ciples had ftolen him away; but only, you would bring this man's blood upon us. Nay, they themselves were fo far from believing their own lie, that they consented to the counsel of Gamaliel, left, if what the apostles affirmed fhould be true, they should be found at the last to fight against God.

In fhort; in thofe days in which these things were done, the truth of Christ's refurrection was not queftioned. The circumstances of the thing, the number of the witneffes, their refolution to die rather than to deny what they had seen and heard, in the mean time the great power of God attending them in figns and wonders, and furprising miracles, ftopped the mouths of gainfayers; and the gospel, founded upon this truth, spread over all the world.

They believed Jefus Chrift to be a divine perfon fent from God; and fent from God to reveal his will and purposes to men. They therefore thought themselves obliged to enquire diligently what he had taught while he lived amongst men, what he had promised to his faithful followers, what men might expect by embracing his gofpel. And upon the whole they found, that Jefus Christ had not gained difciples by vain promifes of worldly advantages. No: he told them plainly, that the next world was the place where Chriftians were to expect their reward; that in the mean time they were to live by faith in his pro

mises.

mifes. He affured them likewise, that to try the fincerity of their faith, they should meet with a great many troubles, that their faith and hope might be in God; that he expected nothing from them but what he himself would undergo: and he did do fo; for, for the joy that was fet before him, he endured the cross, deSpifing the fhame; for which God hath highly exalted him; and fo he will do all his faithful followers: They fhall be equal to the angels; they fhall be the children of God; that is, they shall be immortal and happy.

Thefe are the happy circumstances which all good Chriftians fhall be placed in at the refurrection.

And God (you fee) has been most surprifingly careful and merciful to us, not to let us want all the evidence that our hearts can defire, that this fhall be our portion if we are not wanting to ourselves; this being one of the most powerful motives to fit us for fuch a ftate.

For a firm belief of the unfpeakable happiness of those who die in the Lord, and whose portion fhall be with the fpirits of just men made perfect, who fhall be the children of God, and equal unto the angels,-a firm belief and expectation of this will have these

three excellent effects:

1. It will help to fweeten all the bitter paffages of this mortal life.

2dly. It

2dly. It will help to cure us of a too great fondness for this world, which we are too apt to doat on, and which hinders us very much. in our way to heaven.

3dly. It will help us to run with patience the race that is fet before us; that is, to perform all the duties of christianity with cheerfulness.

I. A firm belief of immortal happiness will help to fweeten all the bitter passages of this mortal life.

Whatever the world promises, fad experience, as well as the wisest of men, affures us, that all is vanity and vexation of Spirit. But this is not the worst of it; there are affictions which are unavoidable, and would be intolerable, if we had no hopes of seeing an end to them.

But death, you will fay, will put an end to all the troubles of this life. Be it fo. But then this very remedy is itself the greatest of all afflictions; for a man to know that he must die, and not to know what his condition fhall be after death. Well might the apostle" say, Such men, through fear of death, are all their life long fubject to bondage.

God be praifed, this is not the cafe of Chriftians, unless they are very much wanting to themselves. They may fuffer, but if they keep in their eye the rewards of a future ftate, and live like men that do fo, they cannot be miferable. - When

• Heb. ii. 15.

When a man can fee an end of his miferies, and by bearing them as becomes a Christian can be fure of a reward, and of fuch a reward as the best and wisest of men have willingly laid down their lives to obtain; this will fupport his fpirits, and fill his foul with comfort, while his body is in pain; while disasters follow one another; when friends forfake him, and enemies opprefs him; while the world frowns upon him, and poverty threatens him like an armed man.

In all these cafes, a good Chriftian labours to fupport his foul with fuch confiderations as thefe:-A time is coming when these afflictions will be over. Though I am now befet with infirmities, yet hereafter I shall have a body entirely free from pain and diforders of all kinds. Though I am poor now, yet I have this comfort, that God can make me fufficient amends in the next world for what I want in this. In the mean while, I know this to my comfort, that God has very often tried the faith of his best servants after a more fevere way, in order to fit them for greater glory. It was thus he dealt with Job, whom he fuffered to become the most miferable of men, before he would reward his patience and piety with a croud of unexpected bleffings. It was thus that God visited the man after his own heart, even after he had defigned him for the greatest happiness. In fhort; it was thus the Son of God himself was dealt

with; this was the way which he hath fanctified by his bleffed example, commanding his disciples to follow his fteps, encouraging them in their fufferings with the promises of eternal bleffings.

II. Secondly; A firm belief of what we shall be after the refurrection, will help to cure us of a too great fondness for the world.

What would an angel give for the best eftate or place upon earth? Why do not we believe that a time is coming, when we shall be as much above all the glories of this world, as the angels are now? Yes, we believe this; but our fault is, we do not lay it to heart; we do not compare the happiness of heaven with the present advantages we either aim at or enjoy. We do not, as the apostle tells us all true believers do, Look not at the things which are feen, but at the things which are not feen; for the things which are feen are temporal, but the things which are not feen are eternal; that is, A true believer keeps his eye upon what he expects hereafter, and will not be diverted from pursuing a crown of glory, that fadeth not away, by every tempting trifle he meets with in the way.

Thus, when Abraham had God's promise that he fhould have a fon,-that his feed should in after-ages poffefs that land in which he was a stranger,-he was as well fatisfied as if the thing were already come to pass, and

VOL. II.

• 2 Cor. iv. 18.

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he