The blessedness of the righteous discoursed from Psal. 17, 15 /The blessednesse of the righteous discoursed from Psal. 17, 15 /

And when thou art attained so far, consider thy great advantage in being willing and desirous to dye upon this further account, that thy desire shall now be pitched upon a thing so certain. Thine other desires have met with many a disappointment. Thou hast set thy heart upon other things, and they have deceived thy most earnest, thirsty expectations. Death will not do so. Thou wilt now have one certain hope. One thing in reference whereto thou mayest say, I am sure. Wait a while, this peaceful sleep will shortly seize thy body, and awaken thy soul. It will calmly period all thy troubles, and bring thee to a blessed rest.

And when thou art attained so far, consider thy great advantage in being willing and desirous to dye upon this further account, that thy desire shall now be pitch't upon a thing so certain. Thine other desires have met with many a disappointment. Thou hast set thy heart upon other things, and they have deceived thy most earnest, thirsty expectations. Death will not do so. Thou wilt now have one certain hope. One thing in reference whereto thou may'st say, I am sure. Wait a while, this peaceful sleep will shortly seize thy body, and awaken thy soul. It will calmly period all thy troubles, and bring thee to a blessed rest.

But now, if only the mere terror and gloominess of dying, trouble thy thoughts, this of all other, seems the most inconsiderable pretence against a willing surrender of our selves to death. Reason hath overcome it, natural courage, yea, some mens Atheism, shall not Faith? Are we not ashamed to consider what confidence, and desire of death, some Heathens have expressed? some that have had no preapprehension, or belief of another state, (though there were very few of them) and so no hope of a consequent blessedness to relieve ⟨p. 417⟩them, have yet thought it unreasonable to disgust the thoughts of death. What wouldst thou think if thou hadst nothing but the Sophisms of such to oppose to all thy dismal thoughts? I have met with^*