he hath ftill bis referve for us, if we repent not; for his magazine is far from being exhaufted. As there are many caufes for thefe calamities of ours, fo I think there is a principal one mentioned, Mat. xxiv. 12. "Iniquity doth abound, and the love of many is waxen cold." Infidelity, immorality, and contempt of the gofpel, are come to a prodigious height: our hearts are become cold and frozen to Chrift and his intereft, to his people and holy laws for which caufe, God is provoked to fend fuch judicial cold and froits upon our land, and the fruits of the earth, fo as to mar and diminish our crops, and reduce both men and beasts to the greatest straits. And yet so great is our impenitence and perverfeness, that we will not fee the Lord's hand, nor be reformed by all thefe judgments.

:

It might well be expected, when the Lord's judgments are so visible in the earth, that not only his people by profeffion, but even the inhabitants of the world, would learn righteousness, according to Ifa. xxvii. 9. But, alas! So perverfe are we to walk with God, that neither the inhabitants of the world, nor those who profefs to be feparated from the world, will alter their courfe, nor learn righteoufnefs; nay, inftead of that, many are learning ftill more wickednefs, "Shall I not vifit for these things? faith the Lord and shall not 'my foul be avenged on fuch a nation as this?" Alas! hath he not been provoked to fay concerning us, as he did concerning his ancient people, Lev. xxvi. 23, 24. "If ye will not be reformed by all these things, but will walk contrary unto me: then will I also walk contrary unto you, and will bring feven times more plagues upon you, according to your fins." And likewife to fay unto us, as unto them, "When ye fpread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you; and when ye faft and make many prayers, I will not hear: but I will confume you with the fword, with the famine, and with the peftilence," as in Ifa. i. 15. Jer. xiv. 12.

The fword, famine, and peftilence, are God's three mortal arrows, which he commonly threatens to shoot against impenitent and incorrigible offenders. Two of thefe are already shot against us: the fword is drawn, and much of our countrymen's blood is already fhed;

and

and what further streams of it may flow before it be put up in its fheath, God only knows. The evil arrow of famine (as God calls it, Ezek. v. 16.) is let fly against us at the fame time, and the famine is the arrow which is the forest of the three. When it was put to David's choice, which of the three he would be the butt of, he would not chufe famine. The prophet Joel doth bewail and deprecate this judgment in the most pathetic manner, and calls the whole land to fafting and prayer, for removing it, Joel i. 10. 14. And we fee, when God is most angry, and threatens to fpend his arrows upon a guilty people, he begins with the arrow of famine as the foreft, as in Deut. xxxii. 23, 24. "I will spend mine arrows upon them, they fhall be burnt with hunger." And we see what the Spirit of God faith of thofe who die by this arrow, Lam. iv. 9. " They that be flain with the fword, are better than they that be flain with hunger; for these pine away; ftricken through for want of the fruits of the field;" and therefore their death is most lingering and miferable. Likewife, famine ufeth to bring on the most nauseous and mortal diseases, and frequently the pestilence doth follow upon the back of famine. Is it not then high time for our land to take the alarm, when God begins to shoot his evil arrows? When the lion roars, it becometh us to fear; yea, to humble ourselves in the duft, and mourn for our iniquities, which kindle the fire of wrath.

་་

Let us fearch and try our ways, and turn again to the Lord, from whom we have deeply revolted: and, particularly, let us mourn for, and turn from, thofe fius which the word of God points out as bringing on famine; fuch as, 1. Afcribing our earthly comforts and bleffings to other things than God the true author. This fin we find threatened with fcarcity and famine, Jer. xliv. 17. 26, 27. Hof. ii. 5. 9-2. Perverting of plenty to luxury and prodigality, fenfuality and excefs, revellings and dancings, balls and affemblies. We fee how these are threatened, Ifa. v. 11, 12, 13. Amos vi. 4, 6, 7-3. Rejecting the bread of life, and defpifing the food of our fouls. God ufed to punish men for their fins, by depriving them of bread for their bodies, Jer. xi. 21, 22.4. Men minding their own things

B 2

more

more than the things of God; and neglecting to build his house, and put respect upon his ordinances. Upon fuch account God brings on fcarcity and famine, Hag. i. 9, 10, 11.-5. Covenant-breaking, and dealing cruelly with the poor, or with ftrangers that live among us: It was for these fins that God fent a three years famine upon the land of Ifrael, 2 Sam. xxi. 1.

Moreover, let us look upon all these temporal storms and calamities which are come or coming upon the land, as warnings to prepare for a more awful storm that we must all meet with; namely, the form of death and judgment; let us ftand habitually prepared for that ftorm, and then other ftorms will not fo much affect us. If it be asked, What we fhall do to be fafe in time of that trying storm? the answer is, Let us fee that we be among the broken in heart, or the fincere penitents, who are heartily grieved for all known fin: That we be true believers in Chrift, who truft in nothing but his righteoufnefs and merits, for juftification and falvation : That we be born again, and made new creatures by a faving change both in heart and life: That it be our great bufinefs to clear up our evidences of peace with God through Chrift, and of our title to the mansions which he hath purchased by his blood. O that God's judgments, when they are on the earth, were means to awaken us to flee from the wrath to come, to Chrift our refuge! when the floods of great waters are fwelling up to the brim, our only fafety is to fecure a hiding place in Chrift's wounds.

Let us follow the example of Noah, who, when he faw the flood coming, took warning, and prepared an ark for faving himself and his houfhold, Heb. xi. 7. Let us even imitate the Egyptians that feared the Lord; they, when warned of the dreadful storm of hail that was coming on the land, made their fervants and cattle to flee into the houses, Exod. ix. 20. God hath in mercy, provided chambers for his people to hide themfelves in, when ftorms are coming, even the chambers of his attributes and promifes, and the chambers of Chrift's wounds and interceffion; in thefe only we can find fafety; let us enter into them by faith, when he invites us, Ifa. xxvi. 20, 21,

Seeing

Seeing in thefe evil days we have fo many harbingers and fore runners of death before our eyes, it will be highly our wisdom to keep ourselves ftill in a waiting pofture always ready and willing to die. What is there in this weary land to tempt us to defire to abide in it? Is it not a land overwhelmed with fin and forrow? O believers, are you toffed with tempefts here? Seek the wings of a dove, that you may fly away and be at rest. Be habitually defiring to depart, that you may be with Chrift. Surely for you to die is gain, yea, infinite gain! What are the imaginary pleafures of this world to the real happiness of the next? tho' the ftruggles of death be grievous to nature, yet the gains of dying fhould reconcile you to it. You do not ftick at the trouble of putting off your cloaths at night, to gain a little rest to your bodies; and why fhould you ftick at uncloathing yourselves of the garments of flesh at God's call, to gain everlasting reft to your fouls, and the fruition of Chrift's glorious prefence for ever? Let the thoughts of this gain put you upon ufing all means to get your hearts weaned from the love of the world and its comforts. Keep the mantle of earthly enjoyments hanging loofe about you, especially in these calamitous times, that fo it may be eafily dropt when death comes to carry you to the eternal world. O for more of the lively faith of that world, and of him that is the Lord and purchaser of it! But feeing this fubject is more largely infifted on in the book itself, I shall add no more here upon it; only I fhall fubjoin a collection of fome sweet and comfortable texts of fcripture, very proper for dying believers, to meditate and feed on by faith, to grip to and plead with God, and fuck confolation from, when they have a near profpect of going through the dark valley, and entering into the unknown regions of eternity. God's word will then be our hope.

A COLLECTION

COM

A COLLECTION

OF

COMFORTABLE TEXTS

For Dying Believers.

NOME unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you reft, Mat. xi. 28. Him that cometh to me I will in nowife caft out, John vi. 37. In my Father's house are many manfions; if it were not fo, I would have told you: I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself, that where I am, there ye may be alfo, John xiv. 2, 3.

Because I live, ye fhall live alfo, John xiv. 19. Chrift faith, Surely I come quickly. Anf. Amen. Even fo, come Lord Jefus, Rev. xxii. 20.

There remaineth a reft to the people of God, Heb.

iv. 9.

I have waited for thy falvation, O Lord, Gen. xlix. 18. Lord, now lettest thou thy fervant depart in peace; for mine eyes have feen thy falvation, Luke ii. 29, 30. He is the Rock, and his work is perfect, Deut. xxxii 4. The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me, Pfal. cxxxviii. 8. Being confident that he which hath begun a good work in you, will perform it until the day of Jefus Chrift, Phil. i. 6.

I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall ftand at the latter day upon the earth. And though, after my fkin, worms deftroy this body, yet in my flesh fball I fee God; whom I fhall fee for myself, and mine eyes fhall behold, and not another; though my reins be confumed within me, Job xix. 25, 26, 27.

Although my houfe is not fo with God, yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all

things