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CLXXXIII.

SERM pofely concealed from us the time of his coming to judgment, to the end we may always be prepared, and that we might continually stand in awe of it; and for fear our LORD fhould come upon us unawares, might always be in a posture to receive him.

And whatever the fecure part of mankind may think, who " put far from them the evil day,' how careless and confident foever they may be, it would for all that be a terrible thing to them, all on the fudden," to fee the Son of man coming in "the clouds of heaven, with his mighty angels;" to hear the great "trumpet found," fummoning the dead to arife and come to judgment; to fee the whole world in a combuftion, and the whole frame of nature ready to diffolve and fall in pieces," the "fun darken'd, and the moon turned into blood, " and all the powers of heaven fhaken, the earth and all the works that are therein flaming about us;" to fee the dead ftarting out of their graves, fome with great joy, others in a mighty amazement and fright, according to their feveral expectations of a happy or fearful doom. What a furprise would it be to drowsy and careless finners, to be thus fuddenly and unexpectedly overtaken? How will the profane infidel like to find himself fo terribly confuted by his own eyes, and forced to believe that which will make him tremble? It will then be too late for men to think to make their peace with GOD, and to prepare for judgment. And if there were any time for it, the horror and amazement that finners will then be in, will hinder them from doing any thing. Thus the fcripture represents the fearful cafe of impenitent finners, who are thus furprised, as not knowing what to do with themselves, nor

whither

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CLXXXIII.

whither to fly for fafety, as ready to betake them- SERM.
felves any whither for shelter and refuge, as "calling
upon the mountains and rocks to fall upon them,
"and hide them from the face of him that fits upon
"the throne, and from the wrath of the lamb;"
hereby fignifying to us, that finners fhall be in fuch
a confternation, and fo deep a despair of the mercy
of GOD towards them, that instead of addreffing
themselves to him, they fhall turn their fupplications
to "the mountains and rocks," as being more exo-.
rable than he.

But this poffibly may not be our cafe; this dread-
ful day may not come in our days; and yet it is mad-
nefs to run a venture in a matter of fuch moment:
but if it should not, I must tell you, that the cafe
of a dying finner is not much different, who hath
neglected Gop and religion in his life-time, and
would never think of betaking himself to bim, or
making any fubmiffion, till his juftice be ready to
cut him off. And how fecure and careless foever
finners may be now, no man knows how foon he
may be reduced to the very laft opportunity of mak-
ing his peace with GOD, and may be brought into
thofe fad and miferable ftraits, that no man that is

in his wits would be in for all the world; that he
may have nothing that can give him the least hope
of being faved from eternal perdition, but a fudden
and confused, and in all probability, an ineffectual
repentance, nothing but this one plank to truft to,.
which it is ten thousand to one whether it ever bring
him to fhore.

Therefore be wife, finner, in time, and feize upon
the prefent opportunities of life, and improve them.
with all thy might, with all poffible care and dili-,
gence,

SERM.

gence, left judgment find thee unprepared; or in case God in mercy to the world should delay it yet longer, left death feize upon thee carelefs and unprovided. And when that is once in view, it is little that can be done by way of preparation for as "there is no counfel nor wisdom, no "work nor device in the grave, whither we must cc go, "fo there is very little when we are come near to it; and therefore, "bleffed is that fervant, whom "his lord when he cometh fhall find watching."

but very

SERMON CLXXXIV. The certainty, and the bleffedness of the refurrection of true chriftians.

I THESS. iv. 14.

For if we believe that JESUS died, and rofe again; even fo them alfo which fleep in JESUS will GOD bring with him.

Tment of the

HE words which I have read are an arguCLXXXIV. ment of the bleffed refurrection of good men to eternal life, grounded upon the refurrection of CHRIST. In the verfe before, the apoftle comforts chriftians, concerning their brethren that were already departed in the faith of CHRIST, that there was no reason why they fhould fo immoderately grieve for them. But I would not have

you ignorant, brethren, concerning them which "are afleep, that ye forrow not, even as others that

CLXXXIV.

"have no hope;" that is, as the heathens do, who SER M. mourn for their dead friends in fo grievous a manner, as if they were utterly extinguished by death, and they had no imagination of any life beyond this. And thus we find the apoftle elsewhere defcribing the state of the heathen world; Eph. ii. 12. that they were aliens from the commonwealth "of Ifrael, ftrangers from the covenant of promise, "having no hope."

"

But chriftians fhould not mourn for their deceafed friends, as the heathen were wont to do, who had no hope of a better life; because chriftians profefs to believe that CHRIST is rifen from the dead, and afcended into heaven: "for if we believe that JESUS "died and rofe again, even fo them alfo which "fleep in JESUs, will GoD bring with him."

There are two things to be explained in the words,
before we come to confider the matter of them.
Firft, what is meant by "thofe that fleep in
JESUS."

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Secondly, what by " GOD's bringing them with "him."

Firft, what is meant by "thofe that fleep in. "JESUS." Sleep is a metaphor ufed for death, by all forts of writers profane and facred; and by the ancient chriftians, the place of burial was called xopenτngov, that is, "a fleeping-place." This meκοιμητήριον, taphor is fometimes applied to the death of the wicked, but most frequently used of the death of the righteous, because to them it is truly a reft. And fo the prophet, fpeaking of the death of the righteous, calls it, Ifaiah lvii. 2." They fhall enter into . peace, they fhall reft in their beds."

And

SERM.

CLXXXIV.

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And the death of the righteous is very fitly called

a fleep," both as it is a rest from labour and pain. "Bleffed are the dead which die in the LORD; "for they reft from their labour," Rev. xiv. 13. And likewise because fleep is not final, but in order to waking again. The death of the righteous is not an eternal fleep of the body, but that shall be awakened in the morning of the resurrection.

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But why is the death of good men call'd " "fleeping in JESUS? da 'Ino, for JESUS fake;" which may feem to have fome particular relation to those who died martyrs for CHRIST; as fome likewise understand that text, Rev. xiv. 13. "Bleffed "are the dead which die in the LORD," that is, that fuffer for his caufe;

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for they reft from their

labours," that is, their fufferings are then at an end. But we fhall beft understand the meaning of this phrafe, by comparing it with thofe others which feem to be equivalent to it, as 1 Cor. xv. 18. "They "alfo that are fallen afleep in CHRIST;" ver. 22.

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They that are CHRIST's at his coming," that is, they that belong to him, that died in the faith of CHRIST. So likewife is this, 2. Theff. iv. 10. "The dead in CHRIST fhall rife firft," that is, the chriftians that are dead before the coming of CHRIST, fhall first be raised, before those that are alive fhall be changed. Heb. xi. 13. "All these "died in faith," that is, in firm belief of God's promife of a better life. So that" to fleep in

CHRIST, to be CHRIST'S, to die in CHRIST, "to die in the faith," do all feem to fignify the fame thing, viz. to die in the state of true chriftians. For fo we understand the like expreffions of " be"ing in CHRIST," Rom. viii. 1. "He that is in

CHRIST,"

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