nothing what is done below after death; what befals his family or his friends; whether to their advantage or difadvantage; as Job says, bis fons come to honour, and be knoweth it not; and they are brought low, but he perceiveth it not of them he loses all his grandeur, in which he lived among men; all his titles of honour, and all his glory; these shall not defcend after him to the grave: he loses all his worldly eftates, his substance, wealth, and riches; he carries nothing away with him; when his foul is required of him, and the question is, whofe fhall those things be he has enjoyed? the answer must be, whoseever they are, they are no more his; he has lost his property in them, and his poffeffion of them: yea, dying he has loft his life, his animal life, than which nothing is dearer to a man; skin for fkin, yea all that a man bath will be give for his life': now what is that at a good man's death, that can counter-balance all this lofs, or rather over-balance it, to make it gain to him? and that it is gain, notwithstanding all this lofs, will appear by confidering the following things: 1. What a good man, whether in a public or private capacity, is then rid of and freed from: he is at death freed from fin, and the riddance of that is gain unto him; he is now freed from obligation to punishment for it by the death of Chrift; and he is clear of the guilt of it before God, and on his own conscience, by the blood of fprinkling; and he is delivered from the dominion of it by the power and grace of God, but not from the being of it; be groans, being burdened with it; it causes a continual conflict and war in him; and he is fometimes carried captive by it, which makes him cry out, O wretched man that I am but when a faint dies, he is immediately among the fpirits of just men made perfect, and is as they; those fins and corruptions, which like the old Canaanites to Ifrael, were thorns in his fide, and pricks in his eyes, are no more; the Canaanite is no more in the land, nor any pricking brier, nor grieving thorn of this fort; all are gone; and therefore death must be gain unto him. Likewise he is freed from the temptations of Satan: now though he is redeemed from him by the death of Christ, and taken out of his hands by powerful and efficacious grace; yet he is fubject to his temptations, as the best of men are he folicits them to evil; fuggefts bad things to them; throws in his fiery darts; is always going about to seek an advantage against them, and accuse them before God; and though he cannot devour, he studies to distress and terrify; and fometimes he does it by injecting fears of death, which keep fome in bondage all their days: but when once they are removed from hence, got over fordan's river, are safe landed on the shores of eternity, and are in Abraham's bosom, and in the arms of Jefus, they are out of his reach; he is fallen from heaven, and will never regain his place there any more; there is no tempter in the heavenly paradife. This is another branch of the believer's gain at death. Likewife, then he will no more walk in darkness, or be liable to divine defertions, and the trouble that arifes from thence; nor be attended with doubts. and fears, as he often is now; left God should not be his God, and Jefus his Redeemer; left the good work of grace fhould not be begun in him, or he fhould fall short of heaven and eternal happiness: nor will he be any more afflicted with an evil heart of unbelief, or diftreffed with that fin which fo eafily befets him; all forrow and fighing on every occasion shall flee away, and everlafting joy be upon him: he will be no more troubled with difeafes and pains of body; with outward calamities and afflictions; with reproaches and persecutions; with toil and labour of any fort, but be in perfect ease and rest; fo that it may be truly said, happy are the dead which are already dead, more than the living that are yet alive". Yea, the body by dying will be a gainer; for at the refur rection-morn, though it has been vile, base, and contemptible, it will be fashioned like unto the glorious body of Chrift; and though it is fown in the grave in weakness, in dishonour, in corruption, and a natural body; it will be raised in power, in glory, in incorruption, and a spiritual body; this mortal will put on immortality, and this corruption incorruption; fo that the gain will be very great. This will be further manifeft, if we confider, 2. What the believer, whether a minister of the word or a private chriftian, enjoys at death, and upon it: he is immediately in better company than what he leaves behind; he is at once with angels and glorified faints; and joins with them in their acts of devotion, service, and worship, in celebrating the perfections of God, and finging Hallelujahs to the Lamb: he enters directly into the presence of God; beholds the face of God, and the glory of Chrift, and has fellowship with Father, Son, and Spirit; and God, in all his perfons, is all in all to him, and is his portion, inheritance, and exceeding great reward. He then is poffeffed of perfect knowledge, which before he had only in part; perfect knowledge of God; of Chrift; of the covenant; of the mysteries of grace; of the wonders of providence; of things which his eye had never seen, nor his ear heard, nor had it entered into his heart to conceive of; and what he had seen but darkly, and known imperfectly, now he has full, clear, and diftinct ideas of. Moreover, he is now arrived to complete holinefs; before he was black in himself, and full of fpots, but now without fpot or wrinkle, or any fuch thing; before he was only in part fanctified, now throughout, in every power and faculty of his foul; the work is now completely finished; and there are not the leaft remains of fin and corruption in him. He is now in fulness of joy, and partaking of pleasures that will never end; he had only fome taftes before of joy unspeakable, • Eccles. iv. z speakable, and full of glory, but now he drinks large draughts, even to fatiety, of the river of divine pleasures; and where he bathes himself with unutterable delight, and with a fatisfaction not to be expreffed. In fhort, he is now received into everlasting habitations, into the manfions of blifs and glory in Christ's Father's house; and enters upon the inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, and which fadeth not away; and enjoys the kingdom prepared from the foundation of the world; has the crown of righteousness laid up for him, given him; and is fet down with Chrift upon his throne, poffeffed of honour, glory, immortality, and eternal life. All this is true, and may be faid of our deceased Friend and Brother, whofe death has occafioned this difcourfe. His life, whilft it was continued, was to Chrift; to the glory of his name, and the good of his intereft; and, had it been continued longer, would doubtlefs have been for the fervice of the Redeemer's cause in general, and for the advantage of this church of Chrift in particular; and for the benefit of the poor ministers of Christ, to many of whom he was greatly ferviceable; and of the poor members of Chrift in various places, who were affifted by him when in diftreffed circumftances, or injured and oppreffed by their fellow-creatures; who will very fenfibly feel the lofs of him. But to die is his gain; who now enjoys all the above advantages of dying in the Lord; and in whose death Chrift has been glorified, in fupporting him in the views of it, and in carrying him fo comfortably and chearfully through the pains and agonies of it; fo that Chrift has been magnified in his body, both in life and in death: an account of whom I am now to give; a task, I fear, I am not equal to, fo as to do justice to the memory of so great a man. Dr JOSEPH STENNETT was the eldest son of that eminent and learned divine, Mr Jofeph Stennett, whofe character has been drawn by an able hand; and is otherwife fo well known from his excellent writings, as will preferve his memory in high esteem to late pofterity. His father alfo, Mr Edward Stennett, was a faithful and laborious minifter of the Baptift denomination, at Wallingford in Berkshire; and fuffered much for nonconformity in perfecuting times. The Doctor was born in London, Nov. 6, 1692; and received his inftructions in grammar and claffical learning, from two of the ableft grammarians this age has produced; Mr Ainsworth, author of the Latin Dictionary; and Dr Ward, Profeffor of Rhetoric in Gresham-College. The other parts of literature, which more immediately related to his facred profeffion, he cultivated under the care and direction of his learned and pious father; whom I find, on his dying-bed, giving him advice with refpect to the management of his ftudies, and the conduct 4 A 2 See the Account of his Life, prefixed to his works. duct of his future life. His fine natural parts, acquired knowledge, and above all the grace of God, and the eminent gifts of it. bestowed upon him, and fitting him for public fervice, all contributed to form his character; in whom the gentleman, the scholar, the christian, and the divine, were so happily united.. When he was about fifteen years of age, he made a profeffion of religion, and fubmitted to the ordinance of baptifm. And thofe, who have either heard. his pious discourses, and fervent prayers; or read his excellent fermons, which are printed; can have no doubt left upon their minds, of his having received the grace of God in truth; which is fo abfolutely neceffary to a minister of the: gofpel. In the year 1714, Providence called him into Wales, where he firft entered upon his public ministry, and spent about four years at Abergavenny in Monmouthshire; from whence, having declined the preffing invitations of two congregations in this city, he removed to Exeter, not long after the difpute arose in that country concerning the doctrine of the Trinity, and while it was hot there: letters having been sent hither for advice, in the year 1719, occafioned great disturbances and animofities among Proteftant-diffenting minifters of all denominations in this city. In the mean time our young divine, as he then was, exerted himself with an uncommon, and distinguished zeal at Exeter; made a noble stand for the proper. divinity of our Lord, and appeared with great luftre and brightness in the defence of it. Here he continued about fixteen years, faithfully difcharging his ministerial trust, and adorning his office with a becoming life and conversation. In 1737, he was called to the paftoral care of this church, and was invested with that office September 15th the fame year, being twenty years ago and upwards: fo that he continued in the facred work of the miniftry about forty years. In the year 1754 he received a diploma creating him Doctor. in Divinity, from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, at the inftance and recommenda tion of his Royal Highness their Chancellor; who was pleased to fend it to him in a very obliging manner by his Secretary. The Doctor's minifterial abilities and qualifications are fo well known, as to want no description or commendation of them.. His mein and deportment in the pulpit were graceful; his voice low, but foft and plealant; and his language accurate and correct. He had a large compass of thought, freedom of expreffion, and fervency of foul, as well in preaching as prayer; and would often treat his subject in a very comprehensive view, to the great delight, as well as profit, of his hearers. As to his religious principles, befides those concerning baptism and the fabbath, wherein he differed from many; there were others of greater importance, the doctrines of our first reformers, which he imbibed in his younger years, and abode See the Account of his Life, prefixed to his works, p. 34 3 abode by them throughout his miniftrations to the end of his life. I meet with an inftance of this in a letter fent by him to the members of this church, about two months before his decease, wherein are the following expreffions: "It is my 66 great comfort in the views of eternity, that I have been led in these changea"ble fad times, fteadily and conftantly to main ain thofe doctrines, which I find "are able to fupport me at fuch a feafon as this. I call my dear charge at Exe"ter, where I spent the first part of my miniftry (and the Lord knows in great "weakness) to testify this concerning me. I always thought, the great defign "of the gospel was to lay the creature in the dust, and to exalt the great re"deemer of the church. I always taught both them and you to love Jefus "Chrift; to live upon him; and to expect your juftification from him alone, "his blood, his righteoufnefs imputed, and his interceffion." With regard to his political character, he was a warm afferter and defender of the liberties of mankind; most zealously attached to the intereft of his Majefty King GEORGE, and his royal houfe; heartily loved his friends, and all whom his Majefty esteemed as fuch; and was greatly offended with those, who gave into an unreasonable oppofition to his miniftry. His talents for public service in civil affairs, were difcerned by fome perfons of the first rank and eminency, who were pleased to honour him with their friendship and acquaintance.. And the easy access which this gave him to thofe in power, rendered him capable of performing many good and kind offices to multitudes of fons; which he attended to with great chearfulness and affiduity, and frequently with happy fuccefs. So that his death is a public lofs to mankind; particularly to the whole Diffenting-intereft, and efpecially with refpect to its civil and po litical affairs.. per The diforder, which iffued in his death, was a mortification in his foot, under which he laboured near fix months. During which time, though it appeared very frightful and terrible to thofe about him; yet it was not at all startling and furprising to himself. When he was first made acquainted with it, and it was intimated to him, that he might be carried off by it in a few days; he received the summons with an amazing compofure of mind. And through the whole of his affliction, he fhewed fuch chriftian heroifm, as aftonished some who were strangers to the inward power of christianity, and obliged them to acknowledge its divine influence. His patience under thofe excruciating pains with which he was attended, was almoft inimitable; not one murmuring or repining word being heard to drop from his lips amidst all of them. And when he had any intervals from pain, it is thought, he never fo much enjoyed himself, his family, and his friends about him, in any period of his life, as he then did. This ferenity and chearfulnefs continued with fcarce any interruption. And though he |