St. Paul might well magnify the Grace of God in our Redemption by Christ, above his Juftice and Severity in punishing Adam's Sin with Death, Rom. v. 15, 16, 17. But not as the offence, fo alfo is the free gift: For if thro' the offence of one, many be dead; much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jefus Chrift, hath abounded unto many. And not as it was by one that finned, jo is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation; but the free gift is of many offences unto juftification. For if by one man's offence, death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace, and of the gift of righteousness, fhall reign in life by one, Jefus Chrift. Where the Apostle magnifies the Grace of God upon a fourfold Account. 1. That Death was the juft Reward of Sin, it came by the offence of one, and was an Act of Juftice in God: Whereas our Redemption by Chrift is the Gift of Grace, the free Gift, which we had no juft Claim to. 2. That by Christ we are not only deliver'd from the Effects of Adam's Sin, but from the Guilt of our own: For tho' the judgment was by one to condemnation; the free gift is of many offences unto justification. 3. That though we die in Adam, we are not barely made alive again in Christ, but fhall reign in life by one, Jefus Chrift; which is a much happier Life than what we loft in Adam. 4. That as we die by one Man's Offence, fo we live by one too; By the righteouf

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ness of one, the free gift comes upon ́all men unto juftification of life. We have no reason to complain, that the Sin of Adam is imputed to us to Death, if the Righteousness of Christ purchase for us eternal Life. The first was a neceffary Confequence of Adam's lofing Paradife; the fecond is wholly owing to the Grace of God.

Thus we fee what it is that makes us mortal: God did not make Death; he created us in a happy and immortal State; but by man fin entred into the world, and death by fin. Whatever Averfion then we have to Death, should beget in us a greater Horror of Sin, which did not only at first make us mortal, but is to this Day both the Cause of Death, and the Sting of it. No Degree indeed of Virtue now can preferve us from Dying; but yet Virtue may prolong our Lives, and make them happy, while Sin very often haftens us to the Grave, and cuts us off in the very midst of our Days. An intemperate and lustful Man deftroys the moft vigorous Conftitution of Body, dies of a Fever, or Dropfy, or Rottenness and Confumptions; others fall a Sacrifice to private Revenge, or publick Juftice, or a Divine Vengeance; for the wicked fhall not live out half their days. However, fetting afide fome little natural Averfions, which are more eafily conquer'd, and Death were a very innocent, harmless, nay, defirable Thing, did not Sin give a Sting to it, and terrify us with

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the Thoughts of that Judgment which is to follow. Quarrel not then at the Divine Juftice in appointing Death; God is very good, as well as juft in it; but vent all your Indignation against Sin; pull out this Sting of Death, and then you will fee nothing but Smiles and Charms in it; then it is nothing but putting off these mortal Bodies, to reaffume them again with all the Advantage of an immortal Youth. It is certain indeed we muft die, this is appointed for us; and the very Certainty of our Death will teach us that Wisdom which may help us to regain a better Immortality than we have loft.

SECT. II.

How to improve this Confideration, That we muft certainly die.

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OR, 1. If it be certain that we must die, this fhould teach us frequently to think of Death, to keep it always in our Eye and View. For, why fhould we caft off the Thoughts of that which will certainly come, especially when it is fo neceffary to the good Government of our Lives, to remember that we must die? If we muft die, I think it concerns us to take care, that we may die happily, and that depends upon our living well; and nothing has fuch a powerful Influence upon the good Government of our Lives, as

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the Thoughts of Death. I have already fhew-ed you what Wisdom Death will teach us; but no Man will learn this, who does not confider what it is to die; and no Man will practife it, who does not often remember that he muft die: But he that lives under a conftant Senfe of Death, has a perpetual Antidote against the Follies and Vanities of this World, and a perpetual Spur to Virtue.

When fuch a Man finds his Defires after this World enlarge beyond, not only the Wants, but the Conveniencies of Nature, Thou Fool, fays he to himself, What is the Meaning of all this? What kindles this infatiable Thirft of Riches? Why muft there be no End of adding House to House, and Field to Field? Is this World thy Home? Is this thy abiding City? Doft thou hope to take up an eternal Reft here? Vain Man! thou must fhortly remove thy Dwelling, and then whofe fhall all thefe Things be? Death will shortly clofe thy Eyes, and then thou shalt not fo much as fee the God thou worshippeft; the Earth shall shortly cover thee, and then thou fhalt have thy Mouth and Belly full of Clay and Duft. Such Thoughts as these will cool our Defires to this prefent World; will make us contented when we have enough, and very charitable and liberal of what we can spare: For what fhould we do with more in this World, than will carry us through it? What better and wifer Ufe can we make of fuch

Riches as we cannot carry with us into the other World, than to return them thither before-hand in Acts of Piety and Charity, that we may receive the Rewards and Recompence of them in a better Life? That we may make to ourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness, that when we fail they may receive us into everlafting habitations.

When he finds his Mind begin to fwell, and to increase as his Fortune and Honours do; Lord, thinks he, what a Bubble is this! which every Breath of Air can blow away? How vain a Thing is Man in his greatest Glory, who appears gay and beautiful, like a Flower in the Spring, and is as foon cut down and withered! Though we should meet with no Change in our Fortune here, yet we shall fuddenly be removed out of this World; the Scene of this Life will change, and there is an End of earthly Greatnefs. And what a contemptible Mind is that, which is fwell'd with dying Honours, which looks big indeed, as a Body does which is fwell'd out of all Proportion with a Dropfy, or Tympany; but that is its Difeafe, not a natural Beauty. What am I better than the poorest Man who begs an Alms, unless I be wiser and more virtuous than he? Can Lands and Houfes, great Places and Titles; Things which are not ours, and which we cannot keep, make fuch a mighty Difference between one Man and another? Are thefe the Riches? Are these

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