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death, then might they be most fully affured, that however, in regard to earthly things, they may have fown in tears, yet, with refpect to heavenly, they will reap in joy. As every fingle act of godlinefs, in men, is always attended with fome degree of fatisfaction, fo how much the greater will that fatisfaction be when at length they come to die? For, whether they caft an eye backward on what is paft, or forward on what is yet to come, they will then enjoy the greatest degree of inward fatisfaction. If they look back, they will then have a general view of all their good deeds, and of a whole life well fpent; then will they at once enjoy thofe pleasures united, which feparately owed before from the obfervance of each fingle duty; and then will they have a just confidence towards God, because their hearts do not condemn, but applaud them; then how fweet will reflections be on innocence and virtue, when they may comfortably fay with Hezekiah : "Remember now, O Lord, how we have walked before thee in truth, and with perfect hearts, and have done what was good in thy fight." Alfo, if they look forward, then will there be prefented to them a charming profpect of light and glory; then will they behold their reward great in heaven; and with what pleafure will they see their feet now entering the city of eternal peace! Till then, they might with anxiety confider, that they had not yet paffed the ftrait gate of life, nor traverfed the rugged ways of Sion; that ftill the crown of glory was to be fought for, and the prize of their high calling to be run for; that ftill their falvation was to be worked out with fear and trembling; and that ftill they were to ftruggle with various temptations, which, being confonant with their deceitful heart, might endanger a conquest of them; might be apt to

hurry them into fin, and fo cancel the exercise of all their former virtues; during which trial, their conftant labour, watchfulness, and fear, will not admit of a perfect peace, or an entire fatisfaction: but when this work of probation is over, when the race is run out, and the victory completed, then as they will feel no trouble upon their fpirits, fo neither will they have any to fear; therefore will they freely fubmit to the fentence of death, as knowing it to be the condition on which they received the enjoyment of life; fo that, as they are fons of the firft Adam, they know they muft die, but, as they are fons of the fecond Adam, they know, that they fhall be made alive again; and that, at the refurrection of the juft, their joy will be perfect; that when the graves fhall open and return their truft, when all the particles of the human fabric fhall be re-united, and the fcattered limbs knit together again in fhape and form, then will their fouls and bodies, which had been companions in holiness, be fo in happiness, and for ever enjoy the pleafures at God's right hand. We muft grant, indeed, that death is truly called the greateft of horrors; but this can be proved by no argument, unless it be used with reference to thofe, who either like brute creatures have not reafon fufficient in them to conquer the reluctancy of fenfe, or overcome the natural averfion they have for diffolution ; or rather with reference to those, who, being confcious of their fins, dread that judgment which is the confequence of death: but that man whofe confcience is juftified from guilt, and who can prove, before his judge, that he has carefully endeavoured to live well, and to act inoffenfively towards God, will never dread an immediate diffolution; as he recollects this with 'peace and, pleasure, fo' does he with confidence expect the pro

mifed reward; and though he walk through the dark valley and fhadow of death, yet will he fear no evil; his full affurance of a better life, which he cannot gain but by death, will make its advent joyful; in view of the glory that fhall be revealed, he will now rather, hope for, than fear death when his redemption draws nigh: fo that being diffolved, he may then be with Chrift; thus when he is even ready to be offered, and the time of his departure is at hand, he may with chearfulness refign his foul into his Maker's hand, not doubting but that the fame God, whom he has faithfully ferved in this life, will take care of him after death; when he may alfo fay, with St. Paul,

henceforth, there is laid up for me a crown of glory, which, the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me at that day." What tranfporting, what unspeakable delights, will then fpring up in his heart and mind, from a fenfe of God's love, the hope of his favour, and a full profpect of future happinefs; well, therefore, has the wife man faid, "that the righteous hath hope in his death." St. John,

that we know, we have paffed, or fhall very furely pafs from death unto life;" and St. Paul," our rejoicing is this, the teftimony of our confcience, that in fimplicity and godly fincerity, not with fleshly wifdom, but by the grace of God, we have our converfation in the world." This truft, or af furance, it was, that animated even a heathen to cry out in the person af Cato: O preclarum diem cum ad illud divinum animarum concilium cœtamque proficifcar, cumque ex hac turba et colluvione difcedam. "O bleffed day, when I fhall arrive at the divine affembly of fouls; when I fhall depart from these inteftine broils and confufion;" to which purpofe, we find the fenfe of another heathen: Si fractus illabatur orbis impavidum feriant ruins.

VOL. II. No. 14.

If

the world being decayed fhould fall, he would remain undaunted even under the ruins of it."

But how much more did the tef timony of a good confcience buoy up the fpirits of the MARTYRS and other Saints! The view of death, or outward evils, could not disturb their peace, or fhake their conftancy, while they were well affured, that the prefent light affliction, which remained but for a moment, worked for them a far more exceeding, and eternal weight of glory; and therefore they were exceeding glad when they were perfecuted for righteoufnefs fake.

It might be supposed that the defire of fuch a happy diffolution would require no exhortation, fince, of itself, it should prevail with us to cry out, with Balaam, "Let us die the death of the righteous," and let our laft end be like his; but the depravity of man is fo great, that even when he knows its true value, and therefore feems to defire it, yet, he does not fhew this defire to be real, by zealoufly using fuch means as are proper for the attainment of it.

That peace, which the fcripture fays we shall enjoy after a life wellfpent, is but another word for our moft fovereign happiness, it commences in the happiness of a quiet confcience,which is tothemwho have it a continual feast, and will be at length compleated in the full fruition of God; and if this be the cafe, one might imagine, that the hardest means, for obtaining this bleffed end, might well be thought eafy, and that we might readily give up what worldly goods we have, to buy this hidden treafure; nay, was our whole life to be one continu d act of mortification, we might reafonably think this perpetual felfdenial fufficiently recompenfed, by the comfort it brings at the hour of death, and the everlafting hap pinefs which is abfolutely promifed

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for it; the due purfuit whereof fhould be regarded as the one thing needful, and this ought to be made the chief of our ftudies; but as on the contrary, each fingle ftep of righteoufnefs brings its own reward and fince the progrefs is always agreeable to our nature, our intereft, and our duty, what can be more reafonable, than to conftantly walk in the paths of piety and virtue, and fo to run as to obtain the great prize? but, if the prize be found to have been put into the hands of thofe who have not made a right eftimate of it, or who have not proportioned their care to its value, it would have been much better for them if they had never been born; because, as the end of the perfect man is peace, fo does it follow that the end of the wicked man is trouble and vexation of fpirit; his wounded mind admits of no relief, or comfort, while living; and how much lefs when he comes to die, when he is juft launching out into the fathomlefs pit of eternity; when, by the terms of the covenant made between God and man, he can have no hopes in his death; how will he now grieve, that he neglected to confider the things which belonged to his peace, and that he now finds them to be for ever hidden from his eyes! his troubled mind will be filled with all the horrors of his approaching fate, as he is now but one ftep from the eternal miferies of everlasting torments; and, as we then ftand upon the brink of the bottomlefs gulph, juft ready to be turned off into everlafting burnings. How greatly, therefore, does it concern us, to live well! But in that dreadful hour, in that

ineffectual ftruggle of nature, we may have thefe two fupports, namely, a reflection upon the holinefs of our past life, and a profpect of future happinefs; nothing elfe can then interpofe for our comfort; but this alone will abundantly relieve us, even when we are ftanding in the very horizon which divides this world from the next; hereby shall we be fully convinced, how gracious the Lord is, and, likewife, of what the Roman orator faid, that one day spent according to the precepts of virtue, is to be preferred before an immortality of fin. How fhall we then rejoice, that we made this happy experiment in ourfelves, and fo obtained that peace which paffeth all understanding that we now with delight perceive the approaches of that falvation, which we before worked out with fear and trembling; that we shall leave nothing behind us but meer fhadows, and vanities; and that we shall have before us the folid and real happiness of all eternity: that, now, our divineft and most capacious faculties will be intimately fixed on their moft proper object; that, now, we fhall fee God face to face, and be united to him by the bands of his love; that, now, our hearts will become fully fenfible of the affection he, bears towards us, as having prepared the most permanent happiness for us; by which fenfation they will be ftrongly carried out in the acts of praife and thanksgiving, and will alfo reap the peaceable fruits of righteous nefs to all eternity.

ADOLESCENS

Ex. Univ. Oxon. E. Coll,

MISA

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MISCELL A NIE 'S.

TO THE EDITORS OF THE NEW CHRISTIAN'S MAGAZINE.

Gentlemen,

A conftant reader of your useful publication (properly ftyled the Chriftian's Magazine) begs the favour of fome of your worthy correfpondents, to answer the following enquiry, refpecting the locality of Heaven, which by inferting as foon as convenient, will oblige, Gentlemen,

Your fincere well-wisher,
J. B. Z.

August 22, 1783.

FROM fcriptural authority are we to believe Heaven to be fimply a STATE? or, on the contrary, are we to believe it to be a PLACE, as well as a State?

TO THE EDITORS OF THE

NEW CHRISTIAN'S MAGAZINE,

GUARDIAN OF CRISTIANITY.

No. II.

T is truly extraordinary that in an age when many uteful fciences are brought fo near to perfection, and taught our youth in the eafief and plaineft manner, that there fhould be fuch a very great neglect in teaching them that which fhould be the firft confideration of all, and certainly is the most useful of acquifitions, true and juft notions of the Chriftian religion.

How very common is it to find boys who are pretty well verfed in claffic learning, and feveral other accomplishments, fuch French, drawing, &c. moft fhamefully ignorant in refpect of Chriftian knowledge; when, at the fame

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time, neither great abilities or length of application are neceffary to the attainment of this one thing needful, but only a few books of divinity, judiciously felected, put into their hands for their perusal at fuch times as would neither interfere with fit feafons for other ftudies, or fuch bodily exercifes as a proper attention to health neceffarily requires. All boys, at a fit age, fhould certainly read fome books of fundamental Chriftian knowledge, befide the Bible, (fuch I mean as demonftrate the truth of Revelation) that they may poffefs a well grounded and lively faith in the truths which that facred volume contains. Cavil and fophiftry now univerfally abound, and it is bỷ the fhield of faith that they alone can defend their minds against thefe treacherous affaults. Parents, frequently to their coft, are themselves not a little defective in Chriftian fundamental truths, how then can they teach who themfelves want a teacher! Teachers can inftru&t, no doubt, in this requifite cafe; but, unfortunately, it is not enough confidered to be their province to do fo. Claffical knowledge, or other polite acquirements, or fuch as are neceffary for worldly bufinefs, are alone looked for at molt fchools, particularly public ones. To renedy the defects complained of, I know of no books (of eafy par chafe) more proper than the follow ing: fome one of which, at leait, no family, in my opinion, cught to be without-Lefsly's fhort and eafy method with the Deift and Jews; a good English translation of Grotius on the truth of the Chrif tian Religion; or, the original for fuch as understand it. Bishop Beveridge's private thoughts upon Religion. Beaufobre's new version of St. Matthews Gofpel, with a A a 2 literary

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ENCHREA, a fea-port town belonging to Corinth, in the Archipelago. This town, which was at fome distance from Corinth, was, notwithstanding, looked upon as a kind of fuburb to the city. St. Paul, being ready to embark, in order to go to Jerufalem, had his hair cut off, in compliance with a vow he had made.

CHALDEA, a country of Afia, known in the most ancient times by the names of Shinar, Shinoar, &c. lies between thirty and thirty-five degrees of north latitude, and was bounded, according to Ptolemy, on the north, by Mefopotamia; on the caft by the Tygris; on the west by Arabia Deferta; and on the fouth, by the Perfian Gulph, and part of Arabia Felix. The metropolis of Chaldea was Babylon, whence the country more immedidiately in the neighbourhood of this city was generally, by profane writers, termed Babylonia. The name of Chaldea is no where to be met with in the Hebrew text, the word being Chafdim, whence Jofephus thinks the name of Chaldea was derived; and Dr. Wells is of opinion, was taken from Chefed, one of the fons of Nahor, Abraham's brother. The Chaldeans were much famed for their knowledge in aftronomy, and their great kill in the feveral branches of the mathematics and geometry.-See our acCount of Babylon.

CHERITH, a brook beyond Jordan; that falls into that river be low Bethfan. Near this brook, and in the valley through which it runs, the prophet Elijah lay concealed for fome time, to avoid the perfecution of Jezebel; and here the ravens every morning and evening brought him bread and meat.

CILICIA, a country on the fouth, eaft of Afia-Minor, and lying on the northern coaft, at the east end of the Mediterranean; the capital city whereof is Tarfus, the native city of St. Paul.

CINNERETH or CINNEROTH, a city of the tribe of Napthtali, to the fouth whereof lay a great plain, which reached as far as the DeadSea, along the river Jordan. Many believe, with a great deal of probability, that Cinnereth was the fame with Tiberias; and as the lake of Genefareth, which is in Hebrew called the lake of Cinnereth, is, without doubt that of Tiberias, there is fome reason to belive that Cinnereth and Tiberias are the fame city, as we will endeavour more fully to fhew under the article Tiberias.

The lake of Cinnereth or Tiberias, or the lake of Genefareth, are fo many names given to it from the fituation of the city Cinnereth or Tiberias, lying upon the weftern fhore, and toward the fouthern extremity of it; and because the canton of Genefareth lies upon the eafern extremity of it. It is likewife called the fea of Galilee, Matt. iv. 18. because the north east-fides of it are enclosed by Galilee. In Jofephus's account of it, it is a hundred furlongs in length and forty wide. The water of this lake is very good to drink, and breeds abundance of fish. There St. Peter, St. John, St. Andrew, and St. James, who were fishermen, carried on their trade. The river Jordan paffes through this lake and is continually bringing into it a fresh

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