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Thus the circumstances 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 sickness or some 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 breast, 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 profeffing great uncertainty, or no hope, and his paft life afcertain to all around him the propriety of his profeffion, what inconceivable anguish mult it caufe in view of his dreadful doom?

What is the reafon, that many who are bold and intrepid in life, who seem to fear neither God nor man, can outrage the laws of civil fociety, and the rules of decorum with a kind of matchlefs and impious heroifm, grow timorous, weak and fuperftitious when they come to die? Perfons who hated and avoided all religion and religious worfhip 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 exercises in life, that they would now wifh for the friendship of heaven and be found in devotional frames in death. I grant there are a lew who have not apolatifed, er fallen into thefe religious

qralms in a dying hour, but have haftily leaped the precipice, plunged into death, and have faved their furviving companions the mortifying bluth, that they did not die with lefs impious bravery than they lived. But thofe ftupid and hardy fons of iniquity and infidelity, who die as indevoutly as they lived, are as rare as blazing comets among the innumerable fars,

But what is the true origin of all that diftrefs attending the diffolution of this mortal frame? Our apoftle folves the problem by affuring us "That the fting of death is fin." Sin is the univerfal caufe of all thefe afflicting appearances, of all we feel and fear, of all pains of body and diftress of mind. Now if all the agonies of body and horror of foul which ufually attend this event arife from fin, we then fee the propriety of the affertion in our text. Allow the fcriptures a divine au, thority, and all difputation on this head must be filenced for. ever. They account for death and all its awful concomitants in the most certain and rational way. That we should be pu nifhed with the fevereft pains of body and agonies of mind by an infinitely good, juft, merciful and holy God, who doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men, must be points myfterious, and facts abfolutely unaccountable, without the fuppofition of fin in us as laying the foundation of fuch treatment. Let the whole tribe of infidels come forward with' their mighty and boasted reason, and account for these facts in any other way, and divine revelation fhall be difcarded. But if the fcriptures and these alone give us a plain and eafy folution. of all these things, of all these appearances and effects, then letus acquiefce in their divinity, and apply the measures of recovery and falvation which they prefcribe. Sin is the true and real cause of all. Sin is the fting of every pain and death itself. Sin, unforgiven, binds over to the penalty of that law, of which it is a violation. A perfon's reflections on his past life, that his degenerated appetites and paffions are unmortified, that all his crimes ftand charged against him in the book of God, and

that he has never fled to Chrift Jefus for refuge, mult in the hour of death fill his foul with thofe tormenting feelings and amazingly keen twinges, which are in our text denominated the fting of death.

Allow me to close this fubject in a brief addrefs to inconfiderate, careless and fecure finners, to thofe who are devoted to the world, the gratification of their prefent defires, and are overwhelmed in carnal pleafures. Death will foon come and you must appear in judgment. What mean you then, O finners, to fleep and trifle in your prefent condition? Know ye not that ye must die? Is not death at the door in refpect to many? What fignifies a few months or years? They will be quickly paft and irrecoverably gone. The honeft hour of dying you cannot evade. To the bar of an incenfed God you must come. You know your fins are unpardoned, and that you have not made your peace with heaven by faith in Jefus Christ, and peradventure your fouls anticipate your future deftiny.

You are ready to fay, "God forbid we do not feel any inward horror, or fting of fin; our confciences do not trouble us, and we hope in divine mercy." Remember your confciences may be ftupified with the cares, amufements and pleasures of the world, and your hopes of mercy may be ill founded and fallacious. You may be crying to yourselves peace, peace, when fudden deftruction is ready to burft upon you. Many a time, the more eafy and inapprehenfive finners have appeared, the more dangerous and alarming was their cafe. Confider what may ferve to keep you quiet now, may not be able to keep you fo when you come to die. Your prefent freedom from diftrefs may be occafioned by your hurry of business, your expectations of more leifure, and a thoufand impertinent frivolities. The comforts and concernments of life form themfelves into a kind of fupreme portion and felicity, and often abforb all ferious confideration. But circumftances will change

at death, and the hurry of the world and its pleasures will not be able to divert you from reflecting on the fate of your fouls. Remember, God is holy and just as well as merciful, and your prefent palliations and excufes for fin, which render it easy for your inconfiderate hearts to retreat to divine mercy may then be difplaced by impreffions of divine wrath, by a consciousness of unpardoned guilt and fearful forebodings of angry indig nation. Those hopes of mercy which many profefs, and a dead faith, are fatal things; they keep you from thinking; they lull your confciences to fleep, and will at at laft pierce you through with many darts. How infinitely unhappy is such a

condition!

Awake, O finners, before death approaches; before it be too late. Lay your ways ferioufly to heart. Begin to enquire in good earnest, "What shall we do to be faved?" Confefs your fins, humble youfelves for your tranfgreffions; turn unto the Lord and his ways with your whole hearts. The arms of divine mercy are infinitely extended for the reception of the chief of finners, who are willing to return to God by faith in Chrift Jefus. Be perfuaded in this your day to confider the things which pertain to your eternal peace.

Are there any thoughtfil, awakened, or concerned fouls in this affembly, let them attend to the fiveet and endearing voice. of the compaffionate Redeemer. "Come unto me all ye that "are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you reft."

If unpardoned fin be the fting of death, let true penitents and real believers magnify divine grace, live by faith on Chrift Jefus, "Be not conformed to this world; but be ye trans

formed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove "what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." See that you keep your consciences undefiled; keep confcien. ces void of offence towards God and towards man.

SERMON XXXVI.

The last enemy deftroyed.

I Cor. xv. 26. The laft enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

MELANCHOLY death must again be the fubject of our meditations. This gloomy theme fhould not be dwelt upon fo long, but it is abfolutely neceffary we fhould foon enter the lifts and held a conflict with it, hence it is an inftance of the highest wisdom to be in readiness for the combat. If there be an enemy who will furely attack us, whom we can neither appease nor avoid, it would be the extremity of folly to neglect preparation for the engagement. And would it not manifest a found judg ment and a good understanding, feeing his affault is not to be efcaped, to enquire whether there be any method by which he may be overcome? I must new fpeak of that which will foon clofe my mouth in the profoundeft filence, and you must hea of that which will fhortly ftop your ears. And we shall neither speak nor hear any more till the last trumpet fhall found, and the bright morning of the refurrection open.

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