7. Do not make light of withdrawing or absenting from the congregation of the Lord's people in public ordinances. The Sabbath congregations are the thing that in all the earth is likest to heaven; and therefore they are that which has most of the saint's heart, Psal. xxvi. 8, "Lord, I have loved the habitation of thy house, and the place where thine honour dwelleth." Let the thoughts of the gathering with the one great congregation in the upper house, recommend the gathering together with the congregations in the lower. From whatever principles or motives people forsake the congregations of the saints here in public ordinances, they must either be gathered with them in the other world, or with sinners; there will be no separate heaven for them there.

Lastly, Carefully keep off the way of sinners here, and let your whole life be a going forth by the footsteps of the flock, Cant. i. 7, 8. Heb. vi. 12. As is your course now, so must your end be. If you go the way of sinners, in this world, ye will be gathered with them in the other; if ye go the way of saints, ye will be gathered with them there.

To enforce this exhortation,

(1.) Consider the importance of your gathering in the other world, than which nothing can be greater. You have had the other world described to you in both its parts; and I may obtest you by all the joys and glories of heaven, that you lay this matter to heart; and by the dismalness of the place, the horrors of the society, and the dreadfulness of the state of sinners in hell, that you be in concern that your souls be not gathered there with them.

(2.) Make of your other concerns what you will, if you see not to this in the first place, ye are ruined to all intents and purposes, Matth. xvi. 26. "For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" Nothing will compensate this loss.

(3.) This is the only proper time for that concern, wherein it may be effectual; 2 Cor. vi. 2, "Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation." If you miss it, in vain will ye cry; for a deaf ear will be given to all your cries, Prov. i. 24, and downwards. Lastly, The gathering there will be eternal, and unalterable for ever; and therefore it highly concerns you now, that your souls be not gathered with sinners then.

Wherefore, upon the whole, let me obtain of you, (1.) That you will take some serious thoughts of the other world in both parts of it. (2.) That you will inquire what case you are in for it. And, (3.) That you will lay down measures timely, that your souls be not gathered with sinners there. May the Lord persuade and incline your hearts unto this course.

THE IMPROVEMENT OF LIFE IN THIS WORLD TO THE RAISING A GOOD NAME, THE BEST BALANCE FOR THE PRESENT, FOR THE VANITY AND MISERY OF HUMAN LIFE: AND THE GOOD MAN'S DYING-DAY BETTER THAN HIS BIRTH-DAY.

The substance of several Sermons preached at Ettrick, in the year 1730.

ECCL. vii. 1.

A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death, than the day of one's birth.

NEVER man more livelily represented the vanity of this world and human life, than Solomon did, whose wisdom and wealth gave him the fairest occasion to discover the best that could be made of it. He represents it in its best shapes, as a very heap of vanity and vexation, in the preceding part of this book. And indeed the vanity of human life is undeniable. Man, as to this world, is born crying, lives complaining, and after all, dies disappointed. But is there no remedy, no solid consolation in this case? Yes, but it must be brought from the consideration of the other world, and this life improved for reaching a happy life there. "A good name is better than precious ointment, and the day of death than the day of one's birth.

The scope of these words is, to point men away from the vanities of this life, and from this life itself, unto something that is better and will give rest. Is any man affected with the vanity of human life, and would fain know what is best for him? Then let him know,

1. A good name is best, "better than precious ointment," which was a thing highly prized in the eastern countries. A good name is that savoury character among good men which riseth from a good life, casting forth its savour like good ointment. It is said of Christ, Cant. i. 3, that "his name is as ointment poured forth;" but all the saints partake of that anointing, Psal. xlv. 7, "God hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows." Wherever grace is, it exerts itself in the course of a gracious conversation, holy actions, which procure a good name to the party, in spite of all that the malice of the world can do. It is not a mere name, which a hypocrite may have; but a name raised on a solid foundation of grace and true piety.

Now that is "better than precious ointment," i. e. the best things of this present world, that carnal men set their hearts on.

(1.) It is better than all the world's wealth, that goes under the name of oil, Deut. xxxiii. 24, " And of Asher he said,-Let him dip his foot in oil." To do a good action, is better than to gain a worldly advantage. A course of piety, and the just character of a holy life, is preferable to riches, Prov. xxii. 1. So the name of poor Lazarus remains savoury, while the name of the rich glutton stinks. (2.) It is better than all worldly pleasures and delights of sense, expressed by ointment and perfume, Prov. xxvii. 9, "Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart." The testimony of one's own conscience for godly sincerity will rejoice the heart more, 2 Cor. i. 12. Lay the perfumed fool on a sick-bed or death-bed, these things avail nothing, while he is galled with the remembrance of an ill-spent life; but conscience of integrity will bear up a man in the face of death, 1 John iii. 21. Beloved, if our hearts condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God." 2 Sam. xxiii. 5, "Although my house be not so with God; yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and sure; for this is all my salvation, and all my desire, although he make it not to grow."

(5.) It is better than all worldly honours, for kings were anointed to testify the conferring of that dignity on them. Men cannot carry their worldly honours into the other world with them; death treats the king and the peasant alike; but the character of piety outlives death, and will be owned and regarded in the other world, Rev. iii. 12. When wicked men shall be condemned in their actions in which they applauded themselves, and others flattered them; the saints will receive Heaven's approbation of their holy actions, "Well done, good and faithful servants."

Wherefore the best thing to balance the misery of human life for the present, is to be good, and do good. That is the great lesson that Solomon gives us here. Look on human life in all the periods of it, childhood, youth, middle age, and old age; and ye will find it is but just so many stages of vanity, whereof some are past, and others passing. Look on it in the various circumstances of it, prosperity and adversity, health and sickness, wealth and penury; and you shall find it but vanity cast in different shapes. Turn up what side of it you will, the young or the old, the single or married state, it is larded with vanity on every side. Only consider it as an opportunity of being and doing good, and so it is a substantial thing; and so very substantial in that respect, that it may well balance all the miseries that attend it. But take away that, and it is at best but an useless burden, Psal. lxxxix. 47.

2. Death, the passing into the other world, is best; the dyingday is best, "better than the birth-day." It is hard to believe that; and if men frame their sentiments according to the prevailing opinion of this world, they will never believe it; but if they frame it according to the doctrine of the other world, they must needs believe it as it is represented in this text.

Ye have heard that there is another world; a lower part of it, the region of horror; to which death is the passage for sinners, whose dying day must therefore be their most doleful day, in the view of which ye have been exhorted to cry, "Gather not my soul with sinners." But ye have heard also, that there is a higher part of that world, a region of perfect bliss and happiness, to which death is also the passage for saints or persons that have got the good name; now if you believe that doctrine, you must needs conclude from it, that the day of such a one's death is better than the day of his birth, which is the thing here meant. And since we have offered a view of the dark side of the cloud, the gathering with sinners in the other world; it is just we offer a view too of the bright side of the cloud, the gathering with saints there.

There is a comparison here of two of the days of human life, both of them specially remarkable. The one is the first day of our life here, the birth-day, wherein we come into this world out of the womb. The other is the last day of our life here, the death-day, wherein we go out of this into the other world. The question is, Which of the two is the best day, the most desirable in itself? The subject is determined in the first clause, to be the man with the good name, who has been savoury in his life, being and doing good. And Solomon decides the question with respect to such a one, roundly telling us, The day of death is better than the day of his birth, Heb. namely, the man with the good name. When he came into the world at his birth, his friends rejoiced, they thought it a good day; when he goes out of this world into the other, they mourn, thinking it a sad day. But think they as they will, it is the best day of the two; and were it not the partition betwixt the two worlds, we would see it to our conviction.

Wherefore the best thing to balance the misery of human life for the future to a good man, is to die, and leave this world and the life in it. That is the lesson we are taught here. The weight of glory that death will bring him to in the other world, will absolutely downweigh all the misery of life here. The bliss of the lodging he comes to there, will more than compensate all the hardships of the way; that he shall say, "O that happy life in the lower world, that made way for my entrance hither into this upper world! Who

would not gladly have embraced Methuselah's tack of that life, for to get this!"

From the text thus explained, ariseth the two following points of doctrine, viz.

DocT. I. The improving of our life in this world to the raising up a well grounded good name and savoury character in it, is the best balance for the present for the vanity and misery attending our life, better than the most savoury earthly things.

DocT. II. To one who has so lived, as to obtain the good name, his dying-day will be better than his birth-day, quite downweighing all the vanity and misery of life in this world.

I shall speak to each of these in order.

DocT. I. The improving of our life in this world to the raising up a well grounded good name and savoury character in it, is the best balance for the present for the vanity and misery attending our life, better than the most savoury earthly things.

In discoursing from this doctrine, I shall,

I. Lay before you some things supposed in it.

II. Shew what is the well-grounded good name, that is the balance of the vanity and misery of this life.

III. What is the improvement of life, whereby that good name may be raised.

IV. Confirm the point, That this improvement of life is the best balance for the present for the vanity and misery attending our life, better than the most savoury earthly things.

V. Make some improvement.

I. I shall lay before you some things supposed in the doctrine.

1. It supposeth that there is a vanity and misery that is the inseparable attendant of human life in this world. No man in life is free of it, nor can be, Psal. xxxix. 6, "Surely every man walketh in a vain shew." No circumstances of life can avail to the shifting it off; it accompanies the crown and sceptre, as well as the beggar's seat on the dunghill, Eccl. i. 2. "Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher, vanity of vanites, all is vanity." Psal. xxxix. 5. "Verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity." Men may change their wilderness-station, but while here will still be in a wilderness. They may get out of one vanity and misery, but it will always be but a falling into another.

2. Every man will find himself obliged to seek for some allay of that vanity and misery of life, that he may be enabled to comport with it, Psal. vi. 6. This makes a busy world, every one seeking something to make his hard seat soft. For the whole world is in a