occafioned by bodily Sufferings, by lofs of Subftance or Reputation-" let not thy Heart be troubled." These are tranfient evils; which will be compenfated with immortal health and eternal glory.--If weightier Sorrows opprefs thy Soul,-ftill repofe in thy Redeemer a steady Faith, an unfhaken Confidence. -If thofe who were dearer to thee than life have been parted from thee, and have left thee forlorn on a tumultuous world," let not thy Heart be troubled or difquieted within thee." He "who took them away"-perhaps from fome greater "evil to come," will one day tranflate thee "in like manner:" when the Society of the Lamented fhall be renewed in a far more happy ftate, never never to be interrupted.-For, not ignorant concerning them which are afleep; nor forrow as thofe who have no hope:-thou believeft in God, 66 be believe alfo in Jefus. And if thou believe that Jefus died and rofe again, even fo them alfo (thou wilt be affured) that fleep in Jefus, will God bring with him" will raife above the ruins of a falling falling world to a fcene unchangeable and full of Glory. Then, O God, may we, with all those that are departed in the true Faith of thy holy Name, receive our perfect confummation and bliss, both in body and foul, in thy eternal and everlasting Glory, through Jefus Chrift our Lord. Amen. PRAYER. ALMIGHTY God, that despisest not the fighing of a contrite Heart, nor the defire of fuch as be forrowful, mercifully affist our prayers that we make before thee, in all our troubles and adverfities. Relieve us, O Lord, according to our several neceffities; giving us Patience under our Sufferings, and a happy iffue out of all our Afflictions, for the fake of Jefus Christ, our Mediator and Redeemer. Amen. SERMON SERMON II. HOPE IN CHRIST. I COR. XV. 19. If in this life only we have Hope in Christ, we are of all men moft miferable. "O one among the first Soldiers of Jesus No Christ had greater reason to use this language than St. Paul. In the whole Army of Martyrs who fought under the banners of the Crofs, no one experienced more trials and afflictions for the caufe which he efpoused; nor died with more willingness to convince men of its Truth. He begins the chapter from whence the text is taken, by ftating to his Corinthian Converts, the Importance of the Gospel which which he had " preached unto them,which they had also received,-and by which they would be faved, if they preserved it in their memory." He next reminds them of the great distinguishing Doctrines of the Gofpel-the DEATH and RESURRECTION of Chrift. "For I delivered unto you first of all," fays he, "that which I alfo received; how that Chrift died for our fins, and that he rofe again the third day according to the Scriptures." He then particularizes the Witnesses of the latter grand Event, and closes the convincing lift of teftimony by affirming that he himself had ocular Proof and Demonstration of the Fact. To fatisfy them that this was really the cafe, and that their Hope, like his own, might be fecurely founded on the event, he intimates that he and his fellow-labourers in the Gospel were fo actuated by a firm belief in it, as to difregard all the troubles of Mortality, perfuaded that they should be recompenfed with a far more exceeding and eternal Weight of Glory."-" If in this life only we have Hope in Christ, says he, we are of all men moft miferable." And And well might he fay fo, influenced, as he was, by a sense of those sufferings which the Profeffion of Chrift had brought upon him, and to which he knew it would expose him to the end of life." But". exclaims he, immediately, in triumph"now is Chrift rifen from the dead, and become the first fruits of them that flept, For fince by man came Death, by man came alfo the Refurrection of the dead. For, as in Adam all die, even fo in Chrift fhall all be made alive."* As a proper fequel to this difcourfe, I recommend to your perufal, when you return to your own homes, the majestic part of the chapter which follows; and which is incorporated with one of the most awful and fublime Services of our Church :-I mean that Service which will be repeated over each of us-when we are no more !How foon that may be, none of us can tell. How foon I may repeat it over some one who now hears me,-how foon another may perform the friendly office over my own Remains-God only knows!--But *This difcourfe was preached on Eafter Sunday, |