little elfe to give them, but if you give them effectually a practical Senfe of their Duty to God and Man, it is an Inheritance beyond all Treasures. You must fee how wicked, and how miserable by their Wickedness, Multitudes of your own Rank are: fuffer it not to be the Cafe of those who are dearest to you; but use the little fpare Time you have (for you will always have fome), and the little Ability you possess (for God will affist you), to inftil into their Hearts fuch early Principles of Piety and Virtue, as may afford you juft Hopes of their being good and happy by your Means in this World, and then following you, to increase your Bleffedness in the next. R 4 SER SERMON XII. ISAIAH XXXviii. 1, 2. In thofe Days was Hezekiah fick unto Death; and Ifaiah the Prophet, the Son of Amoz, came unto him, and faid unto him, Thus faith the Lord, fet thine Houfe in Order: for thou fhalt die, and not live. Then Hezekiah turned his Face toward the Wall, and prayed unto the Lord. TH HESE Words prefent to our View a Perfon of the highest Rank, in the Prime of Life, and the full Tide of Profperity, feized with a mortal Disease: a Cafe, which ought ftrongly to remind the fecureft of us all, how uncertain our Condition is here on Earth. By the Goodness of God, a Prophet was fent to him, to admonish him of the Preparation, that his State required: and the fame Goodness hath provided, that you shall all be frequently I 1 quently admonished of the fame Thing, by the Minifters of his Word. The Admonition, given him, was the Means of prolonging his Days in Peace and Comfort: and those given you, if received in a right Manner, may, both naturally and providentially, contribute to procure you longer and happier Lives in this World; and will certainly lead you to a Life of eternal Happiness in the next. The Denunciation made to Hezekiah, however awful, is, by Virtue of the original Sentence of God, equally true of every Man, Thou fhalt die, and not live. The healthieft of us is fick of an incurable Diftemper: whether it fhall last a few Years, or a few Days only, before it carries us off, is all the Doubt: and the Difference is much lefs, than we are apt to think it. Would we but confider, how quick the Time is which we have lived over, gone, and are dead to, already; to how small a Matter the Remainder, which will flee away juft as faft, can at most amount; and how much short of that we may fall, and in all likelihood fhall, fince moft Men do; we should have little Need of Monitors concerning Mortality, Youth is but the Morning, and full of Strength but the Noon of a fhort Day: throughout the whole f whole of which, every Refreshment of Nature intimates to us its continual Decays; every Lofs of a Friend or Acquaintance tells us, how frail we are ourselves; every Sickness calls upon us, with a louder Voice, to think of our Diffolution; and thofe Disorders, which may seem to whisper it more gently, often bring it on with furprifing Suddennefs. But at least old Age gives us, ufually the Feeling, always the plain Sight, of its more immediate and unavoidable Approach. Such conftant Warning of this important and irrevocable Change was doubtless intended to produce a conftant Regard to it: and if we take every Way to drive out of our Minds, what Providence hath taken so many Ways to fix in them; it is really fighting against God", and that in a Point of the utmost Concern to us. But then the Thought of our latter End is not defigned to disquiet and deject us without Need or Use but only to engage us in reasoning upon it fo juftly, and preparing for it so wisely, as that when it comes, (for sooner. or later it must) we may meet it with Comfort. It is very true, the best Preparation for Sicknefs and Death is a good Life; and whilst we a Acts v. 39. neglect 1 |