Religion & morality > Human nature in its fourfold state

HeaJ I.
to prepare for Death,
32S
Dh ! flia'l we not double bur diligence, when fo much
ot cur time is fpent, and fo little of our great work is
one ? (5.) The prefent time is flying away ; and we
hannot bring back time paft, it hath taken an eternal
arewel of us-, there is no knidling the fire again, that
s burnt to alhes. The time to come is not ours j
tnd we have no aflurance of a lliare in it, when it comes.
Ve have nothing we can call curs, but the prefect
jihorr.ent; and that is flying away ; How foon our time
ray be at an end, we know not. Die we mud, but
•ho can tell us when ? If death kept one fet time
ir all, we were in no hazard of a furprife ; but daily ob-
irvation (hews us, there is no fuch tiling. Now the
lying fhadow of our life, allows no time for loitering.
The rivers run fpeedily into the fea, from whence
icy came; but not fo fpeedily as man to the dud,
(om whence he came. The dream of time is the
rifted current, and quickly runs out to eternity.
yjtiy. If once death carry us off, there is no coming
|ick again to mend our matters, Job. xiv. 14. If a man
?, Jhall he live again ? Dying is a tiling we cannct
"t a trial of; it is what we can do only once, Heb.
1-27. It is appointed unto man once to die. And that
Inch can be but once done, and yet is of fo much im«
Jrtance, that our all depends on having it done right,
I have need to ufe the utmod diligence, that we'may
it well. Therefore prepare for death, and do it
icoufly.
Ilf ye who are unregenerate, alk me, What ye dial!
to prepare for death, that ye may die fafely ? I
ifiwer, 1 have told you already, what mud be done,
id that is, your nature and (late mud be changed ;
mud be born again ; ye mud be united to Jeftis
irid by faith. And till this is done, ye are not ca¬
de of other diie£lions, which belong to one’s dying
infortably, whereof we may difeourfe afterwards in
j: place.
IMAD