DISCOURSE" IL 71 safsfied ; and rejoice to find myself made so Iike my God, and to dwell for ever in his presence. IV. It is the Lord Jesus Christ that lets the soul out of the body, for he hath the keys of death, and of the unseen world, and blessed is the watchful christian, who waits for the coming of Isis Lord, for he can meet him gladly when fulfilling this part of his glorious office. Ile shall be introduced by him into the pre- sence of God his Father, and shall receive most condescending instances of mercy from Christ himself. See the text; Luke xii. 36, 37. Be ye yourselves like men that wait for the Lord, that when he corned, and knocketh, ye may open to him immedi- ately. Blessed are those servants, whom the Lord, when he cometh, shall find watching: Verily, I say to you, he shall gird himself, asid make them sit down -to meat, and come forth, and serve them. He shall condescend, as it were, even below the office of a steward, he shall bring out the heavenly provisions of his Father's house, and make them sit down in his kingdom, and give them divine refreshments after their labours ; he shall feed them as a shepherd, shall lead, there to living fountains of waters, and afford them his presence for ever. The watchful christian is blessed indeed, when he shall be absent from the body, and beat once present with the Lord ; 2 Cor. v. 8. The Lord Jesus, whom he bath seen by faith in his gospel, whose voice he hails heard in his word, and obeyed it; Jesus, whom he bath touched, and tasted in the appointed em- blems of his supper on earth, in whom he bath believed through the word of grace, and whom he hath loved before he saw him, Shall now receive him into his presence, and the disciple shall rejoice for ever to meet his Lord with joy unspeakable and full of glory. V. At the hour of death we are sent at once into an invisible world, we shall find ourselves in the midst of holy or of unclean spirits; borne away at once into an unknown region, and into the midst of unknown inhabitants, the nations of the saved, or the crouds of damned. souls ; and blessed is the watchful christian, for be is ready to enter into the unseen regions : Iìe knows he shall not be placed among those, whose company and whose cha- racter he never loved here on earth; " his soul shall not be gathered with sinners, nor his dwelling be with the workers of iniquity ;" Ps. xvi. 3. but with the saints, the excellent in the earth, en whom was all his delight. xxvi. 9. Every one when dis- missed from the prison of this body, must go as the apostles did, when released from the prison of Jerusalem, td their own com- pany; Acts iv. 23. Judas the traitor went to his own place; Acts i. 25. And the watchful christian will be disposed among spirits of the just made perfect, he will find himself in that blessed society at his dismission from flesh and blood. Read
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