O let us endeavour to resemble angels now, as much as possible. We are taught to pray, "thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven;" and that we may do it, let us not indulge our sensual appetites too much, but with St. Paul, "bring our bodies into subjection, and keep them under."

Observe, VII. The resurrection of the body will perfect the bliss of God's people; they are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection; they shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead.

The heavenly felicity of believers shall commence at the moment of death. No sooner are they "absent from the body," but they are "present with the Lord;" but their bliss will not be consummated till the morning of the resurrection. In the prospect of this, holy Job says, All the days of my appointed time, (that is, in the grave) will I wait till my change come; (glorious change it will be! for the Lord will change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like his glorious body.) Thou shalt call, saith he, and I will answer thee, (for the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God) thou wilt have a desire to the work of thine hands. Job xiv. 14. The human body is the exquisite workmanship of God's hand; and being redeemed by Jesus Christ, as well as the soul, it shall be rescued from the power of the grave. Then the creature, the corporal part of the christian, which had long been made subject to vanity, "shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption, into the glorious liberty of the children of God." This is the "manifestation of the sons of God," when they shall appear like themselves, and like their glorious Redeemer. This is also called "the adoption." Believers are now the adopted sons of God; but this dignity is denied by the world, and sometimes obscured to themselves: But then God will own and publish it before all the world, and the matter will be put beyond dispute. Their bodies then shall be as much more glorious than those of the wicked, as their souls are now more gracious than theirs. And as Christ was by his resurrection "declared to be the Son of God with power," so shall his humble followers be. Rom. viii. 19-23.

Thus we have taken a distant view of the future world, of which so many useful hints are suggested in the text. Let us daily walk as expectants of another world. Let us remember it will be a great matter to obtain that world. Let us recollect what that worthiness is, which is requisite to the obtaining of it, namely the righteousness of Christ, and the sanctifying influence of the Spirit. Let us remember, that human relations and connexions, however useful and comfortable at present, will cease at death; but that death itself shall also be abolished. Let us enjoy the thought of being holy, happy, and spiritual, like the blessed angels; and try to resemble them now in our cheerful and active obedience. Finally, in the prospect of a glorious resurrection, let us "be stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord; forasmuch as we know that our labour is not in vain in the Lord."

SERMON XXXIX.

SAFETY IN THE ARK FOR PERISHING SINNERS.

TH

Gen. vii. 1. Come, thou, and all thy house, into the Ark.

gave

HIS is the gracious invitation which God to Noah, just before the flood came upon the world of the ungodly. The world had been formed about 1500 years, and the number of mankind was greatly multiplied. But wickedness also greatly increased, until the wrath of God was dreadfully kindled, and he determined upon the general destruction of sinners. "And the Lord said, I will destroy man, whom I have created, from the face of the earth, for it repenteth me that I have made him." But Noah, who amidst the general depravity, was righteous and pious, "found grace in the eyes of the Lord." To him he made known his designs, an hundred and twenty years before the flood; and directed him to build an immense vessel, like the hulk of a ship, in which himself and his family should be preserved. Noah believed, and obeyed. The ark was ready, and the deluge was at hand. "Then the Lord said unto Noah, Come thou, and all thy

house, into the ark." Noah entered. The Lord shut him in. The flood prevailed. Mankind was destroyed. Noah and his family continue a year in the ark in safety, are then released from their confinement, and become the founders of a new world.

There is much instruction to be gathered from this affecting history; and it affords a lively type or emblem of the salvation that is in Christ for perishing sinners. It is still the determination of the Holy God, to punish the ungodly. He gives them warning, and allows them time and space for repentance. He has also provided an ark for the preservation of those who foresee their danger; and by the Gospel he invites sinners to fly to this refuge. Happy they, who, like Noah, believe, and obey, and are saved. For the sake of order and of memory, we shall divide our discourse into three parts, and observe,

I. There is a deluge of wrath coming upon sinners.
II. There is an ark provided for preservation.

III. God graciously invites sinners to come into it. I. There is a dreadful deluge of wrath coming upon the ungodly. Sin only was the cause of the flood in Noah's time, and sin will bring upon every impenitent unpardoned soul a more dreadful punishment. "By one man sin entered into the world," and that man lived long enough to witness its rapid growth; he lived to see the world peopled with men, and over-run with wickedness. But in the family of Seth, from which it was designed that the Saviour should come, the fear and worship of God was long preserved. While these continued separate from the posterity of Cain, there was a seed to serve the Lord. But at length this distinction ceased: for "the sons of God (the children of Seth) saw the daughters of men (the posterity of Cain) that they were fair, and they took them wives of all which they chose." The professors of religion married the profane; they were "unequally yoked with unbelievers ;" and what was the consequence? Iniquity increased faster than ever. "The bad will sooner debauch the good, than the good reform the bad" Wickedness became triumphant, and many seem to have been giants in sin, as well as in size. "And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the

thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." "The earth also was corrupt before God; and the earth was full of violence, for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth." The Lord who saw all this was greatly displeased; and, speaking after the manner of man, "he repented that he had made man, and it grieved him at his heart." The blessed God cannot be disturbed by any uneasy passion; but these expressions signify his extreme displeasure against sin and sinners; they shew that sin is most odious to his holiness, and sinners most obnoxious to his justice. Being thus provoked to anger, he said, My Spirit shall not always strive with man," for that he also is flesh; that is, wholly fleshly, carnally minded, entirely sensual, sunk in fleshly lust. He therefore determined on the utter destruction of all mankind by an universal deluge. Yet he is pleased to give warning of it, and suspend the threatened ruin for one hundred and twenty years, which, as men then lived about nine hundred years, was such a reprieve to them, as nine or ten years would be to us.

Men and brethren, sin is the same evil and destructive thing now that it was then. God is equally angry with sinners; and though he does not generally execute his wrath upon them in this world, yet he will assuredly do it in the world to come. Hear what the holy, fiery law of God saith to every transgressor. Gal. iii. 10. Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. The condition of life by the law is personal, perpetual, perfect obedience to all its commands, doing all things required, and doing them always without one omission, without one transgression. A single failure, even in thought, spoils a whole life of obedience, and incurs the curse. You will say then upon these terms, who can be saved? We answer none. By the deeds of the law shall no flesh living be justified." It is a vain thing therefore to look for life by the law, or our good works, as they are called; if ever we escape the curse, it must be through faith in Jesus Christ, who "hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us.' "The whole book of God is full of threatenings against sin. It declares that "the wicked

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shall be turned into hell;" that "If the wicked turn not, he will whet his sword; he hath bent his bow and made it ready; he hath prepared the instruments of death." Psalm vii. 11, &c. What awful words are these! You tremble to see a criminal just ready for execution; behold, the instruments of eternal death are ready. And this is your own case at this very moment, if you are yet in your sins. "The wrath of God abideth upon you;" and, the longer you live in sin, the more are you treasuring up wrath against the day of wrath, and revelation of the righteous judgment of God.”

How merciful was God in giving warning to the old world. His servant Noah was a preacher of righteousness. The Spirit of Christ was in him, and by this Spirit he preached to the disobedient and rebellious sinners of that time, as St. Peter speaks, 1 Pet. iii. 19. By which (Spirit) he went and preached to the spirits in prison, which some time were disobedient, when once the long suffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing. Christ, by his Spirit in Noah, was the preacher. The hearers, were the wicked people of the world in Noah's days, but when Peter wrote this they were spirits; disembodied spirits in prison, that is, in the prison of hell; so that they were not only drowned, but damned. This passage therefore does not mean that they were in prison when Christ preached to them, as the Papists pretend; but Christ, by his Spirit, preached to them on earth; yet, alas! to no purpose. Noah might say, with the apostles and others, "Who hath believed our report?" They were disobedient! they did not regard the merciful warning; and very probably despised and ridiculed Noah for his faith, his preaching, and his building. Thousands would come to see the ark, and ask him what it was for; they would ask him whether he meant to sail on dry land; or, where so much water must come from as would drown the world? Such a thing, they would say, is quite contrary to reason, such a thing never was, nor ever can be ; and no doubt they would say Noah was righteous overmuch, and religion had turned his brain.

In the very same manner the merciful warnings of God are treated to this day. Serious religion is despised. Holi