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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A53333	The blessedness of good men after death a sermon preach'd at the funeral of the Revd. Mr. Henry Cornish, B.D., who died on Sunday, Decemb. 18th, in the eighty ninth year of his age and was interred on Thursday, Decemb. 22d, 1698, in the Church of Bisiter, in the County of Oxford : with a preface to rectifie some misrepresentations &c. in a late pamphlet, entitled Some remarks on the life, death, and burial of the said Mr. Cornish / by John Ollyffe ...	Ollyffe, John, 1647-1717.	1699 (1699)	Wing O286; ESTC R7832	31,135	36

according to their Measure made like unto God And thereby it must needs be That God's Love of Complacency must be towards them and his Delight must be in them For however there may be some Blots in this Image in them yet these being not such as to spoil the Beauty thereof God will have a favourable Respect unto them and they may depend upon it that He will not cast them off These Men are not of a Temper or Spirit for Devils or Infernal Spirits to dwell with them For they do oppose their Dark Kingdom and are grieved at the Conversation of the Wicked by whom it is promoted And therefore they may be sure they shall never be put to Herd with them in the Infernal Lake hereafter But the time will come when all shall be carried to their Like tho' it cannot be done here where the Tares and the Wheat must be suffered to grow together But at last the Sheep shall be put by themselves and the Goats by themselves all Wicked Men by themselves and with their Patrons and Masters the Devils and Infernal Spirits whose Work they have done and whose Image they bare and all Holy and Good Men by themselves together with Christ their Lord whom they have serv'd and whose Image is upon them So both Parties would have it and so it shall be For they differing so vastly in their Tempers so far as they differ are even weary of one another here so that God will certainly order a Separation of them hereafter that they shall be far enough asunder Thirdly By what hath been said it appears That the great End of Christ's Death and Resurrection and Government is obtained upon Good Men. For God sent his Son to Bless us in turning us every one from our Iniquities Acts 3.26 Cap. 5.31 And He hath Exalted him with his Right Hand to be a Prince and a Saviour to give Repentance to Israel and Remission of Sins His great Business was to reduce Men to their Allegiance and to bring them back to God Tit. 2. from whom they were departed The Grace of God which bringeth Salvation hath appeared to that End c. Now this being done it becomes Christ as their Redeemer and Head to take care of them and to look after them that they may attain the End of their Faith the Salvation of their Souls And so he assured us He will do Jo. 10.27 My Sheep hear my Voice I know them and they follow me and I give unto them Eternal Life and they shall never Perish For saith he He that hath my Commandments and keepeth them He it is that Loveth me and He that Loveth me shall be Loved of my Father and I will Love him and will manifest my self unto him Jo. 14.21 And where I am there shall my Servant be and if any Man serve me him will my Father Honour Jo. 12.26 And Father I will that those whom thou hast given me be with me where I am that they may behold my Glory which thou hast given me Jo. 17.24 They having heard and learned of the Father and being come unto him He hath undertaken for them Now they are his Members and therefore He will not lose them Rom. 14.8 They now Live unto the Lord and shall Die unto the Lord so that whether they Live or Die they are the Lords and He will certainly see that they shall not miscarry For He hath Power to save them all Power in Heaven and Earth being committed to him Mat. 28. Jo. 6.21 So that as the Father raiseth up the Dead and quickneth them so the Son quickneth whom he will For as the Father hath Life in himself so He hath given to the Son to have Life in himself and this Life he will Communicate to his Members as it certainly concerns him to do He would at last lose his own Honour in the work of Redemption else For it would seem either that his Merit and Satisfaction are Incompetent or that He wanted Power and good Will to do more for them But He hath faithfully assured us That He that believeth in him tho' he were Dead yet shall he Live and whosoever liveth and believeth in him shall never Die Jo. 11.25 But because I Live saith he ye shall Live also Fourthly They being now brought to partake of those Qualifications which make them meet for this Blessedness they have by Vertue of God's Promise and Covenant also a Right to it Col. 1.12 For it is to be an Inheritance of Saints and they being Sanctified are therefore become meet for it And this is God's Covenant Heb. 8.10 that when He hath put his Laws into their Minds and wrote them in their Hearts that He will be to them a God and they shall be to him a People and that He will be merciful to their Unrighteousness and their Sins and their Iniquities will He remember no more And therefore they shall be freed from all that Death and Misery that would be the Effects and Consequence of them And this is the Record saith the Apostle 1 Jo. 5.11 That God hath given unto us Eternal Life and this Life is in his Son So that He that hath the Son as all have that believe in him and submit to him as their Lord and Saviour hath Life by Vertue of God's Promise and He that hath not the Son hath not Life For this is the Will of him that sent me saith our Saviour That every one which seeth the Son and believeth on him may have Everlasting Life and I will raise him up at the last Day Jo. 6.40 Secondly I now come to the Second Thing observed in the Words viz. the Nature and Parts of this Blessedness of those that Die in the Lord which if I could throughly Explain would be an abundant Evidence of their being Blessed Now this is Express'd in two Particulars They rest from their Labours and their Works do follow them First They rest from their Labours Now Labour is a very toilsome and tiresome Thing whether it be of the Body or Mind which yet we are all here Exercised with more or less But the Comfort of it is it is this World only that is the Place for Labour and Work for Pain and Sufferings the next is the Place of Retribution and Reward where there shall be no more Toil or Trouble no more Sorrow or Pain no more Combat or Contention with any Evil whatsoever at all The Labours here meant in the Text may most properly signifie the Sufferings and Persecutions for the Faith of Christ as they that Die in the Lord may most properly signifie the Holy Martyrs and Confessors who shall for ever hereafter be freed from these Labours and Sufferings for then they are all past the Pikes The Devil the Accuser of the Brethren the Apollyon the Abaddon that gives them here so much Disturbance shall then be far enough off from them and neither He nor his wicked Instruments

follow them IN these Words we have Three Things considerable which we have an account of from the Voice and Spirit of God First That they who Die in the Lord are Blessed Secondly The Reason or Parts of this Blessedness They rest from their Labours and their Works do follow them Thirdly The time of the Beginning or Commencement of this Blessedness From henceforth First They that Die in the Lord are Blessed But here the Question is who they are that may be said to Die in the Lord Or what it is that is intended in that Expression or Description of those to whom the Blessing here doth belong I make no doubt as it is also generally understood that these Words were especially and principally intended for the comfort of such Christians who were then like to suffer in those Days of Persecution of the Church of God whereby the Patience of the Saints of which he speaks ver 12. was so much Exercised The outward State of the Church was then very dismal and sad in those dark and afflictive Times And therefore it was but need to give a Word of Comfort and Support to such as were like to bear the Burden of those direful Calamities that were about to fall upon them This seems to be mainly intended here in this Blessing that they might be encouraged thereby to hold out in their Faith and Profession notwithstanding all that should fall upon them In this Sense then by those that Die in the Lord the Holy Martyrs must first be intended who laid down their Lives for the Lord that is for his sake or for their Adherence to his Faith and Gospel This being a very grievous Case God was pleased often in the Scriptures to provide for their Encouragement 2 Tim. 2.11 It is a faithful saying saith the Apostle if we be Dead with him we shall also Live with him If we Suffer we shall also Reign with him Rom. 8.16 17. And that we shall be also glorified together and that the Sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the Glory 2 Cor. 4.17 that shall be revealed in us For saith he our light Affliction which is but for a moment worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of Glory 2 Thes 1.6 Seeing it is a Righteous Thing with God to recompence Tribulation to them that trouble you and to you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from Heaven when he shall come to be glorified in his Saints and admired in all them that believe And a great many more such Promises and Encouragements there are to Suffering Christians who Die in the Lord. But then it must be likewise supposed That those who Die thus in or for the Lord and for their Adherence to the Faith of Christ do Die in or under the sanctifying Power of that Faith also the great Design of which was to Purifie the Heart and Work by Love Without which Effect obtained Martyrdom it self if it could be supposed would not at all profit them as we have the Apostle's own Resolution in the Case 1 Cor. 13.3 For saith He Tho' I give my Body to be burnt and have not Charity which is the great Christian Vertue and comprehensive of all the rest it profiteth me nothing For the great End of the Faith of Christ and of the belief of the Gospel is to make Men Holy to recover the Image of God in Men that they may Live to his Glory So that there is no Salvation without this let Men's Sufferings for the Faith seem to have been never so great But then on the other side they who Live and Die in the Power of that Faith having felt the transforming and sanctifying Vertue thereof and so have attain'd to the great End of it tho' they have not undergone the Sufferings of Martyrdom surely may be said to Die in the Lord also They Die United to him adhering to his Interest and Cause Yea they Die for him fighting under his Banner and in his Quarrel against all his Enemies the World the Flesh and the Devil And these are also Martyres Animo in the Disposition of their Minds and they would by his Grace maintain the Field for his Sake to the very Death And the sufferings of Mortification which they have endured already are a kind of Martyrdom in cutting off their Right Hands and plucking out their Right Eyes in bringing down the Old Man and crucifying the whole Body of Sin Therefore there is no doubt but that to these also the Blessing here mentioned doth belong For these the Apostle tells us being made free from Sin and become Servants to God have their Fruit unto Holiness and the end everlasting Life Rom. 6.22 And all these shall partake of the Inheritance which are sanctified by Faith that is in Christ Acts 26.18 In which Sense 't is a very comfortable Consideration to all truly Penitent and Sound Believers and Good Christians For the evidencing of which these few Things may be farther considered to perswade us that it shall be so First Because the Spirit of our Lord Jesus Christ is in them so that they are led by the Spirit and live in the Spirit by the Dictates and according to the Rules of the Holy Spirit of God Now there is no Condemnation saith the Apostle to them that are in Christ Jesus that walk not after the Flesh but after the Spirit For the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus hath made them free from the Law of Sin and Death Rom. 8.1 Rom. 8.11 And if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the Dead dwell in you he that raised up Christ from the Dead shall also quicken your Mortal Bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you Ver. 14. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God they are the Sons of God and if Children then Heirs Heirs of God and Joint Heirs with Christ These Men are the Temples of the Holy Ghost and God will no more destroy those Temples than he will allow others to do so But the Spirit of God with the Blessed Fruits of it which is in them when they Die is a sure Pledge and Earnest of more Blessings to be received afterwards Secondly From hence it will follow That the Image of God is upon them and that in a more eminent manner than it is upon any others They being renewed after the Image of him that Created them in Righteousness and true Holiness So that they have not only the Natural Image of God as it may be called for distinction sake in the Spirituality Powers and Immortality of their Spirits but they have the Moral Image of God also which is the Glory of the Divine Nature which is wrought in them by the transforming Power of the Holy Ghost to whose Holy Dictates and Motions they have been brought to submit themselves And by this Means they are

shall ever come near to hurt them more For the Devil and Wicked Men as you have heard are all to be by themselves and there shall be a great Gulf fixt between them and the Servants of God so that they shall never be able to bring their Fire and Faggots their Wheels and Gibbets near them there There shall be nothing to hurt or destroy in all that Holy Mountain But if the Servants of God should be freed then from all these kind of Labours yet if there should be any of some other kind for them to undergo it could not be perfectly well with them not could they be said to be perfectly Blessed which yet it is designed they shall be So that we may well conclude that it is not only the Labour of Persecutions and Martyrdoms that then they shall be freed from but from all Labour and Pains whatsoever that should bring any Sufferings along with it First Most certainly Then there shall be no more Labour for or about the Body to nourish or feed to maintain or preserve it Because then there shall be no more weakness of the Body no more Sickness or pained Limbs or decay of Spirits to seek a Remedy for The Body indeed will not presently after Death be raised to this State of Life and Blessedness but must lodge a while in the Grave which is appointed for its Dormitory till the Judge shall come and the Trumpet shall sound to raise up all that are asleep in Jesus But when once it hath been strained thro' the Grave then it shall leave all its Corruption behind it And it shall be a weak and natural Body no longer It is sown indeed in Weakness but it is raised in Power it is sown in Corruption but it is raised in Incorruption it is sown in Dishonour but it is raised in Glory it is sown a Natural Body but it is raised a Spiritual Body 1 Cor. 15.42 And therefore it shall not need those Supports and Refreshments then as now it doth Then there will be no need of Meats and Drinks to maintain it Meats are now for the Belly and the Belly for Meats but God shall destroy both it and them 1 Cor. 6.13 For the Body then shall be Hale and Well and Strong without them all Phil. 3. Ult. For He shall change our Vile Bodies saith the Apostle and shall make them like unto his Glorious Body When our Saviour himself saith Mat. 13.41 That the Righteous shall shine forth as the Sun in the Kingdom of their Father So that tho' they shall have the same Body for Substance yet not of the same Constitution or all its parts for the same Offices and Purposes Our Bodies then will be no more such Dead and Lumpish Things as they are now but Active and Vigorous even as Spirits themselves and therefore without Fainting and Weariness Therefore all those Trades and Callings which are here so necessary to provide for their Support or to secure and defend them from Cold and Ill Weather shall then be at an end There we shall have a Building of God an House not made with Hands 2 Cor. 5.1 Eternal in the Heavens It shall never decay or grow leaky more There will be no Winds or Storms to annoy no ill Airs or bad Weather no dirty Roads or painful Travelling no Darkness or Night For there is the Throne of God all Lightsome Pure and Blissful there shall be no Night because no need of Rest and yet no Weariness in the perpetual Day where the Servants of God tho' they are always at Work yet are never tired they shall be so Holy and Strong and their Work so Good Rev. 48. Cap. 5.13 that they rest not Day nor Night saying Holy Holy Holy Lord God Almighty which was and is and is to come but are singing Halleluja's to God and to the Lamb for ever and ever Secondly Moreover not only Bodily Labour but the Labour of Study and Mortification for the improvement and refining of our Souls shall then be over likewise it is a great deal of Pains and Labour we must be at here for a very small Improvement We must read many Books and much Reading is a weariness to the Flesh Eccl. 12.12 as it is in the Margin It tireth the Spirits and impares the Health And yet this we must endure in the getting of Knowledge we must go through many Studies and spend many wearisome Nights and Days and be a long time either in making Observations of our own or gathering from others before we can come almost to any thing And in this we must sustain many times a great expence of Spirits For the Intense Exercise of our Minds will draw our Bodies into consent And the Spirits being so much taken up one way there are hardly enough left many times to discharge the Vital Offices of Nature So that the Blood becomes Impoverish'd the Face Pale the Limbs Languid and Weak and the Vessels obstructed within that are the very Channels of Life And yet after all this it is but a little Knowledge for the most part that we are able to attain unto of any kind whatsoever That which we get indeed is very Pleasant as little as it is For Wisdom exceedeth Folly as far as Light excelleth Darkness Eccl. 2.13 Yet in much Wisdom is much Grief too and He that encreaseth Knowledge encreaseth Sorrow Eccl. 1.18 And after all a great deal of that Knowledge which we spend so much of our Time about I doubt is hardly one degree above Folly it self But in that State hereafter there will be none of all this Toil for the improvement of our Minds For there is the Land of Vision where we shall see God the chief Good as He is and shall with open Face behold his Glory 1 Cor. 13.12 Now we see but through a Glass darkly saith the Apostle but then Face to Face now we know but in part but then shall we know even as also we are known And if we shall have such a Vision or Sight of God himself then we may be sure the Knowledge of no other Thing shall be hid from us as far as it may be of any use to us for our Comfort and Happiness For he that giveth us the greater will not withhold from us the less Then we may expect to see and behold many Things by an immediate Intuition and to have a clear and plain Introspection into their Natures and Properties Or at least the longest train of Reasoning will be easie and quick Principles will be open and plain the Impressions deep the Connexion between Things clear and apparent so that the Mind will be no more in Pain or lose it self in long or tedious Deductions For the Powers of the Minds will be advanc'd and perfected the several Objects distinct and manifest Idea's of Things will be present to us or ready at a Call so that the turn of the Mind to its several Objects

in the strictest Sense Die in or for the Lord but also to all the Faithful Servants of Christ who may be truly said likewise to Depart hence in the Lord in his Faith and Service in Relation to him and Union with him as their Lord and Head So that Verily Men shall say Ps 58.11 there is a Reward of the Righteous And therefore say to the Righteous Is 3.11 it shall be well with him for they shall Eat the Fruit of their Doings For God shall reward every Man according to his Works Mat. 16.27 But here is the Place of Work and then hereafter of Reward When whatever any Man hath done heartily as to the Lord He shall receive for it the Reward of the Inheritance Col. 3.24 So that in this World there is Striving and Fighting and Working and then is the time of Recompence for all their Work and Labour of Love which they shall find shall not be in vain in the Lord. 1 Cor. 15. Ult. And this shall be so great that it is a time of Coronation and Glory to them when it shall appear what shall be done to the Men whom God will Honour 1 Pet. 5.4 For they shall receive a Crown of Glory which fadeth not away For be thou faithful unto Death saith our Saviour and I will give thee a Crown of Life Rev. 2.10 Then they come to receive their Robes and to have Palms of Triumph in their Hands and to be set upon Thrones of Glory For to him that overcometh saith He will I grant to sit with me on my Throne even as I also overcame and am set down with my Father on his Throne Rev. 3.21 And this shall be the Portion of all the Faithlul Servants of God For God will render to every Man saith the Apostle according to his Deeds to them who by patient continuance in well Doing seek for Glory Honour and Immortality He will give Eternal Life Rom. 2.6 This indeed is all of Grace but therefore because it is of Grace it shall be so much the greater For if it were to be given in proportion to our Merit then it could be but little because our Merit is but little or rather properly speaking none at all But now being to be of Grace it will therefore be exceeding great to set forth the Glory and Love of God who as a great King will give like himself and to set forth the Price of our Redemer's Merits and to shew how high and valuable they are This is most certain for One Thing that there will be a most intimate and transporting Manifestation of the Ever-blessed God himself to his Beloved People Then they shall not only see his Back Parts as Moses did that is some little and low degree of Splendor and Beauty but then they shall see him with open Face in his highest Lustre and most inconceivable Glory Then they shall see Christ in all his Glory and they shall be with him Then is the time of the great Supper of the Lamb when He will manifest and display himself in all his Loveliness and Beauty to all about him Here is the place of Faith and Hope but there is the place of Vision and Fruition Here we sip a little by the way as in a Land of Drought but we are not yet come to the Rivers of Pleasure Ps 16.11 they are at God's Right Hand in whose Presence is fulness of Joy so that there the Saints and Servants of God shall never Hunger or Thirst more Here we have the Tastes and first Fruits of the Spirit Eph. 1.14 as a Pledge and Earnest in the way but there is the full Enjoyment of the Purchased Possession We cannot expect here so much in the way as when we come to our Father's House Here we are but at the Footstool it can't be with us now as when we come to the Throne of God Yea such is our State here That we must be tried and Disciplined and Corrected sometimes there is a Necessity sometimes for it And therefore if need be for a Season 1 Pet. 1.6 we are in Heaviness through manifold Temptations We are Sinners and live among Sinners and therefore sometimes we must expect Sinners fare Our Corruptions must be melted down in the Furnace of Affliction when there is no other way to purge us from them And our Father must sometimes Frown upon us and Chastise us because the Best of us all are sometimes apt to be wandring and neglectful of our Duty Before I was Afflicted the Psalmist observes I went astray but now have I learned thy Ways Afflictions tend to File and Polish us to clear us of the Rust and Rubbish that is apt to cleave unto us Heb. 12.10 God Chastens us therefore for our Profit that we might be Partakers of this Holiness For tho' no Chastning for the present seems to be Joyous but Grievous nevertheless afterwards it yieldeth the peaceable Fruits of Righteousness to them that are Exercised thereby But then hereafter there will be no occasion for any of this Discipline any more because of that perfect Transformation into the Image and Likeness of God which then his People shall have For his Servants shall serve him and they shall see his Face Rev. 22.3 So that there will be the fulness of Light and Love and God shall never withdraw from them the Light of his Countenance any more I have not time to tell you as much as I might what all the Reward will be And besides I have prevented my self in part already in what I have said before Only in short it will be A State of all Perfection And that is enough For there is the General Assembly of the Church of the First-Born and the Spirits of Just Men made Perfect Heb. 12.23 So then That which is Perfect shall come and that which is in part shall be done away 1 Cor. 13.10 Where the Apostle doth certainly mean a Perfection of Knowledge and Grace of that Divine Grace of Charity which He elsewhere tells us is the Fulfilling of the Law And that must needs imply an Enlargement and Perfection of our Faculties and a Cure of all their Weakness and Infirmities For full and perfect Habits of Light and Good in the Mind and Heart can never subsist without a full Extention and Purification thereof And then from thence we may certainly infer that there shall be a perfect Communication of Good to answer to the fulness of their Enlargement Or else the Enlargement of our Faculties would rather be a Torment and Vexation than a Satisfaction if they have not Objects proper to suit them And from all this there must needs flow an intire and unspeakable Satisfaction a fulness of Delight and Pleasure running over in the Soul To which this will be a wonderful Addition the consideration of the everlasting Duration and Continuance of all this Blessedness That it shall for ever continue without Interruption Intermission

not he had learned from his Great Lord and Master who was kind unto all and who by his Pattern and Precepts had made Universal Love the great Character of his Religion And by this means one would think He could not have many Enemies For who could find in their Hearts to be Enemies to one in whom there was resplendent so much Goodness And this Goodness was set off by a profound Humility and low Condescension and Respect to the Meanest the Lowest the Least By this He was apt to prefer others before himself and to set a Value upon the Parts and Performances of some Young Persons above his own Gray headed Knowledge and Experience By this Kindness and Humility his Self-distrust and Self-abasement He was preserved from the Fiery and Furious Zeal which is the Blemish of some of all Parties that differ in some Circumstantials of Religion and Worship He could not imagine why a Difference in some Circumstantials should make Men Hate and Curse one another among whom there was a good Accord in the Main and Substantial Points of Christian Doctrine Therefore He could bear a Kind and Friendly Respect to other Good Men of other Perswasions besides his own as He would hope for the like from them He had a great Calmness in his own Temper but He was Forward and Fervent in Spirit in the Service of his God as appeared in his Devotions in a Private but much Honoured Family where I have heard him And his long and continu'd Labour in the Service of God in that Way wherein He thought He might Glorifie God even to extreme Old Age is a great Instance of his Delight therein of his Pious Zeal for the promoting of Religion and of his Earnest Desire of the Eternal Welfare of Men. He always appeared to me to be one of Eminent Piety of Exact Walking of an Healing Spirit and to be full of Love to God and Good Men of different Denominations He was not for a Wrangling or Disputative Divinity which tends to Gender Strife but for Plain Practical Godliness in its Life and Power which hath always indeed most Sweetness in it and so will especially appear to have at the last His Afflictions I hear in many Respects have been many but that his Faith and Patience also have been as Eminent Wherein He deserves as in many other Things your Pious Imitation In a Word He Lived long in the Exercise of Piety towards God and of Good Will to Men and how He Died you know I could gladly have enlarged much more upon his Character but these few Things I could not but mention being always bound to have his Memory in Honour For I must ever acknowledge I have had him of Old in many Respects my Friend in some Respects as my Father and Patron and in some others a Guide and Director when I first entred my self upon this Sacred Function This Acknowledgment I cannot but take this Opportunity to express nor do I know any just Reflections that any can make upon it I shall now only make an Inference or two from what I have said on the foregoing Subject and then Conclude First To Comfort and Prepare Good Men for the Expectation of their Death that they may not be Frighted at the Approach of it as such a Dreadful Thing it being most certain that when they remove out of this Tabernacle they enter into an Estate of present Bliss in the presence of their Lord. If the Soul indeed were to lye in a stupid Lethargy in the Grave and have no more Sense or Reflection or Enjoyment after the time of Dissolution they should desire to continue here as long as they can that they may bring more Honour to God in the World and so might further their Reward hereafter thereby And they might have just Cause to take Death for their Enemy whensoever it comes that should deprive them of so great Advantages here and bring them none in the room But there is no fear of all this The Soul is an Active Spark the Breath of the Almighty which whilst it is in the Body by the Laws of Union that were fix'd in the Original Creation by the great Creator must sympathize with it But when the Body is no longer a tolerable Habitation for it it will then Dislodge and take its Flight and the Holy Angels wait to carry it aloft through all the Airy Armies of invisible Fiends to place it above out of the reach of all their Malice For the Soul is a Thinking Substance which hath no Relation to Matter but is of another Nature from it and hath quite other Properties in its Idea And being Immaterial it is not subject to Putrifaction or Dissolution of Parts because it hath no Parts and therefore none to be dissolved but must in its own Nature Subsist and Live still But whatever the Philosophy of the Soul may be we have full assurance from Divine Revelation of its continued Life and greater Perfection and Enjoyment after Death than before Mat. 10.28 Our Saviour told his Disciples That Men tho' they might kill the Body yet were not able to kill the Soul and therefore bid them not be affraid of them Rom. 8. The Body indeed must Die because of Sin but the Spirit the better part is Life because of Righteousness So that Good Men have no Cause to be mightily Affrighted at the Approach of Death For tho' it be the King of Terrors to outward appearance yet they may look upon it as a Routed or Conquered Enemy as a Serpent that hath lost its Sting and Strength which howsoever it may Hiss and show its Rage and Fury yet cannot hurt So that Good Men may Triumph over it and over all Things else besides because neither Death Rom. 8.38 nor Life nor Angels nor Principalities nor Powers nor Things present nor Things to come nor Height nor Depth nor any other Creature shall be able to separate them from the Love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. But in and over all these Things they are more than Conquerors through him that Loved them Death is now rather a Friend to them the Messenger of the great King to invite them to his Supper which he hath prepared for them The same Comfort there is at the Departure of Others Friends and Relations that Die in the Lord. For now they are past from all their Labours and Troubles from all their Fears and Dangers their Pains and Sufferings whatsoever and are gone but to take Possession of the Promised Crown It is a Loss to us indeed that they are gone and Self-Love makes us to Mourn and Complain at it But what do They lose in leaving us or the World and the little Accommodations of this Life that are now entered upon the Possession of the Inheritance Tho' we lose by them because they are gone yet we ought not sure to Grudge at their Happiness Secondly To Exhort all to the Faith and

Service of Christ our Lord that they may also Die in him and so be Blessed For we must certainly Live to him now if we will Die in him or be United to him at the last We must have Union with him in Life as our Lord and Head if we think to have Union with him and Relation to him at Death as our Everlasting Saviour We can by no means expect to Live with God hereafter if we will not Live to his Honour here We can never expect that He will receive us into his Embraces at last if we continue now in an Hatred of him and Enmity against him Neither the Work nor Enjoyments of Heaven can be suitable to an Unholy Soul that is not Transformed into the Divine Likeness For what should such an One do with God or among the Saints above that hath nothing at all of a Divine or Saint-like Nature But if we are now made like God and Live to him He will be sure then to take Care of his Own For the Foundation or Covenant of God standeth sure 2 Tim. 2.19 having this Seal the Lord knoweth them that are his And let every One that nameth the Name of Christ depart from Iniquity Let all Wicked Men see therefore the absolute Necessity and the great Advantages of Religion They are apt now to have hard Thoughts of it and to Censure it sore for a very Soure and Melancholly Thing tho' that is a very great Mistake and Misprision but how will it be at last Or what will their Thoughts be of it hereafter Then they will find that this had been the only way to Happiness and Bliss whatever they think of it now And should not Wise Men have Futurity in Account as well as the present Time Should they look only at their present Pleasures and Advantages and neglect the future which are infinitely greater Or do they think to Die the Death of the Righteous and yet will not Live his Life This cannot be But you must begin now and should not put off the Study of Piety and Holiness till hereafter neither You Young Ones must not think to Live to the Age that this Holy Man of God hath done This is a rare and peculiar Favour which very few can expect You may be called and summon'd away before you are aware However can you ever begin to be Wise too soon or Blessed too soon For this is certain that you are never Wise or Blessed but in the way of Religion And yet how apt are the most to put this off still and to cry 't is too soon yet 't is too soon yet Yet a little more Sleep and a little more Slumber and a little more folding of the Hands to Sleep A little more of the Pleasures and Vanities of Sin a little more unjust Gain and then we will take up and Repent and Return And yet when the Time is come that they have set they are as backward to it as before or worse Their Hearts are more Hardned and they are farther off from Repentance and Religion than they were some Years ago And will you always be thus deceived You that continue in Sin and the Impenitency of your Hearts what do you think to do at last Where will you appear Do you expect that Christ should take you to himself Dying in your Rebellion against him or that He should save you in your Sins How unreasonable is this Repent Oh Sinners And Return in Time And let those who have begun Well hold on still left they lose their Reward The Day of our Redemption draweth near Therefore let us cast off the Works of Darkness let us keep down Sin which Christ came to destroy Let us Renounce our own Lusts and Wills and Live as his Covenant Servants and then Blessed shall we be FINIS