"for thou waft flain, and haft redeemed us to God by thy "blood, out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, "and nation." Redemption is, at prefent, carelessly fought after and coldly acknowledged; but then fhall they know the guilt they have contracted, the hell they have efcaped, the glory which they poffefs, and the price at which it was bought. Oh, my brethren! how light a fense of the evil of fin has the most humbled penitent now, compared to what he fhall have in heaven! how light a fenfe of the mifery of the impenitent, compared to what he fhall have after he has heard their fentence pronounced by the judge, and feen them go away into everlafting pu nifhment! how fmall a value does he put upon the gift of God, eternal life, till he tafte of it! and how weak is his love to God in Chrift, whilst it is only kindled by faith, compared to what it fhall be, when he fees the Lamb flain from the foundation of the world!

In the third place, Let us confider the celeftial worship, as confifting in acts of defire. There is much of this in the difpofition of the people of God on earth, they say with the prophet Isaiah, ch. xxvi. 8. "The defire of our foul "is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee." And as every agreeable object is the more defired, the more it is known; fo the clear difcovery that is made in heaven, of the glory and excellence of God, and the delightful communications of his love, muft ftill increase our defire of further and further degrees of it; and there is a fulness, both in the divine nature and benignity, that can never be exhausted: Earthly things, indeed, to which we often, through ignorance, affix an erroneous and exceffive value, the more they are known, are often the lefs esteemed; but this can never take place where the object cannot be efteemed in proportion to its worth, because its worth can never be completely difcovered. Perhaps it may be thought improper to include defire among the acts of celeftial worship, as there the happy fouls fhall be fo fully gratified, in every holy inclination, as to leave no room for any further demand. But we must confider that there fhall be room for an everlasting progreffive improvement to every finite creature; and the gradual enlargement of

their capacity fhall make way for thefe further communications of divine love.

There fhall, indeed, be no fuch defire, as implies any anxious or impatient craving. This is, ordinarily, produced by doubt, or difficulty of fupply, which can have no place here; but there may, nevertheless, be fuch defire as leads to, and prepares for, the continuance or increase of enjoyment. It is natural, indeed, for us, from our prefent experience, to conceive that defire muft weaken or leffen with poffeffion, as it is chiefly kept up by variety and novelty, a love of which feems to be fo effential to, and powerful in the human nature. To remove this ap prehenfion, I observe these two things, First, That in the infinity of the divine perfections and works, there is fufficient diverfity to employ and gratify a finite creature, through all eternity; fo that if it please God to continue, after the refurrection, a love of novelty, or any difpofition fimilar to it, he is well able to provide it with proper exercife.

But, fecondly, It appears highly probable, that the love of change, fo obfervable in human nature, is more owing to the vanity of created enjoyments, than any thing ef fential to us, as rational spirits; and, therefore, when we enjoy the fubftance instead of the fhadow, the Creator inftead of the creature, the caufe being gone, the effect will cease of course. And, to confirm this, we may obferve, that novelty is not an effential qualification of what pleases us; for habit often creates as ftrong or ftronger attachment to what we have long known, than the charms of novelty to what is untried: enjoyment therefore may, in fome cafes, excite defire. And if this is the cafe, fometimes, on earth, there is all reafon to think it will be always fo in heaven. May I not just add, that we find, from our prefent imperfect experience, that a life of hope and activity, when there is fuitable encouragement and fuccefs, from time to time, is the most agreeable of any that can be conceived. How delightful then muft be both the habitual and actual defires of the faints in glory, point. ed at the worthieft objects, and not only affured of, but conftantly rewarded with, complete fatisfaction!

In the fourth and laft place, Let us confider the celestial worship, as confifting in acts of truft and fubjection. I join them together, because they are very much involved in, and founded upon one another. And I have mentioned them laft, because the iffue of every ferious exercise. of a believer's foul, of every act of communion with God, is ordinarily his being brought to a compofed trust, complacency, and acquiefcence in God, as his fatisfying por tion; and a confecration of himself and his all to God in obedience and fubmiffion. And how infinitely more complete, as well as joyful, muft the truft and fubmiffion of the faints be in heaven than or earth! If even here they fay, "Though he flay me, yet will I truft in him. It is "the Lord, let him do what feemeth him good;" how much more reason have they to put an unfhaken trust in God, when they have tafted the fruits of his love, and received the proof of his faithfulness, in the actual poffeffion of his promises? as the Pfalmift fays, Pfal. ix. 10. "They "that know thy name will put their truft in thee."

Thus clear difcoveries of God's nature, and extenfive views of his works and ways, must establish them in a cheerful dependance on his unchangeable truth. And, O, with what a readiness, or rather with what pleasure and alacrity, will they refign themselves to his will, and confecrate themselves to his fervice! There will then be no remains of the carnal mind to refufe obedience, or of an impatient murmuring fpirit, to complain under the yoke; but they will be as the angels, his ministers to do his pleafure, ready at his call, and earnefily coveting employment. Obedience will be their prevailing inclination, and the formal expreffion, and tender of it, to their God and Redeemer, will be a part of their actual service.

And, now, to conclude this head, you may observe, that I could not avoid, in illustrating the worship of the faints in heaven, frequently to bring in view their habitual frame and conftant employment; but I hope this is not altogether improper; for there is not, by far, fo great a difference between their acts of worship, and their ordinary work, as between ours on earth. They run into one another and are very much of a fimilar nature; they are fha

dowed forth, but very faintly, in the state of that man on earth, who walks with God all the day long. As his life is a conftant course, either of vocal or mental worship, so, in a higher degree, they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple.

Let us, now, in the fecond place, confider the worthip of the faints in heaven, as it is external and fenfible. That there is fomething even external and fenfible in it, neceffarily follows from the refurrection of the body, which is fo important a part of the Christian doctrine: for though the bodies with which the faints fhall be clothed at the refurrection, fhall exceedingly differ from their grofs bodies, in fplendor and beauty, and, particularly, fhall fo far excel them in purity, as to be termed by the apostle Paul I Cor. xv. 44, "Spiritual bodies;" yet, if they be body or matter at all, they must be limited to fome place, and have an external and fenfible form. The fame thing appears from that beautiful paffage in the book of Job, ch. xix. 25. "For I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that "he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth."

Further, though we are, no doubt, taught, in fcripture, to confider heaven more as a nature than a place, yet there is evident foundation, from feveral expreffions, to fuppofe that there is some portion of the works of God fet apart for that purpofe, and adorned with fuch a vifible glory, as is proper to affect the imaginations of created beings. Thus there is mention made of the third heaven, the highest heaven, the heaven of heavens. See alfo Rev. xxi. 1, 2. "And I faw a new heaven, and a new earth; for the first "heaven and the first earth were paffed away; and there "was no more fea; and I John faw the holy city, new Jerufalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband." And from the 19th verfe of that chapter to the end, it is described in fuch terms, as naturally suggest to us the greatest glory and magnificence.

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This is the temple of God in which his fervants fhall ferve him, in which we may fuppofe the general affembly of the church of the first born meet together, for the joint celebration of their Creator and Redeemer's praife. But

as to a more particular account, either of the place or manner of the worship there performed, it were more easy to form amufing and curious fpeculations, than to fix upon any thing folid and certain. In this, as indeed in every other part of the heavenly state and employment, comparative reflections are moft to be depended on. And fure

ly, if in this lower world, and that part of the creation which is at present fubjected to our view, there is fo much order and beauty, fo much fplendor and magnificence, though it be the abode of guilty creatures, under manifest tokens of divine difpleafure, what must be the unclouded luftre and perfect beauty, of that place where the glory of almighty God is peculiarly difplayed, and which was prepared for the reception of the objects of his fpecial love, before the foundation of the world? If the feveral fenfes, with which we are now endued, are capable of affording us fo exquifite a pleasure in their present gratification, notwithstanding their apparent diforder, how high and ravishing a delight may they communicate when they are refined and purified, furnished with their proper objects, and freed from that infatiableness, and tendency to excefs, which is the fruit of fin, the evidence of a corrupted frame, and which as a mixture of gall, poifons every worldly joy? It is worth obfervation, upon this fubject, that the happiness of the faints is many times defcribed in fcripture, by their external circumstances and pofition, fo to fpeak, and by fenfible gratifications; as by fitting upon thrones, at the right hand of God; by a city highly adorned; by a river of water of life; a tree of life, bearing twelve manner of fruits. And his fervice is defcribed by the melody of fongs of praise, and even by inftrumental mufic, Rev. xv. 2. where mention is made of the harps of God. Now, though God forbid that we should understand these expreffions in fuch a manner, as to fuppofe that the enjoyments of the faints above have any thing in them refembling the grofsness of present fenfual indulgence, yet we may, with fafety, conclude, that as the body fhall then join in the fervice of God, it fhall be inftrumental in perceiving the pleasure of it; and that a fenfe and perception of the beauty and grandeur of that temple of the living God, in,