in Contriving Man's Redemption. exceUwt Oil: which fbaU not break. my Head. Bot the Vindiaive Puniiliment of a Male- r....,..l\../l, faCI'or, is not to prevent his Condemnation; for Dea th is fometin~es the Sentence. In~· this refpell the temporal Evils that befal the Wick;,d and the Godly, though materially the fame , yet legally differ. for to the Wicked they are fo many earndls of the cornpleat pa ~men t they 01alllJlake to J uftice in another World ; the beginning of Eternal Sorrows: But to the Godly they are in order to their Salvation. They are as the RedSea, through which the lfraclitcs paft to the Land of Promife, but the Egyptians were drowned in it. Btiefly, their Sufferings differ as mu~h in their llfue, as the Kingdoms of Heaven·and of Hell. o, That .Death remains to Believers, doth not lelfen the perfecH'on of Chrifr"s Satis- ~~~~7; te;J~;;~ivi~~n~i~hea~ ~b~~~tf~~~ ·g:a~~e,Rtha~nitb~: ~~oL:i~ ~':d~!~edb~t~~ All-fufficient Ranfom, fuould pay this Tribute to the King of TerrbrS. But the Nature of it is changed ; 'tis a Curfe to the Wicked inflliCled for fatisfallion to Juflice, but a priviledge to Believers: As God appointed the Rainbow to be the Sign of his Covenant, that he would drown the World no more, ordain"d the fame Waters to be the Token of his Mercy, \Vhich were the In£\rument of his Ju£lice. Blcf{ed arc the Dead that die iti the Lord, Rev. 14. '3· AndthePfalmifl.tell us, P[«l. r6. 19. thatpredoiuinthefighi of the Lord is the Death of his Saints: Chn{l bath taken away what is truly de£\ructive in it. ·Tis continued for their advantage. " r. Corruption bath fo depraved the fenfitive appetite, that during our nalu'fal State ;~t:~~ ~~J ~~t~~: f~~1 ~r~~ii~ ~e~~~~~~r:~:tad~~:~>Ji~~~e~~~ub::!:~et~~t~~~~f Chri£\ and of Believers: The End of his was to remove the guilt of Sin, of theirs to extinguifh the Reliques of it. o. "Tis a delivery from Temporal Evils, and an entrance into Glory. De.rh and DefJ?air feize on ·the Wicked at once, but the Righteous bath hope in his Death. 3· The Grave fuall give up his Spoils in the la£\. It retains the Body for :i time, not ~e~h~fo~,h~:C~:~e/~;m ~u~~h:tji ~~;: J~h~~t,~h~::i;~'~i~;~:~~~7 ~~f1 ~~~= an Angel, cloathed with Light and Immortality. I will conclude this Argument with the words of St. A1tjlin: (Lib. '3· de Civ. Dei, c. 4·) Ablato criminis nexu, relifla eft morf. Nunc vero majore & mirabiliore gratia Salvatoris in tljus j11j1iti.e peccati ptma eft converfa. Tum enim dillum rfl Homini, morieris fi peccaveris, nulic dit1um eft MA.rl]ri, ::::~~!~::efs ft;jt;i !;;,;;,:!a!~~=h~li';;~;:/;::~::::;7 ;ttl~:~hv:~:~~il~~~~:: is removed, yet Death remains. But by the admirable Grace of the Redeemer the punifuent of Sin is made an advantage to Holinefs. The Law threatned Man wi;h Death if he finned; the Gofpel commands a Martyr to die, that he may not Sin. And thus by the unfpeak~ble Mercy of God, the Pun!iliment~fVice becom~ the Security of Vertue ; and that which was Revenge upon the Smner, gives to the Righteous a title to a Glorious Reward. CHAP.
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