be confcious. But that they were removed from this world, to dwell with their pious ancestors who had gone before them to glory. This state of existence is invifible to mortal eyes. It is difcoverable by none of our fenfes the natural reafon of man, perceives no certain evidence of it. A probability is all that can be learned, and this, not from natural, but moral arguments. The immortality of the foul, and its confcious existence when feparated from the body, may indeed be argued from the perfections of God, the nature of his moral government, and the accountability and moral characters of men. But fuch is the weaknefs of human understanding, that it cannot be easily determined whether arguments drawn from thefe and fimilar topics, rife above probability. Who, unaffifted by fupernatural revelation, could pronounce with unwavering certainty, that infinite wisdom could find no method to answer the defigns of moral government, though man fhould not be made immortal? For this reafon, probably, among others, the ftate of man after death is in the facred writings, filed Hades, i. e. that which is unfern. But by fupernatural revelation, "life and immortality are brought to light," from the facred writings we learn that Enoch walked with God, and was not, for God took him.t That Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven, and that when the righteous are taken from this world, they enter into peace and reft in their beds, each one walking in his uprightnefs,f and of the Mat. xvi. 18. As ii. 27, 31. Rev. i. 18. + Gen. v. 24. 2 Kings ii. IX. § Haiah lvii. 1, 2. pious patriarchs it is faid, "Thefe all died in faith not having received the promises, but having feen them afar off, and were perfuaded of them and embraced them, and confeffed that they were ftrangers and pilgrims on earth," that "they defired a better country, that is an heavenly."* These with other ancient faints now in glory, conftitute the cloud of witneffes by which we are encompaffed. The general affembly and church of the first born-the spirits of just men made perfect,† to which we come. From the holy fcriptures we learn, not only that man has a future and endless exiftence after death, on which he immediately enters on leaving the body; but also that he is unchangeably fixed in a ftate of happiness or misery, according to his character, in this world, according to the things done in the body, whether good or bad." That this ftate fhall be extended to the whole man, by the refurrection of the body, and the general judgment at the end of the world. When the bodies of the faints fhall be raised glori ous and immortal, adapted to their ftate of perfection in heaven, and the bodies of the wicked shall be alfo raifed, adapted to their state of condemnation and woe. How precious is that revelation which contains thefe moft interefting truths! and which manifefts the divine defigns of love and mercy through a crucified Saviour!Through whom the guilty may become righteous, and who has obtained eternal redemption for his church, Not only the new teftament, where these things are more clear Heb. xi. 13, 16. † Heb. xii. 1, 23. 2 Cor. v. 10, ly and abundantly teftified, but the old alfo, and even the earliest parts of it, intimate thefe moft interesting truths, while they affure us, that the people of God when they left our world, were gathered to their people and their fath ers, and thus were united with the fpirits of the juft, made perfect, who had led the way before them in the afcent to glory. The fubject leads to the follow ing reflections. 1. The death of good men is not a feparation from their beft friends and dearest connexions, but a re-union with them. Death has been usually confidered, as a feparation from our dearest connexions, and it is fo to the wicked-they leave all their friends behind them. They are never reconciled with their pious progenitors. The feparation is perpetual-this is ftrongly marked in our Lord's reprefentation of the rich man and Lazarus. A great gulf is fixed between them which can never be paffed. But the godly when they leave the body, are the charge of angels, and mingle with the faints of the ages which are paft. "The beggar died and was carried by angels to Abraham's bofom." To those indeed who remain on earth, it is a real, though a fhort feparation. But good men have dearer and more numerous friends in heaven than on earth. To thefe, they are re-united by dying. Many especially who are advanced in life, have parted with friends who were exceedingly dear to them, on earth. And these friends are fo much improved and they are introduced to fo many more, unknown to them here, and are themfelves fo much altered for * Luke xvi. 19-31. VOL. III. No. 3. the better, by a feparation from the body, that the re-union muft be every way inexpreffibly happy. In regard to Chriftian friends whom they leave behind, they are comforted in the profpect of their speedy arrival-and they are delivered from the fear of a future feparation. While abfent, they know them to be the peculiar care of heaventhat the Lord Jefus Chrift is their fhepherd-that he is prefent in his churches-walks in the midst of the feven golden candlefticks-holds the ftars in his right hand-that his angels are miniftring fpirits to thofe heirs of falvation and perhaps they are themfelves employed, by their common Lord, in thefe offices of love and kinduefs to them. This thought is exceedingly comforting. The reflection is natural, from the fubject, and it is not foreign to the apparent fenfe of many facred paffages. We are not to look at thofe things as the objects of sense, but of that faith which is "the fubftance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not feen." Such faith views with unalterable delight, the general affembly and church of the firft born-and fees the fpirits of juft men continually arriving from our world to be gathered to their fathersre-uniting with their pious progenitors, and those friends who were like their own foul on earth, how much more fo in heaven! By the friendly offices of thefe, moit probably, they are introduced to an intimate and happy acquaintance with the faints of diftant ages and countries, and mingle in the throng. Amidft fuch an innumerable multitude of perfected faints, the union of the whole is entire-they N love one another with a pure heart fervently, and are made perfect in one. But may we not fuppofe that love to be ftill more peculiarly happifying in the re-union of thefe who were intimately connected, in the duties and trials, the joys and forrows of mortality; and who were originally twinborn-fouls? natural body--and doth he not maintain equal order in heaven?--Happy spirits! released from the fins and forrows of mortality, united to their God and Saviovr-to angels and faints-happy in the beft company-in the noblest employment. 2. Our pious ancestors who are removed from our world, are gathered to their fathers, they are united in glory. How many of our progenitors are of that bleffed number it is not ours to determine; to God who knoweth the hearts of all men, and to him only it belongs. But we have learned from his word to entertain this bluffed hope, for as many as ferioufly profefs to be the difciples of Chrift, and whose practice does not visibly counteract their profeffions. Forming our charitable judgment by this rule, what a glorious number have been removed from carth to the happy family above? Readers, while we are on this pleafing fubject, you will readily call to mind many of our venerable ancestors, the fweet favor of whofe names is not wholly loft. The moft improved minds of created beings, and efpecially of men, are limited to narrow bounds, a fmall circle, only, can be comprehended. Creature love, therefore, though it cmbraces the whole moral fyftem, and reits in God as the fource and fum of good; in its exertions muft immediately refpect particular objects, in a small circle, adapted to a capacity fmall like ours. As the man whofe love embraces his country at large -to ferve its intereft muft exert his abilities, not in all places and occupations, but in one-even fo the fpirit, united to theinterefts of God's kingdom, muft ad accordingly. This being fo, may we not reasonably fuppofe that each of the happy fpirits above ftands in his lot, or fills the place and performs the fervices to which his abilities are beft adapted? And that fpirits peculiarly united on earth, in friendship, arifing from fimilarity of talents, difpofitions and tafte, in thofe things, which conflituted their character as fpirits, not as mortals-that thofe, and others like them, not known in this world to cach other, will be peculiarly uni-happy after death-to be happy ted in their exercifes and enjoyments? God is a God of order, in heaven no less than on earth. Has he fixed the flanding of each member of his church below to his proper place and bufinefs, with anexactness like that which he has ufed in the feveral men.bers of the Our comfort concerning depar ted Chriftian friends is that "they are gathered to their people,' " they reft from their labors, and their works follow them." 3. Shall we not be perfuaded to spend life in a preparation for death and heaven? Who of us does not earnestly defire to be with our pious ancestors, and Chriflian friends, who are gone before us? Will any one fay when he commits to the houfe of lence, the remains of a pious and beloved parent-wife or friend-let this parting be final—this fepara 1 Corinth, xii Chap. throughout. tion eternal! Never more let me give or receive the expreffions of natural kind affection! This would be indeed to "forrow as those who have no hope." Rather, who is not earnestly defirous to meet thofe deareft, thofe tendereft names, in the region of happy fpirits, and live with them forever? That we may be gathered to our pious ancestors, we muit tread in their steps. We mult follow them where they followed Chrift, and "go our way forth by the footiteps of the flock." We mult afk for the old path, the good way, in which the faints of all generations have travelled to heav en. We must walk in it, and the Jefus Chrift, prevent us from fo dreadful a doom! And may the awful ikea efectually alarm every one, to fly from the wrath to come, and fay from the heart to each of his pious ancestors, "thy people fhall be my people, and thy God my God!" The labor of perfons, divinely onlightened, illuftrated, and the fubjet applied to the confcience, in four letters, from VIITOR to CHRISTIANUS. (Continued from p. 61.) LETTER IT. DEAR CHRISTIAN FRIEND, of God r fored, or a holy tafte They are fenfible that if they were to have their deferts, they thould perish eternally, and labor to keep themfelves humble, un end of our journey will be happy.natel, have the moral image Plain is the path which leads to heaven. It is but to receive the truth in the love of it, and walk by the fame rule, and we fall be fafely guided thro this wildernefs, to the promised land. By faith we may behold it now, and when we fhall be gathered to our fathers, we fhall tafte the milk and honey. Our present state is not without its troubles, among which, and far from being the fmalleft, is the removal of our deareft Chritian friends. But this will give additional felicity at the expected meeting. Smallare the pains offep-der a fenfe of their great vilenefs, aration, compared with the pure and fublime joys of that blefied reunion. But fad is the cafe of those who have neither part nor lot in this matter, painful the day of feparation, but more painful, that day, when faints fhall be reunited, and they fhall fee them coming from the eaft and weftfrom the north and fouth, to fit down with Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob, with their pious ancestors, in the kingdom of God,--but they fhall be fout out. May God of his infinite mercy, through to be at the divine footstool, and daily to make the penitential cry, God be merciful to us finners. Altho' they hope for mercy through the Saviour, they find that they are very far from being what they ought to be, and pray that he who hath begun a good work in them, would perform it until the day of Jefus Christ. We fee their pious longing verified in the conduct of king David: "Purge me with hyfop and I fhall be clean, wash me and I fhall be whiter than flow. Make me tɔ hear joy and gladnefs; that the Perfons divinely enlightened, labor likewife, to have their hearts fenfibly exercifed in that love, in which is comprised the general nature of religion, and which indeed is the fubflance of all the Chriftian graces, by whatever name they are called. he will ultimately terminate in the glory of God, as it is faid to him are all things.' With thefe things in view, they labor" to rejoice evermore :" to "let patience have its perfect work that they may be perfect and entire wanting nothing." We fee this temper actually verified in the prophet Habakkuk: “Altho' the fig-tree shall not bloffom, neither fhall fruit be in the vine, the labor of the olive fhall fail, and the fields fhall yield no meat, the flocks fhall be cut off from the fold, and there fhall be no herd in the ftalls. Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my falvation." To the foregoing, out of the many, which might eafily be mentioned, may be added the example of Paul': "I have learned in whatever state I am, therewith to be content: I know how to be abafed, and how to abound: Every where and in all things I am inftructed, both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to fuffer need." 2. Perfons divinely enlightened, "as new born babes, defire the fincere milk of the word that they may grow thereby." Poffef fing that fpirit, which guides "in» to all truth," they will labor to underfland and cordially to embrace all the fentiments taught in the bible, however they may "ftain the pride of all glory." They know, from divine teftimony, that " every man's work will he tried, of what fort it is " that nothing but truth can abide when tried by a perfect standard, that erroneous fentiments, can no more abide the final trial, than In like manner, they labor to rejoice in the rectitude of divine government, even when called to pafs thro' the most fevere trials. They well know God's right to govern that fuch are the perfections of his nature, that he can do no injustice to any of his creatures, and that tho' there is no evil in the city which the Lord hath not done,' yet never willingly grieves and afflicts the children of men' that he hath fome good end to anfwer by all the punishment inflicted on the wicked that the fharpeft trials which attend the truly righteous are only fatherly chaftifements, for "whom he loveth he chaften-hay, wood and stubble, can witheth-all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according his purpose:" and that they fland fire; they labor therefore, "to hold fast the form of found words," received from the apoftles, cfteeming the modern cathol |
