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Human nature in its fourfold state ... In several practical discourses
Human nature in its fourfold state ... In several practical discourses. / By Mr. Thomas Boston, late Minister of the Gospel at Etterick.
United States : s.n. Printed for the booksellers., M,DCC,LXXXVII. 1787
State 4 › Part 2 › Doctrine 2: DOCTRINE II. The State of the Godly in Death, is a hopeful State.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Nevertheless, the state of the saints, in their death, is always in itself hopeful. The presumptuous hopes of the ungodly, in their death, cannot make their state hopeful; neither can the hopelessness of a saint make his state hopeless: for God judgeth according to the truth of the thing, not according to men's opinions about it. Howbeit the saints can no more be altogether without hope, than they can be altogether without faith. Their faith may be very weak, but it fails not; and their hope very low, yet they will; and do, hope to the end. Even while the godly seem to be carried away with the streams of doubts and fears; there remains still as much hope as determines them to lay hold on the tree of life, that grows on the banks of the river. Jonah ii. 4. Then I said, I am cast out of thy sight: yet I will look again towards thy holy temple.
Nevertheless, the state of the saints, in their death, is always in itself hopeful. The presumptuous hopes of the ungodly, in their death, cannot make their state hopeful; neither can the hopelesness of a saint make his state hopeless: for God judgeth according to the truth of the thing, not according to men's opinions about it. Howbeit the saints can no more be altogether without hope, than they can be altogether without faith. Their faith may be very weak, but it fails not; and their hope very low, yet they will; and do, hope to the end. Even while the godly seem to be carried away with the streams of doubts and fears; there remains still as much hope as determines them to lay hold on the tree of life, that grows on the banks of the river. Jonah ii. 4. Then I said, I am cast out of thy sight: yet I will look again towards thy holy temple.
USE. This speaks comfort to the godly against the fear of death. A godly man may be called a happy man, before his death; because, whatever befall him in life, he shall certainly be happy at death. You ⟨p. 242⟩who are in Christ, who are true Christians, have hope in your end; and such hope as may comfort you against all those fears, which arise from the consideration of a dying hour. This I shall branch out, in answering some cases briefly.