Freedome from thefear of Death. 43 Again, for the cau(es in our [elves ; If you would be freed, from the ierrour o' Death, then re&ifie your Apprehenfionsand Opinions of Death, think of is as is is, s.Righrappre as it is I fay to B Levers, to thofe that are in Chrift. hcn6on of It is nos the Mari &ton of nature,and fo a natural I II,as you account it; It is ra he D`ath. a cure of nature, for as foon as ever we live, we are dying;and all our life it is but a li. vim, death, a continual decaying and dying. Nowwhen death cotneth,it putte: h ar enti to all the decayes of nature, and fectech all rightagain. k isbut a fleep, and fleep is is not a deffruétwn,but a helpof the body,and that which taabléch to vigour and (Length, and fitnefs to aétion. . Again,, it is not the defIruetion of any part of a man, the body it Pelf is no deftroycd : Indeed it is in the Grave, but is is in the Grave as in a Bed of Peace. Met (hall come and refs in their Beds( faith the Prophet ;)The Grave is but as a Bet wherein the body lies afleep, and no man ( you know ) is troubled with fear that h. goeth to bed, The Graveis but asGods Chef+ to keep in all his T:eafure,wheréof th . bodies of'his fervants are a part,precious to him;even in the Grave; in Dcach,Preoiotu in the fight of the Lord, is the deathofhis Saints ; andGod will opén this Carine , the Cheft of the Grave, in the great day of the Returrettion; and bring, thebody ow again, and then it (hall be asgood as ever is was ; nay, I (ay not only as good, bu much better too, for our vile bodies fhall be made like rbeglorioles body of Chrift. Pb;l.3. No Man when he goeth to bed, thinks much co have his old Cloathe: plr[L;. takenoff, that they may be mended, and made better again(+ Morning. Whenwe (peep in theGrave, it ism() more but this, the Garment of the foul, the body, the old Apparel, that is taken off, that it may be made better, and a more glorious body; this is all, we lofe nothing by it, but our elates, even our bodilyefface is bettered by it. f And for the foul, Deathdodonot def+roy that neither, for know this, thefoul lived for ever,the body indeed returnetb totheEarth ae it wae,but the foul returnetbto God thatgave it; The foul I fay liveth, that is the thing that Chrift hirnfelf proveth in Mat.2 n. Abraham is alive, Why fo ? For God is not the Godof the Desd,but of the Living; for God laid, lam theGod of Abraham,&c. How can chisbe,ct.at God is the Godof Abrebans,and yet he is dead ? Indeed he is dead,ifwe look to the fepara_ tionof the foul and body, in the Ceffation of bodily actions; but if we look co the better part of Ábrabam, his foul,that cóninueth, the ever- livingGodbath made an everlafting Covenant withhim, and therefore hedieth not. Again is is notonly, not thedef+ntétionof nature, but not of your actions nevher, Dtach Both not deflroy them neither ; Indeed there is á Ceffationof bodily actions, but is i, that the body may have better (Length, and be the fitter Infttument of -lolinefs after : But for thole a&ions of the foul, that depend not upon the body; they are as perfe&ly done, when we are dead, as when we are alive, and better too. When a man liveth upon the Earth f- you fee, ) his foul is much hfndred by the oody; A difiempered, lick, crazy body, or a fall well-fed body, is a hindrance to he foul, becaufeof that tie that is between the body and the foul, and the fpirit : So there is a fimpathy, the foul is affcéted fomewhat in this fence. But it is not fo hen, the foul (hall be loofed from the body, and fo freed for fpiritual actions then now it is. The ford under the Altar, they cry, How long Lord, holyand jufl, . milt thou not revenge our blood upon them that are upon the Earth? The f uls cf .)ods servants you fee then are glorified, when they are out of the body, and there- fore fhallglorifie God more perfeétly, and enjoy ,God more freely and fully, then now while their fouls are in rhele Mortal bodies. And at that very in(tant, when the foul of Gods fervant is carried out ofthe body to Heaven, it more pe.feé+ly enjoyetle Chrif+, and is more fenfible, and more fit to animer the love of Chrift o him, thanever when is was in the body. So then here is a Ceffation of bufer ááionsand imployments, to give place tomore noble, and Heavenly, and excellent salons, wherein the foul (hall beénsployed inHeaven. There is then no lofsof actions neither. Again, there is not lofs of Company. This is a thing that troubleth men, 'Hug.' bindandWife to part,Friends to part. But we lofe no company by death, howfo_ G 2 ever
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