This Thing has very much affected me; and I am as well fatisfied, as I am of the beft grounded Matter of Fact. And why we should difpute Matter of Fact, because we cannot folve things, of which we can have no certain or demonftrative Notions, feems ftrange to me. Mrs. Bargrave's Authority and Sincerity alone, would have been undoubted in any other .Cafe.

THE

I

THE

CHRISTIAN's

CONSOLATIONS

AGAINST THE

Fears of DEATH.

CHAP. I.

That there is nothing more dreadful than Death, to fuch as have no Hope in God.

A

IN infpir'd Pen ftiles Death very fignificantly, The King of Terrors; that is to fay, the most terrible of all other things. For there is nothing that we can imagine in the World more dreadful and more frightful than Death. 'Tis poffible to decline the Edge of drawn Swords, to clofe the Lion's Jaws, to quench the Fire's Fury; but when Death fhoots its poifon'd Arrows, when it opens its infernal Pit, and when it fends forth its devouring Flames, 'tis altogether impoffible to fecure our felves; impoffible 'tis to guard our felves from its merciless Fury. There is an infinite Number of warlike Inventions, by which we commonly defeat the evil Defigns of the moft powerful and dreadful Enemies; there is no Stratagem of the most renowned General, no Fortifications ever fo regular and artificial, nor Army ever fo victorious,

that can retard but for a Moment the Approaches of Death, this laft Enemy. In the twinkling of an Eye it flies through the ftrongest Bulwarks, the deepest Walls, and the moft prodigious Towers. It leaps over the largest Ditches, the higheft Caftles, and the most inacceffible Rocks. It blows down the strongest Barricadoes, and laughs at all our military Trenches; every where it finds the Weaknefs of our Armour, and through the beft temper'd Breaft-Plates it ftrikes the proudest Hearts. In the darkest Dungeon it comes to us, and fnatches us out of the Hands of our most trufty and watchful Guards. In a Word, Nature and Art can furnish us with nothing able to protect us from Death's cruel and infatiable Hands.

There is none fo barbarous, but is fometimes overcome by the Prayers and Tears of fuch as caft themfelves upon their Knees to implore Mercy; nay, fuch as have loft all Senfe of Humanity and Goodness, cómmonly fpare in their Rage the weakest Age and Sex. But unmerciful Death hath no more Regard of fuch as humble themselves, than of others that refist and defie her. It takes no notice of Infants Tears and Cries; it plucks them from the Breafts of their tent der-hearted Mothers, and crushes them in pieces bet fore their Eyes. It fcorns the Lamentations of dainty Dames, and delights to trample upon their most ra vishing Beauties. It ftops its Ears to the Requests of trembling old Age, and cafts to the Ground the Heads as fo many wither'd Oaks.

gray

At a Battel, when Princes and Generals of the Ene my's Army are taken Prifoners, they are not treated as common Soldiers; but unmerciful Death treads under Feet as audaciously the Subject as the Prince, the Servant as the Mafter, the Noble and the Vaffal, the begging Lazarus and the rich Abraham together. It blows out with the fame Blaft, the most glorious Luminaries, and the moft loathfome Lamps. It hath no more Refpect for the Crowns of Kings, the Pope's Mitre, and the Cardinal's Cap, than for the Shepherd's Crook,

Crook, or the Slave's Chains. It heaps them together, fhuts them in the fame Dungeon, and in the fame Mortar pounds them to Powder.

There is no War never fo furious and bloody, but is interrupted with fome Days, or at least, fome Hours of Ceffacion and Truce: Nay, the most inhuman Minds are at laft tir'd with bloody Conquefts; but infatiable Death never faith, 'tis enough. At every Hour and Moment it cuts down whole Nations and Kindreds. The Flefh of all the Animals that have lived and died fince the Creation of the World, hath not been able to glut this devouring Monster.

All Warfare is doubtful, he that wins the Victory to Day, may foon after be put to flight. He that rides at prefent in a triumphing Chariot, may become the FootItool of his Enemy. But Death is always victorious; it triumphs with an infufferable Infolence over all the Kings and Nations of the Earth; it never returns to its Den but loaden with Spoils, and glutted with Blood. The ftrongest Sampfons, and the most victorious Davids, who have torn in Pieces, and overcome Lions, Bears, and cut off the Heads of Giants, have at last yielded themselves, and been cut off by Death. The great Alexander, and the triumphing Cafars, who have made all the World to tremble before them, and conquer'd moft part of the habitable Earth, could never find any thing that might protect them from Death's Power. When magnificent Statues and stately Trophies were rais'd to their Honour, Death laught at their Vanity, and made Sport with their Perfons. The rich Marbles, where fo many proud Titles are engraven, cover nothing but a little rotten Flesh, and a few Bones, which Death hath broken and reduc'd to Athes.

We read in the Revelation of the Prophet Daniel, that King Nebuchadnezzar faw in a Dream a large Statue of Gold, both glorious and terrible; its Head was of pure Gold, its Breaft and Arms were of Silver, its Belly and Thighs of Brafs, its Legs of Iron, and its Feet were partly of Clay, and partly of Iron. As the Prince

was

was beholding it with Astonishment, a little Stone cut out of a Mountain, without Hands, was roll'd against the Feet of this prodigious Statue, and broke it all to Pieces; not only the Clay and the Iron were broken, but also the Gold, the Silver, and the Brass; all became as the Chaff which the Wind blows to and fro. This great Image represents the four univerfal Monarchies of the World: That of Babylon, of the Perfians and Medes, of the Greeks, and that of the Romans. It reprefents alfo the Vanity and Inconftancy of all things under the Sun. For what is the Pomp, the Glory, the Strength and Dignities of this World, but as a Smoak driven with the Wind, and a Vapour that foon vanishes away? All is like a Shadow that flies from us, or like a Dream that dif appears in an Inftant. Man created in the Image of God, at his firft Appearance, seems to be very glorious for a while, and becomes terrible. But as foon as Death strikes at his earthly Part, and begins to break his Flesh and Bones, all the Glory, Pomp, Power, and Magnificence of the richeft, of the moft terrible and victorious Monarchs are chang'd into a loathfome Smell, into contemptible Duft, and reduc'd to nothing; Vanity of Vanities, all is Vanity.

Since therefore Death is fo impartial as to fpare none, and its Power fo great, that none can efcape or refift it, 'tis no wonder if it is become fo terrible, and fills with Fear, Grief, and Defpair, the Minds of all Mortals who have not fettled their Faith and Affurance upon God. For there is no condemned Prisoner but trembles when he beholds the Scaffold erecting, upon which he is defign'd to be broken upon a Wheel, or when he spies in the Fire, Irons with which he is to be pinch'd to Death.

In the midst of a fumptuous Feaft, King Belfbazzar faw the Fingers of a Man's Hand writing thefe Words upon the Wall of his Palace, Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharfin,which the Prophet Daniel hath thus interpreted,

Mene,