LIFE OF FAITH. 413 Paul, and all the saints now see, while sin and flesh doth keep us here in the dark, what work do you think yourselves it would make upon your hearts and lives? 4. Suppose you saw the face of 'death, and that you were now lying udder the power of 'some mortal, sickness, physicians having forsaken you, and said, 'There is no hope ;' your friends weeping over you, and preparing your winding:-sheet and coffin, digging your graves, and casting up the skulls, and bones, and earth, that must again be cast in, to be your covering and company. Suppose you saw a messenger from God to tell you that you must die. to- morrow; or heard but what one of your predecessors heard ; "Thou fool, this night shall thy soul be required of thee: then, 'whose shall ,these things be that thou bast. provided ? " .Luke xii. 20. How would such a message work with you ? Would it leave you as you are? If you heard a voice from God this night in your chamber in the dark, telling you that this is the last night that you shall live on earth, and before to-morrow your souls must be in an- other world, and come before the dreadful God, what would be the effect of such a message? And do you not verily believe Chat all this will very shortly be? Nay, do you not know, without be- lieving, that you must die, and leave,your worldly glory? And that all your pleasures and contents on earth will be as if they had never been (and much worse ?) O, wonderful ! that a change so sure, so great, so near, should no more affect you, and no more be forethought on, and no more prepared for I and that you be not awakened by so full and certain a foreknowledge, to be in good sadness for eternal life, as you seem to be when death is at hand ! 5. Suppose you saw the great and dreadful day ofjudgment, as it is described by Christ himself in Matt. xxv. " When the Son of Man shall come in 'his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory ;, and before him shall be gathered all nations ; and he shall separate them one from an- other, as a shepherd divided' his sheep from the goats ; and he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left; " ver. 31 -33., and shall sentence the righteous to eternal life, and the rest into everlasting punishment i ifyou did now behold the glory and terror of that great appearance, how the saints will be mag- nified and rejoice, and be justified against all the accusations of Satan, and calumnies of wicked men ; and how the ungodly then would fain deny the words and deeds that now they glory in ; and what horror and confusion will then overwhelm those wretch- ed souls, that now outface the messengers of the Lord ! Had you seen them trembling before the Lord, that now are braving it out in the pride and arrogancy of their hearts; had you heard how then they will change their tune, and wish they had
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