great aggravations, and greatly difcompofeth us for* a dying hour: but we must take heed of this, and liften to the voice of confcience; confcience regulated by the word of God: God fpeaks to us by our confciences, he speaks to us through his word by our consciences, and he speaks to us thro' his providence by our confciences, and we fhould take heed of violating the dictates, or fpeaking of confcience in the leaft.

Doth not confcience many times tell us, fuch and fuch ways which we walk in are not good, and must be turned from, or we are undone for ever? And now we fhould be true and faithful to our own confciences, and fpeedily turn from thofe ways; we should have nothing to do with any thing that confcience condemns us in, or for.

Again, doth not confcience many times tell you, that fuch and fuch duties are totally neglected, or elfe feldom or flightly performed by you, which yet you ought to be converfant and diligent in the performance of? Now you fhould herein alfo be faithful and true to your own confciences; living up to the conftant, diligent, and fpiritual performance of those duties.

Again, doth not conscience many that things are not right with you? evil frame of spirit you live in?

times tell you,

That it is an That you are too

carnal, too light, too vain, too frothy, too eager in your purfuits of this world, and too remiss in your purfuits of heaven and eternity?

Now as ever you would be ready for a dying hour, you should be faithful to your own conícience, fetting that right which is amifs, and haftening out of that evil frame, into the contrary graci ous frame.

O my beloved, if you be true and faithful to confcience, confcience will be true and faithful to you, witneffing for you, and not against you, both while you live, and when you die. In a word, in all things labour to keep a good confcience; this was Paul's great care and exercise, Acts 24. 16. Herein do I exercife myself, to have always a confcience void of offence towards God and towards men; O this will be a fweet and blessed exercise, and the more we are found in it while we live, the more comfort will it afford us when we come to die.

Fifthly, would you indeed have all things right and in order, in the matters of your louls when a dying hour comes? Then labour for much purity

of heart and life, and by no means admit of any fin, any corruption whatsoever; the more pure and holy we are, the more ready we are, and in the better pofture things are with us for a dying hour: without holiness, faith the apoftle, no man fhall fee God, Heb. 12. 14.

Holiness is neceffary unto happiness; holiness is the way unto happiness; holineis is what fits and prepares us for happiness, and brings us unto happinefs; yea, holiness is a part of our happiness; a great part of the happiness of heaven itfelf lies in holiness; accordingly the more holy we are, the more we are fuited to, and prepared for the future happiness, and fo for death and judgment: for that which prepares us for the future happiness, that alfo prepares us for death, which is but an inlet into that happiness for ever.

Therefore if you would have all things right, all things ready indeed for a dying hour, then labour for the exacteft purity and holiness that poffibly you can: this is that which the apoftle aims at, and prays for on the behalf of the Theffalonians, as most conducing to the preparing of them for their latter end, 1 Theff. 3. 12, 13. And the Lord make you to abound and increase in love one towards another, and towards all men, even as we do

towards you, to the end we may establish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God even our Father, at the coming of the Lord Jefus Chrift with all his faints.

The pofture he would have them to be in at the coming of Chrift, is the pofture of unblameable holiness, which indeed is the best and readiest pos ture. The fame things he prays for, in order to the fame end, in 1 Theff. 5. 33. And the very God of peace fanctify you wholly; and I pray God that your whole fpirit, foul and body be preferved blamelefs unto the coming of onr Lord Jefus Chrift. This is that also which that other apoftle enjoys in order hereunto, 2 Pet. 3. 14. Be diligent, that ye may be found of him in peace without fpot, and blameless. The more fpotlefs and blameless we are in our spirits and ways, the more ready we are for death and judgment. Oh, prefs after an eminency in holiness, admitting of none, no not the least taint or tincture of fin or finful defilement upon any terms whatsoever!

Unholy fouls are unready fouls they are unready for death, unready for judgmen unready for the future life and for men to talk of being ready for thefe, and yet be unholy, is the greateft folly in the world: therefore labour for much purity and holiness.

Firft, Labour for much purity and holiness in your lives and walkings: this is what God indispenfibly calls for, 1 Pet. 1. 15, 16. As he that has called you is holy, fo be ye holy in all manner of conversation: because it is written, be ye holy, for I am holy.

We fhould prefs after univerfal holiness: there fhould be a vein and a tincture of holinefs runthrough all we do, even our civil as well as our religious actions; we should as near as poffible, be dedicated and devoted to God, and our lives fhould be lives of walking with him. They and they only, who walk with God while they live, are those who will be found ready to live with God when they come to die. As for all carelefs licentious ones, let them never talk of being ready for death and future life; for they are at an utter distance from any fuch thing: indeed ready they are, but for what? Ready for hell, ready for the wrath of God, ready for destruction: but they are not at all ready for a bleffed eternity.

The apoftle weeps over fuch as being indeed thus ready, Phil. 3. 18, 19. Many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies to the cross of Chrift; whofe end is deftruction, whofe God is their belly,