me, by his special favour, into a state of safety and happiness.

With what holy joy and transport may we look through death's dark vale, when we see the crown in our Redeemer's hands, ready to be placed on our heads! When we behold the bleffed Jefus ready to put the victorious palm in our hands, and to fix our station among the triumphant throng, who have come out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb!

The dying faint may, with holy confidence, commit his foul to the hands of his Redeemer, and be perfuaded of its fafety there. He may fay, "Lord, I am now taking my leave of this world, and of my dying body, receive my departing spirit; let angels be its convoy to Abraham's bofom. I leave my duft alfo to thy care, regardlefs of the infignificant ceremony of a pompous funeral. Let my unfettered foul, difmiffed from the burden of the flesh, afcend to thee, my portion and my happiness; let it take the wings of a dove, let it fly away, and be at rest!"

Through the divine favour, the dying faint che rifhes the fure and certain hope of a bleffed and glorious refurrection at the laft day. "The earthly house," fays he, "of this tabernacle must be taken

down;

down; I muft drop thefe clothes of flesh, as Elijah dropped his mantle when he afcended to the skies. This my feeble frame is diffolving; it will presently be a lifelefs mass, and must turn to duft and corruption. It will be the feast of worms, and mingle with the common mould. Yet in this ftate of dif honour, through the favour of God, my crumbling bones and wasting flesh shall be the care of Heaven. My body shall fleep in Jefus: it was redeemed by him, as well as my foul. And at the last great rifing day, my scattered duft shall be gathered up again, and this vile body be fashioned like Chrift's glorious body, according to his working, who is able to fubdue all things unto himself.

"I am fully affured by Him that cannot lie, that a happy re-union of body and foul fhall take place, at the resurrection of the juft. The foul defcending with its triumphant Redeemer, shall meet the glorified body, newly rifen from the tomb, and both be fweetly and happily united, to jar no more, nor ever more to know a separation. What a joyful union, what a happy marriage-day will this be, between the foul made perfect in purity, and the glorified body! Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God. The body will be dignified with fpirituality, with immortality, and with fuch ineffable glory, that it will fhine like the fun in the

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kingdom of our Father. So wonderfully will this fickly, diseased, afflicted body of mine be changed, that it will neither need food, phyfic, nor fleep; but be as the angels of God, which are in heaven. Then fhall I be feated on a throne, along with those bleifed ones who, as our divine Redeemer tells us, fhall judge the twelve tribes of Ifrael.

O happy, triumphant day! Day of refreshment from the prefence of the Lord, after the labours and toils of this pilgrimage-ftate! The favour of the great Judge of all will then appear to be of infinite value. It is of little confequence who are my friends, or who my enemies in the prefent ftate; if Jesus Christ be my Friend, it is enough. He is now my Advocate with the Father, and will then be my Judge, to acquit me from every charge, through his own all-perfect righteoufnefs. He will then own and honour the meaneft of his followers, and look on them with a fmile of approbation and favour, which will fill their fouls with unfpeakable joy. The meaning of our text will then be perfectly unfolded, and sweetly realized, In his favour is life.

Think, O pious reader, on that happy period when the once fuffering, but now exalted Saviour will receive all his followers, with a hearty welcome, to the promised kingdom, prepared for them

from

from the foundation of the world. When he will fay, with his own gracious lips, in the presence and hearing of affembled worlds, "Come, ye bleffed of my Father, approach to me, come to my arms, come to my bofom. Come, and receive the kingdom of which you have so often heard, and for which you have fo long hoped and waited with earneft expectation. Come, and enter into the full and everlasting poffeffion of it. Come, and fit with me on my throne, even as I, your Leader, and the Captain of your falvation, have overcome all enemies, and am fat down with my Father on his throne. Welcome, my dear difciples, to your heavenly reft. Enter ye into the joy of your Lord. Ye have been faithful unto death, and I now give you, according to my promife, the crown of life. You have owned me on earth, and I now will own you in heaven.. Ye fhall be mine for ever. You chofe and preferred my favour before the world, and now you fhall poffefs it to your full fatisfaction. You fhall be placed on my right hand, while others, as you fee, ftand on my left. I manifefted my favour to you, in fome degree, while you fojourned in the wilderness below, but now I will do it more fully and completely. Come to my everlafling embrace, from which nothing can henceforth exclude you. To bring you to this enjoyment, I gave my life a

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ranfom for you. It was the great end for which I died. This was the joy which was set before me, when I endured the cross, and despised the shame, that I might bring many fons unto glory. This is the felicity which I promised to bestow upon you; and you fee, I have not deceived you. These are the manfions I came before you to prepare. This is the kingdom which it is your Father's good pleafure to give you. It is not the reward of any meritorious actions which you have performed, but a fruit of that free favour of God which is your life, and by which you live for ever."

What can we suppose the ransomed of the Lord to fay, in answer to this gracious proclamation from the eternal throne? Will they not, in the deepest felf-abasement, and with raptures of aftonishment and divine delight, afcribe all their falvation to God, and to the Lamb? Will they not cry with a loud voice, tuned to celeftial harmony, Bleffing and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that fitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever!"

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Let the reader who is born from above, and called, by divine grace, to glory and virtue, realize to himself, by the elevations of devout contemplation, the enjoyments, the honours, and the tranfports of that day, which will more than crown all