woes and fufferings incident to this mortal ftate: which, as they are the fruits and effects of fin, and greatly contribute to fhorten the life of man, and haften his return to duft, are, as I formerly observed, properly included in the comprehensive meaning of the original fentence, Death. They belong to its train, and are harbingers of its approach. None of the race of Adam are exempted from thefe; but especially the fervants of God have no exemption. Their gracious Lord, who frees them from condemnation, and gives them peace in himself, affures them. that in this world they fhall have tribulation *. This is fo infeparable from their calling, that it is mentioned as one special mark of their adoption and fonfhip t. If the profperity of the wicked fometimes. continues for a season without interruption, their day is coming; but the righteous may expect chastisement and difcipline daily. Thus their graces are refined, ftrengthened, and displayed, to the praise of their heavenly Father. There is no promise in the Bible that fecures the most eminent and exemplary believer from participating in the heaviest calamities in common with others, and they have many trials. peculiar to themfelves. Thus, while upon earth, they endure hardship for his fake. Becaufe he chofe them out of the world, and they would no longer comply with its finful maxims and cuftoms, the world bated them . Many of them were the mark of public fcorn and malice, accounted the offscouring of all things; they were driven to deferts, and mountains, and caves; they fuffered ftripes, imprifonment, and death. Others had trials of pains, fickness, and poverty, of fharp bereaving difpenfations. Their gourds. withered, and the defire of their eyes was taken away. with a ftroke. They had fightings without, and fears within. So that if their preffures and troubles were confidered, without taking into the account their in ward John xvi. 33. Heb. xii. 6,-8. Pf. xxxvii. 13. John xv. 19,. ward fupports, and the confolation they derived from their hopes beyond the grave, they might be deemed of all men the most miferable *. But they were fupported under these exercises, brought fafely through them, and now their forrows are fwallowed up in victory. Now the days of their mourning are ended †. They now confefs, that their longest afflictions were momentary, and their heaviest burdens were light, in comparison of that far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory which they have entered upon. Sorrow and fighing have taken their everlasting flight, and joy and gladnefs have come forth to meet them, and to dwell with them for ever [. V. In their collective capacity, the feeds of fin often produced bitter fruits. Through remaining ignorance and prejudice, they often mistook and misunderstood one another. They loft much good which they might otherwife have enjoyed, and brought upon themselves many evils, through their intemperate heats and unfanctified zeal, which divided them into little parties and separate interefts. The children of the fame family, the members of the fame body, were too often at variance, or at least cold and diftant in their regards to each other. Yea, Satan could foment difcord and jealoufies among those who lived in the fame house, or met at the fame table of the Lord. But now grace has triumphed over every evil; fin and death are swallowed up in victory. Now all is harmony, love, and joy. They have one heart and one fong, which will never more be blemished by the harshness of a single discordant note. May this profpect animate our hopes, and awaken, in those who have hitherto been afar off, a defire of fharing in the happiness of the redeemed! Awful will be the contraft to those who have had their portion in this world! Is it needful to addrefs any in * in this auditory, in the language which our Lord ufed to his impenitent hearers? Wo unto you that are rich; for you have received your confolation. Wo unto you that are full; for ye shall hunger. Wo unto you that laugh now; for ye ball mourn and weep ! When the rich man, who had lived in honour and affluence here, was torn from all that he loved, and lifted up his eyes in torment; the remembrance of his former ftate, that he once had his good things †, but that they were gone, for ever gone, could only be a keen aggravation of his mifery. Dreadful will be the condition of all who die in their fins; but the cafe of those who are now frequently envied by the ignorant, in the view of a mind enlightened by the truth, muft appear doubly and peculiarly pitiable. They have the most to lofe, they have the moft to account for. Alas, how terrible, how fudden the change! From a ftate of honour and influence amongst men, to fall in a moment under the contempt and displeasure of the holy God-to pass, from a crowd of dependents and flatterers, to the company of Satan and his angels; from grandeur and opulence, to a ftate of utter darknefs and horror, where the worm dieth not, and the fire cannot be quenched . These are fenfible images, it is true; the things of the unfeen world cannot be described to us as they are in themselves; but we may be certain that the description falls unspeakably fhort of the reality. The malicious infults of the powers of darknefs, the mutual recriminations of those who, having been connected in fin here, will be fome way connected in mifery hereafter ||-remorfe, rage, defpair, a total and final exclufion from God the fountain of happiness, with an abiding fenfe of his indignation this complicated mifery cannot be exprefl ed in the language of mortals-like the joy of the bleffed, * Loke vi. 24. 25. + Luke xvi. 25. bleffed, it is more than eye hath feen, or ear hath heard, or can poffibly enter into the heart of man to conceive*. Add the ideas of unchangeable and eternal to the reft, that it will be a mifery admitting of no intermiffion, abatement, or end; and then ferioufly confider, what can it profit a man fhould he gain the whole world, if at laft he should thus lofe his foult? No longer make a mock at fin; it is not a small evil; it is a great evil in itself, and, unless pardoned and forfaken, will be productive of tremendous confequences. No longer make light of the gofpel; it points out to you the only poffible method of efcaping the damnation of hell. To refuse it, is to rush upon remedilefs deftruction. No longer truft in uncertain riches; if you poffefs them, I need not tell you they do not make you happy at prefent, much lefs will they comfort you in the hour of death, or profit you in the day of wrath ‡. Waste not your time and talents (which must be accounted for) in the pursuit of fenfual pleasure; in the end it will bite like a ferpent. For all these things God will affuredly bring you into judgment, unless in this day of grace you humble yourselves to implore that mercy which is ftill propofed to you, if you will feek it fincerely and with your whole heart; and which I once more intreat, charge, and adjure you to feek, by the great name of MESSIAH, the Saviour, by his agonies and bloody fweat, by his cross and paffion, by his precious death, and by the confideration of his future glorious appearance, to fubdue all things to himself. 187 SERMON XLIV. Triumph over Death and the Grave. 1 Cor. xv. 55, 56, 57. O death, where is thy fting? O grave, where is thy victory? The fling of death is fin; and the frength of fin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory, through our Lord Jesus Christ. THE HE Chriftian foldier may, with the greatest propriety, be faid to war a good warfare *. He is engaged in a good caufe; he fights under the eye of the Captain of his falvation. Though he be weak in himfelf, and though his enemies are many and mighty, he may do that which in other foldiers would be prefumption, and has often been the cause of a defeat; he may triumph while he is in the heat of battle, and affure himself of victory before the conflict is actually decided; for the Lord, his great Commander, fights for him, goes before him, and treads his enemies under his feet. Such a perfuafion, when solidly grounded upon the promises and engagement of a faithful unchangeable God, is fufficient, it fhould feem, to make a coward bold. True Christians are not cowards; yet, when they compare themselves with their adversaries, they see much reafon for fear and suspicion on their own parts; but when they look to their Saviour, they are enlightened, ftrengthened, and comforted. They confider who he is, what he has done; that the battle is not so much theirs as his; that he is their ftrength and their hield, and that his honour is concerned in the event of |