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DISCOURSE X.

An Exhortation against the Fear of Death.

1 COR. XV. 55.

O Death, where is thy Sting! O Grave, where is thy Victory!

T

I is by no means a furprising thing, that

worldly-minded people should fear to die; becaufe death deprives them of all their honors, riches, and poffeffions; upon the enjoyment of these they build their greatest happiness; and when the hour is come, that they can no longer indulge the pleasures of sense, ambition, and vain delight, but are in inftant danger of lofing them for ever, they naturally feel wretched, because they are strangers to any resource of happiness but what thefe fupplied.

Alas! exclaims the men of this world, muft I now depart for ever? muft I lay down these flattering honors? muft I part with thefe darling treasures? muft I leave my friends, eftates, and riches, thofe dear objects which filled my whole heart's defire? Alas! that the day fhould come that I muft bid eternal farewell to any further intereft or comfort in these good things! It is from the confideration of fuch a man's condition that

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the Wife Man thus expreffes himself on the subject in Eccluf. xli. 1. O death, how bitter is the remembrance of thee, to a man that liveth at reft in his poffeffions, unto the man who hath nothing to vex him, and that bath profperity in all things. But there is another defcription of people, whom, though the world doth not equally favor, but whole lot feems marked by poverty, fickness, or fome other adverfity, do yet exprefs much fear whenever death approaches them. Now this dread proceeds partly from the natural forrow of the body at the profpect of its diffolution; and partly from the effects of various painful maladies, which often attend us in the last stage of life, and aggravate the terrors of a weak difordered nature. In proportion as we are attached to the good things of this world, or to life itself, either of thefe caufes will operate feverely upon the mind, and render death more hateful to us.

But there is a caufe far more confiderable in its confequences, than these now mentioned, on account of which, in truth, the worldly-minded have ferious reafon to be afraid of dying; and that is, the irrecoverable ftate to which death bringeth, every creature whofe chief view is confined to this world, efpecially if it finds him without repentance, and amendment of his errors. This ftate is called in fcripture the fecond death, and which will be the endless fate of all who are unprepared for the employment of a holy fpiritual life at the time of the foul's feparation from the body. This is the death that fhould fill us with real fear, because it is an eternal lofs; the forfeiture of unfpeakable joy, and happiness; a fentence without remedy, without any profpect of recovering the grace and love of God, which is the only true life and pleasure of the foul, either in time, or in eternity. Nor is it alone the certain and perpetual lofs of thefe everlasting delights, but it is likewife the entire

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condemnation both of body and foul (without further appeal or hope of redemption) to endless punishment, prepared for the wicked or impeniWe have a moft awfully striking reprefentation of this death, afforded us in the xvith chapter of the Gospel of St. Luke. To this state we see the fpirit of the ungodly and unmerciful man was finally configned, who living in all the wealth and pleasure of this world, cloathed in purple and fine linen, and faring fumptuoufly every day, was fo hardened by the fplendor and vanity of his ftation, as to defpife and neglect the afflicted Lazarus, who lay at his gates, an affecting fpectacle of pity, miferably oppreffed with painful fores, and pining under the extremity of want. But we read, that when these two perfons had paid their debt of nature, the latter poor pitiable object was immediately conveyed by angels into Abraham's bosom; (that is, to a place of reft and complete enjoyment) while the unfeeling rich man, defcended down to hell, and being in torment, cried out for even temporary comfort, complaining of the intolerable pains he fuffered in that flame of fire. The continual and reproaching ftings of an evil confcience, expofed him to the unavoidable terrors of God's displeasure against fin. Thus plainly is it fhewn us, that death is truly the gate of life to the bleffed, and only the beginning of punishment to the wicked. To this dreadful condition of endlefs woe, doth bodily death commit all those who while they abound in all the comforts of this life, do yet abuse the goodness of God in his manifold favors to them, who are unfaithful to their Maker in the difcharge of the refpective duties incumbent on them; uncharitable to their neighbors, that is, their fellow creatures; and who die without a thorough repentance of their unworthy conduct, without an humble hope in God's mercy, through Jefus Chrift.

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After this short and alarming view of the cafe, we cannot avoid concluding, that it is very natural for worldly-minded people (if they think at all) to be afraid of death; for in truth, they have greater reafon for their fears, than in a heedlefs course, they are perhaps aware; fince it has been fhewn you, that the things which they are compelled to give up, or fuffer, compose by far the least confideration of their mifery; the dreadful apprehenfion of what will befal both body and feul in hell, fhould form their principal concern; though to the guilty, doubtlefs, the quitting fo many favorite objects muft greatly aggravate the grief attending a hopelefs profpect of eternity. It is the condition of fuch as are wholly devoted to the love of this world, that the apoftle defcribes, in the xth of Heb. ver. 27. who when they are approaching to a final leave of it, can only look for a certain fearful looking for of judgment, and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adverfaries. If the confciences of any present are touched with juft alarm of thefe fears, and are ready naturally to cry out, Who shall deliver us from the body of this death? to them we anfwer, in the language of the apoftle, We thank God, through Jefus Christ our Lord, that he is fufficient and willing to keep all who cry unto him for deliverance. To HIM we recommend them in time, that they may learn to fet their affections on things above, not on things on the earth.

And now having expofed the error and danger in which this defcription of people continually live, let us attend to the very different state of the Chriftian's mind concerning death. Thanks be for ever given to Almighty God, it is not one of the diftreffing or terrifying caufes we have fpecified, nor all of them united, that can affect the truly chriftian foul with any deadly fear. It cannot be, For all they who deferve this title, are truly members of Christ, temples of his Holy Spirit, the

children of God, and inheritors (through Chrift's merits) of his everlafting kingdom in heaven. On the contrary, indeed, the chriftian is alive to many powerful reasons, moft firmly grounded on the infallible and eternal truth of God's moft holy word, which strengthen him not only to fubdue the fear of bodily death, but in confideration of the various benefits and unfpeakable happiness promifed to every faithful perfon upon its taking place, he doth moft heartily wish for its arrival, in due fubmiffion to the Creator's will. And the reafon is obvious; for death to him, fhall be no death at all; it is a mere name, nay a very deliverance from. the only death that can vex the chriftian's foul; (in that they that are dead are free from the affaults of fin, which is the fting of death) and as it is his deliverance from the unavoidable effects of fin, fo is it from all pofitive evil, from pain, cares, and forrows, from all the various miferies and misfortunes fo common to this ftate of trial. And what is more than all, it is his very admiffion to everlafting peace and glory: the entrance upon the enjoyment of those heavenly pleasures which exceed the powers of fpeech to utter, which neither bath eye feen nor ear heard, nor can the heart of MAN poffibly conceive them now. So great are the glorious favors, the mighty bleffings, which God our heavenly Father, out of the riches of his free mercy, and for the love of his Son Jefus Chrift, had laid up in ftore for them that humbly fubmit themfelves to his most holy will, and ftudy continually to love and ferve him from the bottom of their heart. And this is the chriftian's precious faith, that death being conquered by Chrift, can never keep any one under his perpetual tyranny, who fincerely trufteth in God his Savior; but that he fhall rife again from death to glory, when the times of refreshing fhall come from the prefence of the Lord, in that day which the Almighty hath appointed to

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