membered by us: days of outward darkness, the darkness of outward trouble and affliction; and days of inward darkness, the darkness of spiritual distress and dereliction; and indeed 'tis of marvellous use to us in our prosperity, to remember these days of darkness; but especially we should remember death and the grave.

We should carry a lively remembrance of these days of darkness daily upon us; and indeed our not remembering these days of darkness, is one great cause why we are so unready for death, and the grave, as we are.

When we are in the midst of our enjoyments, and the streams run pleasantly about us, we are too apt to forget these days of darkness; we are so taken with our earthly comforts, that we are loath to think of death, and eternity, putting far from us the evil day; as thofe in their enjoyments did, Amos 6. 3. And therefore when these days come, they find us fo unready, and our fpiritual concernments fo difcompofed as ufually they do.

But (my beloved) as ever you would have all right and in order in your poor fouls against a dying hour comes: let me recommend this to you, as one fpecial help; maintain a deep and frequent rememberance of death and the grave upon your spirits;

remember the days of darkness, and that especially

these two ways.

1. Remember them fo as to have them much in your meditation: be much and frequent in the contemplation of death and the grave. This the Holy Ghost calls a confidering our latter end; and withal, mentions as a bufinefs of great importance to us, Deut. 32. 29. To confider, is to revolve a thing in our minds, and to keep it much in our thoughts and meditations.

And thus we should confider our latter end, and remember the days of darkness: this is that the faints of old have been much converfant in; they were much and frequent in the thoughts and meditations of death: as I might inftance in the good old Patriarchs Job, David, and others: and 'tis what does marvellously conduce to our preparation for it.

The meditation of death (faith one) is life; it is that which greatly promotes our spiritual life; therefore, walk much among the tombs, and converfe much and frequently with the thoughts of a dying hour.

2. Remember them fo, as to have them daily in your expectation. In the midst of all your enjoy

ments, expect death's approach daily: this is called a waiting for our change. "All the days of my "appointed time, will I wait till my change "comes," Job 14. 14. And we are commanded to wait for the coming of our Lord; as that which lies in the directest tendency to the exactest readinefs and preparation for his coming, Luke, 12. 36. Expect death every hour (faith one) for 'tis every hour approaching thee: in the morning when thou risest, think with thyself, this may be the last day: in the evening, when thou lieft down, think with thyself, this may be the last night I may ever have in this world. I know not when my Lord will come, whether in the morning, or in the evening, at midnight, or at the cock-crowing: therefore I will be always expecting his coming. Woe and alas for us! we are apt to talk of many years yet to come, as he did, Luke 12. 9. whereas we should live in the expectation of death every moment.

Thus let us confider the days of darkness, it will marvellously conduce to the preparation of the foul for them: the meditation and expectation of death.. will conduce much. (among others) to these four things:

1. It will conduce much to our humbling and self-debasing: let a man own himself to be a mortal (faith Austin) and pride will, it must down. And

think frequently of death, (faith another) and thou wilt eafily bring down thy proud heart. Hence alfo, the confideration of death is often in fcripture. mentioned by the Holy Ghoft, as an argument to make us humble; duft thou art, and unto dust thou fhalt return, Gen. 3. 19. as elsewhere.

2. It will conduce much to the weaning of our hearts from this world, and the loosening of them from the things here below: the time is short (faith the apostle) what then? Why it remaineth, that they that have wives, be as though they had none; and those that weep, as though they wept not; and thofe that rejoice, as though they rejoiced not; thofe that buy, as though they poffeffed not; and they that use this world, as not abusing it; for the fashion of this world paffeth away, 1 Cor. 7. 29,

30, 31.

He mentions the fhortness of time, as that the meditation and expectation whereof, has the directeft tendency in it, to wean and loofen the heart from all things here below. And indeed (as St. Bernard hath it) he easily contemns all things here, who looks upon himself as dying daily.

3. It will conduce much to engaging the heart to heaven, and the things of heaven, to a ferious pursuit of a bleffed eternity.

"

So we find, Heb. 11. 13. &c. These all died in. the faith (faith the apostle) not having received the promises; but having feen them afar off, and were perfuaded of them, and embraced them; and confessed, that they were ftrangers and pilgrims on the earth; that is, they were apprehensive they had but a little time to stay here: and what then? They defire a better country, that is, an heavenly: the apprehenfion they had of their departure hence, quickened them into earnest defires and pursuits after the better country, the heavenly land; and indeed one great reason why we breath no more, and press no more after heaven, and a bleffed eternity, is, because we fo feldom remember these days of darkness.

4. It will conduce much to the quickening of the heart to duty, and to diligence and faithfulness therein. Chrift himself made use of it for this end: I must work the works of him that fent me, while it is day; the night cometh when no man can work, John 9. 4. Peter alfo, that holy apoftle made use of it to that end: I will not be negligent (faith he) to do fo and fo in the way of my duty, as knowing that I shall shortly put off this tabernacle, 2 Pet. 1. 12, 13, 14.

The confideration of the near approach of his death quickened him to his work and duty, And