Lord has kept men at this uncertainty. No doubt God could have made the time of our removal into the other world as open as the time of the setting of the fun,

c. But, he has concealed it from us. It is meet to confider why. We pretend not to give a reafon moving the divine will; but the reasonablenefs of it, or for what causes the Lord has willed the concealment of that time from us, we may confider. The reasons are these,

1. It is beft for his own glory and honour, the chief end of all things. Hereby he fhews,

(1.) His mattership over mankind, who of right are his fervants, however refractory most of them are. Every mafter thinks it his right to have his fervants at his call, without a previous tryft, Matt. viii. 9. How much more is God's right over us, to call us off when he will, from the place where he has fet us, to the place he has appointed us for after? Our Lord teacheth us this, that he claims this as a Master to come when he will, and that his fervants be ready waiting on, Luke xii. 36, 38." that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately. And if he fhall come in the fecond watch, or come in the third watch, and find them fo, bleffed are thofe fervants."

(2.) The efficacy of his authority, Eccl. viii. 8. "There is no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the fpirit; neither hath he power in the day of death; and there is no discharge in that war, neither shall wickedness deliver thofe that are given to it." He has revealed the will of his command to men, in his laws; and that is difregarded in great part by all, and wholly by fome, in life. How neceffary then is it, that the authority so often trampled on by mortals in life, fhould be vigorously executed at length, in obliging them to obey the will of his providence, without knowing aforehand when? He fets tryfts with men for duty, which they regard not: the vindicating of his authority requires their removal to give account, upon fight of his fummons,

(3.) His fovereignty. It is a fign of his fovereign Solomon obferves, Prov. xxv. 3.

dominion over us. that the heart of kings is unfearchable.' Kings of the earth have their fecrets of government, which their subjects are not to pry into, but obey orders: God has a fealed book of decrees, which none but the Lamb is worthy to open the feals of. It proclaims his fovereign dominion over mankind, that he keeps fuch a momentuous point concerning them concealed, ver. 20.

And

it is apt to ftrike an awe of him on those who confider it, as of an abfolute Lord whom we are to obey without difputing and upon the firft call; with the depths of whofe counsel concerning us, we are not to meddle, Deut. xxix. ult.

2. It is beft for the good of mankind that it is concealed. Were the book of the decrees laid open before the world, and a liberty given to every one that would, to turn it up, and look out the time of mortals removal; fools would readily run to it, but wife men, I think, would ftart back. That the time of our removal into the other world is kept a fecret with God, closely concealed, is of good ufe. If ye afk what ufe is it for? It is of ufe,

(1.) For a badge of our dependence on God, every moment. Hereby we are taught, that we are his debtors for every other breath we draw, and pulfe that beats: we fee we are mere precarious beings in the world, tenants at will, not knowing when we may be charged to remove. By this means great and small, old and young, are obliged to fee how they wholly depend on the will of God as to their continuance here; a leffon we need to have inculcated on us, we are so apt to forget it.

(2.) For a token to remember the other world. It is natural for them that must remove, and know not how foon, to be often thinking on the place they muft remove to; fo our uncertainty as to the time of our removal out of this world to the other, natively leads

us

us to think of that world. How ready are we to spend our days in a forgetfulnefs of the world we are going to, as matters now ftand! And how much more would it be fo, if we were fure that death were at so many years diftance as sometimes it is!

(3.) For a curb to our lufts, to check and bridle our unruly affections. This concealing is of good ufe to keep us from indulging ourselves in floth, to still our anxiety, and reprefs all carnal earthly affections. He that confiders the uncertainity of the time of his death, is furnished with an useful means to cool his affections in the pursuit of this world, which otherwise he would be apt to give the loofe unto.

(4.) For to be a balance between the rifing and ftanding generations, the young and the aged. While both are kept at an uncertainty, that it is not known, which of them fhall bury the other, and bury their heirs, this is a mean to keep both in due affection to, and concera for one another. While there is fo much unnaturalnefs in the world, as matters now ftand, what would it be if that were certain, that is now but probable?

(5.) For encouragement to peoples regular pursuit of their worldly affairs, tending to the good of fociety. If men were certain as to the time of their removal, it would no doubt make them very flack in their business, and at length cause them quite to give it over, unless pure neceffity obliged them thereto; and this would tend to their family's disadvantage, and the prejudice of the public. But God has in wildom concealed that matter, fo that to hope of enjoyment, caufeth men to be doing till God bid them ftop.

(6.) For a seasoning to the comforts of life, that men may get the allowable comfort in them, and the fap may not be from the beginning fqueezed out of them. If when the child is born, it were certainly known it were to live but fo many days, weeks, or months; or that the parent muft leave it at fuch a certain time; where would the comfort of the relation be? How often would

the

the view of the day of the parting extinguifh it? But God, by keeping it out of fight, prevents thefe forrows.

(7.) For a band to oblige men to act, not according to future events, but the prefent call of providence, and so to make them fubfervient to the defigns thereof. Had Jacob known beforehand that Jofeph's brethren would have caft him into the pit, and fold him for a flave, he would not have let him go. Who would ever entertain the thought of putting that comfort to their mouth, which they certainly knew would be presently fnatched from them, and leave them pierced with many forrows, which yet often falls out? But God will have mens acting to be regulated, not by events, but the prefent call of providence. And men may have peace in that, which providence indeed pointed them to, though the event be heavy.

Laftly, For a memorial to be always ready and on our watch. It is reafonable we fhould be fo, and that at no time we should give ourselves to carnal fecurity; but did we certainly know the time of our removal, we would be apt to fall asleep for the time it were at a diftance, and think it would be enough to watch and be on our guard when the time were at hand.

Learn we from all this to be well fatisfied in the divine conduct as wife and good, in concealing from us the time of our removal; and answer the ends of that difpenfation, in acknowledging our continual dependence on God, taking it as a token to remember the other world, &c.

IV. WE are next to confider the readiness for that removal. And there is a twofold readiness for it, habitual and actual.

First, Habitual, in refpect of our ftate. In the ftate we are in by nature, we are by no means ready for that removal; if we die in that ftate, we perish. We must be out of it in the ftate of grace, if we would be ready, 1 Theff. v. 4. "But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day fhall overtake you as a thief." Col.i. 12,

13. "Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the faints in light; who hath delivered us from the power of darknefs, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son." This is neceffary for our safe passage and arrival in the other world. There is no getting into the ftate of glory, if we are not first brought into the state of grace. To die in the state we were born in, will bury us in the pit. This readiness confifts,

J. In being brought into a relative ftate of grace, whereby the relation we ftand in to God by nature, which is a reasonable one, may be changed into a faving relation to him. And this lies especially in four things.

(1.) A ftate of juftification, pardon and abfolution. By nature we are God's criminals, under his curfe, Eph. ii. 3. How can we be ready in that cafe, for the other world? What can we expect going into it in that condition, but the fentence, "Depart from me, ye curfed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels?" Matth. xxv. 41. Therefore, if we would be ready, we muft fee to be juftified perfons, Rom. v. I, 2. We muft fue out a pardon in God's way, and not reft till we be accepted of him, as righteous; for it is fuch only can have accefs to heaven, from whom the curfe of the broken law is removed. Then, and not till then, is the bar in our way removed.

(2.) A ftate of reconciliation and peace with God, Amos iii. 3. "Can two walk together, except they be agreed?" There can be no walking with him here nor hereafter without it. We are born in a state of enmity with God; there is a legal enmity on the part of heaven against us, a real one on our part; fhould we remove to the other world in that condition, what could be the iffue, but that, Luke xix. 27. "Those mine enemies which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and flay them before me?" Therefore to be ready for the other world, we must be in a state of peace and friendship with the Lord of it. If we be for

Abraham's