578 PRIVILEGE Or THE LIVING ABOVE TnE BEAD. honours, the pleasures, the joys, the perfections, and the advan- tages of heaven, when summed up together, are far more and greater, and are infinitely preferable to those on earth ; but they are not at all of the same kind. When we compare the state of grace and the state of glory together, we may boldly say, the state of glory has vastly the preference ; and St. Paul himself thought so, Phil. i. 21, 23. To be dissolved, and to be with Christ, is fir better than to dwell in this sinful world. He asserts it, that deathwould be bis own gain ; yet still he allows there are some advantages of this life, which death would deprive him of ; for, says he, for me to live in the flesh, will be for the honour of Christ in his churches; and I shall have this fruit of my life, even thefurtherance of your faith and joy; verses22, 25. When we are encouraging christians to live above the fear of death, we represent to them all the glories and felicities of the future world, which are infinitely superior to all things we can enjoy in this life. But while we continue here on,earth, under the difficulties and hardships of the present state, we have need ofpatience, that wizen we have done the will of God, we may receive the promises; Heb. x. 36. And we have need of all those peculiar advantages to be set before us, which can belong to our stationshere on earth, on purpose tosupport our patience, to bear us up under present burdens, and make us active in present du- ties: Although it must be still confessed, that all those advanta- ges of this life, joinedwith our present sins and sorrows, are much inferior to the actual taste and fruition of the joys of hea- ven, where sinand sorrow are known no.more. This thought very naturally leads me to the improvement and conclusion of my discourse, which I shall wind up brieflyin these four practical inferences : Infererence I.Since there are many virtues and duties which belong only to this present life, " let us lose noopportunity for the practice of them, for the next day, or thenext hour, may put it for ever out of our power to practise them." Eternity is a long duration indeed, but it will never afford us oneseason for visiting the sick, for feeding the hungry, or for charity and meekness towards those who injure us : Eternity itself will never give us one opportunity for the pious labours of love toward the conversion of sinful acquaintance and relatives. O let us not suffer this precious lamp of life to burn in vain, or weeks, and days, and hours to slide away unemployed and useless. Let us remember, that while we are here, we work for a long hereafter that we think, and speak, and act with regard to an eternal state, and that in time we live for eternity. Let us éall up all our powers to action and diligence, that not a day of our short
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