Page:Great importance of a suitable preparation for death (2).pdf/15

and it is a difficult work to confer aright; I muſt tell you, it is a more difficult work to die aright, than any of theſe. It is true, it is more difficult to communicate aright, then to pray aright, yet it is much more difficult to die aright, than to communicate aright, for it is a more difficult work to die in the Lord. Death will put the most accurate Chriſtian that is here to a wonderful ſearch, and therefore I will tell you nine things that death will try in thee; 1. Death will try both the reality and ſtrength of thy faith. It may be eaſy for thee to keep up faith under many difficulties, but death will put thy faith to the greateſt ſtreſs that ever it did meet with. Yea, know this, that the faith of the ſtrongeſt believer may get (and ordinarily doth get) a ſet at death, the like whereof it never got before; therefore prepare for death. 2. Death will try thy love to God: ſome perſons pretend much love to him, but death will propoſe this queſtion to ſuch a perſon, 'Loveſt thou him more than theſe? Loveſt thou him more than thy wife, more than thy houſe, more than thy friends?' But your unwillingneſs to die, giveth us much ground to fear that many have little love to Chriſt, but much to the world, and ſo dare not anſwer the queſtion, 'Lord thou knoweſt that I love thee.' 3 Death will try the enjoyments; ſome of you may be ready to think that ye meet with many enjoyments, ſo that ye may reckon (as you think) to forty enjoyments and ſweet out-lettings; but beware that death bring them not down to twenty: I have known ſome, who thought they have met forty times with God, but when death came, it made them take down the count to the half; therefore, ſeeing death will try the reality of thine enjoyments, O prepare for it. 4. Death will try thy patience. Thou mayeſt ſeem to have much patience now, but when death cometh (and thou art put to die) it will put thy patience to a great trial, therefore prepare for it. 5. Death will try the reality of thy duties, yea, even theſe duties wherein thou hadſt moſt ſatisfaction, as thy communicating aright in ſuch a place, thou hopeſt that is ſure; thy reading the ſcripture at ſuch a time aright, thou hopeſt that is