Man goeth to his long home: This is true of every one of the race. We are all going hence, one as well as another. Every man shall draw after us, as there are innumerable gone before us. Continually, whether we fleep, or wake, think of it, or not, every breath we draw, every pulfe that beats, brings us nearer our end. Death is a wide and open door, through which multitudes are paffing day and night. How thick have graves opened of late, and what numbers been hurried into them? Within a week or two, what changes have been made by death in one family and another? and they that yet furvive, are in motion the fame way, drawing nearer and nearer the end of time, and fo to an expecting eternity. We gradually decline and wear away. Every day and hour that has paffed fince we came into the world, has brought us fo much nearer our departure; and the number of our days that remains, is continually leffening. Through various changes and turns of life, we are approaching to the last and greatest change of all, when by death we are to change worlds, and go out of time into eternity. The young man is walking on to this with an upright face; aged perfons are going to the fame end, ftooping downward to the earth; and poor infants are tending to it, before they can go, beginning to die, as foon as they begin to live. We are going hence very fwiftly: a time to be born and a time to die; There is and how foon is the space between paffed over! Some indeed make a fhorter ftay, and are fooner gone than others, but all make hafte. My days, faith Job, are swifter than a poft they flee away. They are paffed away as the fwift Ships: as the eagle that hafteth to the prey, Job. ix. 25, 26. Upon this account, our life in fcripture, is compared to a vapour, that appeareth a little while, and then vanifheth away. Man cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down: be fleeth alfo as a fhadow, and continueth not, Job. xiv. 2. As for man, his days are as grass: flower of the field, fo be flourisheth. For the wind palleth over it, and it is gone; aud the place thereof shall know it no more. Some by fudden diseases, or unexpected accidents are speedily removed: But they whofe lives are drawn to the longeft date, may fay as David, Thou haft made my days as an hand-breadth, and mine age is as nothing before thee. We are going swiftly, and when the time is come, most certainly and unavoidably. It is appointed unto man once to die to die; and the bounds are fet which none can pafs. This is a truth of which we have frequent affecting inftances, as warnings that our turn is coming, our turn to leave this world, as they have done : and that it will be e'er long faid of us as it is of them, They are dead and gone. How delightful foever we may count the prefent world; how willing foever of a longer stay, efpecially when our circumftances are eafy and profperous, when death comes, we must away. The Sentence of death paffed on fallen man, is irrever irreversible: though the fting of it to believers is taken out by Chrift, all muft feel its ftroke, and be thereby removed. Saints muft thus go hence: how elfe fhall they be happy in being with the Lord. Their heavenly Father will call them home, from a world of labour and fuffering, to everlasting reft. And as the righteous fhall go hence, to be rewarded; fo the wicked fhall be taken away, to be pu nished. No exemption from this can be purchased, whatever should be offered. They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches; none of them can by any means redeem his brother (or himself) nor give to God a ranfom: that he should live for ever. Wife men die, likewife the fool and the brutish perfon perish, and leave their wealth to others; and removing out of this world, take their flight to an unchangeable ftate, Pfalm xlix. 6, &c. . So much for the first thing: death is a departure from the present world. II. How, when once gone, may we be faid to be no more? This is not to be understood as if our being fhould be extinguished, or either foul or body loft. No; the foul is immortal, and capable of endless joy or mifery, and enters into the one or the other, upon its remove from hence. The body alfo fhall be fetched. from the grave, up at the general refurrection, and folemnly fentenced to fhare with the foul, in bleffedness or torment for ever. But But we fhall be no more in a state of probation, either by returning to this world, or enjoying thofe means or advantages for it in another, which here we are taken from. 1. No more reftored to live on earth, to make a new choice for eternity, or do the work preparatory to it, that was not finifhed before we were called away. This is the day and ftate in which we are to work out our falvation, and endeavour to make our calling and election fure. Happy they, who while the feafon lafts, finish the work on which eternity depends. But they with whom it is gone over in vain, will no more be favoured with its return. If importunity could prevail how earnestly would they beg and cry for this? What paffio nate requests would they put up? O that we might be permitted again to live upon earth, in a ftate of hope, and under the means of grace we once enjoyed! O that we might again fee one of the days of the Son of man, and therein hear the joyful found; feel the ftrivings of the bleffed Spirit; have former opportunities and helps reftored, to make better preparation for an endlefs life, than once we did! But this fhall not be. One life is appointed to us on earth, wherein to flee from the wrath to come, and make fure of heaven and eternal glory; and they that lofe this, fhall not be favoured with another. They that now will not hear, and pray, and watch, and ftrive, fhall, when this life is at an end, have no more opportunity for any of these. A life of trial on earth once over, is no more to begin. If we go hence unholy and unprepared, before our great work is done, or our fouls fafe, we are to come back no more, to do what was left undone, or rectify what was done amifs. In the prefent life, the carnal may be renewed, the guilty pardoned, the perifhing faved: enemies to God may be reconciled, and they that are afar off may be brought nigh. This we are not only invited to, but have the greatest helps and advantages for: but all this ends at death, as by this we depart once for all from the present ftate. On the other fide of death, it will be in vain to cry, Lord fend us again to earth, to hear the voice of mercy, and have the tenders of life and falvation by Chrift, and we will not neglect and make light of all, as once we did. Such cries could they be made, would be immediately filenced with the cutting reply, 'Tis now too late. If ever we make provifion for death, judgment and eternity, it must be whilft this life lafts, it being no more to be restored. 2. Sinners that are removed unchanged, shall not again, in an after-ftate, be favoured with the like means and advantages which they enjoyed here. Death tranfmits us to judgment, which determines our eternal ftate without poffibility of change. This is the life of trial and preparation; the next of reward or punishment, according as we carried it here. There is no repentance in hell, nor call to it; no believing in a Saviour, in order to their releafe from that place of torment, and obtaining everlasting life. |