CLXXXVIII navigation, when he hath prefent occafion and ufe for SERM. the skill which he hath not yet learned, when his veffel is driven among rocks, and is every moment in danger of being dafh'd in pieces. Let this then be establish'd for a firm principle and rule, that the best and fureft preparation for a happy and comfortable death, is a holy and good life. For nothing will difarm death of its terrors, like the conscience of our own innocency, and of a fincere defire and endeavour to please GOD in the general course and tenour of our lives, and of a fincere repentance for all the errors and mifcarriages of our lives. And though our life be short and uncertain, yet it is a great deal that we may do by way of preparation for another world, if we begin and set out betimes, and be good husbands of the prefent opportunities. It is a great way that we may go in a fhort time, if we be always moving and preffing forwards. But the mischief is, many men pafs fifty or fixty years in the world, and when they are just going out of it, they bethink themselves and step back as it were, to do fomething which they had all this while forgot, viz. the main bufinefs for which they come into the world, to repent of their fins and reform their lives, and make their peace with GOD, and in time to prepare for eternity. This, which is forgotten and deferr'd to the laft, ought to have been first thought of, and to have been made the great bufinefs of their whole lives. But I proceed to give fome more particular directions concerning our preparation for death; namely, 1. By frequent meditation of it, which will render it more familiar to us, and help us to tame this monfter, and to take off the dread of it; and therefore SERM. we should accuftom ourselves to the thoughts of it, CLXXXVIII that we may in fome measure be reconciled to it. 2. We should endeavour to mitigate the evil and terror of death, by thinking of fomething worse, I mean the evils and miseries of life. For when we once come to look upon death as a remedy of all the evils of life, we shall then begin to be reconciled to it; and if we be wife, fhall be glad to be out of the noise, and danger, and fuffering of so many evils as we are continually liable to in this world; and fhall thank GOD heartily for difmiffing us, and giving us leave to die, and by death to put an end to this miferable life, and to begin a better and happier life, which fhall never have an end. And we should likewife meditate much on the glory and happiness of another world. For if we be once poffefs'd with a firm belief and perfuafion of it, we fhall think the time long that we are detained from it, and wifh for that which we fo much feared, I mean death, that it may bring us to the enjoyment of that which we have much more reason to defire. And indeed confidering (as I faid before) the many evils and miferies which we are liable to and always in danger of, while we are in this world, we have caufe to thank God that we were born to die, and that we are not condemned to live for ever in this world. So that whenever GOD fhall think fit to releafe us, we ought to esteem it a favour: but if he will have us to stay a little longer, we must with pa tience wait for another opportunity of making our efcape out of an evil and troublesome world. But me. thinks we should not much defire to ride it out in the ftorm any longer, when the port is open, and we may fafely enter in. And then, CLXXXVIII 3. By way of farther preparation for death, we SERM. fhould endeavour to maintain always a lively sense of it in our minds, that we may be, to all good effects and purposes, as much under the power of it as if it were just approaching, as if the phyfician or the judge had past the sentence of death upon us. We fhould always reckon upon that which may happen the next moment; and if we do so, we can never be extremely furprised; but "whenever our LORD comes, "fhall be found watching." And, Lastly, we should make it our conftant prayer to GOD, that he would fit us for our diffolution, and stand by us and comfort us in that needful time, without whofe gracious fupport and affiftance, both phyficians and even the minifters of Gop themselves, are but "miferable comforters." It fhould be our daily petition to God, that he would enable us to perform this last act of our life with decency and conftancy of mind, that neither our difeafe nor our weakness may break the firmness of our fpirits, or leave us to be amazed with fear, or betrayed with peevishnefs, fo as zo render us uneafy to ourselves, or to make our friends willing to be rid of us. But more especially, when God thinks fit, either by the nature or prefent danger of our diftemper, to give us a nearer fummons and clearer warning of our mortality, we should take the opportunity to imprefs upon our minds a deep and more lively fenfe of another world, that we may quicken our peace, and "work the work of him that fent us into the world, "while it is day; because the night is coming when "no man can work." Nature I know is fond of life, and apt to be still longing after a longer continuance here, and to find SERM.many delays and excufes to tarry yet a while longer CLXXXVIII in this world: and yet a very long life, with the usual burdens and infirmities of it, is feldom in reafon defirable; for it is but the fame thing over again, or worfe; fo many more days and nights, fummers and winters, a repetition of the fame pleafures, but ftill with lefs pleasure and relifh; a return of the fame or greater pains and troubles, but still with leis patience and ftrength to bear them. Let us then be of good courage in the approaches of death, fince we fee land, and the storm which we are in will quickly be over; and then it will be as if it had never been, or rather the remembrance of it will be a great pleasure to us. Suave mari magno, turbantibus æqucra ventis, E terra alterius magnum fpeclare periclum, Non quia vexari quendam eft jucunda voluptas ; Sed quibus ipfe malis careas quia cernere suave est. "It is a pleasant thing to ftand upon the shore, "when we fee others in a great storm at fea. Not "that it is delightful to fee others in danger; but "when others are in great difficulties and dangers, "it is a pleasure to find ourfelves fafe and out of danger." And if it fhould pleafe GOD to exercise us with great pains or tedious fickness, we fhould make ufe of all the confiderations which reafon and religion do furnish us withal, to help to mitigate and deceive our troubles, and to make that fhort way a little more fmooth and easy. For the best of us have no privilege and exemption from the common accidents of humanity, no piety can certainly fecure to any of us an eafy and comfortable death; and therefore it is a groundless confidence for any man to reckon upon it; we we must in this, as in all other things, refign up SERMON CLXXXIX. The life of JESUS CHRIST Confidered, as our example. 1 PET. ii. 21. -Leaving us an example, that ye fhould follow his steps. T as an CLXXXIX. HE apostle here propounds to chriftians SERM, the example of our SAVIOUR, argument to perfuade them to one particular The first grace and virtue, namely, patience under fufferings fermon on unjustly laid upon us, ver. 19, 20, 21. "For this is this text. "thank |