lieve, that they who fleep in Jefus, will God bring along with him. And then we shall all be together again. How foft a Name is given to the Christian's Death And how lovely a Notion of their prefent State! They fleep in Jefus. They fleep. Why do you mourn as if they were extinct; as if they were annihilated, and utterly loft. Mourner. But they are loft to me. Anfwer. Not for ever; not for a very long Time. Yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry. When they were alive, Sleep and Absence separated your Relation for a great Part of the Time. Mourner. But I knew then they would awake from Sleep, and return from Absence; but now Anfwer. And do not you now believe that they will awake from Sleep, and return from Abfence? But when you fay you knew that they would awake from Sleep, and return from Abfence, you speak in Terms too strong: You might expect, indeed, and hope, that they would awake and return; but that they would certainly do so, is more than any one could infure, who knows not what a Day may bring forth. But this we certainly know, that they who fleep in Jefus will God bring with him, as furely as we believe that Jefus died and rofe again from the Dead. Mourner. Mourner. But it will be a great while firft. Anfwer. What if it be? Is it not worth tarrying for? And it may not be so long, neither, as you imagine. Mourner. But what muft I do in the mean Time? Anfwer. Do but these two or three Things, and all fhall be well. See that your own Soul is fafe: Secure your happy Meeting, that your Separation may not be eternal: Give due Allowance to the Paffion of Nature, and refuse not the Help of Grace. Time will do fomething; Reflection more; and Religion will complete the Work of Refignation. They that are asleep in Jefus, are as truly alive as you, and in a thousand Times more excellent Senfe, and to more excellent Purposes: For he who died for us, did it for this End, that, Whether we fleep, or whether we wake, we should live together with him, 1 Theff. 5. 10. For, God is not the God of the Dead, but of the Living, Luke 20. 38. Living, at prefent, as to the Soul; and fhall live hereafter in the Body again. We live together with him, whether we wake or fleep. They who fleep in Jefus, live together with him, in his Prefence, and Enjoyment. In this Respect it is, that Chrift fays, He that belives in me, fhall never die *: Never die According to the Letter of the Tranflation; though it may be rendered, He that believes in me, shall not die for ever. Sect. XII. die totally. But when the Body fleeps in Jefus, the Soul lives together with him; and proceeds in a Life that Death cannot difcontinue, nor Eternity exhaust. Sleep is a Reft from Weariness; from the Cares and Labours of the Day. Such is the Death of the Christian. Bleffed are the Dead who die in the Lord; they reft from their Labours: From the Labours of their Calling, as Men; from the Labours of their Duty, as Chriftians; because all the Duty that follows in the Separate State, will be without Labour and Weariness: From the Labour of oppofing Sin, and Temptations to it; from all the Troubles of Life, and the Sorrows attending it. It is not merely farewel Husband, Wife and Children; but farewel Sorrow and Sin; farewel Suffering; farewel Corruption, Weakness, Temptation: Welcome Reft from all thefe Troubles. Sleep is a Refreshment, and a Reparation of Spirits; and to the better Part Death gives a Refreshment, that amounts to a Satisfaction. I fhall be fatisfied, when I awake with thy Likeness, Pfal. 17. 15. Which fome have underflood of the Soul's awaking to a nobler Life, upon the Body's falling asleep. Sleep is but for a while, and then we wake again; and Death is but for a while, and we awake in the Morning of the Refurrection. What David fays of his lying down in his Bed Bed and rifing, we may fay of our lying down in the Grave and rifing. I laid me down and slept ; for the Lord fuftained me. So Man lieth down, and awaketh not, as to the Body, till the Heavens be no more. If a Man die, fays Job, fhall be live again? Shall he indeed? If fo, then I acknowledge there is Confolation in the Thought, and Wonder in the Work, to fupport and stay my Mind: And therefore, all the Days of my appointed Time, that I have to lie in the Grave, there will I wait till my Change, by the Refurrection, come.. For theu fhalt call, by the Sound of the laft Trumpet and Voice of the Lord, and I will answer.. Thou wilt have a Defire to the Work of thine own Hands, to restore and improve it, and not fuffer it always to lie there in Rubbish. Sleep is but a fhort Death, and Death a longer Sleep to the Body. The Hour is coming, when all that are in their Graves fhall bear his Voice, and shall come forth: They who have done Gocd, unto the Refurrection of Life, John 5.28, 29. May they fleep fweetly, may they wake joyfully. They were Chrift's Friends, as well as yours. Allow him to have his Friends about him, as well as you have had them fo long. It may be, before Chrift has had them fo long with him, as fome of you have had them here below, you will be with them again; and Chrift, and you, and they, be all together. I would not have you ignorant, Brethren. Immoderate Sorrow is very much owing to Ignorance, or a Knowledge that has no Effect to govern the Paffions, which is the fame thing with ignorance, I except except that it intitles to the greater Number of Stripes. Do not behave as if you were ignorant of the frail Nature, and fhort Duration of the Comforts of this Life; as if you were ignorant of the Chriftian Hope, Life and Immortality; as if you were ignorant of the present State of them that fleep in Jefus, how happy it is, and of the certain future Meeting again, with Advantage to all those Excellencies, for which you loved them here fo well. Prayer will give a Vent to a great deal of that Sorrow that torments others: And Hope will fetch in a great deal of Comfort which a Stranger intermeddles not with. They are therefore mentioned together by the Apostle; Rejoicing in Hope; patient in Tribulation; continuing fedfaft in Prayer, Rom. 12. 12. "He is a miferable Man indeed, "who is afflicted and cannot pray *:" And whoje Days are fent without Hope, Job 7.6. Where there is no Hope, there is no Comfort: Where there are no Grounds of Hope, there are no Grounds of Comfort. And when the Profpects of Hope are neglected, and we act as if we were ignorant of them, or knew not how to use them, the Grievoufnefs of our Sorrow is very much owing to ourselves, and is its own Punishment, though not the only one we deferve. Moderate Sorrow is allowable on account of our own Lofs, even of those who do sleep in Jefus. The Apostle does not say, he would not have them forrow at all, but not as others. He does not fay, I would not have you forrow at all, but not as Mr DoD's Saying. those, |