(57)

SERMON IV.

NUMB. xxiii. 10.

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

T

,

HOUGH earthly Blessings and Misfortunes may appear, at a tranfient View, to be distributed without Distinction, and no Regard to be had to the Qualities of Persons, in the ordinary Difpensations of Providence; yet whoever looks narrowly into the Occurrences of private Life, or confiders attentively our publick Records will find in the one sufficient Traces of Juftice and Judgment, and in the other undoubted Testimonies, that however the Punishment of fingle Persons may be reserved for another State, yet Societies, as such, are both punished and rewarded in this. - In 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

Ifles may be glad thereof; and by that fudden and almost miraculous Destruction 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 Instance of which the facred Historian here gives us, in that signal Protection which the Almighty reaches out to his favourite People, and the as fignal Destruction which he is bringing on those Nations whose 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 Stretched out Arm, to fubdue and possess it, and thereby become the Instruments of his Vengeance on the Abominations of the Heathen, the Measure of whose Iniquities was

now

A

fulfilled. For the Purposes therefore of both Mercy and Judgment, the Ifraelites appear like a Torrent, on the Borders of Moab; whose affrighted King, alarmed at his approaching Deftruction, and sensible of his Inability to avoid it, has Recourse to the God of Life for Favour and Protection: But blafphemoufly imagining him to be such a one as himself, he hopes by corrupting the Servant to gain the Master, and purchase Omnipotence itself with a Reward. - Balak lak fends for Balaam to come and curse him this People, and is not wanting in very large Promises to induce him to it; justly suppofing, that the Decrees of his God were irreverfible, and that the being profperous or unsuccessful was only the necessary Consequence of having been once declared and pronounced so by him. But, as the Event fatally demonftrated the Truth of this Principle, so did the Prophet's Answer foon convince him of the Madness of that Presumption which he built upon it. He tells him, that he could not curse 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 rise 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 whilst 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 Miseries which would necessarily flow from thence to the neighbouring Nations; this naturally turns his Reflections from Things to Perfons, and by an easy Transition from the Effect to the Cause, leads him to confider what might be the Motives to so great and fo various Dispensations. And here, confidering Piety as the only just Pretence to the Di

vine Favour and Protection, and Vice and Idolatry as the proper Objects of God's Wrath and Indignation, this evidently shews 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 those whom he knew to be safe under the Shadow of the Almighty. This makes him pray so earnestly, that his Death might be the Death of the Righteous, and his last End be like theirs. - God, says 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 Perverseness in Ifrael, therefore the Shout of a King is among them, and they shall dwell fafely. Vain then are all the Attempts of human Power against him who is armed with Omnipotence; vain the Attacks of Death itfelf upon those whose 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 so earnest in this Request will, I hope, in fome Measure, be made appear in the following Discourse; in which I shall endeavour to reprefent to you the superior Happiness of the good Man over others at the Approach of Death; and to shew, that he has no Reafon

son to be terrified with it, but rather to rejoice in it, and meet it with Chearfulness and Refignation. And this I propose doing in the three following Instances.

I. The Happiness of the righteous Man over others, at this Time, appears in this, that he is justly sensible of the Vanity of all earthly Blessings, and is therefore the less 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 Consequence 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 Gofpel 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 sensible of the Vanity of all earthly Blessings, and are therefore the less concerned at the Loss of them.

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