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SERMON X.

DEATH THE TERMINATION OF TEMPORAL

ENJOYMENT.

PART I.

Job. xiv. 10.-Man dieth, and wafleth away : yen, man giveth up the ghoff, and where is he ?

THA

HAT we must all die, is a fact so known and certain, that, at first view, one would think no man needed to be reminded of it. None are fo ignorant or vain, as to promise themfelves an immortality on earth; and, however different their course and station of life may be, yet all expect to be lodged at laft in the houfe of mourning, in the folitary grave; for that, they know, is appointed for all men.

But although this truth be obvious, and univerfal ly acknowledged, yet the far greater part of mankind feldom think of death; and much lefs frequently do they make those inftructive reflections on it, which a fubject of this importance fhould require. All of us need a monitor, to proclaim in our ears, with au audible and awakening voice, "Remember, man, "that thou must die." And the most of us need to be taught and directed, to what excellent purpofes

our

our meditations on this folemn and awful fubje&t fhould be improved.

It is to affist you in fuch reflections, that I have chofen this paffage of fcripture; " Man dieth, and wafteth away; yea, man giveth up the ghoft, and where " is he?"

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From the beginning of this chapter, to the 7th verfe, Job gives us a lively and affecting view of the shortnefs of life, and the miferies that replenish it. In the 7th, 8th, and 9th verfes, he compares the death of a man to the cutting down of a tree; and fhews that the latter, in fome refpects, has the advantage of the former. "For there is hope of a tree, "if it be cut down, that it will fprout again, and "that the tender branch thereof will not cease.

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Though the root thereof wax old in the earth, and the stock thereof die in the ground: yet, "through the fcent of water, it will bud, and bring "forth boughs like a plant. But man dieth, and

wafteth away; yea, man giveth up the ghoft, and "where is he?", The rational foul, whenever it retires from the body, is too great, too noble a thing, to be recalled by any of the powers of Nature; the fun or the rain cannot affect it; nor can it be reftored to the body, except by the immediate operations of the Almighty. Man dieth, and man giveth up the ghoft. The firft word tranflated Man, fignifies, in the original language, a great and mighty man; the fecond, fignifies a poor or mean man; plainly intimating, that death makes no diftinction; that it enters into the palaces of the great, as well as the cottages of the poor. The mighty cannot refift its force; the treafures of the rich cannot bribe its delay; there is no discharge in that war, neither fhall wickednefs deliver those that are given to it.

"Man dieth." This is a general account of that great change we muft all undergo. The expreffion is awful and folemn; an expreffion that fhould humble the pride of man, and hide vanity from his eyes. It is added," he wafteth away," or, as the word may be ren

dered,

dered, "he is cut off." The original language allows it to be taken in both fenfes; and the meaning is, that fome wafte away, and decay gradually, through languishing fickness and pain; while others are fnatched away in a moment, perhaps in the vigour of their ftrength, and the bloom of their years; and, in both cafes, they are cut off from this world and all its enjoyments. It is fubjoined, "man giveth up the ghoft;" which fome tranflate, "his breath departeth ;" his organs of life ceafe to operate; and though it be true that this happens when men die, yet, there is a much more important truth contained in this expreffion. "He giveth up the ghoft;" that is, he giveth up, or furrenders his foul or fpirit, which is the true fignification of the word Ghoft, in fcripture: and this represents death to us in another light, namely, as it is a feparation between the foul and the body. Then, follows that folemn queftion in the end of the verfe, "And where is he?" By this queftion, Job does not fuppofe that the foul was annihilated by death; for the former expreffion, as we have explained it, proves the contrary; and he declares his belief in a future ftate, in many paffages of this book. But when the body is buried in the grave, and becomes the food of corruption, who can tell what becomes of the foul? It takes its flight into an invisible world; and who can, with any certainty, determine its fate there? Who can pofitively fay, concerning this or that particular person; where he is? And indeed it is a ve ry awful confideration to think where they are who have given up the ghost, and where we ourselves fhall be, when we fhall go into eternity.

The words thus explained, reprefent death to us in three points of view, each of them full of inftruc-. tion, and infinitely important. Firf, As it cuts us off from the world, and all its enjoyments: Secondly, As it is a feparation of the foul from the body: and, Thirdly, As it is the paffage to a new and unknown, ftate. Thefe I fhall endeavour to illuftrate, and lead, your thoughts to a practical improvement of each.

1. Let:

I. Let us confider death, as it cuts us off from the world, and all its enjoyments.

It is the conclufion of human life, which fhuts up its tranfitory scenes, and hurries the actors from the stage. As, in the midnight hour, an entire ftop is put to the labour of the day, and all things feem to be wrapt up in filence and obfcurity; fo, when death hath overtaken us, all the actions and enjoyments of this life entirely ceafe; all the momentary affairs and pleasures of it are past and gone for ever. But, more particularly,

1. Death cuts off the mighty from their honours? "Man," fays the Pfalmift," being in honour, "abideth not, but is like the beafts that perish; "for when he dieth, he fhall carry nothing away: "his glory fhall not defcend after him, nor his "honour into the grave." They that are now furrounded with multitudes of guards and attendants; that command great armies and mighty kingdoms; in a little their honour fhall be laid in the duft: And when they come to this houfe appointed for all living, the meanest of their fubjects fhall be on the fame le vel. Honour and preferment make a great noife in the world. How many court them! How are they envied, who poffefs a diftinguished rank among men! How many arts must be practifed to acquire and preferve it! What importance do men affume! What homage do they expect from all who crowd around them! And yet, in a little time, death will lay them in the grave with the meaneft of the people. No marks of their former power and greatnefs, appear in their ghaftly remains; but all lie down alike in the duft, and become the food of corruption and of worms. The good order, indeed, and government of the world, require, that thofe who are in poffeffion of honour,, fhould be refpected: but it concerns them to remember, that they will foon be undiftinguished in the grave, and their duft mingle with common duft. What, then, is human greatnefs? A fhining meteor, a painted cloud, which being raifed out of the ground, will foon fall back to it again. 2. Death

2. Death cuts us off from the wealth and poffeffions of this world: "Wife men die," fays the Pfalmift, likewife the fool and the brutish perfon pe"rifh, and leave their wealth to others." Men rife up early, and watch to a late hour; they are full of anxiety and care; fome, that they may enlarge their treafures, and others, that they may procure the neceffary fupports of life: but, in a little, they must go down to the filent grave, and whofe fhall those things he? While the man of the world is employed with the greateft anxiety in adding house to house, and field to field; in preferving and increasing his stores; death, in a moment, puts an end to his bufy cares; it tears him from all his beloved treasures; and he that, a little before, was grafping at vaft poffeffions, muft now take up for his manfion, a folitary cave in the duft of the earth. Riches, acquired by the moft honourable means, are vain and unavailing to the man who lies at the point of death. If they are the fruits of oppreffion or of avarice, they are a heavy load on his confcience.

3. Death cuts us off from all thofe pleasures and amufements of life, which are confined to the body, and of a fenfual nature. These are so delufive to many, that their whole lives are spent in the pursuit of them. The whole, or at least the greater part of their time, is confumed on finful pleafures, or, at beft, on vain and idle amufements. But death will foon put an end to all these. The fons and daughters of pleasure may, for a while, indulge in carnal joy, and pass a few days, perhaps years, in diffipation and vanity; nay, they may, with Solomon, cagerly purfue all the delights of the fons of men, and not withhold their hearts from any joy: But, in a little, and they know not how foon, their eyes will be clofed in darkness, and nothing remain of their former pleasures, but the painful remembrance of their guilt and folly. In a word, they may now spend their days in the excefs of mirth and riot; but,

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