When Ministers or Christians came to him, he would beg of them to spend all the time they had with him in praise. ‘O help me to praise God, I have nothing to do from this time to eternity, but to praise and love God. I have what my soul desires upon earth; I cannot tell what to pray for, but what I have graciously given.’ The wants that are capable of supplying in this world, are supplied. I want but one thing, and that is, _a speedy lift to heaven_. I expect no more here, I can’t desire more, I can’t hear more. Oh praise, praise, praise that infinite boundless love that hath, to a wonder, looked upon my soul. ‘Help me, O my friends, to praise and admire him that hath done such astonishing wonders for my soul: he hath pardoned all my sins, he hath filled me with his goodness; he hath given me grace and glory, and no good thing hath he withheld from me.
‘Come, help me with praises, all are too little: come, help me, Oh ye glorious and mighty angels, who are so well skilled in this heavenly work. Praise him, all ye creatures upon earth, let every thing that hath being, help me to praise him, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah: praise is now my work, and I shall be engaged in that sweet employment for ever. Bring the bible, turn to _David’s psalms_, and let us sing a _psalm_ of praise: come let us lift up our voice in the praise of the Most High; I with you as long as my breath doth last, and when I have none, I shall do it better.’
Then turning to some of his friends that were weeping, he desired them rather to rejoice than weep. It may seem a wonder, he could speak so much as he did when he was so weak; but the joy of the Lord strengthened him.
He commended the study of the promises to believers, and desired that they would be sure to make good their claim to them, and then they might come to the wells of consolation and drink thereof their fill.
According to his desire most of the time that was spent with him, was spent in praise; and he would be still calling out, _more praise still_. ‘O help me to praise him; I have now nothing else to do; I have done with prayer and all other ordinances; I have almost done conversing with mortals. I shall presently be beholding Christ himself, that died for me, and loved me, and washed me in his blood.
‘I shall, before a few hours are over, be in eternity, singing the song of _Moses_, and of the _Lamb_. I shall presently stand upon mount _Zion_, with an innumerable company of angels, and the spirits of the just made perfect, and Jesus the mediator of the new covenant. I shall hear the voice of much people, and be one amongst them, which shall say, hallelujah, salvation, glory, honour, and power unto the Lord our God; and again, we shall say, hallelujah. Yet a very little while, and I shall sing unto the _Lamb_, saying, worthy, art thou to receive praise who wert slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood, out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation, and hast made us unto our God, kings, and priests, and we shall reign with thee for ever and ever.
‘Methinks, I stand, as it were, with one foot in heaven, and the other upon earth. Methinks I hear the melody of heaven, and see the angels waiting to carry my soul to the bosom of Jesus, I shall be for ever with the Lord in glory. And who can chuse but rejoice in all this?’
The day before his death, he looked earnestly on his brother _James_, who stood by him very sad; of whom he judged, that he was putting up some ejaculation to God upon his account: _I thank thee, my dear brother, for thy love_, said he, _thou art now praying for me; and I know thou hast loved me dearly: but Christ loved me ten thousand times more than thou dost; come and kiss me dear brother, before I die_. And so with his cold, dying lips he kissed him, and said, _I shall go before, and I hope thou shalt follow after to glory_.
Though he was almost always praising God, and exhorting them that were about him to mind their everlasting concerns, and though he slept but very little for some nights, yet he was not in the least impaired in his intellectuals, but his actions were all decent and becoming, and his discourse rational, solid, divine. And so he continued to the last minute.
A few hours before his death he called all his relations together, that he might give them one solemn warning more; and bless them, and pray for them as his breath and strength would give him leave: which he did with abundance of authority, affection and spirituality.
_First_, he thanked his dear mother for her tender love to him, and desired that she might be in travail to see Christ formed in the souls of the rest of her children, and might see of the travail of her soul, and meet them with joy in that great day.