"CHRIST," that is, every fincere chriftian; and of SERM. abiding in CHRIST," John xv. 4. " He that abid- CLXXXIV. "eth in me." So " to die in CHRIST," is to die a true christian, in the faith and obedience of the gofpel. And it is obfervable that in the phrase and stile of the new teftament, "we are faid to die all in, and "with CHRIST; to be in him, and to live in him, "and to walk in him," by our fanctification and obedience; "to die with him," by the mortification of our lufts; "to rife with him," by our renovation to a new life; "to afcend with him into heaven," and to have "our life hid with CHRIST in GOD, "by our heavenly affections and hopes; and by death, "to fleep in him."

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But before I pafs over this phrase of "fleeping "in JESUS," there is one difficulty more about the fleep of the foul, which seems to be countenanced from this text," thofe that fleep in JESUS, fhall GOD bring with him;" as if the apoftle spake here of the fouls of good men which had been asleep, and CHRIST fhould bring with him to be united to their bodies, which fhould be raised; as likewise from the whole tenor of the apostle's difcourfe about the refurrection, 1 Cor. xv. where the apoftle fays nothing of the living of the foul before the body be raifed, as if the foul feparated from the body were in a state of infenfibility, till the refurrection. But the true answer to this is, that neither our SAVIOUR in his difcourfe of the refurrection, nor St. Paul, in the xvth chapter to the Corinthians, nor here in this text, do keep closely to the proving of the refurrection of the body; but of a bleffed immortality after this life, against the Sadducees, who faid "there was no refur«rection, neither angel nor fpirit." But fometimes they prove that there is a life after death; and fomeVOL. X.

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SER M. times that at the refurrection, the foul fhall be joined to a spiritual and heavenly body, and that the whole man shall enjoy perfect bliss and happiness.

But this opinion, or rather dream, concerning the fleep of the foul from the time of death, that is, from the time of the feparation of the foul from the body till the general refurrection, may be effectually confuted these two ways:

1. By taking away the ground of it: and,

2. By producing feveral texts of fcripture, which are utterly inconfiftent with it. And this I fhall the rather do, becaufe fome men have taken a great deal of pains to establish and prove this opinion; tho' I confefs I do not well understand to what end, because there is as little comfort as truth in it.

1. By taking away the only ground that I know of, of this opinion; and that is, from the frequent metaphor and resemblance in fcripture of death to Aleep. And indeed thofe which are dead, are frequently in fcripture faid "to fleep, or to be fallen

asleep :" but then (which falls out very cross to this opinion) this metaphor of fleep is no where in fcripture applied to the foul, but to the body refting in the grave, in order to its being awakened and raised out of this fleep at the refurrection. And thus it is frequently used, with exprefs reference to the body, Dan. xii. 2. "Many of them that fleep in "the duft of the earth fhall awake;" and furely fleeping in the duft of the earth," can only be applied to the body. And more exprefly yet, Matth. xxvii. 52. "And the graves were opened, and many "bodies of faints which flept, arose. Acts xiii. 36. David, after he had served his own genera"tion by the will of God, fell asleep, and was laid

"unto

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unto his fathers, and faw corruption: but he S ERM. "whom God raised again, faw no corruption.' Now that of David which fell asleep, and was "buried with his fathers, and faw corruption," was certainly his body," and that of our SAVIOUR which was raised again, and saw no corruption,” was likewife" his body," according to that prediction concerning him, "thou wilt not leave my "foul in hell, in Hades," by which is plainly meant the state and place of fouls feparated from the body; "nor fuffer any holy one to fee corruption," that is, the body of our bleffed LORD to rot in the grave. I Cor. xv. 20. "But now is CHRIST "rifen from the dead, and become the first-fruits "of them that flept;" that is, the refurrection of his body out of the grave, is an earnest and affurance that our bodies alfo fhall be raised. And ver. 51. "We fhall not all fleep, but we shall all be changed;" where the apostle undoubtedly speaks both of the death and change of these corruptible bodies. And fo likewise the text is to be understood of the refurrection of the bodies of the faints, which fhall be raised up by the found of the great trumpet, and reunited to their fouls, that they may in perfon accompany CHRIST at his coming. So that it is "the body," which is every where faid in fcripture "to fleep," and not " the foul," and if so, then the only foundation of this opinion is taken away..

2. I shall shew, that this opinion of the sleep of the foul is utterly inconfiftent with feveral paffages of fcripture, which plainly fuppofe the contrary; as Luke xvi. 22, 23. where, in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, the different ftates of good and bad men, immediately after their departure out of

SERM. this life, are defcribed; but they are fo described,
CLXXXIV. that it is evident that the fouls of neither of them

are afleep. It is faid of Lazarus, that he was car-
"ried by the angels into Abraham's bofom," and
that there" he was comforted;" and of the rich
man, that " he was in hell," and there" tormented
"in flames." This was not like to be a state of
sleep and infenfibility, and the rich man cries out of
his torment; and that we may be fure he was awake,
he is faid "to lift up his eyes." And there is all
the reason that can be to conclude, that Lazarus was
every whit as fenfible of the comfort and happiness
that he was in, as the rich man was of his torment.
Luke xxiii. 43. where our SAVIOUR fays to the
penitent thief, "this day fhalt thou be with me in
"paradife:" but not furely to fleep there 'till the
refurrection. Tho' fome have endeavoured to avoid
the force of this text, by referring "this day" to
what goes before, and not to what follows after; as
if our SAVIOUR had faid; " I fay unto thee this
"day;" and not "this day thou shalt be with
"me in paradife :" which is a foolish evafion, be-
cause, "I say unto thee," neceffarily implies the
present time, and there is no need to add, “ this
"day;" befides that there is no fuch phrase any
where used, as "I fay unto thee this day." Phil.
i. 23. "I am in a strait between two, having a de-
"fire to depart, and to be with CHRIST, which
"is far better." But if" to be with CHRIST," be
to be in a state of fleep and infenfibility, how is that
fo much "better" than to be in the body, ferving
GOD and his Church? 2 Cor. v. 6. "Therefore
"we are always confident, knowing that while we
"fojourn in the body, we are abfent from the

"LORD;

CLXXXIV.

"LORD; we are confident, I fay, and willing ra- SER M. "ther to be abfent from the body, and present "with the LORD." But certainly, "to be pre"fent with the LORD," which the apoftle here affirms that good men are, fo foon as they depart out of the body, muft needs fignify a ftate of happiness; which " fleep" is not, but only of infenfibility. Befides that the apoftle's argument would be very flat, and but, a cold encouragement to chriftians against the fears of death, that as foon as we are dead, we fhall fall asleep and become infenfible. But the apoftle useth it as an argument, why we fhould be willing to die as foon as GOD pleafeth, and the fooner the better; because so foon as ever we quit thefe bodies, "we fhall be prefent with the LORD," that is, fhall be admitted in the blissful fight and enjoyment of him; and that whilst we" abide in the body," we are detained from our happiness. But if our fouls fleep as well as our bodies, till the general refurrection, it is all one whether we continue in the body or not, as to any happiness we shall enjoy in the mean time; which is directly contrary to the main fcope of the apoftle's argument.

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Secondly, what is here meant by "God's bring' ing with him thofe that fleep in JESUS?" In general these words fignify a blessed resurrection, as may be seen by the oppofition; "If we believe that "JESUS died, and rose again; even fo them alfo "that fleep in JESUS fhall GOD bring with him." Where to CHRIST's death is oppofed " our fleeping in JESUS;" and to his refurrection,, " GOD'S bringing us with him," that is, his railing us out of the grave to accompany him at his coming. But the meaning of this expreffion will beft appear, by confidering

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