Days, and obferve how our Lives waste, and draw near to Eternity. Our Time flides away infenfibly, and few Men take notice how it goes; they find their Strength and Vigor continue without any Decay, and they reckon upon living threescore and ten, or fourscore Years, but feldom confider that it may be thirty or forty Years are already gone; that is, the best half of their Lives. They put a Cheat upon themselves by computing the whole Duration of their Lives, without confidering how much of this is already paft, and how little of it is to come; which if Men fhould seriously think of, they would not be fo apt to flatter themselves with a long Life; for no Man accounts twenty or thirty Years a long Life, and that is the most they have to live now, tho' they should attain to the longeft Period of human Life; much lefs could they flatter themfelves with a long Life, when they could not probably reckon above fifteen or ten Years to come. And would Men obferve how their Lives fhorten every Day, this, if any thing, would make them grow chary of their Time, and begin to think of living; that is, of minding the true Ends and Purpofes of Life; of doing the Work for which they came into the World, and which they muft do before they die, or they are miserable for ever.

3. When Men draw near the End of their Reckoning, nay, it may be are past the com

mon

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mon Reckoning of Mankind, it more efpecially concerns them to apply themfelves to a more ferious and folemn Preparation 'for 'Death: For how vigorous foever their Age is, Death cannot be far off; it would be unpardonable in them to be deceived with the Hopes of living much longer, who have already attained to the common Period of human Life, and are in the Borders and 'Confines, nay, in the very Quarters of 'Death, and have already, if I may fo fpeak, borrowed fome Years from the other World.

Now when I fpeak of fuch Mens preparing for Death, I do not mean, that they should then begin to think of dying; that is a great deal of the latest to begin fuch a Work; tho' if they have not done it before, it is without doubt high time to begin it then, in the last Minute of their Lives, and to do what they can in that little Time that remains, to obtain their Pardon of God for fpending a long Life in Sin and Vanity, and in a Forgetfulness of their Maker and Redeemer.

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But that which I now intend, concerns those who have thought of dying long before, and governed their Lives under the Conduct and Influence of fuch Thoughts; and therefore are not wholly unprepared for Death, but are ready to welcome it whenever it comes: But there is a decent way of meeting Death which becomes fuch Men, which I call a more folemn Preparation for it; that is,

when

when their Condition and Circumftances of Life will permit, to take a timely Leave of the World, and to withdraw from the Noife and Business of it; when they are placed juft in the Confines of both Worlds, to direct their Faces wholly to that World whither they are going, to spend the little Remains of their Lives in converfing with themselves, with God, and with the other World.

1. In converfing with themselves; which, God knows, very few Men do, while they are engaged in the Bufinefs of this World; the Cares of Life, or the Pleasures of it, our Families or our Friends, or Strangers themfelves, take us from ourselves. And therefore it is fit before Men go out of this World, that they should recover the Poffeffion of themfelves, and grow a little more acquainted and intimate with themfelves; that they should retire from the World to take a more thorough Review of their Lives and Actions, what they have ftill to do to make their Peace with God, and their own Confciences: Whether there be any Sin which they have not thoroughly repented of, and heartily begged God's Pardon for; any Injury they have done their Neighbour, for which they have not made fufficient Reftitution and Reparation: Whether they have any Quarrel with any Man, which is not compofed and reconciled: Whether there is any Part of their Duty, which they have formerly too much neg

lected;

lected; as Charity to the Poor; the wife Education and Inftruction of their Children and Families; and to apply themfelves to a more diligent Difcharge of it: What Distempers there are in their Minds, which ftill need to be rectified: What Graces are weakeft; what Paffions are most disorderly and unmortified; and to apply proper Remedies to them.

This is an excellent Preparation for Death, because it will give us great Hope and Affurance in dying. It gives us Peace and Satiffaction in our own Minds, by a thorough Knowledge of our own State, and by rectifying whatever was amifs: It delivers our Confciences from guilty Fears, and disarms Death of its Sting and Terrors: For the Sting of Death is Sin; and when this Sting is pulled out, we have nothing elfe to contend with, but fome little natural Averfions to dying, which are more eafily conquered.

2. Thus in this preparatory Retirement from the World, we should spend great Portions of our Time in the Worship of God, in our publick or private Devotions. For commonly Men of Business are very much in Arrears with God upon this Account: In their active Age they had little Time to fpare, or little mind to fpare it for the Ufes of Religion; and therefore we may well retire fome time before we die, to make up that Defect; and when we have done with the World, to give up ourselves wholly to the Service of

God.

-God. We fhould now be very importunate in our Prayers to God, that for the Merits and Interceffion of Chrift, he would freely pardon all the Sins, and Frailties, and Errors of our past Life; and give us fuch a comfortable Hope and Senfe of his Love to us, as may fupport us in the Hour of Death, and fweeten the Terrors and Agonies of it. We should meditate on the great Love of God in fending Christ into the World to fave Sinners; and contemplate the Heighth and Depth, and Length and Breadth of that Love of God, which paffeth all human 'Understanding. We fhould reprefent to ourselves the wonderful (Condefcenfion of the Son of God in becoming Man; his amazing Goodness in dying for Sinners, the Juft for the Unjuft, to reconcile us to God. And when we have warmed our Souls with fuch Thoughts as these, we thould break forth into Raptures and Extafies of Devotion, in the Praise of our Maker and Redeemer: Worthy is the Lamb that was flain, to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and ftrength, and honour, and glory, and bleffing. Bleffing, and honour, and glory, and power be unto him that fitteth on the throne, and to the Lamb for ever and ever, Rev. v. 12, 13.

And befides other Reasons, which make this a very proper Preparation for Death, this accuftoms us to the Work and Employment of the next World: For Heaven is a Life of Devotion and Praise; there we fhall fee God,

and