here they will have their portion, whatsoever fhall come after. And though they must know, would they think at all, that the judgment of the wicked lingereth not, and their damnation doth not flumber*; yet either they fly from the conviction, or they harden themselves against it; and desperately refolve, that nothing, but what is prefent, fhall make any impreffion upon them; whereas, in juft reckoning, every thing prefent should be regarded almoft only as it promotes or obftructs our preparation for futurity. Faithfulness to our duty fhould be our whole concern; and what we may suffer here by doing it, or gain here by tranfgreffing it, should be accounted very infignificant; as we certainly fhall account it, if once we obtain from God the skill of numbering our days aright. 3. The last use which I shall mention, of confidering how foon this life will terminate in another, is, that we fhould fupport ourselves with the profpect of being happy shortly, under all that may afflict us in the mean while. Indeed, were there to be no future ftate, the misfortunes of the present would be much the more tolerable for ending fo foon: but ftill, lofing the comforts of it would then be lofing our all; and going through it in mifery, would embitter our whole existence. Now, were the space of it more or lefs, yet being the whole, we could have nothing to make us amends for our disappointments and sufferings, or to exalt us above them. Death indeed would free us, earlier or later, and fo far be a remedy; but a very gloomy one, were all to end there; fuch a one as most people would think worse than the disease, and be, through fear of it, all their lifetime fubject to bondage t. But now, as the interefts of this world are only a small part of our concern, they deserve only a small part of our confideration; and as the conclufion of the present scene is immediately followed by a fecond, which shall never condude, it furnishes out to us a triumph over its own terrors. O death, where is thy fting? O grave, where is thy victory ? Bad perfons indeed can derive no comfort from hence; for the end of their worldly forrows, is the beginning of infinitely more dreadful ones. But if we are fincerely pious and X 2 virtuous, * 2 Pet. ii. 3. † Heb. ii. 15. 1 Cor. xv. 55. virtuous, the croffes and troubles, under which we may labour here, the parting with our friends, the provocations of our enemies, poverty and contempt, fickness and' pain, the wearisomeness of old age, the feeblenefs of decaying nature, whatever can be grievous to us, will not only foon be fucceeded by happiness, but will increase that happiness unspeakably, provided we only bear it with a dutiful patience for this little interval. Now therefore, why difquieteft thou thyself, feeing thou art but a corruptible man? and why art thou moved, whereas thou art but mortal? and why haft thou not confidered the thing that is to come, rather than that which is preSent? We cannot indeed, through the original weakness of our depraved faculties, be fo much cheered by thefe confiderations as we have caufe; and we should not defpair upon it; but we may be cheered by them much more than we are; and we fhould endeavour it to the utmoft; affuring ourselves, that in our future ftate, we shall smile at recollecting the heaviest calamities of this, with much more contempt than we always do, in our maturer years, at remembering the petty afflictions of our childhood. Let us refolve then, that we will try to take, even joyfully, not only the loffes of this world, knowing that we have in heaven a better, and an enduring fubftance†; but also the diffulution of this tabernacle, fince when we are unclothed, we shall be clothed upon with an houfe eternal, and mortality be fwal lowed up of life. Let us, under all preffures, of whatever kind, look up, and lift up our heads, for our redemption draweth nigh; and contentedly wait all the days of our appointed time, till our change come ; never cafting away that confidence which hath great recompence of reward; for yet a little while, and be that shall come will come, and will not tarry ¶. Thefe reflections let us familiarize to ourselves; and learn from them to fix our hearts, not on fuch unworthy objects as we are fubject to be difappointed about every moment, whilft we have them, and muft at fartheft, in a few years, undergo the final disappointment of parting with them for ever; but extend *2 Efdr. vii. 15, 16. 4 Heb. x. 34. 2 Cor. v. 1-4. Heb. x. 35, 37. tend our ambition to nobler views; and fince we are made for eternity, become fuperior both to the pleasures and the griefs of time; that being neither feduced by the one, nor dejected by the other, we may go on with a steady and cheerful attention to our present duty, and our approaching bliss; till the few and evil days of our pilgrimage * being ended, we may have our confummation in peace; and be admitted everlafting inhabitants of that city, which bath foundations, whose builder and maker is Godt. Gen. xlvii. 9. + Heb. xi. 10. SER SERMON Cviii. THE CERTAINTY OF THE COMMUNICATION OF DIVINE (THOUGH INVISIBLE) INFLUENCES TO GOOD MEN. JOHN XV. 26. But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me. 'HE bleffings which we have received from the Sovereign THE Lord of all, are either the original ones of creation and providence, or the fuperadded one of redemption from fin and mifery. The former fort are in fome measure discoverable by reafon, but much more fully made known by revelation; of the latter our whole knowledge is from revelation alone. But being, through its means, once acquainted with those new relations, in which God's mercy to fallen man hath placed us, and with the new obligations to which they subject us, it is no lefs criminal to difregard this part of religion than the other, fince not only the foundation of it, in the truth of things, is equally real, but its importance to our happiness, if poffible, greater. And the feveral perfons of the Sacred Trinity having manifefted their love to us, by concurring in our recovery, and conducting and executing, according to the difpofition of infinite wisdom, their several shares of that gracious work; we are confequently bound to diftinct acts of faith and duty towards each; the performance of which, agreeably to the direction of God's word, conftitutes the peculiar duty of a Chriftian. Amongst thefe, the present feafon leads us to confider, what offices the Holy Ghost hath condefcended to execute for our falvation. And as they confift partly in teftifying to us outwardly the certainty of our religion, religion, partly in moving us inwardly to be affected by it as we ought, I fhall discourse now on the former of these points, by laying before you, I. More generally, the teftimony given by the bleffed Spirit, in fucceffive ages, to divine truths; above all to the grant of a Saviour to mankind. II. In a more particular manner, that ever memorable confirmation, vouchfafed, as on this day, to the doctrine of the gofpel, by his defcending on the apofties, and enduing them with miraculous gifts; of which I fhall prove the reality, and draw from it proper inferences. For it will be useful to put you in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be eftablished in the prefent truth*. I. First then, I fhall lay before you, more generally and briefly, the testimony given by the Spirit, in fucceffive ages, to divine truths. Prophecy, as St. Peter observes, came not in old time by the will of man; but holy men of God fpake, as they were moved, by the Holy Ghoft t. Accordingly we find in multitudes of places, from the earliest book of fcripture to the latest, fupernatural impulfes and illuminations afcribed to the Spirit of God nor can we doubt therefore, but they proceeded from him always, though fometimes it is not expressly affirmed. So that we are to honour the third person as the immediate inward inftructor of men from the foundation of the world; as him who hath admonished, reproved, and ftriven with the wicked; who hath warmed and cheered the hearts of the pious in all times, with manifestations of God's will, with declarations of his favour, with precautions against unfeen dangers, with promises of deliverance from the heaviest afflictions, with his prefence and guidance in the most intricate difficulties. But as the principal demonstration of the goodness of Heaven, was the purpose of sending our bleffed Lord into the world, this most important difpenfation it was the peculiar care of the Holy Spirit to notify; giving first such darker and lefs explicit intimations of it, as how ever 2 Pet. i. 12. † 2 Pet. i. 21. Gen. vi. 3. xli. 38. Numb. xi. 25, 26. xxiv. 2. I Sam. x. 10. 2 Kings ii. 9, &c. 1 Chr. xii. 18. 2 Chr. xv. I. Neh. ix. 30. Ezek. ii. 2. Zech. vii. 12. Rev, i, 10. ii, 7. iv. 2, &c. |