DISC. earth, "fhall be a burden" to himself; and,

I.

the organs of fense being vitiated and impaired, "defire" and appetite " fhall fail." The fpinal marrow, that "filver cord," with the infinite ramifications of the nerves, thence derived, will be relaxed, and lofe it's tone;" and the golden bowl," the receptacle of the brain, from which it proceeds" fhall be broken." The veffel, by which, as a " pitcher," the blood is carried back to the heart for a fresh supply, " shall "be broken at the fountain, and the "wheel," or inftrument of circulation, which throws it forth again to the extremities of the body, "fhall be broken at "the cistern."—When this highly finished piece of mechanism shall be thus difjointed and diffolved, "then fhall the duft," of which it was framed, "return to the "earth as it was, and the spirit shall return "to God who gave it." Learn we from

a See the Portrait of Old Age, in a Paraphrafe on the fix former verfes of the xiith chapter of Ecclefiaftes, by JOHN SMITH, M. D. of the COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS; reprinted in 1752 for E. WITHERS, at the Seven Stars, between the two Temple-Gates, Fleet-street.

hence

I.

hence, to bestow on each part of our com- DISC. pofition that proportion of time and attention, which, upon a due confideration of it's nature and importance, it fhall appear to claim at our hands.

To stamp on man his own image, was the defign of God in creating him; to restore that image, when loft, was the defign of God in redeeming him. Could greater honour have been done to human nature ? Never may the guilt be ours of debafing our nature and obliterating "this image and

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fuperfcription;" a fpecies furely of treason against the majesty of heaven. Sloth will obfcure the fair impreffion; it's attendants, ignorance and vice, will deftroy it. Let diligence therefore be appointed to watch over it, and to retouch, from time to time, the lines that are faded; till, the whole standing confeffed in knowlege, righteousnefs, and true holiness, men may glorify our father which is in heaven, while they behold his resemblance upon earth. So fhall we answer the ends of our creation

VOL. I.

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and

DISC. and redemption, and ferve our generation

I.

in the most effectual manner. And though, when this is done, we must close our eyes in death, and sleep with our fathers; yet the hour cometh, in which we shall open them again, to "behold thy face, O God, "in righteousness; we shall be satisfied, "when we awake with thy likeness"."

Was Adam invefted with fovereignty over the creatures? Obferve we from hence, that man was made to rule. Majestic in his form, he was ordained to trample upon earth, and afpire to heaven, which, without putting a force upon nature, he cannot but behold, and regard. In the original subjection of the creatures we see what ought to be that of every defire and appetite, terreftrial and animal, to the ruling principle within us. The fubtlety of some creatures, and the fiercenefs of others, now exhibit to us the difficulty of fubduing and governing the paffions, broken loose, like

b. Pf. xvii. 15.

them,

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them, from the dominion of their mafter; DISC infomuch, that the apostle, who afferts, that every creature may be, and has been tamed of man, yet says of one part of man, the tongue, "it is a deadly evil, which no "man can tame," meaning by his own powers. Through the redemption and grace which are by Chrift Jefus, this dominion, as well as the other, is restored, not only over our own paffions, but over ftill more formidable opponents, the evil fpirits in arms against us. For thus our Lord gave his disciples power not only over the natural" ferpents and fcorpions," but over fome, whose venom is of a more malignant and fatal kind; "over all the power “of THE ENEMY." The apoftles returned, accordingly, crying out, " Lord, the very "DEVILS are fubject unto us, through thy "name!" And we have a general promise, that, in our combats with them, God will give us victory, and bruise their leader, Satan himself, under our feet. Our Redeemer is exalted above the heavens and human nature in the fecond Adam, restored to dominion

C 2

DISC. minion over all the earth. And though, at prefent, the apostle's lot may be ours, to

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fight with beafts," with evil men, evil paffions and evil spirits, yet through God

we shall do great acts; it is he that shall tread down those that rise up against us; till finally triumphant over the laft enemy, and exalted to the eternal throne, we shall view the earth beneath us, and the fun and ftars fhall be duft under our feet.