our own country or in another, at liberty or in prison, so we are sure it finds us not in a state of death? Who would not rather pass to glory by as straight a way as John Baptist, Stephen, or other martyrs did, than with their persecutors, to prosper in the way to misery? Who can for shame repine at the loss of temporal commodities, that is secured of the eternal joys? If assurance of the love of God, would not embolden you to patient suffering, and to lay down life and all for Christ, what do you think should ever do it?

But when you are afraid lest death will turn you into hell, what wonder if you timerously draw back? When you know not whether ever you shall have any better, no wonder if you are loath to part with the seeming happiness which you have. Those doubts and fears enfeeble the soul, and spoil you of that valour that becomes a soldier of Christ.

5. All personal crosses in your estates, your families, your friends, your health, will be easily borne, if you are once assured of your salvation. To a man that is passing into heaven, all these are almost inconsiderable things. What is Lazarus the worse now for his sores or rags? Or what is the rich man the better for his sumptuous attire and fare? (Luke xvi.) Whether you be poor or rich, sick or sound; whether you are used kindly or unkindly in the world, are questions of so small importance, that you are not much concerned in the answer of them: but whether you have Christ within you, or be reprobates; whether you are the heirs of the promise, or are under the curse, are questions of everlasting consequence.

6. Lastly, You may comfortably receive the sentence of death, when once you are assured of the life of grace, and that you have escaped everlasting death. Though nature will be still averse to a dissolution, yet faith will make you cheerfully submit, "desiring to depart and be with Christ," as the best condition for you. (Phil. i. 23.) When you "know that if the earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, you have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens;" you will then "groan earnestly, desiring to be clothed upon with your house, which is from heaven: not to be unclothed, (for the union of soul and body, is the constitution of the man, which nature cannot but desire,) but to be clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life. This God doth work you for, who giveth you

the earnest of the Spirit: therefore as men that know while you are at home in the body, you are absent from the Lord; and that walk by faith, and not by sight, you would be always confident, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and present with the Lord." (2 Cor. v. 1-8.)

Let Soci

Though it be troublesome to remove your dwelling, yet you would not stick upon the trouble, if you were sure to change a cottage for a court: nor would you refuse to cross the seas, to change a prison for a kingdom. The holy desires of believers, do prepare them for a safe death; but it is the assurance of their future happiness, or the believing expectation of it, that must prepare them for a death that is safe and comfortable. The death of the presumptuous may be quiet, but not safe: the death of doubting, troubled believers may be safe, but not quiet: the death of the ungodly, that have awakened, undeceived consciences, is neither safe nor quiet but the death of strong believers, that have attained assurance, is both. And he that findeth Christ within him, may know, that when he dieth, he shall be with Christ: his dwelling in us by faith, by love, and by his Spirit, is a pledge that we shall dwell with him. Christ within us, will certainly carry us unto Christ above us. nians question the happiness of such departed souls, or doubt whether they be in heaven before the resurrection; I am sure that they are with Christ, as the forecited places shew, (2 Cor. v. 7, 8; Phil. i. 23,) and many other. We are following him, that when he had conquered death, and went before us, did send that message to his doubting, troubled disciples, (which is to me so full of sweetness, that methinks I can scarce too often recite it,) "Go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father and your Father, and to my God and your God," (John xx. 17.) O piercing, melting words, which methinks do write themselves upon my heart, whenever I read them with attention and consideration! Know once that you are his brethren, and that his Father is your Father, and his God is your God, and that he is ascended and glorified in your nature; and then how can you be unwilling to be dismissed from the bondage of this flesh, and be with Christ! For in his "Father's house are many mansions! and he is gone before to prepare a place for us; and will come again and receive us unto himself, that where he is, there we may be also." (John xiv. 2, 3.)

And that this is his will for all his servants, he hath declared in that comfortable promise, (which also I have found so full of sweetness, that I value it above all the riches of the world,)“ If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour." (John xii. 26.) The Spirit of Christ within you, is the earnest of all this: Be assured of your faith, and hope, and love, and you may be assured to possess the good believed, and hoped for, and loved. "The incorruptible seed, which liveth and abideth for ever," of which you are new born, (1 Peter i. 23,) doth tend to the "incorruptible crown, (1 Peter v. 4,) even the crown of righteousness, which the righteous Judge will give to all that love his appearing.” (2 Tim. iv. 8.) And so shall we ever be with the Lord," as the apostle comfortably speaks, 1 Thess. iv. 17, and seasonably annexeth the use of such a cordial, "Wherefore comfort one another with these words." (ver. 18.)

Whether we are to die by the decay of nature, or by the storm of any violent disease, or by the hand of persecutors, or any other instruments of Satan, the difference is small: they are but several ways of landing at the shore of happiness, which we were making towards, through all the duties and difficulties of our lives. May we by any death be sent to Christ, let them domineer awhile that stay behind, and are conquerors and happy in their dream; we shall neither miss nor desire their felicity. May I die assured of the love of God, how little regardable is it, whether I be poor or rich till then; or in what manner death shall do its execution? And how little cause have blessed souls to envy them that are left on earth, in a quiet and prosperous passage to dam

nation!

And what an ease and pleasure is this to a man's mind through all his life, to be able, with well-grounded comfort, to think of death! What cares can vex him that hath secured his everlasting state? What losses should afflict him that is sure he shall not lose his soul, and is sure to gain eternal life? What fears should disquiet him that is sure to escape the wrath of God? What wants should trouble him that knoweth he is an heir of heaven? Why should the indignation or threatenings of man, be any temptation to turn him out of the way of duty, or dismay his mind,

who knoweth that they can but “ kill the body," and dismiss the soul into his blessed presence, whom it loveth, and laboureth and longs to see? What should inordinately grieve that man that is certain of eternal joy? What else should be thirst for, that hath "in him the well of living waters, springing up to everlasting life?" (John iv, 14.) Aud what should deprive that man of comfort, that knoweth he hath the Comforter within him, and shall be for ever comforted with his master's joy? And what should break the peace and patience of him that is assured of everlasting rest? If the assurance of a happy death cannot make it welcome, and cannot make affliction easy, and fill our lives with the joys of hope, I know not what can do it.

But, alas for those poor souls that know not whither death will send them, or at least have not good grounds of hope; what wonder if " through the fear of death they be all their lifetime subject to bondage!" (Heb. ii. 15.) Methinks in the midst of their wealth and pleasure, they should not be so stupid as to forget the millions that are gone before them, that lately were as jovial and secure as they; and how short their dreaming feast will be. Methinks all the beauty of their fleshly idols should be blasted with those nipping frosts and storms, that in their serious forethoughts come in upon them, from the black and dreadful regions of death! Methinks at any time it should damp their mirth, and allay the ebullition of their frenetic blood, to remember, For all this I must die,' and it may be " this night, that the fool must deliver up his soul; and then, whose shall those things be which he hath provided!" (Luke xii. 19,20.) Then who shall be the lord, and who the knight or gentleman? And who shall wear the gay attire? and who shall domineer, and say, 'Our will shall be done, and thus we will have it?' Then where is the pleasure of lust, and merry company, and meat, drink, and sports? Methinks, Solomon's memento, (Eccles. xi.9,) should bring them to themselves. Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes; but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment." And as the sound of these words I must shortly die,' methinks should be always in your ears; so in reason, the question Whither I must then go,' should be always as it were before your eyes, till your

souls have received a satisfactory answer to it. O what an amazing dreadful thing it is, when an unsanctified, unprepared soul must say, I must depart from earth, but I know not whither! I know not whether unto heaven or hell; here I am now, but where must I be for ever!' When men believe that their next habitation must be everlasting, methinks the question, ' Whither must I go?' should be day and night upon their minds, till they can say upon good grounds, I shall go to the blessed presence of the Lord:' O had you but the hearts of men within you, methinks the sense of this one question, Whither must I go when I leave the flesh?' should so possess you, that it should give your souls no rest till you are able to say, We shall be with Christ, because he dwelleth in us here, and hath sealed us and given us the earnest of his Spirit; or at least, till you have good hopes of this, and have done your best to make it sure.

And thus I have told you of how great importance it is to believers, to attain assurance of the love of God, and to know that Christ abideth in them. And now I think you will confess, I have proved the necessity of Self-knowledge, both to the unregenerate and the regenerate, though in several degrees: and having opened the disease, and shewed you the need of a remedy, I am next to direct you in the application for the cure.

I doubt not but there are many of the hearers, that by this time, are desirous to be instructed, how this self-knowledge may be attained: for whose satisfaction, and for the reducing of all that hath been spoken into practice, I shall next acquaint you with the hindrances of self-knowledge (the removing of them being not the least point in the cure), and with the positive directions to be practised for the attainment of it. And because the hindrances and helps are contrary, I shall open both together as we go on.

The hindrances of self-knowledge are some of them without us, and some within us; and so must be the helps. I. The external hindrances are these.

1. The failing of ministers in their part of the work, through unskilfulness or unfaithfulness, is a great cause that so many are ignorant of themselves. They are the lights of the world; and if they are eclipsed, or put under a bushel; if they are darkened by the snuff of their own cor