ence of Life: For to be a Difciple of Chrift does not fignify merely to believe in him, and to vow Obedience to him, but to obey him: It is reasonable enough, that upon our Vows of Obedience, we fhould be received into his Service, but it is not reafonable that we should be rewarded without performing our Vows; for it is as ridiculous a Thing to think that our repeated Sorrows for not obeying, and our repeated and fruitless Refolutions of obeying our Saviour, fhould pafs for Obedience, as that the Son fhould be thought to do his Father's Will, who faid, I go, Sir, but went not; efpecially, when after our Vow of Baptifm we live a very ungodly Life, and never think it Time to repent, and to renew our Vows again till we come to die. If we confider the Difference between what is neceffary to make us the Difciples of Chrift, and what is required of us when we are Difciples, we fhall fee a plain Reafon, why Faith and Repentance, as that fignifies Sorrow for Sin, and Vows of Obedience, will juftify us in Baptifm, but will not be accepted upon a Deathbed, after a Life fpent in Wickedness: For when a baptized Chriftian comes to die, he is not then to be made a Difciple of Chrift, and to be baptized again, but to give an Account of his Life fince he has been Chrift's Difciple; and mere Faith in Chrift, Sorrow for Sin, and Vows of Obedience, without actual Holiness of Life, tho' with the Sacrament of Baptifm it will make a Disciple, yet

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it will not pass in a Difciple's Account, efpecially when the Sum Total of his Life is nothing but Sin, and Sorrow, and fruitless Vows; for this is not that Holiness of Life which Chrift requires of his Difciples.

The ancient Discipline of the Church was a plain Proof of this, that they thought a great deal more neceffary for a baptized Chriftian, than was required to qualify Men for Baptifm. In the Apoftles Days, they baptized both Jews and Heathens immediately upon their Profeffion of Faith in Chrift, and renouncing their former wicked Lives; but in cafe they fell into any grofs and scandalous Sin after Baptism, they were caft out of the Communion of the Church; and the Profeffion of Sorrow and Repentance for their Sins, and the most folemn Vows of a new Life, was not thought fufficient to restore them to the Peace of the Church, but they were kept under the Severities of Repentance, till they had made Satisfaction for the Scandal they had given to the Church, and given fufficient Teftimonies of the actual Reformation of their Lives. And in the Ages fucceeding the Apoftles, this State of Penitence, in fome Cafes, was continued many Years; in other Cafes, fuch Sinners were never reconciled to the Hour of Death. Now if they had thought, as many among us now do, that Sorrow for Sin, and the Vows of Obedience, do immediately obtain our Pardon from God, for Sins committed

committed after Baptifm, it is not imaginable why they should have imposed such a long and severe Discipline on Penitents. If they believed God had forgiven them, Why should not the Church forgive them, and receive them to her Communion again, upon their Promises of Amendment, without fuch a long Trial of their Reformation? But it is evident, they thought Sins after Baptifm not forgiven without actual Reformation, and therefore. would not receive them to Communion again, without a tried and vifible Reformation of their Lives. We know what Difputes there were about this Matter in the Primitive Church; the ancient Difcipline allowed but of one Repentance after Baptifm: And fome would not allow of that in the Cafe of Adultery, Murther, and Idolatry, but denied the Authority of the Church to receive fuch Sinners to Communion again. This was the Pretence of Novatus's Schifm; and Tertullian, after he turned Montanist, faid many bitter Things against the Catholicks upon this Argument, which feemeth to queftion the Validity of Repentance itself after Baptism, tho' it did reform Mens Lives. But tho' this was a great deal too much, and did both leffen the Grace of the Gofpel, and the Authority which Chrift hath given to his Church, yet it is evident that all this Time they were very far from thinking that fome dying Sorrows, or dying Vows after a wicked Life, would

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would carry Men to Heaven: and the Judgment of thofe firft and pureft Ages of the Church, ought at leaft to make Men afraid of relying on fuch a Death-bed Repentance as they thought very ineffectual to fave Sin

ners.

CHA P. IV.

Concerning the Fear of DEATH, and the Remedies against it.

Eath is commonly and very truly called the King of Terrors, as being the most formidable Thing to human Nature. The Love of Life, and the natural Principle of Self-preservation, begets in all Men a natural Averfion against Death; and this is the natural Fear of dying. This is very much increased by a great Fondness and Paffion for this World, which makes fuch Men, efpecially while they are happy and profperous, very unwilling to leave it; and this is ftill increased by a Senfe of Guilt, and the Fear of Punishment in the next World. All these are of a diftinct Nature, and require fuitable Remedies; and therefore I shall diftinctly confider them.

I. The natural Fear of Death refults from Self-Prefervation, and the Love of our own Being: For light is fweet, and a pleasant thing

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it is for the eyes to behold the fun, Eccl. xi. All Men love Life, and the neceffary Confequence of that is, to fear Death; tho' this is rather a natural Instinct, than the Effect of Reason and Difcourfe.

There are great and wife Reasons why God should imprint this Averfion to Death on human Nature, because it obliges us to take care of ourselves, and to avoid every Thing which will destroy or fhorten our Lives: This in many Cafes is a great Principle of Virtue, as it preferves us from all fatal and deftructive Vices; it is a great Inftrument of Government, and makes Men afraid of committing fuch Villanies as the Laws of their Country have made capital. And therefore, fince the natural Fear of Death is of fuch great Advantage to us, we must be contented with it, though it makes the Thoughts of dying a little uneafy. Efpecially if we confider, that when this natural Fear of Death is not increased by other Caufes, (of which more presently) it may be conquered or allayed by Reason and wife Confideration: For this is not fo ftrong an Averfion, but it may be conquered. The Miferies and Calamities of this Life very often reconcile Men to Death, and make them paffionately defire it: Wherefore is light given to him that is in mifery, and life to the bitter in foul? Which long for death, but it cometh not, and dig for it more than for bid treasures; which rejoyce exceedingly, and are glad when they can find the grave,

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