2,72 nLATIí A. 87ASSIbTa TO THE SAINTS. 'SEEM: XLS3I. ofglory in his eye, and ,ends the war with courage, plea- sure, and victory., II. Death frees us for ever from all our errors and mistakes, and brings us into a world ,of glorious know- ledge and illumination. The vale of death is a dark passage indeed, but it leads into the regions of perfect light. " Now we know but in part, says the apostle, I Cor. xiii. 12. Nowwe see but through a glass darkly, then weshall see God and our Saviour face to face, and know them even as we are known ;" not in the same degree of perfection indeed, butaccording to our mea- sure and capacity, we shall know theca, in a way of vision, or immediate sight, as God knows his creatures, as one man knows his friend, whose face he beholds with his eyes; ar as one spirit knows another, by some un- down ways.of perception whichbelong to spirits. O what a new and unspeakable pleasure will it be to thedisciples of Christ, and the ministers of the gospel, that have been tired and worn out in tedious controversies in this world, and sorely perplexed amongst the difficult passages of scripture, when they shall arrive at that re- gion of light and glory, where the darknesses of the mind shall be all scattered, the veil shall be taken off from sacred things, and doubts and difficulties shall vas nish for ever ! Alas ! What desolatión and mischief has the noise and clamour of controversy brought on the church of Christ in all ages! What quarrels and sharp contests has it raised among fellow-christians, and especially, where zeal and ignorance have joined together, and brought fire and darkness intothe sanctuary ! This has banished charity and love out of the house of God, and made the Spirit of God himself to depart grieved. Surely death carries a considerable blessing in it, as it delivers us from these disorders, these bitter quarrels, and appoints us a place in the temple of God pan high, where the axe' and the hammer never sound, where the saw of conten=- tion is never drawn, where the noise of war is heard no . more, but perfect light lays a foundation for perfectand everlasting love. III. Death makes an utter end of sin, it delivers us from a state of temptation, and conveys us into a state
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