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<DATE>2011-01-17</DATE>
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<NAME>Leah Yurasek</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
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<BIBNO T="oclc">52614964</BIBNO>
<VID>176201</VID>
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<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
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<P><HI>A Golden Chain</HI> OF <HI>FO&V;R LINKS</HI> To draw poor Souls to their de&s;ired Habitation Or, The Four la&s;t Things Briefly di&s;cour&s;ed of, <HI>viz.</HI>
<LIST>
<ITEM><HI>Death,</HI> which is mo&s;t Certain;</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Judgement,</HI> which is mo&s;t Strict,</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Hell,</HI> which is mo&s;t Di&s;mal;</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Heaven,</HI> which is mo&s;t Delightfull.</ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<P>To which is added Whol&s;ome In&s;tructions both to Young and Old, in order to prepare them&s;elves for their Latter End, and Avoid all &s;inful Al|lurements, which u&s;ually ob&s;tructs that great and nece&s;&s;ary Work of Salvation.</P>
<P>With &s;ome Nece&s;&s;ary Directions to Die well, in order to avoid <HI>Hell,</HI> and obtain <HI>Heaven</HI> By Mr. <HI>Jo&s;: Stevens.</HI></P>
<P><HI>EDINBURGH,</HI> Printed and Sold by <HI>James Wat&s;on</HI> in <HI>Craig</HI>'s Clo&s;s, on the North &s;ide of the Cro&s;s, 1700.</P>
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<DIV1 TYPE="text">
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<P>COn&s;idering that this Ungratful Age abounds with &s;o much Infidelity, Impiety &amp; Unbelief, as to make &s;ome &s;o ob&s;tinate as to affirm, That the Spirit of Man vani&s;heth with his breath, and that Death is only the end of this Life, and not the beginning of another; I thought it highly nece&s;&s;ary, as well as Proper and Con|venient, in order to awaken the hardened and drow&s;ie Con&s;ciences of &s;uch, to give &s;ome lively (though brief) touches upon the Four la&s;t things, <HI>viz.</HI> Death, which is mo&s;t certain; Judgment, which is most &s;trict: Hell, which is mo&s;t di&s;mal; Heaven, which is most delight|full: All which I &s;hall particularly and briefly in&s;tance.</P>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>I. Of Death.</HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q><BIBL><HI>P&s;alm 89.4.</HI></BIBL>
<P>What Man is he that liveth, and &s;hall not &s;ee Death?</P></Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>OUt of the Du&s;t was Man formed, and unto the Du&s;t &s;hall Man return: It is appointed for all Men once to die, <HI>Heb.</HI> 9.27. Death to the Wicked, is the end of all Comfort, and the beginning of all Mi&s;ery, but Death to the Godly is a happy di&s;charge, &amp; freedom from Sin &amp; Sor|row, and the only inlet to Peace and Happine&s;s, the Saints Enjoyments &s;hall be incomparable, when the Sinners Torments &s;hall be intolerable; when a Sinner dies, he carries his bad with him, &amp; leaves his good behind him. But when a Believer dies, he leaves all his bad behind him, &amp; carries his good with him: The Sinner goes from Good to Evil; the Believer from Evil to Good: When a Saint leaves the World, his Fle&s;h turns to Du&s;t, &amp; his Spirit returns to re&s;t: When a Sinner leaves
<PB N="4" REF="3">the World, his Body goes to Worms to be con|&s;umed, and his Soul to Flames to be tormented.</P>
<P>When you come into the World, you do but live to die again, when you go out of the World you do but die to live again. He that lives well cannot die ill: He that lives without fear, &s;hall certainly die wthout hope. He that hath no grace in his Life, can have no true peace in his Death This King of Terrors, Death, levelleth the high|e&s;t Mountains with the lowe&s;t Valies; the Robes of Princes &amp; the Rags of Beggars are both laid up alike in the wardrobe of the Grave, which is a bed to re&s;t in, but not a Shop to trade in; there|fore go to your beds, as you were going to your Graves, and &s;o clo&s;e your Eyes in one World, as you would open them in another; &amp; remember that God can as ea&s;ily turn you into Du&s;t, as he took you thence; to Day is your living day, tomorrow may be your dying one: In &s;hort, the Meditation of Death is the only Motive in order for a Preparation thereunto.</P>
<P>Therefore, Chri&s;tian Soul, who&s;oever thou art con&s;ider the &s;hortne&s;s of thy Life; &amp; how uncer|tain Death is; he may come this Hour before the next. Thou art not &s;ure when thou goe&s;t to bed at Night to take thy re&s;t, whether thou &s;halt ever a|wake again, though never &s;o well; &amp; if &s;o be thou awake in the Morning, whether thou &s;halt live till Night: for Death is the great Me&s;&s;enger of Mor|tality; &amp; his coming is certain, but when, is un|certain: There is no re&s;i&s;ting of his mighty Power when he comes. He &s;weeps all before him, both Rich and poor, Old and Young, it's all one to him
<PB N="5" REF="3">for when their Gla&s;s is run, they mu&s;t &s;tay no long|er here, but to change this Life for a better or wor&s;e, according as thou ha&s;t &s;pent thy time here whether in doing Good or doing Evil. Therefore dear Soul, put not off thy Repentance until ano|ther Day, for thou art not &s;ure to &s;ee an end of this. Provide therefore that thy Bed may rather find thee fitted for God, than fit thee, &amp; &s;o order thy E&s;tate and thy Soul, in thy Health, that when Death comes, thou may&s;t have nothing to do but to die. Let not thy Thoughts be how thou &s;halt live here, but how thou &s;halt live hereafter; mind not the vain plea&s;ures of this World, which is but momentary; but rather pray to God for his Grace (without which you can do nothing that you may endure all Hard &s;hips and Cro&s;&s;es here with patience and Comfort, and that you may do all the Good that in you lies to the Advancement of his Glory, and your Eter|nal Welfare</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>II Of Judgment.</HEAD>
<P>MEditate upon Judgment, which is mo&s;t &s;trict: We mu&s;t all appear before the Judg|ment-Seat of Chri&s;t, they who have been grace|le&s;s in their Days, will be &s;peechle&s;s in this Day, they who would not come before his Mercy-Seat &s;hall be forced to come before his Judgment-Seat tho&s;e that would not believe his promi&s;es, &s;hall tremble at his Threatnings; and indeed it mu&s;t be very Amazing to &s;ee the Earth flaming, the Hea+vens melting, the Stars falling, the Graves open|ing, the Judgment ha&s;tening, the Sun and Moon declining, and Chri&s;t and his Angels coming: He
<PB N="6" REF="4">that comes to rai&s;e the Dead, comes al&s;o to judge the Dead. Oh! this great Day, to great Sinners, will be a terrible &amp; gha&s;tly day, when they &s;hall behold Chri&s;t coming in the Clouds, having the per&s;on of a Man, but the power of God; being crowned with Dignity, and guarded with Angels &amp; enraged with Anger, and enabled with power to bring forth both High and Low, Rich and Poor to his Bar, where he will judge them, not by the whitene&s;s of their Countenance, but by the Black|ne&s;s of their Con&s;ciences; and though he was guarded to the Cro&s;s with a Band of Soldiers, yet here he is guarded with a glorious Train of An|gels, You that make no account of his coming. what account will you make at his coming: therefore for the Lord's &s;ake, meditate upon <HI>Judg|ment,</HI> for it is the only means to make you Judg|ment proof. O Chri&s;tian, &s;eriou&s;ly con&s;ider this and repent of your Sins before it is too late, and break tho&s;e Bands a&s;&s;under that leads to utter De&s;truction, for there's no Repentance after Death, for after Death comes Judgment.</P>
<P>O ye <HI>Drunkards, Swearers, Lyars, Whoremongers, Covetous,</HI> and <HI>Oppre&s;&s;ors</HI> of the <HI>Poor,</HI> you that do de&s;pite to the Spirit of Grace, &amp; will not hearken to the many loving Calls &amp; invitations of Al|mighty God by his Spirit &amp; Mini&s;try, take notice that this Day of God's Wrath will be a Day of Ter|rors to you, which will make your Hearts &s;ink within you, your Countenance to change, your Joints to be loo&s;ed, when the Terrors of the Al|mighty at this time &s;hall &s;eize upon you; there|fore
<PB N="7" REF="4">&s;aith the Apo&s;tle, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 5.11. <HI>Knowing the Terrors of the Lord, we per&s;wade Men.</HI> This Day will be a Day of extream Sorrow and Angui&s;h to the Wicked, <HI>Prov</HI> 1.20. <HI>When your Fear &s;hall come as de&s;olation, and your De&s;truction as a Whirlwind</HI> Zeph. 1.15. <HI>That Day is the Day of Wrath, a Day of Trouble &amp; Di&s;tre&s;s, a Day of Wa&s;tne&s;s &amp; De&s;olations.</HI> Therefore, whoever you are, let your daily Pra|ctice be in <HI>piety,</HI> doing good to tho&s;e that &s;tand in need of your Help, as far as your Circum&s;tances will let you, being Charitable &amp; Compa&s;&s;ionate, ever &s;triving again&s;t the Temptations of the Devil &s;lighting the fooli&s;h plea&s;ures of this World, ac|counting them, as they are, nothing but vexation of Spirit, but be always minding tho&s;e that are Eternal; for if you expect to be any of tho&s;e Souls that dwell in tho&s;e Man&s;ions of Bli&s;s and Happi|ne&s;s, you mu&s;t <HI>fear God, and keep his Commandments;</HI> for that is the whole Duty of Man.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>III. The Torments of hell, and di&s;mal State of the Wicked.</HEAD>
<P>THe third thing nece&s;&s;ar, is to meditate upon Hell, which is mo&s;t di&s;mal &amp; terrible: Oh a dreadful Place, where the Devil is the Jaylor, Hell the pri&s;on, Damnation the puni&s;hment, Eternity the Time, Brim&s;tone the Fire, and Men and infe|nal Spirits the Fuel; to endure this, will be intol|lerable; and to avoid it, will be impo&s;&s;ible. Chri&s;tians, this pre&s;ent Day is the Day of God's Long-&s;ufferings, but that will be Mans eternally. Oh what Hells there is in hell, the lo&s;s of God, the lo&s;s of Chri&s;t, the lo&s;s of Saints, the lo&s;s of Angels the lo&s;s of all Good, and the gain of all endle&s;s,
<PB N="8" REF="5">ca&s;ele&s;s, and remedile&s;s Torments: <HI>The Smoke of their Torments doth a&s;cend for ever.</HI> Rev. 4.12 and 20.10. Oh that you would think of this end|le&s;s and bottomle&s;s Lake.</P>
<P>Con&s;ider, that if thou but once drope&s;t into Hell thou wilt be as far from Coming out at the end of a Thou&s;and Years, as at thy fir&s;t en|terance: So if that all Men that ever have or &s;hall be created, were, <HI>Briarehus</HI> like, hundred handed and &s;hould at once take Pens in their hundred|hands, and do nothing el&s;e for Ten Hundred Thou&s;and of Millions of Years, but &s;um up in Fi|gures as many hundred thou&s;and Millions as they could, yet could they never reduce to a total, or confine within number, this tri&s;yllable Word <HI>[E|ternal]</HI> or that Word of Four Syllables <HI>[Everla&s;ting</HI></P>
<P>Now let &s;uch as forget God, but &s;eriou&s;ly con|&s;ider this. It will not be an Impri&s;onment during the Kings plea&s;ure, but during the King of King's plea&s;ure. It is not a Captivity of Seventy Years like that of the Children of <HI>I&s;rael</HI> in <HI>Babylon;</HI> for that had an end; nor like a Captivity of Seven|ty Millions of Generations, for that al&s;o in time would be expired, But even for ever. The wicked &s;hall live as long in Hell, as there &s;hall be a Ju&s;t God in Heaven.</P>
<P>Here we mea&s;ure Time by Days, months, years; but for Eternity, there is no Arithmetician can number it, no Geometrician can mea&s;ure it: For &s;uppo&s;e the World were turned into a Moun|tain of Sand, and that a little <HI>Wren</HI> &s;hould come every Thou&s;and Years, and carry away from that heap but one Grain of the Sand
<PB N="9" REF="5">what an infinite number of Years would be &s;pent and expired, before the whole heap would be fetched away? But admit a Man should &s;tay in Torments &s;o long, and then have an end of his VVoe, it were &s;ome comfort to think that an end would come: But alas! when he hath finished his task a thou&s;and times over, he shall be as far from an end of his angui&s;h, as ever he was the fir&s;t hour he entered into it. Now &s;uppo&s;e thou &s;hould&s;t ly but one Night grievou&s;ly afflicted with a raging fit of the &s;tone Stranguary, Toothach, Pangs of Travel, or the like; though thou had&s;t to help &amp; ea&s;e thee, a &s;oft bed to ly on, friends about thee to comfort thee, Phy&s;icians to cure thee, all Cordial and Com|fortable things to a&s;&s;wage the pain; yet how tedious &amp; painful would that one Night &s;eem unto thee? How would&s;t thou to&s;s and tumble, and turn from one &s;ide to another? Count|ing the Clock, e&s;teeming every Minute a Month, and thy pre|&s;ent Mi&s;ery un&s;upportable. What then will it be to ly in Flames of Fire? (To which our Fire is but Air in compari&s;on) Fire &amp; Brim&s;tone keept in the highe&s;t Flame by the unquench|able Wrath of God, World without end; where thou &s;halt have nothing about thee but Darkne&s;s and Horror, Wailing and wringing of Hands, de&s;perate Yellings and gna&s;hing of Teeth: Thy Old Companions in Vanity and Sin, to Ban and Cur&s;e thee; the Devils in&s;ulting over thee with Cruelty and Sorrow; the never-dying Worm of Con&s;cience to feed upon thy Soul and Fle&s;h for ever and ever. O everla&s;ting E er|nity! an ever-dying Life, and an ever-living Death</P>
<P>O then be think thy &s;elf of this Word <HI>Eternal</HI> and <HI>everla&s;t|ing,</HI> and ponder upon it; yea do but indeed believe it, and it will be enough to break thine Heart, and make it to relent and repent, and thereby prevent the Wrath to come; it will put thee to demur, what have I done? What am I about? Whither will this Cour&s;e tend? How will it end? What will become of me if I go on in Chambering and Wantonne&s;s, Sut|feiting and Drunkenne&s;s, Strife and Envying, Swearing, Pro|fanene&s;s and the like? O then break off thy Sins without delay, and let there be an healing of thine Errors.</P>
<P>The Schools affirm, that the be&s;t torture in Hell exceeds the greate&s;t that can be devi&s;ed; for &s;hould we fir&s;t burn off one Hand, then another after that, each Arm, and &s;o all the Parts of the Body, it would be deemed intolerable, and no Man would endure it for all the Profits and Plea&s;ures this World can afford; and yet is nothing to the burning of the Body and
<PB N="10" REF="6">Soul in Hell: Should we endure ten thou&s;and years tormen<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="2 letters"> in Hell, it were grievous, but nothing to Eternity: Shou<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="2 letters"> we &s;uffer one Pain it were mi&s;erable enough; but if ever w<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="3 letters"> come there, out Paines &s;hall be for number and kinds, infinite|ly varions, as our plea&s;ures have been here: Every sen&s;e and Member, each power and faculty both of Soul and Body &s;ha<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="2 letters"> have their &s;everal Objects of wretchedne&s;s, and that without intermi&s;&s;ion, or end, or ea&s;e, or patience to endure it, <HI>Lu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="2 letters"></HI> 12.5. and 16.23. Mat. 3.12. and 5.22, and 22.23. O th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="2 letters"> Men would &s;trip Sin of its di&s;gui&s;es, and wa&s;h off its flatteri<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="2 letters"> Colours, and look into its odious Nature, and to the con&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">|quential Evils of it in the next World! O that they would con&s;ider they hang by &s;lender Strings, (a little Breath th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter"> expires every Minute) over the Bottomle&s;s pit, and that with in a little while nothing will remain of the plea&s;ures of Sin but the undying Worm, and the ever-living Flames,</P>
<P>There is a way to keep a Man out of Hell, but no way to get a Man out of Hell: Though the wheat and the Cha<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter"> grow together, they mu&s;t not lie together; &s;o in Hell the<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="2 letters"> &s;hall not be a Saint among tho&s;e that are tetrified, nor in Heaven a Sinner among tho&s;e that are glorified,</P>
<P>The Sea of bitter Damnation shall not be &s;weetned with the lea&s;t drop of Compa&s;&s;ion. Oh Chri&s;tians, will you pity <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 word"> Body that is going to the Block, and will you not pity a Soul that is going to a Bottomle&s;s pit?</P>
<P>VVhat a &s;ad Vi&s;itation is that, where the Black Hor&s;e of Death goeth befo e, and the Red Hor&s;e of wrath followe<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="2 letters"> after: Oh how intollerable mu&s;t it needs be, where one Deat<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter"> comes upon the Neck of another.</P>
<P>A Mans condition in this Life may be honourable, and yet his &s;tate, as to another Life may be damnable: It is better to go with poor <HI>Lazarus</HI> to Heaven, then go with rich <HI>Dives</HI> to Hell: Therefore let us &s;trive to go to Heaven by contem|plation, that we may avoid going to Hell by condemnation.</P>
<P>Con&s;ider further, and add Extremity to Eternity, and then think of Hell. (as it truly is) Hell indeed; for if the Ague of a Year, or the Cholick of a Month, or the Rack of a day, or the burning of an Hour, or the Minutes twitch of a Tooth be &s;o un&s;ufferable here, what is Millions of Thou&s;ands of years, nay Eternity of un&s;peakable Torments in Hell; and in&s;tead of being abated, continually aggravated by infernal Fiends, who&s;e Society alone would be hideou&s;ly frightfu &amp; amazing.</P>
<PB N="11" REF="6">
<P>Now what Heart would not bleed to &s;ee Men run headlong to the&s;e Torments that are thus endle&s;s and intolerable? Oh that it were allowed to the re&s;olute and de&s;perate Ruffians of <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">he&s;e our days, that Swear and Cur&s;e, Drink, Rob, and Kill, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">nd Bla&s;pheme, to have but a &s;ight of this Hell, how would it Charm their Mouths, Moderate their Spirits, and a&s;toni&s;h their Hearts; nay, if they could have but the leaft glimp&s;e <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">hereof, they would rather chu&s;e to be pined to Death ten thou&s;and times over, than willfully commit one Sin that would &s;end them thither.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>IV. OF HEAVEN.</HEAD>
<P>THe Fourth nece&s;&s;ary thing, is to meditate on Hea|ven, which is mo&s;t joyful, <HI>Matth.</HI> 25.30. <HI>Come ye ble&s;&s;ed, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you.</HI> Oh, who can re|veal the Glorys of Heaven, or what tongue can expre&s;s the everla&s;ting plea&s;ures that's there? There's no Care, nor Sor|row, nor Toil, nor Labour, no Vexation to di&s;turb your Quiet: There's all Peace, never cea&s;ing peace: There's all the Divine Souls, as Angels, Saints, Prophets, Martyrs, Sera|phims and Cherubims, and all the Coele&s;tial Quier, breath forth in their Harmonious Voices, Eternal Halelujahs &amp; Songs of Prai&s;es to the All glorious Almighty, and Everla&s;ting God ble&s;&s;ed for evermore. There every righteous Soul that de|parts hence, goes and receives a white Robe and an everla|&s;ting Crown of Glory; and dwells in that Land of Peace. and drinks of the Rivers of plea&s;ures, and not for time, but for E|ternity; an Eternity, I &s;ay, that will never have an end, there they behold the beauty of the ble&s;&s;ed God &s;eated upon a Throne of divine Maje&s;ty, with his dearly beloved Son, (our ble&s;&s;ed Saviour) on his right hand, &amp; admire the gloriou&s;ne&s;s thereof, there they them&s;elves out&s;hine the Sun in bright|ne&s;s; there they continually hear Sounds of harmonious Mu|&s;ick; po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ing continual Joy and endle&s;s Comfort. There is Mirth without Sadne&s;s, Light without Darkne&s;s. Plea&s;ure without Pain, Life without Death, Re&s;t without Labour, Plen|ty without Poverty, and Gain without Lo&s;s: VVho would not but work for this Glory with the greate&s;t diligence, and wait for it with the greate&s;t patience. Oh what Glo|rys are there in Glory, Crowns of Glory, Ve&s;&s;els of Glory, a VVeight of Glory, a Kingdom of Glory. Here Chri&s;t puts
<PB N="12" REF="7">His Grace upon his spou&s;e, but there he puts his Glor<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter"> upon her: In this Life the Believers have &s;ome good things but there the be&s;t are re&s;erved for thee. Heaven is not only a Po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion promi&s;ed but a Po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion putcha&s;ed: VVhen our Contemplations are in Heaven, then we injoy a Heaven upon Earth. Do we delight in good Company? VVhat plea&s;ure then &s;hall we enjoy in the Company of Saints and Angels, in whom there is nothing but Joy, Comfort and delight. Do we de&s;ire Riches, Honour, Beauty, Plea&s;ure, long Life, or whatever el&s;e can be named to be delectable, no place &s;o glo|rious by Creation, nor &s;o beautiful with delectation, &s;o Rich in Po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion, &s;o Comfortable for Habitation, not &s;o durable for la&s;ting. There are no E&s;tate but inheritance no inhe|ritance but Kingdoms, no Hou&s;e but Palaces, no Noi&s;e but Mu&s;ick, no Robes but Scepters, no Garments but Robes, no Seats but Thrones no covering for Head but Crowns, <HI>Rom.</HI> 8.17. <HI>Tit.</HI> 3.7. <HI>Heb.</HI> 9.15. <HI>Mat.</HI> 31.34. 2 <HI>Tim.</HI> 4.8. <HI>Gal.</HI> 4.7, 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 3.9.10. <HI>Mark</HI> 10.23.24.25. <HI>Rev.</HI> 7.3.</P>
<P>There we &s;hall &s;ee the ble&s;&s;ed Face of God, who is the Glory of all &s;ights, and the &s;ight of all Glory; yea, our &s;elves &s;hall out-&s;hine the Sun in brightne&s;s, <HI>Mat.</HI> 13 34,</P>
<P>In &s;hort our Joy will there be full, and none &s;hall be able to take it from us, or le&s;&s;en it; <HI>Solomon</HI> in all his Glory and Royality to this, was but a Spark of light in a Chimney to the Sun in the Firmament: <HI>Ab&s;olom</HI>'s Beauty to that is but Deformity: <HI>Sam&s;on</HI>'s &s;trength to that is but infirmity: <HI>Me|thu&s;alem</HI>'s Age to theirs, is but Minority; yea, how little, how nothing are the poor and Temporary enjoyments of this Life in compari&s;on to tho&s;e we &s;hall enjoy in the next, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 2.9. Nay Paradi&s;e, or the Garden of <HI>Eden,</HI> was but a wil|derne&s;s compared with this; and if the Gates be of Pearl, and the Streets of Gold, what then are the inner Rooms, the Pre|&s;ence Chamber of the great Monarch of Heaven and Earth? what then may we think of the Maker and Builder thereof, who there will be all in all unto us, as Meat to ta&s;te, Beauty to our Eyes, perfumes to our Smell, Mu&s;ick to our Ears; and what &s;hall I &s;ay more, but as the <HI>P&s;almi&s;t</HI> &s;aith, <HI>Glorious things are &s;poken of thee thou City of our God,</HI> P&s;al. 87.8 Rev. 3.2, 3. and 21.10, to the end. That which makes Heaven &s;o full of Joy is, it is above all Fear; and that which makes Hell &s;o full of Horror is, that it is below all Hope. The Ve&s;&s;els of Grace &s;hall &s;wim in the Ocean of Glory, Here all
<PB N="13" REF="7">the Earth is nothing for one Man, but there one Heaven is enough for all Men.</P>
<P>Therefore, Sirs live &s;o, that the word which hath brought Salvation unto your Souls, may bring your Souls to Salvation. We mu&s;t fir&s;t &s;hine in Grace, before we can &s;hine in Glory.</P>
<P>Be willing to want what God is not willing to give. Man is &s;uch a Debitor to God, that he can never pay his due to God; we are &s;o far from paying the utmo&s;t farthing, that at the mo&s;t we have not a farthing to pay; there is no Man but hath received more good then he de&s;erveth, and none more Evil; and therefore &s;hould be contented, tho he enjoy but little good, and not di&s;contented though he &s;uffer much evil, 1 <HI>Tim.</HI> 6.8. A Chri&s;tian is to &s;ubmit to the Will of God's di&s;po&s;ing, as well as to the Will of God's commanding, A gracious Heart &s;hould be never out of heart; if God be not willing to give thee Riches, O then be willing to want Riches: If God be not wil|ling to give thee Health, O then be thou willing to want it.</P>
<P>O Chri&s;tian &s;ubmit thy will to Gods Will, that Soul &s;hall have his will of God, who de&s;ires nothing but God's Will. Do you but take care of that which belongs to God, and God will take care of all that belongs to you.</P>
<P>Now let us con&s;ider a little, what &s;ignifies the&s;e &s;illy fooli&s;h Plea&s;ures here to tho&s;e that are in Heaven; the&s;e plea&s;ures which are but momentary, to tho&s;e that are Eternal: What if we &s;uffer a little &s;orrow here, for thirty or fourty Years; which is but a &s;mall while to enjoy an Eternity in Happine&s;s hereafter, is it not better than to partake of the plea&s;ures of this World, and to have our fill of our bea&s;tly delights, and to be damned in Hell for it forever after!</P>
<P>Oh con&s;ider al&s;o how much of your precious time is wa&s;ted and &s;pent, and how little of your great Work is done; hath nor your re&s;t &s;tolen away half your time, and your lu&s;t the other? your Work is great, and your time is &s;hort; you have a GOD to honour, a Chri&s;t to Believe in, a Soul to &s;ave a Race to run, a Crown to win, a Hell to e&s;cape, and a Heaven to make &s;ure of; you have many Temptations to with&s;tand, and many Afflictious to bear many Mercies to im|prove, and many Duties to perform, therefore O Chri&s;tans redeem the time becau&s;e the days are evil, <HI>Ephe&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter"></HI> 5.15, O that every &s;tep your Souls take, might be towards Heaven, and that you would make &s;ure of God to day, becau&s;e to <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 word"> you are not &s;ure of your &s;elves: Therefore for the Lords &s;ake
<PB N="14" REF="8">improve your time and for your Souls &s;ake redeem your time. The Lawyer will not lo&s;e his Term, the Waterman will not lo&s;e his Tide, the Trades-man will not lo&s;e his Exchange time, the Husband-man will not lo&s;e his Sea&s;on, and will you lo&s;e your Sea&s;on? If you lo&s;e your Sea&s;on, you lo&s;e your pre|cious soul. There is but one Heaven, and if you mi&s;s of that you will certainly take up your Lodging in Hell.</P>
<P>I mu&s;t &s;um up all with the&s;e Exhortations: Let me be&s;eech you who are young Men &amp; young Women, to remember your Creator in the days of your youth, that is to &s;erve God, to love God, to Honour God, and to obey God in your youth|full Days; for the Flower of Life is of Chri&s;t's &s;etting there|fore let it not be of the Devil's plucking, Oh young Peo|ple, if you be now &s;ick of the will not, in Old Age you will die (perhaps) of the cannot; if God's to day will be too &s;oon for thy Repentance, thy tomorrow will be too late for his Exceptance: Let nothing be done in this World which cannot be an&s;wered in another, nor nothing undone which may be nece&s;&s;ary in another. He that departs this World in Faith &s;hall be &s;aved, but he that departs from the Faith &s;hall be dam|ned. Therefore I &s;ay unto you all both old and young, with St. <HI>Paul</HI> 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 15, 58. <HI>Be &s;tedfa&s;t, unmoveable always abound|ing in the Works of the Lord, for as much as you know that your Labour is not in vain in the Lord.</HI></P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>some Holy Directions to die well.</HEAD>
<P>MY Brethren, what doth the Lord require of you, but to do Ju&s;tice, to love Mercy, and walk humbly with God and to break off with your Sins, and to take no more plea&s;ure or delight in them, but hate and abhore them for the future, and uterly ca&s;t them behind your backs, &amp; to pre&s;s forewards to the Mark of the prize of the high Calling in Chri&s;t Je&s;us our Lord: for time is ha&s;tening and coming on, wherein it shall be &s;aid, <HI>He that is unju&s;t, let him be unju&s;t &s;till and he that is filthy let him be filthy &s;till, and he that is righteous let him be righteous &s;till</HI> &amp;c. The infinite Holy and heart &s;earch|ing God watcheth, &s;eeth, and takes a &s;trict Account of all your Actions, and they will find you out, and if not truly repented of and pardoned, they willly down with you in the Grave, and follow. you in another World, and meet you at God's
<PB N="15" REF="8">dreadfull Bar, and be open to the view of the whole World. Sin is a bad Bedfellow, and a wor&s;e Grave-fellow.</P>
<P>Therefore what&s;oever it is now your duty to do both to God and Man, now &s;et about and do it with all your might <HI>Eccle&s;ia&s;ticus</HI> 9, 10. <HI>Now before the Decree comes forth, and the fierce anger of the Lord come upon you,</HI></P>
<P N="1">1, Be very carefull and diligent in tho&s;e means that are ap|pointed for your Salvation. 2 <HI>Pet</HI> 1.10. <HI>Make your Calling and Election &s;ure,</HI> &amp;c. It is our pre&s;ent work and bu&s;ine&s;s to make &s;ure of Eternal Happine&s;s and Ble&s;&s;edne&s;s; for there is no landing at the Shore of Felicity, without &s;ailing in the Back of Fidelity; till you make &s;ure of Salvation, you will never be free from Temptations. <HI>Strive to enter in at the &s;treight Gate,</HI> Luke 13.</P>
<P N="2">2. <HI>Therefore pray without cea&s;ing.</HI> 1 The&s;, 4, 14. Pray con|tinually though you be not always at Prayer; our daily wants call for dayly Prayers; every Morning put up your Prayers to the mo&s;t high God, Maker of Heaven and Earth: let it be your fir&s;t Work and your la&s;t Work. You that would be Chri&s;tians indeed, and not in outward &s;hew and Profe&s;&s;ion only, lock up your hearts with prayer, and give God the Key, and he will pre&s;erve you, and then you may &s;leep without any fear of dan|ger. O you will never want a praying time, if you do not want a praying frame O the &s;trength and vertue of divine Prayer, it will fetch Fire from Heaven, yea an Angel from Heaven to fetch a <HI>Peter</HI> out of Pri&s;on. They that pray heartily and in Faith, may be fully a&s;&s;ured they &s;hall <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">peed happily, Thirdly take all opportunities and embrace them, for the hearing of the good Word of God; for faith comes by hearing of the Word preached, 4ly. Live in Love and Charity to|wards all Men, your greate&s;t Enemies as well as your be&s;t Friends. 1 <HI>Joh.</HI> 1.18. <HI>My Children let us not live in Word, nei|ther in Tongue, but in Love and in Truth.</HI> Let your Love be real and true, and not &s;elfish, <HI>Gal.</HI> 5, 14 Love thy Neighbour as thy &s;elf: And he that is wanting in this great work doth no<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter"> rightly and truly love him&s;elf, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">his Love is called an old com|mandment, and a new Commandment it is as old as the Law of <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> and as new as the glorious Go&s;pel of our Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t. The Natural and Moral Man may love his Friend, but the true Chri&s;tian indeed loves his Enemies. A Chri&s;tian &s;hould wi&s;h the be&s;t to them that wish the wor&s;t to him 5ly. eye humble Chri&s;tians, <HI>Matth.</HI> 11.29, A Believer is like a
<PB N="16" REF="9">Ve&s;&s;el at Sea, the more it fills the more it &s;inks; none &s;o hum+ble on Earth, as tho&s;e that live highe&s;t in Heaven. Where hu+mility is in the Corner &s;tone, there Piety is the Top Stone; th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter"> Cloth of Humility &s;hould always be worn upon the Back o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter"> Chri&s;tianity, If you were but to go to the graves of tho&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter"> that are gone before you, you there would &s;ee their bone<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter"> &s;cattered, their Eye wa&s;ted, their Fle&s;h con&s;umed, their mouth corrupted, that it is like were lofty ones. Where be now their ruddy Lips, their lovely Cheeks, their fluent Tongues their &s;parkling Eyes? Are they not all gone and come to no+thing? and &s;o will you be e're long; Therefore what cau<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="2 letters"> have ye to be proud of the&s;e things. 6thl If we have go<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="2 letters"> into Gods favour, let us be &s;ure to labour to keep his favo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="2 letters"> whil&s;t we live, and then certainly we shall die in his favour</P>
<P>Oh, whoever you be that happen to read the&s;e few Line let me beg of you to make Religion your main Bu&s;ine&s;s hearing, reading, praying and believing</P>
<P>Do nothing in this World but what you can an&s;wer in ano+ther. <HI>For we shall all appear before the Judgement Seat of Chri&s;t,</HI> &amp; 2 Cor. 5, 10. To Die well is a long Art which thou ha&s;t bu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter"> a &s;hort time to learn; they that have long furnished them+&s;elves with all &s;piritual Means&punc; find work enough to vanquis<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter"> and overcome all their &s;piritual Enemies; How then sha<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="2 letters"> thou carele&s;s Soul, if thou wilt not take hold of this Oppo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">+tunity, be in hopes to effect it, when the on&s;et of the Enem<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter"> shall be mo&s;t &s;trong and prevalent; and thou thro' pains in th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter"> Body, and perplexities, and di&s;tractedne&s;s of mind very wea<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter"> and no ways able to re&s;i&s;t; when Impediments &s;hall be mult<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">+plied and helps dimini&s;hed, thy di&s;traction great, thy inclinatio<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter"> little, and Lei&s;ure none; for at the hour of Death there <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 word"> &s;o many and great things will cau&s;e thee to die, that tho<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="2 letters"> &s;halt have neither mind, nor time, nor strength to die we<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="2 letters"></P>
<P>Therefore, as thou de&s;ire&s;t the everla&s;ting Welfare of th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter"> precious and immortal Soul, let what has been de&s;ired of th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter"> in this &s;mall Piece, be &s;trictly ob&s;erved and done without d<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">lay, that &s;o you may be everla&s;tingly happy with God a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="2 letters"> his Holy Angels in the highe&s;t Heavens,</P>
</DIV2>
<TRAILER>FINIS&punc;</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
