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SERMON IV.

NUM B. xxiii. 10.

Let me die the Death of the Righteous, and let my last End be like bis.

HOUGH earthly Bleffings and Misfortunes may appear, at a tranfient View, to be diftributed without Diftinction, and no Regard to be had to the Qualities of Perfons, in the ordinary Difpenfations of Providence; yet whoever looks narrowly into the Occurrences of private Life, or confiders attentively our publick Records will find in the one fufficient Traces of Juftice and Judgment, and in the other undoubted Teftimonies, that however the Punishment of fingle Perfons may be reserved for another State, yet Societies, as fuch, are both punished and rewarded in this. the unexpected and wonderful Revolutions of many States and Governments, the Finger of God plainly points out to us, that the Lord is King, and that the Earth and the

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Ifles may be glad thereof; and by that fudden and almost miraculous Deftruction which he has fometimes brought on the greatest Empires when overrun with Iniquity, he has beyond Contradiction demonftrated, that Verily there is a Reward for the Righteous; doubtless there is a God that judgeth the Earth. One remarkable Inftance of which the facred Hiftorian here gives us, in that fignal Protection which the Almighty reaches out to his favourite People, and the as fignal Destruction which he is bringing on thofe Nations whofe Idolatries cried aloud for Vengeance. Land flowing with Milk and Honey had been promised by God himself to his covenanted People, and the Time was now approaching when they were with a mighty Hand, and a ftretched out Arm, to fubdue and poffefs it, and thereby become the Inftruments of his Vengeance on the Abominations of the Heathen, the Measure of whofe Iniquities was now fulfilled. For the Purposes therefore of both Mercy and Judgment, the Ifraelites appear like a Torrent, on the Borders of Moab; whofe affrighted King, alarmed at his approaching Deftruction, and fenfible of his Inability to avoid it, has Recourse to the God of Life for Favour and Protection: But blafphemously imagining him to be such a one as himself, he hopes by corrupting the Servant to gain the Mafter, and purchafe Omnipotence itself with a Reward.

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lak fends for Balaam to come and curfe him this People, and is not wanting in very large Promises to induce him to it; juftly fuppofing, that the Decrees of his God were irreverfible, and that the being profperous or unfuccessful was only the neceffary Confequence of having been once declared and pronounced fo by him. But, as the Event fatally demonstrated the Truth of this Principle, fo did the Prophet's Anfwer foon convince him of the Madness of that Prefumption which he built upon it. He tells him, that he could not curfe those whom God had not cursed, or defy those whom the Lord had not defied, that there was no Inchantment against Jacob, nor any Divination against Ifrael; and that he should therefore rife up as a great Lion, and lift up himself as a young Lion, and not lye down till he had eaten of the Prey, and drunk of the Blood of the Slain.

And whilft his Imagination was thus warmed with the certain Forefight of that Glory and Happiness, which the Prophet knew would attend this People, and of the Miferies which would neceffarily flow from thence to the neighbouring Nations; this naturally turns his Reflections from Things to Perfons, and by an eafy Tranfition from the Effect to the Cause, leads him to confider what might be the Motives to fo great and fo various Dispensations. And here, confidering Piety as the only juft Pretence to the Di

vine Favour and Protection, and Vice and Idolatry as the proper Objects of God's Wrath and Indignation, this evidently fhews him the eminent Happiness of the one, and Mifery of the other, in all the Incidents of human Life. And this makes him very defirous of being numbered in all Events, even in the Article of Death itself, among thofe whom he knew to be fafe under the Shadow of the Almighty. This makes him pray fo earnestly, that his Death might be the Death of the Righteous, and his laft End be like theirs.- God, fays he, to the affrighted King, has not beheld Iniquity in Jacob, and therefore the Lord his God is with him, and he shall be victorious. He has not feen Perverfeness in Ifrael, therefore the Shout of a King is among them, and they shall dwell Safely. Vain then are all the Attempts of human Power against him who is armed with Omnipotence; vain the Attacks of Death itfelf upon those whofe Guardian can renew the Decays of it: And let me therefore die the Death of the Righteous, let my last End be like his.

How much Reason the Prophet had to be fo earnest in this Requeft will, I hope, in fome Measure, be made appear in the following Difcourfe; in which I fhall endeavour to reprefent to you the fuperior Happiness of the good Man over others at the Approach of Death; and to fhew, that he has no Rea

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fon to be terrified with it, but rather to rejoice in it, and meet it with Chearfulness and Refignation. And this I propofe doing in the three following Inftances.

I. The Happiness of the righteous Man over others, at this Time, appears in this, that he is juftly fenfible of the Vanity of all earthly Bleffings, and is therefore the lefs concerned at the Lofs of them.

II. In this; That his Mind is not alarmed with the Terrors of Guilt, and he is therefore not apprehenfive of any future Danger, as the Confequence of it. And

III. In this; That he is raised by the Consciousness of having endeavoured to difcharge his Duty, to an earnest Expectation and Hope, of enjoying that future and eternal Glory, which was by the Heathens thought a reasonable, and is by the Gospel made a certain Reward of Piety and Virtue.

I. The first Instance given of the Happiness of good Men at the Approach of Death, is this, that they are truly fenfible of the Vanity of all earthly Bleffings, and are therefore the lefs concerned at the Lofs of them.

The Man who is Master enough of his own Faculties to be able to confider coolly

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