7. And probably to God as a Judge too, Heb. ix. 27. "After death judgment." There is some sort of determination of the state of each single person at death, before the great and general judgment-day, because that day is appointed rather for the public vindication of the equity of God in his distribution of rewards and punishments, and is particularly put into the hands of our Lord Jesus: Now, since the separate soul returns to God who gave it, it is of vast importance that we be then prepared to come before him.

Some of us here would be mightily afraid of appearing before a prince, or a great and honourable person in an undress; but for our souls in a naked state, or in a garment of sinful pollution, to be surprised by the great and holy God, to be set on a sudden in his presence, what terror is contained in this thought! Now the watchful Christian hath this blessedness,' that he is washed from his defilements in the blood of the Lamb, "he is clothed with the robe of righteousness, and the garments of salvation," Isa. xi. 10. He is prepared to appear before a God of infinite holiness without terror, for he is made like him, he bears his image, he appears as one of his children, and he is not afraid to see his Father.

However some commentators may confine and impoverish the sense of David in the end of the seventeenth Psalm, yet I am persuaded the Spirit of God in him designed to express his faith and joy, either at the hour of death, or in the morning of the resur

rection, "I shall behold thy face in righteousness, I shall be satisfied when I awake with thy likeness :" When the Psalmist had described what were the satisfactions of the men of this world in death, ver. 14. viz. that they had filled their houses with children, and leave their substance or riches to them, he then declares, what was his support and hope in his dying hour, As for me, saith he, I have other views: I am not afraid, O my God, to appear before thee in the other world, for I shall see thy face, not as a criminal, but as a person approved and accepted, and righteous in thy sight: I shall awake from this world of dreams and shadows into thy complete image and perfect holiness; or, I shall awake from the dust of death, and shall be fully satisfied; and rejoice to find myself made so like my God, and to dwell for ever in his presence.

4. Consid. It is the Lord Jesus Christ that lets the soul out of the body, for he hath the keys of death, and of the unseen world,' and 'blessed is the watchful Christian, who waits for the coming of his Lord, for he can meet him gladly, when fulfilling this part of his glorious office.' He shall be introduced by him into the presence of God his Father, and shall receive most condescending instances of mercy from Christ himself. See the text, Luke xii. 36, 37. "Be ye yourselves like men that wait for the Lord, that when he cometh and knocketh, ye may open to him immediately. Blessed are those servants, whom the Lord, when he cometh, shall find watching: Verily I say to you, he shall gird himself, and make

them sit down to meat, and come forth and serve them." He shall condescend, as it were, even below the office of a steward, he shall bring out the heavenly provisions of his Father's house, and make them sit down in his kingdom, and give them divine refreshments after their labours; he shall 'feed them' as a shepherd, shall lead them to living fountains of waters,' and afford them his presence for ever.

The watchful Christian is blessed indeed, when he shall be absent from the body, and be at once present with the Lord,' 2 Cor. v. 8. The Lord Jesus whom he hath seen by faith in his gospel, whose voice he hath heard in his word, and obeyed it; Jesus, whom he hath touched and tasted in the appointed emblems of his supper on earth, in whom he hath believed through the word of grace, and whom he hath loved before he saw him, shall now receive him into his presence, and the disciple shall rejoice for ever to meet his Lord, with joy unspeakable and full of glory.

5. Consid. At the hour of death we are sent at once into an invisible world; we shall find ourselves in the midst of holy or of unclean spirits; borne away at once into an unknown region, and into the midst of unknown inhabitants, the nations of the saved, or the crouds of damned souls; and blessed is the watchful Christian, for he is ready to enter into the unseen regions:' He knows he shall not be placed among those whose company and whose character he never loved here on earth; his soul shall not be gathered with sinners,' nor his dwelling be with the

workers of iniquity,' but with the 'saints, the excellent in the earth, in whom was all his delight.' Every one when dismissed from the prison of this body, must go as the Apostles did, when released from the prison at Jerusalem, must go to their own company,' Acts iv. 23. Judas the traitor went to

his own place,' Acts i. 25. And the watchful Christian will be disposed among 'spirits of the just made perfect,' he will find himself in that blessed society, at his dismission from flesh and blood. Read and see what a glorious society it is, Heb. xii. 22, 23, "To the innumerable company of angels, the general assembly and church of the first-born, who are written in heaven, to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, and Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant." The Apostle says, 'we are come to them' already, that is, by the covenant of grace, as administered under the gospel; we are brought into a blessed union with them, in spirit, and in temper, even in this life; we are members of the same body, we are united to the same head, and made parts of the same household, though we are not yet brought home: But at death we are actually present with them, and dwell and converse among them with holy familiarity, as citizens of the same heavenly Jerusalem, as parts of the same sacred family, and at home, as children of the same God, and in their Father's house. The watchful Christian is at once carried into the midst of the blessed world by ministering angels, the world where Abraham,

Isaac, and Jacob dwell, and made a speedy partaker of their blessedness, Luke xvi. 22.

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6. Consid. Death brings with it a most amazing and inconceivable change of all our present circumstances and thoughts, our actions and pursuits, our sensations and enjoyments; I mean all those that relate to this life only, such as eating, drinking, buy. ing, selling, &c. it dislodges us from these bodies, and thereby finishes all those affections, concerns and troubles, which belong to the body, and sends us into another sort of world, whose affairs and concerns are such only, as belong to spirits, whether sinful or holy: A most delightful, or a most dreadful change! A world of unknown sorrows, or unknown happiness! Luke xxiii. 43. "This day shalt thou be with me in paradise." Luke xvi. 22. "The rich man died, and in hell he lift up his eyes." And indeed the change is so vast, that, comparatively speaking, we know not what sorrow, or happiness is, till this day comes. Now it is a very foolish and dangerous thing at best, to pass into such an extreme change of states, infinitely worse, or infinitely better, while we are asleep and at all uncertainties; What if it should be the miserable state, and we should awake in hell? But the watchful Christian is blessed, for he is ready for this amazing change.' He hath long lived upon it by faith and hope, though he knows not so well what the particular enjoyments of heaven are; and he is well satisfied that he is prepared for that happy world by God himself. 2 Cor. v. 5. "He that hath wrought us for the self-same