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upon reflection, we fhall find more finners fnatch'd away at unawares, than faints.

Now did we but take the pains to put this question often to ourselves: Whither got thou? And take fome time to answer it, I am perfuaded our lives would be better, and confequently our death more Chriftian. O man, whither goest thou? As I came from duft, so I must return into duft. This is the fate of the prince, as well as of the fubject; and the faint is no more exempt from the penalty, than the finner. Yet I know no more when I fhall leave the world, than I knew when I entered into it. I may indeed live fome years; yet perchance I may die within fome moments. I may be forewarned of my departure by a disease, and may find myself in the other world before I dream of leaving this. Nothing is certain, but that I muft die, and leave all behind me, I either loved or feared. Whatever is built upon time, ends with life: this is the full extent of all temporal enjoyments, or fufferings. They vanish with our laft breath, and lie buried in our graves with our bodies. When we lye on our death-bed gasping for breath, and fee ourselves upon the brink of eternity; when our confcience lays before us the difmal profpect of our crimes, and our imagination raises all the furies of hell to torment them; fhall we then approve our paft pleasures, or condemn them? Shall we efteem paft greatnefs above innocence, or flown delights above virtue? Alas! at this fatal hour, when I behold things not through the mift of paffion, but in their own colours, I fhall change my judgment; but God knows whether I fhall be fo happy as to repent, or fo unfortunate as to defpair.

Why then do I not live now, as I fhall wish to have lived then? Why do I not freely take my laft farewell of all thofe things, I muft once leave

of

of neceffity? Why do I not repent now fincerely, whilft I have time, when perchance afterwards both time and defire will be wanting?

What can be the refult of fuch a meditation, but a difengagement from all thofe things that render death frightful and unhappy, but a refolution of abandoning all the wild maxims of the world, and embracing those of Jefus Chrift? And if we practise these, death will have nothing difmal but the name. For as fin gave it birth, fo fin gives it all its terrour. Take this away, and death is nothing but a flumber, which cafts us into a trance, to wake us in heaven.

O my God! Fix this laft moment in my thoughts; and give me the courage to meet it, without any other concern than a fincere repentance, for having made fo little preparation to receive it: I know it frights nature, and cafts it into an agony and convulfions; but thy grace is able to turn its horrour into pleasure, and its bitternefs into sweetnefs. Tho' thou diedft, thou didst triumph over death by a glorious refurrection, and haft taught us by this victory, that thy power is without bounds, as by thy death, that thy mercy is infinite. This encourages me to implore thy grace, that, by a pious life, I may prepare for a happy death.

If it be profitable to afk ourfelves, Whither goeft thou? It is not lefs advantageous to enquire where Chrift goes: he was now upon his return to his father, I go to him that fent me: that is, to heaven but he was firft to die, and fo fulfil all the commands his Father had laid upon him. We all, by the merits of his facred paffion, have a just title to that holy land of blifs. Where İ am, there alfo fhall my fervant be, John xii. 26. But then we muft fulfil the conditions on which the title is grounded; If ye keep my commandments.

O my

O my Redeemer! how much doft thou promife, how little doft thou afk? A moment of pain, for an eternity of pleasure. What proportion betwen the labour and the reward ? One would think, no man would refuse fo great a happiness on fuch easy terms: and yet, what is ftrange, not one of a thoufand accepts the propofal. No; we will not baulk a paffion, nor disoblige a sense, to gain Christ's favour; nor renounce a criminal attachment to the world, to purchase heaven. O my foul, where is thy reafon? Where is thy faith? If thou doft believe an eternity of joy, it is stupidity to live as if thou didst not: and if thou doft hope to follow Chrift into heaven, why doft thou not take the way he has marked out by his example upon earth, and by his precepts in the gofpel? He is the Way; nay, and there is no other that leads to heaven. He is Truth, and protefts that nothing but innocence, or repentance can convey us thither: Except ye repent, ye shall all perish, Luke xiii. 5. Thou canst not, my foul, rely upon thy innocence: In many things we all offend, James iii. 2. Lay hold then of repentance: deteft all thy paft mifcarriages, and comply exactly with thy duty for the future.

Secondly, It was not only expedient, but necesfary, for our falvation, to receive the Holy Ghost. Chrift's death indeed opened heaven-gates, but grace gives us the ftrength to enter. This was to be communicated by the Divine Spirit, who would not come till Chrift retired. If I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you. The defcent of this Holy Spirit was the price of Chrift's blood, a favour owing to his merits, the laft feal of our redemption; and therefore he would compleat the work, he had begun by his cruel death and glorious refurrection, before he fent the Holy Ghost to inflame the apoftles, to preach with cou

rage

rage the doctrine he had delivered, to oppose idolatry, and conquer the world by miracles, torments, and death.

It is true, he might have fent him before his departure; but the apostles were not fit to receive him: * they, fays St. Auguftin, had fuch a tender love for their dear Master, that they could not fuffer his abfence without violence, and this fenfibility rendered them lefs fit to receive the Holy Ghoft.

This seems strange! What deferved more love than Chrift? What more juft than to defire his prefence? than to fear his abfence? However, this affection was more tender than prudent, rather the effect of nature than grace: it was irregular, and fufficient to put a stop to the coming of the Holy Ghost. If I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you.

O my God, how different are thy judgments from ours? Who would not have thought, the love thy apostles bore thee called rather for a reward, than a punishment? That it rather haftened the coming of thy Holy Spirit, than retarded it? But no If I go not away, the Comforter will not come: As if he fhould fay, your love is interested; it has more of the flesh, than of the Spirit, and rather natural, than Divine. This takes up your thoughts, that faften upon my humanity, but feldom raise themselves up to my Divinity. I must therefore remove the fenfible prefence of my body from your eyes, that I may be prefent by faith: and thus free from paffion, you will receive the Holy Ghoft with more liberty and calmnefs, and confequently with, more profit.

Let us by this learn, that all is not true virtue that appears fuch, not only to others, but even to

* Illi non poterant capere fpiritum quamdiu fecundum carnem Chriftum noffe perfiftebant. S. Aug.

ourselves,

ourselves. We know not our own interior. Thofe affections, that seem most divine, may, for ought we know, be merely natural, and even ftop at the creature, instead of flying up to the Creator. We frequently complain of our neighbours defects: we cenfure his conduct, and fancy that zeal alone draws out our complaints, and charity forces us into the place of a cenfor. But examine well, and perchance you will find, upon enquiry, envy has a greater fhare in your conduct than zeal, and a defire rather to blame than correct: afk then of God pardon, when you do ill; but go not into a conceit of your virtue, when you think you do well. Our confcience throws our fins before us; but God alone diftinguifhes true virtue from adul

terate.

When the Holy Ghoft is come, he will reprove the world of fin, because they believe not on me : Christ had made his Divinity credible by an infinity of miracles: he had cured the blind, and raised many from death to life: yet this ftiff-necked people withstood all these evidences, and murthered their Saviour as a traitor and impoftor. The Holy Ghoft will condemn this obftinate infidelity, not only of the Jews, but of all thofe, who, after a due conviction, refufe to embrace Chrift's doctrine, and to profefs his religion.

But will not this condemnation fall upon Chriftians, as well as Jews and Gentiles? For tho' we confess him with our mouths, like those, of whom St. Paul fpeaks; we deny him in our actions, and this infidelity is not lefs criminal than the other nay, it feems greater. Christianity feemed a scandal to the Jews, and a fable to the Gentiles. The myfteries were above reason, the morals quite against fenfuality, and the principles of their education. Thefe difficulties may plead for their infidelity in fome measure; but we ac

knowledge

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