tal powers ceafes, the flux of time ceafes with it; the lapfe of ages becomes no more than the tick of a watch, or the vibration of a pendulum; and, were we never to be recovered, eternity itself would be nothing to us. Whether, therefore, there is an intermediate state or not, death will to every man be the fame with an immediate entrance on another world, and that which many of our brethren are anxious about will happen. This is evident if there is an intermediate state: And if there is not, it is equally evident; because, in this cafe, the moment of death will ap-. pear to be the moment of our refurrection though myriads of ages may have intervened, and closing our eyes on this world will be opening them on the day of retribution, and feeing Chrift coming to judge mankind, and to be admired in all the virtuous and faithful. And, let me here afk, is not this a more pleafing profpect to good men, and a more dreadful one to wicked men, than the profpect of a long 1 interval of delay and expectation in an intermediate state? Were you now going to embark for a distant country, to meet there dear friends who had embarked before you, and to take poffeffion with them of a valuable inheritance, would it be disagreeable to you to think, that your paffage would be quick as well as fafe? Or, were you now stepping into bed after a fatiguing day, would it be disagreeable to you to know that a deep fleep will feize you, lock up all your powers, annihilate the night to you, and join the time of your lying down to the time of your getting up fresh and happy the next morning? I do not, however, mean to fay, that I believe this will be actually the 'cafe. There are texts of scripture which I cannot eafily reconcile to it. God only knows what the truth is in this inftance. I only mean to say, that` the difference of opinion about it should give us no trouble. In a little time our doubts will be refolved, and death itself, itself, that great teacher, will inform and fatisfy us. But it is time to come to a conclufion. The ufe we should make of what I have been saying, is, to learn tranquillity and charity amidst the jarring opinions which prevail in the Christian church. None of them, you have heard, extend to fundamentals. In truth, there is but one thing fundamental, and that is, an honest "mind." But by fundamentals I mean the doctrines which are most properly the fundamentals of the Chriftian religion, and constitute the information which it was intended to communicate to us. He that runs may read these doctrines in the New Teftament; and it is not poffible to mistake them. Extremes the most distant; I have fhewn you, agree in them, and leave us every thing that is effential to our fupport and comfort in paffing through the world. Pardon to finful men, and a refurrection to dying men are all that near 1 ly ly concern us. Thefe, according to all opinions, are affured to us by the Gofpel; and they make it, indeed, what my text calls it, a GLORIOUS Gofpel. Glory be to God in the higheft. On earth peace ; and good-will towards men. Let us then love one another, and embrace with affection our fellow-chriftians of all perfuafions, making allowances for their mistakes and prejudices. Many of them will indeed look upon us with averfion, and judge hardly of us, if we do not receive their schemes of Chriftianity, and worship God as they do. But let us fhew our fuperior wisdom and candour by not judging hardly of them. I fhall, in my next difcourfes, give you an account of these schemes of Chriftianity. In this difcourfe my intention has been to prepare you for this account, by Inculcating this truth; that however great the differences among Chriftians are, and however unreasonable many of their creeds may be, yet we are all agreed in |