Mr. Benjamin Al1mrfl:'s Fut~eral Sermon. l(rees of Happinefs or Mifery in the future State are be~ond the utmoft comprehenfion of our Thoughts, or expreffions of our Words. A Child may as Coon be in" lhul."ted to underftand and relate the deepeft Counfels of a Senate ; as a mortal Man can fully conceive or expli cate what Heaven or Hell is. The Judge ftiles it my ReIll ward , mho is" the great God ~tnd our Saviour: and 'tis correfpondent to his infinite Goodnefs and Bounty, or to his terrible Majefty and offended Juftice. Who can unfold the Treafures of his Love, or the Treafures of his Wrath? Who know< the Power of.~ it A•gcr ? Tho no 1\.e(emblance be capable to exprefs fully the foveraign Felicity, '\l nd the extream Mifery in the fmure State, yet for our In!hua:ion they a.e (et forth in the mofl: intelligibl e and affe{ting manner with re[petl: to our narrow Capacities. The 1\.ewa rd of the Saints is a State of Glory and Joy in the Prefence of the bletTed Cod, t he Fountain of true Felicity. The Apofll e atTures us, that thofe who continue in well-doing fhall be 1·ewarded with Glory , and Honour, and I}Jlmortality. The Rom. ~ · Rewa rd is fhadowed forth by chofen Comparifons, a Crown ofGlory, a Crown ofLift : by the the Joys of a lvLzrriage Fejlival that !hall be celebrated in the City ,of God. In fimrt, the Reward contains the higheft Perfection and exceeding Satisfal."tion of the rea{onable Nature. Our moft beautiful Expreffions darken the Eternal Brightnefs of that State: Heaven is infinitely better known by one minutes Enjoyment, t han by the Defcription of the Divineft Orator. nil~~!c~ob~PJ;Jz~,::~i~nr;;11 ~r~~h~u¥;~b~~:~~~~~ f~:~~t~~~~~~-d~~d t~; ~~~~ifea;1uiRom. ,. ~~~r~~~t:~~o;~~et7h~r%:~ ~~~e;z:~~~::h~l .. tlb~ ~~b7:~k~:ts ~tct.;k~efshf~r ~~~ and the bottomlefs Gnlph of Horror and Mifery. Briefly, as the bletTed Reward eminently contains all thofe Joys, of which we have but dark lhadows here, (o the Puriifhrhedt,i s more extream and fearful than the literal meaning of the mofi violent fjgures exprefs; This Reward he faith" wit!J him. This I fhall confider in three ~~ . 1 . 'Tis a prefent ReWard. Here the Saints have a fure Title to the immortal and ~=:t:fod_.I:~e~~f:i~n;ed f~i~rl i:~:; :;;;e:t !1:Chrlf;, 1t~~~ :,~;~~h;h~0'#e;;;hae;lr~'fn: ~e[~~~~ ~fd~o;:;, b~o~~~~~";~~~;~~~tf~frt~e t~~:cl~~fei~}r~t rb;e~h~ 1ac~~~ Trea(ure of Chrift's Blood, and the unchangeable Tenor of the Gofpel, wherei11 God promifes Heaven to all obedient Believers : but the al."tua l oef'towing of this upon their entire Perfons, is not till the !aft day. Then the King roil/ fay to them on his Right-hand, Come JC blejfed of my Fath§r, inherit the Kin.~dom prepared,.for you ftom t he Foundation of the World. He will crown them with his own Hands, and immediately introduce them into hi< own ']op. Now Sentence is paft upon thofe who difobey the Gofpel; He that believes not, i< condemned already, but the e,J<ecution of it is fufpended for a wlttle. Tho finful Men are guilty of fuch violent Provocations as would conquer ~ll created Patience, yet fi;~~.J:dgr1t:~d~~~ a:11~t'P~~::~~~~.n~;i~u~~r~ngft~t,:t;:n:tlt~;:b~tfs:t~~t;..n~~~ be violated by the Indignities of rebellious Sinners, but has its pcrftfJ Work in this lower World. He ever enjoys the Serenity and BletTednefs that is infeparable from ~~:irps":f:!i~~s: '!:u~1i~vh~~nh~~~~:; :onJut:~~nt~11~h;it:!~~~na ,~\~e i:~~;g;:te~~ follow : For the Sentence will be peremptory and final; there can,be no Appeal from it: The Son fimll then appear with equal Majefty and Autllority with the Father : All Judgment is committed to him : And his Power to execute the definitive Sentence is irrefifl:ibl e, we may read the Tenor of it, Take him, bi11d him h,wd and foot, a11d cajl him into outer Darknefs : there is no poffible efcape by flip;ht from his righteous Fury, no poffible reGftance of his Almighty Power, but the Wicked !hall prefentl y fuffer the decreed Vengeance. , 2. The Reward is compleat : for it !hall be the iffue of final Judgment, witll refpeCI: to all t hi11g<done in theBody, roh'ethet good or evil. Separate Souls aCI: ih their oppoGte States : the Saints above coptinuall y glorify God, and do hi s Commands : The wicked in Hell continually blafpbeme Cod: but the obedience of tile Saints in Heaven is not in order to a Reward, for they arc al."tually potTeft of it, and compleat Holinefs is a principal part of their Felicity : and til e Sins of the Damned do not incur a new Guilt, and expofe them to more Sevcritics of PunHhment, for they are in the hands of revenging Juf'tice, and their Sin is a principal part of their Puni!hRrrrr 1 rneru-.'
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