tween the father and him, ensures their victory over the grave; for it is written, "Thy dead men shall live; with my dead body shall they arise. Awake, and sing, ye that dwell in dust, for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead," Isa. xxvi.

These wonderful things of God's law, being certified to them by the Holy Ghost, become the object of their admiration, the foundation of lively hope, and their richest treasure. Hence death grows familiar to their minds, as a translation to enjoy spiritual life to perfection in the presence of their beloved, the sweetness of which they have imperfectly. known already. Answers to their prayers, and a change of state in passing from darkness to light, from death to life, in their conver sion, alters the visage of death, and its nature too. Instead of seizing upon them, to root them out of the earth, and pluck them out of their dwelling, it comes to exalt them to glory, and honour, and immortality.

Add to this, the heart of Christ, who endured in his own person the agonies of death, for the salvation of his people, is full of compassion towards them: for we are assured, he is touched with a feeling of their infirmities. Wherefore when they walk through

"the valley of the shadow of death, his tender care and guardian power are over them, so that they shall fear no evil.

Is this a conclusion unconfirmed by facts? No, it is beyond a doubt, that the saints in Christ have departed with sweet complacency in their countenances, and " abounding in hope through the power of the Holy Ghost given unto them." They triumphed in ancient time to the astonishment of all, to the conversion even of proud Pagan philosophers, whose chief was wont to call death

of all dreadful things, the most dreadful." The primitive Christians conquered when they fell. They cried out, "Death shall not. be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord....Death is ours....Death is gain."

Now, are we to limit this his overflowing love, as too many injurious to Christ and his church do, to the first believers? For at all times he is the same all-sufficient friend to his people. What spiritual succours therefore he supplies, when the body is sinking, appears from the behaviour of many of his dying members. Who can behold them in their last conflict, without being compelled -to say, they are not left to suffer the sentence of death on their bodies, without the cup of

consolation to drink? We have seen, we have seen, thousands can attest, the exit of real Christians, inspiring every spectator at the 'same moment, with the same request, "Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my afterstate* be like his."

Their bodies, it is true, vanquished by death, return to the dust. Yet their souls, so far from suffering loss, receive unspeakable advantage from this blow. Immediately they live, where the place of their abode, the high excellency of the society they join, and their own perfection, fill them with happiness beyond the reach of our ideas: for as soon as "absent from the body, they are present with the Lord."+

* The word Acherith signifies an aftertime or state; a state which begins again after some remarkable period. See Mr. Peters's Critical Dissertation on the Book of Job, p. 288, 1st edition.

This masterly writer demonstrates, that the church of God has all along been acquainted with the covenant founded in the promise of a Redeemer, and of eternal life in him. Bishop Sherlock read this Dissertation (I have been told) twice over. An unquestionable proof of its uncommon excellency, since it could please a first-rate genius, in a science to which he had so long applied himself.

"This scripture," (2 Cor. v. 6.) says Dr. Watts, in his Essay on à separate state, "seems to me so

Nor is the triumph of death over the bodies of the saints in Christ, more than transitory for their graves are but so many consecrated repositories, each under inviolable obligation to preserve and restore upon demand, every atom of sacred dust, entrusted to their keeping. Thousands of years indeed, must pass between the interment and resurrection of the saints. Still at the destined

plain, so express, and so answerable a proof of the existence of the spirits of good men immediately. after death, that I could never meet with but two ways of evading it. The one, that St. Paul might be mistaken. This needs no answer. The other, that this text, with one or two more of the same kind, do indeed speak of the happiness of souls in a separate state, but they only refer to the apostles themselves. I answer, the whole church of Christ is encouraged with this assurance of immediate hap piness after death. Witness what goes before, and what follows the text. All agree this belongs to the whole church."

Besides, St. John utterly denies this vast differ ence, some are so fond of making, between the Apostles and the whole church, in point of spiritual privi、 leges; by assuring us the very end of his writings, and consequently of the whole college of apostles, was, that all who received their words with true faith, should have fellowship with them, 1 John i. 3.

If the reader desires to see this matter discussed, he may consult my Duty of Man, p. 491. 2d edition.

moment, the heavens shall open; the trump of God shall sound; the Saviour shall come in the clouds of heaven, with great power and glory. Then shall men and angels see him sitting on his throne, and making all things new. Then shall matter of fact prove, to the conviction of the whole infidel world, that the Horn of Salvation has delivered his people to the uttermost, "out of the hands of all their enemies." Then shall he appear "the resurrection and the life, the plague of death, the destruction of the grave. Then shall the vile bodies of his saints "be changed into the likeness of his own glorious body," and become incorruptible and splendid as the sun.

Thus the whole church consummated in bliss, with eyes full of rapturous love, all fastened upon Jesus of Nazareth, shall cry out," He hath swallowed up death in vic-, tory!"?

CHAP. XX.

ON FALSE CONFIDENCE IN A WELL-SPENT LIFE.

THIS doctrine, that the church is redeemed out of the hands of death, only by the Horn of Salvation, proves the mistake of at