MR BROWN's DYING ADVICES

TO HIS

CONGREGATION AND OTHER HEARERS

MY DEAR HEARERS,

HAVING, through the patience and mercy of God,

.

long laboured among you, not as I ought,-far, very far from it, but as I could, I must now leave you, to appear before the judgment-feat of CHRIST, to give an account of my stewardship. You cannot fay that I ever appeared to covet any man's filver, or gold, or apparel, or ever uttered one murmur about what you gave me ; or that I fought yours, not you. You cannot charge me with idling away my devoted time in vain chat, either with you or others, or with spending it in worldly business, reading of plays, romances, or the like. If I. had, what an awful appearance fhould I foon have before my all-feeing Judge. You cannot pretend that I • fpared either body or mind in the fervice of your fouls; or that I put you off with airy conceits of man's wisdom, or any thing else than the truths of God. Though I was not ashamed, as I thought providence called me, to give you hints of the truths presently injured, and the fupport of which is the declared end of the Seceffion;

1

yet

yet I laboured chiefly to show, and inculcate upon your confciences, the most important truths concerning your finfulness and mifery, and the way of falvation from both, through Christ; and laboured to hunt you out of all your lying refuges, and give your confciences no rest, but in Chrift, and him crucified. The delight of my foul was to commend him, and his free and great falvation to your fouls, and to direct and encourage you to receive and walk in him.

I call heaven and earth to record against you this day, that I laboured to fet death and life, bleffing and curfing, before you, and to perfuade you to choofe life, that ye might live. By the grace of God, I have endeavoured (however poorly) to live holily, justly, and unblameably among you. And now I leave all these discourses, exhortations, inftructions, and example, as a teftimony for the LORD against you, if you lay not your eternal falvation to heart, as the one thing needful, the better part that fhall not be taken from you.

But I have no confidence in any of these things before God as my judge. I fee fuch weakness, fuch deficiency, fuch unfaithfulness, fuch imprudence, fuch unfervency and unconcern, fuch felfishness in all that I have done, as a minifter, or a Chriftian, as richly deserves the deepest damnation of hell. I have no hope of eternal happiness, but in JESUS' blood, which cleanseth from all fin; in redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of my fins, according to the riches of his grace. It is the everlasting covenant of God's free grace, well ordered in all things and fure, that is all my falva tion, and all my defire,

Now

Now I die firmly perfuaded of the truth of these things which I preached unto you. I never preached unto you any other way of falvation than I efflayed to ufe for myself. I now, when dying, fet to my feal that GOD is true. After all that I have faid of the finfulness of your hearts, I have not represented to you the ten thoufandth part of their vileness and guilt. Knowing, in fome meafure, the terrors of the LORD, I endeavoured to perfuade you, that it was a fearful thing to fall into the hands of his wrath; but who knows the power of his wrath? Knowing, in some measure, the deceitfulnefs of fin, and devices of Satan, I laboured to warn you of them. But what especially delighted my heart, was to fet before you the excellencies, the love, the labours of our Redeemer, and God in him, giving himself, and applying himself to finful men; and to reprefent to you the work of God on the heart in the day of his power, and the exercise of the heart in its diverfified frames. What I saw, and tasted, and handled, both of the bitter and the fweet in religion, delivered I unto you. Little as I am acquainted with the Lord, I will leave it as my dying teftimony, that there is none like Chrift; there is nothing like fellowship with Chrift. I dare aver, before God, angels, and men, that I would `not exchange the pleasures of religion which I have enjoyed, especially in the days of my youth, for all the pleasures, profits, and honours of this world, fince the creation till this prefent moment, ten thousand times told. For what then would I exchange my entrance into the joy of my Lord, and being for ever with him? Truly God hath been good to a foul that but poorly

fought

fought him. O what would he be to yours, if you would earnestly feek him! With what heart-ravishing power and grace, he hath teftified against my wicked and unbelieving heart, that he is God, even my God! And now whom have I in heaven but him? nor is there any on earth whom I defire befides him. My heart and flesh fail, but God is the ftrength of my heart, and my portion for ever.-Left early by both father and mother, the LORD hath taken me up, and been the orphan's ftay. He hath given me the heritage of those that fear him. The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places. I have a goodly heritage. God is the portion of mine inheritance, and of my cup; he maintaineth my lot; yea, mine own God is he; my God that doth me fave.

Had I ten thousand worlds in my offer, and these secured to me for ever, they should be utterly contemned. Doubtless, I count all things but lofs, for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord; and I do count them but dung to win him, and to be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law; but the righteoufnefs of God, which is through faith.

Now, when I go to give my account to God, think what it must be: Alas! muft it be, that in too great confortnity to your careless neighbours, fome did not attend the means of grace at examinations, meetings for prayer and spiritual conference, as ye ought? Must it be, that after labouring so many years among you, I left less lively religion in the congregation than I found in it at firft? Muft it be, that ye were called, but ye made

light

of

light of the marriage with Christ, and of his great falvation? Muft it be, that ye contented yourselves with a form of godliness, without knowing the power of it? Must it be, that some few, trampling on their most folemn engagements, forfook me, having loved this prefent world? Muft it be, that others were not careful to train their feed for the Lord? Muft it be, that up ye ten heard the most searching fermons, or the most delightful, and went away quite unaffected? Or, muft it be, that you were awakened; that your fouls looked to Jefus, and were enlightened; that ye believed with your heart unto falvation; that ye harrowed in the feed of the truth, which I fowed upon you, by serious meditation and fervent prayer? that ye laboured to win fouls to Chrift?

Alas! I fear many of you will go down to hell with a lic in your right hand; go down to hell with all the gofpel fermons and exhortations you ever heard, in your conscience, to affift it to upbraid, gnaw, and torment you!

My dearly beloved hearers, fhall I fee you next in everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels? Shall I see these faces all in flames at the last day, and thefe eyes, which often looked at me, looking lively, bright horror at the judgment-feat of Chrift? Muft I hear that Redeemer bid you depart from him as cursed, into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels? And muft I, who have fo often prayed for your falvation, and preached for your falvation, add my hearty Amen to the fentence of your eternal damnation ? God forbid !

Let