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SECT. I. That the general Period of human
Life is fixed and determined by God, and that
it is but very fhort,
Page 83
SECT. II. What little Reafon we have to com-
plain of the Shortness of human Life,
SECT. III. What Ufe to make of the fixed
Term of human Life,

87

93

SECT. IV. What Ufe to make of the Shortnefs of human Life,

105

SECT. V. The Time, and Manner, and Circumstances of every particular Man's Death, are not determined by an abfolute and unconditional Decree,

119 SECT. VI. The particular Time when we are

to die is unknown and uncertain to us, 126 SECT. VII. That we must die but once, or that Death tranflates us to an unchangeable State; with the Improvement of it.

CHA P. IV.

151

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то

Dr. SHERLOCK,

ON.

His Discourse concerning DEATH.

VORGIVE the Mufe, who in unhallow'd Strains,
The Saint one Moment from his God detains ;

F

For fure whate'er you do, where'er you are,

"Tis all but one good Work, one conftant Pray'r.. Forgive her; and intreat that Go D, to whom Thy favour'd Vows with kind Acceptance come, To raise her Notes to that fublime Degree, That fuits a Song of Piety and Thee.

Wondrous good Man! whofe Labours may repel
The Force of Sin, may ftop the Rage of Hell:
Who like the Baptift, from thy God was fent
The crying Voice to bid the World repent.

Thee Youth fhall ftudy; and no more engage
His flattering Wishes for uncertain Age;
No more, with fruitless Care and cheated Strife,
Chafe fleeting Pleasure through this Maze of Life 3.
Finding the wretched All He here can have,
But prefent Food, and but a future Grave;
Each great as Philip's Victor Son, shall view
This abject World, and weeping afk a New.

Decrepit Age fhall read thee, and confefs

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Thy Labours can affwage, where Med'cines ceafe:
Shall blefs thy Words, their wounded Souls Relief;
The Drops that fweeten their laft Dregs of Life
Shall look to Heav'n, and laugh at all beneath;
Own Riches gather'd, Trouble; Fame, a Breath;
And Life an Ill, whofe only Cure is Death.

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Thy

Thy even Thoughts with fo much Plainnefs flow,
Their Senfe untutor'd Infancy may know;
Yet to fuch Height is all that Plainnefs wrought,
Wit may admire, and letter'd Pride be taught.
Eafy in Words thy Style, in Senfe fublime;

Ón its bleft Steps each Age and Sex may rise :
'Tis like the Ladder in the Patriarch's Dream,
Its Foot on Earth, its Height beyond the Skies.
Diffus'd its Virtue, boundless is its Pow'r;
'Tis publick Health, and univerfal Cure.
Of heavenly Manna 'tis a fecond Feaft,
A Nation's Food, and All to ev'ry Taste.

To its laft Height mad Britain's Guilt was rear'd;
And various Deaths for various Crimes the fear'd;
With your kind Work her drooping Hopes revive,
You bid her read, repent, adore and live.
You wreft the Bolt from Heav'ns avenging Hand;
Stop ready Death, and fave a finking Land.

O! fave us ftill, ftill blefs us with thy Stay;
O! want thy Heav'n, till we have learnt the Way;
Refuse to leave thy deftin'd Charge too soon;
And for the Church's Good defer thy own:
O! live, and let thy Works urge our Belief;
Live to explain thy Doctrine by thy Life;
Till future Infancy baptiz'd by thee,
Grow ripe in Years, and old in Piety;
Till Chriftians yet unborn be taught to Die.

Then in full Age, and hoary Holiness,
Retire, great Teacher, to thy promis'd lifs:
Untouch'd thy Tomb, uninjur'd be thy Duft,
As thy own Fame among the future Juft;
Till in laft Sounds the dreaded Trumpet speaks;
Till Judgment calls, and quicken'd Nature wakes;
Till through the utmost Earth and deepest Sea,
Our scatter'd Atoms find their deftin'd Way;
In hafte to cloath their Kindred Souls again,
Perfect our State, and build immortal Man:
Then fearlefs, Thou, who well fuftained the Fight,
To Paths of Joy, and Tracks of endlefs Light,
Lead up all thofe, that heard Thee, and believ'd:
Midft thy own Flock, great Shepherd, he receiv'd;
And glad all Heav'n with Millions thou haft fav'd.

A Practical

'A

Practical Difcourfe

CONCERNING

DEATH.

HE B. IX. 27.
It is appointed unto all Men once to die.

T

The INTRODUCTION.

HERE is not a more effectual Way to revive the true Spirit of Chriftianity in the World, than ferioufly to meditate on what we commonly call the Four laft THINGS, Death, Judgment, Heaven, and Hell; for it is morally impoffible Men fhould live fuch careless Lives, fhould fo wholly devote themselves to this World, and the Service of their Lufts; fhould either caft off the Fear of God, and all Reverence for his Laws, .

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to fatisfy themselves with fome cold and formal Devotions, were they poffeffed with a warm and conftant Senfe of thefe Things. For what manner of Men ought we to be, who know that we must fhortly die, and come to Judgment, and receive according to what we have done in this World, whether it be good or evil, either eternal Rewards in the Kingdom of Heaven, or eternal Punishments with the Devil and his Angels?

That which firft prefents itself to our Thoughts, and shall be the Subject of this following Treatife, is DEATH; a very terrible Thing, the very naming of which is apt to chill our Blood and Spirits, and to draw a dark Veilover all the Glories of this Life. And yet this is the Condition of all Mankind, we muft as furely die, as we are born: For it is appointed unto Men once to die. This is not the original Law of our Nature; for though Man was made of the Duft of the Earth, and therefore was by Nature mortal; (for that which is made of Dust is by Nature corruptible, and may be refolved into Duft again) yet had he not finned, he should never have died; he should have been immortal by Grace, and therefore had the Sacrament of Immortality, the Tree of Life, planted in Paradife : But now by Man Sin entred into the World, and Death by Sin; and fo Death paffed upon all Men, for that all have finned, Rom. v. 12. And thus it is decreed and appointed by God, by an irreversible Sentence, Duft thou art, and unto Duft thou shalt

return.

Now to improve this Meditation to the best Advantage, I fhall, 1. Confider what Death is, and what Wisdom that fhould teach us. 2. The Certainty of our Death, That it is appointed unto Men once to die. 3. The Time of our Death; it must

be

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