Chap . t q . AnExpofztio; upon the BookofJoe Var. idv~6c9 the Riches and Peace of Kingdoms change , the Beauty and Purity or a Church change , when even the Heavens íháÌ1 change and be no more what they have been ? When we are taught that the mofl durable things perish and change, how changeable are thofe things which are molt fubjed to pe_. rifhing ? Secondly, Confider under what notions yob reprefents Death. Theyfallnot awake, . nor berailed out of their fleep. Hence Obferve, We ought to familiarife death to our felves, to put it under the faired andeafieff apprehenJons. Some tranfÌate Death into fuch terrible íhapes, and reprefent it to themfelves under fuch affrighting forms, that they live iii bondage through the, fear of Death all their dayes ; do as the Spirit of God teacheth you : Cloath it with pleafant expreffions, call it the Undrefhng and Uncloathing of your felves, call it reft, conceiveit under thenotion of fleep, and then you will not fear but welcome it ; Is any man afraid to go to Bed ? Thus we fhould allay the Bitternefs, beautife the Deformiey, take off the Edg, and pull outthe Sting of Death By fuch fweet and loft thoughtsof it, as the Spirit of God fuggefts. Sleep is a fhort death, anddeath is but a long fleep. The Babylonians are threat- nedwith death under the nameof a long fleep, {?er.51.57.) I will uoake drunk her Princes and her Wife men, her Captains and her Rulers, and her Mightymen : And they 'ballfleep a perpetual Pep andfall not awake. 'Tis a judgment to be caft into a fleep like Death, but 'tis amercy that Death is but like a fleep ; To fleep a perpetual fleep and not to awake, is to die : But they who are dead fhall awakeout of fleep. For as Death is "a fieep, fo it is but a fleep Death is not a perpetual fleep, though he who in ¡lead of Beeping, dieth, is faid to fall intoa perpetual fleep ; Death compared with ordinary fieep , is a perpetual Bleep, but Death in it felf "confidered or conlidered rather ac- cording to the, appointment of God , is not a perpetual fleep. There ¡hall be an awakning anda riling, we ¡hall fleep no more, when the.Heavens are no more. lob is exprefs for this in the 19th Chapter, andhere he affures us that man fhall awake from the Grave at laft, while he faith it will be long ere he awake. Man bath done his work before he falls into this fleep, bat man mull awake before he receive either his ways or reward, ae 3ÌÌi;
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