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DOCTRINE II.

The State of the Goaly in Death, is a hopeful State.

We have seen the dark fide of the cloud looking towards ungodly men, paffing out of the world: let us now take a view of the bright fide of it, fhining on the godly, as they are entring upon their eternal ftate. In difcourfing this fubject, I fhall confirm this doctrine, anfwer an objection against it, and then make fome practical improvement

of the whole.

For confirmation, let it be obferved, That although the passage out of this world by death, have a frightful afpect to poor mortals; and to miscarry in it muft needs be of fatal confequence; yet the following circumstances make the ftate of the godly in their death, happy and hopeful.

First, They have a trufty good friend before them in the other world; Jefus Chrift their best friend, is Lord of that land to which death carries them. When Jofeph fent for his father to come down to him to Egypt, telling him, God had made him Lord over all Egypt, Gen. xlv. 9. and when Jacob faw the waggons Jofeph had fent to carry him, the fpirit of Jacob revived, ver. 27. He frankly refolves to undertake the journey. I think, when the Lord calls a godly man, out of this world, he fends him fuch glad tidings, and fuch a kind invitation into the other world; that if he had faith to believe it, his fpirit muft revive, when he fees the waggon of death, which comes to carry him thither. It is true indeed, he has a weighty trial to undergo; after death the judgment. But the cafe of the godly is altogether hopeful; for the Lord of the land is their husband, and their husband is their Judge: The Father hath committed all judgment unto the Son, John v. 22. And furely the cafe of the wife is hopeful, when her own hufbarid is her judge; even fuch a husband as hates putting away. No huiband is fo loving and fo tender of his fpoufe, as the Lord Chrift is of his. One would think, it would be a very bad land, which a wife would not willingly go to, where her husband is the ruler and judge. Moreover, their Judge is the Advocate, 1 John ii. 1. "We have an "Advocate with the Father, Jefus Chrift the righteous." And therefore they need not fear their being put back, and falling into condemnation. What can be more favourable? Can they think, that he who pleads their caufe, will himself pafs fentence against them : Yet further, their Advocate is the Redeemer; they are redeemed "with the prcious blood of Chrift," Pet. i. 18, 19. So when he pleads for them, he is pleading his own caufe. Though an advocate may be careless of the intereft of one who employs him; furely he will do his utmost to defend his own right, which he hath purchased with his moncy and fhall not their Advocate defend the purchase of his own blood? But more than all that, their Redeemer is their head,

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and they are his members, Eph v. 23, 30. Though one were fo filly as to let his own purchafe go, without standing up to defend his right, yet surely he will not quit a limb of his own body. Is not their cafe then hopeful in death, who are fo clofely linked and allied to the Lord of the other world, who hath the keys of hell and death.

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Secondly, hey fhall have a fafe paffage to another world. They must indeed go through the valley of the shadow of death; but tho' it be in itfelf a dark and fhady vale, it shall be a valley of hope to them: they shall not be driven thro' it, but walk thro' it; as men in perfect fafety, who fear no evil, Pfal. xxiii. 4. Why should they fear? They have the Lord of the land's fafe conduct, his pafs fealed with his own blood, namely, the bleifed covenant, which is the faint's death-bed comfort. 2 Sam. xxiii. 5. Although my "house be not fo with God, yet he hath made with me an ever"lafting COVENANT, ordered in all things and fure: for this is "all my falvation, and all my defire, although he cause it not to grow." Who then can harm them? It is safe riding in Chrift's chariot (Cant. iii. 9.) both thro' life and death. They have good and honourable attendants, a guard, even a guard of angels. Thefe encamp about them in the time of their life: and furely will not leave them in the day of their death. Thefe happy miniftering fpirits are attendants on their Lord's bride, and will doubtlefs convey her fafe home to his houfe. When friends in mournful mood ftand by the faint's bed-fide, waiting to fee him draw his laft breath; his foul is waited for of holy angels, to be carried by them into Abraham's bofom, Luke xvi. 22. The captain of the faint's falvation is the captain of this holy guard: he was their guide even unto death, and he will be their guide through it too. Pfal xxiii. 4. "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the fhadow of death, "I will fear no evil; for thou art with me." They may without fear pafs that river, being confident it fhall not overflow them; and may walk through that fire, being fure they fhall not be burnt by it.

Death can do them no harm. It cannot even hurt their bodies: for the it feparate the foul from the body, it cannot separate the body from the Lord Chrift. Even death is to them but flcep in Jefus, Theff. iv. 14. They continue members of Chrifl, though in a grave. Their dull is precious duft, laid up in a grave, as in their Lord's cabinet. They lie in a grave mellowing; as precious fruit laid up to be brought forth to him at the refurrection. The hufbaudman has corn in his barn, and corn lying in the ground: the latter is more precious to him than the former, because he looks. to get it returned with increafe. Even fo the dead bodies of the faints are valued by their Saviour: they are fewn in corruption, to be raised in incorruption; fown in dishonour, raised in glory, 1 Cor. xv. 42, 43. It cannot hurt their foals. It is with the fouls of the faints at death, as with Paul and his company in their voyage, whereof

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"are full of fears, and have little hope?" ANSw. It must be owned, that faints do not all die in one and the fame manner; there is a diverfity among them, as well as among the wicked; yet the worft cafe of a dying faint is indeed a hopeful one. Some die triumphantly, in a full affurance of faith. 2 Tim. iv. 6. "The time of my departure is at hand. ver. 7. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my courfe, I have kept the faith. ver. 8. Hence"forth there is laid up for me a crown of righteoufuefs." They get a taste of the joys of heaven, while here on earth; and begin the fongs of Zion, while yet in a ftrange land. Others die in a folid fiducial dependence on their Lord and Saviour: though they cannot fing triumphantly, yet they can and will fay confidently, The Lord is their God. Though they cannot triumph over death, with old Simeon, having Chrift in his arms, and faying, "Lord, now letteft "thou thy fervant depart in peace, according to thy word. For "mine eyes have feen thy falvation," Luke ii 29, 30. yet they can fay with dying Jacob, I have waited for thy falvation, OLord." Gen. xlix. 18 His left hand is under their head to fupport them; though his right hand doth not embrace them: they firmly believe, though they are not filled with joy in believing. They can plead the covenant, and hang by the promife, although their houfe is not fo with God, as they could with. But the dying-day of fome faints may be like that day mentioned. Zech. xiv. 7. Not day, nor night. They may die under great doubts and fear; fetting as it were, in a cloud, and going to heaven in a mift. They may go mourning without the fun, and never put off their spirit of heaviness, till death frip them of it. They may be carried to heaven through the confines of hell; and may be purfued by the devouring lion, even to the very gates of the new Jerufalem; and may be compared to a thip almoft wrecked in fight of the harbour, which yet gets fafe into her port, Cor. iii. 15. "If any man's works fhall be burnt, "he fhall fuffer lofs: but he himself fhall be faved, yet fo as by "fire." There is fafety amidst their fears, but danger in the wicked's firongeft confidence; and there is a bleffed feed of gladnefs in their greatest forrows," Light is fown for the righteous, and 66 gladnefs for the upright in heart." Pfal. xcvii. 11.

Now, faints are liable to fuch perplexity in their death, because, though they be Chriftians indeed, yet they are men of alike paffions with others; and death is a frightful object in itfelf, whatever drefs it appear in the fiern countenance, with which it looks at mortals, can hardly mifs of caufing them shrink. Morcover, the faints are of all men the moft jealous of themfelves. They think of eternity, and of a tribunal, more deeply than others do with them, it is a more ferious thing to die than the reft of mankind are aware of. They know the decits of the heart, the fubtilities of depraved human nature, better than others do. And therefore they may have much ado to keep up hope on a death-bed: while others pafs off quietly, like theep

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to the flaughter; the rather that Satan, who ufeth all his art to Jupport the hopes of the hypocrite, will do his utmoft to mar the peace, and increase the fears of the faint. Finally, The bad frame of fpirit, and ill condition, in which death fometimes feizeth a true Chriftian, may caufe this perplexity.. By his being in the ftate of grace, he is indeed always habitually prepared for death, and his dying fufely is infured; but there is more requifite to his actual preparation, and dying comfortably; his fpirit must be in good condition too.

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Wherefore, there are three cafes, in which death cannot but be very uncomfortable to a child of God. (1.) If it feize him at a time when the guilt of fome particular fin unrepented of, is lying on his cmfcience; and death comes on that very account, to take him out of the land of the living; as was the caufe of many of the Corinthian believers, 1 Cor. xi. 30. For this caufe (namely, of unworthy communicating) many are weak and fickly among you, and many fleep." If a perfon is furprised with the approach of death, while lying under the guilt of fome unpardoned fin, it cannot but cause a mighty confternation. (2) When death catches him napping. The mighty cry maft be frightful to fleeping virgins. The man who lies in a ruinous house, and awakens not till the timber begins to crack, and the ftones to drop down about his ears, may indeed get out of it fafely, but not without fears of being crushed by its fall. When a Christian has been going on in a courfe of fecurity and backfliding, and awakens not till death comes to his bed-fide; it is no marvel if he get a fearful awakening. Laftly, When he has loft fight of his faving intereft' in Chrift, and cannot produce evidences of his title to heaven. It is hard to meet death without fome evidence of a tittle to eternal life at hand: hard to go through the dark valley without the candle of the Lord fhining upon the head. It is a terrible adventure to launch out into eternity, when a man can make no better of it, than a leap in the dark, not knowing where he thall light, whether in heaven or hell.

Nevertheless, the ftate of the faints, in their death, is always in itfelf hopeful. The prefumptuous hopes of the ungolly, in their death, cannot make their ftate hopeful; neither can the hopele fnefs of a faint make his ftate hopeless: for God judgeth according to the truth of the thing, not according to men's opinions about it. Howbeit the faints can no more be altogether without hope, than they can be altogether without faith. Their faith may be very weak, but it fails not; and their hope very low, yet they will, and do, hope to the end. Even while the godly feem to be carried away with the ftreams of doubts and fears; there remains ftill as much hope as determines them to lay hold on the tree of life, that grows on the banks of the river: Jonah ii. 4. "Then I faid, I am caft out of thy fight: :: yet I will look again towards thy holy temple."

USE. This fpeaks comfort to the godly again't the fear of death. A godly man may be called a happy man, before his death; because, whatever befal him in life, he fhall certainly be happy at death. You Hh

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are full of fears, and have little hope?" ANSw. It must be owned, that faints do not all die in one and the fame manner; there is a diverfity among them, as well as among the wicked; yet the worst cafe of a dying faint is indeed a hopeful one. Some die triumphantly, in a full affurance of faith. 2 Tim. iv. 6. "The time of

16 my departure is at hand. ver. 7. I have fought a good fight, I "have finished my courfe, I have kept the faith. ver. 8. Hence"forth there is laid up for me a crown of righteoufnefs." They get a taste of the joys of heaven, while here on earth; and begin the fongs of Zion, while yet in a ftrange land. Others die in a folid fiducial dependence on their Lord and Saviour: though they cannot fing triumphantly, yet they can and will fay confidently, The Lord is their God. Though they cannot triumph over death, with old Simeon, having Chrift in his arms, and faying, "Lord, now letteft "thou thy fervant depart in peace, according to thy word. For "mine eyes have feen thy falvation," Luke i 29, 30. yet they can fay with dying Jacob, I have waited for thy falvation, OLord." Gen. xlix. 18 His left hand is under their head to fupport, them; though his right hand doth not embrace them: they firmly believe, though they are not filled with joy in believing. They can plead the covenant, and hang by the promife, although their houfe is not fo with God, as they could wifh. But the dying-day of fome faints may be like that day mentioned. Zech. xiv. 7. Not day, nor night. They may die under great doubts and fear-; fetting as it were, in a cloud, and going to heaven in a mift. They may go mourning without the fun, and never put off their spirit of heaviness, till death ftrip them of it. They may be carried to heaven through the confines of hell; and may be purfued by the devouring lion, even to the very gates of the new Jerufalem; and may be compared to a fhip almoft wrecked in fight of the harbour, which yet gets fafe into her port, Cor. iii. 15- If any man's works fhall be burnt, "he fhall fuffer lofs: but he himself thall be faved, yet fo as by "fire." There is fafety amidst their fears, but danger in the wicked's firongeft confidence; and there is a bleffed feed of gladnefs in their greatest forrows, "Light is fown for the righteous, and "gladness for the upright in heart," Pfal. xcvii. 11.

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Now, faints are liable to fuch perplexity in their death, because, though they be Chriftians indeed, yet they are men of alike, paffions with others; and death is a frightful object in itfelf, whatever drefs it appear in: the ftern countenance, with which it looks at mortals, can hardly mifs of caufing them fhrink. Moreover, the faints are of all men the most jealous of themfelves. They think of eternity, and of a tribunal, more deeply than others do with them, it is a more ferious thing to die than the reft of mankind are aware of. They know the decuits of the heart, the fubtilities of depraved human nature, better than others do. And therefore they may have much ado to keep up hope on a death-bed: while others pafs off quietly, like fheep

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