an end; therefore our removal out of it into the other world is most certain. "This is not your reft, because it is polluted;" and because of its pollution, it must be burnt up, 2 Pet. iii. 10. Now the foul is immortal, and the body shall have a resurrection, and fo the man must be for ever; he must be in some world, and fince this will be destroyed, he must certainly remove to the other.

4. Our life in this world is a journey thro' it, ending in a going out of it, and therefore into the other world, Pfal. xxxix. ult. We enter upon it at our birth, make progrefs therein in our life, and come to the end of it at death, which is the paffage into the other world. All things are in motion here, and every thing undergoes changes; but none does more fo than man, who fprings up, and quickly goes down again; and at length his place knows him no more.

4. Death, the paffage into the other world, is ap、 pointed to all, Heb. ix. 27. "It is appointed unto men once to die." All must pass through that dark and fhady vale, and then they are in the other world; and have no more concern in what is done under the fun. And the certainty of our dying, we may not only read in our Bibles; but in our very bodies themselves, where every gripe, pain, and weakness we feel overtaking us, are tokens of death approaching.

Laftly, The experience of all ages fince the beginning confirms the certainty of this removal. Where are the generations that have been before us? They are no more to be seen in this world, more than if they had never been in it. Yet God's word affures us that they are in being, the godly ones of them happy, and the ungodly miferable. They are gone then into the other world. And do we not fee by daily obfervation, that the course of dying is continuing as before? And are there any of us all, who have not some that were our acquaintance in this world, already removed into the other before us? And are we to expect the rocks to be removed for us?

III. THE next head is to confider the uncertainty of the time of this removal. And here I fhall fhew,

1. How this uncertainty of the time of our removal is to be understood.

2. How it appears.

3. Why the Lord has kept men at this uncertainty. FIRST, I am to fhew how this uncertainty of the time of our removal is to be understood.

1. It is not to be understood, as if the time of our removal were abfolutely uncertain, and undetermined with God. No; it is determined exactly and precifely to the least moment, at what time each of us fhall make our removal into the other world, how much time we shall pass in this life, and beyond which we shall not go, Job xiv. 4. "His days are determined, the number of his months are with thee, thou haft appointed his bounds that he cannot pass." However uncertain it is as to us, it is as certain before the Lord as any thing can be. This is evident; for,

The decree of God reacheth the least of things, even to the very numbering of the hairs of our head, Mat. 1. 30. And can we think that he who numbers the hairs of our head, numbers not the days of our life that we shall fulfil? Truly they are foon numbered to him, being "as an handbreadth, and as nothing before him," Pfal. xxxix. 5. and he knows them exactly, Job xiv. 5. How elfe could he forefhew certainly mens death, as he did Mofes's, Deut. xxxi. 14. and that of Jeroboam's child? 1 Kings xiv. 12, 17.

It is certain, that man cannot fubfist a moment, but as God holds him in life; fo the withdrawing of his fupport must put an end to it, Pfal. xc. 3. And he knows certainly what he will do, Acts xv. 18. And who can doubt, but he certainly knows when he is to receive his own people into glory, and when the day of his enemies will come? Fifteen years were added to the years that Hezekiah had lived, but not to the term of life appointed of God. But,

2. This

2. This uncertainty is to be understood, with refe rence to us. Though it is certain in respect of the decree of God, yet it is uncertain in refpect of our know. ledge of it. Men may conjecture about it, by figns; and no doubt God may as he fees meet difcover the time of one's removal, either to himself or to others. But otherwise, it is most uncertain to us.

SECONDLY, I fhall fhew how this uncertainty of the time of our removal appears.

1. Our removal depends entirely on the will of another, quite concealed from us, Luke xii. 36. It is fo with us, that we cannot go when we please, were we never so fond of the other world, or weary of this. It is the will of his command revealed, that we wait the will of his providence for the removing, in all cafes without exception, Ex.xx.13. It was the peculiar prerogative of the man Chrift, to be Lord of his own life, John x. 18. And tho' defperate proud finners invade it, he can by his providence draw a bar before them, that either in mercy or in wrath fhall oblige them to wait his time, of both which there have been instances; howbeit fometimes in wrath, the will of his providence attends their will, and gives them their fwing. But however, our removal depends not on our own but his will, not to be discovered but by the event; which therefore makes it utterly uncertain to us.

2. We plainly perceive that God does not keep one time for the removal of men into the other world.

Had he appointed one certain term of years and days, to which every one should come, and no body fall short of; then we would have had no more ado to know our time, but to have counted what we were short of that common term of life; but there is no fuch common term appointed, but fome are removed fooner, others latter; and there is no stage of life whatsoever, infancy, childhood, youth, middle age, old age, but some are removed therein. And which of them we have not feen hall be ours, we know not. So we are kept uncertain.

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3. As

3. As there is no period of life, so there is no ftate of health, that may not be brangled by fickness, and overthrown by death. When men are in a fixed state of health, ftrong, lively, and vigorous, they feem to be fartheft removed from death; but how often do we see death at the heels of fuch a state? How many ftrong and lufty go off as foon as these that are weak, groaning under various infirmities? Job xxi. 23,—26. We have an instance, in the rich man that fared fumptuouf. ly every day, as well as the beggar which was laid at his gate full of fores, Luke xvi. 22. Nay, often the weak and fickly prolong their life, while the strong are moved down and carried off one after another, Job iii. 20, 21. “Wherefore is light given to him that is in mifery, and life unto the bitter in foul? which long for death, but it cometh not, and dig for it more than for hid treasures?" Compared with Luke xii. 19, 20. "And I will fay to my foul, Soul, thou haft much goods laid up for many years; take thine eafe, eat, drink, and be merry. But God faid unto him, Thou fool, this night thy foul fhall be required of thee." What uncertainty appears there?

4. Oft-times when death is least minded, and fartheft out of one's thoughts, it is at the door; the removal into the other world comes when men are thinking of nothing, but fixing themselves and enjoying the pleafures of this, 1 Theff. v. 3. "For when they shall fay, Peace and safety, then fudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape." Luke xii. 20. juft cited. How many have revelled away into the other world, going down to the fides of the pit, as with tabret and pipe! how many drunkards and debauchees have never come to themfelves, till they were removed out of this world! going into that world without a capacity for a previous thought of it! So utterly uncertain are men.

5. Man's life is liable to various accidents, for taking it away, Eccl. ix. 12. "For man also knoweth not his

time, as the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the fnare; fo are the fons of men fnared in an evil time, when it falleth fuddenly upon them." What tho' you are in perfect health, and no cause of death appears from within? There are fo many things from without, that may beat up your quarters in this world, and hurry you into the other, that ye are still at an uncertainty;

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as when a man goeth into the wood with his neighbour to hew wood, and his hand fetcheth a ftroke with the ax to cut down the tree, and the head flippeth from the helve, and lighteth upon his neighbour that he die," Deut. xix. 5. Luke xiii. 1, 4. Fire, water, ftones falling or lying in the way, beafts of the field, fowls of the air, &c. a thousand unforeseen accidents may be inftruments of our removal, blowing out life.

6. How often do men seeking life find death; and labouring for their flay, haften their removal; Such uncertainty are we kept at. Senfual men pamper the body, with defign to keep it up; and by their intemperance in eating and drinking, deftroy it; laying on fo much fuel that they put out the fire. And where that is not the cafe, how often is death found in phyfic, and in neceffary food, taken with a defign to preserve life? 2 Kings iv. 40. A morfel at a meal has choked fome, and removed them from their covered table into the other world. A hair in milk, and a stone in a raifin, it is faid, has done the bufinefs.

Laftly, Where there has been no vifible caufe from without, nor fenfible cause from within, how many have fuddenly dropt down dead, to the perfect surprise of their relations and neighbours aware of no cause thereof! Our life is in the hand of the Giver always, as a ball in the hand of him that holds it up; there needs no more but to withdraw that hand, and that moment we fall, Pfal. xc. 3. "Thou turnest man to destruction; and fayeft, Return, ye children of men," and civ. 29. THIRDLY, It remains on this head to fhew why the

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