A Preparative against Afflictions; with Di- rections for our Deportment under them, and upon our Delivery out of them Of Submission, Prayer and Thanksgiving CON- OF THE . CONSIDERATION of our LATTER END, AND THE BENEFITS OF IT. DEUT. XXXII. 29. O THAT THEY WERE WISE, THAT THEY UNDERSTOOD THIS, THAT THEY WOULD CONSIDER THEIR LATTER END! IT may be probably thought, that the principal intention of this with of Mofes was, that the people of Ifrael had a due confideration of their final rejection; the ten tribes for their idolatry, and the two tribes for their crucifying of the Meffias; and not only of that ftate of rejection, but of the causes of it, namely, idolatry, and rejection of the Meffias; which confideration would have made them wife and prudent to avoid thofe great apoftacies which fhould occafion fo terrible a desertion and rejection by God. But certainly the words contain an evident truth, with relation to every particular perfon, and to that latter end that is common to all mankind, namely, their latter end by death, and feparation of the foul and body; the due confideration whereof is a great part of wisdom, and a great means to attain and improve it; and very many of the fins and follies of mankind, as they do in a great measure proceed from the want of an attentive and ferious confideration of it; fo would they be in a great measure cured by it. It is the most certain, known, experienced truth in the world, that all men muft die; that the time of that death is uncertain; that yet moft certainly it will come, and that within the compafs of no long time: though the time of our life might be protracted to its longeft period, yet it is ten thoufand to one that it exceeds fourfcore years; where one man attains to that age, ten thoufand die before it: and this lecture is read unto us by the many cafualties and difeafes that put a period to the lives of many in our own experience and obfervation; by the many warnings and monitions of mortality that every man finds in himfelf, either by the occurrences of difeafes and weakneffes, and especially by the declinations that are apparent in us, if we attain to any confiderable age; and the weekly bills of mortality in this great city, where weekly there are taken away, ordinarily three hundred perfons. The monuments and graves in every church and church-yard do not only evince the truth of it, whereof no man of underftanding doubts, but do inceffantly inculcate the remembrance of it. And yet it is ftrange to fee that this great truth, whereof in the theory no man doubts, is little confidered or thought upon by the moft of mankind: but notwithstanding all thefe monitions and remembrances of mortality, the living lay it not to heart, and look upon it as a business that little concerns them; as if they were not concerned in this common condition of mankind, and as if the condition of mortality only concerned them that actually die, or are under the immediate harbingers of it, fome defperate or acute difeafes; but concerned not them that are at prefent in health, or not under the stroke of a mortal ficknefs. The reafons of this inconfideratencfs feem principally thofe : 1. That men are not willing to entertain this unwelcome thought of their own latter end; the thought whereof is fo unwelcome and troublesome a gueft, that it seems to blaft and difparage all thofe prefent enjoy ments |