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…

For the first, ye remember when we said death was a suitable subject of meditation, we took in death in its circumstances, concomitants, and kinds; And our first direction or rule shall be this, be particular in your meditation, let it not be abstracted from yourself in particular, Its not enough to take it for granted that death is common to all; So does Job, cap. 30. 23. I I know that thou shalt bring me to death, and so does David, Ps. 39. Lord teach me to know mine end and the number of my days, how frail I am; go through all the concomitants of death, and consider what may be your case at death, what will be your challenges, tentations, and thoughts; and what will be the effects and consequents of death to you, when ye must with these same eyes and none other for you behold and face ⟨p. 104⟩your Judge. 2ly, Cast a reflex look on yourselves and your own way in meditation, when ye look to that way that prepares one to die well, look back and see if such a preparation be in you, consider how your way suits with that which the Scripture holds out to be the way, if such a challenge may meet you at death, and what course is taken with it to answer or prevent it; this was Jobs way Chap. 31. where he tells us that he durst not slight the cause of his man-servant or maid-servant when they contended with him, for then he should not have had a good answer to his judge, & that if he had done otherwayes, it would have marred his boldness. 3ly, Labour to have your affections moved in your meditation on death; This is a chief end of meditation; otherwayes we will but run to and fro, and rove up and down to inform the Judgment, and carry the thoughts of death as a common place along with us, but will get no more good of it; the special thing is to have somewhat dropping from it that may melt the heart, as it was with David, Psal. 77. I thought on God and was troubled; and Psal. 63. My soul shall be filled as with marrow and fatness; there is something like this in meditating on death, it affects the heart with terror, when the soul thinks on dying without clearness of interest; It affects the heart with comfort and joy, when the soul is clear in its interest; to think on dying in Christ so as thereby to be advanced a step nearer unto it, and to drink in what we have been thinking upon, that is the truly profitable thinking on such a thing;