638 The Reafonahlenefs of Vol. II. thro' the world are liable to be broken in pieces by the juftle of a thoufand acci- dents ; every thing can lie in wait for us, and lurkprivily for our lives. Men think it fuch an a& of power to kill a man ; whereas nothing is fo eafie. A man maybe killed by another's kindnefs, as foon as by thy hatred ; by his own exceffive love, or joy, or hope, as well asby thymalice; fo that 'tis no fuch inftance and argument of power, to be able to kill the body. 4. The killingof the Body does not neceffarily fignifie any great mifchief or harm in the iffue and event. They can kill the body, that is, they can knock offour fetters; and open thePrifon doors, and fet us at liberty; theycan put us out ofpain, thruft usout of an unease world, put an end to our fins and forrows, to out mi- fery and fears; they cangive the weary refs, and fend us thither where we would be, but are loth to venture to go ;. they can haften our happinefs, and make way for the more fpeedy accomplifhment of our defires, and difpatch us to Heaven fooner thanotherwife we fhould get thither; they can kill us in the caufe of God, and in the difcharge ofour duty; that is , they can add to our happinefs, and brighten our Crown, and increafe theweight of our Glory. 5. They can but kill the body, when they have done that, they may give over, /acre theirproud waves muffiop 5 here their cruelty andmalice, their power and wit mutt terminate, for they can reach no farther.- When they have done all they can, they cannotannihilate us, they cannot make an utter end of us. As for the Soul, theycannot come at thatto do it ányharm, neither the Axe, nor theSword, nor theSpear, nor the Nail, nór anyother inftrument can wound or pierce it and as for the Body, tho' theywound it, and bruife it, and mangle it, yet they cannot turn it into nothing ; tho' they may banifh life from it , and make it a vile and loathfome carcafs, yet they cannot command it out ofbeing, it will frill maintain it felf under one form úf other, and after it is kill'd, defie any thing more thancan be done to it. 6. Theycan' but kill the body, they cannot do the leaft harm to the Soul , much lefs canthey annihilate it , and make it ceafe tobe, they cannot torment it , they cannot with alhtheir inftruments of cruelty reach and touch the Spirit ofa man; they cannot throw flings into theConfcience, and fill our minds with anguilh and honour; nor can they make us to torment.our ,elves by the, racking of our, own thoughts ; they cannot create guilt in our minds, nor animate againft us that ne- ver dying worm, nor call defpairing thoughts, norcaufe felf-condemning and ,»ri- ves refle&ions in our own minds, nothingof all this are they able to do. 7. And lafly, They can but kill the body, that is, theycanbut infli& temporal mi- fery uponus ; their power as it is but :,mall, fo it is ofa fhort continuance, it reacheth no further than this life, itisconfined to this world; -fo that what mifchief men would do us, they mull do it quickly, while we are in the way. Thereis no plot, nor device, norcruelty, canbe prafifed upon us in thegrave whither we are going. Theycannot flay the dead, nor can their malice overtake thofe that aregone down into the pit ; the longeft arm , and the molt inveterate hatred cannot reach thofe that are got out ofthe land of the.living. Our moff powerful anddeadly enemies cannot follow us-beyond the.Grave, and purfue us into the other world. ThusJob elegantly defcribes the happy ffate,of the dead, that they are out of the reachof all evil and difquiet, Jab. 3.:17, 18, a9. fpeakingof the Grave, There the wickedceafefrom troubling; and there the weary beat ref. There theprifoners reft together, they hear not the voice of the opprefour. Thefmall and great are here, 'and the fervent is freefrom his wafter. Thus.you -fee what the power of. Man is, 'and what the effe&s ofit, what is the worft that he can do to us ; and confequent- 1ÿ how much he is to be feared and regarded. I proceed to the Second thing propounded to, fpeak to, namely, howmuch the power of Gpd:ex- ceeds the powerofMan; which our Saviour declaresìin thefe words , Who after he bath killed, bathpower to call into hell. Which in general fignifies, that his power is infinite and unlimitted. Godcan- not onlydo what Man can do, but infinitely more; his power is notconfin'd to the Body, but hebath power over the Spirit; he cannot onlymake, Body andSoul mifé- table in this world, but in the other ; _not only for a time, but to all etergity a More
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