(I hope prospering) in the great embassage which the great Shepherd employed him in. His death was much bewailed by many, (especially by them that best knew his worth,) as a great loss to the interest and cause of Christ, both in city and country. The Lord, in mercy, raise up more supplies of like sincerity, diligence, and faithfulness in the Lord's vineyard. Dear cousin, the Lord is pleased to use many ways and means to cause us to make the utmost improvement of seasons and opportunities of grace, and gives many motives thereto; amongst which this is one, that the prophets do not live for ever; and therefore he requires us to make speed, while the day of grace, and while the time of life, continues; that we may not be found naked and unready, when our summons from hence, by death, shall be sent us. I have not arrived to the length of your days, but the effects of old age are much upon me, and the shadows of the evening have begun to appear; therefore, as it is always, so especially is it needful for you and me, who are almost at the utmost bounds of our time, to look into, and much to strive after, the real and essential parts of godliness; which lies much in this; to ponder the corruption of our own nature, and the contradiction that it stands in, to the pure nature of God, and his revealed will; till we arrive at such a self-abhorrence, and despair of any relief, which we can derive from whatever we are, or whatever we can do, as of ourselves;' that we may betake ourselves entirely and perfectly to the grace revealed in Christ; casting our anchor of hope there, and there only; fleeing to the merits of Christ, and his single righteousness; in the virtue, and under the covering whereof, to appear before him, when all flesh shall stand and receive their unalterable sentence; that then we may have the comfortable happiness of that good word, "There is no condemnation to those that are in Christ." I cannot at present add more, only this; let none of your past or present troubles, of what kind soever, hinder your rejoicing in your gracious God and Saviour, who hath fed you all your life long; and will be your God, and your guide, and (as I am abundantly persuaded you will find him, according to all that he hath promised) your exceeding great reward, when the days of rest and endless refreshing shall come. To his gracious guidance I commit you, and to the comfortable fellowship of the holy Spirit. I pray for you, and desire to be remembered also by you, in your

prayers unto the "God of all grace; even our own God and Father:" under whose wing I desire to leave you, and remain, &c.

1681.-To C. E. D.

GOD has been pleased to continue your life unto a great length of days; and though your outward man hath been withering, (yet, blessed be God, I perceive) your inward man hath been assisted by his good Spirit hitherto, to make a happy voyage to the haven of true rest. The Lord. in mercy, accompany you through the remaining part of your voyage, till you enter safely into the harbour, and are settled in the mansions, which Christ is gone before to prepare for you. I have myself much infirmity of body, and am in daily combat with the corruption and vileness of my own heart; from which, I hope, through the riches of free grace, to be ere long delivered: and I have an abundant hope as to the same, concerning yourself. Fix your eye upon the great Mediator, cast yourself wholly upon him; for he will never leave you, nor forsake you. One day's communion with God, without all sin, in that heavenly country, will make you full amends for all the difficulties you have passed through in your earthly pilgrimage. And though I am not like to see you in this world, I hope, through the grace of the everlasting covenant, to see you where there will be neither sin, nor old age, to molest either you or me any more. Dear cousin, the arms of divine love, grace, and mercy, be continually embracing you. I can now add no more; but do commend you into the hands of that God, whose I am persuaded you are, and whom you serve. My affectionate respects to yourself, and all your relations, and that seed of God which he hath been pleased to plant in your neighbourhood. I remain your affectionate kinsman, and brother in Christ.

K

MEDITATION ON HIS DEATH-BED.*

April 18.-In the morning he spake, saying, " O Lord, how do I pass through nights and days! O wise God, and dost thou (speaking to himself) account him so? Lord, make me to account thee wise; and, good Lord, pardon me, and receive me. Oh happy day that is coming! Oh blessed day that is coming! I pass through death unto eternal life." After that he said, "The captive shall return, there will be no more captivity. O sweet redemption! Much of our heaven here lies even in that little talk we have about it: and yet when we speak a word of it, we have scarcely a thought suitable to the greatness of it." Some space after he fetched a deep groan; and with his eyes lifted up, and his right hand stretched forth, (as if the pains of death were upon him,) he said, "Sharp and welcome, sharp and welcome." And a while after he said, "Lord, let me not die with any guilt upon me; but leave it all behind. Oh, let not any sin remain in me unrepented of. Let not any concurrence of heart with the least guilt be in me. Let there be upon my will an edge of hatred against every sin: create it in me now. Thou canst make me to delight in that which is contrary to my own will. Oh, let thy will be pleasing to me, and let my will be every way according to thy will. Let not the agonies of death be too terrible; let not the tempestuous billows of it be too terrible to me, nor to any of the race thou hast redeemed from death. Let the agonies of death be even pleasing to me in Christ. Oh, the bitter cup, the unspeakable anger of God! (We have not drunk of it.) Oh the intolerable wrath of God, borne by that man! (meaning Jesus Christ) Oh the woful travail of Christ! We have discerned and laid to heart but a little of it; and that hath made repentance slight, and holy care trivial. And now, O Lord, thou reckonest with me, for undervaluing of that bloody agony: Lord, forgive me my guilt in this thing. I have not been a Christian in earnest as I ought. Oh! he that made himself the bottom of all sorrow, he suffered in*The length of this Meditation prevented us from inserting it in the Life of Mr. Dorney, Christian Biography, No. 23.

finitely. Oh, such a Redeemer, oh, such a Redeemer! Alas! how unsuitable have I been to him! Lord, pardon my unsuitableness; I have been as a beast before thee: I have not come up to the call of that unutterable grace. And now, O Lord, I cannot stand in the battle; I cannot, now the arrows of death stick in my flesh; and I cannot bear it without great concussions of soul within me. But Oh! Oh! Oh! thou who art the God of all grace, who hast set up a kingdom of grace, and art the Head of that kingdom, be thou now pleased to show thy glory. Make death sweet, make the tendencies to death sweet, make every step to deliverance a pleasing step, O my God. Save thy worm, save thy worm, O my God, according to thy promises made to Jacob. I hearken what the Lord will say; he will speak peace in the blood of Jesus. Own me, O Lord, own me to be thy friend; yes, say to me, as thou spakest of Abraham, Thou art my friend. Dost thou love me? Dost thou at this time love me with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul? Dost thou love me more than my nearest and dearest friends? than those intimate relations here, that continue with me in my tribulation? with a more inward, intense love? with an infiniteness beyond all these? Lord, let me know that thou lovest me in very deed; let me know, that thou lovest me by name; let me know that thou hast an eye upon me, more than doctors and friends; let me know, that every act of thine towards me is the effect of thy love. Love me, oh now, with thy whole heart; oh; make me to believe it. Help me to apprehend, that thou dost take notice of me, and art with me every moment; with me, as to my present case and concernment. It is dead friendship, when friends can neither hear nor see one another; but sure there is another friendship between thee and thine, and thou standest in the nearest relations to them. Art not thou my Father? (Hath not the Church said so, O Lord, thou art our Father? Isai. Ixiv. 8.) Thou art my Husband, my Friend; and art not ashamed to be called my Brother: oh wonderful! thou begattest me, I am born of thee. Lord, what shall I do with the great things of the gospel, if thou dost not give forth the Spirit of faith? O Lord, wilt not thou, who art truth, who art life, wilt not thou take the great work of making my religion practical upon thee? Thou canst make it to be in power and truth unto me, so as may answer the very design thou aimest at. I have been praying through the days of thy drawing me after thee. O Lord, I would come to that

kind of praying while I am here in the world, as might be a lovely copy of that praying, of that converse that will be with thee in heaven. Will prayer altogether cease in heaven? No surely. Lord, glorify thyself, glorify thyself; glorified be God. O then, O that the very life and soul of that state may now be begun! O that I might hasten to that state! Thou detainest me here in thy wisdom. I would go unto thee, and into that life which will most glorify thee eternally. I would go where life is, and no death. I would go where the fullest expression of the power of grace overcoming sinners may be openly manifest in me; even in me, who am a poor mortal. There are many things which I have found here, that are only likenesses to pure likeness to thee; and here I have lost wofully my way; Lord, open it. The heart is deceitful above all things, and it will have its working one way or other; but, Lord, I would go where there is purity without impurity; I would be with thee, Lord; for then I can speak to thee in thine own language better."

About two of the clock that day in the afternoon, he further extended his speech, as followeth, "The old world will be the old world still, it will remain to eternity; it will be only translated from hence, where it received its curse, to hell, to be in chains of darkness for ever; but all the redeemed number shall be instated in their palaces of glory. I am in the very period of seeing wonders; I am in the very period of viewing death and life. I am under some sufferings, and they shall be sweet. And (speaking to himself) he said, "Thou shalt lie down in thy bed." And then speaking to God, "Thou wilt not throw me into the grave in anger: thou wilt put me into the grave: thou wilt not say, Sleep there in death; thou wilt say, Sleep there a little, till the indignation be over-past; till that is inflicted on thee for sin, which was pronounced; and then that which passed away from Christ, shall also pass from thee. Lord, thou wilt not be unfaithful to thy word. God cannot lie; God cannot forget to be gracious: he cannot forget his own work. This is that God I desire to believe in, and resolve eternally to cling unto, with the truth of my whole heart. I have sinned, and thou hast pardoned me, and saved me with a mighty hand. Help me in this hour, take away my fears. The last stroke that will be given, will be by the devil himself, because it is his last battle; and thou wilt permit him: but thou wilt bind him;