OS THE WORLD TO COME. one exercise of every grace, and a diligent attendance on every duty, both toward God and man, a constant converse with heaven by daily devotion, an active zeal for trod in the world, a !steady faith in the promises, a joyful hope of heavenly blessedness, a longing expectation of the returning Saviour, which makes the soul stretch out the wings of desire and joy, as though it were going forth tò meet him. This is the meaning of the apostle Peter's expression ; 2 Pet. iii. 12. Looking for, and hastening to the coining 'ii the day of God. Put all these things together now, and they make up the character of a watchful christian : He is awake from the sleep of death, and made spiritually alive lie bath the work of vital re- ligion begun in his heart. He is awake from the sleep of thought- lessness and indolence, he is solicitous to know his own state, and Lath good hope through grace, he lives in the view of heavenly things, and keeps his eye open to future and eternal glories. He is awake from the sleep of security, lie is upon his guard against every danger, and ready to receive every alarm. He is awake from the sleep of slothfulness, and is active in the pursuit of the glory of his God, an& his own eternal interest, and still pressing toward the mark to obtain the prize. This is the soul that is ready to meet a returning Saviour, and to receive his Lord when he comes, either at the hour of death, or to the general judgment. Thirdly, Let me propose some special considerations, which discover the blessedness of the watchful Christian at the hour of death. Consideration I. That moment dispossesses us of every en- joyment of flesh and blood, and divides us from the commerce of this visible world, but the wakeful christian is happy, for he is ready to be thus divided and dispossessed. Death breaks the band at once, between us and all the sensible things round about us, by dissolving the frame of this body, which had united us io them ; and the watchful saint is content to hive that bond broken, these unions dissolved. His heart and soul are not torn away from the dear delights of this mortal state with that pain, anguish, and horror that attend the sinner, when death summons him off the stage, and divides him from his fleshly idols. The christian hath been untying his heart, by degrees, from the dear- est delights of sense, and .disengaging it from all that is not im- mortal : With holy pleasure he cati bid farewell to sun, moon and stars, and to all things, which their light can shew him, for be is going to a world, where the sun of righteousness ever shines in unclouded glory, and discovers such sights as are infi- nitely superior to all that the eyes of flesh can behold : IIe can part with friends and kindred with a composed spirit, for lie is going to meet better friends, and diviner kindred, as we shall
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