Maccabees, who with great patience and courage bore up under the most exquifite torments, in confidence of being raised again to a bleffed state in another world. And of thefe it is that the Apostle certainly speaks, Heb. xi. 35. when he fays, that fome were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better refurrection.

But the Apostle tells us exprefly, 2 Tim. i. 10. that the clear and certain difcovery of a future ftate is owing to the Christian religion, and made manifeft by the appear ing of our Saviour Fefus Chrift; who hath abolished death, and brought life and immortality to light by the gospel. Not only natural light, but all the revelations which God had made to the world before, had this weakness and imperfection in them, that they did not give men the clear difcovery and full affurance of another life; and confequently had but little efficacy in comparison to engage men to their duty, or to fupport and comfort them under fufferings: and therefore the Apostle to the Hebrews calls the gofpel, in oppofition to the law, the power of an endless life, Heb. vii. 16. intimating to us, how great a force and influence the clear apprehenfions of another life are apt to have upon the minds of men. For which reason the fame Apoftle tells us, ver. 18. 19. that the law was too weak to raise men to the perfection of virtue and goodnefs, because it did not work ftrongly enough upon the hopes of men, by the greatnefs and clearness of its promifes; and that for this weakness it was removed, and a more powerful and a wakening difpenfation brought in the place of it: For verily, fays he, there is an annulling of the commandment going before, meaning the law of Mofes, which by the gofpel was abrogated and made void, for the weakness and

unprofitableness of it; for the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did. For which reafon, chap. viii. 6. he calls the covenant of the gofpel, a better covenant, because it was established upon better promifes, viz. the promife of an eternal inheritance, as the fame Apoftle fpeaks, chap. ix. 15. All the exprefs promises of the law were only of temporal good things, but the promises of the gospel are of eternal life and happiness: This is the promife which he hath promised us, even eternal life, fays St. John, 1 John ii. 25.

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Now the firm perfuafion of another life does not only answer that great difficulty and objection against the providence of God, from the feeming injuftice and inequality of his dealings with good and bad men in this world, because the eternal rewards and purishments of another world will fet all things ftraight, and make abundant amends to good men, for all their fufferings and afflictions here; and will render the past profperity of bad men one of the greatest aggravations of their mifery as it is faid of Babylon, Rev. xviii. 7. How much he hath glorified herself and lived deliciously, fo much torment and forrow give her. In like manner God will deal with wicked men in another world; their torments fhall rife in proportion to the pleafure and profperity they have enjoyed and abufed in this world. This remarkable change of condition which fhall befal good and bad men, in another world, is fet forth to us in a very lively and affecting manner in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, Luke xvi. 25. where Abraham is reprefented fpeaking thus to the rich man, Son, remember that thou, in thy life time, received thy good things, and likewife Lazarus evil things: but now be is comforted, and thou art tormented. He is comforted in proportion to his fufferings in this world: and thou art tormented in proportion to the fenfual pleafures and luxuries of thy former life. Men, under great want and fufferings, are apt to think their lot in this world very hard, and yet upon the whole matter, and taking all things into confideration, who would not much rather chufe to be Lazarus with his hard fortune in this world, and everlasting con, folation in the other, than the rich man drowned in pleasure in this world, and tormented in flames in the other? I fay, the firm belief of another life does not only anfwer this objection againft the divine providence; but does likewife minifter abundant comfort and matter of joy to good men, under all their fears and troubles in this world. Nay, this confideration alone of a bleffed immortality in another world, of which only the Chriftian religion hath given us full and undoubted affurance, is of that weight and moment, as to contribute more to the fupport of our spirits under the

evils and calamities of this life, than all the confiderations of philofophy put together. They are many of them pleafant and pretty, and fit enough to entertain and divert a man's mind under a flight trouble; but they are too fpeculative and refined for common capacities, too thin and weak to bear any great stress, and to fupport and relieve a man's mind under a fore and heavy affliction but this is a confideration which hath ftrength and fubftance in it, that all things will end in our unspeakable happiness, and that this happinefs thall have no end. This the Apostle St. Paul fpeaks of as a proper confideration of comfort, of which we are af fured by the Christian religion, that all the evils of this life fhall in the laft iffue and refult of things co-operate to our happiness, Rom. viii. 28. We know, fays he, that all things work together for good to them that love God. And 2 Cor. iv. 16. 17. 18. For which caufe we faint not, &c. The Apoftle gives us an account, how they were afflicted and perfecuted, and what it was that fupported them under all their fufferings, ver. 8. 9. 10. 11. We are troubled on every fide; yet not distressed: we are perplexed; but not in difpair: perfecuted; but not forfaken: caft down; but not deftroyed. Always bearing about in the body the dying of our Lord Jefus, that the life alfo of Jefus might be made manifeft in our body. For we which live are always delivered unto death for Fefus's fake. And then he tells us what it was that kept up the fpirits of Chriftians under these sharp fufferings, viz. the affurance which the Chriftian religion gives us of a refurrection to a better and happier life, ver. 14. Knowing that he which raifed up the Lord Jefus, fhall raife us up alfo by Jefus. And then it follows, ver. 16. For which caufe we faint not: but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day; that is, though our bodies be wasted and weakened, yet every day we grow ftronger in the refolution of our minds, because our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we look not at the things which are feen, but the things which are not feen: for the things which are feen are temporal; but the things which are not feen · are eternal. And then, at the beginning of the next chapter,

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chapter, he still urgeth the fame confideration of comfort, that fo foon as we pafs out of the troubles of this life, we fhall enter upon the happiness of the other. For we know, that is, we Chriftians are affured, that if our earthly houfe of this tabernacle were diffolved, we have a building of God, an houfe not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. Here you fee is the great ground of their confidence and comfort in the worlt condition, and under the moft grievous perfecutions which they were continually expofed to.

And therefore our Saviour and his Apoftles make no fcruple to pronounce thofe perfons bleffed, who, in refpect of their fufferings, feemed to be of all men in the world the most miferable; and they pronounce them happy, upon this very account of their fufferings, Matth. v. 10. 11. 12. Blessed are they, fays our Saviour, which are perfecuted for righteousness fake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Bleffed are ye when men fball revile you, and perfecute you, and shall fay all manner of evil against you falfly for my fake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad for great is your reward in heaven. Great fufferings for God, in this world, do intitle us, by virtue of this gracious promife of our Lord, to a glorious reward in the other. So likewife St. James exhorts Chriftians to rejoice in their fufferings, James i. 2. My brethren, account it all joy when ye fall into divers trials. And, chap. v. 11. Behold, fays he, we count them hapРу which endure. And St. Peter, to the fame purpose, 1 Pet. iv. 14. If ye be perfecuted for righteousness fake, happy are ye. So folid a comfort to men under all the troubles and afflictions of this world, is that firm affurance which the Chriftian religion gives us of a future happiness, as to bring even the greatest miferies, which in this life we are liable to, in fome fenfe under the notion of bleffedness.

And this was not only fine talk, like the glorious brags of the Stoicks; but the primitive Chriftians, in infinite examples, gave the real proof and evidence of it, in their conftant and chearful behaviour under the moft cruel and intolerable torments. Non magna loquimur, fed vivimus, fays Tertullian, in the name of the Chriftians: "We do not talk great things, but do

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"them; and demonftrate the real effect of our words "and profeffion in our lives and actions." Never did the arguments fetched from another world, and the affurance of a bleffed immortality, difplay their force and virtue more, than in the joyful fufferings of the first Chriftians, and their generous contempt of all that was dear to them in this world, in hope of that eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, hath promifed; and which the Son of God had enfured to them, by his refurrection from the dead.

II. The Chriftian religion promifeth to every fincere Christian, the inward affiftance, and fupport, and comfort of God's holy Spirit, to bear up the weakness of human nature under its heavieft preffures of fear or fuffering. And this is peculiar to the Chriftian religion : for though the providence of God did take particular care of good men in all ages, and he did always in fome good measure ailift them to do their duty, and afford comfort and fupport to them under great trials and fufferings; yet God never made fo exprefs and general a promife of this to all good men, as he hath done by the Chriftian religion. Never was fo conftant a prefence and influence of the divine Spirit vouchfafed and affured to men under any difpenfation, as that of the gofpel, wherein the Spirit of God is promifed to all that fincerely embrace the Chriftian religion, to refide and dwell in them, not only to all the purposes of fanctification and holiness, but of fupport and comfort under all troubles and fufferings; for which reafon the gofpel is called the miniftration of the Spirit; and is upon this account faid to be more glorious than any other revelation which God had ever made to mankind. And therefore this is faid to be effential to every Chriftian, to have the Spirit of God dwell in him. Rom. viii. 9. 10. speaking of all true Chriftians, Ye are, faith St. Paul, not in the fefb, but in the fpirit, if fo be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now, if any man have not the Spirit of Chrift, he is none of his. So that every fincere Chriftian is made partaker of the promife of the Spirit through faith; that is, by his belief of the Chriftian religion, he is under the immediate conduct and influence of God's holy Spirit, and hath this bleffed guide and Com

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