O[DEATH. Chap. IlL fuffering Saviour appeas'd the Wrath of God, and broke the Powers of Darknefs. The Wifdom and Love of God had th<ir Dejigns in his Death, as weU as the Malice and Rageof Satttn; as Lines, that are oppoftte in the Circumference, men in the Centre. And as from the Tyranny of Satan, fo the Death of our Redeemer is our redemption fi·om Death, as to the Curfe and final Dominion of it; nay, has made ita blelfed advantage to us. I. TheCurfe is removed. Death confidered as the Wages of Sin, isallftingand poifon the confeguent of the fpiritual Death, and the introduaion to eternal Death. The Jling of Deatb ts Sm, _and the J!rength of Sin is the La1v. _1 <;:or. I)•. Death _ba th its wounding Power from Sm, and Sm fi·om the Law, that forbids tt, that chfcovers Its Nature, and enhances the meafure of its Guilt, and denounces condemnation for it. Now our Saviour having in our ftead fubjeaed himfelf to Death, the penalty of the Law for Sin, There is no condemnation to thofe that are in Cbrijf 'Jifus. Chrijf lwb redeemed us from the Curfe of the La.v, beingmade aCurfeforus. Gal.j. DeathinfliaedontheSaints, hasnotthat relation to the gudt of Sin, as to be properly fatisfaaion to revenging Juftice. There are no petty payments to be made by our Sufferings after his compleat Satisfaaion to God. The Lord laid on htm the lmqrtttw of usa/1. I fa. q . 'Tis indeed ftill a declaration of God's holy difpleafure againft Sin, for that originally open'd the way of its coming into the World; and fometimes by the immaturity or manner of it, 'cis a chaftifement upon good Men for Sin; that is, to make them renew their Repentance, and mortifie their carnal Affeaions that faften them to the World. For though after the !aft aa of Expiration there is no place for Repentance ; yet in the approaches of Death, the Soul is firongly excited by the Call ofGod to review its State, and make folemn prepa,ation to be found of him in Peace. But 'tis not in a ftria fenfe the male· diaion and vengeance of the Law executed upon them. The Serpent is turn'd into a Rod of Correaion m the bands of our Heavenly Father for theit· good. Heb. I2. As the Apofile, fpeaking offome that for their profaning the Lord's Table, were fallen ajleep, adds, that rvhen we are judged, wear~ ,hajlened of the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the World. I Cor. IO.Jl. .A Brltever JbaU not belurrt of thefecond V eath. Rev. z. ca1Ted 0 :;' iJ:~~ i~a\~t ~~:)~r~~~s~~f:~t~!;d t~a;yJu~"J~d :~~ ,if.a:~:7:; t:e;y.n:ze~ aljothatjleep in 'Jefiu, wi!IGodbringrvith him. rThelf.4.I4. 'Tis ob!ervable how the Apoftle varies the expreffion, 'Jifus died, and tbe Saints Jleep in him : for he fuftained Death Aonon Ion~e with all its Terrors, that it might be a calm Sleep to his People. They enjoy as perfea a glon~fiu,fmt, Reft in the Beds of Duff, as ever in the fofteft Down. Stephen in the mid IT of a !hower d~ ~~~ of Stones fe11 aOeep. Believers die in Peace. The Righteom is t4ken fro"; the Ev:l to come; pro nobis age- heenttrsimo Peace. Ifa. 57· 1, 2. Being reconciled to God through the Blood of Ch~ift, ~~~ ;~mn~n they are not terrified at his Call, but with fweet tranqui1lity refign their So~ls unto h1m. ~rm'~rff,d ~~~;,~e 7:~ ~~nt:Jlfl~;e;~;;:ndg~;s :~~~~;: {":rw7.;1;J,;";;~/:~naf~,/~f;~:C~us ~~~~~~~ ~0~~1£a%:r~t? Wicked. As the 'J abernade in the Wilderntfs was taken down with care upon their Et quos vi vi· change of fiation, and delivered to the Levites charge, in order to the raifing of it again ~~~~:~~:s, with honour; but the Houfe incurably infett~d with the.Leprofy, was pluck'd down.wi t!t ~~~~~.~a~o ;:~;;o~~~0in~h~J,;h~1n~i~t£:~au~~:fr11B:~~ ~·~1~e~e~~~~~n~ol~u~;'~r1=e~~;;{ t;~ ~:~~fc~ ~~~r~~~~~-r~~~ in Glory; and the death ofth~ Wicked is accurs'd. In fhort, as the Wood tbat .Nlofes c~ft = , & mtb•· into the Waters of Mara!J, by a miraculous virtue fweetned them: fo the C•ofs of Clmlt i~;2~~~~i~ has2~a~e~:h~sa~ ~\~elf~Jl~~~~~t:~~' b!t~drne~~ic~:n~e~~;~ to a ~liever ·: it_ bri~gs_ him;to the tos? Bern. polfeffion of that Good that incomparably exceeds the Evtl that remams m 1t. For the ~j' 1 ' des. death of a Saint is not total; but as in the Ceremony of Purificat ion from Leprofy, one '· Bird was killed, and the other let fly in the open Air, the my!lerious !hadow of the Lepers being reftored to a ftate of Liberty : Thus •vhen the Body dm and returm to th; Earth, the Spirit retarns to God, the Father of Spirits, And Foun~ain of lift. Our S~vtour told the Je\~~s, I Am the living Bread tiJilt came down from Heaven : if tin) Man eat of thts Br~ad, be jha!llwt for ever ; and the Bread tlut I will give is my Fle/b, that I will give for the L!fe of the World. John,6. 48. The Heavenly Divine Life, that is communicated by the Sp~r~t of Chnft w . Believers, remains entire when the fenfitive Life is loft. The natural Order JS, There" • *Dies ifie timetobeborn, andatime:od!e: thefupc;:rnaturai is, .therelsatm~etodte, a~dat1metobe qu<mm ""- born. The Death of a Samttsa*new Birth; the pams of the d~mg Body a1e a~ Throws, qu•m fi•P"'c whereby the ripen'd Soul is delivered into the Land of the Lwmg. The happmefs of a ~~~~a:~~~~1~";,~~ Saint after Death, more particularly wil1 appear by confidering ; tahsefi. Scnec. ,.The
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