and contempt from foes,--and fometimes from friends themselves; but when that which is perfect takes place, they fhall appear in their true light, as heirs of the heavenly kingdom, and be treated as becomes the children of fuch a king. In their characters and interefts, they may now be oppref fed, by the men who are God's hand, without being able to vindicate or extricate themselves; but then, their righteousness fhall break forth as the light, and their judgment as the noon day :--When the morn of glory dawns, these righteous ones fhall have dominion over the wicked.

What then, believers, though your prefent state be extremely mixed, and the different periods of life chequered with trials and temptations, fince better things are provided and fecured for you?

That in as far as motives arifing from interest can weigh, or ambition be roufed by all that is great and good, we fhould be prevailed with to fet our affections upon and bend our course to: ward the heavenly, the better country. Has the Father promifed, the Son purchased, and the Holy Ghoft by the gofpel exhibited the conveyance of this kingdom, is this conveyance exhibited to finners, finners of mankind, the chief of them not excepted? Who then would not afpire after a lot and part in this matter? O that every one may now fay for himself, Whatever I have formerly been and done, whatever my fellow finners think of doing, I cannot any longer refift the heavenly call; whether, therefore, the former heirs of the kingdom have gone, I am now (bleffed be the God of my falvation) determined to go; their people fhall henceforth be my people, and their God, my God.

4. Is it fo, that Gentile converts fhall fit down

with the patriarchs and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God? Then fee

That, as there will be a moft intimate communion among glorified faints, the knowlege and experiences of patriarchs and prophets will become yours; while yours fhall alfo become theirs. The hiftory of their warfare and falvation, their trial and triumph; the hiftory of God's dealings with them in their respective converfions, his dealings with them through the life of grace, and through the valley of death; the history of their doings and fufferings in the wildernefs, thefr downcaftings and up-liftings; the hiftory, in one word, of their access to the kingdom of God, together with the holy furprise, rapture, and delight, the first view of Emmanuel gave them; the hiftory of thefe things from their own mouths, as all tending to exalt the riches of fovereign grace, will be vaftly entertaining, fingularly refreshing to you. Nor will it be lefs joyous and tranfporting, to have an opportunity of recounting the labours of your own feet, and telling the patriarchs and prophets, with your whole other ranfomed friends, under what obligations to the fame grace you yourselves are laid. Are fuch communications as these delightful to Chriftians on earth? And fhall they not much more be fo in heaven! See further

That true Chriftians part with one another at death to meet again. You have poffibly mourned over the lofs of Chriftian friends and acquaintance time after time -But you need not forrow as they who have no hope; for there is nothing between them and you, but the vail of clay, which fhall no fooner be rent in twain, than your acquaintance and friendship thall be renewed, with im provements which are inconceivable at prefentimprovements which are peculiar to that exalted

ftate

for ever.

ftate of things. Holy parents, for inftance, and children, believing hufbands and wives,--masters and fervants,paftors and people, who were heirs of the grace of life, fhall meet together in the temple,at the table above, without the fear or moft diftant poffibility of being feparated any more Should not this hope reconcile us to the lofs even of fuch relatives or companions as were most comforting and ufeful?-efpecially fince your temporary lofs is the dawn of their ever lafting gain, and fince of their gain also you fhall foon partake Lift up your heads, therefore, and rejoice, because your redemption will draw near: And fee

That you who continue in an unregenerated ftate, are not fo much as in the way to the king dom of heaven. If you prefer the fociety of the wicked to that of the godly, and conference upon tfelefs or finful topics, to that of a ferious and fpiritual nature; if the duties of religion wherein holy fouls delight, are an intolerable burden to you; if the devotional life is confidered as enthufi afm, the ftritnefs of the Chriftian walk as grinace and hypocrify; and if you reckon the one and other of thefe no better than fruits of weakness or wickednefs, delufion or defign:-if that be the cafe now, you certainly belong not to the fpiritual commonwealth; and thould you die in that' State of mind, it is impoffible to imagine you can have any fellowship with the patriarchs and prophets in Emmanuel's better land.

Confequently, in hoping to get to heaven while you remain in the gall of bitterness, you impofe upon, and fatally deceive yourfelves. Either heaven must be a different place, the heirs of it different perfons,-and their employments in it of a different quality, from what the holy fcriptures

every where reprefent them to be;-or elfe, you in your prefent fituation, fhall not have accefs there. It is an irrepealable law of the kingdom, that "without holinefs,"-fuch in kind at least as the patriarchs and prophets have acquired, no man"- Whatever he be, have, or do in other refpects, "fhall fee the Lord," Heb. xii. 14. This ftatute, therefore, though more stable than the laws of the Medes and Perfians, muft be difpenfed with, or you must be made holy, in order to your fitting down with the ranfomed tribes above. But, because the former cannot be fuppofed, the latter muft take place, otherwife you must be shut out from the kingdom of God. But,

Though for arguments's fake, the reverfion of that law could be imagined, and your admiffion to the table above fuppoled; yet your account would not be found in it, your happiness could not be promoted by it :-for, if you find it unnatural to think, and disagreeable to talk of divine things upon earth;-what relifh can you propose to have in fuch topics of contemplation and converfation in heaven If joining in prayer and praife for a few hours, would be a punishment here *; how

could

* A late minifter of this church, had a complaint lodged by the greater part of his feffion, against one particular member, whofe converfation was not as it became the gospel; -instead of encouraging a proposal, to have him expelled according to the form of procefs, that venerable father overtured that from thenceforth the feffion fhould agree to fpend an hour or two in prayer, at every meeting. If ye do fo,' faid he, the brother who walketh diforderly will foon fave you trouble of depofing him, by a voluntary desertion; for, added he, "it is poffible to pray a graceless man to death."

the

could the exercises of divine worship prove a pleafure hereafter?--And if but one day in God's houfe would be a wearinefs, an inexpreffible wearinefs, at prefent, what a difmal eternity behoved the ceafelefs employments of the upper house to be?

Your prefent connections with many heirs of the kingdom, will only contribute toward the increafe of your mifery and anguifh, in the world of fpirits. How muft you wail to behold others in the realms of light, while you are shut up in the blacknefs of everlafting darknefs? How will you gnash your teeth, to fee your fathers or mothers, brethren or fifters, fons or daughters, huf bands or wives, mafters or fervants, fhining in all the glories of the heavenly ftate; while you are clothed with fhame and funk in irrecoverable defpair? How, O how will you gnaw your tongues with pain, to difcover thofe very perfons whom ye defpifed, whom ye injured, whofe holy converfation you abhorred, fet among the princes of the kingdom, while you are mingled with devils and reprobate men, in the regions of woe? Be exhorted to pray, that by the grace promised in our text, you may be brought to yourselves and to the Saviour, be thereby capable of fellowship with the church of Chrift here, and have an entrance miniftered for you into the kingdom of glory hereafter.

Upon the whole, fee

That though the converfion and falvation of Gentile finners are the matter of this promise, accefs to the gofpel, as God's appointed mean of effecting thefe ends, must be neceffarily underftood,

If this is not attended to, the most wretched ufe may be made of the doctrine before us, as if the promife in our text altogether fuperfeded the neceffity of propagating Chriftian knowlege. But

the