that it may be, that this is the laft time that thoufhalt fitat the Table, that next thou may'ft fit with Abrahamy Ifaac, and Jacob, with all the bleffed Martyrs, who have wash'd and whiten'd their Robes in the Blood of the Lamb, and that it may be that thou shalt never tafte any more but of the Food of Angels, and of the Fruit of the Tree of Life, and that thou fhalt never drink but of the new Wine in the Kingdom of Hea ven, and of the Rivers of eternal Pleafures, that run from the Throne of God.

Every Night that thou goeft out of thy Dwelling, or changeftithy Abode, fanfie to thy felf that in a little Time thou must depart out of this mortal Tabernacle. Art thou alone, and feparated from human Society? Remember that within a few Days Death will separate and divide thee. Art thou going to any Meeting, or entring into any Company, or marching to the holy.. Affemblies, difcourfe with thy felf in this Manner It may be that I fhall never go into any other Compas ny, until I come to the Church and Congregation of the First-born, whofe Names are written in Heaven. Art thou invited to the Marriage of a Friend? Say unto thy Soul, It may be I fhall never go to any other Feaft, but to the Marriage of the Lamb, offered from the Foundation of the World. Doft thou see a rich and glorious Palace, or a pleasant Garden? Say to thy felf, It may be I fhall never fee any other Palace, but that where the living God dwells; and it may be I fhall never behold any other Place of Pleafure, but the celeftial Paradife.

If thou cafteft down thine Eyes to look upon the Earth, upon which thou treadeft, confider at the fame time, that this Earth, or fome like to it, fhall afford thee a Grave, and that thou shalt fleep there the Sleep of Death. Remember what God told Adam, Duft thou art, and to Duft thou shalt return, Gen. iii. Or fay with the holy Man Job, Remember, I pray thee, that thou haft formed me Clay, and that thou shalt reduce me to Duft. I shall rep in the Duft, and if thou feekeft for me in the Morning, fhall be no more, Job xx. Job. vii.

If

If thou takeft a View of the Plants, of the Herbs and Flowers, don't forget what the Word of God fpeaks concerning our Life, in the xcth Pfalm, That Man is like the Grafs which groweth up; in the Morning it flourisheth and is green, in the Evening, 'tis cut down and withered. And in the cxxxth Pfalm, As for Many bis Days are as Grass; as the Flowers of the Field, fo be flourifbeth for the Wind paffeth over it, and 'tis And and the Place thereof shall know it no more. gone, elsewhere, All Flefb is like Grafs, and the Glory of Man like the Flower of the Field, Ifa. xl. 1 Pet. i.

If thou takeft notice of the Shadow of the Needle in a Dial, that follows the fwift Motion of the Sun, or of the Shadows which folid Bodies caft upon the Earth; in the Evening they stretch a great way, and a little after vanish: Confider feriously, and engrave in thy Mind, this excellent Sentence, Man is like Vanity, his Days are as a Shadow that paffeth away, Pfal. cxliv. and fay as David, I am gone as the Shadow when it declineth, Pfal. cix...

If thou hearest the Whistling of the Winds, which God taketh out of his Store-Houfes, lift up thy Soul unto God thy Creator, and fay with Job, Chap. vii. Remember that my Life is but a Wind, mine Eye fhall fee no more good; that is, the imaginary Good of this miferable World. And elsewhere, Thou lifteft me up to the Wind, thou caufeft me to ride upon it, and diffol veft my Subftance, Chap. xxx.

If thou lookeft up to the Glory and Beauty of the Heavens, and beholdest the ravishing Sight of the Stars; confider that thy gracious God hath formed thee after his Image; not to continue always among this flimy and miferable Earth; but to dwell with him for ever in the Heavens; and that at the end of the Race he will raise and carry thee into the Palace of his Glory, where thou fhalt fhine as the Sun in its greatest Splendor.

If thou doft meditate upon the Changeableness of the Seasons, remember that the Spring of thy Infancy,

the

the hot Summer of thy Youth, the Autumn of thy Maturity, and fad countenanced Winter of thy cold and decrepit Age, fhall fucceed one another in the fame Order.

Let him who travels by Land, think upon Job's Complaint, My Days have been fwifter than a Poft, they flee away, they fee no Good, Job ix. Let him call to mind the Apostle's excellent Saying, This one thing 1 do, forgetting thofe things which are behind, and reaching forth unto thofe things which are before; I prefs forwards towards the Mark, for the Prize of the high Calling of God in Chrift Jefus, Phil.

Let him who falls upon the Sea, fanfie the whole World as a great Sea, fwelling with Waves, our Life as a dangerous Voyage, and our Days as Ships that pafs away in a Moment; and let him confider that the laft Wind of Death will drive us into the Haven of eternal Felicity, to the Enjoyments of immortal Glory, Fob ix.

Doth God bless us with Children? Let us underftand that we are minded by them of our Mortality, for they come to take our Room, and to fucceed in our Eftate: Doth God take them away to his Reft, and of whom we are moft fond? Let this advertise us, That God intends thereby to cut off all the lower Roots that tie us to this Earth, to unloofe our Hearts and Affections, that we may offer them up to him alone, instead of spending our Lives in Tears, and indulging our foolish Humours in needlefs Difpleafures; Let us comfort our felves, with this Confideration, That by this means a part of our selves is enter'd into Heaven, and that t'other part will follow apace. Let us fay with David, We fhall go to them, but they fball not return to us.

Let the Magiftrate, whenever he delivers his Vote, or pronounces a Sentence, be provided with this Confideration; That he who fits in the Judgment-Seat here below, fhall ftand at the Bar, and be judged himfelf above: That one Day he thall appear as a poor F

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1.

foner at the Tribunal of his great God. That the Books will be opened, and that the univerfal Judge of the World will purfue every particular of his Accufation: That he muft render an Account not only of his Words and Actions, but also of his moft fecret Thoughts; and that without Examination at the Rack, God will discover the very Secrets of his Heart.

Let the Gentleman whenever he receives his Rents and his Revenues, call to mind the Tribute that he muft needs pay to Death. Let the Prince and the Lord, when he handles his Royal Patents, and his ancient Charters, or when he examines the Homage and Duties to be paid to his House and Families, take no tice that he must go in Perfon to Heaven's Gates, and pay his Homage to the Divinity. Let the King, who fits in his Seat of Juftice, or Chair of State, think upon the Throne of the King of Kings, before which he must appear, as well as the moft wretched Slave, and the meaneft of his Subjects; and that he must be accountable to a just God, who is no Refpecter of Persons.

Let the Minifter be never employ'd about the Duties of his Function, but let him long and with for that happy Day, in the which the Lamb fhall inftruct and feed him in Perfon, and lead him to the Fountains of living Water.

Let the Chriftian Soldier engrave upon his Sword this Sentence of Job, Is there not, as it were, a Warfare appointed for all Mortals upon Earth? Jobvii. And inftead of thirsting after human Blood, let him to encounter Death it felf.

prepare

Let the Hufbandman, whenever he fows his Seed, or when he reaps the Corn of his Fields, be mindful of the Seafon that comes on apace, in which his Body must rot in the Earth, that it might grow up to Eternity. Let him meditate upon what St. Paul faith, O Fool, that which thou foweft is not quickened, except it die, I Cor. xv. And let him meditate upon David's comfortable Perfuafion, They who fow in Tears, fhall reap with Songs of Triumph, Pfal.

Let any Handy-crafts-man that works in his Shop, imprint in his Mind this excellent Sentence, Our Days are like the Days of an Hireling; and when he hath ended his Task, and is departing to his Rest, let him comfort himself with this Affurance, That as foon as he shall have ended that Work that God hath given him to do, he fhall reft from all his Labours, Job vii. Whenever the Phyfician vifits the Patient, or when the Chirurgeon dreffes the Wounds, let them confider that they have no Secret or Art able to protect them from Death, or to cure the Breaches that it makes in our corruptible Nature.

Let the most cunning Lawyers, the most advised Counsellors, and the moft eloquent Orators, remember that all the Rhetorick and Subtilty will never obtain for them their Suit against Death, nor procure a Moment of Refpite or Delay.

And let the most learned Philofophers learn, That the foundeft Philofophy is the Meditation of Death.

In short, whatever be our Employment, Condition, or Age, let us lift up our Minds and Hands unto God to speak to him in the Language of the Prophet David; Lord, let me know my End, and the Number of my Days, that I may know how long I am to live. Or of Mofes, So teach us to number our Days, that we may apply our Hearts unto Wisdom.

A Prayer and Meditation on our Mortality.

My God and heavenly Father, fince 'tis thy Pleafure that I fhould be mortal, and that my Body fhould return to the Duft; Grant me Grace to be always mindful of my frail Condition, and feriously to reflect upon the feveral Changes of Times, the Variety of Seafons, the Unconftancy of the World, and Alterations I meet with, as Memento's of my laft Change and Departure. Let my Infirmities, and F2 frequent