Semi. CXXXIII: digèrent Ends o f goodandbad Men. zo 3 fleltion upon an innocent and ufeful, an holy and virtuous Conde of Life. Davidwas fo confident of this, that he appeals to common Obfervation and Experience for the Truth of it, Pfl. 37. 37. Mark the perfeéi Man, and behold the 7ipright; for the End of that .Man is Peace. Or as this Text is rendred in our old Tranílation, Keep Innocency, take heed to the Thing that is right ; for thatfhall bring a Man Peace at the lafi. And he gives the Reafon of this, her. 39. becaufe God Rands by them to fupport them in this needful Time, with the comfortableHopes of bis Salvation, The Salvation of the Righteous is of the Lord, he is their Help in the Time of Trouble. As they have fincerely endeavoured to ferve God, fo they have great Hopes and Confidence of his Mercyand Goodnefs to them, that he Will ftand by them, and fupport them in their greateft Difircfs, and guide and condu& them to Happinefs at the laft; and in this Confidence theycan faywith David, Pfal. 16. 8, 9, I I. I havefit the Lord always before me : becauf he is atrvy Right Hand, I(hall not be moved. Therefore my Heart is glad, and my Gloat' rejoi- ceth : my Deft? ? àlfo (hall re in Hope. For Thou wilt Pew me the Path of Life ; in Dhy Prefeiece a Fulnefr of'y, at thy Right Hand there are Pleafurs for evermore. And Pfd. 3i. 5. Into thy Hand I commit my Spirit, 0 Lord God of Truth. And Pfal. t'.2. t4. This Gód is deer Goodfor ever and ever, he will be our GuideevenuntoDeath. And again, Pfal. 73. 23, 2¢, 25, 26. Neverthelefs, I am continually with thee : thou halt holden me by my Right Hánd. Thou (halt guide me with thy Cóunfel, and afterward receive me to Glory. Whom have I in Heaven but thee ? and there is now upon Earth that I delre befde.r thee. My Hejh and any Heart faileth: but God is the Strength of my Heart, and my Portion for ever. Thus a good Man, not only in the Contempla Lion of Death, and upon the Approach of it, but even under the very; Pangs of it, is apt to comfort himfelf in the Divine Mercy and Goodnefs, anc to rejoice in the Hopes of the Glory of God. But the Wicked on thecontrary,when Death makes its Approach towards them; the Guilt of their wicked Lives flies in their Faces, and difturbs their Minds, and fills theiti with Horror and Amazement, with a fearful Expoîbatian of yudgment.t and fàery Indignation to confumc them. The Expelfation of the Wicked is Wrath, faith Solomon, Prov. II. 23. What is the Hope of the Hypocrite, that is, of the wicked Men, when God (hall take away his Soul? lob 27. 8. In their Life-time they neg_ leded God and Religion, and perhaps denied him, or raid unto him with thofein the 21 It Chap. ver. 14. Depart from us, for tee clef/re not the Knowledge of thy Ways and when they cot're to die, they find that God is departed from them: They have not the Confidence to look up to him, or to e::peft any Mercy or Favour from him, being confcious to themfelves, that they have denied the God which is above, or at leaf} neglected and defpifed hito ; and now the Terrors of the Al= mighty take holdof them, and his Arrows flick felt in thea,, and wound their Con - fcienées, and they cannot pluck them out, or get rid of them; their Spirits are ready to fink within them, and the Principles of Infidelity which they once re- lied upën, nöw fail thertt, and inftead of tiliniftririg any Comfort and Confi- dence to then,, they pierce theni to the Eledrt, and are the greateft Ground of their Troubleand Defpair. So. that here is a very vifible and reritarkáble Difference between good and bad Meta when they come to die. Good Men have commonly a great Calmand Serenity in their Minds, are full of good Hopes of the Mercy and Favour of God to them, and of the Senfe of his Loving- kindnefs, ,rhieh is better than Life it fif; and are willing to leave this World, in the comfortable Expe &ation and Affurance of a better Condition after Death, and not only willing, but many Times heartily glad, that they are going out of this Vale of' ears, out of this Sink of Sin and Sorrows, that they are quitting thefe drooping Maniions, and ex- changing thefe earthly Tabernacles, for a Building of God, á Hone not made with Hands, eternal in the Heavens: Whereas the Wicked is full of Trouble and An- guifh, and his Mind in greater Pain and Difotder than his Body; all Storoiand Tempelt, like the troubled Sea, erben it cannot refI; there is no Peace, faith my Gods to the Wicked. And how can there be Peace, when his Whoredoms and Adulte= ries, his repeated Ads of Drunkennefs and Intemperance, his profane Oaths and D d a Blafphe_
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