fion for our escaping everlasting Mifery, and obtaining everlasting Life! The future World is an unfeen World; therefore, we are prone to forget it, or to be too little impreffed with its Concerns. To remedy this Evil, GOD hath given us his Word, and therein favoured us with a clear Account of the Nature of our Souls, and the eternal State to which they are going. The wisest Philosophers among the Heathens were much in the Dark about unfeen Things. They had ftrong Defires of Immortality; and many of them juftly argued the future Existence of the Soul from fuch Defires ; but they knew little of the Length of that Existence, or the Nature of future Blifs and Woe. The Vulgar were amufed with many Tales and Fables concerning them, dreffed up, indeed, in elegant Language by their Poets, but only fitted to give them wrong Notions of a future State, and had very little Tendency to promote the Intereft of Virtue. The Ideas which the Jews had of the future State were very obfcure; and there was one Sect among them, the Sadducees, who, as St. Luke tells us, afferted, that there is no Refurrection, neither Angel nor Spirit; (a) in which they fell short of many Heathen Philofophers. But St. Paul obferves, that our Saviour, Jefus Chrift, bath brought Life and Immortality to Light through the Gospel. (b) He hath (a) Acts xxiii. 8. (b) 2 Tim. i. 10. removed removed the Veil that was upon the other World, and thrown a Light upon its different Regions. We are not left to precarious Conjectures what becomes of the Soul, when it leaves the Body; into what State it enters, and how long it fhall endure; we are plainly affured that the Soul is immortal, and fhall be happy or miferable for ever. This is expreffed in Language fo plain that a Child may underftand it; and yet, as Hope and Fear are the great Springs of the Soul which fet it in Motion, these awful Scenes are defcribed in the moft fublime and affecting Manner. All the Force of Language is employed to paint them out, in order to ftrike our dull Minds, and make abiding Impreffions on our treacherous Memories. It is kind and gracious in GoD to give us fo many noble Descriptions of the Joys of Heaven, to allure us to our Duty; fo many awful Views of the Mifery of Hell, to deter us from Sin; and all prove little enough to answer these important Ends. It fhews the infinite Value of the Gospel, and our immense Obligations to GOD for it, that it makes these Discoveries; and, which is yet more important, gives us the plainest Directions how we may escape the Wrath to come, and lay hold on eternal Life. Though Reafon is capable of discovering unseen Things, yet it could never give us any fatisfactory Evidence how the eternal Well-Being of Souls which had contracted Guilt here could be fecured. Not all the Treafures of the World, nor the whole Circle of Science, could deliver us from the Guilt of one Sin, free us from one of the Almighty's Terrors, Terrors, or give us one well-grounded Hope. "Bleffed, for ever bleffed, therefore, be the "GOD and Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift, "who hath begotten us again to a lively "Hope." Let us, likewife, reflect, with fervent Gratitude, on our Obligations to a gracious Redeemer, by whom thefe important Difcoveries of a future World are made unto us, and who also gave Himself for us to redeem us from all Iniquity, the Wages of which is Death, and to open the Kingdom of Heaven to all Believers. How astonishing is that Love, which difpofed him to fhed his precious Blood for Sinners, that they might not eternally perish, but have everlasting Life; through whom we are not appointed to Wrath, but to obtain eternal Salvation! Think, my Fellow-Chriftians, frequently and seriously think, that Jefus gave his Life a Ranfom for us. By his meritorious Sufferings, by his atoning Sacrifice, an honourable Way is made for our Deliverance from the Wrath to come; and, in Confequence of this, the righteous Governor of the World can receive penitent Sinners to Favour and Happiness, without Danger of his Juftice being impeached or his Authority flighted. Ey the affifting Grace, and ever-prevailing Interceffion, of Chrift, we hope to obtain the Inheritance he hath purchased. It cannot be doubted, that He, who died for his Servants, will conduct them through the Dangers and Difficulties of Life, deliver them from every evil Work, and preferve them to his heavenly Kingdom. To him be Glory for ever and B 5 ever; ever; and Thanks, ardent, everlasting, Thanks, be unto God for his unspeakable Gift. 2. What Folly and Madness are Men chargeable with for neglecting eternal Concerns! When we obferve how Men behave, One would imagine they looked upon these Things. not to be so much as Conjectures, but evident Falfehoods; and thought they should either die like the Brutes, or, if they furvived, that GOD had no Wrath for them to fear, and no Mercy for them to defire. Look into the Conduct of Mankind, even of profeffing Chriftians, and you will fee that visible and temporal Things appear to them moft weighty; unseen and eternal Things, moft trifling. They are eagerly folicitous to provide for their frail, dying, Bodies, and to heap up Wealth which they cannot carry with them, but take no Care, or very little Care, of the nobler Part of their Nature, their never-dying Souls. They are, every Day, laying up for Years to come, but take no Thought for Eternity, though every Thing elfe is bufy Idleness, laborious Sloth, and wretched, mifchievous, Impertinence. They have no Notion of the Value of Time any farther than as their worldby Intereft depends upon it. They are diligent in trading, but negligent in praying. Their Shop-Books are duly pofted, and their Accounts with Men ftated and balanced; but they feldom confult the Book of GOD, in order to know what they must do to escape eternal Wrath. Wrath, and have never inquired how Accounts ftand between GOD and their immortal Souls. Yea, fome who have lived Sixty and Seventy Years, and know that Eternity.cannot be far off, have, it is to be feared, never, in their whole Lives, fpent one serious Hour in inquiring into the Nature and State of their Souls, and what Preparation is neceflary for Eternity. There are other Perfons, lefs bufy about temporal Concerns, but equally slothful and careless about eternal ones. They wafte that precious Time in unneceffary Sleep or Recreation which was given them to improve for Eternity. They contrive a Thoufand Methods to kill Time, and are thankful to any One for an Expedient to pass it off. They waste thofe Hours in Public-Houfes, Clubs, and gay Affemblies; in Gaming and Amusement; which should be employed in studying their Bibles, in the Devotions of the Family and Closet, and in doing Good to Mankind. They wafte GOD's facred Time, as well as their own; and will not devote even the short Interval of a Sabbath to fecure their eternal Happiness. Such is the State of the Generality of Mankind. They go on in their Bufinefs or their Diverfions without any feeming Concern. They lie down and rise up on the Brink of Hell, and yet are fecure and fearless. The Life everlasting is, indeed, an Article of their Creed, which they often repeat, and even in the immediate Prefence of GOD. They hear of an eternal Heaven and Hell every Sabbath, when they can find Time for public Worship, yet continue as unmoved as if it was B 6 Nothing |