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allows them all a perfect happiness in the enjoyment of him, furnishing all as the fun does this world, without withholding from one what is afforded to another.

(4.) He was born into an enfnaring world, brought into fociety where he received infection, and did infect again; where he was a temptation to others, and others were a temptation to him; the confideration whereof made him often weary of the world. But he dies into a world where there is no more of that: were he once past that step, he will be no more a fnare to any, nor will any be a fnare to him. The leaves of the tree of life are for healing, but there is no more fin nor death.

Fifthly, The day of his death brings him into a better state than the day of his birth did. As the state of glory is better than the ftate of this life, fo is death to one who has well improved life, better than his birth. Great is the odds on the part of the day of death in this cafe, however advantageous the birth may be.

1. The day of his birth fets him down in a state of imperfection, natural and moral; the day. of his death. advances him to a ftate of perfection of both kinds, Heb. xii. 23. There is a natural imperfection in us in refpect of our very frame, more than in the young of brutes according to their kind; a great imperfeetion in the neceffity of meat, drink, clothing, education, and teaching; the which continues with us all our life long. A moral imperfection much more wretched, in respect of the guilt and corruption of nature we bring into the world with us; the which last -alfo continues with us all our life, though the reigning power of it be broken.

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But in the day of his death both these are done away. He arrives at a natural perfection; the foul will be perfected in all its faculties, no more darkness and confufion in its apprehenfion, no more error or miftake in judging, and therefore no false reasonings. There will be no need of human teaching there; every faint will be a profound philofopher, and an infallible divine,

divine, the image of God in them in knowledge of the works and will of God being brought to perfection. The dunghill-work of eating and drinking, the childish work of bufking and decking, they will have no more ufe for. The faint arrives at a moral perfection that day, grace is perfected, the love of God planted now in the heart, and preferved as a spark of facred fire in the mids of an ocean of corruption, will quite dry up that ocean; and they shall be as pure as if they had never finned, being fet beyond the poffibility of fin.

2. The day of his birth brought him into a state of probation and trial; but the day of his death brings him into a state of retribution and recompenfe, 2 Cor. V. IO. The day of his birth fet him down on the ice, where he was to have a hit or a mifs for eternity; he was brought into this world, to undergo his trials for the other world, in which moft men come foul off. There he had Christ and his falvation offered him, to be embraced by faith, which was to be evidenced by fteering a courfe of holinefs maugre all oppofition. But then he was baited with temptations from the devil, the world, and the flesh; he was brought on a flage of afflictions, croffes, and various hardships, to fee if he could bear them for Chrift. This made his life a fight, a continued fcene of trial.

But in the day of his death he is taken off his trials, with the Judge's approbation, and the full reward is appointed him, and given him. The Lord Chrift, who looked on all the time of his trials, obferving how he carried, feeing how he got many a fall, yet rose again, then paffes a merciful verdict on him, Mat. xxv. 21. "Well done, thou good and faithful fervant; thou haft been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many, things; enter thou into the joy of thy Lord." And then he is to fight no more, but triumph for ever; he has wrought his work, and he gets his reward of grace. The trials were perhaps long, but the retribution will be longer; the former was but temporal, the latter will be eternal. Z 3

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3. The day of his birth brought him into a state of changes, but the day of his death brings him into an unalterable state, Rev. iii. 12. "Him that overcometh, will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he fhall go no more out." The ftate of man from his birth is like that of the moon, ever waxing or waning, never appearing with its former face; he is ftill lying open to ungrateful alterations, so that though he be never fo well to-day, he cannot boast of to-morrow, but he is in hazard of expofing himself as rafh, Prov. xxxvii. 1. But in the day of death the last change comes, and brings him into an unalterable state of hap, pinefs; he is fixed for ever in endless joy and peace. For though there be clouds to overcaft in the lower, there are none in the upper regions.

Laftly, The day of the faint's death brings him to, and fettles him in better exercife and employment than the day of his birth did. He will spend his eternity in the other world, better than he did his time in this world, how well foever he spent it, Rev. iv. 8. "They reft not day and night, faying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God almighty, which was, and is, and is to come." There is a great variety of mens exercifes and em ployments here, and few or none are fo exercised, but they would be content to be better: well, the day of death will make it far better with the faints. The odds will be great.

1. He was born to earthly exercife and employment, but he dies to heavenly. When he is born, he falls & fucking his mother's breaft, that is all he can do; when he dies, he falls a-fucking in abundantly the divine confolations. As he grows up, he is put to learn; when he dies, he is irradiated in a moment with a light that difpels all his darknefs. When he is come to years of action, he is employed in fome labour of the hand, or of the mind; when he dies he is beyond all labour, but is active in the glorifying and enjoying God, which was the great end of his creation.

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2. He is born to wearifome, forrowful, and heavy exercises; he dies to joyful, comfortable, and eternally refreshing exercise. As he was much employed in fighing here, he will be employed in finging there. Many a time he laboured in vain here, but there will be no labour in vain there; he will always reach his end, being arrived at the ftate of perfection.

Laftly, He was born to fuch exercife, as he was not able to continue with, but needed reft; and fo a great part of his time was spent in doing nothing, but taking the neceffary reft; but he dies to fuch exercise, as he fhall endure with continually, needing no reft by fleep or the like, Rev. iv. 8. There is no night there, for it is not needed there.

I SHALL now shut up this fubject, with fome application of what has been faid.

USE I. Of information. This fhews us,

1. That whatever good things the faints have in hand, they have more in hope. If they were born to never fo great things, as Solomon was to a crown, yet they die to greater things. Whatever they enjoy in this world, as men, or as Chriftians, they will enjoy more in the other world; their best things come last.

2. Whatever afflictions, trials, and croffes in life they have been born to; there is a time coming wherein all their loffes will be made up, and their heaviest weights will be downweighed with comforts, Ifa. lxvi. 13. Sometimes when the waves of trouble are overflowing, they are apt to look back on the day of their birth with a grudge, that brought them into fuch a troubl ous fea, Job iii. 3. Jer. xx. 14, 18. But that is their infirmity, their impatience. Let them wait a little, and they will fee there is a better day coming.

3. Senfe is no good judge of what is best or worst. Of all things death is the moft terrible to sense; therefore in the day of death there is nothing but groaning, fighing, and mourning; whereas in the day of one's birth

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there is feafting and rejoicing. Yet to a good man the day of his death is better than the day of his birth. Such is the doctrine of faith, quite oppofite to that of fenfe. They must be ill guided then that walk by sense.

4. There must be another life befides this, and a far more happy one; otherwise the day of death that takes us away from all the comforts of this life, which the day of our birth brings us into, could not be better than the day of our birth. The day of a good man's birth ufhers in a holy and happy life, though imperfect; which muft certainly be better than no life at all.

Laftly. There is a way to take off the terror of death, and to make the dying-day our best day, better than the day of our birth. That matter depends on the improving of life. Our life time is our feed-time for the other world, and death is the harvest; according as we live now, fo will the crop be that we will have to reap then, Gal vi. 8.

USE II. Of exhortation. 1. To Saints. ners, and all.

2. To fin FIRST, Saints, whofe chief bufinefs in life has been, and is, to improve life to the raifing of the good name, let this ferve to bring you into good terms with death. Death will not be to you, what it will be to others, the ftorm is to you changed into a calm; and it will be your best day, better than the day of your birth. And that you may know to whom this belongs, it is defigned for thofe of a threefold character, agreeable to what was faid before. This comfortable meffage is,

1. For you who have made it your business to obtain the favour and friendship of God, by taking hold of God's covenant of free grace, uniting with Chrift the head of it, through faith; and whofe main concern in life is to be found in him, Phil. iii. 8,-11. Have you been awakened to fee your loft ftate by nature, illuminated in the knowledge of Chrift as the only remedy, and brought to embrace him in the free covenant as the fufficient and only way to the Father? Why truly being

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