Reafon 3. All mankind belong either to God or the devil. To fuch as belong to God, fuch extraordinary warnings are needlefs, for they have a watchful principle within them, which continually prompts them to mind their change; and befides, death cannot endanger those that are in Christ, how suddenly or un expectedly foever it fhould befal them.

And for wicked men, it cannot 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 thwart his design and intereft to discover it to them, Luke xi. 21. So that upon the whole, it should seem fuch figns and predictions are of no use, and the relations and reports of them fabulous.

But though these reasons make the common and E contra. daily use of such signs and predictions needlefs, yet they destroy not the credibility of them in all cafes, and at all times.

For,

I. There are recorded inftances in fcripture, of premonitions and predictions of the death of perfons. Thus the death of Abijah was foretold to his mother by the prophet, and the precife hour thereof, which fell out anfwerably, 1 Kings xiv. 6, 12. And, thus, the death of the king of Affyria was foretold exactly, both as to kind and place, Ifa. xxxvii. 7,

37, 38. 2. These predictions ferve to other ends and ufes fometimes, than the preparation of the perfons warned, even to display the fore-knowledge, power, and juftice of God, in marking out his enemies for ruin. And, thus, "the Lord, is known by the judgments that he executeth," Pfal. ix. 16.

Thus Mr. Knox predicted the very place and manner of the death of the laird of Grange*. You have fometimes feen the courage and conftancy of the laird of Grange in the caufe of God, and now that unhappy man is cafting himself away. I pray you, go to him from me, (faid Mr. Knox), and tell him, that unless he forfakes that wicked courfe he is in, the rock wherein he confideth fhall not defend him, nor the carnal wif doin of that man, (meaning the young Lefhington) whom he counteth half a God, fhall help him: but he fhall be shamefully pulled out of that neft, and his carcafe hung before the fun. And even fo it fell out in the following year, when the castle was taken, and his body hanged out before the fun. Thus God exactly fulfilled the prediction of his death.

Rr 2

Clark's Lives, p. 277.

The fame Mr. Knox, in the year 1566, being in the pulpit at Edinburgh, upon the Lord's day, a paper was given up to him, among many others, wherein thefe words were fcoffingly written concerning the earl of Murray, who was flain the day before, "Take up the man whom ye accounted another God." At the end of the fermon, Mr. Knox bewailed the loss that the church and state had by the death of that virtuous man; and then added, "There is one in this company that makes this "horrible murder the subject of his mirth, for which all good men should be forry; but I tell him, he fhall die where there "fhall be none to lament him." The man that wrote this paper was one Thomas Metellan, a young gentleman, who fhortly after, in his travels, died in Italy, having none to assist or lament him.

3. And others have had premonitions and figns of their own deaths, which accordingly fell out. And thefe premonitions have been given them, fometimes by ftrong irrefiftible impreffions upon their minds, fometimes in dreams, and fometimes by unusual elevations of their fpirits in duties of communion with God.

(1.) Some have had strong and irrefiftible impreffions of their approaching change, made upon their minds. So had Sir Anthony Wingfield, who was flain at Breft, anno 1594 †. At his undertaking of that expedition, he was ftrongly perfuaded it would be his death; and therefore fo fettled and difpofed of his eftate, as one that never reckoned to return again. And the day before he died, he took order for the payment of his debts, as one that ftrongly prefaged the time was now at hand; which accordingly fell out the next day.

Much of the fame nature was that of the late earl of Marlborough, who fell in the Holland war He not only prefaged his own fall in that encounter, (which was exactly answered in the event) but left behind him that memorable and excellent letter, which evidenced to all the world, what deep and fixed apprehenfions of eternity it had left upon his fpirits. Many examples of this nature might be produced, of fuch as have, in their perfect health, foretold their own death; and others, who have dropt fuch paffages as were afterwards better understood by their forrowful friends, than when they first dropt from their lips.

(2) Others have been premonished of their death by dreams, fometimes their own, and sometimes others. The learned and

Sir John Norris's expedition, p. 46

judicious Amyraldus gives us this well attefted relation of Lewis of Bourbon, That a little before his journey from Dreux, he dreamed that he had fought three fuccefsful battles, wherein his three great enemies were flain, but that at last he himself was mortally wounded: and that after they were laid upon one another, he alfo was laid upon the dead bodies. The event was remarkable; for the Marefchal of St. Andree was killed at Dreux, the duke of Guife at Orleans, the conftable of Montmorency at St. Denis: and this was the triumvirate, which had fworn the ruin of thofe of the reformed religion, and the deftruction of that prince. At laft, he himself was flain at Balfac, as if there had been a continuation of deaths and funerals.

Suetonius in the life of Julius Caefar, tells us, that the night before he was flain, he had divers premonitions thereof, for that night all the doors and windows of his chambar flew open; his wife alfo dreamed that Caefar was flain, and that he had him in her arms. The next day he was flain in Pompey's court, having received 23 wounds in his body.

Pamelius in the life of Cyprian, tells us, for a most certain and well attested truth, that upon his first entrance into Garubis (the place of his banishment) it was revealed to him in a dream, or vifion, that upon that very day twelve-month he fhould be confummate which accordingly fell out; for a little before the time prefixed, there came fuddenly two apparitors to bring him before the new proconful Galeius, by whom he was condemned, as having been a ftandard-bearer of his fect, and an enemy of the gods. Whereupon he was condemned to be beheaded, a multitude of Chriftians following him, crying, Let us die together with him.

And as remarkable is that recorded by the learned and ingenious Dr. Sterne, of Mr. Ufher of Ireland, a man, faith he, of great integrity, dear to others by his merits, and my kinfman in blood: who upon the 8th day of July 1657, went from this to a better world. About four of the clock the day before he did, a matron, who died a little before, and whilst living was dear to Mr. Ufher, appeared to him in his fleep, and invited him to fup with her the next night: he at first denied her, but the more vehemently preffing her requeft on him, at last he confented, and that very night he died.

I have alfo the fulleft affurance that can be, of the truth of

Amyraldus, of divine dreams, p. 122, 123.

Pamelius in vita Cypriani.

* Dr. Sterne's differtatio de morte, p. 163.

this following narrative. A perfon yet living was greatly con cerned about the welfare of his dear father and mother, who were both shut up in London, in the time of the great contagion in 1665. Many letters he fent to them, and many hearty prayers to heaven for them. But about a fortnight before they were infected, he fell about break of day into this dream, That he was in a great inn which was full of company, and being very defirous to find a private room, where he might feek God for his parents life, he went from room to room, but found company in them all; at laft, cafting his eye into a little chamber, which was empty, he went into it, locked the door, kneeled down by the outfide of the bed, fixing his eyes upon the plaiftered wall, within fide the bed; and whilft he was vehemently begging of God the life of his friends, there appeared upon the plailter of the wall before him, the fun and moon fhining in their full ftrength. The fight at first amazed and difcompofed him fo far, that he could not continue his prayer, but kept his eye fixed upon the body of the fun; at last a small line or ring of black, no bigger than that of a text-pen, circled the fun, which increasing fenfibly, eclipfed in a little time the whole body of it, and turned it into a blackish colour; which done, the figure of the fun was immediately changed into a perfect death's head, and after a little while vanished quite away. The moon ftill continued fhining as before; but while he intently beheld it, it also darkened in like manner, and turned alfo into another death's head, and vanished. This made fo great an impreffion upon the beholder's mind, that he immediately awaked in confufion and perplexity of thoughts about his dream; and awaking his wife, related the particulars to her with much emotion and concernment; but how to apply it, he could not prefently tell, only he was fatisfied that the dream was of an extraordinary nature: at laft Jofeph's dream came to his thoughts with the like emblems, and their interpretation; which fully fatisfied him that God had warned and prepared him thereby for a fudden parting with his dear relations; which anfwerably fell out in the fame order, his father dying that day fortnight following, and his mother just a month afterwards.

I know there is much vanity in dreams; and yet I am fully fatisfied, fome are weighty, fignificant and declarative of the purposes of God.

(3.) Laftly, An unufual and extraordinary elevation of the foul to God, and enlargement in communion with him, hath been a fignifying forerunner of the death of fome good men: for as the body hath its levamen ante ferale, lightning before.

death, and more vegete and brisk a little before its diffolution, fo it is fometimes with the foul alfo. I have known tome perfons to arrive on a fudden to fuch heights of love to God, and vehement longings to be diffolved, that they might be with Christ, that I could not but look upon it, as Christ did upon the box of ointment, as done against their death: and fo indeed it hath proved in the event.

Thus it was with that renowned faint, Mr. Brewen of Stapleford; as he excelled others in the holinefs of his life, fo he much excelled himself towards his death, his motions towards heaven being then moft vigorous and quick. The day before his laft fickness, he had fuch extraordinary enlargements of heart in his closet-duty, that he feemed to forget all the concernments of his body, and this lower world; and when his wife told him, Sir, I fear you have done yourself hurt with rifing fo early; he answered, "If you had seen fuch glorious things as I "faw this morning in private prayer with God, you would "not have faid fo; for they were fo wonderful and unspeakable, "that whether I was in the body, or out of the body, with " Paul, I cannot tell."

And fo it was with learned and holy Mr. Rivet, who seemed as a man in heaven, just before he went thither; and fo it hath been with thousands befide these. I confefs it is not the lot of every gracious foul (as was thewed you in the last question) nor doth it make any difference as to the fafety of the foul, whatever it makes as to comfort. Let all therefore labour to make fure their union with Chrift, and live in the daily exercises of grace, in the duties of religion; and then, though God fhould give them no fuch extraordinary warning one way or other, they fhall never be surprised by death to their lofs, let it come never fo unexpectedly upon them.

Queft. It may be álfo queried, whether Satan, by his intruments, may not foretel the death of fome men? How elfe did the witch of Endor fortel the death of Saul? and the Soothfayers the death of Caefar upon the Ides, (i. e.) the fifteenth day of March, which was the fatal day to him?

Sol. Foreknowledge of things to come, which appear not in their next caufes, is certainly the Lord's prerogative, Ifa. xli.

Whatever, therefore, Satan doth in this matter, must be done either by conjecture or commiffion. As to the cafe of Saul, 'tis not to be queftioned but that he knowing the kingdom was made to David by promife, and that the Lord was depart-ed from Saul, and feeing how near the armies were to a battle, might strongly conjecture and conclude, and accordingly tell