Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

the fear of dying, whenever his time fhould come. And again he affirms, that (g) None can hope to fee that time, with a chearful and compofed countenance, who has not taken care to reconcile himself to it beforeband; and hence advises, (b) to be always mindful of it. Much more should Christians lay to heart the infinite concern they have depending upon their fitness to die well, and as becomes those who have an abundant affurance, incomparably beyond what the rest of the world had, of a future immortality, with which nothing here below can bear to be fet in competition.

Theoph. And the nearer they draw to this endless ftate, the greater reafon they have to be ruminating upon it, and upon that death, which is the only, and the certain paffage to it, and fo to prepare themselves for it, as that it may happily convey them into eternal glory. These forts of meditations justly challenge our frequent and serious thoughts, and the fooner we fall upon them, fo much the better.

Eufeb. Death, as it is a paffage to eternity, is a matter of that great weight, that if it will not bring men to their wits, and make them ferious and confiderate, it is not to be hoped, that any thing else fhould be able to do it. He that can ftand out against fuch an awakening fhock, may juftly be given over as desperate and incurable. He now fees our Saviour's doctrine manifeftly verified, (i) if he should gain the whole world by the lofs of his foul, it would be an exceedingly dear bargain, and what he would have cause to lament for ever and ever. And it is very strange, if men can be fo hardened in their fins, as to ftand out against all these terrors, and, instead of husbanding the little time they have left, to caft themselves willingly, and with their eyes open, into the pit of destruction.

(g) Epift. 30.

(b) Tu tamen mortem ut nunquam timeas, femper cogita. Ibid. (i) Matth. xvi. 26.

Theoph.

alda

Theoph. You fee then, I had very good reason to recommend a fober and folemn confideration of death, as an effectual course, in order to a ferious preparation t for it.

Anchith. You had fo; nothing being a more powerful incentive to an earnest defire and endeavour to efit ourselves for our latter end, than duly to bethink ourselves of that everlasting ftate, either of incomparable happiness, or inexpreffible tortures, wherein death will most certainly lodge every one of us, me, in all appearance, in the first place, and you not long after.

A Prayer for a fanctified Confideration of Death.

Almighty God, our Heavenly Father, who givest us

life, and breath, and all things; and on whofe infinite goodness, and mercy, thro' Chrift my Saviour, is all my dependence, both for the prefent, and in order to a future ftate; caft an eye of pity upon me in this declining condition; and give me grace to make a due improvement of it. Let no terrors of death, how near foever, prevail over me, and affright me cut of my hope in thee. And fuffer me not, on the other hand, vainly to prefume upon thy goodness. Open mine eyes, and awaken my fluggish foul, that, feeing how little time I am to expect in this world, my heart, my thoughts, and all my defires, may be fet upon another; and my whole bufinefs may be to fecure to myfelf an interest therein. Give me fuch a comfortable and well-grounded affurance of another life with thee in Heaven, as may protect me from all those fears of death, to which 1 might otherwise be in bondage. I am fenfible, that death is not only a departure hence, but a translation into another eternal world, where I must live for ever, either with thee and my bleffed Saviour in endless glory, or with the devil and his angels, in the bottomlefs abyss of mifery. And, accordingly, I do most earnestly beg, that the refult of these most weighty meditations may

be

[ocr errors]

be a care, ftill more and more, to mortify all my worldly and carnal inclinations, and to make the beft ufe that may be, of the short remainder of my time; that fo 1 may be in a readiness to quit my ftation, whenever thou fhalt call for me. To this end, teach me fo to number my days, that I may apply my heart to the only true and faving wisdom; that, being fully convinced, how frail a creature man is, and bow near I, in particular, feem at this time to be to my great change, 1 may give all diligence to perfect my preparation for it, that fo the longer 1 continue here, the better I may improve myfelf to thee; and the nearer I come to my latter end, the fitter I may be for it, and for the fruition of thyself in everlasting glory, thro' Jefus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Another, for Deliverance from everlasting Death. P Referve me, O Lord, and strengthen me against all this world's temptations; and of thy great mercy fave me from the wrath to come. Be with me now, and at the hour of death, and let no evil burt me. Thou knoweft, Lord, the fecrets of all hearts; but not thy merciful ears to my prayers. But fpare me, O Lord moft boly, O God moft mighty, O boly and moft merciful Saviour, thou most worthy Judge eternal, fuffer me not to mifcarry at my laft bour; but fave me from the bitter pains of eternal death; that whatever becomes of me in the mean time, I may by no means be irrecoverably miferable in a future ftate. Amen.

Another, for a happy Eternity.

LORD, whilst I live, enable me to live to thee, that when I die, I may die in thy favour; and whether in life or death, I may be thine; and after death may live and rejoice in thee, and may bless, and praise, and glorify thy holy name thro' an endless eternity. Grant this, O bleed God, for Jefus Chrift's fake, our Lord. Amen.

Theoph.

[ocr errors]

Theoph. II. Another duty I would recommend, as neceffarily incumbent upon the fick man, is to wean bimfelf from the world. I have already obferved the infufficiency of all earthly poffeffions and advantages, and, by confequence, the great reason we all have to labour after fuch an indifferency towards them, as that they may never be able to weigh down our fouls, and keep them from afpiring after a far more defirable reward in the highest Heavens. And indeed, (k) till we have got the conqueft over ourselves, it will be impoffible to quit this prefent life with a willing mind, tho' at the call of God himself; because these earthly objects will be fo many dangerous retractives, filling men with forrow at the thoughts of leaving them, and making them loth to depart thither, where they fhall be fure to have no farther enjoyment of them. He that has his affections glued to the earth, will not know how (if it could be allowed him) to mount up to Heaven, with any fatisfaction or ease but will recoil, ftart back, and faint, and be in agonies, and almost dead, at the apprehenfion of bidding farewel to them. And, whilft the thought of fuch a removal is thus diftafteful to him, it is not to be imagined, that he can be reconciled to it. Nor ought he to look upon himself as in a due preparation for death, till he has got his foul at liberty from the bondage it had been in to thefe vain allurements: which, one would think, were no hard task, confidering the many croffes and difappointments (1) which ufually accompany them; and that themselves alfo are, at beft, deceitful and unfatisfactory, and (m) all

;

(6) Siquid mirabere, pones Invitus. Horat. 1. 1. Epift. 10. v. 31. (1) Siquis modò fecum animo reputârit, quàm calamitofa fit hæc noftra omnis vita, quot periculis, quot morbis, quot cafibus, quot curis, quot incommodis, quot vitiis, quot injuriis fit obnoxia,quàm exigua pars ejus nobis abeat, non dicam cum voluptate, fed non aliquâ ægritudine contaminata; deinde quàm fugax etiam ac præceps, propemodùm, etiam gratulabitur iis, qui maturùs eam reliquerint. Erafm. Declamat. de Morte.

(m) Ecclef. i. 14.

the

the works that are done under the fun, are but vanity and vexation of fpirit. The dying Chriftian has fo much a nobler purchase in his eye, that his defires fhould be carried forth intirely after that, and he should be heartily afhamed to take up with any thing fhort of it. Efpecially feeing, that had these earthly enjoyments, of whatever fort, been far more valuable than they are, they might be fo to others; but can be no longer of any ufe to him, who is upon his entrance into another world. He may look back, and fee what dangerous temptations they have been to him; but all he has now to do with them, is only to take his leave of them, and fue to God for the forgiveness of any past abuse of them he has been guilty of. They are ferviceable, to a great degree, in our paffage thro' this prefent life; and if well improved, in acts of mercy and charity, will bring us to an ample reward above in Heaven; but this is all the benefit he can expect from them. We are only intrusted with them, during our ftay here; and muft neceffarily refign them, whenever we lay aside this earthly tabernacle, there being no farther use we can then make of them, They will contribute nothing to the wicked man's eafe, when he comes to languish in such excess of pain and torment, in the burning lake, as nothing in the world can mitigate. And those in Heaven will have no need of them; for they will be everlastingly poffeffed of vaftly greater and more durable treafures; and fo will look down upon all this world's glory, as not deferving any regard from them. And this leffon it is the fick man's part to teach himself beforehand, that when he shall be called hence, he may quite difburden himself of fuch his heavy clog, and may be perfectly at liberty to obey, and be gone. And who can tell, whether one great end of God's not cutting men off immediately, but continuing them for fome time under their ficknefs, may not be to work this good effect upon them? He very well knows, what an inexcufable fondness

the

« AnteriorContinuar »