Do I groan

my grief? What my chief sorrow? Do I "in this tabernacle being burdened, because of this "inward enemy? And do I long to be rid of it? "Are my sinful affections like a pain at my heart, "and do the workings of sin within me awaken my "continual repentance?

"They maintained a sacred tenderness of con"science, and were afraid to indulge themselves in "that company, in that practice, and in those liber"ties of life which have often proved a dangerous "snare to souls. Now, can I appeal to God, who "sees my heart, that I am cautious and watchful "against every snare, that I stand afar off from every "temptation, and abstain from all appearance of evil?

"They took sweet pleasure in retirement, in prayer, and other holy exercises; this was the re"freshment of their hearts, and the throne of grace "was their refuge under every distress and difficulty. "Let me ask my heart, what is my pleasure, my in"ward delight? Do I find a sweet relish in devotion? "And when outward troubles perplex me, do I make "the mercy seat my speedy and my constant refuge ?

"They lived upon their Bible, they counted the "gospel their treasure, and the promises and the "words of God written there, were more valuable "to them than all their outward riches. But what "is my life? what is my treasure? what is my hope? "Do I count heaven and the gospel my chief inhe"ritance? Do I converse much with my Bible, "and find food and support there? Do I look at

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things unseen and eternal, and feed and rest upon "the promised glories of another world, when I "meet with disappointments here?

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They had a large share of Christian experiences, "a rich stock of divine and spiritual observations by "much converse with God, and with their own souls. "What have I got of this kind for the support of my "soul? or are all these strange things to me?"

Believe me, my dear and honoured friends, these are matters of infinite importance; I am sure you will think so one day; and I trust and persuade myself you think them so now. I cannot give myself leave to imagine that you put these thoughts far from you. Some of you have made it appear that they lie next your heart, and that your souls are deeply engaged in the ways of God and goodness. Oh, that every one of you would give the same com-fort and joy to your friends! Be not satisfied with a mere negative holiness, an unspotted character in the eyes of the world; but let the world know that you dare to be religious, and profess universal piety in a degenerate age. Let those that honour the memory of your parents, and love your souls, rejoice in your public Christianity. Let them know, that there are the foundations of heavenly glory laid within you all, and the blessed work begun on earth, that shall surely be made perfect among the spirits of the just in heaven.

And methinks I would not have you contented with the lowest seat there; but stir up yourselves to a most unwearied pursuit of holiness in the sublimer degrees of it. And thus labouring in the Christianrace, contend for some of the brighter prizes, some of the richer crowns of glory. Be not satisfied to sit at a great distance below your parents departed, even in the heavenly country; but strive with a holy ambition that you may come near them, that the whole family together may arrive at some superior degrees of blessedness. And, oh, may divine grace grant me the pleasure to be a witness to your exalted stations, and to worship and rejoice amongst you there! Amen.

DISCOURSE XVI.

DEATH IMPROVED.

1 Cor. iii. 22.

Whether life or death.....

all are yours.

HAPPY and immortal had Adam been, and all his

children, if he had not ventured to break the command of his Creator; life had been theirs in the most glorious sense of it; and death had not been known. But when sin entered into the world, death followed close behind it, according to that just and solemn threatening, In the day thou eatest thou shalt surely die, Gen. ii. 17. And what a dismal havoc has this enemy made amongst the inhabitants of our world! It has strewed the earth with carcasses, and turned millions of human bodies into dust and corruption. The very name of death spreads a terror through all nature; but as dreadful and formidable as it is in itself, the grace of Christ makes a blessing of it, and sanctifies it to the advantage of his own people.

In former discourses on this subject we have learned some divine lessons from death, in its widest extent of dominion. The death of all mankind yields some special advantage to a saint: he is taught to reap some benefit from the death of impenitent sinners,

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though it carry along with it such a fearful train of attendants, and draw after it a long eternity of torments. He knows how to derive some advantage from the death of his fellow Christians; and whether they die in the joy of faith, and serenity of spirit, or whether their sun sets in a cloud, and fears and doubts attend them in that important hour, still he is taught to profit by it. In these three instances, it appears that death is ours; death is in this respect made the treasure and property of a Christian, as he is instructed to improve it to his own sacred interest, and to the welfare of his soul. We shall now endeavour to shew how the death of our relations and kindred in the flesh shall turn to our benefit.

1. It shews us the emptiness and insufficiency of our dearest created comforts, of all blessings that are not immortal.

We have lost, perhaps, an inferior relation, a son, a daughter, a nephew, a pleasing entertainment and comfort of life: but death tells us, it was a poor dying comfort, a pretty piece of brittle clay, broken and dissolved, and mouldering to the dust. Our love and our grief, it may be, join together, to recal the past days of fondness and delight, short-lived delight, and empty vain fondness, that ends in tears and long mourning! We have lost a superior relation, or perhaps an equal, a father, a wife, a husband, or a brother. We have lost a guide, a support, a helper, a dear affectionate friend, entirely loving, and entirely beloved.

He was a kind and skilful guide, but death teaches us the insufficiency of his guidance, who left us in the midway, and lets us travel through all the remaining part of this dark wilderness alone. He has given us sweet counsel and direction in days past, but he can now direct us no more, we can consult him no more: those lips of advice, on which we hung, are closed and silent in death: that voice

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will be heard no more: we must walk without this counsellor all the rest of our way, be it never so long and never so dangerous.

He was our helper, and our support under daily difficulties; but it was a weak support that could not stand himself when death shook him: a poor helper, and a sorry defence, that could not resist the powers of disease and mortality, nor defend himself from the assaults of death.

He was a friend, and a faithful one too; but he was. a feeble, a failing friend, even in the midst of his love and faithfulness: for he was called away, and constrained to depart from us in a dark and sorrowful minute, and hath left us to mourn alone. He could not abide with us a moment beyond his summons: he forsook us while we were drowned in grief, and could give us no more consolation. Our fathers, where are they? Our prophets, our instructors, our guides, and helpers, are gone down to the land of silence, they lie asleep in the dust and darkness, Zech. i. 5.

Thus death is made of advantage to us, even when it strikes us in so tender a part; for it teaches us this sacred lesson, how vain and empty are all our hopes in creatures! The dart of death is like a pen of iron in his hand, and he writes emptiness and vanity on every friend, on every relative that he takes from our family, from our side, from our bosom: he writes it in deep and painful characters, and holds our souls to the solemn lesson. The same truth stands written in many a part of the book of God, in divine and golden letters: but perhaps we would never have learned it, had not death copied it out for us in letters of blood.

2. The death of our kindred drives us to a more immediate and constant dependence on God. When the stream is cut off, what shall we do but run to the fountain? If the stars vanish, we seek the sunbeams.