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For he hath not defpifed nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; but when he cried unto him, he heard, Pfalm xxxv: 9, to, 28. And my foul fhall be joyful in the Lord; it fhall rejoice in his falvation, &c. Pfalm lxxxvi. 7. In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee: For thou wilt aufwer me."

Thus for the joy that was fet before him, he endur ed the contradiction of finners against himself, endured the crofs, defpifing the fhame; and is, fet down at the right hand of God,which was fpoken of in the Pfalms as molt certain. Pfalm xli. 12. As for me, thou upholdeft me in mine integrity; and fetteft me before thy face for ever. Pfalm xvi. 10, 11. For thou wilt not leave my foul in hell, neither wilt thou fuffer thy Holy One to fee corruption. Thou wilt fhew me the path of life.-Pfalm ex... The Lord faid unto my Lord, fit thou at my right hand until I make thine enemies thy footstool." This is made evident in the refurrection of Jefus Chrift from the dead, his afcenfion into heaven, and fitting at the Father's right hand. Acts ii. 31 to 36. and Acts xiii. 34 to 37. And this it 18, to wit, his refurrection from the dead, that proves the answer of all his prayers--the truth of his claim to be the Son of God. This it is that gives evidence of the truth of his fecond coming to judgment. Acts xvii. 31. Matthew xxvi. 63, 64. And this it is that engaged the firft difciples to cleave to Chrift amidft all perfecutions and reproaches, even to their being for his fake killed all the day long (as has been mentioned) -fo ftripped of a hope in this life as to say, as in ift of Corin. xv. 19. If in this life only we have hope

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If we attend to the fpecious arguments often times brought in pretended favour of Chriffianity against infidelity, that the former has greatly the ada vantage of the latter even in this life, we fhall find the above view or fentiment of the apostle wholly fet afide by fuch reafoners. It is not uncom mon for many profeffors of Chriftianity to fay, That it is worth while to be a Chriftian, if it is only for the fake of the comforts that attend the Chriftian relion in this life, without regard to a future ftate. Thus à modern author, ap

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in Chrift, we are of all men moft miferable," their hope being placed on the certainty of Chrift's refurrection from the dead, which infured his followers a fhare in the firft refurrection. He rofe in proof of his claim to be the Son of God. Rom. i. 4. evidencing his work to be finished, the Father well pleafed for his righteousness fake. He hath magnified the law, and made it honourable. The debt is paid, the furety is difcharged; for it was not poffible he should be holden of death. Righteoufnefs and peace kifs each other. God appears the God of peace in bringing back from the dead our Lord Jefus Chrift through the blood of the everlasting covenant. That being all fufficient to procure the furety's difcharge, the truth of this makes the believers of it to forfake all and follow him, tò count all things but lofs for the excellency of the knowledge of Chrift. And when Paul had actually fuffered the lofs of all things, he counted them but dung, &c. This was primitive Christianity, and true Christianity is ever the fame.

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pearing at the head of his young people, attacks infidelity and deifm without a fword, having fcarce any other weapon than a paffage out of Dr. Young's Centaur, which having ufed, and finding it altogether infufficient, he a little after retires with them to the fuppofition that Christianity is not true; in which cafe he goes on to alledge how far preferable the Chriftian's condition is to that of the deift even in this life, as well as in the world to come.- (See Mr. Stillman's fermon to young people, printed in Boston in the year 1771, pages 20, 21, 22.) The apostle Paul it seems had a different view of the matter when he argues as abovementioned, which I here repeat, after citing the two foregoing verfes. "If Chrift be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your fins. Then they also who are fallen asleep in Chrift are perifhed. If in this life only we have hope in Chrift, we are of all men moft misferable." It feems then that those who argue differently from the apoftle against deifm, have fomething very different to comfort them from what he and the firft Chriftians had. Thofe who held faft to the truth as the only folid foundation of everlasting confolation and good hope, expected nothing but tribulations in and from the world, during their mortal state, Jooking forward to the bleffed hope laid up for them in heaven, and the glo-rious appearing of Jefus Chrift, as the only good worth feeking for On the contrary, all thofe who appear to defire to make a fair fhew in the fieff, by arguing for a hope in this life attending Christianity, feem to hold genuine Chriftianity of as little importance as a fable or matter of mere fpeculation: And have reafon ferioufly to enquire, whether this hope does not evidence as real infidelity and unbelief of the truth as any principles whatever called deism ? For no lie is of the truth.

But those who refufe to part with a hope in this life at the call of Jefus Chrift, and yet choose to wear a profeffion of his name (like the young ruler fpoken of in the New-Teftament) feem as if they had fomething in hand that could make them happy without the certain truth of the religion of Jefus Chrift and the holy fcriptures-like thofe of Succoth and Penuel who would keep their bread that could fuftain them, if Gideon did not conquer his enemies. "Are the hands of Zeba and Zalmunna now in thy hand, that we should give bread to thine ??? army Is victory and triumph over all his enemies certain to Jefus Chrift, that we fhould part with a hope in this life for a fhare in it? No. We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: Only let thy name be called upon us to take away our reproach." But however the language of unbelief prevails, my Lord delayeth his comingor, where is the promife of his coming?"It will help to evidence his near approach, and to put his difci'ples in mind of his words, "the Lord of that fervant fhall come in an hour when he is not aware." He will come for the deftruction of antichrift. He will come to reign on earth. He will make good his word to his difciples, Matthew v. 5. which will explain Psalm xxxvii, 11, 22, 29, 34. The time when this fhall be accomplished, is there pointed out, verfe 34. "When the wicked are cut off, thoufhalt fee it." Antichrift is called 2 Thef, ii. 8. “That wicked whom the Lord

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fhall destroy with the brightness of his coming. "When the wicked are cut off, &c. He fhall exalt thofe that wait on him to inherit the land." In the present state of things, "the wicked one plots against the just one, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth. But the Lord fhall laugh at him; for he feeth that his day is coming. The wicked have drawn out the fword, and bent their bow, to caft down the poor and needy. Their sword fhall enter into their own heart, and their bow fhall bet broken. The juft man's little flock fhall more prevail

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than crouds and multitudes of wicked men (as it is faid the 16th verfe may be rendered) for the arms of the wicked fhall be broken: But the Lord upholdeth the righteous. The Lord knoweth the days of the upright; and their inheritance fhall be for ever," Pfalm xxxvii. 12 to 18..

Thus the glory that fhall follow the fufferings of Chrift, when he fhall reign on earth, in which his fol lowers fhall fhare, is abundantly celebrated in many of the Pfalms Some of which I fhall point you to only I would previously obferve that the tranfition from that ftate of fufferings, which his body the church is to continue in, while in this mortal ftate, till the manifeftation of his glory, is taken notice of as fudden and amazing. Pfalm Ixiv. 11. But God fhall fhoot at them; fuddenly fhall they be wounded."

Pfalms lii. 5.

Pfalms xi. 6.

xxxvii, 9, 20, 22, 36, 38. xviii. 37, 38, 40, 41, 42. xxxv.from 1 to 8, and verse 36,

vi, 10.

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ix. 16, 17. which I fhall clofe with Pfalm lviii. 9, 19, " Before your pots can feel the thorns, he fhall take them away both living, and in wrath. The righteous one fhall rejoice when he feeth the vengeance. in the blood of the wicked."-Agreable to Ifaiah lxiii. 1, 2, 3, 4: for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood fhall be fprinkled on my garments, and I will ftain all my raiment. For the day of vengeance is in my heart, and the year of my redeemed is come." And Rev. xix. 13. { And he was clothed with a vefture dipped in blood : And his name is called, THE WORD OF GOD.".

The glory that fhall follow is pointed to in verse 11 of the forecited lviii. Pfalm, and every one shall say, the just one plainly has a reward," (as tis faid it may be rendered.) It is alfo celebrated in the following Pfalms, xlvi. xlvii. xlviii. lxxii. lxxvi. And as the foregoing part of the Pfalms are much taken up about

his fufferings; fo the latter part of them are chiefly employed in his high praifes,-particularly Pfalm cxlix. evidently pointing to the time when the faints fhall be gathered into one congregation, verfe 1. When the children of Zion fhall be joyful in their King, verse 2. when the Lord will beautify the meek with falvation, verfe 4. which will be seen when according to the prophecy in Pfalm xxxvii, and the promise in Matthew v.5. the meek fhall inherit the earth," and those that learn meekness of him who was meek and lowly in heart, fhall find reft to their fouls, which they had the first fruits or foretaftes of while following him in meekness in the path of humiliation which he trod down to death. They fhall then fing aloud for their refting places ver. 5. (of Pfalm cxlix.) the manfions he told them of that when he come again, he would receive them to, verse 6,"let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged fword in their hand." The fword of the fpirit is the word of God. It is the fword that proceedeth out of Chrift's mouth, An inftance we have of its efficacy, John xviii. 3 to 8. when the band and officers came to take him, he as it were manifested a ray of his divine glory by faying, I AM; which is the name by which the true God was known to Ifrael: "And as foon as he faid unto them, I AM, they went backward, and fell to the ground." So like wife one word from him was as the piercing of a fword to Judas, that he could never recover, "Judas, betrayeft thou the Son of man with a kifs? Now while Satan is the God of this world, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience; the word pleaded for by any of the despised difciples of Chrift, is contemned. But when Chrift fhall come to reign on earth with his followers, then it shall command as a sword in hand: And however it may be esteemed as chains and fetters of iron to be bound by it, it shall then bind the haughtiest and ftouteft kings or noblès. His will fhall then be done on earth. name fhall endure for ever-and men fhall be blef

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