Cain, who had offered to God a flight and contemptuous offering. And Cain lived a long time after, and grew great, and built cities. Now, fuppofing there were no other life after this, this must have been a most horrible example to all ages, from the beginning of the world to the end of it, and have made men for ever afraid to please God upon fuch hard terms; when they were fure of no other reward for fo doing, but to be oppreffed and flain by the hands of the wicked. So that, if this were really the cafe, it would puzzle all the wit and reafon of mankind, to vindicate the equity and juftice of the divine providence, and to refcue it out of the hands of this terrible objection.

And thus have I, as briefly as I could, endeavoured to clear to you the force of this argument ufed by our Saviour for the proof of the refurrection: and have the longer infifted upon it; because, at first appearance, it feems to be but a very obfcure and remote argument; and yet fo much the more neceffary to be cleared, because this, in all probability, was that very text upon which the Jews in our Saviour's time grounded their belief of a future ftate, in oppofition to the error of the Sadducees; and which they called, by way of eminency, the promife made of God unto the fathers: as will plainly appear, if we confider what St. Paul fays to this purpose, when he appeals so often to the Pharifees for his agreement with them in this article of the refurrection, and likewife in the ground of it, from the promife made of God unto the fathers. Acts xxiv. 14. 15. But this I confefs unto thee, that after the way which they call herefy, fo worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and the prophets and have hope towards God, which they themselves alfo allow, that there fhall be a refurrection of the dead. From whence it is clear, that they both grounded their hope of the refurrection upon fomething written in the law and the prophets; and what that was, he expreffeth more particular, chap. xxvi. 6. 7. And now I stand, and am judged for the hope of the promife made of God unto our fathers: unto which promife our twelve tribes, inftantly ferving God day and night, hope to come. By the promife made of God unto the fathers, he means fome promise

made

made by God to Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob: for fo St. Luke, more than once, in his hiftory of the Acts, explains this phrafe of the God of their fathers; Acts iii. 13. The God of Abraham, and of Ifaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers; and, chap. vii. 32. I am the God of thy fathers, the God of Abraham, and the God of Ifaac, and the God of Jacob. Now, what was the great and famous promife which God made to Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob? Was it not this, of being their God? So that it was this very promife upon which St. Paul tells as the Jews grounded their hope of a future ftate, because they understood it neceffarily to fignify fome bleffing and happinefs beyond this life.

And now having, I hope, fufficiently cleared this matter, I fhall make fome improvement of this doctrine of a future ftate, and that to these three purposes.

1. To raise our minds above this world, and the enjoyments of this prefent life. Were but men thoroughly convinced of this plain and certain truth, that there is a vaft difference between time and eternity, between a few years and everlasting ages; would we but reprefent to ourselves what thoughts and apprehenfions dying perfons have of this world, how vain and empty a thing it appears to them, how like a pageant and a fhadow it looks as it paffeth away from them; methinks none of thofe things could be a fufficient temptation to any man to forget God and his foul; but, notwithstanding all the delights and pleasures of fenfe, we should be ftrangely intent upon the concernments of another world, and almoft wholly taken up with the thoughts of that vaft eternity which we are ready to launch into. For what is there in this world, this waste and howling wilderness, this rude and barbarous country which we are but to pafs through, which fhould detain our affections here, and take off our thoughts from our everlasting habitation; from that better and that heavenly country, where we hope to live and be happy for ever?

if we fettle our affections upon the enjoyments of this prefent life, fo as to be extremely pleafed and tranfported with them, and to fay in our hearts, It is good for us to be here; if we be exceffively grieved or difcontented for the want or lofs of them, and if we look upon our VOL. II. prefent

D d

present state in this world any otherwife than as a preparation and paffage to a better life; it is a fign that our faith and hope of the happiness of another life is but very weak and faint, and that we do not heartily and in good earnest believe what we pretend to do concerning these things. For did we ftedfaftly believe and were thoroughly perfuaded of what our religion fo plainly declares to us concerning the unspeakable and endless happiness of good men in another world, our affections would fit more loose to this world, and our hopes would raise our hearts as much above these present and fenfible things, as the heavens are high above the earth; we should value nothing here below, but as it ferves for our prefent fupport and paffage, or may be made a means to fecure and increase our future felicity.

2. The confideration of another life fhould quicken our preparation for that bleffed ftate which remains for us in the other world. This life is a state of probation and trial. This world is God's fchool, where immortal fpirits, clothed with flesh, are trained and bred up for eternity. And then certainly it is not an indifferent thing, and a matter of flight concernment to us, how we live and demean ourselves in this world; whether we indulge ourselves in ungodliness and worldly lufts, or live foberly, and righteoully, and godly in this prefent world. No: it is a matter of infinite moment, as much as our fouls and all eternity are worth. Let us not de

ceive ourselves: For as we fow, fo fhall we reap. If we fow to the flesh, we shall of the flesh reap corruption: but if we fow to the Spirit, we fall of the Spirit reap everlafting life. Light is fown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart. The righteous hath hope in his death. Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright, for the end of that man is peace.

But the ungodly are not fo. Whoever hath lived a wicked and vitious life, feels ftrange throws and pangs in his confcience when he comes to be caft upon a fick bed: The wicked is like the troubled fea, faith the Prophet, when it cannot reft; full of trouble and confufion, efpecially in a dying hour. It is death to fuch a man to look back upon his life, and a hell to him to think of eternity. When his guilty and trembling foul is ready

to

to leave his body, and just stepping into the other world, what horror and amazement do then feize upon him? What a rage doth such a man feel in his breast, when he feriously confiders, that he hath been fo great a fool, as, for the falfe and imperfect pleasure of a few days, to make himself miferable for ever?

3. Let the confideration of that unfpeakable reward which God hath promised to good men at the refurrection, encourage us to obedience and a holy life. We ferve a great prince, who is able to promote us to ho nour; a moft gracious mafter, who will not let the least fervice we do for him pafs unrewarded. This is the inference which the Apostle makes from his large difcourfe of the doctrine of the refurrection, 1 Cor. xv. 58. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, be ye fledfaft, and immoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forafmuch as ye know that your labour shall not be in vain in the Lord. Nothing will make death more welcome to us, than a conftant courfe of fervice and obedience to God. Sleep, faith Solomon, is fweet to the labouring man; fo after a great diligence and induftry in working out our own falvation, and (as it is faid of David) ferving our generation according to the will of God, how pleafant will it be to fall afleep? And as an ufeful and well-fpent life will' make our death to be sweet, fo our refurrection to be glorious. Whatever acts of piety we do to God, or of charity to men; whatever we lay out upon the poor, and afflicted, and neceffitous, will all be confidered by God in the day of recompences, and most plentifully rewarded to us.

And furely no confideration ought to be more prevalent to perfuade us to alms-deeds and charity to the poor, than that of a refurrection to another life. Befides the promifes of this life, which are made to works of charity, (and there is not any grace or virtue whatfocver, which hath fo many and fo great promifes of temporal bleffings made to it in fcripture as this grace of charity; I fay, befides the promises of this life), the great promife of eternal life is in fcripture in a more efpecial manner entailed upon it: Luke xii. 33. Give alms, faith our Saviour: provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treafure in the heavens that faileth not. And chap. xvi. 9. Dd 2

Make

Make to yourfelves friends of the mammon of unrighteoufnefs; that when ye shall fail, they may receive you into everlafting habitations. And Tim. vi. 17. 18. 19. Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not high-minded, &c.: that they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to diftribute, willing to communicate laying up in ftore for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life. The word sucs, which our tranflation renders foundation, according to the common ufe of it, feems in this place to have a more peculiar notion, and to fignify the fecurity that is given by a pledge, or by an inftrument or obligation of contract for the performance of covenants. For befides that the phrafe of laying up in ftore, or treafuring up a foundation, feems to be a very odd jumbling of metaphors; this very word buλros almoft neceffarily requires this notion as it is ufed by the fame Apoftle, in his fecond epiftle to Timothy, chap. ii. 19. where it is faid, The foundation of God stands fure, having this feal, &c.; a feal being very improper to ftrengthen a foundation, but very fit to confirm a covenant. And then furely it ought to be rendered, The covenant of God remains firm, having this feal. And fo likewife in the forementioned text, the fenfe will be much more eafy and current if we render it thus: Treafuring up (or providing) for themselves a good fecurity (or pledge) against the time to come. I add pledge, because that anciently was the common way of fecurity for things lent. Befides that the Apostle feems plainly to allude to that paffage, Tobit iv. 8. 9. If thou haft abundance, give alms accordingly, &c. For thou layeft up a good treasure for thyself against the day of necefity. Θέμα η αγαθὸν θησαυρίζεις: For thou trea fureft up for thyfelf a good pledge. To which this of the Apofle exactly anfwers: αποθησαυρίζοντας ἑαυτοῖς θεμέλιον καλὸν ; treafuring up or providing for themfelves a good pledge or fecurity, &c. The fenfe however is plain, that the charity of alms is one of the best ways of fecuring our future happiness.

And yet further to encourage us to abound in works of charity, the fcripture tells us, that proportionably to the degrees of our charity, fhall be the degrees of our reward. Upon this confideration the Apoltle exhorts the

Corinthians