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forcible entry into his foul, and a thousand dangers drink his spirits.

There is indeed a folemn dread attending death, confidered fimply in itself, as a diflodgment from thefe earthly tabernacles, a breaking our nearest and tendereft connections, forfaking a known for an unknown world, and launching into a new and untried state of existence. The faints themfelves often fear to die, when they wish they had fhot the gulf and were already

dead. Those who know that their Redeemer liveth and have the tranfporting affurance, that when their flesh and their heartfail, God will be the ftrength of their heart and their portion forever; yet oftentimes the approaches of the king of terrorsfill their minds with dread, and the gaping grave caufes their fouls to fart back upon themselves.

Thofe who are exercifed unto Godliness, and their hopes not fo comforting and fupporting, death caufes them at feafons to tremble and makes them horribly afraid.--Others who are harraffed with doubts and fears, refpecting whom sweet cha. rity that hopeth all things, and interprets them in their favour, are frequently tormented upon a fick and dying bed.-Some again, thro' ftrong mifgivings of heart, are all their life time fubject to bondage thro' fear of death; yet the tenderness of their walk, and favorinefs of their converfation, influence others to hope better of them than they do of themselves. It is not always the chriftians who poffefs the greatest confidence of their own good eftate, and profefs the highest affurance and hope, that ftand foremost in the opinion, or enjoy the largest fhare of charity among their brethren.

Waving these matters found in the conftant experience of the faithful, if we confider death in the moft fimple and abstract manner, a part from thofe circumftances which eminently con ftitute its fling, we fhall find the effects fuch as fully authorise

the emphatical expreffion of the apoftle here before us. Ap prehenfions of it are admitted with reluctance and even with horror by the generality of mankind. Many by fickness confined to their chambers, and death apparently making rapid advances towards them, yet this uncomfortable subject must not be mentioned to them for the world. The phyfician, who has charity and magnanimity enough to intimate to his patient his cafe is dangerous, his difeafe baffles the power of medicine, and it is necessary for him to prepare for his great change, runs the risk of being difcarded by the family and employed no more. If the minifter is fent for, after he enters the house, before he can reach the apartment of the fick, how many whif pers and cautions must he receive, not to mention the dreadful words death, judgment or eternity, for the perfon is feeble and weak, and to speak of these things may be hurtful to him. Thus many never seem to think of death when they are in health, and their friends will not fuffer them to hear of it when they are fick But if any unforeseen accident, or fome imprudent vifitant fuggefts the cruel idea of dying, and the importance of preparation therefor, the thought shocks them beyond conception, it imbitters all their hopes and they cannot recover comfort, till their minds are diverted from the ferious theme, and the impreffion fo far loft and overborne, that it appears as an imaginary and uncertain event. Many who are ready to acknowledge they must die, yet place it so far into future time, that they can fay to their foul," Soul take thine ease and plea "fure thou haft life and enjoyments fecured for many "years."

The horror of death appears alfo in this, that it difpofes the mind to a kind of involuntary devotion and fanctity. Any occafion that awakens ferious thoughts of eternity, immediately produces this effect. The heavy and the gay, the dull and the cheerful are alike in this matter. They betake themfelves to devotion as the common refource. Let an object of morta

lity be prefented, let an intimate or companion be fuddenly fnatched away, how are they ftruck, and how furprising is the alteration? Efpecially if an epidemic reigns, and there be any apprehenfions of the difeafe attacking themfelves; it is not eafy to defcribe the damp it gives to their fpirits; it finks into their hearts, and anxiety and foreboding fears destroy the tranquility of their minds. It oftentimes extends its influence to the features, throwing an air of penlivenefs into their countenance, robbing both the heart of its gaiety and the face of its fprightlinefs, and covering them with a heavy and forbidding gloom. Uneafy impreffions difplace their thoughts of mirth and pleasure, at leaft for a while, and they become mopish and ferious. What does all this argue, but that the ftingof death is very painful, and from its bitter effects none of the children of men can pretend to an exemption. Let fome infectious difeafe fpread its baneful contagion, how many faces gather paleness and the resolution of the heroes of impiety fail them. Their hands cannot perform their enterprife, and their hearts lofe their relish for their wonted delights. The daughters of mu fic appear to be brought low; the tabret and the dance ceafe; the cards and the dice muft not be brought into view; their feats in the theatre and places of public amufement and plea fare are empty.What, O finners, is the reafon of this fudden change? what is the caufe of this reformation? does defire fail? from whence thefe qualms of religion? Did you not formerly declare, that these things were madness, that serious. nefs was hypocrify and grimace, and that pleasure was the life and element of man. The unhappy wretch from the horror of his confcience replies, " I always thought there was fomething in religion, but I never before confidered death as wearing a fting. I feel diftreffed. Death making fuch ravages around me has changed my fentiments; but wher. the prefent mortality is over, I hope I fhall recover my spirits again,"

The fears of death alfo, while the paroxifm continues, often drive perfons into a thoufand fuperftitions. They will now pray more than others; go to church, that formerly un frequented place, more than others; go to every religious fociety they hear of; but when the fweeping peftilence is past, and their fears fubfide, they generally emerge from their glooms, refume their former character, and frequently return to their wonted courfes.

This fubject has been viewed in a general way, let us now attend to it more particularly, and investigate wherein the fting of death confifts, and defcribe thofe things which are fuppofed to conftitute it. All things act at a distance with a feeble in. Auence in comparifon of what they do when they are nigh. We can easily remove death to a vast distance indeed, yea inconfideration will perform this of itfelf beyond all conception. But let the mind be alarmed with the apprehenfion of its near approach, it sheds abroad confternation and horror like the approximation of a comet to the path of the earth's orbit. It is not perhaps the near approach of death fimply in itself but the incalculable circumstances in its train, which produce this ftrange effect. Thefe things unobferved before create appearances to the mind, to which it had not previously paid

attention.

Do anguish and pain conftitute the fting of death? how ma ny have declared they would fuffer greater degrees of pain to be delivered from torments of mind? The mind therefore is unquestionably the feat of this diftrefs. If we attentively confider what we ourfelves have experienced, or what others have more exprefsly declared, we fhall find the ground of the trouble in fome or all of the following things: a dread of the divine dupleasure; an uncertainty with regard to their condition in a future flate; and a fearful looking for, of wrath and fiery indignation.

Thus the circumftances and confequences of death raise cer tain apprehenfions in the mind which form its fting. There are none of us who have lived any confiderable time in the world but by Geknefs or fome accident have had death brought near to us, and perhaps we have been filled with no small fear or terror. What was it made us afraid? Was it the natural pain we should fuffer in the article of diffolution? Was it the mere horror of dying? Was it a dread of annihilation or falling into non-existence? None of these things afflicted us.But after death there was a judgment, and after judgment a tremendous eternity. Thefe created mifgivings of heart and tormenting anticipations of a difmal futurity. A fecret dread lay fmothered in our breaft, that our good things were past, and that we wuft now receive evil things from the hand of an offended God, and drink the dregs of the cup of his fury, and fuftain all the fiercenefs of his wrath forever. What anguish and pain can be compared to this? What can create a more envenomed fting? To fee a fellow creature or a friend drawing near to the agonies of diffolution, and profefling great uncertainty, or no hope, and his past life afcertain to all around him the propriety of his profeffion, what inconceivable anguish must it caule in view of his dreadful doom?

What is the reafon, that many who are bold and intrepid in life, who feem to fear neither God nor man, can outrage the laws of civil fociety, and the rules of decorum with a kind of matchiefs and impious heroi.m, grow timorous, weak and fuperftitious when they come to die? l'erfons who hated and avoided all religion and religious worship while in health! when dying they must have prayers made for them in abun dance both public and private. What is the cause of this mighty change and remarkable reformation? It is plain however they defpifed God, devotion, and holy exercifes in life, that they would now with for the friendship of heaven and be found in devotional frames in death. I grant there are a few who have not apoftatiled, or fallen into thefe religious

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