to Contttbtng .,y ``afl' ern taon; 273 fidered abfolutely, 'tis the revenge ofthe Law for fin, Chap, 14. and the greateff temporal evil ; fo that it mayfeem (frange, that thofe who qre Redeemed by an alfuffici- ent Ranfom fhould pay this Tribute to the King of Terrors. But the nature ofit is changed ; 'tis a Curfe to the wicked inflicted for Satisfaction to Juftice, but a Priviledg to Believers : as God appointing the Rainbow to be theSign ofhis Covenant, that he would I Cor. 3.2L. drown the Worldno more,ordain'd the fame Waters to be the tokenofhis Mercy, which were the inftrument ofhis Juffice. Blefed are the dead that die in the Lord. Rev. 14, 13- And the Pfalmf tells us, thatprecious in thefight ofthe Pfal. 16.19. Lord is the Death ofhis Saints : Chrift hath taken away what is trulydeftrudive in it 'Tis continued for their advantage. z. Corruption hath fo depraved the fenfitive ap- petite, that during our natural ftate we are not in- tirely freed from it : but Death that deftroys the na- tural frameofthe Body, puts an end tofin. And in this refped, there is a great difference between the Death of Chriff andof Believers : the Endofhis was to remove the guilt offin, of theirs to extinguifh the reli- ques ofit.' 2. 'Tis a delivery fromTemporal evils, and an en- trance into Glory. Death and Defpair feize on the Wicked at once , but the Righteous hath hope in his Death. ' 3. TheGrave fball giveup its fpoils at the laft. It retains the Body for a time, not to deffroybut purifie it. Our Saviour tells us, that whoever believes on him JhallJohn 11. notfee death, for he will raife them up at the lall day. He that dies a Man, (hail revive an Angel, cloathe'd with Light and Immortality. I will conclude this argu- ment with the words of St. Ruffin : Ablato criminis Lib. 13. de nexu, relilla efimors. .Lluncvero majore & mirabiliore Civit. 4. N n gracia
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