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or proprietor of them, but rather a fteward intrufted with them, till the Lord require an account of them; and then it muft deliver up all it hath received, even to a perfon. Rev. xx. 11, 12. "And I faw the dead, small and great, ftand before God: "And the books were opened; and another book was opened, "which is the book of life; and the dead were judged out of "thofe things which were written in the book, according to "their works. And the fea gave up the dead which were " in it."

The doctrine of the refurrection of the body, is a doctrine full of fingular confolations to believers, 1 Cor. xv. and most clearly afferted in Scripture, Acts xxvi. 8. Job xix. 25. 1 Cor. xv. &c. And it is well for us this point is fo plainly revealed; because as it is a most comfortable truth to the people of God, fo there is scarce any truth that lies under more prejudice, as to fense or reason, and is more difficult to receive, than this is. The Epicures and Stoics laughed Paul to fcorn when he preached it to them, Acts xvii. 32. The Familifts and Quakers at this day reject it as a fable. The Socinians fay the same body fhall not rife, but an ærial body. And, indeed, if men fet up reafon as the only judge of fupernatural things, it is incredible to think, that a body should be restored, that hath been burnt to ashes, and those athes fcattered in the wind; as hiftory tells us was frequently done by the bodies of the faints in Dioclefian's reign or when drowned in the fea, and there devoured by feveral fishes, and those again devoured by others. But yet this is not to be objected to the almighty power of God, that gave them their firft being: difficulties and impoffibilities are for men, but not for him. "Why should it be thought a thing "incredible with you, that God should raise the dead?" Acts xxvi. 8.

REFLECTION.

And muft I rife again, where-ever my body falls at death? Then, Lord, how am I concerned to get union with Chrift while I live? By virtue thereof only, my refurrection can bẹ made comfortable, and bleffed to me. Ah! let my body lie where it will, in earth or fea; let my bones be scattered, and flesh devoured by worms or fuh, I know thou canft, and wilt re-unite my scattered parts; and in this body I muft ftand before thine awful tribunal, to receive according to what I have done therein, 2 Cor. v. 10. Thou that commandeft me to ftand forth among the nobleft rank of creatures, when I had no being, and faweft my fubftance, being yet imperfect, canft as eafily reduce me to that being again.

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What though reason vote it impoflible, and sense incredible? Though all these difficulties and incumbrances grow upon my faith, yet I know my body is not lbft for ever; the found of thy laft and dreadful trumpet, fhall awaken me; and thy mighty power, to which all things are poffible, fhall bring me before thy bar.

O Lord, I know that I shall stand in that great affembly at the last day, when multitudes, multitudes, even all the fons and daughters of Adam, fhall appear together. O if I die Chriftless, it were good for me that there were no resurrection; for then thofe eyes that have been windows of luft, muft behold Chrift the Judge, not as a Redeemer, but as a Revenger. That tongue that hath vented fo much of the filthinefs of my heart, will then be ftruck speechless before him; and this flesh which I fo pampered and provided for, condemned to everlafting flames. O my God, let me make fure work for fuch a day! if I now get real union with thy Son, I fhall awake with finging out of the duft; and then, as thou faidft to Jacob, so to me, when I go down into the fea, or grave, Gen. xlvi. 3, 4"Fear not to go down into the deep; for I will furely bring "thee up again."

I

The POE M.

T fhould not seem incredible to thee,

That God fhould raise the dead in feas that be:
We fee in winter, fwallows, worms and flies
Depriv'd of life, yet in the fpring they rife.
What tho' your bodies fev'ral fish devour,
Object not that to the Almighty pow'r.
Some chymifts in their art are fo exact,
That from one herb they ufually extract
Four diff'rent elements; what think ye then,
Can pofe that God, who gave this skill to men?
The gard❜ner can diftinguifh thirty kinds
Of feeds from one another, tho' he finds
Them mix'd together in the felf-fame difh
Much more can God diftinguifh flesh from fish.
They seem as loft, but they again must live;

The fea's a fteward, and stewards account must give.
Look what you are, when in the ocean drown'd,
The very fame at judgment you'll be found.

I would not care where my vile body lies,

Were I affur'd it fhou'd with comfort rife.

CHAP. XXXI.

The feaman's greatest danger's near the coaft;
When we are nearest heav'n, the danger's most.

T

OBSERVATIO N.

Hough feamen meet with violent ftorms, yet if they have fea room enough, they are not much difmayed: but if they find themselves near the fhore, they look upon their condition as very dangerous: the fight of the fhore is to them (as Solomon fpeaks of the morning in another cafe) like the shadow of death, if not able to weather it. For one ship swallowed up in the ocean, many perish upon the coast.

APPLICATIO N.

The greatest ftraits and difficulties that many faints meet with in all their lives, is when they come nearest to heaven, and have almost finished their courfe. Heaven, indeed, is a glorious place, the fpacious, and royal manfion of the great king; but difficilia quae pulchra; it hath a ftrait and narrow entrance, Luke xiii. 24. O the difficulty of arriving there! how many hard tugs in duty, what earnest contention and striving, even to an agony! as that word imports, Luke xiii. 24. Multitudes put forth, and by profeffion are bound for this fair haven: but of the multitudes that put out, how few do arrive there? A man may fet out by a glorious profeffion, with much refolution, and continue long therein; he may offer very fair for it, and not be far from the kingdom of God, and yet not be able to enter at the laft, Mat. vii. 22.

Yea, and many of those who are fincere in their profeffion, and do arrive at last, yet come to heaven (as I may fay) by the gates of hell; and put in, as a poor weather-beaten veffel comes into the harbour, more like a wreck than a ship, neither maft nor fail left. The righteous themselves are scarcely faved, (i. e.) they are faved with very much difficulty. They have not all an abundant entrance, as the apostle speaks, 2 Pet. i. 11. Some perfons (as one well notes) are afar off, Eph. ii. 23. < (i. e.) touched with no care of religion: fome come near, • but never enter, as femi-converts. See Matth. xii. 34. Others enter, but with great difficulty, they are faved as by fire, 1 Cor. iii. 13. Make an hard fhift. But then there < are fome that go in with full fail before the wind, and have ⚫ an abundant entrance: they go triumphing out of the world."

*

* Manton on Jude. p. 119.

Ah! when we come into the narrow channel, at the very point of entrance into life, the foul is then in the most serious frame; all things look with a new face; confcience fcans our evidence most critically; then, alfo, Satan falls upon us, and makes his foreft affaults, and batteries. It is the last encounter; if they escape him now, they are gone out of his reach for ever and

if he cannot hinder their falvation, yet if he can but cloud their evening, and make them go groaning and howling out of the world, he reaches another end by it, even to confirm and prejudice the wicked, and weaken the hands of others that are looking towards religion.

REFLECTION.

If this be fo, how inevitable is my perdition, may the care lefs foul fay? If they that strive fo much, and go fo far, yet perish at last; and if the righteous themselves are scarcely saved, then where shall fuch an ungodly creature as I appear? O Lord if they that have made religion their bufinefs, and have been many years pursuing a work of mortification, have gone mourning after the Lord Jefus, and walked humbly with God; yet if fome of these have fuch an hard tug at last, then what will become of fuch a vain, fenfual, carelefs, flesh-pleafing wretch as I have been?

Again, Do faints find it so strait an entrance? Then, though I have well-grounded hopes of fafe arrival at last; yet let me look to it, that I do not increase the difficulty. Ah! they are the things that are now done, or omitted, that put confcience into fuch an agony then; for then it comes to review the life with the most serious eye. O let me not stick my death bed full of thorns, against I come to lie down upon it. O that I may turn to the wall, in that hour, as Hezekiah did, 2 Kings xx. 2, 3. and say, "Remember now, O Lord, how I have walked "before thee in truth, and with a perfect heart," &c.

A

The POE M.

Fter a tedious paffage, faints defcry

The glorious shore, falvation being nigh:
Death's long boat's launch'd, ready to fet afhore
Their panting fouls. O how they tug at oar,
Longing to be at reft! but then they find
The hardest tug of all is yet behind.

Juft at the harbour's mouth they fee the wreck
Of fouls there cast away, and driven back.
A world of dang'rous rocks before it lie;

The harbour's barr'd, and now the winds blow high:

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Thoughts now arife, fears multiply apace;
All things about them have another face.
Life blazes, juft like an expiring light,
The foul's upon the lip prepar'd for flight.
Death, till the refurrection, tears and rends,
Out of each other's arms, two parting friends,
The foul and body. Ah but more than fo,
The devil falls upon them e're they go,

With new temptations, back'd with all his pow'r,
And fcruples, kept on purpose for that hour.
This is the laft encounter, now, or never;
If he fucceedeth now, they're gone for ever.
Thus in they put, with hardship at the laft,
As fhips out of a form, nor fail, nor mast :
Yet fome go in before a wind, and have
Their ftreamer of affurance flying brave.
Lord, give me cafier entrance, if thou pleafe;
Or if I may not there arrive with ease,
Yet I befeech thee, fet me fafe a-fhore,

Tho' ftormy winds at harbour's mouth should roar.

CHA P. XXXII.

How glad are feamen when they make the fore?
And faints, no lefs, when all their danger's o'er.

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OBSERVATION.

HAT joy is there among feamen, when at last, after a tedious and dangerous voyage, they defcry land, and fee the defired haven before them? Then they turn out of their loathed cabins, and come upon open deck with much joy. Pfal. cvii. 30. Then they are glad, because they be quiet : So be bringeth them to their defired haven." Now they can reflect, with comfort, upon the many dangers they have paft, Olim haec meminiffe juvabit; it is fweet to recount them.

66

APPLICATIO N.

But O what a tranfcendent joy, yea, ravifhing, will over-run the hearts of faints, when, after fo many conflicts, temptations, and afflictions, they arrive in glory, and are harboured in hea ven, where they shall reft for ever! 2 Theff. i. 7. The fcripture faith, "They fhall fing the fong of Mofes, and of the "Lamb," Rev. XV. 3. The fong of Mofes was a triumphant long, compofed for the celebration of that glorious deliverance at the red fea. The faints are now fluctuating upon a trouble. fome and tempeftuous fea; their hearts fometimes ready to fink, and die within them, at the apprehenfion of fo many and great

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