inconfiftent with their being the children of light and of the day, can fay, or even think this of themselves. This Apostle, in the next verse but one, speaks of the time past, and says, "If we fay, that we have not finned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us." This is a different propofition from the foregoing; it respects what they had been and done. If they had no fin now, and this could be faid with truth, they could not say they had never finned, without contradicting the whole gospel, which declares all men to be finners; and fo making God the Saviour, a liar. But the other propofition, respects what they were, at that time, or should be in any future time, while in this world; fo that none who is not deceived, and has embraced the truth, can ever say or think, while in this life, that he now has no fin. have been, and now are, those who say they have no fin. By this they declare, they are deceived, and strangers to real christianity, and give greater evidence that they are not true christians, than they could, by only faying in express words, that they are not; for persons may really think, and may say, that they are not chriftians, when they are really fuch.

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II. FROM this fubject we learn, that persons have no reafon to conclude they are no chriftians, merely because they see much fin in themselves. This fight of fin, often arifes from their having that discerning, which none but true chriftians have; who, by reason of this difcerning, fee more fin in themfelves than others do, and are more affected with it. And their complaints of themselves, of the amazing corruption and wickedness of their hearts, which they now see more clearly than ever before; and which they mention, as an evidence that they have no grace, are often, in the view of the judicious christian, to whom they are made, an evidence, that they are real christians. Great

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Great degrees of fin, are confiftent with fome degree of true holiness. Therefore, if any thing can be found, that is of the nature of holiness, a fight of great finfulness is not an evidence against a person, that he is not a christian, but the contrary. They who have made the greatest proficiency in holiness, fee most of their own finfulness.

III. THIS fubject teaches us, not to be forward to cenfure others, as no chriftians, because of great imperfec tions, and many things which are unbecoming and difagreeable. For the beft of chriftians are very imperfect and finful in this ftate: And in many things all offend. There too often appears in perfons, a cenforious fpirit towards their fellow chriftians, which is a greater evidence of the want of real religion, than those things for which they cenfure others, as no chriftians.

IV. LET none improve this doctrine, as an encouragement to floth and fin, and a difcouragement to watchfulness against fin, and exertions and ftrivings after greater degrees of holiness. They who are difposed to make this improvement, of the imperfections and finfulnels of all chriftians, and indulge themselves in it, have no reason to think themselves to be chriftians; for this is directly contrary to the spirit of a chriftian. If it be rightly improved, it will be a motive to prefs forward, to grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jefus Chrift; and to cleanse themselves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

SECTION

SECTION XIV.

Concerning Death; a Separate State; the General Refurrection and Judgment; and the Eternal State of Happiness or Misery.

1. WHEN man had finned, and God had opened to him a new conflitution, for the redemption of fome of the human race, by a Saviour, by faying to the ferpent, "I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy feed and her feed: He fhall bruife thy head, and thou fhalt bruife his heel ;"* He faid to Adam, and in him to all mankind, that under this new conftitution, and from this new ftate of probation, he fhould pafs into another state, and go into the invisible world, by a separation between foul and body; and his body fhould turn to duft, from whence it was taken. "Duft thou art, and unto duft fhalt thou return." This fentence must refer to his body only; for this only was duft, and taken out of the ground. His fpirit or soul, was immaterial, and not duft, or taken out of the ground, but a distinct existence from the body, by which he bore the image of God. "And God faid, let us make man in our own image, after our likeness. And the Lord God formed man of the duft of the ground, and breathed into his noftrils the breath of life, and man became a living foul." Therefore, Solomon defcribes what is contained in this sentence, in the following words, "Then shall P 3

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the duft return to the earth, as it was; and the spirit fhall return to God who gave it.”* The death of the body, does not imply the death of the foul, but the latter exifts, when the former is turned to duft. This is declared by our Saviour. "Fear not them who kill the body, but are not able to kill the foul."+

This feparation between foul and body, by which the latter is diffolved, and turned to duft, was not included in the threatning, "In the day thou eateft thereof, thou fhalt furely die;" for had there been no redemption, mankind must have been miferable, in soul and body forever; which death, all they who are not redeemed will fuffer, when the work of redemption is finished, which is called the fecond death, with reference to the body's turning to duft, which is called death, and is the firft death. Man is indeed, considered as a fallen creature, a finner, when he is doomed to this firft death; and alfo, as in a new ftate of probation; and it is wifely ordered, as fubferving the defign of redemption. It is proper and important, that the future ftate fhould be invisible to sense, which it would not be, if all men passed into it with their bodies; or without dying. But when the body dies and turns to duft, all that is visible and difcerned by our fenfes, is left behind, and the invisible part of man, departs into another state infenfibly; and thus the future ftate is kept invifible, as the object of faith, not of fight. And this tends more fenfibly to keep in view, the fallen, finful ftate of man, while all are doomed to death, which could not take place, had man been innocent; and it tends to humble man in his own eyes, fince his body is foon to turn to duft; and to make him feel his wretchedness, if he have no security of existence and happiness in a future ftate, and to excite an attention to Chrift and the gospel, which brings life and immortality

to light, and a future refurrection of the body, formed every way perfect, beautiful and glorious, never to die again.

The only time of probation allotted to man, is that of this life, to which the death of the body puts an end; so that every one, will be happy or miferable in the future, endless state, according to his character, which is formed before the foul is feparated from the body. This is plain and certain from the scripture, where there is not a word, or the leaft hint of another state of trial, after the death of the body: But much is there faid to the contrary of this. of this. This life is reprefented, as the sowing, or feed time; and that men fhall reap in a future ftate, according to what they do in this life. "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: For whatfoever a man foweth, that shall he alfo reap. For he that foweth to his flesh, fhall of the flesh reap corruption: But he that foweth to the spirit, fhall of the spirit reap life everlasting. *This life is reprefented, as the only time to lay up a treasure in heaven; to make to ourselves friends, fo as to be received into everlasting habitations, when we fail here, when this life ends: To make our peace with God, which Chrift represents and urges, by agreeing with our adversary, while we are in the way with him, otherwise we shall be caft into prison, from whence there is no deliverance. And he reprefents Lazarus and the rich man, as fixed, the former in a state of happiness, and the latter in a state of mifery, immediately upon their going out of this world. And it is faid, "It is apbut after this the judg

pointed to men once to die, ment." And if nothing were faid, relating to this point but the following words, it is fixed in them, beyond a doubt. "We must all appear before the judgment feat of Chrift; that every one may receive the things done in P 4 his