knowledge, or long experience, give any confiderable advantage, in a dying hour; for when the heart is truly humbled for fin, and the hope folidly fixed upon the Saviour, perfons of weak capacities and fmall attainments, yea, novices and children, are enabled to meet death with equal fortitude and triumph. And often, the prefent comforts they feel, and their lively expectations of approaching glory, infpire them with a dignity of fentiment and expreffion, far beyond what could be expected from them; and, perhaps, their deportment, upon the whole, is no lefs animating and encouraging, than that of the most established, and beft informed believers. Thus out of the mouths of babes and fucklings the Lord ordains ftrength, and perfects his praise *. In a few hours, under the influence of his immediate teaching, they often learn more, of the certainty and importance of divine things, than can be derived from the ordinary methods of inftruction, in the courfe of many years. In the midst of agonies and outward diftrefs, we hear them, with admiration, declare that they are truly happy, and that they never knew pleasure *Pf. viii. 2. in their happiest days of health, equal to what they enjoy when flesh and heart are fainting. For death has lost its sting, as to them; and while they are able to speak, they continue afcribing praise to him, who has given them the victory, through our Lord Jefus Chrift. Every word, in this doxology, is emphatical. 1. Thanks be to God. This bleffednefs is all his work. The means are of his gracious appointment. The application is by his gracious power. He gave his Son for them, he fent his gospel to them. It was the agency of his Spirit that made them a willing people. The word of promife, which is the ground of their hope, was of his gratuitous providing, and it was he who conftrained and enabled them to truft in it *. 2. Who giveth us the victory. This is victory indeed: for it is over the last enemy; and after the last enemy is vanquished, there can be no more conflicts. In this fenfe, believers are more than conquerors. In other wars, they who have conquered once and again, may have been finally defeated, or they may have died (like our long lamented * Pf. cxix. 49. General General Wolfe) upon the field of battle, and have left the fruits of their victory to be enjoyed by others. But the Chriftian soldier, though he may, occafionally, be a lofer in a skirmish, is fure to conquer in the last great deciding battle; and when, to an eye of sense, he feems to fall, he is inftantly tranflated, to receive the plaudit of his Commander, and the crown of life which he has prepared for them that love him. 3. This victory is through our Lord Jefus Chrift. They gained it not by their own fword, neither was it their own arm that Saved them *. He died to deliver them, who would otherwife, through fear of death, have been always subject to bondage. And it is he who teaches their hands to war, and their fingers to fight, and covers their heads in the day of battle. Therefore they gladly fay, Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name, be the glory and the praise †. And this confideration enhances their pleafure; for because they love him above all, they rejoice not only in the victory they obtain, but in the thought that they are indebted to him for it. * Pf. xliv. 3. For were it poffible + Ibid. cxv. I. there there could be feveral methods of falvation, and they were left to their own choice, they would, most gladly and deliberately, chuse that method, which should bring them under the greatest obligations to him. * 2. This triumphant fong will be fung to the highest advantage, when the whole body of the redeemed fhall be collected together to fing it with one heart and voice, at the great refurrection day. Lot was undoubtedly thankful, when he was fnatched from the impending deftruction of Sodom. Yet, his lingering fhewed, that he had but an imperfect fenfe of the greatnefs of the mercy afforded him. His feelings were probably ftronger afterwards, when he ftood in fafety upon the mountain, and actually saw the smoke rifing, like the smoke of a furnace, from the place where he had lately dwelt. At prefent, we have but very faint ideas of the mifery from which we are delivered, of the happiness reserved in heaven for us, or of the sufferings of the Redeemer; but if we attain to the heavenly Zion, and see, from thence, the smoke of that bottomlefs pit, * Gen. xix. 16. which might juftly have been our everlasting abode; we shall then more fully understand what we are delivered from, the means of our deliverance, and the riches of the inheritance of the faints in light. And then we shall fing, in more exalted strains than we can at prefent even conceive of, Thanks be to God who hath given us the victory, through our Lord Jefus Chrift. SER |