his cup, or being baptized with his baptism? How many vain dreamers have we of golden mountains, and (I know not what) earthly felicity; whose pretended prophecies about (a supposed) near approaching prosperity to the church on earth, gain easier belief, or are more savoury and taking with too many, than all that the sacred oracles discover about its glorious state in heaven? Hence are our shoulders so unfitted to Christ's yoke (like the unaccustomed heifer,) and the business of suffering will not enter into our hearts. Methinks the belief and expectation of such a state hereafter, should make us even regardless of what we see or suffer here; and render the good or evil things of time as indifferent to us. Yet neither plead I for an absolute social apathy, but for patience. A great follower of that sect acknowledges, "It is not a virtue to bear what we feel not, or have no sense of. Stupidity under providence is not a christian temper;" as that moralist says of the wise man, "It is not the hardness of stone or iron that is to be ascribed to him." Sen. de Constant. sapientis. But lest any should run into that more dangerous mistake, to think, that by the patience we have been all this while persuading to (in the expectation of the blessedness yet to come) is meant a love of this present world, and a complacential adherence of heart to the earth, (which extreme the terrene temper of many souls may much incline them to;) it will be necessary upon that account to add (in reference also to the yet future expected season of this blessedness) this further and concluding instruction, namely,

8. That (however we are not to repine at our being held so long in this world in an expecting state, yet) we let not our souls cleave too close to their terrestrial stations, nor be too much in love with the body, and its present low state of life on earth. For evident it is, that notwithstanding all the miseries of this expecting state, the most are yet loth to leave the world, and have hearts sordidly hankering after present things. And surely there is much difference between being patient of an abode on earth, and being fond of it. Therefore since the true blessedness of saints consists in such things as we have shewn, and cannot be enjoyed till we awake, not within the compass of time and this lower world; it will be very requisite to insist here awhile in the prosecution of this last rule. And what I shall say to it shall be by way of caution, and enforcement.

(1.) For caution: that we misapprehend not that temper and disposition of spirit, we are in this thing to endeavor and aim

at.

And it especially concerns us to be cautious about the inducements, and degree, of that desire of leaving this world, or contempt of this present life, which we either aspire to, or allow

ourselves in.

[1.] Inducements. Some are desirous, others at least content, to quit the world upon very insufficient, or indeed wicked considerations.

First. There are, who desire it merely to be out of the way of present troubles, whereof they have either too impatient a sense, or an unworthy and impotent fear. Many times the urgency and anguish of incumbent trouble impresses such a sense, and utters itself in such language as that, Now, O Lord, take i beseech thee my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live. Jonah 4. 3. Or, that, My soul chooseth strangling and death rather than life: makes men long for death, and dig for it as for hid treasure; rejoice and be exceeding glad when they can find the grave, Job 7. 15.

Yea, and the very fear of troubles that are but impendent and threatening, makes some wish the grave a sanctuary, and renders the clods of the valley sweet unto their thoughts. They lay possibly so humorsome and fanciful stress upon the mere circumstances of dying, that they are earnest to die out of hand to avoid dying so and so; as the poet would fain persuade himself it was not Demite naufragium, mors nihi munus erit, Death he feared not, but shipwreck: it would not trouble them to die, but to die by a violent hand, (Ovid.) or to be made a public spectacle; they cannot endure the thoughts of dying so. Here is nothing commendable or worthy of a christian in all this. It were a piece of christian bravery to dare to live in such a case, even when there is a visible likelihood of dying a sacrifice in the midst of flames. How much this glory was affected in the earlier days of Christianity is sufficiently known though, I confess there were excesses in that kind, altogether unimitable. But if God call a man forth to be his champion and witness, to lay down a life, in itself little desirable, in a truly worthy cause, the call of his providence should be as the sound of the trumpet to a truly martial spirit; it should fill his soul with a joyful courage and sense of honor, and be complied with cheerfully, with that apprehension and resentment a stout soldier would have of his general's putting him upon some very hazardous piece of service, namely, he would say, (as the moralist expresses his sense for him) Imperator de me non male meruit, sed bene judicavit, my general hath not deserved ill of me, but it appears he judged well. Sen. It should be counted all joy to fall into such trials; Jam. 1. 2. that is, when they become our lot by a providential disposition, not by a rash precipitation of ourselves. And as it is a wickedness inconsistent with Christianity, to be of that habitual temper, to choose to desert such a cause for the saving of life; so it is a weakness very reproachful to it, to lay down one's life in such a case with regret, as unwilling in this kind to glorify him who laid down his for us. We are no more to die to ourselves, than to live to ourselves. Our Lord Jesus hath purchased to himself a dominion over both states, of the living and dead, and whether we live we must live to him, or die, we must die to him. Rom. 14. 8. It is the glory of a christian to live so 31

VOL. I.

much above the world, that nothing in it may make him either fond of life, or weary of it.

Secondly. There are others who are (at least) indifferent and careless how soon they die, out of either a worse than paganish infidelity, disbelieving the concernments of another world; or a brutish stupidity, not apprehending them; or a gross conceited ignorance, misunderstanding terms of the gospel, and thinking themselves to be in a good condition, as to eternity, when the case is much otherwise with them. Take heed thy willingness to die be from no such inducements, but a mere desire of being with God and of attaining this perfection and blessedness, which he hath engaged thee in the pursuit and expectation of, and then, having made sure it be right as to the rise and principle.

[2.] Be careful it be not undue in point of degree; that is, a cold intermittent velleity is too little on the one hand, and a peremptory, precipitant hastiness is too much on the other. The middle and desirable temper here is a complacential submission to the divine will in that affair, with a prepondering inclination on our part, towards our eternal home, if the Lord see good. For we have two things to attend in this business, and by which our sprits may be swayed this way or that, that is the goodness of the object to be chosen, and the will of God which must guide and over-rule our choice; the former whereof we are permitted to eye in subordination to the latter and not otherwise. Now our apprehension of the desirableness and intrinsic goodness of the object ought to be such, (we are infidels else, if we have not that account of it,) that nothing we can eye under the notion of a good to us, may be reckoned so eligible as that, namely, our final and complete blessedness in the other world; which because we know we cannot enjoy without dying, death also must be judged more eligible than life, that is, our blessedness must be judged eligible for itself, and death as requisite to make it present. So that the entire object we are discoursing of being present blessedness, consider it in comparison with any thing else, that can be looked upon by us as a good which we ourselves are to enjoy, it ought to be preferred and chosen out of hand, inasmuch as nothing can be so great a present good to us, as that. And this ought to be the proper habitual inclination of our spirits, their constant frame and bent, as they respect only our interest and welfare. But considering God's dominion over us, and interest in our lives and beings, and that as well ingenuity as necessity binds us to be subject to his pleasure, we should herein patiently suffer ourselves to be over-ruled thereby, and not so abstractly mind our own interest and contentment in this matter, as if we were altogether our own, and had no Lord over us. Plato (In Phoed. Vid. et Plotin.) who abounds in discourses of the desirableness of dying, and of the blessed change it makes with them, that are good, yet hath this apt ex

pression of the subjection we ought to be in to the divine pleasure as to this matter, megi aywys Enead. 1. "That the soul is in the body as soldiers in a garrison, from whence they may not withdraw themselves without his order and direction who placed them there: and expostulates thus, "If (saith he) a slave of yours should destroy his own life without your consent, would you not be displeased; and if there had been any place left for revenge, been apt enough for that too? So he brings in Socrates discoursing; and discovers himself herein to have had more light in this matter, touching that subordinate interest only men have in their own lives, and the unlawfulness of self-murder, (as he had in other things too,) than most heathens of the more refined sect ever arrived to.

If therefore God would give us leave to die, we should upon our own account be much more inclined to choose it; but, while he thinks fit to have it deferred, should yield to his will with an unrepining submission. Only it ought not to rest at all on our part, or that as to ourselves we find any thing more grateful to us in this world, that we are willing to stay a day longer in it. That for qur own sakes we should affect a continuance here, would argue a terrene, sordid spirit. But then such should be our dutiful filial love to the Father of our spirits, that in pure devotedness to his interests, we would be content to dwell (if he would have it so) a Methuselah's age in an earthly tabernacle for his service: that is, that we may help to preserve his memorial in a lapsed world, (over-run with atheism and ignorance of its Maker,) and win him hearts and love (to our uttermost) among his apostate, disloyal creatures; and in our capacities be helpful to the encouragement of such as he continues in the world for the same purposes. This is the very temper the apostle expresses when in that strait. Phil. 1. 23. Which way the poise of his own spirits inclined him, in the consideration of his own interest, and what was simply more eligible to him, he expresses with high emphasis; To be with Christ, saith he, is more, more desirable to be, (for there are two comparatives in the Greek text,) and therefore he professes his own desire in order thereto, to be dissolved; but that private desire was not so peremptory and absolute, but he could make it yield and give place to his duty towards God and his church, as it follows. So we know it is possible, that respects to a friend may over-sway a man's own particular inclination; and the inclination remain notwithstanding, but is subdued only; otherwise, had any reason or argument that did respect myself persuaded me to change it, I should then follow but my own proper inclination still, and so my friend hath nothing to thank me for.

So it ought to be with us here. Our inclination should preponderate towards a present change of our state; only our devotedness to his interest and pleasure, whose we are, should ea

sily over-rule it. This is the lovely temper of a gracious spirit, as to this thing, that to die might be our choice, and to live in the mean time submitted to as our duty. As an ingenuous son whom his father hath employed abroad in a foreign country, though duty did bind him cheerfully therein to comply with his father's will, and the necessity of his affairs; yet, when his father shall signify to him, that now he understands no necessity of his longer continuance there, and therefore he may if he please return, but he shall have leave to follow his own inclination, it is not hard to conjecture, that the desire of seeing a father's face would soon determine the choice of such a son that way. But how remote are the generality of them that profess themselves God's children from that pious ingenuity! We have taken root in the earth, and forgotten our heavenly originals and alliances. We are as inhabitants here, not pilgrims; hardly persuaded to entertain with any patience the thoughts of leaving our places on earth; which yet, do we what we can, shall shortly know us no more. In short then: that vile temper of spirit, against which I professedly bend myself in the following discourse, is, when men, not out of any sense of duty towards God, or solicitude for their own souls, but a mere sordid love to the body, and affixedness of heart to the earth and terrene things, cannot endure the thoughts of dying. And that which I persuade to is, that having the true prospect of the future blessedness before our eyes, and our hearts possessed with the comfortable hope of attaining to it, we shake off our earthly inclinations, and expect with desire and joy the time of our dismission hence, that we may enjoy it; which is the design of what was promised in the next place, namely,

(2.) The inforcement of this instruction. Suffer we therefore ourselves to be reasoned with about this matter; and let us consider whether we can in good earnest think such an aversation, as we discover, to our blessed translation hence, an excusable, a tolerable temper; or whether it be not highly reasonable, that we should entertain the thoughts, at least, with more content and patience (if not with more fervent desire) of our departure hence and introduction into that other state. Let me demand of thee, dost thou thus regret the thoughts of death, as being unwilling to die at all, or as being unwilling to die as yet? Is it the thing itself, or only the circumstance of time that thou exceptest against? It is likely thou wilt say that which will seem more plausible, and so fix only on the latter; and that thou wilt not profess to desire an eternity on earth, but only more time. Well, let that for the present be supposed, as it is a more modest, so to be a true account of thy desires: yet what is the reason of this moderation with thee herein; and that thou so limitest thyself? Is it that thou believest the blessedness of the other will prove better than any thing thou canst enjoy here; and that thou art