resident will concur in the same purpose, sympathize in the same feeling, and move in the same track of cordial subjection and active obedience. To be per-. fectly prepared for heaven is spoken of in the Scriptures as reaching the high point of entire conformity to the will of God-" to be without spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing, to be holy and without blemish before him "to be presented holy and unreproveable in his sight." The will of God will then be perfectly known. There will be no sins of ignorance. There will be no partial, distorted, inadequate views of our obligations. The full radiancy of the divine requirement will fall upon the spirit, without darkness, without cloud, without mist or shade. The mind of God will be intuitively understood. There will be no dull and tedious casuistry, no painful perplexities, no bewildering obscurity. All will be light. And the heart will be in a state, fully, in-. stantly, and unwaveringly responding to the clear, and never to be mistaken dictates of the divine law. Entirely reconciled, fully restored, the soul will not retain a vestige of rebellion. Not a feeling of resistance shall stir. Not one wayward movement, not a moment's reluctance shall be there. self, suspicion shall have taken their everlasting departure. Nothing repellent, nothing counteractive, nothing unfriendly, nothing insensible to the will of God, shall ever more gain entrance into the spirit. Not a remnant of opposition-not a seed, not a particle of insubordination shall be found. And besides all this, there shall be no tempting objects to draw the heart aside; no godless public opinion opposed to the will of the Supreme, challenging our subjec† Col. i. 22.

*Fph, v. 27.

B B

Pride,

tion; no worldly cares to clog, and no sensual delights to chill our eager zeal; no "vile body" to seduce and ensnare us. Our place shall accord with our state; the circumstances of our being with the principles of our character; and all combine to form and to perpetuate a perfect and everlasting harmony with the divine mind.

II.

Unlimitted confidence is another mode in which the redeemed will for ever glorify God. That reliance which God's people are required now to place upon him, is one of those points on which he shews himself peculiarly jealous. The want of confidence is indeed the practical denial of his attributes. It is a deep dishonour offered to him. When we become christians we regain, at least in some degree, that sense of dependance which so suits our relation ás creatures; and exercise that filial affiance which so becomes our privileges as believers. We are conscious that when we trust we honour God. And as we grow in this depending confidence, we grow in our habit of glorifying God. In heaven this method of paying homage will reach its perfection. The inhabitants of that world feel more completely than we now can, that in him they live and move and have their being." Brought, so to speak, nearer to the source of all existence, they become more sensible of derivation; and opened as their minds are to the amazing and overwhelming manifestations of the being and majesty of God, they become more profoundly conscious of entire and eternal dependance-they see more clearly that "he upholds them and all other beings by the word of his power." And they regard themselves as dependent on God for the excellence

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of being, equally as for being itself. When saints on earth rise in spiritual attainments, instead of feeling less insufficiency, instead of feeling less indebted, instead of glorying in an independent strength, instead of falling back upon their own stock of goodness, they grow in the entireness and simplicity of their conviction of utter dependency. So in heaven when their excellence becomes perfect, complete also will be the persuasion and consciousness of receiving all their goodness by continual influxes from the eternal fountain of all purity and bliss. These living vessels of honour, whilst they are themselves overflowing, will be conscious of being continually filled from the infinite source. Their perfection will consist in their complete accessibility and openness to all the blessed emanations of divine excellence and glory, and in their entire propensity and aptitude to reflect and return them in imitation, love and service. Such a sense of total dependance would scarcely indeed accord with perfect ease and happiness, were it not rendered complete by a never to be disturbed persuasion of the security and eternity of the character and blessedness enjoyed. What shall secure the spirits of the "just men made perfect" from the suspicion and fear which the possibility of falling might be imagined to create? We suppose the same consider ation, but inconceivably better known and appreciated, which supports the minds of christians now-the declared, gracious, and unalterable purpose of God relative to the everlasting felicity of his people-that eternal life which he that cannot lie has given them. It is the same foundation on which the church rests here; but there its stability is better seen. It is felt to be the everlasting rock. Thus the peace of heaven

will be preserved by the confidence which is reposed in the excellency, truth and unchangeableness of God. Thus will the saints glorify God by their perfect filial reliance. The "truth of God is as the great mountains," and the celestial flock shall feed and repose upon it, secure and undisturbed. "His word is for ever settled in heaven,” and with it the confidence and joy of a redeemed church. This unsuspecting, unvarying trust will honour God just as the confidence and happiness of the family may be considered as real and affectionate testimony to the kindness and faithfulness of the parents. The calm, peaceful, joyous confidence with which the "ransomed of the Lord," yield themselves to the government, guidance and love of God for the everlasting future, is a tribute to the Father of Spirits ever grateful and pleasing.

III. Saints in heaven will glorify God by the delight which they will take in him. If God declares himself honoured by the value, imperfect and often unworthily defective as it is, which his people attach to his favourable regard now; how much more by the unspeakable joy with which they shall repose for ever in that reconciled, safe and paternal relation which he sustains towards them! Who shall conceive of the sensations with which they shall view their peace, their safety, their everlasting" dwelling place" in God! What ineffable joy in the thought of his friendship for ever! What unknown rapture will rise at every remembrance of the Great Parent! And all this joy in God, is glory to God. All this happiness is praise. Every thrill is homage. All is incense to the God of glory. The approbation of

God is another and distinct source of felicity to the glorified in heaven. It is one joy to have God favouring us. It is another joy to have him approving us. Amidst all the imperfections of christians now, this latter felicity is not denied them. God is not unmindful of any "work of faith, or labour of love, or patience of hope." He condescends to smile upon the feeblest strugglings of the soul towards himself. And delightful to holy minds are the tokens of complacency which he sometimes grants. Rich the smiles. that sometimes fall and bless the soul. How precious are such thoughts to those who know them! What shall it be then when godly affection is mature, when devotion is unmingled, when obedience is perfect! Then, what fulness of divine complacency! What direct intimations of it! And what unknown extacy will each look of the approving eye of God transfuse through the whole spirit! And this will be no selfish transport-no self-sufficient rapture-no proud joy; but the grateful, tender, lowly, adoring bliss of being approved and esteemed by the greatest, loveliest, and best of beings. Thus the happiness created becomes a testimony of that supreme estimation in which the mind holds the ever-blessed God. In this manner to value his smile, is to value him. Thus to rejoice in his commendation, is to glorify his name. But still more direct is that honour which arises from delight in the immediate contemplation of the divine character. When thus brought amidst the clearer and closer manifestations of divine perfection, they incessantly study its excellencies. vision is stronger. Their field of inquiry is wider. Their means of learning are enlarged, multiplied and facilitated. Their knowledge becomes more certain,

Their