The fading of the flesh and flourishing of faith, or, One cast for eternity…

Satan will then play hardest upon thee with his biggest g•ns; when his time is but little, his rage is greatest. This is his hour, and the power of darkness. As the Turkish Emperor, when he hath blunted the edge of his Enemies weapons, and wearied their arms with thousands of his ordinary Soldiers, then falls on with his Janissaries, the pride and power of his Kingdom: When thou through pain of body, and perplexity of mind, art least able to resist, then the Devil cometh with his fiercest assaults. If on thy death-bed thou shouldst think of turning to God, he hath a thousand ways to turn thee off from such thoughts. When there is but one battle for a Kingdom, what wounds and work? what fighting and striving is there? When the Devil (who knoweth thee to be his own already) hath but a few hours to wait on thee, and then thou art his for ever, be assured he will watch by thy sick bed night and day, and if all the power and policy of hell can prevent it, neither cordial shall benefit thy body, nor counsel thy soul.

Satan will then play hardest upon thee with his biggest g•ns; when his time is but little, his rage is greatest. This is his hour, and the power of darkness. As the Turkish Emperour, when he hath blunted the edge of his Enemies weapons, and wearied their arms with thousands of his ordinary Souldiers, then falls on with his Janizaries, the pride and power of his Kingdom: When thou through pain of body, and perplexity of mind, art least able to resist, then the Devil cometh with his fiercest assaults. If on thy death-bed thou shouldst think of turning to God, he hath a thousand ways to turn thee off from such thoughts. When there is but one battel for a Kingdom, what wounds and work? what fighting and striving is there? When the Devil (who knoweth thee to be his own already) hath but a few hours to wait on thee, and then thou art his for ever, be assured he will watch by thy sick bed night and day, and if all the power and policy of hell can prevent it, neither cordial shall benefit thy body, nor counsel thy soul.

Will not this be a trying hour to thee, when the cloth shall be drawn, and thy bodily comforts all taken off the Table? will not death search thee to the quick, when those Thieves in their frightful visors, all thy sins in that Night will break in upon thee? As the Elders of Samaria said of Jehu, when he sent to them to prepare and provide to fight with him; Two Kings stood not before him, and how shall we? Adam and Angels could not stand before sin (it laid them both low) and how wilt thou? Believe it, those that have been Lions in peace, have carried themselves like Harts in this War. Brutus whose blood seemed as warm, and to rise to as great a degree of courage as any, since the Roman Consuls, yet when Furius came to cut his Throat, he cried out like a Child. Heathen, who saw nothing almost in Death, save rottenness and corruption accompanying the body, who looked no farther then the Grave, have esteemed Death the King of Terrors; The Terrible of Terribles, and have been frighted into a Fever upon the sight of its forerunner. But Death is not half so terrible to a moral Heathen, as twill be to thee, O wicked Christian; thou knowest that thy Deaths-day is thy Dooms-day; that the Axe of Death will cut the down as fuel for the unquenchable fire; that as soon as thou art carried from the Earth, thou art cast into Hell. Thou presumest that thou shalt behave thy self like a man, in the onset with this Enemy; but I dare be the Prophet to foretell, that thy courage will be less then a Woman's in the issue, for man, man dost thou not know, as Pilate said to Christ, that Death hath power to kill thee, as well as to release thee,