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haraffed, fome know by fad experience: Fiery darts that they tremble to think of, and that they dare not name! This fills them with fear: But to fuch I fay, Fear not. Christ died, and is alive evermore. He that thus lives evermore gave a deadly wound to the tempter. When Jefus was in the world, Satan fet on him with the most severe temptations; but Jesus overcame him, and at his death triumphed over him. He spoiled principalities and powers, Col. ii. 15. " And having fpoiled principalities and powers, he made a fhew of them openly, triumphing over them in it." You fee, then, that the enemy with whom you fight is already vanquished, and the victory of Jefus over him is a fure pledge of yours. Yea, as in the firft Adam we were all tempted and fell, fo in the fecond Adam we were tempted and stood; and fo have overcome already in our Head. We have no more to do but cry to our Lord, who, from his own temptations, well knows how to fuccour his tempted people. We must give the alarm, and handle our weapons. Though the fight may laft a while, yet it will come to an end, and we fhall be more than conquerors. Jefus is in heaven, waiting till his enemies be made his footstool; and he will bruise Satan under our feet fhortly.

5. Death is the caufe of much fear. O how hard is it to look on it with a stayed countenance ! Death is terrible, in that it is a diffolution of nature, parts foul and body; and therefore we are fo apt to fhudder at the thoughts of it. But fear not; for Chrift died. His precious foul and body were parted: So he orders us to travel no path but fuch as he hath trode before us. By his death he has destroyed death; he has unftinged it to the believer. Then, fear it not, it can do you no harm. "But death is terrible, in that it takes us

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out of this world from all our enjoyments, from our deareft relations and friends, and fends us into another world, where we know not a foot of ground, where we never faw a face. Were a child born with that judgement that men have, the first fight of this world might be terrible to them; fo muft the unfeen world be to us." But fear not: He that was dead is alive; and when ye are carried off, you fhall be with him who is infinitely better than all earthly relations. Here is your comfort. Jefus hath the keys of hell and death. He is Lord fupreme of that other world to which you are travelling. He fends you fuch word as Jofeph fent his father, Gen. xlv. 9. saying, "God hath made me Lord of all Egypt; come down unto me, tarry not." O to believe it firmly!

6. And lastly, Hell is a fountain of fears. Sometimes the godly are above, fometimes under the fears of hell. It is terrible, the thought of being excluded for ever the prefence of God! "Who can abide with everlasting burnings?" When we lock down to the pit, it seems hard to escape it; when we look up to heaven, our fouls faint left we never get there. But fear not For Chrift died and if fo, he suffered the torments thou shouldst have fuffered in hell, as to the effentials of them. He was under the punishment of lofs; God forfook him, Pfal. xxii. 1. He endured the punishment of sense, even to drops of blood, and the wrath of God poured into his foul: Then God will not require two payments for one debt. Chrift lives, he rofe, and entered heaven as a public perfon; and therefore, believer, thou fhalt as furely go to heaven as if thou wert there already. Yea, the apostle fays we are there already, Eph. ii. 6. " We are raised up together, and made to fit together in heavenly places in Chrift Jefus," as our Head. Je

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fus lives for evermore; and therefore, thou fhalt be for ever with the Lord. He has the keys of hell and death. Suppose your father or best friend on earth had thefe keys, would you be afraid? But we may have more confidence in Jefus than in ten thousand fathers, or even the mothers that bare us. They may forfake us, and a mother may be found that will not have compaffion on the son of her womb; but, O believer, Jefus hath faid, "I will not forget thee," Ifa. xlix. 15. 16. "Can a woman forget her fucking child, that she should not have compaffion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands, thy walls are continually before me." Though Satan be the jailor of hell, yet he keeps not the keys; they hang, believer, at the girdle of your best friend.

III. WE fhall conclude with fome improvement. 1. From this fubject, we may infer the comfortlefs ftate of them that are out of Chrift. Are the truths in the text grounds of confolation to the faints? How, then, can they bear up who have no interest in Christ? Nay, we might turn the black fide of this white cloud upon unbelievers, and tell them, that if Jefus died, how can they efcape? If he be alive, he will avenge their contempt of him, and their neglect of his falvation. If he lives for evermore, then they will have an eternal enemy. If he has the keys of hell, then they cannot escape that prifon; or be rescued out of it.

2. That it is the duty of Christians to improve these things for their actual comfort. Chriftian, fit down at his table, and fuck the breafts of confolation. Build your comforts on these truths. Alas! our comforts are often fhort lived, because we do not found them fure enough. I will give you but a few notes concerning this. (1.) The grie

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ving of the Spirit cuts the throats of our comforts. (2.) Good men sometimes build their comforts on cutward bleflings; hence, when these are gone, their comfort is gone. (3.) On grace within them, not on grace without them; the comfort of fome ftreams from their obedience principally, therefore it is foon dried up; whereas the death and life of Christ are liable to no change, as is our obedience. (4.) Upon the coming in of words to their minds. Hence, when a promise comes in, they are comforted; when a threatening, all is gone. I do believe, that the Spirit comforts his people by the word, and that he makes words come in with an impreffion on the foul, John xiv. 26. " He fhall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have faid." But then. thefe words lead the foul direct to Chrift, and to build our comfort on him; but it is not of God to build it on the bare impreffion of a comfortable word. The coming in of a word fhould guide us to Chrift; and though the impreffion, the guide go, yet we may keep our hold of him.-Here we are prefented with an objection, "But I fear I have nothing to do with these confolations." Anf. Are you this day willing to take Chrift? Then give your confent, and he is yours, and all is yours: "Whofoever will, let him take of the water of life freely," Rev. xxii. 17. Obj." But I fear I am not fincere, in that I am actuated from fear of hell, and hope of reward." Anf. If ye fear not God's wrath, fo as to endeavour to escape it, ye are defpifers of God; if ye defire not falvation, fo as to labour for it, ye are monftrous murderers of your own fouls. Let your felf-love only be regular, and it is commendable; and then it is regular, when your defires of happinefs are carried towards it through Christ and the way of holiness; so that

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your foul longs for Chrift as well as falvation, and ye defire to be holy as well as happy. It is regular, when it is subordinate to the will of God; and that is, when the man juftifies God, though he fhould caft him off, and yet, come what will, is refolved to cleave to the Lord and his way.

A word to other two fources of the faint's fears.

1. Weakness and spiritual inability for the duties of religion. The foul taking a view of the great work it has to do, what strong lufts are to be mortified, temptations refifted, duties performed; and then, confidering how weak and unable it is for any of these things, it is even ready to fink. But fear not Chrift died, &c. Heb. xii. 12. " Wherefore, lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees:" Christ died, and therefore ftrength for duty is purchased. In the firft Adam, the influences of the Spirit were forfeited; in the second Adam, they are bought back again. The well-ordered covenant is fealed and confirmed. There is

a fulness in the covenant for all your wants. There are promises in it that will answer all your needs. Now, the covenant is confirmed, for the teftator is dead. Chrift liveth: He arofe from death, and lives evermore; therefore, he that has the believer's stock of strength is alive. Adam got our first ftock, but he became infolvent; Chrift got the next, he liveth in the court of heaven as a public person, and treasury of strength, " Of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace," John i. 16.

The believer's Surety to the Father stands good; and what need they fear as long as their cautioner holds foot? Chrift is the believer's cautioner for fanctification and perfeverance, John x. 28. and chap. xvii. 12. "While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gaveft me I have kept, and none of them is loft,

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