ii 240 THE WORLD TO COME. distresses of flesh or spirit ? Summon them all in one view, and see whether there be not power and glory enough in aresurrec- Lion to conquer and silence them all, and to put thy present sor- rows to flight ? " Dost thou dwell in a vexing and persecuting world, amongst oppressions, and reproaches ?. But those who re- proach and oppress are but mortal creatures, who shall shortly go down to the dust, and then they shall tyrannize and afflict thee no more : The great rising -day shall change the scene from oppres- sion and reproach to dominion and glory. When they lie down in the grave like beasts of slaughter, death shall feed on them, and the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning, when God shall redeem thy soul from the power of the grave : Psal. xlix. 14, 15. Thy God shall hide thy body from their rage in Isis own appointed resting - place, and he shall receive thy soul, and keep it secure in his own presence, till that blessed morning break upon this lower creation ; then shalt thou arise and shine, for the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee ; Isa. lx. 1. " Do the calamities which thou suflerest proceed from the hand of God ?" Art thou disquieted with daily pain, with sick- nesses and anguish in thy flesh ? Or art thou surrounded with crosses and disappointments in thy outward. circumstances ? Are thy spirits sunk with many loads of care and pressing perplexities ?' Canst thou not forget them all in the vision that faith can give thee of the great rising -day ?. Canst thou not say in the lan- guage of faith The sufferings of this present time are not zeorthy to be compared with the glom/ that shall be revealed in us; Rom. viii. 18. Then the head and the heart shall ache no more, and every circumstance around thee shall be pleasing and joyful for ever. °L Or art thou tenderly affected with the loss ofpious friends, who have been very dear and desirable ? Perhaps thy sensibili- ties here are too great and painful : They are such indeed as na- ture is ready to indulge, but are they not more than God requires, or the gospel allows ? Do not thy thoughts dwell too much on the gloom and darkness of the grave ? O think of that bright hour when every saint shall rise from the dark retreats of death with more complete characters of beauty, holiness' and pleasure, than ever this world could shew them in h They are not perished, but sent a little before us into God's hiding - place, cohere though they lie in dust and darkness, yet they are safe from the dangers and vexations of life; but they shall spring up in the happy tno- meut into immortality, and shall join with thee in a mutual sur- prize at each other's divine change. " Or dose thou feel 'the corruptions of thy heart working within thee, and the sins of thy nature restless in their" endea- vours to bring defilement upon thy soul, and gailt upon thy con- science : Go on and maintain the holy warfare against all these
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