Background Image
Table of Contents Table of Contents
Previous Page  251 / 674 Next Page
Basic version Information
Show Menu
Previous Page 251 / 674 Next Page
Page Background

BERM.

RLIIt.7,

DEATH

A

IiLESSI'NG TO

THE SAINTS.

231

and take a

fair

and inviting prospect

of

the promised

land

Inference

II.

How glorious and

how

dreadful

is

the

difference, between the

death

of

a saint and

that of

a

sin-

ner,

a soul

that

is

in Christ,

and a

soul

that

has no

inter-

est

in

him

!

The death

of

every sinner,

has all

that real

evil

and

terror

in

it,

in which

it

appears

to

an

eye

of

sense

;

but

a

convinced sinner beholds

it

yet a

thousand

times

more dreadful.

When

conscience

is

awakened

upon

the borders

of

the

grave,

it

beholds

death

in its

ut-

most horror,

as

the curse

of

the

broken

law, as

the ac-

complishment

of

the

threatenings

of

an

angry

God.

A

guilty conscience

looks on

death

with all its

formidable

attendants round

it,

and

espies an endless

train of

sor-

rows

coming

after

it. Such

a wretch beholds death rid-

ing

towards

him

on

a pale

laorse,

and

hell following

at

his

heels,

without all

relief or remedy,

without

a

Saviour,

and without hope.

But

a

true

christian, when

he

reads'

the name

of death

among the

curses

of

the

law, knows

that Christ

his

Sa-

viour

and

his

Surety, has

sustained

it

in

that

dreadful

sense,

and

put

an end

to its power

and

terror.

I-Ie

reads

its

name

now

in

the promises

of

the

gospel,

and

calls

it

a

glorious

blessing, a release

from

sin

and

sor-

row, an

entrance

into everlasting

joy.

The saint

may lie

calm and

peaceable

in the midst

of

all

the

attendants

of

death

like

Daniel

in the den

of

lions,

'for

it

cannot

hurt

or

destroy

him

:

But when a

sinner

is

thrown to this de-

vourer,

it

does, as

it

were,

break

all

his

bones,

it

tears

both

his flesh

and

his

spirit

as its

proper

prey

:

" Death

feeds upon

him," as

the scripture expresses

it;

Ps.

IKEA.

14.

and

fills

his

conscience

with

immortal

anguish.

Who

can

bear

the

thought of

dying in such

a state

un-

der

the

dominion

of

death, without Christ, and without

-hope

?

Inference

III.

How.

much

does'the

religion

of

the New

:Testament transcend

all

other

religions,

both that of

the light

of

nature, and

all

the former

revelations

of

grace;

for it better instructs

us how

to die.

The reli-

gion

of

the ancient patriarchs, the

religion,

of

Moses

and

the

Jews,

as

well

-

as

the religion

of

the philosophers,

all

come

vastly .short

of

christianity,

in

the

important bui

siness

of

dying,

Q4