then beware of that ungodly thought and devilifh perfwafion, that runs in most wicked. mens minds, that think that when they die there is an end of all their mifery: and altho' they have been very great finners, yet if they escape till death, all is well. And thus think that they and their fins fhall be buried together..

No, no, (poor fouls) they must deceive themfelves. How ever thou dieft, thou shalt come to Judgment; and death is fo far from ending thy mifery, that it is a broad Gate to let thee into it: For fo foon as the rich man. died, he was prefently in Hell Torments.

Therefore let us take heed how we wish as foolish men do in their fickness, old age or mifery. O would I were dead, then I should be out of my pain. Oh! no, if thou be not a Child of God, and a repentant finner, it had been better for thee never to have been born, or to be a Toad or a Serpent. And thou fhalt find, that death is fo far from eafing thy pain, that it will bring thee to ten thousand times more pain and torment, even in Hell-fire for ever. Therefore let us not think that death fhall end the miseries of wicked men.

Use 2. 2dly. Seeing that all men must rife to judgment, and by what means foever they die. they must be called to account: This is a wonderful comfort unto God's poor Children, who abide more trouble and grief than they? Who are more hated, reviled, croffed, and wronged than they? Their life here for the most part is nothing elfe but a life of mifery; but their

comfort

comfort here is this, that they fhall rife again, and then the Cafe shall be altered, then their Mifery fhall be turned into Felicity, Joy and Happiness. Haft thou been poor here? there thou shalt be rich, and poffefs a happy Kingdom, as Lazarus did. Haft thou been hungry and thirsty here? there thou shalt taste of the Tree of Life. Haft thou been wretched and naked here? there thou shalt be cloathed with the precious Robes of Chrift's Righteousness, and instead of Rags of Infamy and Reproach, which we put on here, we shall be crown'd with a Crown of immortal Glory, &c. But it is not fo with the Wicked and Ungodly, for they ha ving taken their Pleasures here, and received their Portion in this prefent World, shall rife to Judgment, to hear the heavy Sentence of Condemnation denounc'd against them, and now to be caft into that Lake that burns with Fire and Brimstone, which is the fecond Death.

Ufe 3. Thirdly, feeing St. John faith that all fhall come to Judgment, thefe Bodies of ours tho' they be drown'd, burnt to Ashes, or howfoever they be confum'd, yet they fhall rife again, either to Life Eternal, or Death Eternal: Should not this make us all (Beloved) for to look to our felves, to take heed we do not use our Bodies to the Dishonour of God, knowing that our Bodies are the living Temples of the Holy Ghoft? Wouldst thou have thy Body to b. Partaker of Life, Felicity, Giory, and Salvation in Heaven? then ufe thy Body now to the Glory of God upon Earth,to hear his holy Word, fanctify his Sabbath, &c.

But

But if thou use thy Body to fin, as Swearing, Drunkennefs, Whoredom, &c. then know that thy Body fhall rife again to Judgment, to be tormented for ever. Do but confider the rich Glutton, who had abused his Body in furfeiting and drunkenness, &c. What became of it? Was he not tormented in Hell at last? and as he had given his tongue unto fwearing, &c. now he cries His Tongue, His Tongue: O that all finful wretches would but think of this one Example of God's Judgment, that if they abuse their Bodies as this man did, that they ha then tafte of the fame Judgment.

Wouldst thon have thy Body glorified? then glorify God in thy Body, doft thou think that thy Soul fhall be faved, and thy Body glorified if thou ufe the members thereof to fin, to uncleannef, &c. Oh, no, let us not deceive our own Souls, it cannot be: for faith the Apostle, how can we that are dead to fin live any longer

therein.

Ufe 4. 4thly. Seeing that the Holy Ghost faith,' that what foever death we die, we shall all rife again; and God's Children only fhall rife to Life and glory: This may teach us not to weep and mourn immoderately for our friends deceased." For it is a kind of envy to bewail thofe that are at reft and gone to happiness.

True it is, that our Saviour Christ wept for Lazarus, and the Difciples made great lamentation for Stephen: And fo we have great caufe to mourn and weep, when Holy Men are taken away: we ought not to be as stocks and ftones F

or

or fenfeless Creatures, without affection. It must needs grieve the Heart of a Husband to part with a Loving, Godly, and Religious Wife: But we ought to moderate our mourn ing, that we weep and mourn not overmuch, for they fhall rife again. I would not have you to be Ignorant, Brethren, concerning them which are afleep, that ye Sorrow not even as these which have no hope, 1 Theff 4. 13.

Where the Holy Ghoft tells us, that the dead in Christ do not die properly, but lay them down to take a fweet fleep, after their long and tedious labours and troubles in this world, and afterwards they must rife again to Life, Happiness, Liberty, Glory, and Salvation.

Wherefore then fhould we mourn excessively and weep and lament at the Death of our Friends feeing they do not perish, they are not caft away? Oh no, their Souls are prefently in joy, and their wearied Bodies are at reft in the Grave as in a Bed of Down, until the day of Judgment, and then they shall rife to Glory. And whether this feparation of our Souls from our Bodies, fhall be by voice, or a Lcret guiltiness of our own Consciences: it is all one, for all must rife and come to Judgment. The Angels they fh Il obey his voice, they shall be his reapers at this great Day of Harvest, and they shall make a fparation at his Word; for by the Power and Omnipotency of Christ shall this feparation be Wherefore let us endeavour to die to fin before we die to nature, and let us strive to bury it before it bury us; for fin brings only guile and

fhame

fhame in this Life, and utter perdition in the Life to come. Therefore, O Lord, let my eyes be as a Well-Spring every morning to fhed forth tears of true repentance for my iniquities.

And they were judged every one according to his works.

NOW mark, I pray, how the Holy Ghost

repeats this point again and again, he infifts often upon it; he faid before, The Booke were opened, and the dead were judged according to thofe things written in the Bocks. And now again he faith They were judged every man according to his works. What fhould be the cause why the Holy Ghost so often repeats this point, again and again? Ianfwer, The caufe is in us, because we are hardly brought to believe this point, for hardly one of a thousand believeth this, that he fhall be judged according to his works. Oh it is a hard matter to perfwade men and women of this, that they must give an account of their works. Tell the wicked finner of his ungodly ways, of his Prophanefs, contempt of Gods Word, &c. what do they fay? do they quake and tremble? do their hearts and fouls even yera in them? Oh, no, no, they flatter themfelves with this conceit, God is merciful, or fay, God forgive me, I thought not of it, I was urged to it: And fo abuf, the mercies of God excufe all their abomi ations. And thus it is in the vile heart of Man to think he fhall never come to account for his fins, nor receive a reward according to his works whether they be good or evil.

F 2

How