The blessedness of the death of these that die in the Lord and more…The blessednesse of the death of these that die in the Lord and more…

A third Consideration is drawn from the great work that there is about death, and when it comes to dying, & when the immortal soul must be dislodged & leave the body, and will not possibly be got kept any longer in it; ye never made such a voyage, ye never had such a piece of work in hand as this will be found to be, when infirmities of the body grow on you a-pace, and at a great height, when the encumbrance and fashrie (to say so) of the things of the world, when the affection of relations and friends, when eternity staring you in the face, when the Devil the great accuser, not only of the brethren but of all other men, with his libels waiting on, when the Law in its passing the sentence and cursing every transgressor, when Christs dreadful sentence, depart from me ye cursed &c. are all to be met with and encountered at once; and when the conscience within will be clamouring to you that ye were not at all solicitous and careful to eschew that sad sentence; and beside all these ye will yet have a greater party to deal with then your conscience, even the great God the just and righteous Judge of all the earth, and O! but it be a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God, and when withal ye shall have a multitude of challenges and tentations to enter the lists with, this will be found another sort of thing then a Journey to London, or a voyage to Holland, France or Spain, or to the east or west Indies; and think ye who have put by and spent all your life in vanity, that an hour or two, or a little time at death will be enough for preparing you to encounter with it? O! sad and soul-ruining mistake, are there not many poor wretched souls when death comes, who are forced to wish, Oh! if we had another lifetime to live, we would spend it better, and with such a wish ⟨p. 68⟩as that, poor souls, they slip away.

A third Consideration is drawn from the great work that there is about death, and when it comes to dieing, & when the immortal soul must be dislodged & leave the bodie, and will not possiblie be gott keeped any longer in it; ye never made such a voyadge, ye never had such a peece of work in hand as this will be found to be, when infirmities of the bodie grow on you a-pace, and at a great height, when the encumberance and fashrie (to say so) of the things of the world, when the affection of relations and friends, when eternitie stareing you in the face, when the Devil the great accuser, not onlie of the brethren but of all other men, with his libels waiting on, when the Law in its passing the sentence and curseing everie transgressor, when Christs dreadful sentence, depart from me ye cursed &c. are all to be mett with and encountered at once; and when the conscience within will be clamouring to you that ye wer not at all sollicitous and careful to eshew that sad sentence; and beside all these ye will yet have a greater partie to deal with then your conscience, even the great God the just and righteous Judge of all the earth, and O! but it be a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God, and when withal ye shall have a multitude of challenges and tentations to enter the lists with, this will be found another sort of thing then a Journey to London, or a voiadge to Holland, France or Spaine, or to the east or west Indies; and think ye who have put by and spent all your life in vanitie, that ane hour or two, or a litle time at death will be enough for prepareing you to encounter with it? O! sad and soul-ruining mistake, are there not manie poor wretched souls when death comes, who are forced to wish, Oh! if we had another lifetime to live, we would spend it better, and with such a wish