Page:Great importance of a suitable preparation for death (2).pdf/16

16 ſure; thou prayedſt at ſuch a time aright, and hopeſt that is ſure; thou meditatedſt in ſuch a place aright and hopeſt that is ſure: but (believe me) death may make thee change thy thoughts ; for there are ſome perſons who have communicated, and prayed, &c. as right as any in this generation, who (for all that) will not find ſix duties wherein they can find ſatisfaction at death; therefore, our need is great to prepare for it. 6. Death will exceedingly try thy ſincerity when it cometh: an hypocrite may go all along his whole way undiſcovered, yet death may bring him to light, and make it appear what man he is. 7. Death will diſcover unto thee many hid and ſecret ſins of which thou never hadſt a thought before, yea, albeit thou thoughteſt theſe had been forgotten, death will let thee ſee them ſtanding between thee an the light of his countenance. 8. Death will accurately try thy mortification, ſome will think they have come a great length in mortification; but (believe me) death will try it, and put it to the touch-stone. 9. Death will try thy hope, whether it be real or not. I ſhall only ſay this, that all the other graces muſt low the fall to faith, and ſo it is, faith muſt carry us through, being the laſt triumphing grace, which muſt fit the field for us, when all the other graces will faint and ly by. It is faith that muſt enter us fairly within the borders of eternity; it is faith muſt gain-ſtand all the temptations of death, yea. all the other graces muſt (as it were) ſtand by, and ſee faith ſtrike the laſt ſtroke in the war.

The Second conſideration to preſs you to mind death, is this, that ye are to die but once, and the wrong doing of which, can never be helped. If ye pray not aright, ye may get that mended, and, if we meditate not aright, ye may get that mended, and, if ye communicate not aright, ye may get that mended: but alas! if ye die not aright, there is no mending of that; therefore, O prepare for death, that ye may die well, ſeeing you are to die but once.

The Third conſideration to preſs you to mind death, is this, that they are pronounced bleſſed who die in the Lord, Rev. xiv. 13. 'Bleſſed are the dead which die