proaching the gloomiest scene, which usually fills mortals with terrors, I mean the shadow of death? If you have properly affected your hearts, with the belief and meditation of the Divine Goodness, inftead of feeing any terrors before you, the light of the Divine Benignity will brighten the vale of death, and you will fee it to be a fhort and fafe passage unto everlasting rest and joy,

God is infinitely good, and certainly delights in making his creatures happy; especially when they have fully proved their love to him and to holinefs. It was not confiftent with his wife benevolence, to make them compleatly bleffed, before their probation was accomplished. They were first to become qualified for reward, and formed to the temper of happiness; and a ftate of vanity, imperfection, labour and pain, was best adapted for these purposes. But when these purposes are answered, and you are prepared for compleat bleffednefs, may you not reasonably rejoice in the near profpect of a final period to a state of affiction, labour and imperfection? Certainly the God who created your fpirits, with faculties for a divine

and

and immortal felicity, will fill with bleffednefs the capacities which he hath formed. Certainly the God whofe unbounded love

gave his Son to death for men when enemies, will exert his love in making you happy, who are reconciled to him through his death *. And fince flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, with what joy may you think of being rid of this incumbrance; and of having this inclosure removed, which excludes you from compleat bleffednefs? Does a consciousness of many fins and imperfections make you fearful of appearing before your Judge? Are you not affured, that § like as a father pitieth his children, fo the Lord pitieth them who fear him; that he knoweth their frame, and remembereth they are duft: and as far as the east is from the weft, fo far will be remove their tranfgreffions from them? Does not the Gofpel affure you, that his love in Christ Je-. fus pardons every fin, which we have lamented and forfaken? Do you not feel within a prevailing difpofition for the knowledge and love of God, and earnest desires 1 Corinthians xv. 50.

*Romans v. 10.

§ Pfalm ciii.

Luke xv. 21.

after

ness, that is, to the employments and blifs of heaven, dishonour the goodness of their heavenly Father, by commending with reluctance their fpirits into his hands. Let them obey the fummons with joy, remembering that when at death their Spirits return to God who gave them, they return prepared for happiness unto a God who is good, whofe nature is love, and whofe goodness is everlafting.

God grant that his abounding goodness may engage us all fuitably to love, ferve and obey him, while we are in this state; that we may have the noble confolations arifing from a sense of it at death; and being qualified for the communications of his goodnefs to eternity, may to eternity poffefs them, in his prefence, where is fulness of joy, and at his right hand, where are pleasures forever more*! Amen!

* Pfalm xvi. II.

SERMON

SERMON XVII.

The Evidences for a future State.

MARK X. 17.

And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good mafter what shall I do that 1 may inherit eternal life?

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More important queftion was never propofed, nor to a perfon better qualified for answering it, to our full fatisfaction. What must I do that I may inherit eternal life? That I may live and be happy, not for a few days, not for thousands of years only, yea not merely for millions of ages, but forever! Aftonishing thought! Are we indeed defigned for eternity; and may all of us become bleffed forever? And does it depend upon what temper we will establish, and what course pursue during the prefent life? What can concern us then like this, that we cultivate in time the temper, which will qualify us for the bleffedness of eternity; and that we difpatch the work, which a moft bountiful God will recom

after the perfection of bleffednefs, in the perfection of holiness, goodness and devotion *? And can you doubt whether your Father, who hath formed you to this meetnef for his presence and enjoyment, will receive you to it?

'Tis true, you know but little diftinctly of the heavenly bleffednefs. But furely 'tis no proof of its imperfection, that it is too noble to be justly reprefented, by any of the enjoyments of this imperfect state. This you know, that God is infinitely beneficent, that mercy is his delight, and that his wifdom and power are alfo without bounds; and that in the heavenly ftate he will difplay the riches of his grace, and confer a bleffednefs worthy the God who is love, and worthy his grace in the gift of his Son §. And knowing this, and that death is the paffage to this bleffedness, should you not triumph when you approach it? Should you not be even impatient for the opening the doors of your prison, and for your introduction to light, liberty and joy unspeak

* Matthew v. 3. 6. 8. 2 Theffalonians i. 10.

1 Peter i. 13. § Romans viii. 32.

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