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the heavenly paradise above, or in the place of per petual torment? What idea have What idea have you formed of an invifible world? Whither does your conception lead you, when you reflect on deftruction from the prefence of the Lord, and on his favour, which is life? Eternity lies before you, and you are haftening forwards. What exemption do you claim from the dominion of the grave, and the ftroke of the king of terrors? What is your opinion of an eternal world? We furely are not laying before you things doubtful. in their infue, or uncertain in their operation. Since: the creation of the world, vanity is written on the pride of man; and his ftrength, and glory, and beau-. ty, have been laid in the dust.

Let us therefore frequently and feriously meditate on death. Without being all our lifetime fubject to: bondage, feeing we have a fure foundation of hope, let every ordinary occurrence, every revolution of feafon, and every change of circumstance, bring to our mind, that, in a fhort time, we must put off this tabernacle of the body, and lay it down in the grave. When we lie down to fleep, let us meditate on fleep as the image of death, and remember, that, in a few days, we must sleep in a bed of duft. When we awake, perhaps this may be the last morning we fhall enjoy before that of the refurrection. Thus, even the most common and ordinary actions of our lives may be improved to remind us of death; nay, almost. every thing around us, and every condition of life in which we are placed, fhould lead us to the fame : pious meditations.

When you behold the flowers of the field, you should think with the prophet, that all flesh is grafs, and the goodlinefs thereof as the flower of the field: in the morning, it flourisheth and groweth up ;` in the evening, it is cut down, and withereth. Man is as vanity; his days are as a fhadow that pafleth away.. Man's life is as the wind; a wind that paffeth away, and cometh not again. When you look up to the heavens, and behold their beauty and their glory,

N 3

confider

confider that if you be serious Chriftians, God hath formed you, not always to dwell on this earth, but to dwell for ever with himself in the heavenly world. If your profperity and your family fhall increafe, let not this banish from your mind proper reflections on death in a little time you must give place to your children, and leave your enjoyments to their poffeffion. Whatever be our condition in-the world, and in whatever manner we may be employed, let us lift up our hearts to God in fuch ferious meditations as these.

But how many, instead of confidering their latter end, perfift in a careless and thoughtless indifference, as if this world and they were to be everlafting and infeparable companions; or, at beft, as if both foul and body were to be deftroyed by death! They spend their time in diffipation and vanity, in making provifion for the flesh, to fulfil the lufts and affections thereof; but death and eternity are not in all their thoughts. How, alas! has the God of this world blinded their eyes, that the daily inftances of the mortality of their fellow-creatures cannot awaken them out of this fatal lethargy! Oiners fatisfy themselves with a few good wishes, or fome fuperficial thoughts; but never think of making it the bufinefs of their lives to prepare for eternity. Such men labour under a grofs delufion, a moft miferable infatuation for death is approaching, and every day brings you nearer to the grave; nay, you know not but it may be at the door: and yet you are unprepared for the fummons, and regardlefs of the confequences. O, foolish men, when will you be wife? How long fhall fuch vain thoughts lodge within you?

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I beseech you, therefore, by the coming of the Lord Jefus Chrift, and as you value the falvation and happiness of your own fouls, awake out of this fatal fleep, before your eyes be closed in darknefs; and fpeedily begin this great and neceffary work, the ferious preparation for death and eternity. Of all the

labour

labour which you can find to do under the fun, there is none fo folemn and important as this. If you die in your fins, ftrangers to the Captain of your falvation, ignorant of the power of religion in the heart, in a state of nature and enmity with God, your mifery will be inexpreffible, and your condition hopeless for ever. But, to die in peace and friendship with God, through the blood of Jefus, and, at the clofe of a life of holy obedience, to die in union with Christ, and under the gracious influence of his Spirit, this is to deprive death of his fting; this is to leave a world of fin, darknefs, and forrow, and to enter into a world of immortal light and life, to be with Chrift, and to behold his glory. Let not, then, the trifling affairs of this prefent, uncertain, and tranfitory life, make you forget the hour of your departure: but let it be your great concern to meditate often, and feriously, on death; and make fuch effectual preparation for it, as will give you hope in the profpect, and comfort in the time. And in order to this, ftudy above all things, by ferious repentance, and fincere faith in the mercy of God through Chrift, to get your peace made with him, and your title to a bleffed immortality fecured. And, finally, let the lively views of your latter end powerfully influence you to the ftudy and practice of holinefs. Let your loins be always girt about, and your lamps burning, that you may be ready to enter in, before the door be fhut. Be diligent in the improvement of the talent with which you are entrusted, for, in a very little, death will bring you that awful meffage, "Give "an account of thy stewardship, for thou must be no "longer fteward." And bleffed is that fervant, whom his Lord, when he cometh, fhall find fo doing.

To conclude: Let us carefully guard against whatever may be difpleafing to God, and hurtful to the peace of our own minds. And let us cultivate those graces and virtues, and be diligent in the discharge of thofe duties, which may make us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the faints.. Our time of

warfare

warfare and combat, of labour and fuffering, will foon be over. Let us be careful to fill it up with all that fruitful fervice, which will render our great and final account comfortable. In a word, let us live to Chrift; and then, to die, will be our unspeakable and everlasting gain. The hour of death is the hour of triumph to the Chriftian. In the valley and fhadow of it, the rod and the staff of the Almighty, fupport him. When his heart and his fleth fail within him, God is the ftrength of his heart, and his portion for ever.

SER

SERMON XIII.

1

THE GROUNDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT UNDER

AFFLICTION STATED.

I SAMUEL Xxx. 6.

But David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.

TH

HERE is nothing that distinguishes the righteous and the wicked more plainly from one another, than the means by which they support themfelves in affliction, and the methods they take to obtain relief. Wicked men, under the preffure of diftress, fly to every worldly object, which, they think, can adminifter the leaft alleviation of their pain. Forfaking the Fountain of living waters, they hew out for themselves cifterns, broken cifterns, that can hold no water. Thus, Saul, in one of the most diftrefsing fituations of his life, applied for relief to a woman who had a familiar fpirit: and, in like manner, when Ahaz, one of his fucceffors in the throne, found himfelf too weak for his enemies, he first courted the aid of the Affyrians; but being disappointed from that quarter, he facrificed to the gods of Damafcus, and said, "Because the gods of the king of Syria help them, therefore will I facrifice to them, "that they may help me alfo." And thus it is with all men of unfanctified hearts. They go on, from

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