to be fick, whether or no he fhall ever be well again? And fo fenfible are many of this, who take little care of preparing their Accounts against the Day of Judgment, that they are careful by all the help they can procure, to fence against death as well as they can, apprehending themselves in fome danger of dying; and notwithstanding they hope that by the means of health they ufe, they are reasonably well arm'd or guarded against it, yet are they fo provident themselves, and their Friends think it fit to remember them of it, if they feem forgetful of it, to make ready their laft Will and Teftament, and to difpofe of all their Worldly Affairs, left they be furprized by Death, or fomething elfe, which may difable them from doing it. And is not this a fair warning to Men of Sense to prepare for all that is to be after Death.

If we be young, how many as young, or younger than we are, may be feen fick, or dying every Day almost, and at how many Funerals of fuch young Perfons have we been prefent? And if we be old, the Gray Hairs, decay of Senfes and Feebleness that attend on old Age, tell us, that we are going apace downwards to the Grave, and by these Fore-runners of Death, God is calling us to him, and doth as good as fay unto us, Give an Account of your Stewardships, for you grow unfit for any more Business here, and therefore may not be much longer Stewards.

When the Lightening flashes in our Face, and we hear the terrible Voice of God which breaketh the Cedars, and shaketh the Mountains, do not we fee and hear him calling on us? Can we choose but think of the terrible Day, when our glorious Judge fhall come with Flames of Fire,

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and with the found of the Trumpet, to call us to an Account, and to take Vengeance on all them that obey not the Gofpel of God? And when the Peftilence flieth at Noon Day, and leaves our Towns and Cities without Inhabitants; or the Sword of War is drawn, and spareth neither Old nor Young, Rich nor Poor that stands in it's way; and when God's Judgments are abroad in the Earth, and we know not how foon they may come to our Doors; can we be fo ftupid, as not to hear God in all thefe warning us to have our Accounts in readiness?

If we have been at any time put into fome Fright, whether there was any reason for it or no; and we have been in great danger of Death, by any Accident which hath befallen us, and by the good Providence of God, have efcap'd out of it with our Lives, it may be to the great wonder of our Selves, and all our Neighbours; can we chufe but make fome Reflections on our fears, and wonderful Escapes, and confider that God by them all would give us warning to be always watching, and making ready for his last coming to call us out of the World by Death?

O how gracious is God to us? What a wonderful patience and forbearance doth he exercife towards us? What caufe have we of daily Praife and Thanksgiving given us by our merciful God, who notwithstanding we have fo long provok'd him by wafting his Goods, yet doth not fuddenly turn us out of our Stewardship, as we have deferv'd, but is pleas'd to grant us ufually a great deal of time to confider in, and to amend what hath been fo long amiss; and in that time gives us

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many warnings, and frequently puts us in mind of our Duty, and calls on us to provide for our felves ere it be too late. Tho' he will not let us know before hand what Hour he will come in to call for our Acounts, yet he hath told us he will certainly come, and left we should forget his coming, he often fhews himself, as it were, on the way towards us, and after fundry manners appears unto us, as if he were juft upon us, and bidding us make hafte to meet him. Yea, his telling us this beforehand, that he will come as a Thief in the Night, when all is hufh'd and quiet, and fleep hath clos'd up all our Senfes, and no fuch thing is fear'd or thought on; is a very gracious warning to us to be always watching over our Bufinefs, and to be always ready, that fo the fuddennefs of his coming may be no Surprize to us, nor do us any hurt at all.

Let us therefore make good ufe of this great goodness of our God, and take heed how we abufe his patience and long-fuffering. He is not willing that any of us fhould perih, and therefore he fpares us long, and all the while he fpareth us, gives us one warning after another, and daily calls upon us ro repent, that we may be faved. Let us hearken to his call, and take kindly the warnings which he gives us, and let not his mercy be loft unto us. Let us ply our Work, and make up our Accounts in due time.

Let us call to remembrance all our Receipts, and how many of his Goods we are to account for. This it concerns us to do with all poffible exactness. For to whom much is given, of him much will be required. Luk. 12. 48. It concerns there

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fore every one of us to enquire how much hath been given him of any kind, how much Wealth, how much strength and health, how many good Parts, Understanding, Memory, Wit, Eloquence; how many Friends, how much Credit and Reputation, how much Honour and Power, how much Time, how many fair Opportunities, and great Advantages, how many Helps and Encouragements, all these will be required of us. How little is this thought of by moft Men and Women; who are always ready enough to think of what they want, but rarely take account of one half that they have receiv'd, and shall be charg'd on their Account.

Let us enquire what good Improvement we have made with every thing that we have received, that is, how much good we have done with every thing, and whether the good which we have done, bear a juft proportion to the things that we have receiv'd. God expects his own with Ufury. Mat. 25.27. We muft bring in glory to him, and Profit to the World, by Trading wifely and induftriously with his Goods. Ŏ that they who have, by reafon of their great Receipts, many advantages of doing much good above other Men, would confider this in time, and so use the advantages they have, as not to be the greatest Lofers themselves at laft, by their prefent Abundance and Opportunities of doing much good to others and themfelves. Moft of our Gentlemen in Place of Power and Authority, and all our rich Men whether Gentlemen or others; and above all the Stewards of God's Mifteries the Minifters of Chrift, according to their. feveral Receipts of Dignity, Learning, Reve

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nues, Health and Strength, Credit and Reputation, and Power of influencing those who are inferiour to them, will find that the greater their Receipts of any fort are, the greater Improvement will be required, and a greater Account they must be able to make, or they will have the Reward of unjuft Stewards.

Let us haften our Work, and compleat our Accounts as foon as we can. God hath already given us many warnings to do fo, and whether we have not had the laft warning that will be given us, we know not. The time is fhort that we are to make our Improvements in, and it is as uncertain when we shall be call'd on to give an Account of what Improvement we have made of every thing. We ought to be afham'd that we have wafted so much time, and done fo little good with fo many good things as we have fo long a time had the ufe of; and we should be as much afraid to wafte our time any longer now, that we have left fo little of it to our felves, and have fo much to do in it. What will become of us, if we shall this Night be call'd out of the World, and no good Improvement be made by us, and therefore we can give no good Account unto God?

Let us take then the wifeft course that can be for our felves to make our Account very eafy to our felves, and acceptable to God. That is, Let us first be very careful to abstain from all things that appear finful, and add no new ones to the old, the charge being too great already; and next let us be doing all the good we can, for we may be fure God will put that to our Account, whether we remember it or no: In the third place let us blof our past Sins by a fincere Repen

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tance