4. Purity and peace of conscience make a death-bed soft and easy. The strains and wounds of conscience, in the time of life, are so many thorns in our bed, or pillow, in the time of death, 1 John iii. 21. But integrity gives boldness.
5. The work of obedience faithfully finished, or a steady course of holiness throughout our life, is that which usually yields much peace and joy in death, Acts xx. 24.
6. But above all, the preference of the Comforter with us in that cloudy and dark day, turns it into one of the days of heaven, 1 Pet. iv. 14. And thus ye see, though all dying Christians be equally ' safe, and all supported, and carried through by the power of God ; yet their farewells to the body are not alike cheerful. There are many external and internal circumstantial differences in the death of good men, as Avell as a substantial and essential difference be- twixt all their deaths, and the death of a wicked man.
Query 3. Whether any souls have notices and Jhrewarnlngs given them hy signs or predictions, in an extraordinary way of their ap- proaching separation ?
The terms of this question need a little explanation. Let us therefore briefly consider what is meant by signs, what by predic- tions, and what by extraordinary signs and predictions.
" A sign * is that which represents something else to us than " that whicli is seen or heard." And a sign of death is that which gives notice to our minds that our departure is at hand.
• Signum est quod aliud rejtr^sentat quam qxioi cernitur.
66 A TREATISE OF THE SOtJL OF MAN.
" A prediction * is a forewarning of a person more plainly and *' expressly of any thing which is afterwards to fall out or come to " pass ;"" and a prediction of death is an express notice or message, informing us of our own, or of another's death, to the end the mind may be actually disposed to an expectation thereof.
Of signs, some are ordinary and natural, some extraordinary and supernatural, or at least preternatural.
There are natural symptoms and prognostics of death which are common to most dying persons, and by which physicians inform themselves and others of the state of the sick. These are out of this question, we have nothing to do with them here ; but I am enquiring after extraordinary signs and predictions by words c«r things forewarning us immediately, or by others, of our approach- ing death. The question is. Whether such intimations of death be at any time truly given unto men ? or, Whether we are to take them for fabulous reports, and superstitious fancies ?
For the negative, tlie foUoicing grounds are laid.
Reason 1. The sufficient ordinary provision God hath made in this case, renders all such extraordinary notices and intimations of our death needless : and be sure the most wise God doth nothing in vain. We have three standing, ordinary, and sufficient means tA premonish us of our departure hence, viz. the scriptures, rea- son, and daily examples of mortality before our eyes. The scrip- tures teJl us, our life is but " a vapour, which appeareth for a lit- '« tie while, and then vanisheth away, James iv. 14. That our " days are but as an hand-breadth," and that " every man in his " best estate is vanity,'' Psal. xxxix. 5.
Reason tells us, so feeble a tie as our breath is can never secure our lives long. " The living know that they must die,'' Eccl. ix. 5. The radical moisture, which is daily consuming by the flame of life, must needs be spent ere long.
And all the graves we see opened so frequently, are sufficient warnings, that we ourselves must shortly follow. Therefore, as there was no need of manna, when bread might be had in an or- dinary way, so neither is there need of extraordinary signs, when God hath abundantly furnished us with standing and ordinary means for this purpose.
Reason 2. And as the scriptures render such signs needless, so they seem to be directly against them. Christ commands us to « watch, because we know not in what hour the Lord cometh." Yea, even Isaac himself, an extraordinary person, and endowed with a spirit of prophecy, whereby he foretold the condition of his
f Prcedicere est aliqusm de re alirjua eventura pramotiere.
A TttEATISF QF TitE SOrL OF ^tA-^f. Ci7
tans after Tilmr yet it is said, Gen. xxvii. 2. " That he knew not th«5 •' day of his cJeatli." And it is not reasonable to think tliat coin- nion persons should know that> whicli extraordinary and prophetic persons knew not.
Reason S. All mankind belong ekhor to God or tlio devil. Ta sucli as belong to God, ssuch extraordinary warniiin^s are needless, for they have a watchful principle within them which continually prompts them to mind their change ; and besides death cannot en- danger those that are in Christ, how suddenly or unexpectedly soever it should befal them.
iVnd for wicked men, it cannat be thought God should favour and privilege them in this matter above his own children : and as for Satan he knows not the time of their death himself: and if he did, it would thwai't his design and interest to discover it to them,, Luke xi. 21. So that upon the whole, it should seem such signs and predictions are of no use, and the relations and reports of them fabulous.
But though these reasons make the common and daily use of such signs and predictions needless, yet they destroy not the credibility of them in some cases and at some times. For,
1. There are recorded instances in scripture of premonitions and predictions of the death of persons. Thus the death of Abijah was foretold to his mother by the pmphet, and the precise hour thereof which fell out answerably, 1 Kings xiv. 6, 12. And thus the death of the king of xYssyria was foretold exactly both as to kind and place, Isa. xxxvii. 7, — 37, 38.
S. These predictions serve to other ends and uses sometimes^ than the preparation of the persons warned, even to display the fore-knowledge, power, and justice of God, in marking out his enemies for ruin. xVnd, thus, " the Lord is known by the judg* " nients that he exccuteth,'' Psalm ix. 16.
Thus Mr. Knox predicted the very place and manner of the death of the laird of Grange *. " You have som.etimes seen the courage and constancy of the laird of Grange in the cause of God, and now that unhappy man is casting himself away. I pray you, go ro him from me, (said Mr. Knox) and tell him, that unless he for- sake that wicked course he is in, the rock wherein he confideth shall not defend him, nor the carnal wisdom of that man, (mean- ing the young Leshington) whom he counteth half a God, shall help him : but he shall be shamefully pulled out of that nest, and his carcase hung before the sun." And even so it fell out in the fol- lowing year, when the castle was taken, and lii^ body hanged out
* (Mark's Lives, p. 2?7.
68 A TREATISE OF THE SOUL OF MAX.
before the sun. Thus God exactly fulfilled the prediction of his death.