"hath it entered into the heart of man to conceive what "the Lord hath laid up for them that love him." There may, for any thing we know, be discoveries, and by confequence, acts of worship, and difpofitions of mind correfponding to them, totally different in kind from any thing we are now capable of, as well as higher in degree. Of thefe we must be abfolutely filent: therefore, all that fhall follow upon this fubject, is founded upon the following remark, that whatever acts of worship we have now any experience of, and by which we are initiated, fo to fpeak, into, and trained up for the employment of heaven, fhall then be performed to far greater perfection, and with infinitely greater joy.

In order to the more diftinct confideration of this fubject, you may observe, that all the acts of worship, of which we are now capable, may be reduced to the four following kinds: Firft, Acts of adoration. Secondly, Of gratitude. Thirdly, Of defire. And, Fourthly, Of trust and fubjection.

In the first place, Acts of adoration. By thefe, as dif tinguished from the others mentioned, I understand the immediate contemplation of the glorious excellence of the divine nature, and the exercife of thofe affections of foul which correspond to it. The nature of God is discovered, and his glory exhibited to view, in all his works, and in all his ways. And he is the proper object of the highest efteem, the deepest admiration, and most ardent love of every reasonable creature, for what he is in himself, independent of any intereft they may have, or hope to have in his favor. Therefore it is the first duty and chief end of man to give unto the Lord the glory that is due unto his name. I know this is what worldly men, who live in fin, cannot understand, and therefore are apt to deride; which is indeed the cafe with refpect to all the truths of God, confidered in their full extent, and as refting upon their proper foundation; the natural man cannot receive them. But as it is the firft commandment of the law, "Thou fhalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only "fhalt thou ferve;" fo it is the leading and the capital truth taught and repeated in the facred oracles, that all

things were made for, that all things fhall finally tend to; and therefore all intelligent creatures ought, fupremely, to aim at the glory of God.

This may be eafily fupported by unprejudiced reafon ; for what can be more juft than to have the highest esteem of the highest excellence, the deepest admiration of boundlefs and spotlefs perfection, and a fupreme love for what is infinitely amiable. It is wholly owing to the corruption of our nature, that we are fo little fenfible of the fin of neglecting this. And, indeed, a fhort and juft defcription of our corruption may be given thus; it confifts in dethroning God, and fetting up felf to be honored, loved, and ferved in his room.

But, my brethren, every real Chriftian has been recovered to a view of this his firft obligation as a creature ; knows, experimentally, what it is, fupremely, to honor the living and true God, and hath a peculiar pleasure in the furvey and celebration of all his perfections. All fuch rejoice in his dominion, and feel a fatisfaction in it, as infinitely right and fit, that the will of the Lord fhould be done. They join, in their manner, on earth, with the heavenly hofts, as thus reprefented, Rev. xi. 16, 17. "And the four and twenty elders, which fat before God

on their feats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped "God, faying, we give thee thanks, O Lord God Al"mighty, which art, and waft, and art to come, because "thou haft taken to thee thy great power, and haft reign"ed." Rev. xix. 6. "And I heard, as it were, the voice "of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters,

and as the voice of mighty thunderings, faying, Alleluia; "for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth." But how incomparably more perfect, and more joyful, their adorati on of God, when they are come into his prefence! then the veil fhall be drawn afide: they fhall "fee him face to face;" they fhall "know, even as they are known." Inftead of these comparatively obfcure hints and intimations, which they now have of his glory, then, the whole extenfive plan of providence, of which they now fee only a fmall detached part, fhall be opened to their view: then fhall they fee the overthrow and fubjection of the pride

and arrogance, and boafted wifdom of man, "which is "foolifhnefs with God;" and the bleffed, happy issue, of thofe various trials of the people of God, which formerly gave them fo many anxious and diftruftful thoughts. But why do I mention particulars, when all the effects of creating skill, all the fruits of fupporting and preferving goodnefs, fhall be laid before them?

And is there not fome lover of Chrift, faying here within himself, why do you not mention the myflery of redemption, "God manifefted in the flesh" in this the glory of God eminently fhines, his unequalled, his unrivalled glory. That this, as the work of God, (though we can hardly keep our own concerns out of view) fhall be the particular theme of celeftial praife, is not to be doubted, and is evident from hence, that Chrift, as the object of worship, is reprefented, as appearing there like a Lamb

that had been flain.

Once more, as the church of God, at prefent, is the mean of illustrating his wifdom to principalities and pow. ers, or to the angelic hofts, which we learn from Eph. iii. 10. "To the intent that, now, unto the principalities and "powers, in heavenly places, might be known by the "church the manifold wifdom of God;" fo the order and government of thefe fuperior intelligences fhall be opened to the view of the faints in glory. In the profpect of all this, they fhall fay, Rev. xv. 3. "Great and marvellous "are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are "thy ways, thou King of faints." With what exultation of foul, then, with what fervor of adoring wonder, and admiring love, fhall they celebrate the divine glory! As they fhall be wholly freed from every degree of finful and felfifh bias, they fhall feel the cleareft conviction of the obligation of their duty, and difcharge it by a free unconftrained impulfe of foul: for the fame reason, the plea fure arifing from it will be fo much the more pure and unmixed, that it is not aimed at on its own account, nor purchased by any compliance that might but feem to have a mercenary view.

In the fecond place, Let us confider the celeftial wor fhip, as confifting in acts of gratitude and praife. And,

here observe, that though I have confidered the difinterefted love of God, and the humble adoration of his own matchlefs inherent excellence, as firft both in order and dignity, which it ought to be, this does not take away, or fupercede acts of thankfgiving, but rather lays the jufteft and nobleft foundation for their exercife; because it fubjects the creature to the Creator; keeps its dependance' and obedience continually in view, and greatly inhances the favors beftowed by fuch a hand, and upon fuch objects. Gratitude for the goodness of God, is what, furely, we may have fome conception of, even in this ftate, in which he loads us with his benefits, and in which every moment of our continuance is a proof and evidence of his patience and forbearance. The faints efpecially, who have learned not only to difcern and confefs the hand that fuftains them, but to acknowledge God, as the God of their falvation, must understand what it is to praise him for his mercies.

But how much louder muft the voice of praife be in heaven than in earth? The mercies for which they give praise are incomparably greater; fo is alfo the uniformity and fecurity of their poffeffion. What is the richest and moft gorgeous attire, the moft fumptuous and delicate fare, which this world can afford, compared with those rivers of pleasures which are at God's right hand? How imperfect are all the enjoyments of this ftate, by reafon of the fufferings and forrows that are mingled with them? We are apt to envy one another through ignorance; but the man liveth not on earth, who hath not fome forrows to allay his profperity, except, perhaps, for a few moments, when the mind is ingroffed, and, as it were, intoxicated with fome late acquifition. Our prefent character is fuch as doth not admit of perfect happiness. Here muft be the fire of affliction to purge away the drofs of fin. But, in the world to come, the happiness of the faints is perfect and unmixed, for the people fhall be all righteous. So it is faid, in the words immediately following the text; "They fhall hunger no more, neither thirst any more, "neither fhall the fun light on them, nor any heat. And, "Rev. xxi. 3, 4. And I heard a great voice out of heaVOL. I. 4 A

"ven, faying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, "and he will dwell with them, and they fhall be his peo

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ple, and God himself shall be with them, and be their "God: and God fhall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there fhall be no more death, neither forrow, "nor crying, neither fhall there be any more pain; for "the former things are paffed away." The precariouf ness of our prefent enjoyments greatly diminishes their value; they are very uncertain in their own nature, and our continuance with them is equally fo. But, in heaven, there fhall be no more death, the inhabitants fhall go no more out and their enjoyments fhall be fuch as can nei ther wafte nor change. How animated, then, must be the praises of the higher house, especially when the reflection upon the wretchednefs and precarioufnefs of their paft flate muft fo greatly improve their fenfe of the riches and fecurity of the prefent? Let me fuppofe a cafe, which, indeed, happens every day, though the effect of it is not fully difcernable by us; fuppofe a poor Chriftian, perhaps, poor in this world, but certainly poor in fpirit, who hath long struggled with the evils of life, who hath pa tiently endured the infulting language and difdainful eye of the proud and profperous, nay, which is far worse, hath been diftreffed with many anxious fears concerning his own future ftate; fuch an one, taken from the world, how amazing, how bleffed the change! from an earthly cottage, to a throne of glory; from a defpifing world, to an approving God; from a frail, difeafed, dying body, to everlasting strength, and undecaying beauty! how must his mouth be filled with praifes, when the days of his mourning are for ever ended?

But that which efpecially ferves to enliven the praises of the faints in heaven is, their fenfe of their own unworthiness as finners: this it is which makes all the gifts of God of feven-fold value, they are all of free unmerited grace and mercy. Redemption! Redemption is the theme of the praises of heaven, Rev. i. 5. "Unto him that "loyed us, and washed us from our fins in his own blood. "Rev. v. 9. And they fang a new fong, faying thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the feals thereof: