Ifa. 53.9

57, &c.

W

CHA P. V.

Eafter-Eve.

HAT Faft doth the Church this Day celebrate?

A. The great Vigil of our Saviour's Refurrection, when he lay in the Grave and defcended into the State of the Dead; when there was a real Separation of his Soul from his Body, whereby he was properly and truly dead: Which State of his loweft Humiliation the primitive Church always obferved with rigorous Fafting, even in that Age when Saturday was otherwife kept as a Festival, and, in refpect to the Jewish Converts, honoured with all the Solemnities of Religion over all the Eastern Church, as well as in fome Parts of the Western.

Q. How was Christ buried?

A. According to what was predicted concerning the Meffias, our Saviour made his Grave with the Rich; for Jofeph of Arimathea, a rich Man, who was himfelf a Difciple of the bleffed Mat. 27. Jefus, begged the Body from Pilate, and wrapt it in a Linen Cloth, and put it in his own new Tomb, which he had hewn out in the Rock; which was fhut up with a great Stone, and made fecure by the Jews, by fealing the Stone, and fetting a Watch. All these Circumftances do not only manifcft the Reality of our Saviour's Death, but tend to make his Refurrection more evident.

Q. How did the Ancient Church obferve this Vigil?

Pafch.

Conft.

A. It was celebrated with more than ordinary Pomp, as Nazianzen relates, with folemn Watch-Naz. Orat. ings, with Multitudes of lighted Torches both 2. in in their Churches and their own private Houfes, and with the general Refort and Confluence of all Ranks of Men, both Magiftrates and People. At Constantinople, Eufebius tells us, it Eufeb.vit. was obferved with moft magnificent Illumina-lib.4.c.22: tions, not only within the Churches but without. All over the City there was fet up lighted Tapers, or rather Pillars of Wax, which gloriously turned the Night into Day, which they defigned as a Fore-runner of that great Light, even the Sun of Righteousness, which the next Day arole upon the World.

Q. How were the Chriftians employed upon this Vigil?

Mat.c.25.

Rupert.

A. As the Day was a ftrict Faft, fo the Vigil Hieron.in continued at least till Midnight, the Congrega-Conft.Ap. tion not being difmiffed till that Time; it being1. 5. c.15. the Tradition of the Church, that our Saviour 19. rofe a little after Midnight. But in the Eaft the Vigil lafted till the Cock-crowing, the Time be- Ib. c. 14. ing fpent, fay the Apoftolical Conftitutions, in 17, :8. reading the Law and the Prophets, in expounding the holy Scriptures, and in baptifing the Catechumens. In the Latin Church the Water for the Font is bleft on this Day, and referved for Off. c. 35. the ufe of the Perfons to be baptifed in the Year following, which Cuftom is a Shadow of the ancient Ufage; for on Eafter-eve were the Catechumens baptifed by the Bifhop himfelf, if prefent; Eafter being one of the chiefeft Times appointed by the Church for baptifing Adult Converts; Children and Sick Perfons being baptifed at all Times.

de Div.

Q. Muft we pass through the Gate of Death before we can attain that Happiness Chrift bath purchafed for us?

A. It is appointed for all Men once to die; and though our bleffed Saviour hath conquered Death, in depriving it of its Power to hurt thofe that are his faithful Servants, yet he hath not exempted us from the Laws of Mortality, but hath made Death a neceffary Paffage to the Attainment of eternal Happiness.

Q. What ought then to be the great Concern of a ferious Chriftian?

A. To fit and prepare himself for a holy and happy Death, in which he ought to ufe the greater Care and Caution, becaule a Miftake in this Matter is irrecoverable, and never to be retrieved. We can die but once, and eternal Happinefs or eternal Mifery muft be the Confequence of it. And happy is that Man whofe Mind is fo well fortified, as to be able to meet the King of Terrors, not only without Fear, but with fome Degree of Comfort and Satisfaction.

Q. Wherein appears the Wisdom of preparing ourfelves for a happy Death?

A. In that it is fecuring the mighty and important Business for which we were fent into this World, in refpect of which all the other Labours of Life are mere Trifles. For to beftow our chief Care and Pains upon Matters of the greatest Confequence, was always cfteemed a main point of Wisdom and Prudence, and a Neglet of this Kind is juftly branded with the Character of the utmost Folly. Since therefore Death will certainly tranflate us to endless Joys, or confign us to everlasting Torments, nothing can be wifer than to take fuch Measures as

may

may fecure the one and prevent the other. This Method will give the trueft Relish to all the Bleffings of Life, and prove the best Preservative against the Terrors and Apprehenfions of our great Change; the anxious Fears whereof proceed not fo much from Death itfelf, as from the Confequences of that unchangeable State in which it fixes us. And though Reafon may reconcile us to it as we are Men, yet Religion alone can make it comfortable to us as we are Chriftians.

Q. What is the best Preparation for Death? A. The conftant Exercife of Piety and Virtue in the whole Courfe of our Lives is the only Armour that is Proof against the Attacks of that dreadful Enemy to Nature. And Men strangely delude themfelves that depend upon any other Method than that of keeping a Confcience void of Aas 24. Offence towards God and towards Men.

Q. But fince the Practice of Religion confifts in feveral Particulars, what is the first Thing necefJary to prepare us for a happy Death?

A. In order to make Death fafe and happy, we must reconcile ourselves to God by a fincere and bearty Repentance. The Sting of Death is Sin, and a Mind loaded with Guilt is not only incapable of the Happinefs of the next World, but excluded from it by the folemn Declaration of God, who is Truth itfelf; fo that except we repent, we fhall certainly perish. Repentance therefore must be the firft Step we fhould make, if ever we defign to die well; which we should immediately apply ourfelves to, left Sickness and Death fhould overtake us, before we have accomplished fo neceffary a Work; for though a Death-bed may be a proper Season to renew our Repentance, and to trim our Lamp, yet it is the moft

Kk4

16.

moft unfit Time to begin it; and it then very rarely, if ever, takes Effect.

Q. What is farther neceffary to prepare us for a happy Death?

A. To fet our Houfe in Order, by a prudent and pious Difpofition of our worldly Concerns. Now that this may be done wifely, requires Time and Confideration, and therefore cannot fo well be difpatched in our laft Moments, when our Minds are difordered, our Bodies oppreffed with Pain and Sicknefs, and when we run the Hazard of being impofed upon by thofe who out Intereft officiously attend us; and though we fhould in fome Measure be free from thefe Inconveniencies, yet the little Time we fhail then have to live, is too precious to be confumed about Trifles. So that, except we make our Wills in the Days of our Health, that Matter may poffibly never be performed, or after such an imperfect Manner, as to convey Strife and Contention to our Pofterity, and at best to give great Trouble and Ditorder to ourfelves, when we are leaft able to bear it. It requires Thought and Confideration to difpofe of our Eftates in a Chriftian Manner, to give Children their fitting Portions, to acknowledge the Kindness of our Friends, to reward the Services of our Dependants, and to make Diftributions for the Poor and Needy; and all this in fo clear a Manner, that no Differences or Law-Suits may arife among those we leave behind us. To this purpofe the Church hath wifely directed the MiThe Ru- nifter, when he attends the fick Perfon, if he brick in hath not difpofed of his Goods, to admonish the Vif him to make his Will, and to declare his Debts, the Sick. what he owes, and what is owing to him, for the

tation of

better