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…

But as to the 3d, Why add we this, that it is especially advantageous in evil times? Which seems to be the very scope of the words, and the godly such as David and others have thought it so; we do not say that meditation on death is especially profitable and advantageous in ill times, as if it were not to be thought on in times of prosperity and peace, but that it is exceeding necessary, and singularly profitable in an evil time, and in such an one as we now live in; And the great necessity and advantage of this ariseth from three things that accompany an evil time; 1. Many snares and tentations; in an ill time flesh and blood is ready to postpone a good conscience and to prefer self preservation; now living in the meditation of death guards against that; if the tentation say, man spare or save thyself, the soul that is thinking on death will say, I may soon loss my good conscience by yielding to such a thing for preservation of self, and yet it may be myself shall not live a year after it, and though I should live twenty yet shall I be brought to com•t for it, And therefore I will rather hazard on the loss of any thing, yea of life itself, then by wounding or ship-wrecking my ⟨p. 102⟩conscience on provoking God; Hence the Apostle tells us, 2 Cor. 5. that he was not swayed with outward things. 2. Another evil accompanies an evil time, and its carnal sorrow, fainting, perplexity, discouragement; meditation on death mitigates these, It says that these things, or any other thing the Godly can suffer, are not eternal, It sweeteneth our grief, it diverts the mind from carnal thoughts to that which is more profitable, it easeth the mind, and layeth the •lormes, and calmeth the confusions, that outward difficulties and troubles raise and awake in it, and gives a profitable use of sad things. 3ly, There is in an evil time ordinarily, much confusion and distraction; that is down which we think should be up, and that is up which we think should be down, and our minds are ready to stagger and reel to and fro like a drunken man, because of these confusions; but the thoughts of death stay the mind, and say, that death ere long will bring all these things to an end or else an end to us, and will bring them all to be recognosced and judged over again; To this purpose compare, v. 16, and 17. of