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which will be when the Jews are converted, and the fulness of the Gentiles is brought in.

There is but one thing more to be taken notice of, and that is the bruifing of the Meffiah's beel by the ferpent, which is the other part of the event, following the enmity, hatred, and war, between the devil and the feed of the woman. Some think, by the Meffiah's heel, is meant hypocrites, who profess to be members of Chrift's body, and are not, whom Satan gets an advantage over, draws with his tail, and cafts down to the earth; but the heel of Chrift, though it is the lowest part of his body, yet it is a part of it, which hypocrites are not. Others think, that the people of Chrift, his members on earth, are defigned, who are exposed to perfecutions, raised by Satan and his emiffaries, against whom they kick, and fometimes bruife. But, perhaps, fome flight trouble, which Chrift himself met with from Satan, may be intended; fuch as his temptations in the wilderness, where he fafted forty days and forty nights, from whence he was carried by the devil into the holy city, and fet upon a pinnacle of the temple, and from thence to an exceeding high mountain; or his agony in the garden, his conflict with the prince of darkness there, when bis fweat was, as it were, great drops of blood falling to the ground, and his foul was exceeding forrowful, even unto death; or rather by the heel of Chrift may be meant his human nature, which, as his divine nature is the bead and chief in him, this is the heel, the inferior and loweft nature in him, and what was frequently expofed to Satan's infults, temptations, and perfecutions, and which he much ftruck at; and fo far prevailed, as to bring him to a fhameful and an accurfed death; the iniquity of his heels, the fins of his people, which he bore in his own body on the tree, then compassing him about; but though he was crucified through weakness, yet he liveth by the power of God; and though he was put to death in the flesh, yet was quickened in the Spirit, whereby he got an entire victory over Satan, and became the author of eternal falvation to all them that obey him.

From the whole of this paffage we may learn, that the Meffiah was to be God and man, to suffer, die, and rife again, and fo become the Saviour of his people: If he had not been man, he would not have had a beel to be bruifed; and if he had not been God, he could not have bruised the head of the ferpent: His fufferings are fitly expreffed by the bruising of his beel; his refurrection from the dead, after which be afcended on high, and led captivity captive, by his bruifing the ferpent's head; and, from the whole, it appears that he is able to fave them to the uttermost that come to God by him, feeing he ever liveth to make interceffion for them. I have done; I conclude my fubject.

▾ Vid. Mede's Works, Book L. Difcourfe 39. p. 299.

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It may now be expected that I should fay fomething concerning the deceased, whofe death has occafioned this difcourfe. I understand she was averse to great and long encomiums; and, for my own part, I ever had a difinclination to them: However, what I fhall fay in this way upon the testimony of those that knew her, I believe, is juft, and to be depended on. It pleafed God to call her, by his grace, very early, and to engage her heart betimes to give up herfelf, not only to the Lord, but to a church of Chrift, by the will of God, to walk with his people in all the ordinances of the gospel; and as it was through the preaching of the doctrines of grace that she was at first wrought upon, so she ever retained a value for them, and an esteem of them. God, in his providence, indulged her with a plenty of worldly fubftance; but this fulness was without forgetfulness of her God, or pride and haughtiness towards her fellowcreatures. As she was of an eafy temper and difpofition, and in easy circumftances of life, fo the former was without indolence, and the latter not without industry. She had firmness and refolution of mind, both in the affairs of religion, and in the things of life, but without obftinacy and stubbornnels. She was conftant and zealous in the exercise of religious duties, but without dependence on them, or oftentation in them. In her last hours, this paffage of fcripture I have been difcourfing from, and indeed the whole chapter, were very refreshing to her, when, as she said, the adversary was very bufy; but Christ, the feed of the woman, who has bruifed the ferpent's head, appeared to her relief, and graciously affured her, that he that comes to him, he will in no wife caft cut; and that he had loved her with an everlasting love, and therefore with loving-kindness bad drawn her to himself; from whence there is reason to conclude a comfortable and well-grounded hope of her everlasting falvation and happinefs; wherefore it becomes her relatives and friends, not to forrow as others, which have no hope; for if we believe that Jefus died, and rofe again, even so them alfo which fleep in Jefus will God bring with him.

SERMON

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Occafioned by the Death of ELIZABETH GILL, Preached June 4, 1738. To which is added, An Account of fome of her Choice Experiences.

I THESS. IV. 13, 14

But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are afleep, that ye forrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jefus died, and rofe again, even fo them also which Deep in Jefus, will God bring with him.

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NEED not tell you what is the occasion of my reading these words to you at this time. This is done not fo much on your account as on my own. You must permit me, this afternoon, to preach rather to myself and family than to you; though I hope what may be delivered may be of fome fervice among you also. The apoftle in this chapter exhorts the Theffalonians to a diligent difcharge of feveral duties of religion, which became their character and profeffion; whereby they would be serviceable to one another, please God, and adorn the doctrine of Chrift Jefus. He fignifies, that they needed not to be wrote unto concerning brotherly love, because they were taught of God to love one another; but it seems, it was neceffary, that they fhould be put in mind of fome principal doctrines of christianity; fuch as concern the ftate of the pious dead; the refurrection of the juft; the fecond coming of Chrift; and the everlafting glory and happiness of the faints with him; in order to alleviate their grief, mitigate their forrow, and fupport their fpirits, under the lofs of their dear friends, or near relations. It is not to be fuppofed, that they were entirely ignorant of these truths; but they were much out of fight, were not taken notice of and improved by them, as they should have been on fuch an occasion. So hard a thing is it for us to keep the doctrines of the gospel always in view; and harder still to make ufe of them, and live up to them, when we moft want them. What can have a greater tendency to moderate our trouble, which naturally arises from the departure of our dearest friends, than to confider, that they are laid down to reft for a while; that they are asleep, and asleep in the arms of Jefus; that they will awake in the morning of the refurrection fresh

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and chearful; that Chrift will bring them with him at his fecond coming, when we fhall meet together again, and never part more, but shall be for ever with the Lord? With fuch words or doctrines as thefe, the apostle would have the perfons he writes to, comfort one another under their prefent forrowful circumstances. With this view he delivers what he does in the words before us, and in fome following verfes; and in order to pursue the fame defign, let us attend to,

I. The representation the apostle gives of the state and condition of the pious dead, that they are afleep; and afleep in Jefus.

II. The knowledge that living faints may have, and the notice they should take, of this their state and condition; I would not have you to be ignorant, &c.

III. The nature, rule and measure, of that sorrow, which is to be expressed on the account of departed faints; that ye forrow not even as others which have no hope.

IV. The comfortable affurance believers may, and should have, of the resurrection of the juft, from the death and refurrection of Chrift, which

may ferve as a proper allay of their grief and forrow; for if we believe, &c.

I. It is worth our while to confider, and in our meditations a little to dwell upon the representation here given, of the state and condition of the pious dead; of those that die in Christ. As,

1. That they are afleep. It was in common use among the eastern nations, particularly the Hebrews, Chaldeans, and Syrians, when they spoke of their dead, to fay, they were afleep. We have many inftances of this way of speaking both in the Old and New Teftament; frequently we read of fuch an one, as David, Solomon, &c. that he slept with his fathers, and was buried; that is, he died as they did, and was interred among them. This phrafe is indeed fometimes promiscuously used of good and bad; as, when it is faid, And many of them that fleep in the dust of the earth fhall awake, fome to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt; but most commonly it is applied to good men; Our friend Lazarus, fays Chrift, fleepeth, but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep; that is, he is dead, and I go to raise him from the dead: So Christ is faid to be the first-fruits of them that flept, not of all mankind, but of them to whom he is an head, who are members of his body, and die in him.

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Now, when the dead are said to be asleep, this is not to be understood of their fouls, but of their bodies only. Some have given into this ftupid and uncomfortable notion, that when the body dies, the foul falls into a deep fleep, and continues in a state of infenfibility and inactivity until the refurrection; but the foul being immaterial is incapable of fleep, that only belongs to bodies; and it is easy to observe, that when the body is afleep the foul is awake, as appears from dreams and vifions of the night; and when the body lies as it were dead, as in extafies and raptures, the foul is active; yea, the foul being freed from the body must be more active in fpiritual fervices, than when in it, that being often an hindrance to it in the prefent ftate of things. Befides, when it is fepa rate from the body it is moft like to the angels, who reft not day and night, faying Holy, holy, holy Lord God almighty. Add to this, that if the fouls of believers. after death were to remain in a ftate of infenfibility and inactivity, the cafe of departed faints would be much worse than that of the living; nor would the apostle Paul have been in a strait between two, having a defire to depart, and to be with Chrift, had he known he must have remained in fuch a state; for it would have been better for him, and for the churches of Chrift, to have continued on earth till the refurrection, than for his foul to be fleeping, fenfelefs, and unactive: no, the fouls of believers, as foon as feparated from their bodies, enter into paradife, return to God, are with Chrift in a state of happiness and joy, and are employed in praifing the Lord, and finging the Lamb's new fong. Were thofe paffages of fcripture which speak of the faints fleeping in death, to be understood of their fouls, they would prove more than what is contended for; namely, that their fouls die, fince by sleep in all fuch places is meant no other than death. But thefe are to be understood of their bodies, which only are capable of it.

Death is fignified by fleeping, because there is a great refemblance between them. Sleep is a lively reprefentation of death; an Heathen could take notice. of this, and say, "O! foolish man, what is fleep but the image of cold death ƒ?” As in fleep, fo in death, there is no exercife of the fenfes; one fast asleep can neither fee, nor hear, nor feel, &c. Death alfo clofes the eyes, ftops the ears, deprives the body of feeling, and is an entire ceffaton of the fenfes, and all the operations that depend upon them. Hence the wife man gives this advice to fuch as are in life and health, Whatfoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom in the grave, whither thou goest". In both, perfons are at reft; fleep is taken in order for rest, and rest is often taken in fleep. The grave is also a refting-place for the VOL. I. faints; 3 E

e See these arguments more largely infifted on, and improved in my fecond fermon on the refur-* rection, published in the Lime-street fermons, vol. II. p. 442, &c.

f Stulte, quid eft fomnus gelidæ nifi mortis imago? Ovid.

g Eccles. ix. 10.

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