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From whence proceed the Fears of Death.

S a wife and difcreet Physician ufually examines with Care the Caufes of the Disease, before he prescribes a Remedy; and as an experienced Chirurgeon fearcheth the Wound, before he puts the Plaifter to it; thus, I judge it neceffary, to feek with Diligence from whence the Fears of Death proceed, before we fhall appoint Remedies to the faithful Souls.. For when we fhall perfectly understand the Nature of the Disease, and its principal Caufes, we fhall, without Difficulty, be better able to affign a convenient Remedy. When we fhall have fearched the Wound, and wafhed it clean, we will, with God's Affiftance, pour into it the true Balm of Gilead.

1. We have juft Reafon to accufe ourselves of too much unmindfulness of Death. We do not meditate fo often as we should, upon the Mifery and Frailty of our poor decaying Nature. We acknowledge it, I confefs, with our Tongues, that our Life is but a Breath in our Noftrils, a Vapour that foon disappears, a Shadow that quickly vanishes away; but in the mean time we flatter ourselves in our Hearts with more pleafant Thoughts and Defires, as Herod, that Men fhould look upon us as fo many little Gods, Acts xii. We fuffer ourselves to be deceived by the flattering Infinuations of our corrupted Flefh, and by the delufive Suggestions of the old Serpent, that whispers to us," as to our firft Parents, You shall not die, Gen. iii.

2. We commonly affirm, That Death is inexorable; nevertheless, for the moft Part, we live as if we had made an Agreement with Death, and had fecret Intelligence with the Grave, Ifa. xxii. Death approaches with Feet of Wool, without Noife; we ima gine therefore that it will never come near us, as that wicked Servant in the Gofpel, Matth. xxiv. who concluded

concluded from his Master's Delays of coming, that he would not come at all. We hate and abominate the Sight of all things that reprefent unto us any Appearance of Death, or that call to our Minds its Remembrance. If at any time its Image comes in our way, we turn from it our Eyes, and banifh out of our Fancy all Imaginations of it, as of a moft odious and deceitful Illufion. Death feizes upon us before we have well thought whether we be mortal or no. Therefore we are furprized and astonished at the Approaches; and we become like the foolish Ifraelites, who trembled and fled before Goliab, because they were not accuftomed to behold him.

3. We depend too much upon fecond Causes. We look upon Death as a thing that happens by Chance, or as an Evil that may be prevented, or at least pur away from us for a Time: Whereas we should be fully perfuaded, that God hath determined and appointed, not only Death itself, but alfo all the Caufes and Means by which it commonly happens. Therefore we are often filled with Difpleasure, and feduced to murmur and repine against God. We grin and bite the Stone, instead of adoring in all Humility, that wife Hand that caft it. In a Word, whenever Death comes to us, we are ready to fay to it as the Devils to our Saviour, Wherefore art thou come to torment us before the time! Matth. iii.

4. We are too much tied to this Earth; we are fo united to the World, that we would willingly make here our Abode for ever, and cannot abide to hear that Death will remove us. Our Lufts have no Bounds, and we often spend ourselves in the Pursuance of these miferable Advantages. When we draw nearest to the End of our Life, and of our mortal Race, it is then, that many are most earnest to make large Provifions of worldly Vanities. We build stately Dwellings, and fumptuous Palaces, at that very Moment when we should think of nothing but of building our Tomb, and repairing our Winding-fheet. We have

fo violent a Paffion for all the Enjoyments of this Life, that to feparate us from them, is to pluck out our Hearts, and tear in Pieces our tender Bowels. When Death comes to our Bed-fide, and offers to pull us out, we are ready to fay as the Sluggard in the Proverbs, A little Sleep, a little Slumber, a little folding of the Hands, Chap. vi. When our divine Bridegroom knocks at our Gates, we are fcarce willing to abandon our Delights, as the Spouse in the Canticles. What, faith the Worldling, muft I leave my fumptuous Palaces, my pleasant Dwellings, and my delightful Gardens? Muft I relinquifh all this rich Tapestry, thefe precious Moveables, and all these rare and exquifite Ornaments that enrich my Parlours, Chambers and Closets? Muft this unmerciful Death diveft me fo foon of all Offices and Dignities, and hinder me from a full and peaceable Enjoyment of all these Riches and Treasures? Muft it ravish from me in an Inftant, all my Delights and Satisfactions? Is there no Remedy, but muft I be plucked from the Embraces of my beloved Wife, from the Sight of my dear Children, and from the sweet Company of all my Friends? Muft I receive no more the Services of my Domefticks? When we are in this unprepared State, it is no Wonder if Death is fo terrible to us, and if it causes us to feel the Sharpness of its Sting. For as of Abfolom, when he was hanged by the Hair of the Head in a Tree of the Foreft, Joab took three Darts, and struck him through the Heart; thus when our Affections are too much entangled with the World, and with the Expectation of earthly Contentments, it is then that they are miserably exposed to all the Darts and violent Attempts of Death.

5. Another principal Cause of the Fear of Death, is a wicked Life. We are plunged in the Vices and Debaucheries of the Age. We suffer ourselves to be corrupted by ill Company, and carried away with the Torrent of vicious Customs. It is therefore no Wonder if Death fills our Souls with Apprehenfions, because

cause it comes to us armed with our Sins, and is preffed by the Remorse of Conscience, and Horror of our Crimes. How comes it to pass that such a terrible Astonishment fell upon King Belshazzar, when he faw the Fingers of an Hand writing upon the Wall of his Palace, the Sentence of his Doom?. Dan. v. It was because he had prophaned the holy Veffels of God's House; and was rioting in the Society of lafcivious Women. Wherefore did Felix tremble, when he heard St. Paul difcourfe of Justice, Temperance and of Judgment to come? Acts xxiv. It was because he was a wicked Varlet, given over to all manner of filthy and unjust Living. Thus, because we prophane the Members of our Body, which are as the Vessels of God's Sanctuary; and because our Lives are vicious and disorderly, we cannot abide to hear Death mentioned; and when it comes to us, we are ready to fpeak to it in Felix's Language to St. Paul, Depart for this time. So that the Love of Sin, and the Fear of Death, are as two Sisters who hold one another by the Hand; or rather, they are Twins, that are born and die together. As the Prophet Amos faid to the Ifraelites, Ye put far the evil Day, and caufe the Seat of Violence to come near, Amos vi. So we may fay to the Men of this Age; Ye put as far from you as you can the Day of Death, and draw near to all manner of Impurity, Covetoufnefs, Ambition, Pride, Vanity, Ufury, Rapine, Violence, Envy, Malice, and fuch-like Soul Plagues. You do not only draw near to these abominable Vices, but what is worse, you lodge them in your Bowels, and harbour them in your Hearts. Certainly we may very well apply to all vicious Perfons, what the Prophet Jeremiah fays of Ferufalem, Her Filthiness is in her Skirts, he remembreth not her last End, Lam. 1.

6. I have taken Notice of another Defect in us: We mistrust the Providence of God, and know not how to repose ourselves upon his fatherly Care. We have a too worthy Efteem of ourselves, and of our

own Sufficiency. We cannot refolve to die, because, we fancy ourselves very useful in the World, and that our Death would be a confiderable Lofs to the Church of God, to the State, or to our Family.

7. Because the Soul and Body are linked together in a very strict Union; we cannot imagine how they can be feparated without great and unspeakable Convulfions. Our Infidelity is fo great, that we cannot rest satisfied upon the Promises of God, who engages to fuccour us in our Diftrefs, and to deliver us from all our Troubles, Ifa. 1. It is true, Jacob's Ladder that reaches from the Earth to Heaven, may ravish us; but it feems very uneafy to afcend. Paradife is rich, glorious and delightful to the uttermoft; but its Gate is strait, and choaked up with Thorns and Briars.

8. I judge that one of the chief Caufes of the Fear of Death, is, because we look upon God as a most severe and merciless Judge, inflamed with Anger and Fury against us, and armed with Vengeance. Whereas we should confider and acknowledge him to be a merciful Father, full of Compaffion and Kindness for Mankind. Every Slave trembles at the Sight of his Lord, and there is no Malefactor but is afraid when he appears before his Judge, to be put to the Rack, and can I, who am all spotted with Sin, and blackened with Crimes; can I appear before that glorious Throne, that caufes the Seraphims to cover their Faces with their Wings? Ifa. vi. How can I that am but Stubble, fubfift in the Prefence of the God of Vengeance, who is a confuming Fire? Heb. x.

9. There is another vifible Fault in us, we do not embrace with a true and lively Faith, the Death and Paffion of our Lord and Saviour. We all fpeak of Jefus Chrift crucified, but we do not know the divine Virtue of his Crucifixion, nor feel its Efficacy. We do not confider that his Death hath broken down the Partition that shut us out of the heavenly Sanctuary, and that his Blood hath tracked us a Way to Para