wife, let us lie much at the foot of God for his teachings, whereby we may be enabled fo to number our days as thus to apply our hearts unto wif dom; beg him to make us fee the vanity and uncer tainty of our lives, and that so as effectually to engage us to make out after a better life.

CHAP. XLII.

WHEREIN MORE PARTICULAR HELPS AND DIRECTIONS ARE LAID DOWN, IN ORDER ΤΟ THE SETTING OF THINGS RIGHT, AND MAKING ALL READY FOR A DYING HOUR.

BUT I would come nearer this great Bu

finefs, and give you fome more particular directions, in order to your making all ready for a dying hour. And,

First, Would you indeed have all things right in the matters of your souls for a dying hour? then get into Chrift, get union with Chrift, and an interest in Chrift, by believing. Union with Christ and an intereft in Chrift, is moft requifite and neceffary to fit and prepare us for a dying hour; and without we have it, we can have nothing fet right, nothing in order, nothing in readiness for that. hour. You know how the fcripture fpeaks,-He that hath the Son, hath life; but he that hath not the Son of God, hath not life, 1 John 5. 12. And

there is no condemnation to them which are in Chrift Jefus, Rom. 8. 1.

O my beloved, we fhall live or die, be faved or damned for ever, according as we do or do not get an union with Christ, and an interest in Christ. This is that which lies at the bottom and foundation of all, of all our hopes, and of all our mercies, or all our Comforts, of all our acceptation and communion with God, of all grace on earth, and all glory in heaven; and without it, whatsoever our attainments in religion are, whatever our profeffion may be, whatever place or esteem we may have in the Church of God, though never fo raised and eminent, yet we have not any thing that will avail us in a dying hour. I remember a faying of a learned man, That thou mayest live in death, faith he, get into Chrift, implant thyfelf into Chrift by believing. Faith joins and unites us to Christ, and they that are in Chrift cannot die, for Chrift is their life. And indeed, if we can have union with Chrift, he will be life in death itself to us:-Bleffed are the dead which die in the Lord; that is, die, having union with Chrift, being implanted into Chrift, Rev. 14. 13.

If we have union with Christ, he will not be only life in death to us, but he will even turn death itself into life: the king of terrors, into a king of comforts; infomuch that the soul shall be able to triumph over it, as the apostle doth, 1 Cor. 15. 55, $5, 57. Wherea without this, without union

with Chrift, an interest in Christ, we shall never be able to look death in the face with comfort, but fhall, when we come to die, be fome of the miferableft spectacles in the world. It is the fpeech of a worthy divine, who is fo long fince gone hence, a christless dying man or woman (faith he) is one of the faddeft spectacles in the world: for a man to be dying, and not chriftlefs, that is comfortable; for fuch a one dies but to live for ever; he dies the death of nature, to live the life of glory; for a man to be chriftless, and not dying, is fomething tolerable for who knows, but that the next meeting at an ordnance, may be the time of God's love to him of drawing him into Chrift?

But for a man to be dying and chriftless; chriftless and dying too, that is intolerable, that is terrible indeed; for fuch an one dies to be damned, and he is going off from all hopes and poffibilities of mercy for ever: oh therefore above all, prefs after an union with Chrift, and an intereft in Chrift: this was Paul's great care and folicitude to the very laft, that fo he might go off the ftage with comfort; and that for which he accounted all things but dung, as most base and vile, Phil. 3. &, 9.

O foul, didst thou indeed know and confider of how much weight and importance an intereft in

Chrift is to thee, with reference to thine eternal happiness, thou wouldst cry out as eagerly for Christ, as Rachael did for her children, faying,'give me Christ, or else I die; give me union with Christ, and an interest in Christ, or I am undone eternally. O look to the great uniting act of faith, make a right choice of Chrift; chufe him as your Lord and head, your King and Saviour, and renew your choice of him every day, refigning up yourselves entirely to him, to be faved and governed by him. in his own way.

Secondly: Would you indeed have all fet right, and made ready in the matters of your fouls for a dying hour? Then prefs after a firm and unshaken affurance of an intereft in God, and his love, and of your right and title to eternal life of another, and better life than this here. Without fome good evidence for heaven, and fome well-grounded afsurance of an intereft in God and eternal life, things are not ready with us, nor are we in fuch a preparedness for a dying hour, as we ought to be.

Though a man have an intereft in God and his love; though he hath a right and title to eternal life and happinefs; yet as long as he is in the dark, and at an uncertainty in his own foul about it, things are out of order with him, and he is greatly unready for a dying hour: for pray mark, as our