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and how many have fuch as are worfe than none? The very reproach and heart-breaking of their parents, that bring down their hoary heads with forrow to the grave.

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If God have given you the bleffing of godly children, you can never be sufficiently fenfible of, or thankful for such a faO that ever God should honour you to bring forth children for heaven! what a comfort must this be to you, whatever other troubles you meet with abroad, when you come home among godly relations, that are careful to sweeten your own family to you by their obedience! efpecially, what a comfort is it, when you come to die, that you leave them within the covenant, entitled to Chrift, and fo need not be anxious how it fhall be with them when you are gone? Take heed of discou raging or damping fuch children from whom fo much glory is like to rife to God, and fo much comfort to yourselves. Thus let Chrift's pattern be improved, who went before you in fuch eminent holiness, in all his relations, and left you an example that you should follow his fteps.

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Opens the third of CHRIST's laft Words upon the Crofs.

LUKE Xxiii. 43. And Jefus faid unto him, Verily I fay unto thee, to-day thou shalt be with me in paradise.

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N this fcripture you have the third excellent saying of Christ upon the crofs, expreffing the riches of free grace to the penitent thief: a man that had spent his life in wickedness, and for his wickedness was now to lofe his life. His practice had been vile and prophane, but now his heart was broken for it; he proves a convert, yea, the first fruits of the blood of the crofs. In the former verfe he manifefts his faith, "Lord, re"member me, when thou comeft into thy kingdom." In this Christ manifefts his pardon and gracious acceptance of him; "Verily I fay unto thee, to-day fhalt thou be with me in pa"radife." In which promise are confiderable, the matter of it, the perfon to whom it is made, the time fet for its performance, and the confirmation of it for his full fatisfaction.

First, The matter or fubftance of the promife made by Christ, viz. That he ball be with him in paradife. By paradife he means heaven itfelf, which is here fhadowed to us by a place of

delight and pleasure. This is the receptacle of gracious fouls, when feparated from their bodies. And that paradife fignifies heaven itself, and not a third place, as fome of the fathers fondly imagine, is evident from 2 Cor. xii. 2, 4. where the apoftle calls the fame place by the names of the third heaven, and the paradife. This is the place of bleffednefs defigned for the people of God. So you find, Rev. ii. 7. "To him that over

cometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the "midst of the paradife of God ;” i. e. to have the fulleft and most intimate communion with Jefus Chrift in heaven. And this is the fubftance of Chrift's promife to the thief: Thou, i. e. thou in fpirit, or thou in the nobleft part, thy foul which here bears the image of the whole perfon, "Thou shalt be with ine in pa"radife."

Secondly, The perfon to whom Chrift makes this excellent and glorious promife: it was to one that had lived lewdly and prophanely; a very vile and wretched man, in all the former part of his time, and, for his wickedness, now justly under condemnation; yea, to one that had reviled Chrift, after that fentence was executed on him. However, now at laft the Lord gave him a penitent believing heart. Now, almost at the last gasp, he is foundJy, in an extraordinary way converted; and, being converted, he owns and profeffes Christ amidst all the fhame and reproach of his death; vindicates his innocency, and humbly fupplicates for mercy; "Lord, remember me, when thou comeft into thy

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kingdom.' Thirdly, The fet time for the performance of this gracious promise to him: To-day, this very day, fhalt thou be with me in glory: Not after the refurrection, but immediately from the time of thy diffolution, thou shalt enjoy bleffednefs. And here I cannot but detect the cheat of thofe that dený an immédiate ftate of glory to believers after death; who, (to the end this fcripture might not stand in full oppofition to their, as uncomfortable, as unfound opinion), lofe the whole frame of it, by drawing one pin, yea, by tranfpofing but a comma, putting it at the word day, which fhould be at the word thee; and fo reading it thus, "Verily I fay unto thee to-day," referring the word day to the time that Chrift made the promife, and not to the time of its performance. But if fuch a liberty as this be yielded, what may not men make the fcriptures fpeak? There can be no doubt, but Chrift, in this expreffion, fixes the time for his happinefs; "To-day thou shalt be with me."

Fourthly, and laftly, You have here the confirmation and feat of this moft comfortable promife to him, with Chrift's solemn

affeveration; "Verily I fay unto thee." Higher fecurity cannot be given. I that am able to perform what I promise, and have not out-promifed myfelf; for heaven and the glory thereof, are mine: I that am faithful and true to my promises, and have never forfeited my credit with any; I fay it, I folemnly confirm it; "Verily I fay unto thee, to-day thou shalt be with "me in paradife." Hence we have three plain obvious truths, for our inftruction and confolation.

Doct. 1. That there is a future eternal ftate, into which fouls pass at death.

Doct. 2. That all believers are, at their death, immediately received into a fate of glory, and eternal happiness. Doct. 3. That God may, though he feldom doth, prepire men for this glory, immediately before their dissolution by death.

These are the useful truths refulting from this remarkable word of Chrift to the penitent thief. We will confider and improve them in the order propofed.

Do&t. 1. That there is a future eternal fiate, into which fouls pass at death.

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This is a principal foundation-ftone to the hopes and happinefs of fouls. And feeing our hopes must needs be as their foundation and ground-work is, I fhall briefly establish this truth by thefe five arguments. The being of a God evinces it fcriptures of truth plainly reveal it. The confciences of all men have refentments of it. The incarnation and death of Chrift is but a vanity without it; and the immortality of human fouls plainly discovers it.

Argu. 1. The being of a God undeniably evinces a future ftate for human fouls after this life. For, if there be a God who rules the world which he hath made, he must rule it by rewards and punishments, equally and righteously diftributed to good and bad; putting a difference betwixt the obedient and difobedient, the righteous and the wicked. To make a fpecies of creatures capable of a moral government, and not to rule them at all, is to make them in vain, and is inconfiftent with his glory, which is the last end of all things To rule them, but not fuitably to their natures, confifts not with that infinite wisdom from which their beings proceeded, and by which their workings are ruled and ordered. To rule them, in a way fuitably to their natures, VOL. I. Hhh

viz. by rewards and punishments, and not to perform, or execute them at all, is utterly incongruous with the veracity and truth of him that cannot lie: this were to impole the greatest cheat in the world upon men; and can never proceed from the holy and true God. So then, as he hath made a rational fort of creatures, capable of moral government by rewards and punishments; fo he rules them in that way which is fuitable to their nitures, promifing "it fhall be well with the righteous, and ill "with the wicked." Thefe promifes and threatnings can be no cheat, merely intended to fcare and fright, where there is no danger, or encourage, where there is no real benefit; but what he promises, or threatens, must be accomplished, and every word of God take place, and be fulfilled. But 'tis evident that no fuch diftinction is made by the providence of God (at leaft ordinarily and generally) in this life; but all things come alike to all; and as with the righteous, fo with the wicked. Yea, here it goes ill with them that fear God; they are oppreffed; they receive their evil things, and wicked men their good; therefore we conclude, the righteous judge of the whole earth, will, in another world, recompenfe to every one according as his work fhall be.

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Arg. 2. Secondly, And as the very being of God evinces it, fo the fcriptures of truth plainly reveal it. These fcriptures are the pandect, or fyftem of the laws, for the government of men; which the wife and holy Ruler of the world hath enacted and ordained for that purpole. And in them we find promifes made to the righteous, of a full reward for all their obedience, patience and fufferings, in the next life, or world to come; and threatnings, made against the wicked, of eternal wrath and anguish, as the just recompence of their fin, in hell for ever, Rom. ii. 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. "Thou treafureft up to thyfelf "wrath against the day of wrath; and revelation of the righte ous judgment of God; who fhall render to every man according to his deeds: to them, who by patient continuance in "well-doing, feek for glory, and honour, and immortality, "eternal life: but unto them that are contentious, and obey "not the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and "wrath, tribulation and anguish upon every foul of man that "doth evil, &c." So 2 Theff. i. 4, 5, 6, 7. “ So that we "ourselves glory in you, in the churches of God, for your pa"tience and faith in all your perfecutions and tribulations that "ye endure which is (a manifeft token) of the righteous "judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye alfs fuffer: feeing it is a righte

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"ous thing with God to recompenfe tribulation to them that "trouble you and to you who are troubled reft with us, "when the Lord Jefus fhall be revealed from heaven in flaming "fire, &c." To these plain teftimonies, multitudes might be added, if it were needful. Heaven and earth fhall pals away, but thefe words fhall never pass away.

Arg. 3. Thirdly, As the fcriptures reveal it, fo the confciences of all men, have fome refentments of it. Where is the man whole confcience never felt any impreffions of hope, or fear, from a future world? If it is faid, thefe may be but the effects and force of difcourfe, or education; we have read fuch things in the fcriptures, or have heard it by preachers; and fo raife up to ourselves hopes and fears about it. I demand, how the confciences of the Heathens, who have neither fcriptures nor preachers, came to be impreft with thefe things? Doth not the apoftle tell us, Rom. ii. 15. "That their confciences in the mean while work upon these things?" their thoughts, with reference to a future ftate, accufe, or else excufe, (i. e.) their hearts are cheared and encouraged by the good they do, and terrified with fears about the evils they commit. Whereas, if there were no fuch things, confcience would neither accuse nor excufe for good or evil done in this world.

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Arg. 4. Fourthly, The incarnation and death of Chrift, is but a vanity without it. What did he propofe to himself, or what benefit have we by his coming, if there be no fuch future state? Did he take our nature, and suffer fuch terrible things in it for nothing! If you fay, Chriftians have much comfort from it in this life: I answer, the comforts they have are raifed by faith and expectation of the happiness to be enjoyed, as the purchase of his blood, in heaven. And if there be no fuch heaven to which they are appointed, no hell from which they are redeemed, they do but comfort themselves with a fable, and bless themselves with a thing of nought: their comfort is no greater than the comfort of a beggar, that dreams he is a king, and when he a wakes, finds himself a beggar ftill. Surely the ends of Christ's death were to deliver us from the wrath to come, I Theff. i. 10. not from an imaginary, but a real hell, to bring us to God, 1 Pet. iii. 18. to be the author of eternal falvation to them that obey him, Heb. v. 9.

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Arg. 5. Fifthly and lafly, The immortality of human fouls, puts it beyond all doubt. The foul of man, vaitly differs from that of a beaft, which is but a material form, and fo wholly depending on, that it must need perish with the matter. But it

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