interest in this is requifite to our dying happily; fo the fight and affurance of that intereft, is requifite to our dying comfortably: indeed, when a man hath attained to fome good evidence for heaven, to fome well-grounded affurance of his interest in God and Chrift, then are things in a good pofture with him in reference to a dying hour; then he can play with death, and triumph over it; as Job did, when he could fay, I

Job 19. 25, 26.

know that my Redeemer liveth, And as the apoftle feems to speak

of it, 2 Cor. 5. 12. We know that when our earthly houfe of this tabernacle fhall be diffolved, we have a building of God. An houfe not made with hands, eternal in the heavens: for this we groan earnestly, defiring to be cloathed upon with our house which is from heaven. None of you do comfortably leave your house unless you have another to go unto; much less can you comfortably quit this world, unless you have fome well-grounded affurance of another and a better life. Take a man that is in the dark, and at a lofs as to his intereft in God and Chrift, and he knows not what death will do to him, nor where it will lodge him, whether in heaven or hell, whether upon the throne of glory, or in the prison of eternal darkness; in the bofom of Christ's love, or under the revelation of his infinite and eternal wrath: and is fuch a one ready for a dying hour? furely no.. As eva

therefore, you would have things right and ready within, indeed, for a dying hour, you must prefs after an assurance of your intereft in God and Chrift; you must do as the apoftle exhorts, Give all diligence to make your calling and election fure, 2 Pet. 1. 10. You must every day prefs after a fuller and firmer affurance as to your eternal intereft; you must be much in faith, much in prayer, much in examining your evidences, much in proving your state, much in looking after the feal and evidences of the blessed spirit: which is indeed all in all; and never reft till you can say, my Lord, and my God, my heaven, my glory; God is the rock of my heart, and my portion for ever. O then all will be sweet and well with you. This is that which the faints of old have laboured after with their whole might. Say unto my foul (faith David, to God) I am thy falvation, Pfal. 35. 3. S.t me as a feal upon thy heart, and a fignet upon thine farm, Cant. 8. 6. This Austin preffed much after, Lord, faith he, tell me what thou art to me. Say 'unto my foul I am thy falvation: fo fay it, that I may hear it: behold, the ears of my heart are before thee; open them, O Lord, and fay unto my foul, I am thy falvation.

O my beloved, this is worth preffing after, for this is the welcomeft news a poor foul can poffibly hear, to be told that God is his, and heaven is his,

and eternal life is his; and when once this news is come, then welcome life, and welcome death: welcome time, and welcome eternity: then the foul can fay, O fweet eternity, O bleffed eternity! O firs, be not fatisfied without fome good affurance of God's love to your fouls, and your right and title to heaven and eternal life! Yea, without the fulleft affurance that is attainable here; for know, that there are degrees in affurance itself. The scripture mentions three degrees of afsurance. there is affurance, the work of righteousness is peace, and the fruit of righteousness is affurance for ever, Ifa. 31. 17. And give all diligence to make your calling and election sure, as in the place before quoted.

First,

Secondly, there is much affurance: Our gospel came unto you, not in word only, but in power, and in the demonftration of the spirit, and much affurance, 1.Theff. 1. 5.

Thirdly, There is a full affurance. We defire that every one of you do fhew the fame diligence, to the full affurance of hope unto the end, Heb. 6. Now my beloved, I would not have you fatisfied without affurance, without much affurance; yea, without a full affurance; the more full your

11.

affurance is, the more chearfully, joyfully, and triumphantly will you die.

Thirdly, Would you indeed have all right, alf in order in the matters of your fouls for a dying hour, then labour to maintain a conftant actual peace with God; every day making even with him, and renewing the fenfe of his pardoning love in your fouls as a firm union with Chrift, and a wellgrounded affurance of an interest in God, and eternal life, so also, an actual peace with God, and a daily renewed pardon from him is requifite to a thorough readiness and preparedness for a dying hour. David had an interest in God; yea, and his interest was clear to him; yet how folicitous was he to get all even before God and him? and how uncomfortable was it with him, till he had renewed his peace with God, when by his fall it had been broken? Pfalm 51.8, 12. This alfo is what is evi

Where Job pleads

dently held forth, Job 7. 21. thus with God;-Why doft thou not pardon mine iniquity, and take away my tranfgreffion? for now fhall I fleep in the duft; thou shalt feek me in the morning, but I shall not be.

In the verse before, he acknowledgeth he had finned, and here he intimates, that God frowned on him for his fin; the fenfe of pardoning love was not renewed in his foul, which here, therefore, he

pleads for, and that upon this account, because hẻ was fpeedily to die; intimating he could not die with comfort, till he had a renewed fenfe of God's pardoning love. And this is the very thing which David begs in the pfalm of my text, in order to his comfortable going hence, (viz.) That God would take away his tranfgreffions, Pfalm 39. 8.

As long as there is any fin, any guilt lying upon our confciences, any fin unpardoned, any difference between God and us, any frowns in his face towards us, we are unready for death, and cannot with that comfort and boldness of fpirit, welcome it as we ought; but when our peace with God is maintained, and we have a renewed sense of his pardoning love in our fouls, then are things right and in order with us in heed, and we may think of death with boldnefs and comfort; and therefore mind this, as ever you would be found ready for a dying hour; every day even things between God and you; every day get a fresh sense of pardon from him.

that

First, As near as poffible may be, do nothing breach between God and you, occafion any may or raise any frowns in his face towards you: if you do not break with God, he will not break with you: all breaches as to peace and friendship between God and us, begin on our part; yea, neither will God break with us for little things, in cafe they be not