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

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^* one arguing thus;—Death which is accounted the most dreadful of all evils, is nothing to us (saith he) because while we are in being, Death is not yet present, and when Death is present, we are not in being; so that it neither concerns us, as living, nor dead; for while we are alive, it hath not touched us, when we are dead, we are not—. Moreover (saith he) the exquisite knowledge of this, that Death belongs not to us, makes us enjoy this mortal life with comfort, not by adding any thing to our uncertain time, but by taking away the desire of immortality. Shall they comfort themselves upon so wretched a ground, with a little Sophistry, and the hope of extinguishing all desire of immortality? and shall not we, by cherishing the blessed hope of enjoying shortly an immortal glory?

But now, if onely the meer terrour 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 exprest? 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 would'st thou think if thou had'st nothing but the Sophisms of such to oppose to all thy dismal thoughts? I have met with