SERMON XLIII. 817 variety of the deaths of his saints ; and this shall make part of our songs in the upper world, and give a joyful accent to our hal- lelujahs there. Let us maintain therefore, a blessed assurance of the wise and gracious designs of our Lord, in all the circumstances of the death of his people. Let us learn to say with that aged saint, and eminent servant of Christ, the Reverend Mr. Baxter, when under many weaknesses of nature, and long and sore agonies of pain, he snake concerning his death, " Lord, whet thou wilt, what thou wilt, how thou wilt." Let us insure our souls in his hands for eternity, and not be over- solicitous about the circumstances of our death, about the place, the manner, or the hour when we shall take our leave of life and time. [If this sermon be too Iong, it may be divided here.] Havingmade it appear, in these several sermons, that death is ours5 or shall turn to our advantage, not only when it strikes our friends or strangers, but when it seizes our own flesh also : I desire to conclude this subject of discourse with various inferences, of which some may be called doctrinal, and others practical. The doctrinal inferences are these: Inference I. Howdifferent is the judgment of sense, from the judgment offaith ? The eye of sense looks upon death as a sovereign and cruel tyrant, reigning over all nature and nations, and making dreadful havoc among mankind, as it were, after his own will and pleasure ; but faith beholds it as a slave subdued to the power of Christ, and constrained to act underhis sovereign influence for the good of all his saints. Sense teaches us to look upon ourselves, as the possession and food of death ; but faith assures us, thatdeath is our possession, and apart of our treasure. Deaths is yours, Q christians, for all things areyours. When sense has the ascendant over us, we take death to he a dark and dismal hour ; but in the speech and spirit offaith, we call it a bright and glorious one. Sense esteems it to be the sorest of all afflictions, but faith numbers it among the sweetest of our blessings, because it delivers us from a thousand sins and sorrows. It has been reported, that Socrates called f0 death a birth- day into eternal life." Amost glorious thought, and a very in- viting name ! But it is strange, that a heathen philosopher should ever hit upon it, it is so much like the dialect of the gospel, and the language of faith. He had learned to talk more nobly than the sensual world, though he was not favoured with the light of the gospel. _ It is so much the more shameful for
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