Water upon wanton Flames, and give Men little Comfort in any of their Sins: They would bring us to a Serious Confiderate Temper, and thereby to fuch a Regularity of Life, that we could never be much Unprovided for Death.

28.

[Θάνατο πρὸ ὀφθαλμῶν ἔξω σοὶ καθ ̓ ἡμέραν, Ερί. Ch. &c.] "Let Death (fays the admirable Epic"tetus) be daily before thy Eyes, and That "will furely govern thy Thoughts and De"fires."-His Difciple Arrian handsomely enlarges upon the Subject, and much to our present Purpose. -"Knowest thou not (says he) that Diseases and Death will "fome time or other come upon thee? "And how wouldst thou have them find thee "Employed? Whatever thou judgest to be "the Belt Actions of thy Life, therein keep "thyself much Employ'd, that Death, when"ever it comes, may find thee in the Prac"tice of them. For my own Part (fays he) "I would defire to be found governing my "Paffions, and fubduing the Irregularities of

my Will, that I may be able to say to "God,Have I not kept thy Command"ments? Have I Abus'd the Faculties that "thou hast given me? Have I ever Accused "Thee or Thy Providence?"And fo the Excellent Heathen goes on in this Divine Contemplation.

d

It is the Advice of the Son of Sirach, Ecclef. vii. 36. Whatfoever thou takeft in

Hand,

Hand, remember the End, (or as in the Septuagint, ra oxara of Remember Thy End, thy Laft End, the Laft Things that shall befal thee) and thou shalt never do amifs. Now Death is not the Laft Thing, there is still fomething after Death: So fays the Apostle,-It Heb.ix.27.is appointed to Men once to Dye, but after Death the Judgment. Judgment is our Laft Tryal; This we should therefore have much in our Thoughts: And would we but keep that excellent Memorandum of Solomon's alEcclef. xi. ways fresh upon our Minds, Know thou that 9. for all thou doeft, God will bring thee to Judgment, and would but confider whatever we are doing, how it will stand in the Judgment, the Thoughts of that Judgment would be fuch a Check upon us in all our Actions, that we fhould indeed never do amifs.

Plato in
Gorgia.

Plato, speaking in the Perfon of Socrates, reasons in fuch a Manner upon this Subject as might well enough become the best of Chriftians. Being (fays he) perfuaded " of these Things (a future Judgment, and another State after this,) "I make it my chief

Care, how I may appear before my Judge " with a Pure and Upright Soul: And bid6c ding adieu to the World and all its Honours, which most Men so admire, I will "strive as far as ever I am able, to Live and "Dye the Best of Men.

With fuch Thoughts of Death and Judgment always carried about us, we fhould never be Unprepared, neither for the Hour of Death, nor for the Day of Judgment.

Sthly, It will help to keep thee in Preparation for Death, if thou wilt take the Apoftle's Advice, 1 John ii. 15. Love not the World, neither the Things that are in the World.- Love it not Immoderately; Love it not with over-anxious Care or Concern. Nothing will more Indifpofe us for Death, and Nothing will lefs profit us, or be of less Efteem with us, when we come to Dye. All the World Then will fly away from us as a' Shadow, or like a fleeting Dream: Therefore attach not thyself to it; Let it fit loose to thee, and never get the Upper-hand, or First Place in thy Heart and Thoughts: If thou doeft, it will be fure to rob thee of the Best of thy Time and Care; and Little Care will be taken, and Lefs Provifion made for the World to come. If the World once gets Deep into thine Heart, the Cares of it will Choak better Thoughts, and the Love of it will be apt to draw thy Soul after it; Or may make thee fometimes bear hard upon thy Conscience, and tempt thee, on fome Occafions, to Set thy Soul to Sale. This was Ecclus. II. the Error of Balaam the Son of Bofor, for 9. Jude xi. which he stands branded to all Pofterity. He had his Eyes Open, and knew what was acceptable to God, and yet, having his Heart

I

exercifed

exercised with Covetous Practices, (as the Apostle fpeaks) he forfook the Right Way, and went aftray, for he Loved the Wages of Unrighteousness, 2 Pet. ii. 14. Demas was once a Difciple of St. Paul's, and sent Greet ings to the Brethren throughout the Churches, yet tempted by the Love of the World, he afterwards prov'd a Difciple of Balaam's, 2 Tim. iv. 10. Demas (fays the Apostle,) has forfaken me, having Loved this Prefent World.

One would think it were well fufficient to Cure us of this Fatal Love and Dotage on the World, only to think how little This World is worth, in Comparison of That which we neglect for it. It is, at the most, only a Temporary Provifion for the Body, and only ferves our Prefent Neceffities: Nor can it make us Happy even whilft we have

it.

And after all our Worldly Pursuits, after we have spent our Days in Vanity, and whole Tears in Trouble, we are not Sure of enjoying the Fruit of our Labours and Cares, no, not for a Day: We know not how Short our Time is; We know not what a Day may bring forth.

Seneca, I remember, tells us of a Friend of his, "Senecio Cornelius, a very Notable

Thriving Man, Frugal and Diligent, that "could dextrously turn himself to any Way "of Gain; that he was well Skill'd in all "the Arts of Getting and Saving, and had a

"mighty

mighty Stock going by Sea and Land ; "when in the midft of his Flourishing Growing Fortunes, he went to Bed, feem

ingly in perfect Health, and was choak'd "with a violent Quinfy by the Morning Light." But Sudden Deaths, and that amongst Persons of Figure and Fortune, are not so Uncommon, as to need any Instances to be given of them. Nor had I gone fo far for This, but for the Sake of the excellent Reflections that our Author makes upon it,

cr

* "How foolish is it (fays he) to be Difpofing of, and cutting out Work for an Age, when we are not Masters of the "Morrow! Oh! what a Madness is it, to "be laying long Schemes, and forming Vast Defigns:- I will Buy, I will Build, I "will get me Honours and Estates, &c. and "then at laft I'll Comfortably enjoy myself at Eafe in a Plentiful Old Age.

One would almost think that Seneca had read our Saviour's Parable of the Rich Man in the Gofpel; who was hoarding up Stores for many Tears to folace himself withal, Saying to his Soul, Soul, thou haft much Goods laid up for many Years; Take thine Eafe, Eat, Drink, and be Merry; But God faid

* Quàm Stultum eft Ætatem difponere? Ne Craftino quidem dominamur. O quanta Dementia eft fpes longas inchoantium! Emam, Edificabo, Honores geram, &c. Tum demùm lassam & plenam Senectutem in Qtium referam. Epift. 101.

unto