A Series of Sermons, Upon the Most Important Principles of Our Holy Religion ...

royal on earth, and from every terreftrial city, that there is no need of the fun or moon there, for the glory of God doth lighten it and the lamb is the light thereof. In this glorious kingdom every thing is in a state of perfection, peace, holiness, knowledge, righteousness, happiness and joy. No errors, ignorance, collifion of fentiments, party fpirit or private interelt, will be there. God and Chrift will be there perfeâly known,. and the faints will be forever loft in admiration of the unrivalled beauties of Godhead, and the emanations of divine love. They will wander with heavenly pleasure, and raptures of delight thro' all the perfections and attributes of God. They themselves will there be perfect in the beauties of holiness, free from fin and every moral impurity; from every evil bias, wicked thought and perverfe inclination. Nothing that is un. clean or defileth enters there. They will no more be troubled with the rifings of pride or corrupt paffions; here will be a perfect conformity to the perfect image of God.. Univerfal benevolence, unremiting harmony, and perfect love to God angels and one another will reign throughout the whole kingdom. All peace and joy of which holy beings are capable, will in complete fulness be poffeffed there. The tabernacle of God is with men, he fhall dwell with them, they fhall be his people and he will be their God and portion forever. "All: "tears fhall be wiped away from their eyes, and there fhall be "no more death, neither forrow nor crying, neither shall there "be any more pain, for the former things are pafled away." There will be no fighing, complaining, nor mortification, fhame nor regret, in thefe happy regions.. Every thing tending to enlarge and encrease their felicity they fhall enjoy. In this bleffed world the faints fhall have sweet fellowship and rapturous communion with God and Jefus Chrift. They fhall. Lave free intercourfe with the angels, and enjoy the uninter rupted friendship and blisful fociety one of another. There they fhall hold happy converfe with Gabriel, Michael, with feraphim and cherubim, with Abraham,, Ifaac and Jacob,

with Mofes, Elias, Paul and John, with their former chriftian acquaintance, and with all the faints, who as a cloud had gone before them. All this bleffednefs and felicity fhall be eternal; it fhall be growing and encreafing forever and ever. Thefe are but a few remarks upon the various reprefentations which the holy fcriptures afford us. And thefe no doubt fall infinitely fhort of the reality.

This difcourfe fhall be concluded with a few reflections.

Firft, how fhould we be here led to admire the condefcenfion Jove and goodness of God in ever entertaining the merciful thought of advancing any of the apoftate race of Adam to fuch honor and glory! How should we magnify and praise the exceeding greatnefs of his compaffion in giving his only begot ten Son to procure this felicity! How fhould we love and adore the Son who trod the wine prefs of his Father's wrath, and yielded up his life on the accurfed tree, that we might be introduced into fuch glory? That we who are clods of earth fhould be made to fhine as the ftars in the firmament? That we who are duft and ashes might become as angels of light Yea, that we who are finners and heirs of hell might be form. ed into faints and conftituted heirs of God? Who can comprehend the length and breadth, the depth and heighth of the love of Chrift, which paffeth all understanding? Can we hear of all this glory of the blcffed, and yet cleave to carth? Can we in. dulge a carnal temper, and be of a groveling worldly spirit, under the view of fuch celeftial blessedness?

Secondly, feeing there is fuch a glorious kingdom fet before us, we ought folemnly to enquire whether we have any title thereto. There will not be a promifcuous admiffion of all into this happy world. In the great day of the Lord a separa tion will be made between the goats and the fheep. None will be admitted there but the righteous, true believers, and fin

cere penitents. We must repent of our fins, accept of the gofpel by faith, and be working the works of righteousness, or we will never ftand in glory on the right hand of our judge. Wherefore let us examine ourselves to day whether we have any icriptural ground to hope that we thall be heirs of this kingdom. Have we ever been effectually convinced of the evil of fin? Have we ever feen and felt the plague of our own hearts, have we been reduced by the powerful operations of the Holy Spirit to renounce all dependence upon ourselves, and to lay hold on Chrift Jefus by faith, the hope of glory? Have our fouls taken up their everlasting rest in him, and is he above all things precious to us? Have we the laws of the kingdom written upon our hearts? Are we holy in heart and life? Is heaven our treasure, and are our hearts placed there? Have we prevailingly a lingle eye to the glory of God? In a word, are we honeftly and fincerely endeavoring to be holy in all manner of conversation.

Those who from these few remarks entertain a blessed hope that you will be heirs of this kingdom, be ye exhorted to walk answerable to your profeffion and expectations. See that you be purifying yourfelves as Chrift is pure. Look conftantly at the prize set before you. Let it command your diligence, zeal, activity, and every exertion. So run that you may ob O take heed, left any should seem to come fhort of this

tain.

glory.

Those of you, my unhappy hearers, who know you have no lot nor interest in this matter, who have neither faith nor repentance, neither sanctification nor juftification, be exhorted to confider your miferable and dangerous fituation. What, O what if you were to die in your prefent condition? The profpect of horror before you is too gloomy to mention. O finners how long will you love the pleasures of fin, which laft only for a season, and defpife the pleafures of heaven which will