Because, although we know the value of the temporal bleffings we enjoy, they are not to be compared with the little foretaste we have had of the love of God, revealed in the Bible. And chiefly in the inftance before for we read that "God fo loved the "world, that he gave his only-begotten "Son, that whofoever believeth in Him, "fhould not perish, but have everlasting "life." Verily, "He fpared not his own us; "Son "." Men are apt enough to believe good news; without fufficiently confidering whether it be true; but, thank God, we have the Word of Truth itself for thefe "Good tidings of great joy 3." 3 But can there be a perfon, PROFESSING THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION, who having 'John iii. 16. 2 Rom. viii. 32. 3 Luke ii. 10. the the offer of an advantage which all the treafure in the universe could not acquire, and could only be purchased by the great price of the "Precious blood of Christ':" Is there a person who can shut his heart to such good news, and treat the blood of the covenant as an unholy thing? We will not believe it poffible, until you avow it. Surely your pretended friends must have misreprésented you. 66 Do not you believe the foregoing declarations, and that "He was wounded for our tranfgreffions; that He was bruised for "our iniquities; that the chastisement of 66 our peace was upon Him; and that with "His ftripes we were healed?” Do not you believe that the Lord laid Him the iniquities of us all ? upon Do not you believe that He fuffered, the juft for the unjust, to bring us to God? If you deny these truths, alfo remember that "He who defpifed Mofes' law, died 1 1 Pet. i. 19. 2 Ifaiah liii. 5. " without 66 covenant wherewith he was fanctified, an "unholy thing; and hath done defpite "unto the spirit of grace'." Are not the men who endeavour to take away from us the joy and confidence we have in the above declarations of our God, acting perfectly confiftent in attempting to overturn every thing else which is dear to us? Heb. x. 282 THE and from the triumphant manner in which some of them went off this stage, we concluded that when their fouls parted from their bodies, that immediately their fouls went to heaven; and we were confirmed in this opinion by many expreffions which they ufed, intimating their firm faith in these things through their Saviour, who they declared had conquered death'. And then they would cry in broken accents, "O death, where"where is thy fting! O grave, where is thy victory!" And in looking into our Bibles we find many arguments for their and our faith; and in particular, the gracious promise of our Lord and Saviour to the penitent thief, faying, **To-day fhalt thou be with me in paradise." The Apostle Paul alfo declares, that though to continue with the church in that day was more needful for them; yet he had a “defire "to depart, and to be with Chrift," which he declared to be "far better '," as then he should be "abfent from the body, but pre"fent with the Lord"." What comfort! But our adverfaries have endeavoured to damp this alfo; and we are the more concerned at it, knowing the pronenefs of our hearts already to unbelief'. They have told us, that man has NO SOUL SEPARATE FROM HIS BODY; and that from the inftant a man dies, until his body is raised again, he is in an inactive, torpid ftate, which to us appears to be worse than a hedge-hog, a dormouse, or a bat. 4 We admit that Stephen "fell asleep +," but it was a far different fleep. It was not a fleep of the foul; for he cried out, “ Lord "Jefus, receive my fpirit;" and then the body fell asleep, and was refolved into the duft from which it was taken; but when "the trumpet fhall found, and the dead "fhall be raised "," and " and "he shall change" • Phil. i. 23. 5 3 Matt. vi. 30. Luke xii. 28. I Cor. xv. 52. Phil. iii. 21. 66 our |