(9). After a life spent in the fervice of God, they have a promife of peace and hope in their death, and of heaven beyond it. Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright; for the end of that man is peace, Pfalm xxxvii. 37. The righteous bath hope in his death, Prov. xiv. 32. He fhall enter into peace, &c. each one walking in his uprightness. The ranfomed of the Lord fhall return, and come to Sion with fongs, and everlasting joy upon their heads, &c. and forrow and fighing fhall flee away. 5. Light is foren for the righteous, in the work of grace wrought in their hearts. fication is one ground of confolation. SanctiThe work of righteoufnefs fhall be peace, and the effect of righteousness, quietness and affurance for ever, Ifa. xxxii. 17. Four things fpeak the work of grace in the heart to be a ground of joy. 1. Its being the refult of eternal love. 2. Its being never to be undone, destroyed, or taken away, after it is wrought; but to be carried on to its perfection. 3. Its being accompanied with pardon of fin and justification. 4. Its being the pledge and earnest of future glory, Whom he justified, them he also glorified, Rom. viii. 30. 6. Laftly, Light is fown for the righteous in the preparations made above. Eye hath not feen, nor ear beard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. This This Chrift leaves with his difciples, as a powerful cordial at his going away. In Famy ther's houfe are many manfions; if it were not so, I would have told you: I go to prepare a place you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and take you unto myself, that where I am, there ye may be aljo. Thus we have feen where light is fown. IV. The laft enquiry is, of reaping? When is the feafon And to this, the answer is, The feafon of reaping the firft-fruits, of reaping in part, is at fome times in the prefent life; the feafon of reaping more fully, is at death; and of reaping moft fully and perfectly commenceth at the day of judgment, and is continued throughout eternity. 1. The feafon of reaping in part, falls out at fome times within the course of this prefent life. Particularly, (1.) Times of affliction have been to the upright, feasons of reaping the joy fown. By this they have been prepared for fufferings, fupported under them, and made afterwards to forget their forrows, by reafon of the gladness breaking in from the affecting difcovery of what God has done for them, and wrought in them. Thus God causeth light to arise in darkness, and in a rainy day refresheth them with a beam from heaven, brightening the drops that fall: brings his people into the wilderness, and there fpeaks comfortably unto them. (2.) Seafons of fuffering for the fake of Christ and the gofpel, have been feafons wherein the H 2 upright upright have begun to reap the joy fown. When called to refift unto blood, ftriving against fin, they have need of more than ordinary comfort, to enable them to meet, and hold firm thro' the fiery trial and they have found that then encouragement hath been yielded them in a degree they never before experienced, John xvi. 33In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. To this the apostles could witnefs, 2 Cor. i. 5. As the jufferings of Chrift abound in us, fo our confolation alfo aboundeth by Christ. When Stephen was ftoning, he faw the heavens opened, and the Glory of God, and Jefus ftanding on the right band of God. When called to the greatest sufferings, or in the extremity of them, the comforting Spirit has come in, giving the faints that view, of what grace had done for them, and of the great things thereupon promised to them, which has in a good measure scattered their doubts, and carried them above their fears. Thus the bitter cup is fweetened, and as being that which their Father gives them to drink, they are prepared with a steady hand to drink it up. (3.) Seafons wherein God has called the righteous to great and difficult fervice, have been feafons of reaping the beginnings of joy fown. When their heavenly Father has lifted up the light of his countenance upon them, and fhed abroad the fenfe of his love within them, they are prepared to go whither he fends them, and to do whatever he bids them. (4.) After (4.) After fore conflicts with Satan, the upright have been revived by the springing of the joy fown. After Chrift was tempted, came an angel to comfort him. And for the encouragement of his followers, he declares, Rev. ii. 17. To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white ftone, and in the ftone a new name written, which no man knoweth, faving he that receiveth it. The like after a time of defertion, God gives his people: beauty for afhes, and the oil of joy for the fpirit of heavinefs; enabling them who were ready to conclude themselves forgotten, to read his own words with application, and fo with the joy of faith. Ifa. liv. 7, 8. For a small moment have I forfaken thee, but with great mercies will Igather thee. In a little wrath I hid my face from thee, for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will 1 have mercy on thee, faith the Lord, thy Redeemer. (5.) In waiting upon God in the fanctuary, the upright have met with him, and so have had the beginnings of joy fown. In prayer the holy Man is fometimes wrapped up to heaven, and fatisfied as to the happiness that awaits him there. The glory of the upper world is fhewn to his faith, with the ground on which he may hope for a part in it: fo that in in this refpect he hath had the promise made good to him, Ifaiah xxxiii. 17. Thine eyes fhall See the king in his beauty; they fhall behold the land that is very far off. In reading, or hearing the word, a beam has been often darted in, enlightening the mind, and warming and cheering the heart. But efpecially the table of the Lord has been frequently made the Gate of heaven. Indeed the great end of the Lord's fupper, next to the fhewing forth Chrift's death, is to promote the believer's growth in grace, and that he may attain the evidence of it to his greater confolation and joy. Here therefore, the drooping have been raised, the weak and trembling encouraged, the bruised reed ftrengthened, and the fmoaking flax made to burn, the hungry fed with the bread of God, and the thirsty satisfied with the water of life. Thus even in the present ftate, there are feafons of reaping the joy fiwn. 6 2. A fuller reaping time will be at death: With fome, as the foul is going; but with all, immediately after its releafe from the body. As going, the foul is fometimes fatisfied as to its fpecial relation to God, and has a lively hope, for the fake of Chrift, of being accepted with him. The divine life has been moft vigorous, when the natural one has been about to expire; and the foul raifed in the exercife of grace, when going to take its flight to glory. Standing upon the ridge of life, they have had a Pifgab fight of the promifed land; and having their evidences clear, have had a fweet ferenity and peace spreading itself all over the foul; fo that with a smiling countenance they have taken their leave of this world, and bid the miniftring angels do their office in bearing them up to their bleffed abode. But |