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in a moment they go down to the grave, and rest in that dark and filent abode. "Thy pomp," fays the prophet Ifaiah," is brought down to the grave, and the noife of thy viols; the worm is fpread under thee, and the worms cover thee."

4: Death cuts us off from our beft and dearest friends; from our nearest and most beloved relations. Friendship, when rightly placed, and founded in virtue, is one of the most innocent and agreeable enjoyments of human life. It is that point, where mutual confidence and mutual intercourfe are fully established; and, whether it be founded on the fimilarity of temper and manners, or arife naturally from the connections of life, and the habits of giving and receiving affistance, it fooths the heart of man, and promotes the amiable feelings of human nature. But, whatever pleasure we now enjoy in the converfation or correfpondence of our friends, death will foon tear us from their tendereft embraces, and send us to that place of folitude and darknefs, where, as Hezekiah says, we fhall behold man no more, with the inhabitants of the world. The God of nature has implanted, in the breasts of near relations, a tender love to each other; as, that of husbands and wives, of parents and children. But the inexorable hand of death breaks afunder thefe natural ties. It fnatches the beloved wife from the arms of her difconfolate hufband, and tears the fmiling infant from the bofom of its weeping mother. How vain, then, how empty and infufficient are our dearest comforts! and what little reafon have we to fet our hearts upon them!

Lafly, Death cuts us off from all the feafons of grace, and advantages we now enjoy. We have many precious opportunities put into our hands; our lot is caft in an age of light and knowledge; we are planted in the courts of the Lord, and under the dews of heaven. But death will foon put an end to all thofe advantages. Our day of grace cannot be lengthened

lengthened beyond the limits of our natural life. Death will foon put to filence the most faithful preachers, or stop your ears from hearing the joyful found of the gospel. There are no offers of mercy; no tenders of life and falvation, beyond the grave. As foon as you enter the filent houfe, your place is fixed for eternity; you must then hear, and read, and pray no more. Your employment, then, is rapturous praife, or unceafing and unavailing lamentation.

Thus, I have endeavoured to give you a view of death, as it cuts us off from the world and all its enjoyments. Let us now attend to the improvement we ought to make of these obfervations.

1. They fhould teach us not to fet too high a value on the honours, and riches, and pleafures of this life. Wife men esteem those things moft, which are most lafting and permanent. But there is nothing in this. world lafting and permanent. The world, and the fashion of it, pafs away. God indeed allows us to value the things of this world; but ftill in fubordination to himself, and the concerns of his glory. Let us never, then, prefer the vanities which perish, to the interest of our fouls; or lay them in the balance with the things of eternity. Again,

2. From this fubject, we should learn, not to allow our thoughts and our time to be too much occupied with the enjoyments of this world. What our Saviour fays concerning the neceffaries of life, may, with equal justice, be applied to the fuperfluities of

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"Take no thought for your life, what ye fhall "eat, or what ye fhall drink; or for your body, what

ye fhall put on. Is not the life more than meat, "and the body than raiment ?" It is indeed aftonithing, to fee how bufy, how anxious, how indefatigable fome men are in heaping up the wealth of this world; others, in grafping at its honours; and not a few, in projecting the gratification of fenfual appetites alone. One would be apt to think, they

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did not at all believe in their feparation from those enjoyments. But, how foon will death spread darkness over the vifionary fcene, and demonftrate the folly of their imaginary profpects!

3. This fubject should teach us to be moderate in the enjoyment of thofe bleffings which God, in his providence, has been pleafed to allow us. Those who are profecuting an important journey, do not stop to examine every beautiful profpect, nor load themselves with any thing which will retard their progrefs, and be ufelefs at the end of it. Our exiitence in this world, is a journey from earth to heaven. The true Chriftian is crucified to the world, and the world to him. You must difengage your hearts not only from the finful pleasures, but from the lawful enjoyments of this life. Although you have enlarged your barns, and multiplied your poffeflions; though you have amaffed more wealth than you can employ, and are eager in the pursuit of many pleasures; yet, carry this reflection along with you, that this very night thy foul may be required of thee. Happy, indeed, is the man, happy the Chriftian, who can fay, when the fummons of removal is put into his hands: "Fare"well, vain world; I leave thee with peace, and re"fignation of mind. Though I have lived in thee, I "never placed my happiness in any thing thou couldft "afford; and now I can caft thee off with as great ❝ease, as a man does his garment when he lies down "to fleep."

Laftly, Since death cuts us off from this world and all its enjoyments, let us, while we poffefs them, make them fubfervient to the glory of God, and the everlasting intereft of our fouls in a future world, If God has given you more honour than others, employ it in advancing religion, in encouraging piety and, in another world, God will put upon you more abundant honour. If he has added wealth to your cup of bleffing, relieve your brethren in diftrefs. Caft your bread upon the waters, and you fhall find

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it after many days; for he that hath pity on the poor, lendeth to the Lord. In a word, whatsoever your hand findeth to do, for the glory of God, and the good of others, do it with all your might; for there is no work, nor device, nor wifdom, nor knowledge in the grave, whither we are all haftening.

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SERMON XI.'

DEATH THE SEPARATION OF THE SOUL

FROM THE BODY.

PART II.

Job xiv. 10.-Man dieth, and wafleth away; yea, man giveth up the ghoft, and where is he?

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EATH is juftly ftyled the King of Terrors. There is a natural fear of death in every living creature. Even those which want reafon, and the death of which puts an end to their existence, have a strong averfion to diffolution. Inftinct teaches the beafts to fly from it. But there is far greater reafon for mankind, who are endowed with immortal fouls, to be afraid of death: for it does not put an end to their being, as it does in the cafe of brutes; it only changes the manner of their exiftence. This horror of death is fo deeply rooted in the human mind, that the greater part of men would rather choofe to continue a life of poverty and want, of ficknefs and pain, than defire its termination. There is fomething fo terrible in the apprehenfion of death, that nature recoils, and ftarts back at the thought, The profpect of diffolution fuggefts to the mind many important reflections. We are not only cut off from all our dearest enjoyments, but we are separated

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