls venturing it felt for E­ternity, in the hands, & under the care of Je­sus Christ, & in trusting in him, for a glorious Resurrection of its now dying body, from the Dead to Life again.

The dying of the righteous is also an occa­sion of one of the highest & most glorious acts of divine Love, in that they esteem the vision & fruition of God, & their being with Christ in heaven in a stare of perfect holiness, to be things worth dying for, & therefore are wil­ling for the sake of these things to leave all earthly things & that for ever, and that their bodies that have been so dear to them, shou'd during God's pleasure dwell in a state of dark­ness & silence, & be the subjects of loathsom corruption in the noison purifying Grave.

Hence also will arise great honour & glory to the Son of God, in raising not only the wicked, but the righteous too, and so all the dead of all ages and generations to life again. The Resurrectin of the Dead is a work in­expressibly great & wonderful, & this work will be done by Jesus Christ, Joh 5 25,—28,29 The hour cameth when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God... The hour is coming in the which all that are in their graves shall hear his voice, & shall come forth. &c.

[Page 9]And herein the mighty Power, & infinite Understanding of Christ will gloriously shine forth, and he will appear to be a person truly Divine. Considering these things, the Righ­teous as well as the Wicked, and so all per­sons living must die.

II God hath made it the duty of men to spend their appointed time in the world, in his Service & to his Glory, And indeed it is most just and reasonable that it should be so; for God is a Being of infinite Dignity & Excellency, and all men have received their life & being from Him, and he sustains them day and night and keeps them every moment: He is the Foun­tain of all that good that they enjoy or hope for. Upon God men have an absolute and intire dependance for all that they have, and for all that they need, & that both for time & eternity; and to Him they are under the highest Obligations: And therefore by the very law of their Creation, & by all the laws & rules of Reason & equity, of Gratitude Pie­ty, Prudence & Self-interest, they are bound to serve and glorify God. And indeed that men shou'd spend their whole time, & improve all their opportunities & talents for that God who is a Being of all possible Perfection, whose Creatures they are, and whose Service and Glory is the very end of their being, & of all that they are & have, is a duty so reasonable, [Page 10] that there can be no just Objection against it, nor any good Excuse made for the neglect of it. Deut. 10.12. And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, & to walk in his ways, & to love him, & to serve the Lord thy God, with all thy heart, and with all thy soul?

III. GOD hath appointed a Time wherein he will call men to an Account how they have acted in their Places, and how they have spent their time in the world. Divines tell us that immediately after death, God passes a parti­cular Judgment upon men; and the Scripture seems plainly to favour this, & to guide us to such a conclusion, Eccl. 12.7. Then shall the dust return to the earth, as it was, & the spirit to God who gave it. Not to God to enjoy Him as their Portion; this can't be the meaning of it, for it speaks of all departed Souls and wicked fouls in their separate state will be far from that: therefore it must mean that when men die, their spirits or souls shall return to God as their Judge, to be setled by his Judicial Sen­tence in their Eternal State. The word of God also informs us, that the souls of some presently after their death are fixed by God in a happy state, and the souls of others in a state of two & misery, Luk. 16.22, 23. And the beggar died & was carried by angels into Abra­hams bosom: the rich man also died & was buri­ed, & in hell he lift up his eyes being in torment, &c.

[Page 11]It is also clear from God's word, that this present life is mens only time to prepare for Judgment in. When that is at an end their day of grace is past & over for ever, and they are immediately set by God under a dispen­sation of Judgment, 2 Cor. 6.2 Behold, now is the accepted time, behold, now is the day of salvation.

God hath also appointed a day or time of general Judgment, wherein all the inhabitants of the world, of all Nations & Ages must ap­pear before Him, and receive Judgment from Him. This may well be call'd (as it some­times is) the great Day of Judgment, wherein God who is infinitely the highest Majesty, the most awful & tremendous of all Beings, will appear in amazing Glory, as King & Judge of the world (God in his Second Person, our Lord Jesus Christ, I mean, who is God the Son) when the Monarchs of the world, with the Meanest of the People, such as are now Judges in their Robes, with them that are Prisoners in their Chains; they that speak in the Name of the Lord, with them that hear them; yea, all mankind from the highest to the lowest, from the throne to the footstool, must stand at Christ's Bar, on whom He will with the most solemn form, and in the most open and publick manner, pass that final and definitive Sentence, that will unalterably settle them in their Everlasting State, according to what [Page 12] they have done in their state of Mortality here in the world. Rev. 20 11,—And I saw great white throne, and him that sat upon it.... And I saw the dead small and great stand before God & the books were opened, and the dead were judged out of those things that were written in the books, every man according to their works This is also very clear from what we have in Mathew 25.31 to the end.

All mankind shall be Judged by Christ in this solemn & most open manner, that so all his faithful Servants may appear with him in glory, & be by Him absolved, acquitted, owned and highly honoured, and by his Sen­tence have a most glorious Reward assign'd them before all the world. And that all the wicked being condeamed by Christ to their deserved Punishment, may stand ashamed, a­mazed & confounded, before GOD, Angels and Men.

It is a very suitable thing, & most wisely or­dered by God, that there should be a day of Judgment held in this most publick, open & s;olemn manner, that soan innumerable com­pany of Angels with many millions of Man­kind, may be witnesses to the transactions of that day & of Christ's management of the grand affairs of it, that so the grace, truth, justice & holiness of God may gloriously ap­pear in the view of all, and that the glorious [Page 13] Dignity and Majesty of Christ may be fully manifested in this His most Exalted State, and that his Divine and Godlike Excellencies may in the sight of all the World shine forth in the Brightness and Glory of them.

I am now come to the proper place of the Application of this Doctrine. I have had thot's of Improving is something largely.

USE, I. Of Enquiry, That seeing the time will surely come that all that are now living must die & go to Judgment, Whence is it that many persons live with so little tho't & care about their Death and that Judgment which follows death, & that tho' they live under the Gospel?

USE, II. Of Reflection, To put us upon Re­flecting with serious & solemn tho'ts upon our selves, with respect to these two great & aw­ful things, our Dying, and appearing before God our Judge in another world, to be by His Sen­tence setled in an eternal state of Happiness or Misery, as we well or ill behave our selves in our Places, & spend the time of this present life, Whether we have seriosly tho't of these things, which are of such moment & concern­ment to us, and are thro' grace prepared for them; Whether we are ready to Die and go to Judgment? It's of highest importance to every one of us to be able to give a comfortable Answer to so great and solemn a Question. But to prevent (what well I can) my being [Page 14] too prolix, I shall disimiss both these Uses, with thus little more than naming them, and shall Improve the truth before us only in

USE, III. Of Exhortation, in several Bran­ches

I. The First shall be to the Honourable Gen­tlemen that Sit Chief in our Civil State: But be­fore I come to it, I shall premise (as briefly as may be) several things as the proper Qua­lifications of, and much to be desired in a Christian Magistrate.

1. Knowlege. If the Understanding be the eye of the Soul, Knowlege is the light of that eye, whereby it clearly sees its proper Ob­jects Knowlege is as a lamp to a Rulers feet, to shew him the way, both of his duty & safe­ty, & gives him boldness in it, without which he would be but a blind Guide, & sadly expose himself with them that are under his conduct.

Therefore God in his word directs a People to chuse able men for Rulers, men that under­stand the work & business that they are call'd to Exod I8 22 Moreover, thou shall provide out of all the people, able men,... and place such over them to be rulers. 1 Chron. 12.32 — As are men that have understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do.

2. Righteousness. This is a great, & indeed an essential Qualification of a Ruler; for Ma­gistrates are appointed to be ministers of [Page 15] Justice, & therein ministers of God to a Peo­ple for good, Rom 13 4. They should there­fore be men of great Integrity; they should set themselves with all possible impartiality to administer Justice to all that come for it, yea, to all to whom it is due. This was one great thing that made Job appear so bright & amiable, and with such a comely & venerable majesty in the eyes of his people Job 39 7,—When I went out to the gate thro' the city, when I prepared my seat in the streets, the young men saw me & hid themselves, & the aged arose and stood up; the princes refrained talking and laid their hand on their mouth; the nobles held their peace, &c. And in the 11th. & 14th. Verses we have these words, viz. When the ear heard me it blessed me, & when the eye saw me it gave witness to me; I put on righteousness & it cloathed me, & my judgment was as a robe & a diadem This graces & adorns a Judge more than a sword of State, a scarlet Robe with a chain of Gold.

3. A merciful compassionate spirit. A civil Ruler is to be consider'd, not only as one cloath'd with the Authority, acted and influ­enced by the spirit of a strictly Just & Righ­teous Judge, & girt with the Sword of Justice, as one resolv'd & ready to Execute the Law without respect to Persons, & so as a Terror to Evil-doers; but also as one vested with Power, furnish'd with Ability & Advantage, [Page 16] and qualify'd with a Disposition to right the Injured, relieve the Oppressed, do good to the Poor & Needy & afford help to the Afflicted; And such a Ruler was that eminent Person mentioned but now, Job 29, 12, 13 I delivered the poor that cried, the fatherless, and him that had none to help him: the blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me, & I caused the wi­dows heart to sing for joy. And in the 15th & 16th. Verses, it follows thus, I was eyes to the blind & feet to the lame: I was a father to the poor. And Chap 30.25. Did not I weep for him that was in trouble? Was not my soul grieved for the poor? Of such a spirit shou'd every Ruler be especially in a Christian Government.

4. Courage This is exceeding needful for a Ruler, that so his Authority may not be tram­pled upon, & himself treated with contempt by proud & insolent men, and that he may not tear to draw the Sword of Justice against the most bold & daring Transgressors. Hence Rulers in Scripture are exhosted to be men of courage. 1 King 2 1 Now the days of David drew nigh that he should die, & he charged his son So­lomon, saying, I go the way of all the earth; be thou strong therefore & shew thyself a man. Deut. 31 7. And Moses called unto Joshua & said unto him in the sight of Israel, Be strong & of a good courage. And after the same manner God himself speaks to him, Josh 1.1, 6, 7. And it [Page 17] came to pass that the Lord spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, saying, &c.—Be strong & of a good courage; Only be thou very couragious.—

5. Gravity This is very becoming the El­ders of the Land & our Publick & P [...]l [...]cal Fathers. It is necessary to maintain their Authority, that so they may be duly regarded in their Places; the want of which & especi­ally; with much of the contrary, makes a Ru­ler light & cheap in the esteem of others, & Exposes him to contempt. This is so neces­sary that Government can't be well maintain'd even in the least Societies without it: And therefore God requires it in Heads of Fami­lies. 1 Tim 3.4. One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity. It is very needful in all Heads and Governours of Societies; but especially in Publick Rulers.

6. Prudence. The work of a Ruler, especi­ally one of Superior Rank, is a great work, and in many cases is attended with great dif­ficulty, & requires an uncommon measure of Wisdom to a right management of the con­cerns on it. And hence King Solomon did so earnestly seek it of God. King 3 9 Give there­fore thy servant an understanding heart, to judge thy people And this was one main thing that made him so great in the eyes of the People. 1 Chron. 29 25. And the Lord magnified Solo­mon [Page 18] exceedingly in the sight of all Israel. 1 King 3 28 And all Israel heard of the judgment that the king had judged & they feared the king, for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to do judgment. Now Prudence is an eminent branch of Wisdom: it is very much of the practical part of if. Prov. I4 I5 The prudent man looketh well to his going. This is so need­ful for a Ruler, that the want of it but in some particular actions may not a little hurt the Reputation of men in power, tho' esteemed wise men, vea men of excitting Abilities for the main Eccl 10 1. Dead flies cause the oint­ment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savour, so doth a little folly him that is in repu­tation for wisdom and honour. Such as are in chief Rule over a People, should not only be men of knowledge & understanding, but also men of great Judgment and Discretion Eccl. 8 5. A wise mans heart discerneth both time and judgment.

7. Fortitude. This is a Virtue consisting of courage and patience; it is that whereby a man not only dares to engage in a just and honest Cause, but also bears up under the Dif­ficulties that it is attended with without faint­ing; continuing with an invincible Patience, Strength and firmness of mind to pursue the matter, waiting in the use of proper means for the desired End. That great & renowned [Page 19] Magistrate in Israel, Moses (the supream Ruler under God of that people) had a great & eminent measure of this Vertue: and yet there was a time when he seemed to want more of it, as we may see in Numb. 11 14, 15 I am not able to bear all this people alone, because it is too heavy for me. And if thou deal thus with me, kill me, I pray thee out of hand, if I have found favour in thy fight; and let me not see my wretchedness. So very needful (as we may see by this great instance of it) is the vertue of Fortitude in a civil Ruler.

8. A Publick spirit. It is not eno' for men to serve a People in a publick Capacity, ex­cept they do it also with a publick Spirit. The chief Rulers of a People are in Scripture stiled their great Men, their Nobles and their Princes; and they should be men of a great, noble & princely Spirit God hath set them in a publick & eminent Place, and they should be men eminently of a publick Spirit. A pub­lick Spirit is very becoming, and the contra­ry extreamly unbecoming publick Rulers, & that which they should abhor, according to that stroke in the Character of good Rulers, in Exod. 18.21. Namely, hating Covetousness. 'Tis said of Mordecai, Est 10 3. That he fought the wealth of his People. This is the duty, & should be the practise & delight of civil Ru­lers.

[Page 20]9. Piety, or true Godliness. Rulers in a Christian CommonWealth, should not only be men of Probity & moral Honesty, but also of true Piety This is so needful that a Ruler can't be compleatly qualify'd for his Place without it. 1 Sam. 23.3 The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me, He that rules over men, must be just, ruling in the fear of God. Ru­lers should be men of a hearty spirit for Re­ligion, and of holy Zeal for God Love and Anger should act together for God, in them, and in God's cause, upon just occasion, put them into a holy flame. Thus it was with Phineas of old, and God took it exceeding well from him, & he therein prov'd a great blessing to the People. Numb. 25.11, 13. Phi­neas— hath turned away my wrath from the chil­dren of Israel, while he was zealous for my sake among them: Wherefore I give him my covenant of peace, the covenant of an everlasting priest­hood because he was zealous for his God.

The Rulers of Christian People should heartily & affectionately Espouse the cause & interest of Christ; They should for Christ's sake be men of a Ministerial spirit, yea they should excel & shine therein. They should not suffer the Ministers of Christ to be in any respect wrong'd, or hardly dealt with, if they can help it: They should every way that they can strengthen their hands & encourage their [Page 21] hearts in the work of the Lord They shou'd have, & suitably manifest a great love to the House of God; They should be great Instan­ces & thining Examples of a free, forward, liberal Bountiful spirit, in promoting and maintaining the Wor [...]p of God▪ [...]ike that great Ruler in and over Israel, King David; they should set their Affection to the House of their God; and like him with great readi­ness of mind, honourably do their part, that God's House, & all thing relating to it, may appear in their proper state; and by their Influence & Example (as he did) they shou'd stir up others to do so also. It shou'd be very much their care that they may be able to say to God in their la [...] Prayers, in the words of that excellent Magistrate Nehemiah, Neh 13.14 Remember me, O my God, concerning this, and wipe not out my good deeds that I have done for the house of my God, and for the offices thereof. And from the love they have to the Habita­tion of God's house, they should be constant come's to it and from Love to God, and a holy Zeal for the Honour and glory of His Name they should with great Reverence with upon him in the duties of his Worship, being therein patterns of Piety to the whole Congregation According to Psal 95 60 come let us worship and how down; let us kneel before the Lord our maker, &c. And Psal 29 1, 2. Give unto the Lord, O ye Mighty, give unto the Lord [Page 22] the glory due to his name: Worship the Lord is the beauty of holiness

In a word, Christian Magistrates should be every way men of a Christian spirit, & in all the Piety & Vertue of an exemplary & ex­cellent Life, they should walk before God, & shine in the sight of all the People.

1. Then let me now by way of Exhortati­on, more particulary direct my Speech to the Honourable the G0VERNOUR, the DEPUTY­GOVERNOUR, with the Worshipful Gentlemen of His Majesty's Council. Honourable & much Honoured Sirs, I am call'd this day faithfully from the Word of God to lay before you your Duty in the several parts & branches of it; let me now therefore as the Messenger of the Lord of Hosts (tho' very unworthy) Ex­hort you as GOD's Servants, and Intreat you as our Fathers, that you would by Prayer & Watchfulness, with a careful Conscientious Improvement of God's holy Word, Labour to be more & more men of such a Character as I have now given on a Christian Magistrate, & let it be your earned desire & true endea­vour to shine brightly in every stroke of it.

And Consider, That as you are Prosessed Christian, it is your great Duty to Adorn your Profession with all the amiable Vertues ot Christianity: and that as you are Christian Magistrates, it is still more your duty so to [Page 23] do, and in particular to Excel in the things that I have now mentioned; and allow me to offer this to your serious Consideration, That whatsoever is unbecoming in ordinary Christi­ans, as such, will be much more so in men of your Exal [...]ed station N [...]h. 6 11. And I said, Should su [...]h a man as I flee? And who being as I am would go into the temple to save his life? I will not go in Such men as you should from a tru'y great and divinely noble Spirit, scorn and abhor to do as some other men do; yea, some that make a Profession of God lives, & are accepted by the People of God as worthy to sit with them at the Lord's table. Such men as you should Out shine the Common sort of other Christians, as the bright Planets do the lesser Stars.

Consider farther, That the more you do so in the particulars mentioned, the more you are like to be the Strength, Beauty, Praise & Crown of our Political State. And if the Vertues that I have this day nam'd, be to a high degree found with you, they will as so many Orient Gems & Jewels adorn that Crown. This will be greatly to the comfort and honour, not only of this People, but of your selves also, and which is still more, it will be greatly to the honour of that GOD, who is the great King of kings whose Stew­ards & Servants you are & to whom you must shortly give up your Account.

[Page 24]And Consider again, That the more you are men of this Character, the more prepar'd & ready will you be for Death & Judgment, & the more Peace & Comfort are you like to have upon your Death-beds, & in your dying hours; and the more Embalmed will your Names, and the more dear & precious will your Memories be with them that survive you after you are dead and gone. A great Instance we have of this in 2 Chron 35.24, 25 And all Judah & Jerusalem mourned for Josiah, and Jeremiah lamented for Josiah; and all the singing-men & the singing women speak of Josiah in their lamentations to this day. And the more these things are found with you, the more will you be fill'd with Joy, and the more will you shine in Glory, when you meet your Lord & Judge at the great Day of his Appearing; yea, the more bright & massey will be your Crown, the more rich & glori­ous will be your Reward for ever in the hea­venly World.

2. To the Ministers of CHRIST. Reverend Sirs, let us consider that we are Mortal as well as other men. & must surely Die, & go to Judgment as well as our Neighbours. Let it therefore b [...] our great care so to Live, as that we may Die comfortably, & so that the day of Judgment may not be to us a dreadful, but a glorious joyful blessed Day: Let us [Page 25] therefore see that we be faithful & thorough in our Work. And that we may be so, let us be diligent, painful & laborious Servants of CHRIST: Let us take heed that we be not too general, overly, smooth & easie in our Ministry. Let us labour in a very particu­lar, convincing & awakening manner to Dis­pense the Word of God; so to speak as tends most to reach & pierce the Hearts & Consci­ences, & humble the Souls of them that hear us, aiming therein at the glory of God, the interest & honour of our blessed Master, the spiritual and eternal Good of them that fit under our Ministry.

Let it be very much our care that we may be able to say with the great Apostle, 1 Thes. 2.3, 4, 5. For our exhortation was not of deceit, nor in guile; but as we were allowed of God, to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God which trieth our hearts: for neither at any time used we flattering words, or a cloak of covetousness, God is witness; nor of men sought we glory, &c. And as in Act. 20.20,-27. And I have kept back nothing that was profitable unto you: Wherefore I take you to re­cord this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men, for I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God. Whatever trouble or self devil this may cost us while we live, yet to be able solemnly to say thus in the sight [Page 26] of God, will be a great comfort to our de­puting souls when we come to die.

Let us faithfully do our part that the Peo­ple of our Charge may be preserved from all corrupt & pernicious Opinions; and in par­ticular, from the prevailing Errors of the pre­sent Day; and that they may be establish'd in the Truth, and hold forth the Faith once deliver'd to the saints.

Let it be our earnest Prayer that God would abundantly bless the College, & grant that from generation to generation, it may be a flourishing Nursery of Learning, Piety & Vertue; and that it may always be kept clear & uncorrupt; and that from that Foun­tain, not only now, but in Ages to come, may issue forth pure Streams of Truth & Light, as may greatly comfort & refresh the Chur­ches of Christ, & make glad the City of God.

And that have may not hurt Religion, wound the Cause & Interest of Christ, & hinder the Salvation of Souls (which are things that should be more dear & precious to us than our own lives) let us be exceeding Watch­ful & Circumspect in our Walk; Let us labour so to walk, that we may adorn the Doctrine of God our Saviour in all things; Let us therefore be as tender of our Conversation as of the apple of our Eye. Let us also take heed of all Mis-understandings among our [Page 27] selves, & of whatsoever leads thereunto such things would give great advantage to our common Enemy, and tend much to hurt and weaken us in the work of our Ministry; Let us rather join heart & hand & afford one an­other all the help & strength we can in that great and difficult work we have to do for Christ & the Souls of men. And to awaken us to great watchfulness in our walk, serious­ness & diligence in our work, with the exer­cise of due care to avoid all hindrances, and to improve all advantages therein, Let us con­sider the shortness of our Time; for we can­not continue long by reason of Death. 1 Cor 7 29 But this I say, brethren, the time is short. We should often think of the great Account we have shortly to give up to our Great Master and Judge; for we are to watch for Souls, precious & immortal Souls, & that for eternity, as they that must give an account, Heb 13.17.

Let us also consider the solemn Charge that God hath given us in his Word, together with the repeated solemn Calls he hath lately given us in his Providence, to be Faithful in our work, and so to prepare to die & go to Judg­ment, by the Removal of so many of his Mi­nisters in this Government by death, So that the last Year may well be call'd the dying Year of the Ministers of Connecticut; and in that re­spect [Page 28] it has been such a Year, as I suppose neither the People of this Colony, nor any part of New-England ever saw before. Herein God hath given an awakening Alarm to those of our Order that do survive; and with an uplifted & awful Hand & Voice, call'd and knock'd at our door, with that solemn Warn­ing, Mat. 24 44 Be ye also ready Let us take the warning, that so when we die, we may depart in peace & meet our glorious Lord with joy at His coming; and hear him say to us, Well done, good & faithful Servant enter thou into the Joy of thy Lord; and receive from Him as the gift of His rich Grace, a Crown of life & glory that will never fade away.

3. To the Gentlemen that now appear as the Representative Body of this Government. Let me also in God's Name desire & exhort you, Sirs, That you would labour to act in all things in your Places as men that Fear God; and remember that you are Mortal & must short­ly die, and give up your Account to God the great Judge in another World. Consider that you are God's, & your Country's Stew­ards; and that it is requir'd of Stewards that a man be found faithful, 1 Cor. 4.2. See there­fore that you well improve your Time; and don't allow your selves to be often & need­lesly absent from the Business that you came to attend, for you must give an Account of your Stewardship.

[Page 29]See that it be your great and main care to please and honour God, and to advance the true interest & welfare of his People in your present Station. Consider you come hither to serve GOD, the King and your Country; set therefore pleasing your friends, the esteem & good will of men, saving charge, your own private secular interest in every branch of it, stand by, and give place to That as the main thing: with a steady, noble Resolution, pursue that as your great design This is the way for you to act the part of faithful Servants to God & the King & of true Friends to your Country. See therefore that all private views, all sinister & self-ends, be little, poor, despicable things with you, compared with the favour & honour of God, the good of the Common-wealth, your fidelity in your Places, a clear Confer­ence now, inward Peace upon your Death­beds, & giving up your Account with Com­fort and Joy to God your Judge, when you Die, and as the great Day.

4. To the whole General Assembly.

Honourable, and Honoured Gentlemen, Let me exhort and entreat you to Labour in the Business that is now before you, to act under the influence of this awful truth, That the time is coming when you must surely Die and go to Judgment. Do therefore what service you can for God and his People now. Now it's a time wherein there is great need [Page 30] that you should mightily stir up, and exert your selves, for the suppressing of Sin, bear­ing down of prevailing Vice & Wickedness, and for the Reformation of things that are a­miss among us.

God hath fill'd the Land with Men, & men have fill'd the Land with Sin against the Ho­ly One of Israel, according to Psal. 105.24. And he increased his people greatly, and made them stronger than their enemies; compar'd with Hos. 4.7. As they were increased, so they sinned against me. God hath plentifully be­stowed upon us the blessings of his goodness; and we have made him returns, not in Love, Praise and Obedience, as we ought to have done, but (many of us at least) in Aggrava­ted Sins and Provocations.

We have great reason to bless God that we have not them that hate us to Rule over us; That our Seats of Justice are fill'd with our Friends and not with our Enemies; That we yet enjoy our precious Civil Liberties, our Charter Priviledges; That yet we have our Anniversary days of Election, the choice of our own Rulers, that our Nobles are of our Selves, and our Governour is not a stranger and a foreigner, but one that proceeds from the [...] of us, and [...]hat our Laws are of our own making.

In these things we are highly favoured of God, and He hath in them given us a portion [Page 31] above our Brethren: And while we are under these distinguishing smiles of the Divine Benig­nity, we have a price in our hands, which if it were well Improved, might greatly tend to make us a happy People. And it must be ac­knowledged, that you that now sit at the Helm of our civil State, may, with the help & blessing of God, contribute much to our Feli­city And truly Sirs, It's much to be desir'd, that from holy Zeal for God, and from a Pa­ternal tender Affection to this People now under your care, you would set your selves in good earnest, to do all that you well can for their welfare, & therefore for the Refor­mation of the God-provoking evils, that are to be found among us.

And there are two things that I shall now mention, which if they were duly put in ex­ercise, might prove a great & happy means of our Reformation; and they are Consideration & Resolution. Let this Honourable Assembly be Intreated thoro'ly to make tryal of them both.

[I.] Try what Consideration may do And in the first place, consider whether such things may not be done more than hath yet been done for the Reformation of known evils, things that have been mentioned, faithfully & solemnly Testfied against, by those Messengers of the Lord, that have from year to year spo­ken to us in His Name on such days as this, [Page 32] as Drunkenness, Unrighteousness and other Im­moralities, vicious & prophane Practices; and among others, that of Prophanation of the Sabbath; concerning which I shall now briefly Observe something, and that only in one branch of it, and that is persons com­monly & without any just cause Absenting themselves from the Publick Worship of God on the Sabbath-Day (I speak not of Quakers & other Sectaries, but of them that make the same Profession that we generally do) I can't but fear that many in this Govern­ment are very guilty of this great Neglect & sinful Omission of their Duty. And it may truly be said of them that are thus guilty, that they live much in the Violation of the Fourth Commandment, which is, Remember the Sabbath-day to keep it holy; and in the Neg­lect of a principal means of putting visible Honour upon God, and of doing their part to maintain & keep up Religion in the Places where they dwell, and are guilty of putting an open slight upon Christ, the Offers and Tenders of the Gospel, and all the glorious things contained in it, and of [...] much in the neglect of the great & principal means of their own Salvation. All these Evils they do at once, and live in them, that commonly neglect the Publick Worship of God. Surely this practise in which so many great Evils are contained, can be no little Sin.

[Page 33]It may well be tho't that every Member of this Assembly will readily own, that all ought to be done that can be done, in the great duty of turning from Sin to God: Now therefore let it be seriously Considered, whi­ther that has been done for the Reformation of this Evil?

Again, Consider whether there be not some way of Sin, not only yet unpurged, but also too little discover'd, & less consider'd. It would be a sad thing indeed, if Iniquity (so hateful to God) should in any one Branch of it have a free course among us. If there should be any thing common with us, where­by men are injured, and God is offended & dishonour'd, and yet we should be under such a cloud of darkness, and some way or other such an evil influence, that little Testimony is bor'n against it, even by them that are esteem'd some of our best men. Surely this would call for lamentation & mourning. Yet its possible that it may be thus even among a Prosessing People, as the Word of God, and Experience itself do too fully prove.

Therefore, Sirs, pray Consider whether there be no Instance of this nature to befound in this Government: and let me Desire and Exhort every one to be Serious in thinking of it. Consider how it hath been of late Years, and how it is now, with a hearty willingness, [Page 34] and with an unfeigned earnest desire to see wherein we have sinned, according to Job 6.24 Cause me to understand wherein I have erred. And Chap. 34.32 that which I see not, teach thou me; if I have done iniquity I will do no more.

Search for Iniquity as with Candles, as a man searches for something which he earnest­ly desires to find, which otherwise may prove hurtful, if not fatal to him. Let Sin be thus enquir'd after, and searched out.

And here I shall offer two things to your Consideration, which tho' they can't be said to be things in all respects of a secret and hidden nature, yet are things that have not been mention'd, that I remember on such oc­casions, and it may be not so much tho't of, as many other things that are amiss among us.

(1) The excessive number of Law-suits that are Commenced in this County. Considering what Information I have bad of it, I cannot doubt but that in this thing, there hath been, and still is a great Excess. I am very apt to think (if I have been righly inform'd) there are more Law-suits sometimes (if not com­monly) commenc'd at one of our Inferiour Courts, than there was informer Years (yea long since my remembrance) in all the Courts of the Government for a whole Year. As there seems to be a very exorbitant Excess in this thing, so the inconveniences & ill-effects [Page 35] of it we may well conclude are very great; for it must needs consume much of our Wealth and Substance, and that every Year. Its easy to see that it leads to Idleness, neg­lect of Business, vain Company-keeping, ex­cessive Drinking, the consumption, waste and loss of much precious Time, to the great hurt of many particular Persons and Families, in bringing them to Poverty & Want, which is a great & sore Affliction, in which are in­folded and wrap'd up many Sorrows.

This thing may well be accounted to be one of our Calamities. It is an evidence of much Iniquity, & an occasion of a great deal more; and how much sin & sorrow may be the evil & bitter fruit of it, and that from Year to Year? God only knows. I therefore would now offer it to the serious Considera­tion of this Honourable Assembly, whether something may not be done to Restrain this Excess, and bring & keep this thing within some narrower Bounds?

(2) Another thing that I would desire the Assembly's serious Tho't of, is, viz. Whether since the great dis-count of our Bills of Credit, and from thence the great advance of the Price, both of the Conveniences & Necessaries of Life, & so of the Charge of House-keeping, great Wrong hath not been done to some Persons from Year to Year, in the Payment of what hath been due to them, & that by reckoning what hath been Paid to them, [Page 36] not according to the Value of it in former Years, but very much by the present Name & Sound of it. My meaning is, That tho' the same Sum will not now go near half so far in defraying or answering the Charge of the Expences of a Family, as it would in Years past, yet to some Persons there is no just Allowance made on that account. This hath been much talk'd of, & condemn'd in the Country & that by wise & good men, both by such as have suf­fer'd by it, & by them also that have not. It hath been Testified against in Print, by Gen­tlemen of Note, both of Civil & Sacred Or­der, as that which is very unfair and unjust. Now I intreat the General Assembly to Con­sider, whether or no it hath not been thus, not only in other parts of New-England, but also in this Government, and if so, whether this be according to that Divine Precept? Deut. 16.20. That which is altogether just shalt thou follow. Yea, whether there be not Ini­quity in it, & that which is Evil in the sight of the Lord, and whether this Evil, this Ini­quity hath not had too free a course, & passed too current among us? And whether it be not Iniquity attended with some great Ag­gravations? And if upon a serious & impar­tial Enquiry, is be found that not only such a Practise as I have now mention'd, hath been common, among us, but that also it is not [Page 37] right in the sight of God, I desire it may be seriously Consider'd by them, yea all of 'em whom it principally concerns, whether they ought not to do all that they can in Obedi­ence to God, & in Faithfulness to their Trust, that it may be Reform'd?

There is certainly a spirit in every truly godly man, from a gracious respect to God, universally to love truth & righteousness; & to hate, abhor & bear Testimony against all Iniquity: and this is unquestionably the duty of every Christian, & especially of Christian Magistrates and the Ministers of God's Word; yea of all that act in a Publick Capacity among us. Let all such therefore seriously think of their Duty, and take heed that they don't in any case contract guilt before God by the neglect of it. Thus for the first means of Reformation, namely, Serious Consideration.

[2] The second means of it is Resolution. A sincere, godly & firm Resolution in Rulers is very needful for, and a great help to the thorough Reformation of a People. Let me therefore say to every Member of this Honourable Assembly, If upon a due exerciese of your tho'ts (acting therein with that seriouse­ness & uprightness of heart that the impor­tance of so great a Case requires) you find any thing among us that may well be tho't to be a prevailing, God-provoking evil, don't [Page 38] say of it thus, or after this manner; This is not right, it is not as it should be, it should be otherwise, & so pass it over after a gentle slight and easy manner: but rather when the thing will bear it, and the matter requires it, say thus of it, This is Iniquity, it is an evil & wicked thing; it is displeasing, & without doubt provoking to the holy One of Israel, it is one of the abominable things that God hates; & therefore it must not be winked at: Such things are not to be endured in Chris­tian Common-wealth, and by such Rulers as make a profession of Godliness, & therefore it must (if possible) be reformed: Let me therefore as I would keep my Soul clear of Guilt, & answer it with Comfort to God my Judge at the Great Day, do my true endea­vour, as he may in his Providence afford me Opportunity, that it may be so.

Let our Honourable Rulers, with every Member of this Assembly, be now intrested, and in God's Name & Presence, Solemnly ad­vised & earnestly Exhorted to set them;selves in their several Places and Capacities, with all their might, to endeavour the Reforma­tion of whatsoever is not right in the sight of God among us; according to that holy Resolution express'd in Psal. 1:9 106 I have Sworn, & I will Perform it, that I will keep all thy Righteous Judgments. And agreeable also to [Page 39] what we have in 2 King. 23.25, (wherein we have an account of the holy Zeal & Fervour that King Josiah acted with, in the work of Reformation) it is [...]ert said, That he turned to the Lord & labour'd also that his People might so do) for that is manifestly implyed in it) with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses.

And would it please the God of the spirits of all flesh, (in whose hand are the hearts of Kings and of the Rulers of his People) so to move upon the hearts of the General Assembly, in both Houses, as that they might thus exer­cise their Piety towards God, & their Chris­tian Love to the People, now under their Care; it would be a happy token of his Pre­sence with them, a gracious smile of his Pro­vidence upon us, and a comfortable sign of his still being with us, and that he will not yet leave nor forsake us.

5. To the Gentlemen that commonly ap­pear in our Courts of Justice, at the Bar, as Councellors or Attorneys at Law. Be You ex­horted from this Doctrine, Sirs, to act in your Places as men that know they must die, and seriously think of it, and as men, that be­lieve and consider that after Death comes Judgment. Your Imployment is needful, & if you are faithful in it, you may be very useful & profitable, not only to yourselves, [Page 40] and to some particular Persons you serve in it, but also to the Common-wealth. See there­fore that you act in it in the fear of God, and with a due regard to Truth and Justice; and therein labour to do your part that Ini­quity may be bor'n down, & that not wrong but right may take place in our Courts, & that Righteousness may prevail in the midst of us.

Let it therefore be very much your care in every Case you undertake the manage­ment of, to be on the right side. Never dare to plead or defend a Cause that you know to be unjust; and consider when men go about to defend an unjust cause that they know to be so, (wherein two parties are con­cern'd as opposite one to another) they plead for Iniquity, they set themselves against Righteousness, and against God the Father and Fountain of it. They go about to wrong the Truth, to wrong their Neighbour, to wrong their Maker, and to wrong their own Souls all at once. They forsake God, and labour to lead the Court and Jury to do so also, and do not only greatly Sin themselves, but more than that, like wicked Ahab of old, take a course to make Israel to Sin.

Such men join with Satan against God, and endeavour to draw others to their Party. It may be said to men that knowingly plead a corrupt and bad cause, as in Judg. 6.31. Will [Page 41] ye plead for Baal? Will ye plead for Satan? Will ye plead for the Devil and against God too? what a horrid and dreadful thing is that! Concerning such men therefore say in your hearts, O my Soul, come not thou into their secret, to their Assembly [...] honour be not thou united. It's a wicked & dangerous thing for a man to be against God; this is not the way to have inward Peace upon a Death-bed, which is infinitely better to a dying man, than the richest Fee, than the greatest Gain is or can be to any man. As therefore you would be blessings in your places while you live, have peace in your own minds, & not the accusations of a guil­ty Conscience when you die; as you would go the right way and not the wrong when you go out of the World & into Eternity, and as you would be on the side, the right hand of Christ I mean, and not on the left when he comes to judge the World, and as you would then receive the Sentence and reward of the Righteous, and not the fear­ful doom of the workers of Iniquity, Let no money hire you to oppose Truth & Righ­teousness, and so to set your selves against God and your Conseiences in pleading and defending a cause that you know to be un­just. There are two texts of Scripture which I shall leave with your serious tho'ts, [Page 42] namely, Phil 4.8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, &c. think on these things. And Prov. 17.15. He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the just, even they both are an abomination to the Lord.

6. To the Freemen of this Government. As you desire inward peace upon your Death­beds, Sins, in your last and dying hours, when you are just stepping into Eternity, and going to give up your Account to God your Judge in another World, See that you be faithful in your Places. Make conscience therefore of chusing such for Rulers, as are hopefully truly godly men, and in other res­pects well qualified for Government; men that will maintain the honour of their Places & of our Civil State, that will be heartily concern'd for the Glory of God, the Honour & Interest of Christ, and seek the Good of the People, and that every way. Men thus qualified are like to be strong Rods for Scep­ters to Rule, great and rich Blessings in their day and generation: Men that the Poor and the Needy, the Widow and the Fatherless, the Ministers of Christ, with all that love the peace of Sion, and desire the prosperity of our Jerusalem, yea this whole People will have great reason to rejoice in, and bless God for. Prov. 29.2. When the [Page 43] righteous are in authority the People rejoice.

It is a great trust that God hath commit­ted to you, in that the Election of the chief of them that Rule over us in Civil Power is from year to year put into your hands; that so therefore you may bring Glory to God, be Instruments of Good to his People, among whom you dwell, and for whom you act in your present capacity, and therein act like Christians, yea becoming the Freemen and priviledg'd Members of a Christian Commonwealth, See that as you have been now exhorted, you be herein true to your Trust. This is your great Duty, & if from time to time you act in it under the power and influence of God's fear, and with a tru­ly faithful spirit, your so doing may prove a means not only of our comfort & welfare, but also of your own, and that in Death and Judgment, and for Time and Eternity.

7. To Young People, Tho' you are Young, and may feel your selves well, and in a good firm state of Health, yet consider you are mortal as well as others. Remember therefore your Creator in the days of your youth, Eccl. 12.1. Seek unto God betimes, make your suppli­cation to your Judge while you are yet young; seek a saving Interest in Christ in your early days. Christ calls you into his vineyard now early in the morning, see that [Page 44] you obey his calls. If you would have the seed you have to sow for Eternity in this li [...]e prosper and spring up in a harvest of Joy and Glory in the Life to come see that you sow it in the pleasant Spring of your Life in the bright morning of your Day, the time of your Youth, I mean, to allude to that in Eccl. 11.6. In the morning sow thy Seed.

If you would act wisely, set out in your Journey for Heaven in the morning. If you would get well through your great work before the night comes, begin in the morning.

The time of Youth is the best time, no time in the whole life of man like the time of Childhood and Youth for the work of your Souls. See therefore that you improve it Take head that you don't lose these golden morning hours of the Day of Life & Grace the precious time of Youth I mean.

And consider again, That the time of Youth may be your only Time for that which is your great concern; for the children of men often die in Youth. We end in, Luk 7.12. of one that was carried out of the doors of his mo­thers house send, that was a young man. And indeed this is a common case Job 36.14 They die in youth. And its very possible that it may prove your case Keep this in mind, think of it, hear it upon your hearts when you are in Company one with another in [Page 45] times of Mirth & Rejoicing. In particular this day, If you take liberty to divert your selves one with another, and to be merry to­gether, see that you be innocently so. Con­sider the [...] of your Judge is upon you. In the fear of God therefore, and with solemn tho'ts of Death, Judgment & Eternity, see that you avoid whatsoever may be criminal in your Conversation.

You have thro' the great mercy of God, liv'd to see another day of Election, and con­sider, if you should live to see the end of this day, that another day will surely follow it, & that win be your dying-day. This is a plea­sant day, that will be a solemn day; on that day your Souls must go into Eternity, and ap­pear before God the great Judge in the other World. That solemn and awful Day, will certainly follow this pleasant & joyful Day, and God only knows the time when, or how soon. See therefore that you so spend your time now, that your dying day may not prove a dark and doleful day to you. There are therefore two Scriptures that I would now, leave with you to think of, that in Deut. 32 29. O that they were wise, that they under­stood this, that they would consider their latter end. And that in Eccl. 11.9. Rejoice O young man in thy youth, and let thy heart chear thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thy heart, and in the sight of thine eyes; but know [Page 46] thou that for all these things God will bring thee to judgment.

8 and Lastly To us all. Let us make it our great care to prepare for Death & Judg­ment; and the best way, yea the only right way for us so to do, is to set our selves to the practice of our duty in every branch of it. Let us therefore have a universal respect to the Commandments of God, & to the Rules and Precepts of Christ, and let us take heed of whatsoever is contrary thereunto. And particularly, Let us not dare rasbly to censure and reproach them that God hath set over us in the capacity of Rulers, and Fathers in our Civil State. As it should be their care to give [...] cause of complaint, so it should be ours that we don't complain without cause. Rulers may errand do amiss as well as other men: They may so err as not to give cause of Complaint, because their errors may be from such humane frailty, as is unavoidable by the best of men; and they may so err as to give great cause of Complaint Eccl. 3.16. Moreover, I saw under the sun the place of judg­ment, that wickedness was there; and the place of righteousness, that iniquity was there, Isai 5.7. And he looked for judgment, but behold oppres­sion, and for righteousness but behold a cry. But yet let us be very careful that we don't un­justly and injuriously complain, lest we prove some of them mentioned in the 14, 15, and [Page 47] I6 verses of the Epistle of Jude, Behold the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, to execute judgment upon all, and to convince all of their ungodly deeds, and of their hard speeches,—these are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts, &c.

Let us give them that faithfully serve us in the management of our publick concerns all due respect & honour. Rom. 13.7 Ren­der therefore to all their dues, tribute to whom tribute, fear to whom fear, honour to whom honour is due. Good Rulers are a great blessing to a People, and they chat are so certainly de­serve to be much respected, and will reward­ed. Take heed that you do nothing to weaken the hands, discourage or grieve the hearts of such men: Let us all be much in prayer to God for them; the weight and difficulty of their work calls for it, & so doth our own interest.

And if you would be every way obedient to Christ, pray also for your Ministers; their Work is very great, and they greatly need the help of the prayers of all their Christian friends; and consider, in praying for them, you pray for your selves and for your chil­dren, and blessed will you and yours be for ever, if you pray for them as you ought to do, and God hear your prayers.

And as you desire to be ready for Death and Judgment, See that you do no wrong to [Page 48] any Person either in Name or Estate. See that you don't wrong any one for want of consideration; and consider you ought to weigh your actions, and ponder the paths of your feet, and mind what you do and say.

Take heed that you do no wrong from the inordinate love of Gain; or because you hope you have obtain'd mercy, and therefore shall not die for it; or because you think you can do it without much hurting your Name or Credit among men; or because you hope you shall live to repent of it, or upon any consideration whatsoever.

And more particularly be careful in these things following, which I shall but just men­tion, viz. See that you do no wrong in not justly and honestly paying your debts; in selling Corn or other things in a time of great scarcity & want; in selling Ministers, main­taining the worship of God; in stating sala-ries for School-Masters and others that serve the Publick, putting out Money to Interest, taking up large tracts of Land in new Planta­tions. I readily grant, that this is a thing that may be regularly and well done, and it may also be so done, as greatly to hurt poor men, cramp and cripple new Towns, & pre­judice the weal Publick. If any of you err or may be engag'd in controversies or dif­ferences about the place of setting Meeting­Houses, or in any matter of Church-discipline, [Page 49] or in opposing Singing by Rule, or in the new Way as 'tis commonly call'd, or in or about any other thing, take heed that under a pretence of standing for equity & righte­ousness, you ben't influenc'd rather by a proud wilful spirit, and a regard to your own car­nal interest, than by the fear of God, love to that which is just and right, or any true ten­derness of Conscience. When it is thus (as doubtless it too often is) men act with Guile and Hypocrisy, & so do that which is abormi­nable to God, and also bring their Souls un­der Guilt in his fight, which should be dread­ful to them. Let every one therefore look well to his own heart, and consirder that the great and holy God, who loves and requires the truth in the inward parts, and hates and abhors the contrary, sees and searches mens hearts, considers and weighs their spirits in such cases; see therefore that in all things wherein you differ and dis-agree, you act as in his sight.

Also in the work of our Office as Civil or Ecclesiastical Rulers, or whatever our Post or Station be, and in all our ways & dealings one with another, Let us see that we be un­defiled in the way, and such as do no iniqui­ty; that we be not rul'd or govern'd by some filthy lust or corrupt affection: And that we may not be so, let us think of such passages of God's Word as are proper to keep us in [Page 50] awe, and work a dread in us of doing any thing in our dealings with men that is evil in the sight of the Lord, viz. such as these, Psal. 125.5. As for such as turn aside to their crooked ways, the Lord shall lead them forth with the workers of iniquity. 1 Cor. 6.8, 9. Nay you do wrong; know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdom of God; Luk. 13.27. Depart from me, all ye workers of Iniquity. Job. 31.14. What shall I do when God riseth up, and when he visiteth, what shall I answer him?

Let us also be much in serious Considera­tion, & Solemn Self-reflection with respect to the particulars but now mentioned, & others that we may think of, thus, or after this man­ner, Am not I Influenced and Acted much in this thing, by the Pride of my heart, Love of filthy Lucre, or some Lust or other, hateful to God, that now bears Sway in me? Do I act herein according to that excellent Rule of Christ, wherein I am required to do by my Nei'bour, as I desire in the like ease, he would do by me? Can I appeal to the All-seeing, Heart-searching God, concerning the upright­ness of my heart in this thing? Will my acting or doing as I now do, give me Peace in my dying Hour? Will this stand at the Day of Judgment? Will it bear the strict Examina­tion & Tryal of that Great and most Awful Judge, before whom I must shortly appear? Thus let us all be careful to avoid doing that [Page 51] which is not right in the sight of God, in all our Dealings and Concerns with men. Let us also all do our Part to promote & set for­ward the great Duty of Reformation

Let our Honoured Magistrates, the Reve­rend Ministers of Christ, the Gentlemen that Re­present the several Towns in the Government agree in it, and as one man set their shoulders to this great Work: Let Inferiour Officers with Heads or Families, do their part in it; and let our Young People come into it; Let us all joyn in it, & with a united Strength list together at it. Let every one Consider what is amiss in himself, and set himself in the fear of God to reform it, & also do his part in his place in helping forward a General Reformation. And let us Consider that the more active we are herein, the more ready and prepar'd are we like to be, to die and to give up our account to God. And let all wicked & un­godly Person, a]l Unconverted Sinners in this Assembly, be exhorted also to do their part in this great duty of preparing for Death and Judgment.

Consider, Sins, You must die and go into Eternity, & your eternal state must after your Death, be setled by the Judgment of God; and what a dreadful thing would it be if you should die as you are! For then you must cer­tainly go from your Death beds to the Pit of Hell, to the place of eternal Torment, Rev. [Page 52] 6.8. And I looked and saw a pale Horse and his name that sat upon him was Death, and Hell followed with him. Rev. 14.11. And the smoke of their Torment ascendeth up for ever & ever, and they have no rest day nor night. Therefore that you may not, when you die, go to Hell, and there be in Dispair, Horrour and Torment forever, that you may not by the righteous Judgment of God be Condemned in the other World, to a state of endless Woe & Misery, if it be possible get a saving Interest in Christ, by Faith get your Hearts renewed, and your Lives reformed, turn from your sins to God by true Repentance, that so your Peace may be made with your Judge before Death comes. Be therefore in haft about it, see that you make no delay in this great Concern; for you to you for ever, if it be not done before you die: And Consider, God is angry with the wicked every day. Remember that awful Text, Job 36.18. Because there is Wrath beware left he take thee away with his stroke, then a great Ransom cannot deliver thee.

And to awaken us all, to prepare for Death & Judgment, and so to this great duty of Re­formation Let Two or Three Things be seriously Considered.

1. Let us Consider the Frowns of providence, and Tokens of Divine Anger, that we have of late been under, & are so at this Day. A few years ago, God did as it were from time to time [Page 53] say to us (in his Providence) Moses my Ser­vant is dead. And now Death in repeated In­stances of it is come into the House of Aaron. Not long since the hand of God was very remarkable in the Removal of many of our Magistraces, and that in a short time; several of whom were the strongest Pillars of the Common-wealth; And the last Year it was no left, but much more so, in the Death of so many of our Ministers; several of whom were the Pillars of our Churches: And such an one was that faithful Servant of Christ, that some Months since died in this Town,^* whose Pleasant Countenance, Grave and Comely Presence, were wont from Year to Year, on our Days of Election, to Grace and Adorn this Pulpit; but he is gone, & much of our Strength, Light and Glory are gone with him: He was truly a man of a bright Character, being one of superiour Abilities, one of the Chief of our Ministers, one had in Reputation among us, one of our Pillars & Principal men: He was of a Conversation becoming a Minister of Christ, one that in his Life & Walk imitated and honoured his Blessed Master, being very blameless and of exemplary Piery, Gifts & Graces, a pleasant Temper, an affable obliging and engaging Carriage, and indeed many excellent things, [Page 54] a whole Cluster of amiable? adorning & en­dearing Vertues did meet in him We have all Cause to mourn that we shall see his face no more: So qualified was he for his Work & Place, that without question, he would have been highly priz'd by any Orthodox Ju­dicious Christian Congregation in the Land, not ore excepted. And as the death of such a man, and our great loss in it, may well be matter of Grief and Sorrow to us, and that in no low degree, so our Affections may be allowed to rise the higher, and our Tears to flow the more in expressions of Lamentation & Mourning. Considering how many Choice men, and of great worth, of the same Order, it hath pleased God to take from us by death but a little before him. And also Consider­ing the final departure of^* Him that so soon followed him, I mean that aged and eminent Servant of Christ who died in this Town this last week, who was one of the principal men of his Order in the Land; Him, [...] that were his Contemporaries in the Sacred work ot the Evangelical Ministry in the Towns about him, generally Con­sidered as one much our Senior and Superi­our; and in Cases of Weight and Difficulty, advised with, and hearkened to him as our Head & Guide, yea very much as to a Fa­ther [Page 55] who was indeed one of the chief of the Fathers of that Tribe in Israel, which he by Office as a Minister of Christ, stood espe­cially related to.

As I have not pretended to give you the full Character of him had first mentioned of these Reverend Persons, so neither shall I now attempt it concerning him I am now more especially speaking of; but shall only briefly mention several things wherwith it pleased God, the Giver of every perfect Gift, the Author and Fountain of all Good­ness and Vertue, to qualify and adorn him. And I may truly say of him, that Consider­ing; the goodness of his natural Temper, the gravity, greatness & superiority that appear'd in his Countenance, his bodily Presence being so far from being Mean and Contemptible, that it was great, much above what is ordi­nary; his proper Stature (he being Taller than the Common Size) with his Comely & Majestick Aspect, being such as Commanded Reverence; and Considering how Wise and Judicious he was, with his great Prudence, his entertaining Freedom, obliging Courtesy & Affability, his superiour Learning, Read­ing and Knowledge, his Liberal, Bountiful, Generous and Publick Spirit (in which he did much excel) his great Ability for, and Readiness in giving Counsel in difficult and [Page 56] important Cases, and how much the Care of the Churches, & of the College lay upon him & what a Blessing he was to them both; & what a singular Gift, & how happy a hand he had in managing of Controversies and Differences, and what Influence, Sway and Auhority he had both with Ministers and People, vea with men of all Ranks, Degrees and Orders, and how much he hath been a Healer of Breaches, Strife & Divisions among us; and how from place to place he carried the blessing of Peace with him, & how ready and willing he was with Love to serve men, & do good to all, & how he delighted in it; and Considering his Orthodoxy & foundness in the Christian Faith, I mean in the Articles and Principles of our holy Religion, & how much he favour'd of a gracious Spirit, and particularly in his great love to our Lord Jesus Christ his blessed Master; his holy Zeal for God, and against Sin, his humble submission and resignation to divine Sove­reignty, his great Mortification to the World; and Considering also for how many Years, & how well he [...] the Pulpit, and (in our Counsels and associations) the Moderators Chair, and with how amiable a Conversation he adorn'd his Profession, and how brightly the Graces and Vertues of a Christian, & of a Minister of Christ shined forth in his Life. [Page 57] And Considering how great & good he was in the eyes both of Ministers and People, & that both at home and abroad, & how much good he did in his Day, & how extensively useful & serviceable, and what a Blessing he was in his Generation, and how becoming a Christian and a Minister he carried himself both living & dying: I say Considering these things (besides others of the same kind that might be added to them) which I have thus briefly mentioned concerning this eminent Person, it may doubtless be truly said of him, that he was one of the Choicest & Greatest Men, that have ever appear'd among us in these parts of the Country.

The First and Chief of our Colleges hath had the Honour of the Education of some great men, & is must be acknowledg'd that he was one of them. In his Death a very bright & precious Jewel is fallen from our Crown, & much of the Glory is departed from our Israel.

And the Truth is, it may be said of the Reverend Ministers of Christ that lately died in this Town, that they had both of them such adorning Gifts and Vertues, and such bright Marks & Characters of true Piery, & so many excellent things in them, that it is but paying the Tribute justly due to their Name and Memory (which are deservedly dear & precious to us) to say of them that [Page 58] they were Choice & Excellent men, & that they were worthy of that high esteem we had of them, while they lived, and of that general Lamentation and Mourning that at­tended their Death, and with which they have been followed to their Graves, & hath been continued since they died, as an acknow­ledgment of their great worth, & our great loss, in their final departure from us.

When such men die, we may well weep over them, as the King of Israel wept over the holy Prophet, 2 King. 13 14. O my Father, my Father, the Chariots of Israel & the horsemen thereof. And indeed it will be a great & high Favour of God, if their Places be ever fill'd up, which Considering the All sufficiency of God our Saviour, the glorious Head & King of the Church, we must not despair of, but with instant and earnest Prayer wait for at the Throne of Grace with hope.

God by putting out so many of our Lights, yea of our brightest Lights, one after ano­ther, & in so there a time, has bro't us under an awful and very dark Dispensation. It is now a cloudy and dark Day with us, and in particular it may be said as in Joel 2.2. It is a day of Darkness & Gloominess, & of Clouds and thick Darkness with this Town. I Con­clude it has never seen such a Day as this before. And the truth is, a dark Cloud is [Page 59] spread over us all in general, the awful hand of God upon us calls for our serious and so­lemn Tho'ts. God's Voice to us now, is as as of old to his ancient PeopIe, Hag 5.7. Now therefore, thus faith the Lord of Hosts, Consider your ways. Seeing God hath of late pluck'd up some of the strongest Stakes in our Hedge, removed some of the firmest, & most polish'd Stones in our Wall, and thereby made great Gaps & Breaches in one part and another of it: Taken away by Death, so many of our Moses's and of our Aarons, of our Judges & of our Prophets, and therein from Year to Year been hewing down our Pillars, both in Church and State, and taking from us the Chosen Men of our lsrael, and by Mortal Distempers, and by other adverse Dispensa­tions been manifesting himself displeas'd & angry with us; I say Considering these dark & awful Frowns of Heavens displeasure thus appearing against us, in the face of Provi­dence, surely we have reason to say as in Psal 119.120. My flesh tremblesh for fear of Thee, & Iam afraid of thy Judgments. And in Lam. 3.40. Let us search and try our ways, and turn again unto the Lord.

2. Let us Consider, what if any of us should die, and be called to the Bar of our judge Unprepar'd? If any of us that now sit at the Table of the Lord, should be found at last to [Page 60] have been false Professors, and among the foolish Virgins; If when God in his Provi­dence shall say to us, behold thy days are Numbred and Finished, any of us be them found to have been unfaithful in our Places, & if after all our Profession, Esteem & Name on Earth, with our hopes of Heaven, we should meet with that from our Judge in the other World in Rev 3.2. I have not found thy Works Perfect before God. Or that in Dan 5.27. Thou art weighed in the Ballance, & art found Wanting. O how dreadful would it be! How amazing! How Confounding! How may the tho'ts of such a thing, put us in mind of the words of the Prophet, Hab 3.16. When I heard my Belly trembled; my Lips quivered at the voice, I trem­bled in my self. And as for you that are now se­cure in your sins, & careless of your Souls, that pass your time pleasantly & merrily away, walking after the fight of your eyes, and the lusts of your hearts; that live in the Neglect & Contempt of Christ, & his great Salvation, and in daily Disobedience to God and the Gospel, what will you do in the end thereof? What will you do in the day of Visitation? When God riseth up, what will you answer him? To whom will you flee for help? What will you that are now Christ-despisers & re­jecters, do when you are dying, & just slepping into Eternity? When the Judge of the World [Page 61] comes to Call you to an Account, how will you do to stand before him? How will you answer that awful Voice, that solemn Call of the Arch-angel with the Trump of God, and in the Name of the great Judge in these Words, or something equivalent to them, Arise ve Dead and Come to Judgment

And what will you do when Judgment is pass'd upon you, if that should be your Doom (which God in mercy to your Souls forbid) Matth 2.5.41. Depart from me, ye Cursed, into everlasting Fire, prepared for the Devil and his Angels. And if that should be your case, Mat 25.46. And these shall go away into everlasting Punishment. Sirs, Seriously Consider these things, and say in your hearts, O how can I bear the Torments of eternal Fire! How can I dwell with everlasting Burnings! O my Soul while thou hast yet time in the world, improve it, and if possible get into a state of Grace & Salvation that thou may'st be ready for thy departure hence & for eternal Judg­ment, that thou may'st not be Condemned, Lost & Damn'd forever in the other World.

3. And Lastly, Let us Consider the great Uncertainty of our Time in this world. Whatever we have to do in our Publick or Private Capacities, for Body or Soul for Time or Eternity, must be done while this present Life lasts, & who knows how short that may [Page 62] be? Who can tell what the events of Provi­dence may be in the Course of the present Year? Who knows where any that are now in Au­thority, or of the Ministers of the Gospel here present, or any of us now within these Walls may be before another Day of Election?

Let us all Consider in how short a time the Sovereign Lord of life and Time, and holy Judge of the World, may make a great Change in our present Place & State: How soon may be take our Son's from our Bodies, & lay our Bodies in the cold & dark Grave, and set our Souls at his most awful Bar, & by his definitive and irreversible Sentence, setle us in our eternal State? How should this affect the hearts of those of us, that are in pub­lick Place, both of Civil & Sacred Order, Con­sidering how great our work is, & what a great account we have to give up to God, & that it infinitely Concerns us to be ready for it?

And with what serious & solemn Tho'ts, should all unconverted Sinners think of this, that have their Peace yet to make with their Judge, & who, if they die, as they have hither­to liv'd, are sure to receive from him a Sen­tence of Condemnation, a most fearful Doom of eternal Damnation with Devils in Hell.

And as this terrible Sentence, this dismal Dam­ning Doom will surely be passed by God upon all Christless & Impenitent Sinners, at the great Day: So it will most certainly be Executed upon them in their future State (to which they are daily hast­ning) [Page 63] and that without the least Pity or Mercy, except by Faith in Christ and true Repentance they turn from their Sins to God, before Death comes, which is daily coming, and is (doubtless) very near to some of them, & God only knows who they are. Let all therefore here present before God, whose case this is, be advised & perswaded without the least longer delay in the diligent use of God's appointed means, with fear and trembling, arising from a Sense of their present danger, to seek the Lord & wait upon him for his Mercy & Salvation by Jesus Christ, while yet there may be hope. Before I Conclude, I shall only further say,

We are never like to meet all together again in this World, it being very probable that our next General Meeting will be at the Bar of Christ, and before the Judgment Seat of God, in our Immortal and Eternal State. Now seeing the Case stands thus with us, Let us make it our great Care so to spend the remaining Part of our present, short, uncertain Life, in the work of our General and Particular Callings I mean as we are Christians, and with re­spect to the Places wherein we stand, that we may then appear in Glory at the Right Hand of Christ, and give up our account to the acceptance of our Judge, and with Joy unspeakable and Glorious in our own Souls. I shall Close all with two Texts of Scripture agreeable to the two solemn Things which have been so much the Subject matter of this whole Discourse, I mean Death and Judgment viz. Eccl. 9.10 Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might, for there is no work nor devise nor knowledge, nor wisdom in the Grave, whether thou goest. Rom 14, 10, 11, 12. We shall all stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ. For it is written, As I Live faith the Lord every knee shall bow to me, &c. So then every one of us, shall give an account of himself to God.