out of this, into the other world. Death sends not always méssengers before, to warn of its approach; many a man in health has by some providential incident been suddenly dispatched into the other world. And delayers have ground to fear it will be their lot in a special manner, as ye may see, Matt. xxiv. 48–51.

3. Though ye get a death-bed, ye may be rendered incapable of making ready, by the nature of your disease. Though ye be capable, you may get enough ado even to die, through a vehement toss of sickness. If there was one thief on the cross that got repentance, there was another that died hardened; and this is most likely to be your case who so delay.

Lastly, Death-bed repentance is seldom sincere. What is recorded of the Israelites in the wilderness may well have weight here, Ps. lxxviii. 34-36. "When he slew them, then they sought him; and they returned and inquired early after God. And they remembered that God was their rock, and the high God their Redeemer. Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth, and ́ they lied unto him with their tongues." The terrors of death may make a mighty concern about the other world in a graceless heart; but what sincerity there is for the most part in these things, may be learned from the case of such brought to the gates of death, who after all turn just back to their old bias.

THIRDLY and LASTLY, The last thing upon this use of exhortation is, Having made ready, keep ready. Your interest as well as duty is concerned in this. Therefore take the following directions.

1. Keep grace in exercise, Luke xii. 35. "Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning. Slumbering virgins, though wise, are not ready to meet the Bridegroom. Let faith be awake, love kept warm, desires astir, &c. And labour to be spiritual in all religious performances.

2. Beware of dipping deep again in this once forsaken world; of being drowned in its pleasures, racked with its cares, glued to its profits, lifted up with its smiles, or sunk with its frowns, 1 Cor. vii. 29-31. "This I say, brethren, the time is short. It remaineth, that both they that have wives, be as though they had none; and they that weep, as though they wept not." &c.

3. Be careful to keep a clean conscience, as Paul, Acts xxiv. 16. "Herein," says he, "do I exercise myself to have always a conscience void of offence toward God and toward men." Have you

got on your wedding garment? keep it unstained as far as may be; and what spots are daily contracted, be daily washing out, John xiii. 10.

4. Be always busy in your generation work, for the honour of God,

and the good of others, as ye have access; that the Master coming find you not idle, Luke xii. 43. "Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh, shall find so doing."

Lastly, Live in expectation of the better world, and your removal into it Job, xiv. 14. "All the days of my appointed time will I wait till my change come." 2 Tim. iv. 7, 8. "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith, Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord the righteous Judge shall give at that day; and not to me only but unto all them also that love his appearing." Look for the day of your removal, as a day that will be your redemptionday, your marriage-day, your home going day, the day bettter than that of your birth.

Upon the whole that has been said touching the other world, 1 make these two concluding reflections,

1. We will all at length be in that world, of which we have so long had the report; and we will see in it what we have heard about it, however foreign it appears to us now. Some of our brethren and sisters have been carried off into it in the time that we have been on this subject; and certainly it is not for nought that it has so long sounded in our ears.

2. However we may now lightly pass, and make very little reflection on what has been said thereon: I doubt not, we will all have our reflections upon it, when we come there; particularly, whether we land in the upper or lower part of it, looking back on what we have heard of it, we will have this reflection, That the half has not been told. What others we will there have, the day will declare.

THE PECULIAR ADVANTAGE AND BUSINESS Of life opened up, AND APPLIED.

Several Sermons, preached at Ettrick, in the year 1727.

ISAIAH XXXviii. 19.

The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I do this day: the father to the children shall make known thy truth.

IT is much to be desired, that men would consider the great business of their life: but few do it, till it is just going or gone out

of their hands. Hezekiah had been at the brink of the grave, and learned those just thoughts of life, which he gives us with much concern in the text. Wherein we have,

1. The mercy of life: "The living, the living, he shall praise thee," &c. Ver. 18. He had been speaking of the dead, the inhabitants of the gloomy mansions of the grave; and in opposition to these he here speaks of the living, and in a triumphant manner proposeth to speak of them, as seeing the mercy of life. A serious view of death is the way to get just thoughts of the mercy of life.

2. Wherein the mercy of life, the peculiar mercy of it, consists. And the decision of this is in a vein of thought peculiar to the spiritual man, in a spiritual frame.

1st, Ask the carnal man, where lies the mercy of life? And,

(1.) If he is in prosperity, with health and wealth, he reckons the mercy of life lies, in that the living man may enjoy the pleasures of sense, mirth, and jollity, and may lay up wealth for him and his; all which stern death robs a man of. But there is not one word of this here.

(2.) If he is in adversity, poverty, and sore sickness, he either cannot see the mercy of life at all, but thinks they are well that are away, that are out of poverty and pain, and lie at ease in the dust. So crosses make him wish to be away. At best, he reckons it the mercy of life, that he is not there where it may be he would be worse, viz. in hell. But there is not a word of all this neither, in the text.

2dly, Ask the renewed man in an ill frame of spirit, where lies the mercy of life? If he is in outward prosperity, he will be ready to reckon it lies in the comforts of this life. If he is in adversity, the troubles of life are so great, that the mercy of it is small in his view; only heaven bulks in his eyes, and that as a place of rest from trouble. But there is nothing of this neither in the text.

The decision is, The mercy of life lies in the business of life, to wit, being serviceable for God in the world: "The living, the living, he shall praise thee," &c. Hezekiah counts that the great mercy of life, to have access to be useful for God in the world. Which speaks, (1.) A high esteem of God and his service, as men count it a favour to be allowed to serve their prince. (2.) An ardent love to him, as men delight to serve the interests of those they dearly love. This will be to a spiritual man in a spiritual frame the most desirable thing in life: Philip. i. 20, 21. "According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be maguified in my body, whether it be by life or by death.

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain." This is a just endearment of life. Now, the business of life, for which it is desirable, is twofold.

1. To praise or glorify God in the world; to speak of the perfections of his nature, and shew forth the praises of him who hath called us, among men, to the advancement of his kingdom here; the sun to strike up beams of his glory in a dark world, and commend him and his way before and to others. Now, here consider,

1st, Whose is this privilege: "The living, the living;" i. e. the living all along in a succession of generations to the end of the world. That is the import of the doubling of this word. This access to the praising of God in the world, is peculiar to the living. And,

(1.) It is not those that are now dead, but those that are now living, that have access to shew forth his praise and glorify him, in a world where he is so much dishonoured; to side with him, and take his part against his enemies. It is true, the souls of dead saints are praising God in heaven in the holiest strains: but what the better is the world of these praises? No more than they that are sitting in the dark room down stairs, are the better of a glorious lamp shinning in the upper room. Is there ever a poor sinner brought acquainted and to fall in love with Christ by their means? No; their praises of God are to sinners here as if they were not; they hear them not. Is the kingdom of Christ in the world advanced by these praises? No. It is the living, the living only, that have access to those pieces of service to God. The living man that sits in a cote-house, has the access to glorify God in the world that no saint in heaven has.

(2.) If those that are now living were once dead, they will have no more access to praise him in the world; but those that will be then living and so on to the end. Men will go off the stage one after another, but they will not carry that work with them; but it will still be left in the hands of the living, and no other, whetever they make of it. There are heads, tongues, and hands of ministers and Christians lying in the grave, that have contrived, spoken, and acted well for God in the world: but now, if the cause of God and religion, which is very low, were at the last gasp, there is no more help to be had from those heads, tongues, and hands. The living only must speak and act for it, or it must lie.

Hezekiah was repraise of it. He

2dly, An instance of it: "As I do this day." covered from sickness, and he gives God the looked on it as his bounden duty to fall closely again to that business of life, which was likely to have been taken out of his hands

by death. What time of life the Lord lengthens out to us, after threatening a removal, we should be careful to use for the honour of God.

2. To propagate his name and praise: "The father to the children shall make known thy truth." It is the special business of life, to endeavour that the name of God may live and be glorified in the world, when we are dead. It is a black mark for persons not to care what come of the world if they were out of it. A child of God will be concerned, that religion may be kept up aud propagated in it: and while he is living, he has access to contribute to it. And here consider,

1st, What he has access to do for that end; namely, to praise God to the younger sort, that are likely to live after he is gone; especially to his own family, and particularly his own children. Heb. "The father to the children;" q. d. The father [shall praise thee] to the children. They may shew to them how lovely God is, and how desirable his way: and when they have children, they may do the same to them; and so on, God's praise will be kept up in the world. Now observe, he is still speaking of the living, for these are the the subject expressly proposed to be spoken of. q. d. As for the living, the living father may praise thee to the living sons. It imports,

(1.) If the father die, though the children live, he can do God no more honour, and them no more service, that way. If he has neglected his duty to his family in his life, he cannot come back again to mend the matter. If he left them ignorant of God, and strangers to him, though one word from him again could save their souls from the pit, he has no more access to give them it.

(2.) If the children die, though the father live, he can do God no more honour, and them no more service, that way. He may take care of their dust, to bury it; but he souls: "As the tree falls it must lie." ing and living together, he has access when one of them falls, that work is at an end.

can do no more for their While they are both standto serve their souls: but

2dly, How he may do it, how he may co.rmend him to them; namely, by making him known to them, as an object worthy of their faith, trust, and confidence: "Shall make known thy truth." The expression in the Hebrew is concise, He may make known, unto thy truth. The word rendered to hope, ver. 18. properly signifying intensely to look, Neh. ii. 13, 15. is understood. q. d. That they may look unto thy truth or faithfulness. So in it are two things to be consdered,

(1.) The proper method of praising or commending God to the