this may be no more than the Fear of Hell; and I doubt the mere Fear of Hell when Men are a dying, tho' it may imitate all the Scenes of Repentance, will not keep them out of Hell, It is fo very probable, that this is the whole of a Death-bed Repentance, that no fuch dying Sinner can have any reafonable Hope that he does truly repent; and therefore, unless he flatter himself when he dies, with a falfe and counterfeit Repentance, as he did while he lived, with the Hope of repenting before he died, he muft expire in all the Terrors and Agonies of guilty Fears. This is fo miferable a Condition, that tho' we should fuppofe fuch a Sinner may be a true Penitent, and go to Heaven at last, yet no wife Man would endure thefe dying Agonies for all the falfe and deceitful Pleafures of Sin: And yet there is no poffible Way of avoiding this, but by fuch a timely Repentance while we are well, and Death at a Diftance, as inay bring forth the actual Fruits of Holiness, that when we come to die, we may have fome better Evidence of the Sincerity of our Repentance, than mere dying Sorrows.

3. Let us now confider the Cafe of those who are doubtful what their Condition, is; who are neither fo good as to be out of all Danger and Fear, nor fo bad as to be out of Hope: And I need not tell any Man that this is a State between Hope and Fear, which is a very uneafy State, when eternal Happiness or Mifery is the Matter of the Doubt. This is the Cafe of thofe Men, who after all their good Refolutions, are ever and anon conquered by Temptations; who as foon as their Tears are dried up for their laft Fall, fall again, and then lament their Sins, and re

folve again; and while they are thus interchangeably finning, repenting, and refolving, before they have got a lafting Victory, or are arrived to a fteady Virtue, are fummoned by Death to Judgment; or those who have a Reverence for God, but are fo not fo conftant and frequent in their Devotions; or if they abftain from grofs and fcandalous Vices, yet they have not a due Government of their Paffions, or do very little Good in the World, &c. Here is fuch a Mixture of Good and Evil, that it is hard to know which is predominant: While fuch Men are in Health they are very uneafy, and know not what to judge of themselves; but they fall into much greater Perplexities, when they are alarmed with the near Approaches of Death and Judgment. And what a deplorable State is this, when we are a dying, to be uncertain and anxious what will become of us to Eternity?

Now there is no poffible Way to prevent these Fears when we come to die, but by giving all Diligence to make our Calling and

20, 21.

Election fure, by living fuch holy John iii. and innocent Lives, that our Confciences may not condemn us; and then we fhall have Confidence towards God.

But this is fuch a Remedy, as few of these Men like: They would be glad to be fure of Heaven, but yet would go as near Hell as they can, without Danger of falling into it; they will ferve God, but must reserve a little Favour and Indulgence to their Lufts; tho' they dare not tafte full Draughts of fenfual Pleasures, yet they must be fipping now and then, as often as they can pacify their Confciences, and get rid of the Fear of God, and of another World; and

there

therefore they are very inquifitive after other Cures for an accufing and condemning Confcience; are mighty fond of fuch Marks and Signs of Grace, as will fecure them of Heaven, without the Severities of Mortification, or the conftant aud uniform Practice of an univerfal Righteoufnefs: And a great many fuch Signs have been invented, which like ftrong Opiates affwage their Pain and Smarts till their Confciences awake when it is too late in the next World.

For all this is Cheat and Delufion, as St. John affures us, Little Children, Let no Man deceive you; be that doth Righteou/nefs is righteous, even as he is righteous. He that committeth Sin is of the Devil, for the Devil finneth from the Beginning: For this Purpose the Son of God was manifefted, that he might deftroy the Works of the Devil. 1 John iii. Whosoever is born of God, doth not commit 7, 8, 9, 10. Sin; for his Seed remaineth in him, and

he cannot fin, because he is born of God. In this the Children of God are manifeft, and the Children of the Devil; whofoever doth not Righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his Brother. This is the only fure Evidence for Heaven; and therefore. every Sin Men commit, makes their State doubtful, and this muft fill them with Perplexities and. Fears Men may cheat themfelves with vain Hopes and Imaginations when they come to die; but nothing can be a folid Foundation for Peace and Security, but an univerfal Righteoufnefs.

The

The CONCLUSION.

OR the Conclufion of this Difcourfe, I shall

FOR

only obferve in a few Words, That it must be the Bufinefs of our whole Lives to prepare for Death: Our Accounts must be always ready, because we know not how foon we may be called to give an Account of our Stewardship; we must be always upon our Watch, as not knowing what Hour our Lord will come. A good Man who has taken care all his Life to please God has little more to do when he fees Death approaching, than to take Leave of his Friends, to blefs his Children, to fupport and comfort himfelf with the Hopes of immortal Life, and a glorious Refurrection, and to refign up his Spirit into the Hands of God, and of his Saviour: His Lamp is full of Oil, and always burning, tho' it may need a little Trimming when the Bridegroom comes; fome few. Acts of Faith and Hope, and fuch devout Paffions as are proper to be exercised at our leaving the World, and going to God: But when the Bridegroom is at the Door, it is too late with the foolith Virgins to buy Oil for our Lamps Unlefs we be ready when the Bridegroom comes, to enter in with him to the Marriage, the Door will be fhut against us; Watch therefore, for ye know neither the Day nor the Hour wherein the Son of Man cometh.

Matt. xxv.

1, &c.

Some Men talk of preparing for Death as if it were a Thing that could be done in two or three Days, and that the proper Time of doing it were a little before they die: but I know no

other

other Preparation for Death but living well: And thus we must every Day prepare for Death, and then we shall be well prepared when Death comes; that is, we fhall be able to give a good Account of our Lives, and of the Improvement of our Talents; and he who can do this is well prepared to die, and to go to Judgment; but he who has spent all his Days wickedly, whatever Care he may take when he comes to die, to prepare himself for it, it is certain he can never prepare a good Account of his paft Life, and all his other Preparations are little worth.

THE END