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…

The Uses are two, The 1st is by way of exhortation, to commend this excellent though much slighted duty, not only meditation in the general, but meditation in particular on this subject of death; folks have often as little mind of this duty as if it were not in the word of God, and yet it is frequently called for there, ⟨p. 103⟩and if in any generation, then in this, wherein there is so much confusion, turning of things up side down, and reeling to and fro; so many snares and so many grounds of grief and sorrow; when so many are carnally weighted and dejected, and so many are declining and going wrong: And (as we show before) we think that this text relates to this time of the World, the time of Gods beginning to execute his Judgments on Antichrist before the full harvest and vintage come; and therefore we would speak to this use a little more particularly, because its very useful and a notable mean to make you go profitably about the practice of all that we have spoken to this purpose; for it puts us in mind of these directions for right living in order to dying, and it holds us at them; without the minding of death, there can be no minding of them, for these that mind not the end can never mind the midses; because, I say, its thus useful, We shall therefore for further clearing of it speak a little to two things; 1. To some directions or rules, showing how ye should think on death. 2. To some helps and means thereto.

The Uses are two, The 1st is by way of exhortation, to commend this excellent though much slighted duty, not only meditation in the general, but meditation in particular on this subject of death; folkes have often as litle mind of this duty as if it wer not in the word of God, and yet it is frequently called for there, ⟨p. 103⟩and if in any generation, then in this, wherein there is so much confusion, turneing of things up syde downe, and reilling to and fro; so many snairs and so many grounds of greife and sorrow; when so many are carnally weighted and dejected, and so many are declineing and goeing wrong: And (as we shew before) we think that this text relats to this time of the World, the time of Gods beginning to execute his Judgments on Antichrist before the full harvest and vintage come; and therefor we would speak to this use a litle more particularly, because its very usefull and a notable mean to make you goe profitably about the practice of all that we have spoken to this purpose; for it puts us in mind of these directions for right living in order to dieing, and it holds us at them; without the minding of death, there can be no minding of them, for these that mind not the end can never mind the midses; because, I say, its thus useful, We shall therefore for further clearing of it speak a litle to two things; 1. To some directions or rules, shewing how ye should think on death. 2. To some helps and means thereto.