and difcovery of this under the difpenfation of the law; but very darkly, in types and shadows: But the gofpet gives us a moft exprefs revelation of it, is full of fpecial promifes to this purpose, made in clear words, free from all ambiguity, or liableness to be interpreted to another fense. So that if we compare the law and the gospel together, we fhall fee a vast difference as to this matter. Under the law, the promise of eternal life was only comprehended in some general words, from which a man that had true notions of God and religion, might be able to infer, that God intended fome reward for good men, and punishment for wicked men beyond this life: But the promises of temporal good things were fpecial and exprefs, and their law was full of them. Contrariwife in the New Teftament, the moft fpecial and exprefs promife is that of eternal life; and this the books of the New Teftament are full of; as for temporal bleffings, they are but fparingly and obfcurely promifed, in comparison of the other.

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2. The rewards of another life, as they are clearly and exprefly revealed by the gofpel, fo that they may have the greater power and influence upon us, and we may have the greater affurance of them, they are revealed with very particular circumftances. And herein the gofpel gives us a great advantage, both above the Heathens and Jews. For though a man was fatisfied in general of a ftate after this life, that mens fouls fhould furvive their bodies, and pass into another world, where it fhall be well with them that have done well in this world, and ill to thofe that have done ill; yet no man, without a revelation, could conjecture the particular circumstances of that ftate. What wild defcriptions do the the Heathen Poets, who were their moft antient divines, make of heaven and hell, of the Elyfian fields, and the infernal regions! But now the gospel, for our greater affurance and fatisfaction, hath revealed many particular circumftances of the future ftate to us; as that all men at the end of the world fhall be fummoned to make a folemn appearance before the Lord Jefus Chrift, whom God hath made Judge of the world, as a reward of his patience and fufferings; that the bodies of men fhall, in order to that appearance, be raised up

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by the mighty power of God, and united to their fouls, that as they have been inftruments of the foul in acts of holiness and fin, fo they may take part likewise in the happiness and torments of it. There are feveral other circumstances the gospel hath revealed to us concerning our future ftate, which, had they not been revealed, we could never have known, hardly have conjectured; in all which, befides the affurance that they are revealed, it is a great fatisfaction to us, that there is nothing in them that is unworthy of God, or that favours of the weakness and vanity of human imagination.

3. The gofpel gives us yet further affurance of these things, by fuch an argument as is like to be the moft convincing and fatisfactory to common capacities; and that is by a lively inftance of the thing to be proved, in raifing Chrift from the dead, Acts xvii. 30, 31.

It is true indeed, under the Old Teftament there were two inftances fomewhat of this nature; Enoch and Elias were immediately tranflated and taken up alive into heaven; but these two inftances do in many refpects fall fhort of the other. For after Chrift was raised from the dead, he converfed forty days with his difciples, and fatisfied them that he was rifen; after which he was in their fight visibly taken up into heaven. And as an evidence that he was poffeffed of his glorious kingdom, he fent down, according to his promife, his holy fpirit in miraculous gifts, to affure them by thofe teftimonies of his royalty, that he was in heaven, and to qualify them by thofe miraculous powers, to convince the world of the truth of their doctrine.

Now, what argument more proper to convince them of another life after this, than to see a man raised from the dead, and restored to a new life? what fitter to fatiffy a man concerning heaven and the happy estate of those there, than to fee one vifibly taken up into heaven? and what more fit to affure us, that the promises of the gospel are real, and shall be made good to us, than to fee him who made these promises to us, raife himself from the dead, and go up into heaven, and from thence to difpenfe miraculous gifts and powers abroad into the world, as evidences of the power and authority which he was

invested withal? All. the philofophical arguments that a man can bring for the foul's immortality, and another life, will have no force upon vulgar apprehenfions, in comparifon of these fenfible demonftrations, which give an experiment of the thing, and furnish us with an instance of fomething of the fame kind, and of equal difficulty with that which is propounded to our belief.

4. And, laftly, the effects which the clear difcovery of this truth had upon the world, are fuch, as the world never faw before, and are a further inducement to perfuade us of the truth and the reality of it. After the gofpel was entertained in the world, to fhew that those who embraced it did fully believe this principle, and were abundantly satisfied concerning the rewards and happiness of another life; they did, for the fake of their religion, defpife this life, and all the enjoyments of it, from a thorough perfuafion of a far greater happiness than any this world could afford, remaining in the next life. With what chearfulnefs did they fuffer perfecutions, with what joy and triumph did they welcome torments, and embrace death, knowing in themfelves that they had in heaven a better and more enduring fubftance! Thus, when life and immortality was brought to light by the gospel, death was, as it were, quite abolished; thofe of the weakeft age and fex, women and children, did familiarly encounter it with as great a bravery, and bore up against the terrors of it with as much courage, as any of the greatest spirits among the Romans ever did: And this not in few inftances, but in vaft numbers. No Emperor in the world. ever had so numerous an army of perfons refolved to fight for him, as this Captain of our falvation, this Prince of life and glory, had of perfons couragiously resolved, and chearfully contented to die for him.

Now, this wonderful effect, the like of which the world never faw before, was very fuitable to the nature of this doctrine. Suppofe that God from heaven should have given men affurance of another life after this, in which good men fhould be unspeakably happy; what more reasonable to imagine, than that perfons, fo affured, fhould defpife this life, and all the enjoyments of it, in comparison of the eternal and unconceivable happiness which VOL. VIII, G

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they were perfuaded they fhould be made partakers of in another world? So that, whatever affurance an exprefs and clear revelation from God, of the foul's immortality and another life, together with the particular circumftances of that ftate; whatever affurance a lively inftance and example of the thing, in the perfon of him who brings this doctrine to the world; whatever confequent miracles, and fuitable effects upon the minds of men to fuch a principle: I fay, whatever affurance and fatisfaction these can give of this principle, all this the gofpel hath given us, beyond whatever the Heathens or Jews had before.

The inference I fhall make from this discourse, fhall be only this, that, if there be fuch a state after this life, then how does it concern every man to provide for it? Every action that we do in this life, will have a good or bad influence upon our everlasting condition, and the confequences of it will extend themfelves to eternity. Did men feriously confider this, that they carry about them immortal fouls that fhall live for ever, they would not trifle away the opportunities of this life, bend all their thoughts, and employ their defigns in the prefent gratification of their fenfes, and the fatisfaction of their fleshly part, which fhall shortly die, and moulder into duft: But they would make provifion for the ftate which is beyond the grave, and lay defigns for eternity, which is infinitely the most confiderable duration; they would not, like children, take care for the prefent, without any profpect to the future, and lay out all they have to please themselves for a day, without any regard to the remaining part of their lives. Nothing can be more unbecoming Christians, whose whole religion pretends to be built upon the firm belief of another world, than to be intent upon the things of this prefent life, to the neglect of their fouls and all eternity.

Seeing then we pretend to be affured of immortal life, and to have clear difcoveries of everlafting happiness and glory, as we hope to be made partakers of this portion, let us live as it becomes the candidates of heaven, those that are heirs of another world, and the children of the refurrection, that this grace of God, which hath brought falvation, may teach us to deny ungodliness and worldly

lufts,

lufts, and to live foberly, righteously and godly in this pre-fent life, looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God, and our Saviour Jefus Chrift.

SERMON CLXXVIII.

Of the certainty of a future judgment.

2 COR. V. 10.

For we must all appear before the judgment-feat of Chrif that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad..

TH

The firft fermon on this text.

HE Apoftle, in the beginning of this chapter, ex-. preffeth his earnest defire, if God faw it fit, to quit this earthly tabernacle, for a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens, to be abfent from the body, and prefent with the Lord. But, however, God hould difpofe of him, he tells us, that he made it his conftant endeavour, fo to behave himself, that, both in this prefent state, whilst he continued in the body, and when he fhould quit it, and appear before God, he might be approved and accepted of him. And that which made him fo careful was, becaufe there was a day certainly coming, wherein every man muft give an account: of himself to the great Judge of the world, and receive: the juft recompence of his actions done in this life, ver. 9, 10. Wherefore we labour, that, whether prefent or abfent, we may be accepted of him. For we must all appear before the judgment-feat of Chrift, that every onemay receive the things done in the body, according to that. he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

Which words are fo plain and powerful, fo eafy to be understood, and of fuch mighty force and influence, if

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thoroughly