of our love to him; for the sight of God is the most powerful attractive to love him, and love fixes the mind upon him. And the persevering love of God assures the constant fruition of him : for by love the supreme good is possessed and enjoyed. The Apostle tells us, Charity never fails, and therefore the happiness of heaven never fails. They enjoy a better immortality, than the tree of life could have preserved in Adam. The revolutions of the heavens, and ages, are under their feet, and cannot in the least alter or determine their happiness. After the passing of millions of years, still an entire eternity remains of their enjoying God. O most desirable state! where blessedness and eternity are inseparably united. O joyful harmony! when the full chorus of heaven shall sing, "This God is our God forever and ever." This adds an infinite weight to their glory. This redoubles their joys with infinite sweetness and security: for the direct pleasure of enjoying God, is attended with the pleasant reflection it shall continue forever. They repose themselves in the complete fruition of their happiness. God reigns in the saints, and they live in him forever. Eternity crowns and consummates their felicity.

THE APPLICATION.

From what has been discoursed, we should,

Consider the woful folly of men in refusing such a happiness, that by the admirable favor of God is offered to their choice. Can there be an expectation, or desire, or capacity in man of enjoying a happiness beyond what is infinite and eternal? O blind and wretched world! so careless of everlasting felicity. Who can behold, without compassion and indignation, men vainly seeking for happiness where it is not to be found, and (after innumerable disappointments) flying at an impossibility, and neglect their sovereign and final blessedness? An error in the first inquiry might have some color of an excuse; but having been so often deceived with painted grapes for the fruits of paradise, that men should still seek for substantial blessedness to fill the soul, in vain shows that can only feed the eye, is beyond all degrees of folly. Astonishing madness! that God and heaven should be despised, in comparison of painted trifles. This adds the greatest contumely to their impiety. What powerful charm obstructs their true judging of things? What spirit of error possesses them? Alas, eternal things are unseen! not of conspicuous moment, and therefore in the carnal balance are esteemed light, against temporal things present to the sense. "It does not appear what we shall be:" the veil of the visible heavens covers the sanctuary where JESUS our high priest is entered, and stops the inquiring eye.

But have we not assurance by the most infallible principles of faith, that the Son of God came down from heaven to live with us, and die for us, and that he rose again to confirm our belief, in his "exceeding great and precious promises" concerning this happiness in the future state? And do not the most evident principles of reason and universal experience prove, that this world cannot afford true happiness to us? How wretchedly do we forfeit the prerogative of the reasonable nature, by neglecting our last and blessed end? If the mind be darkened, that it does not see the amiable excellencies of God, and the will be depraved, that it does not feel their ravishing power; the man ceases to be a man, and becomes like the beasts that perish. As a blind eye is no longer an eye, being absolutely useless to that end for which it was made. And though in this present state men are stupid and unconcerned, yet hereafter their misery will awaken them, to discover what is that supreme good wherein their perfection and felicity consists. When their folly shall be exposed before God, angels and saints, in what extreme confusion will they appear before that glorious and immense theatre? Our Saviour told the unbelieving Jews, "There shall be weeping, and gnashing of teeth; when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the Prophets in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves turned out." They shall be tortured with the desire of happiness, without possible satisfaction. It is most just, that those who err without excuse, should repent without remedy.

Let us be seriously excited to apply ourselves with inflamed desires, and our utmost diligence, to obtain this unchangeable happiness in order to this, we shall consider the causes of it, and the means whereby it is obtained.

The original moving cause, is the pure rich mercy of God, that prepared it for his people, and prepares them for it. The procuring cause, is the meritorious efficacy declared by the Apostle; "The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord."

1. The designing, the preparation, and actual bestowing of the heavenly glory, is from the mercy of God. This will appear by considering,

(1.) That it is absolutely impossible that a mere creature, though perfect, should deserve any thing from God: for enjoying its being and powers of working from his goodness, the product of all is entirely due to him; and the payment of a debt acquires no title to a reward: he is the proprietary and Lord of all by creation. Hence it is clear, that inthe order of distributive justice, nothing can be challenged from him.

(2.) Besides, such is the infinite perfection of God in himself, that no benefit can redound to him by the service of the creature: "When you have done all, say you are unprofitable servants; for we have done but what we ought to do." The neg

lect of our duty justly exposes to punishment; but the performance of it deserves no reward, because no advantage accrues to God by it: "Who hath first given unto him, and it shall be recompensed to him again?" He challenges all creatures, even of the highest order. To speak strictly therefore, when God crowns the angels with glory, he gives what is merely his own, and does not render what is theirs. If he should leave them in their pure nature, or deprive them of the being, he were no loser, nor injurious to them: for what law binds him to enrich them with immortal glory, who are no ways profitable to him, or to preserve that being they had from his unexcited goodness? No creature can give to him; therefore none can receive from him, by way of valuable consideration.

(3.) There is no proportion between the best works of men, and the excellency of the reward, much less an equivalence. It was the just and humble acknowledgment of Jacob to God, "I am less than the least of all thy mercies;" those that common providence dispenses for the support and refreshment of this temporal life; but how much less than the glorious excellencies of the supernatural divine life, wherein the saints reign with God forever? The most costly, the most difficult and hazardous services are equally nothing in point of merit, with the giving but "a cup of cold water to a disciple of Christ," there being no correspondence in value between them and the kingdom of heaven. The Apostle tells us, "I count the sufferings of this present life are not to be compared to the glory that shall be revealed in us:" and suffering is more than doing. God rewards his faithful servants, not according to the dignity of their works, but his own liberality and munificence. As Alexander having ordered fifty talents of gold to be given to a gentleman in poverty to supply his want; and he surprised with that immense bounty, modestly said, ten were enough he replied, "If fifty are too much for you to receive, ten are too little for me to give; therefore do you receive as poor, I will give as a king." Thus God, in the dispensing his favors, does not respect the meanness of our persons or services, but gives to us as a God. And the clearest notion of the Deity is, that he is a being infinite in all perfections, therefore all-sufficient, and most willing to make his creatures completely happy.

(4.) If a creature perfectly holy, that never sinned, is uncapable to merit any thing from God, much less can those who are born in a sinful state, and guilty of innumerable actual transgressions, pretend to deserve any reward for their works. This were presumption, inspired by prodigious vanity. For,

1. By his most free grace they are restored in conversion to that spiritual power by which they serve him. The chaos was not a deader lump before the Spirit of God moved on the face of the waters, than the best of men were before the vital influ

ences of the spirit wrought upon them: and for this they are so deeply obliged to God, that if a thousand times more for his glory were performed, yet they cannot discharge what they owe.

2. The continuance and increase of the powerful supplies of grace to the saints, who even since their holy calling by many lapses have justly deserved that God should withdraw his grieved Spirit, are new obligations to thankfulness; and the more grace, the less merit.

3. The best works of men are imperfect, allayed with the mixtures of infirmities, and not of full weight in the divine balance. If God should strictly examine our righteousness, it will be found neither pure nor perfect in his eyes, and without favor and indulgence would be rejected. And that which wants pardon, cannot deserve praise and glory. "He shews mercy to thousands that love him, and keep his commandments." If obedience were meritorious, it were strict justice to reward them. The Apostle prays for Onesiphorus, who had exposed himself to great danger for his love to the gospel; "The Lord grant he may find mercy in that day." The divine mercy gives the crown of life to the faithful in the day of eternal recompense.

II. The meritorious cause of our obtaining heaven, is the obedience of Jesus Christ, comprehending all that he did and suffered to reconcile God to us. From him, as the eternal word, we have all benefits in the order of nature; "for all things were made by him," and for him, as the incarnate word, all good things in the order of grace. What we enjoy in time, and expect in eternity, is by him. To shew what influence his mediation has to make us happy, we must consider,

1. Man by his rebellion justly forfeited his happiness, and the law exacts precisely the forfeiture. Pure justice requires the crime should be punished according to its quality, much less will it suffer the guilty to enjoy the favor of God: for sin is not to be considered as an offence and injury to a private person, but the violation of a law, and a disturbance in the order of government so that to preserve the honor of governing justice, an equivalent reparation was appointed. Till sin was expiated by a proper sacrifice, the divine goodness was a sealed spring, and its blessed effects restrained from the guilty creature. Now the Son of God in our assumed nature offered up himself a sacrifice, in our stead, to satisfy divine justice, and removed the bar, that mercy might be glorified in our salvation. The Apostle gives this account of it; We have boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Christ, by a new and living way which he hath consecrated for us through the veil, that is to say, his flesh, Heb.

10. 19. 20.

2. Such were the most precious merits of his obedience, that it was not only sufficient to free the guilty contaminated race of mankind from hell, but to purchase for them the kingdom of

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heaven. If we consider his human nature, all graces were born with him, as rays with the sun, and shined in the whole course of his life in the excellence of perfection. And the dignity of his divine person derived an immense value to all he performed as mediator. One act of his obedience was more honorable to God, than all the lives of the saints, the deaths of the martyrs, and the service of the angels. God was more pleased in the obedience of his beloved Son, than he was provoked by the rebellion of his servants. Therefore, as the just recompense of it, he constituted him to be universal head of the church, supreme judge of the world; invested him with divine glory, and with power to communicate it to his faithful servants: "He is the Prince of life." In short, it is as much upon the account of Christ's sufferings that we are glorified, as that we are forgiven. The wounds he received in his body, the characters of ignominy, and footsteps of death, are the fountains of our glory. His abasement is the cause of our exaltation.

If it be said, this seems to lessen the freeness of this gift, the answer is clear:

This was due to Christ but undeserved by us. Besides, the appointing his son to be our Mediator in the way of our ransom, was the most glorious work of his goodness.

ven.

CHAPTER VIII.

The gospel requires qualifications in all that shall obtain the kingdom of heaThe renovation of man according to the likeness of God, is indispensably requisite for the enjoying of God. Renewing grace described. The wisdom and justice of God requires that men be sanctified before they are admitted into heaven. Without sanctification, there is a moral incapacity of enjoying the beatific vision.

The means of our obtaining heaven are to be considered. Though the divine goodness be free in its acts, and there can be nothing in the creature of merit, or inducement to prevail upon God in the nature of a cause, yet he requires qualifications in all those who shall enjoy that blessed unchangeable kingdom. The Apostle expressly declares, it is not of him that wills, nor of him that runs, but of God that sheweth mercy, Rom. 9. 16. But we must distinguish the effects of this mercy, which are dispensed in that order the gospel lays down. The first mercy is the powerful calling the sinner from his corrupt and wretched state; a second mercy is the pardoning his sins; the last and most eminent is the glorifying him in heaven. Now it is clear, that in