duced it to nothing, or so destroyed it to all who believe in him, as to have turned it from a curse to a blessing. How consoling then, how cheering is the thought, that death disarmed, can do no more harm to the dying believer, than if it had been completely annulled! It can, indeed, separate his soul from his body; but it cannot separate, either the one or the other, from Him who is the living Redeemer, the resurrection and the life. The dying of a saint is but a sleeping: it is a sleeping IN JESUS Y. Death to him, is but "the shadow of death;" it is not the substance. It is not the Omega, but the Alpha, of his consummate felicity: he then begins to live, when he begins to die. It is not the end, either of his soul, or of his body, but only a separation between them, for an appointed time. 4th, Let him also study, by an increasing diligence, in the exercise of every grace, and in the practice of every duty, to be always actually, as well as habitually, prepared for death and judgment: for when he, in this manner, gives" all diligence to make his calling and election sure;" he will, through grace, overcome gradually, the disquieting fear of death and judgment, and will rejoice in hope of eternal life 2.

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Thus I have endeavoured to point out, to the exercised Christian, those principal means, of retaining and increasing spiritual consolation, whichhe ought diligently to employ. The illustration of

y 1 Thess. iv. 14.

z Write down the reasons which, at any time, make' you afraid to die; and then endeavour, by faith, prayer, and conversation with experienced Christians, to remove

such of them, as the disquieted believer, was directed to use for the recovery of his forfeited comfort, I have studied, as far as I could, to diversify, I have only to add that, if the sincere believer use them diligently, and if, instead of resting in them, or depending on his use of them, he rely only upon his great Redeemer, for all grace and consolation; he will increase in the principle and habit of spiritual joy, and will in every time of need, be favoured with sensible comfort.

FROM what has now been discoursed, the pious reader may easily see that, no other pleasures under the sun, are to be compared to those of faith and holiness. The pleasure of true religion, or of communion with God, far surpasses all the other delights of the sons of men. In comparison of other pleasures, it is pleasantness itself, pleasantness in the abstract. The pains of sense, have frequently conquered and destroyed the delights of sense; but those pains, instead of having been able to conquer the delights of faith and holiness, have, in ten thousand instances, been counterbalanced and conquered by them. And while the pleasures of sense, diminish; the delights of religion, increase with the using. The longer a holy man continues, and the higher he advances, in the exercise of faith and practice of holiness, the greater and the sweeter, is his delight. Besides, in order to enjoy, and advance in the pleasures of religion; he is not called to relinquish any of the pleasures of sense, but such as are sinful, despicable, and productive of misery. Believer, as none hath so much reason to rejoice, as thou, see that thou exercise and "in

crease thy joy in the Lord." Study to attain an increasing cheerfulness of disposition, and pleasantness of manner. These, so far as they are spiritual, will greatly promote holiness in thyself, and will so adorn it, as to recommend it much to others.

Are spiritual knowledge and faith, principal means of advancing in holy consolation? we may hence infer that, those are usually the sweetest hours in the life of a believer, in which, he has the deepest sense of his need of Christ; the clearest discoveries of the fulness and suitableness, of the willingness and glory, of Christ; and the firmest confidence in Christ, for the supply of all his wants. He commonly experiences the most solid comfort, when he is most enabled and excited, to intrust all his spiritual and temporal concerns, to his Divine Redeemer; whose power and grace, whose thoughts and ways, infinitely surpass the highest conceptions of men and angels.

Those of the saints who have attained much sensible joy, may, from the foregoing particulars, see, how necessary it is for them to take heed, that the height of their joy, do not elate them with pride or self-sufficiency. The sensible joy of God's salvation, should never lift them up with self-conceit; and the want of such joy, should never cast them down, under disquieting and discouraging fear. The want of sensible joy, should not for a moment, deprive believers of their peaceful tranquillity of mind. Their serenity of mind should be as great, when they are with Jesus on mount Calvary, sorrowing, as when they are with him on the mount of transfiguration, rejoicing. The

proper tendency of sensible joy is, to humble; but, through the depravity remaining in the heart, it hath not always that effect. Let such believers, therefore, as are favoured with sensible and lively emotions of joy, take heed, that they never delight in them, so much as in Jesus, the Consolation of Israel; that they never yield to any temptation to rest in them, or trust on them; and, that they never think themselves, the more holy, or the more acceptable to God, because of them. The more sensible joy, they experience, the more humble, as well as self-diffident, they should be, and the more "fervent in spirit, serving the Lord."

Let such believers as, by grace, have attained increasing consolation, learn from what has been said, always to take heed, that they do not suffer their fear of sinning, and of losing their comfort, to degenerate into a perplexing scrupulousness of conscience. The apostle Peter exhorts believers, to" pass the time of their sojourning here, in fear;" that is, in filial fear, which is a fear of sinning against God, their heavenly Father. The Christian, indeed, ought daily to attain more and more of this filial fear; but he ought also for his comfort, to keep it within its due bounds, and not to suffer it to run out into a vain, and endless scrupulosity of conscience. He should, by studying the law of God, concerning sin and duty in every particular case, have his conscience well informed. If his persuasion, that this or that which presents itself to be done, is lawful and right, be grounded upon his knowledge of the spirituality,

and great extent of that holy law; his persuasion, in that case, may be full and firm; and being firmly persuaded, that it is according to the law and to the testimony," he should without scruple, resolve to do it. But, if his persuasion of the lawfulness of that, which he is requested or disposed to do, be grounded on opinion only; if he be of opinion merely, that it is agreeable to the law, and so not fully persuaded; there will always remain, a secret doubt in his mind, that the contrary is his duty, and not this. In such a case, if the arguments for the lawfulness of it, appear to his judgment, more probable, than those against the lawfulness of it; he should resolve to do it, without suffering his resolution to be shaken by the latter. But, if the arguments against the lawfulness of it, appear to his mind, more probable, than those for it, or even equally probable; in that case, doubting the lawfulness of it, he ought not to do it: for the apostle Paul says, "He that doubteth, is damned," or, condemned in his own conscience, and by the word of God, "if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith, is sin b." He who does, what he himself does not determine to be lawful and right, but still doubts whether it be so or not, sinneth: for though he does that which may, in itself, and in the sight of God, be materially right, yet he does it not rightly; because he at the time doubteth whether it be lawful or not. In order to prevent his sinning in such cases, he should be fully persuaded in his own mind," of the lawfulness of an

Rom. xiv. 23.