LEt the memory of Death ( good Christian ) be euer the Looking-glasse of thy life , thy continuall Companion , and inseparable Spouse : let thy solace be the sighes of a sorrowfull soule ; and those the more bitter , the better : whilest Worme-like , thou crawlest heere below , fasten all thy faculties vpon the Commandements of thy Creator ; for those in thy finall passage , must be the Pylot to steere thee into the Hauen of Heauen ; Thinke euery moment thou art in the waning , that the date of thy Pilgrimage is wel-nigh expired , and that the lampe of thy life lyeth twinckling vpon the snuffe ; and that now it stands thée vpon to looke toward thy Celestiall home ▪ thy forces are enfeebled , thy sences impaired , and on euery side , the tottering and ruinous Cottage of thy faint flesh threatneth fall .

And méeting so many Harbengers of death , how canst thou but prepare for so gastly a guest ? The young man may dye quickely , but the old cannot liue long : the young mans life by casualty may be cut off , but the aged by Physicke cannot be preserued : Gréene yéeres must resolue to grow to the graue , and the meditations of old age must dwell in the same : be mindfull of things past , carefull of things present , and prouident for things to come . Use the blessings of nature to the benefit of thy soule ; be wise in well-doing , and watchfull for thy end : Serue not the world ; for that can possesse thee of nothing but pride , enuy , lust , anger , malice , and infinite follies : for it defileth a man with sin , disquieteth with troubles , oppresseth with labours , vexeth with temptations , vanquisheth with vaine delights , and miserably wrappeth him vp in wofull calamities . The world , it is an Ambassadour of the euill , a scourge of the good , a tyrant of the truth , a breaker of peace , a worker of warre , a sweet of vices , a gall of vertues , a friend of lyes , an inuenter of nouelties , a trauell to the ignorant , a table of Gluttons , a furnace of concupiscence , a sepulcher of the dead , a prison of the liuing , a pitfall to the rich , a burthen to the poore , a Palace of Pilgrims , a Den of Deceiuers , a slanderer of the good , a commender of the wicked , and a deluder of all . Thou hast no reason to dote vpon the world ; for at first it affords thee but a wrangling welcome , and at last turnes thee off , with a fearefull farewell : moreouer , it doth torment thée , abuse thée , consume thee , and at length expell thee : whereas on the contrary : Heauen doth comfort thee , conserue thée , and exalt thée . On Earth , thou sowest but in a field of Flint , which bringeth foorth nothing but a Crop of care , and languishing for thy labour : it is time therefore to leaue so vnthriuing a husbandry , and to sowe in Gods ground the seed of repentant sorrow , and water it with the teares of humble contrition ; so shalt thou reape a plentifull haruest , and gather the fruits of euerlasting consolation . Imagine thou thy Spring to be spent , thy Summer ouer-past , and that thou art arriued at the Fall of the Leafe , and though thy louing Lord doe long forbeare offenders , yet at last he will scourge them ; and that his patience lends vs but respit to repent , not leysure to sinne . Hee that is tossed with sturdie stormes , and cannot come to his desired Port , rids little way , but is much turmeiled : so hee that passeth many yeeres , and purchaseth but small profit to his soule , hath had a long being , but a short life ; for life is to be measured by vertuous actions , not by number of dayes . Some men by many dayes , purchase many deaths , and others in a short space attaine to life euerlasting . What is the body without the soule , but a corrupted Carkeise ? and what is the soule without God , but a Sepulcher of sinne ? Man was made , and sent hither , to no other purpose but onely to serue God in this life , and to enioy Heauen in that life heereafter . If our end be the Kingdome of Heauen , why are we so much enamoured on the Earth ? If the end of our Creation , be eternall saluation , why hunt we after the vanities of this vaine life ? If our inheritance be to raigne as Kings , why liue we like seruile slaues , in danger to be diuided from God , from Christ our Sauiour , from the Angels , from the Communion of Saints , and from the hope of our celestiall portion ? If God be the way , the truth and the life ; then he that walketh without him , wandreth ; that is not instructed by him , erreth ; and that liueth without him , dyeth : to reuolt from him , is falling ; to returne to him , is rising : to stay vpon him , is sure standing : Hee it is , from whom to depart , is to dye ; to whom to repaire , is to reuiue : in whom to trust , is truly to liue . O be not thou like those , that beginne not to liue , vntill they be ready to dye , and then ( when they deserue an enemies reward ) come to craue of God a friends entertainement . Some thinke to snatch Heauen in a moment , which the best can scarce attaine in many yeeres ; and when they haue glutted themselues with worldly delights , would iumpe from the Dyet of Diues , to the ioyes of Lazarus ; from the seruice of Satan , to the solace of a Saint . But be sure , that God is not so penurious , to make his Kingdome saleable for the refuse and reuersion of their liues , who haue sacrificed the principall and prime thereof to his enemies , and their owne brutish appetites ; then onely ceasing to sinne , when the ability of offending is taken from them . What thanke is it to pardon our enemies , when wee can not hurt them ? to giue away our goods , when we can kéepe them no longer ? to shake hands with our pleasures , when wee can vse them no more ? to forsake sinne , when sinne leaueth vs ? God may be mercifull at the last gaspe : but most miserable is that man , who casteth the Anchor of his eternall weale or woe , on so vncertaine and sandy a point . The thiefe may be saued on the Crosse , and mercy found at the last ; yet it is not likely , that hee should finde fauour at his death , whose life earned the wages of wrath ; or that his penitence should be accepted , who more for feare of hell , and his owne selfe-loue , then for the loue of God , or lothsomelesse of sinne , cryeth out for mercy ,

Put not off repentance therefore to the last point : take Dauids early in the morning : stay not till to morrow ; though thou sufferedst the Bud to be blasted , the Flowres to fade , the Fruit to perish , the Leaues to wither . the Boughes to dry vp , and the body of the Tree to decay ; yet still keepe life in the Root , for feare lest the whole become fuell for Hell fire : for where the tree falleth there it lyeth . Imagine that Time hath flied off the better part of thy naturall forces , and left thee in the Lees of thy dying dayes : and that thou art onword in thy voyage , and not farre from the period of thy last harbour : bee not therefore disfurnished of necessaries required in so perrillous a iourney . O how men doe carefully beginne , industriously prosecute , and effectually end their labours , in attaining to this transitory trash vpon earth ! but of that great affaire of winning Heauen , or falling into hell , there is had no respect : Nay , they doe not so much as remember , that there is a Hell for sinners , a Heauen for good liuers , a dreadfull day of Iudgement , or a strict reckoning to be made . Death in its owne property is sufficiently fearefull , but far more terrible , in respect of the Iudgement whereto it summoneth .

If ●hou wert now laid on thy departing Pillow , wearied with waiting , pinched with paine , drowned in dolour , oppressed with the heauy load of thy fore-past committed sinnes , wounded with the sting of a guilty crying conscience : if thou feltst the force of death cracking thy heart-strings asunder , ready to make the sad diuorce of thy soule and body : if thou layest panting for shortnesse of breath , sweating a fatall sweat , and tyred with strugling against deadly pangs ; O , how much then wouldst thou giue for a dayes contrition , an houres repentance , or a minutes amendment of life ? Then worlds would be worthlesse in comparison of a little time , which now by whole moneths and yeeres thou lauishly mis-spendest . How déeply would it wound thy soule , when looking backe into thy life , thou shouldst espy many faults committed , but none amended ; many good workes omitted , but none recouered ; thy duty to God promised , but not performed ! How disconsolable would thy case bee , thy friends being fled , thy senses affrighted , thy minde amazed , thy memory decayed , thy thoughts agast , and euery part disabled in its proper faculty ▪ sauing onely thy guilty conscience crying out against thée ? What wouldst thou doe , when stripped and turned out of thy house of Clay , into the World of Wormes , the Den of dust , and Cabine of corruption ; from thence to be conuented before a most seuere Iudge , carrying in thy owne bosome , thy Inditement ready written , and a perfect Register of all thy mis-deedes ; when thou shouldest behold the glorious Maiestie of Iesus Christ , ( clothed in white linnen , through which , his body shining like precious stones , his eyes like burning Lampes , his face like lightning , his Armes and Legs like flaming Brasse , and his Uoice as the shout of a multitude ) prepared to passe the sentence vpon thée ; when thou shouldest sée the great Iudge offended aboue thee , hell open beneath thee ; the Furnace flaming , the Deuils waiting , the World burning , thy conscience accusing , and thy selfe standing as a forlorne wretch , to receiue thy fearefull and irrecouerable sentence of condemnation ?

Oh , bethinke thy selfe , how these visions would affright thee : to behold the gnashing of téeth , the horrour of the place , the rigour of the paine , the vglinesse of the company , and the eternity of these punishments ; where the fire is vnquenchable ; the torments insupportable , hopelesse , helplesse , easelesse , and endlesse ! For our fire may be endured ; that intolerable ; ours for comfort ; that , for torment ; ours , if not fed , extinguisheth ; that , without féeding , neuer goeth out ; ours giueth light ; that , none : ours consumes the matter , and ends the paine ; that torments , but neuer wasteth , to make the paine perpetuall . In Hell , the lazie Loyterer must bee pricked with flaming Forkes ; the Glutton fed with hunger and thirst ; the Drunkard quaffe bowles of burning Brimstone ; the Couetous pine in penurie ; the lustfull embrace vgly Su●●es ; and the proud apparelled with shame and confusion ▪ and further , to aggrauate their griefe , and vp heape the measure of their vnmeasurable miserie , they shall turne vp their affrighted eyes , and behold the méeke triumphing , the Godly reioycing : then shall they perceiue base apparell to bee glorious ; gawdy attire ●●●amous ; the humble Cottage commended ; the guilded Palace despised ; simple obedience shew fairer then subtill policie ; a cleere conscience better accepted , then profound and abstruce Philosophie ; zealous prayers farre worthier then fine tales ; good workes preferred before swéet words . Is not he more then mad , that will play away his time allotted to preuent these intolerable calamities ? Is it not a senselesse security , to hug in thy bosome so many serpents as sinnes ? or to foster in thy soule so many malicious accusers , as mortall faults ? wouldst thou not then thinke one life too little , to repent for so many iniquities , the least whereof is strong enough to hurle thee irrecouerably into these vnspeakable torments ? Betimes then deuote the residue of thy dayes , to make an atonement with Iehouah , the generall Iudge , and so endeuour to set free thy soule from such confusion , as by sinne thou art sure to fall into . What canst thou purchase by being so long a customer to the World , but false ware , sutable to such a Marchants Shop , where trafficke is toyle ; wealth , woe ; gaine , losse ? what interest canst thou recouer , that can equall thy detriments in grace and goodnesse ? or what canst thou find in this vale of vanities , that is comparable to the fauour of God ? Let not thy youthfull affections ouersway thee ; for time will tell thee , they are but bubbling follies . Let not temporall feare misleade thee ; for the force of reason will rather draw thee to feare God then man , and to stand more in awe of perpetuall then temporall punishments . Who would fasten his eternall affaires vpon the slipperinesse of vncertaine life ? or who ( but one of distempered wits ) would offer to put tricks vpon him , who is the strict searcher out of the closest secrets ▪ with whom he may dissemble to his cost , but to deceiue him , t is impossible ? Wilt thou account it a craft to steale time from God , & to bestow it on his enemies ▪ who keepes tale of the least minute of thy life , and at thy ending will call thee to question , how thou hast employed euery moment ? Is it not preposterous policie to fight against God , till our weapons bee blunted , our forces enfeebled , our strength made impotent , our best spent ; and at last when wee are falne into fainting , and fought our selues wel-nigh dead ; then so presume of his mercy , whom wee haue to much offended , so long opposed ? Would it not be held an exorbitant course , that while the Ship is sound , the Pylot well , the Saylors strong ▪ the Gale fauourable , and the Seas calme , to lie carelesly idle at rode , losing so seasonable weather , and then when the Ship leakes , the Pilot sicke , the Mariners féeble , the winds aloft ▪ the stormes boysterous , and the waues outragious , to lanch forth , hoist sayle , and set out for a farre Iourney ? Such are our euening-repenters , who in the soundnesse of health , and perfect vse of reason , cannot abide to cut Cables , and weigh those Anchors that with-hold them from GOD ▪ but when their Senses are benummed , their Reason distracted , their Understanding dulled , and both soule and Body tormented with pangs of paines , and sorrowfull sicknesse , then will cast backe their memory on these waighty affaires ; then will they needs become sudden Saints , that are scarce reasonable creatures .

How can a man , disanimated with inward Garboyles of vnsettled conscience , maimed in all his faculties , and surrounded with such strange incombrances , be fit to dispose of his choysest Iewell , his soule , in so short a spurt ? They that will loyter in Séed-time ; and beginne to sow , when others reape : They that will haue their Weapons to prouide , when their fellow-Souldiers goe foorth to fight : They that will lauish in health , and cast their accounts when they cannot speake : They that will sleepe out the day , and stumblingly trauell in the night ; O let them thanke their owne folly , if they dye in debt , and finally fall headlong into the pit of perdition . Let the griefe of the sore be then the measure of thy sorrow : let a wide wound haue a carefull cure : let thy contrition be agreeable to thy crime , and thy repentance equall to thy transgressions . Thou must spend the day in mourning , the night in watching and wéeping , and thy whole time in praying , and practice of repentance . Not euery short sigh will be a sufficient satisfaction ; nor euery little knocke , a warrant to get in : for many cry , Lord , Lord , yet are not admitted . The foolish virgins knocked , yet stood without . Iudas conceiued a sorrow for sinne , yet dyed desperately . Linger not thy conuersion , nor put off thy repentance from day to day , lest the Almighty come vpon thee in a minute , and in his wrath suddenly destroy thee ; neither soiourne thou long in sinfull securitie , nor shift off thy repentance till feare inforce thee to it : for then it will be bootlesse for thee to striue to stand , when thou art already falne . Frame out thy beginning as thou meanest to end , and endeuour to liue as thou desirest to dye . Wilt thou sacrifice the Fattlings to the Fiend of darknesse , and offer the carion Karkeises to the Father of Light ? Wilt thou present the maine Crop to the Deuill , and leaue God the Gleanings ? Wilt thou cramme the Deuill with thy fairest fruits , and turne God to feede vpon thy wind-fals and after-gatherings ? If Hell was prepared for the Deuill , and Heauen purchased for man , why should not hee then prouide for himselfe , but wilfully lose his inheritance by persisting in sinne ? While we draw healthfull breath , hope strongly perswades vs , that by teares euer-flowing from the Sea of a sorrowfull soule , wee may wash away our sinnes pollution , how foule soeuer ; but being once at deaths doore , notwithstanding our téeth gnash , our eyes cry out , our throats become hoarse with howling , our eyes gush Riuers of teares , and our hearts send out sighes as loud as Thunder , yet will it not auaile vs ; for then none shall heare vs , none assist vs ; no , nor so much as comfort vs : Then , O then , shalt thou finde , though ( alas ) too late , that thou hast lost thy labour , hast trifled away thy time , and let slip the opportunity of thine own gaine . Thou shalt then perceiue thine errour irrecouerable , thy punishment insupportable , thy penitence vnprofitable , thy griefe , sorrow , and calamitie irrecouerable : Let thy soule then enioy her lawfull Soueraignty , and thy body follow the footings of her directions : let not thy seruile senses , and lawlesse appetites ouercome her , and make her a Uassall in her owne Dominions . Doest thou desire to haue all good necessaries : as good house , good furniture , good fare , good apparell ? and yet wilt thou suffer thy poore soule , thy principall charge , and aboue all these worthy the best respect , to lye cankering and custing in all kind of euils ? O vnspeakable blindnesse , that thou wilt bee nice in wearing a bad shoo , yet carest not to carry an vgly & betattered soule ! Alas , doe not thou set so light by that Iewell , which thy Maker sets at so high a price ; nor rate thou thy soule at so base a penniworth , being of so péerelesse worth . If the soule be so inestimable , that neither gold , nor treasure , nor any thing of lesse price , then the precious blood of that immaculate Lambe Christ Iesus was able to buy it ; if not all the Delicacies that Heauen and earth could afford , but onely the glorious Body of our Sauiour , were deemed a fit repast to feed it ; If not all the Creatures of this , or millions of new worlds , if they were , but onely the vnlimitable goodnesse and Maiesty of God , can satisfie the desire , or fill the compass● and capacity of it ( for who is so vnsensible , that finds not the insaciety of his soule ? ) Who then , but one of peruerse will , incredulous minde , or pittilesse spirit , would set more by the world then his soules worthinesse ; or suffer so peerelesse a Paragon , so many houres , dayes , moneths and yéeres , to lye enchannelled in the filthy mire of sinne ? Thou wilt trudge to a Physician for thy sicke Seruant , and looke out for a Leach to cure thy diseased Horse , and be very busie to patch vp thy worne garments , and yet wilt suffer thy soule to languish for want of looking to , and dye for want of cure ; and seeing it mangled with millions of vices , neuer seekest to bind it vp , and restore it to its primatiue integrity . Is thy Seruant more néere thy Horse more deare , and thy Coate to be more cared for then thine own soule ? How long , O how long wilt thou hunt after vanities , and rush violently and wilfully into thine owne ruine ? Darest not thou suffer a Spider or a Toad to come neere thee ; & wilt thou nestle in thy bosome so many Uipers as Uices , so many Serpents as Sins ; and permit thy silly soule to be gnawed vpon with the poisonous tuskes of Satan ? Is thy soule so slight a substance , as to be held in so small estéeme ? Did Christ come downe from Heauen , and become a wandring Pilgrime vpon Earth , exiling himselfe from the comfort of his Godhead , and wearing out thirty yeeres in paine and penurie for our soules ? Did he suffer the Tragedy of his Passion to bee bloodily acted , and patiently accepted ? Did he make his Body as a Cloud , to dissolue into shewres of vnblemished blood , and yeelded the dearest Ueines of his heart to bee cut asunder , that from thence might issue the precious price of our soules redemption ? Why doe wee then sell our soules to the Deuill for euery delight and poore pittance of worldly pelfe ? O that a Creature of so incomparable a worth should be in the custody of so vnnaturall Iaylors ; and that , which in it selfe is so gracious and amiable , that the Angels and Saints delight to behold it , should by sinne be made a horror to heauen , and a fit play-féere for the fowlest Fiends ! Let vs remember that our soule is not onely a part of vs , but also the Temple , the Paradise of Almighty God ; by him in Baptisme garnished , furnished , and endowed with most glorious Ornaments : How will he take it , to see his Temple prophaned , and turned into a Den of Deuils ? His Paradise displanted , and made a Wildernesse of Serpents ? His Spouse deflowred , and become an Adultresse to his Enemies ? Durst we commit such outrage against our earthly Princes ? Would not the terrour of the Law , and popular shame curbe vs from it ? and shall not the glorious Maiestie of Iehouah , and the vnrebated kéennesse of his flaming double-edged Sword , deterre vs from offering the like to his dearest Spouse ? Will he that keepes Register of euery singuler haire , suffer himselfe to be wronged , and ouer-passe it vnpunished ? Remember that it is a thing full of horrour , to fall into the hands of God , who is able to crush the proudest spirit , and to make his face his Foot-stoole . O wrastle not against the cares and cryes of thine owne Conscience , but so keepe and conserue it , as that at the last it may gladly goe with thee , and be ioyfully prepared before the Throne of God to answer for thee .

There was a man had three friends ; two whereof hee loued entirely , the third hee made no great reckoning of . This man being conuented before the King , vpon the accusation of some committed crime , solemnly came vnto his best friend , and intreated him to goe with him , but hee would not , yet went hee with him some part of his way : Bethinking himselfe better he returned to his second friend , and desired him to goe with him ; but he made him this flat answer , that by reason of his more important affaires he could not go with him ; yet gaue him a token of his remembrance . Being driuen to this hard exigent ▪ hee trudged to his third friend , of whom hee made slight account , and hee at the first word went with him to the King , and there stucke to him in all his dangers . So fares it with a man being sent for by death , comes to his Wife Children or Friends , and intreats them to go along with him ; but they slip their necks 〈◊〉 of the C●l●ar , and will not , onely beare hi● company to his graue : then he perswades 〈◊〉 goods and gold to goe along with him , but 〈◊〉 cannot ; and so turnes him off with a 〈◊〉 simple sheete lapt about him : then , when all these shrinke backe and faile him , at the last point , his bosome-friend , his Conscience , will not forsake him , but goe along and make an answer for him . Labour then to keepe a good Conscience : for in the vtmost of extremities , That will neuer faile thee . There was a countrey , where the Commons vsed to elect their King , and againe to banish him at their pleasure , into a far Countrey , almost naked : But one , ( more prouident than the rest ) so soone as he was chosen King , he dayly sent before-hand some prouision into that far Countrey ; so that when the people banished him from them , hee was ( hauing made a prouident preparation of wealth before ) most royally there entertained . So must euery cantelous Christian prouide vpon Earth , as he may be ioyfully receiued into Heauen .