for life, light, ftrength, and all fpiritual benefits, Gal. ii. 20.. I live; yet not I but Chrift liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God For this caufe, in the mystical union, ftrength is united to weakness, life to death, and heaven to earth: that weakness death and earth, may mount up on borrowed wings. Depend on him for temporal benefits alfo, Matth. vi. 2. Give us this day our daily bread.' If we have tufted him with our eternal concerns, let us be ashamed to diftruft him in the matter of our provifion in the world.

Lastly, Be of a meek difpófition, and an uniting temper with the fellow-members of Chrift's body, as being united to the meek Jefus, the bleffed center of union. There is a prophecy to the purpofe, concerning the kingdom of Chrift, Ifa. xi. 6. The wolf fhall dwell with the lamb; and the leopard fhall ly down with the kid.' It is an allufion to the beats in Noah's ark. The beafts of prey, that were wont to kill and devour others, when once they came into the ark, lay down in peace with them: the lamb was in no hazard by the wolf there; nor the kid by the leopard. There was a beautiful accomplishment of it in the primitive church, Acts iv. 32, And the multitude of them that believed, were of one heart, and of one foul.' And this prevails in all members of Chrift, according to the measure of the grace of God in them. Man is born-naked, he comes naked into this world, as if God defigned him for the picture of peace: and furely when he is born again, he comes not into the new world of grace, with claws to tear, a fword to wound, and a fire in his hand to burn up his fellow-members in Chrift,, because then he cannot fee with his light. Oh! it is fad to fee Chrift's lilkes as thorns in one another's fides: Chrift's lambs devouring one another like lions; and God's diamonds cutting one another: yet it must be remembered, that fin is no proper cement for the members of Chrift, tho' Herod and Pontius Pilate may be made friends that way. The Apostle's rule is plain, Heb. xii. 14. Follow peace with all men, and holiness. To follow peace 'no further than our humour, credit, and fuch like things, will allow us, 'tis too fhort: to purfue it further than holiness, that is, conformity to the divine will allows us, is too far. Peace is precious, yet it may be bought too dear: wherefore we must Father want it, than purchase it at the expence of truth or holinefs. But otherways it cannot be over-dear bought; and it will always be precious in the eyes of the fons of peace.

11. And

H. And now, finners, what fhall I fay to you? I have given you fome view of the privileges of thefe in the ftate of grace: ye have feen them afar cff. But alas! they are not yours, because ye are not Christ's. The finfulness of an unregenerate

ftate is yours; and the mifery of it is yours alfo: but, ye have neither part nor lot in this matter. The guilt of all your fins lies upon you ye have no part in the righteoufnels of Christ. There is no peace to you, no peace with God, no true peace of confcience; for ye have no faving interest in the great PeaceMaker. Ye are none of God's family: the adoption we spoke of, belongs not to you. Ye have no part in the Spirit of fanctification; and, in one word, ye have no inheritance among them that are fanctified. All I can fay to you in this matter, is, that the cafe is not defperate, they may yet be yours, Rev. iii. 20. Behold, I ftand at the door and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will fup with him, and he with me.' Heaven is promifing an union with earth ftill! the potter is making fuit to his own clay, and the gates of the city of refuge are not yet clofed. O! that we could compel you to come in.

Thus far of the State of Grace.

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STATE IV.

NAMELY,

The ETERNAL STATE: Or, STATE of
confummiate HAPPINESS or MISERY.

HEAD I.

Of DEATH.

I

JOB XXX. 23.

For I know that thou wilt bring me to Death, and to the Houfe appointed for all living.

Come now to difcourfe of man's eternal ftate, into which he enters by death. Of this entrance Job takes a folemn, ferious view, in the words of the text, which contain a general truch, and a particular application of it. The general truth is fuppofed; namely, that all men muft, by death, remove out of this world; they muit die. But, whither muft they go? They mult go to the houfe a pointed for all living; to the grave, that darkfome, gloomy, folitary houfe, in the land of forgetfulnefs. Wherefoever the body is laid up, till the refurrection; thither, as to a dwelling houfe, death brings us home. While we are in the body, we are but in a lodging-houfe; in an ion, on our way homeward. When we come to our grave, we come to our home, our long home, Ecclef. xii. 5. All living must be inhabitants of this houfe, good and bad, old and young. Man's life is a fream, running into death's devouring deeps. They who now live in palaces, muft quit them, and go home to this houfe; and they who have no-where to lay their heads, fall thus have a houfe at length. It is appointed for all, by him, whofe counfel fhall ftand. This appointment cannot be

fhifted; it is a law, which mortals cannot tranfgrefs. Job's application of this general truth to himself, is expreffed in thele words, I know that thou wilt bring me to death,' &c. He knew, that he behoved to meet with death; that his foul and body behoved to part; that God, who had fet the tryft, would certainly fee it kept. Sometimes Job was inviting death to come to him, and carry him home to its houfe, yea, he was in hazard of running to it before the time, Job'vii. 15. My fou! choofeth ftrangling and death, rather than my life.' But here he confiders God would bring him to it; yea, bring him back to it, as the word imports. Whereby he feems to intimate, that we have no life in this world, but as run-aways from death, which ftretcheth out its cold arms, to receive us from the womb;. but though we do then narrowly efcape is clutches, we cannot efcape long; we will be brought back again to it. Job knew. this, he had laid his account with it, and was looking for it.

DOCTRINE, All muf die

Although this doctrine be confirmed by the experience of all former generations, ever fince Abel entered into the houfe appointed for all living; and though the living know that they fhall die; yet it is needful to difcourfe of the certainty of death, that it may be impreffed on the mind, and duly confidered..

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Wherefore confider firit, There is an unalterable ftatute of death, under which men are included: It is appointed unto men once to die,' Heb. ix. 27. It is laid up for them, as parents lay up for their children: they may look for it, and cannot mifs it, feeing God has defigned and referved it for them. There is no peradventure in it: We must needs die,' 2 Sam. -xv. 14. Though fome men will not hear of death, yet every man muft fee death, Píal, lxxxix. 48. Dath is a champion all must grapple with we must enter the lifts with it, and it will have the maftery, Ecclef. vii. 8. There is no man that hath power over the fpirit to retain the fpirit, neither hath he power in the day of wrath.' They indeed who are found alive at Christ's coming, fhall all be changed, 1 Cor. xv. 51. but that change will be equivalent to death, will anfwer the purposes of it.

All other perfons must go the common road, the way of all fefh. Secondly, Let us confult daily obfervation. Every man feeth that wife men die, likewife the fool and brutith perfon,' Pfal. xlix. 10. There is room enough on this earth for us, notwithstanding of the multitudes that were upon it,

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be

before us they are gone to make room for us, as we must depart to leave room for others. It is long fince death began to tranfport men into another world, and vaft fhoals and multitudes are gone thither already: yet the trade is going on ftili, death is carrying off new inhabitants daily, to the house appointed for all living. Who could ever hear the grave fay, It is enough? Long has it been getting, but still it afketh. This world is like a great fair or market, where fome are coming in, others going out; while the affembly that is in it, is confused, and the more part know not wherefore they are come toge ther; or, like a town fituate on the road to a great city, thro' which fome travellers have paft, fome are paffing, while others are only coming in. Ecclef. i. 4. One generation paffeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever.' Death is an inexorable, irresistible meffenger; who cannot be diverted from executing his orders, by the force of the mighty, the bribes of the rich, nor the intreaties of the poor. It doth not reverence the hoary head, nor pity the harmlefs babe. The bold and daring cannot out-brave it: nor can the faint-hearted obtain a discharge in this war. Thirdly, The human body 'confifts of perishing principles, Gen. iii. 19. Duft thou art, and .unto duft fhalt thou return.' The ftrongest are but brittle earthen veffels, eafily broken in fhivers. The foul is but meanly boufed, while in this mortal body, which is not a house of stone, but a houfe of clay; the mud walls cannot but moulder away, efpecially feeing the foundation is not on a rock, but in the duft ; they are crushed before the moth, though this infect be fotender that the gentle touch of a finger will difpatch it, Job iv. 19. Thefe principles are like gun-powder; a very small spark lighting on them, will fet them on fire, and blow up the houfe. The ftone of a raifin, or a hair in milk, have choaked men, and laid the house of clay in the duft. If we confider the frame and ftru&ure of our bodies, how fearfully and wonderfully we are wade; and on how regular and exact a motion of the fluids, and bilance of humours, our life depends; and that death has as many doors to enter in by, as the body hath pores; and if we compare the foul and body together, we may juftly reckon, there is fomewhat more aftonishing in our life, than in our death; and that it is more frange, to fee duft walking up and down on the duft, than lying down in it. Though the lamp of our life be not violently blown out; yet the flame must go out at length, for want of oil. And what are thofe diftempers and difeafes, we are liable to, but death's harbingers, that- come to

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