David speaking of his dead Child, saith, I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me; And Job by asking the question, denieth it; If a man dye, shall he live again? God will never trust thee with a second life, or give thee leave for second thoughts, or better purposes, or more serious and sober actions, when thou art once landed in the other world. He will not offer thee a Christ, and Grace, and Heaven, when thou art gone from this earth. Think of it seriously; is not that work to be done well, which can be done but once? Shouldst thou not use thine utmost care, and strength, and diligence, to dye well, when thy everlasting making or marring dependeth on it? Ah Friend, If thou failest now, thou failest for ever; if thou dalliest now, thou art undone eternally; There is no wisdom nor knowledge in the Grave, whither thou art going, Eccles. 11. 7.
3. Death will appear to be a serious thing, in that all the powers of Hell, will then assault thee. Thou mayst say of it (in some respects, as Christ did) to wicked men, and the Wicked one; This is your hour, and the power of darkness. The Devil its observable, is most busy at the conclusion of a duty, as of prayer, that the Christian might be hindered and distracted, when he closeth up all in the name of Christ, and so all his desires ⟨p. 623⟩be frustrated; so he is most busy in the conclusion of our days, adding fearful dreams to our slumbers, strong distractions to our fancies, increasing our pains with terrors, driving the good if possible, to despair, and intoxicating the bad with presumptuous conceits, and all because his time is little. The Devil is come down, having great rage, knowing that his time is short, Rev. 12. 12. At the approach of death, through pain of body, and perplexity of mind, men are least able to resist, and therefore this cowardly enemy will then be most ready and fierce to assault; When the Christian is down, then if possible, he will trample upon him. The last persecutions of the Church under Diocletian, and Maximinian, were the soarest. The last messenger the Devil sent to Job, concerning the sudden violent death of all his Children, pierced his heart deepest. The subtle serpent reserved that great Ordnance for the last, hoping the former small guns of the los• of his Cattle, and Estate, and Servants, would have done some execution, in making some breach upon his faith and patience;
David speaking of his dead Child, saith, I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me; And Iob by asking the question, denyeth it; If a man dye, shall he live again? God will never trust thee with a second life, or give thee leave for second thoughts, or better purposes, or more serious and sober actions, when thou art once landed in the other world. He will not offer thee a Christ, and Grace, and Heaven, when thou art gone from this earth. Think of it seriously; is not that work to be done well, which can be done but once? Shouldst thou not use thine utmost care, and strength, and diligence, to dye well, when thy everlasting making or marring dependeth on it? Ah Friend, If thou failest now, thou failest for ever; if thou dalliest now, thou art undone eternally; There is no wisdom nor knowledge in the Grave, whither thou art going, Eccles. 11. 7.
3. Death will appear to be a serious thing, in that all the powers of Hell, will then assault thee. Thou mayst say of it (in some respects, as Christ did) to wicked men, and the Wicked one; This is your hour, and the power of darkness. The Devil its observeable, is most busie at the conclusion of a duty, as of prayer, that the Christian might be hindered and distracted, when he closeth up all in the name of Christ, and so all his desires ⟨p. 623⟩be frustrated; so he is most busie in the conclusion of our days, adding fearful dreams to our slumbers, strong distractions to our fancies, increasing our pains with terrors, driving the good if possible, to despair, and intoxicating the bad with presumptuous conceits, and all because his time is little. The Devil is come down, having great rage, knowing that his time is short, Rev. 12. 12. At the approach of death, through pain of body, and perplexity of mind, men are least able to resist, and therefore this cowardly enemy will then be most ready and fierce to assault; When the Christian is down, then if possible, he will •rample upon him. The last persecutions of the Church under Dioclesian, and Maximinian, were the soarest. The last messenger the Devil sent to Iob, concerning the sudden violent death of all his Children, pierced his heart deepest. The subtle serpent reserved that great Ordnance for the last, hoping the former small guns of the los• of his Cattel, and Estate, and Servants, would have done some execution, in making some breach upon his faith and patience;
