of his last words to this purpose, is very remarkable, who says, "I shall shine, I shall see him as he is, and all the fair company with him, and shall have my large share. It is no easy "thing to be a Christian; but as for me, I have got the victory; "and Christ is holding forth his arms to embrace me. I have "had my fears and faintings, as another sinful man, to be car"ried through creditably; but as sure as ever he spake to me "in his word, his Spirit witnessed to my heart, saying, Fear "not; he had accepted my suffering, and the outgate should "not be matter of prayer, but of praise." And a little before his death, after some fainting, he said, "Now I feel, I believe, "I enjoy, I rejoice, I feed on manna, I have angels' food, my "eyes shall see my Redeemer; I know that he shall stand, at "the latter day, on the earth, and I shall be caught up in the "clouds to meet him in the air. I sleep in Christ; and when "I awake I shall be satisfied with his likeness; O for arms to "embrace him!" And to one speaking concerning his painfulness in the ministry, he cried out," I disdain all; the port I "would be in at, is redemption and forgiveness of sins through "his blood." And thus, full of the Spirit; yea, as it were overcome with sensible enjoyment, he breathes out his soul, his last words being these; "Glory, glory dwelleth in Emmanuel's "land."

To this I may add the account given of that great man Dr. Goodwin, in some memoirs of his life, composed out of his own papers published by his son, who intimates that he rejoiced in the thoughts that he was dying, and going to have a full and uninterrupted communion with God; " I am going, "said he, to the three Persons with whom I have had com"munion; they have taken me, I did not take them; I shall "be changed in the twinkling of an eye; all my lusts and cor"ruptions I shall be rid of, which I could not be here; those "croaking toads will fall off in a moment." And mentioning those great examples of faith, Heb. xi. said he, "All these died "in faith. I could not have imagined I should ever had such "a measure of faith in this hour; no, I could never have ima"gined it. My bow abides in strength. Is Christ divided? "No, I have the whole of his righteousness; I am found in

him, not in my own righteousness, which is of the law; but "in the righteousness which is of God, which is by faith of "Jesus Christ, who loved me, and gave himself for me. Christ "cannot love me better than he doth; I think I cannot love

Christ better than I do; I am swallowed up in God:" and then he says, "Now shall I ever be with the Lord." With this assurance of faith, and fulness of joy his soul left this

See Dr. Goodwin's Works, Vol. 5. in his life, page 19.

world, and went to see and enjoy the reality of that blessed state of glory.

There is also an account, in the life and death of Mr. John Janeway, of the great assurance and joy which he had in his last sickness, in which he expresses himself to this purpose; "I am, through mercy, quite above the fears of death, and am going unto him whom I love above life. O that I could let แ you know what I now feel! O that I could shew you what "I see! O that I could express the thousandth part of that "sweetness which now I find in Christ! you would all then "think it worth the while to make it your business to be reli"gious. O my dear friends, you little think what a Christ is "worth upon a death-bed! I would not, for a world, nay, for "millions of worlds, be now without Christ and a pardon. O "the glory! the unspeakable glory that I behold! My heart " is full, my heart is full; Christ smiles and I cannot choose "but smile. Can you find in your heart to stop me, who am "now going to the complete and eternal enjoyment of Christ? "Would you keep me from my crown? The arms of my "blessed Saviour are open to embrace me; the angels stand "ready to carry my soul into his bosom. O did you but sec "what I see, you would all cry out with me, How long dear "Lord, come Lord Jesus, come quickly? Or why are his "chariot-wheels so long a coming?" Much more to the same purpose may be found in the life of that excellent man, which is exceedingly affecting.

And there is another who does not come short of him in his death-bed triumphs; who says concerning himself, "Death "is not terrible, it is unstinged; the curse of the fiery law is "done away: I bless his name I found him; I am taken up "in blessing him; I am dying rejoicing in the Lord; I long "to be in the promised land; I wait for thy salvation; how long! Come sweet Lord Jesus, take me by the hand; I wait "for thy salvation, as the watchman watcheth for the morn"ing; I am weary with delays; I faint for thy salvation: Why are his chariot-wheels so long a coming? What means he to stay so long? I am like to faint with delays." After that he said, O Sirs, I could not believe that I could have born, and "born cheerfully this rod so long: This is a miracle, pain withแ out pain. And this is not a fancy of a man disordered in his "brain, but of one lying in full composure: O blessed be God "that ever I was born; O if I were where he is! And yet, for "all this, God's withdrawing from me would make me as weak as water all this I enjoy, though it be a miracle upon miracle, would not make me stand without new supply from God;

See the Memoirs of the Life of M- Halyburton, Cop, 6.

"the thing I rejoice in is, that God is altogether full; and that "in the Mediator Christ Jesus, there is all the fulness of the "Godhead, and it will never run out. I am wonderfully helped "beyond the power of nature, though my body be sufficiently "teazed, yet my spirit is untouched." Much more to this purpose we have in the latter part of his life, which I shall close with one thing that is very remarkable. When he was apprehensive that he was very near his death, he said, "When I "fall so low that I am not able to speak, I'll shew you a sign "of triumph, when I am near glory, if I be able;" which accordingly he did, by lifting up his hands, and clapping them together, when he was speechless, and in the agonies of death.

Many more instances might have been given to illustrate this argument, whereby it will evidently appear, that God is pleased, sometimes, to deal familiarly with men, by giving them extraordinary manifestations of his presence, before he brings them into the immediate enjoyment of himself in heaven; which may be well called an earnest or prelibation thereof.* And it may serve as a farther illustration of an argument before insisted on, to prove that assurance of God's love is attainable in this life, from the various instances of those who have been favoured with it. This assurance, as it may be observed, is accompanied with the lively acts of faith, by which it appears to be well grounded; so that, as the apostle says, The God of hope is pleased to fill them with all joy and peace in believing; whereby they abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost, Rom. xv. 13. in which respect it may be said, to use the prophet's words, that they joy before thee, according to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil, Isa. ix. 3. This is like the appearing of the morning-star, which ushers in a bright and glorious day, and gives a full discovery to themselves and others, that there is much of heaven enjoyed in the way to it, by those whom God delights to honour. Thus concerning the communion in glory, which the members of the invisible church sometimes enjoy in this life; which leads us to consider,

II. The miserable condition of the wicked in this life, when God is provoked, as a sin-revenging Judge, to fill them with a sense of his wrath; from whence arises horror of conscience,

* See this argument improved by Mr. Fleming, in his Fulfilling of the Scripture, Edit. in Fol. page 394, & seq. in which he takes several remarkable passages out of Melchair Adam's Lives, and gives several instances of that extraordinary communion which some have had with God, both in life and death; whose conversation was well known in Scotland; so that he mentions it as what is a matter undeniably true: and he relates other things concerning the assurance and joy which some have had; which has afforded them the sweetest comforts in prisons and dungeons, and given, them a foretaste of heaven, when they have been called to suffer death for Christ's sake. See Page 252, ante.

and a fearful expectation of judgment; which is the beginning of those torments which they shall endure after death, as it is observed in the latter part of this answer. We have many instances in scripture, of the punishment of sin in this world, in whom God is said to reprove and set their iniquities in order before their eyes, Psal. 1. 21. which fills them with horror of conscience, and leaves them in utter despair. They who once thought themselves in a prosperous condition, concerning whom it is said, Their eyes stand out with fatness, they have more than heart could wish, Psal. lxxiii. 7. yet their end was terrible, when it appears that they were set in slippery places, being cast down into destruction, brought into desolation as in a moment, and utterly consumed with terrors, ver. 18, 19.

We have a sad instance of this in Cain, after he had slain his brother, and fell under the curse of God, whereby he was sentenced to be a fugitive and vagabond in the earth. He separated himself indeed from the presence of the Lord, and the place in which he was worshipped; but could not fly from the terrors of his own thoughts, or get any relief under the uneasiness of a guilty conscience; which made him fear that he should be slain by the hand of every one that met him; and complain, My punishment is greater than I can bear, Gen. iv. 13.

And some understand that expression of Lamech in the same sense, when he says, I have slain a man to my wounding, and a young man to my hurt. If Cain shall be avenged seven-fold, truly Lamech seventy and seven-fold, Gen. iv. 23, 24. The wrath of God was also denounced against Pashur; as it is said, the Lord hath not called thy name Pashur, but Magor-missabib; for thus saith the Lord, I will make thee a terror to thyself, and to all thy friends, Jer. xx. 3, 4.

And Judas, after he had betrayed our Saviour, was filled with the terrors of an accusing conscience, which forced him to confess, not as a believing penitent, but a despairing criminal; I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood; after which it is said, He departed, and went and hanged himself, Matt. xxvii. 4, 5. Nothing is more terrible than this remorse of conscience, which renders sinners inexpressibly miserable. This is a punishment inflicted on those who sin wilfully, presumptuously, and obstinately against the checks of conscience and rebukes of providence, and various warnings to the contrary, who treasure up to themselves wrath against the day of wrath; who are contentious, and do not obey the truth; that is, they are so far from obeying it, that they persecute and oppose it; and, on the other hand, obey unrighteousness: to these belong, as the apostle says, indignation and wrath, tribulation

VOL. III.

See Vol. II. page 154.

and anguish, Rom. ii. 5, 8, 9. This not only waits for them, as laid up in store, and sealed up among God's treasures, to whom vengeance belongeth, Deut. xxxii. 34, 35. but they are made to taste the bitterness of that cup, which shall afterwards be poured forth without mixture. In this world their eyes shall see their destruction, and afterwards they shall drink of the wrath of the Almighty, Job xxi. 20. This is a most affecting subject; how awful a thing is it to see a person surrounded with miseries, and, at the same time, shut up in darkness, and left destitute of hope! With what horror and anguish was the soul of Saul filled, when he uttered that doleful complaint; I am sore distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God is departed from me, 1 Sam. xxviii. 15. much more for a person to apprehend himself fallen into the hands of the living God, who is a consuming fire; and having nothing left but the fearful expectation of future judgment, and an abyss of woes that will ensue hereupon. These are the evils that some endure in this life; which is no less terrible to them than the comfortable foretastes of the love of God are joyful to the saints.

From the different view of the end of the wicked, and the righteous, many useful instructions may be learned.

1. When we consider the wicked as distressed with the afflicting sense of what they feel, and with the dread of that wrath which they would fain flee from, but cannot, we may infer,

(1.) That a state of unregeneracy, whatever advantages may attend it, as to the outward blessings of common providence, is a very sad and deplorable condition, far from being the object of choice to those who duly consider the consequences hereof. The present amusements that arise from the enjoyment of sensual pleasures, from whence the sinner concludes himself to be happy, is the most miserable instance of self-deceit, and will appear to be so, if we consider the end thereof, or that the triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the hypocrite but for a moment, Job xx. 5. and after that, nothing shall remain but what wounds his spirit, and makes his misery intolerable.

(2.) When we meet with instances of persons sunk in the depths of despair, and tormenting themselves with the fore views of hell and destruction, let this be a warning to others to flee from the wrath to come. I would not be peremptory in passing a judgment on the state of those who apprehend themselves to be irretrievably lost, and feel those terrors in their consciences which no tongue can express. A person can hardly read the account of the despair of poor Spira, soon after the reformation; and how much his sentiments concerning