bernacle is taking down, but he does it with much tenderness and love, and affures me, that he has prepared for me a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. May he who keeps it for me, and me for it, never leave me nor forfake me, till I be with him, where he is, and be like him, and enjoy him for ever and ever! Yet a very, very little while-hold on faith and patience, and I fhall fee Jefus in his glory, which is the heaven of heavens. O thou merciful and faithful high priest, Jefus Chrift, I blefs thee for thy kind promifes to the aged. Thou haft fuited them in great mercy to all their infirmities, and thou art always with them to help in time of need. I begin to feel the fad effects of fin in my body, weakening it, and tending to bring it down to its appointed end. To thee I look, almighty Jefus, for thy promised grace. O grant me conftant fupplies of thy Spirit, that I may profit by my infirmities, may exercife and improve my faith in thee, that they may keep me humble, and I may pray more in faith, and keep me thankful, that I may be more in praife. Thine arm is not fhortened, nor can thy compaffions fail. Stand by me then, and hold me up according to thy word. Make me ftrong in thy ftrength, that I may daily put more honour upon thy love and thy power. In the decline of life, let me not doubt of thy faithfulness to fupport, and when thou feeft it best to comfort me. Vouchfafe me the confolations of God, when my heart and my flesh fail me, then be be thou the ftrength of my heart, and my portion for ever. When I am weakest in myself, then make me strongest in the Lord; and if it be thy holy will, that I fhould become quite helplefs, an infant again, make me to lie quiet in thy hand, without murmuring or repining, but believing that thou art all my falvation, and enjoying in thee all my defire. Grant me this, Lord Jefus; for thy mercies fake, let me die in faith. Amen and Amen. CHAP. IX. The believer's triumph over death. MAN AN confifts of two parts, a body and a foul. The bodily life is dependent on the light and air of this world, and on the circulation, which they maintain and carry on. When this connexion is broken, the body expires, it lofes all fenfe and motion, and is dead. So the life of the foul is dependent on the light and air of the fpiritual world. Jehovah in Trinity is the creator, the only fountain of being, and there can be nothing independent of him: Chrift is the light, and the Holy Spirit is the breath or air of of all spiritual life, and when this connexion is broken, although the foul may exift, yet its happiness in God is broken, and at an end. Sin, that great murderer fin, brought death upon body and foul: "For as by one man fin entered into the world, and death by fin, fo death paffed upon all men, for that all have finned:" And we read, The foul that finneth it. fhall die, fin feparating it from its union, and thereby cutting it off from its communion with the Father of fpirits. In the moment that Adam finned the fpiritual death took place: For he had lost the spirit of life, and was dead in trefpaffes and fins: And that fame moment his body became mortal, although he lived nine hundred ycars after. Thus we have fin, and death, and mifery, entailed upon all his defcendants, H 5 |