, AtSC. Ta.] NO PAIN AMONG THE BLESSED. $2s 4. Pain in the flesh may sometimes be sent by the hand of God, to teach us " to wean ourselves by de- grees from this body, which we love too well ; this body, which has all the springs of pain in it." How little should we be fond of this flesh and blood in the present feeble state, wherein we are continually liable to one ma- lady or another; to the head-ache or the heart-ache, to wounds or bruises, and uneasy sensations of various kinds ? Nor. can the soul secure itself from them, while it is so closely united to this mortal body. And yet we are too fond of our present dwelling, though it be but in a cottage of clay, feeble and ruinous, where the winds . and the storms are continually ready to break in and dis- tress us. A sorry habitation indeed for an immortal spirit, since sin has mingled so many diseases in our constitution, has made so many avenues for smart and anguish in our flesh, and we are capable of admitting pain and agonies at every pore. Pain is appointed to be a sort of balance to the " tempting pleasures of life, and to make us feel that perfect happiness does not grow among the inhabitants of flesh and blood. Pain takes away the pleasures of the day, and the repose of the night, and makes life bitter in all the returning seasons. The God of nature and grace is please,by sending sickness and pain, to loosen his own children by degrees from their fond attachment to this fleshly tabernacle, and to make us willing to depart at his call. A long continuance of pain, or the frequent repeated twinges of it, will " teach a Christian and incline him to meet death with courage, at the appointed hour of re- lease." This will much abate the fierceness of the king of terrors, when he appears as a sovereign physician to finish every malady of nature, Death is, sanctified to the holy soul, and by the covenant of grace this curse of nature is changed into a blessing. The grave is a safe retiring place from.all the attacks of disease and anguish : And there are some incurables here on earth, which can find no perfect relief but in the grave. Neither mala- dies,, nor tyrants, can stretch their terrors beyond this life; and ifwe can but look upon death as a conquered enemy, and its sting taken away by the death'of Christ,. we shall easily ,ventùre.into this last combat, and obtain,
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=