The Christian-man's calling: or, A treatise of making religion ones business. Wherein the nature…

Once more, If none of these things move thee, Quest. 4 I shall ask thee one question more, and then leave thee to thy choice, What wilt thou do in a dying hour? I say again, Reader, if Religion be not thy business now, What wilt thou do when thou comest to dye? Now possibly thou bearest thy self up with the streams of carnal comforts; but what will become of thee, when all these waters shall be dried up, and nothing of them seen but the mud of those sins which thou hast been guilty of, in the use, or rather abuse of them? Now thou canst do well enough (thou thinkest) without God and his Worship; but ah, what wilt thou do when thou comest to look into the other World! Alas, then thy brightest Sun of bodily ⟨image 17⟩delights will be clouded, thy freshest flowers will be withered, and thy greatest candles extinguished, and leave only a stink behind them: Believe it, death will search thee to the quick, and try to purpose what metal thou art made of. When thou comest to lie upon thy sick bed, and thy wealth, and honours, & relations, and flesh, and heart, shall fail thee; what will become of thee, if God be not the strength of thy heart, and thy portion for ever? What will he do to look death in the face, upon whom the jealous God shall frown? We read in Epiphanius of a Bird called Charadius, that being brought into the room where one lieth sick, if he look on the sick person with a fixed eye, he recovereth; but if he turn away his eyes from him, he dyeth. Friend, what a miserable condition will thy poor soul be in, when all thy friends and riches shall leave thee, and the blessed God himself shall not vouchsafe thee a good look, but turn away his face from thee? Surely thy disease will be unto death eternal. Thy friends may carry thy body to its grave for a time, but frightful Devils will carry thy soul to hell, to remain there for ever and ever: Religion indeed is like the stone Chrysolampis, which will shine brightest in the dark of death. The truly Religious may launch into the Ocean of Eternity, and sail to their everlasting harbour, as the Alexandrian ship came into the Roman haven with top and top gallant, with true comfort, and undaunted courage: Let death come when it will, he can bid it welcome. Death is never sudden to a Saint; no guest comes unawares to him who keepeth a constant table:

Once more, If none of these things move thee, Quest. 4 I shall ask thee one question more, and then leave thee to thy choice, What wilt thou do in a dying hour? I say again, Reader, if Religion be not thy business now, What wilt thou do when thou comest to dye? Now possibly thou bearest thy self up with the streams of carnal comforts; but what will become of thee, when all these waters shall be dryed up, and nothing of them seen but the mud of those sins which thou hast been guilty of, in the use, or rather abuse of them? Now thou canst do well enough (thou thinkest) without God and his Worship; but ah, what wilt thou do when thou comest to look into the other World! Alas, then thy brightest Sun of bodily