to thee? Are not these the stars in the firmament of scripture, and the golden lines in that book of God? Methinks thou should not part with one of those promises, no not for a world. A heaven is the perfection of all our mercies; so the promises of it in the gospel, are the very soul of the gospel. Is a comfortable word from the mouth of God of such worth, that all the comforts in the world are nothing to it? And dost thou neglect and overlook so many of them? Why should God reveal so much of his counsel, and tell us beforehand of the joys we shall possess, but to make us know it for our joy? If it had not been to fill us with the delights of our fore-known blessedness, he might have kept his purpose to himself, and never have let us known it till we come to enjoy it. Yea, when we had got possession of our rest, he might still have concealed its eternity from us, and then the fears of losing it would have much diminished the sweetness of our joys. But it hath pleased our Father to open his counsel, and let us know the very intent of his heart, that our joy might be full, and that we might live as the heirs of such a king. dom. And shall we now overlook all? Shall we live in earthly cares and sorrows, and rejoice no more in these discoveries, than if the Lord had never wrote them? If thy prince had but sealed thee a patent of some lordship, how oft wouldest thou cast thine eye upon it, and make it thy delightful study, till thou shouldest come to possess the dig nity itself? And hath God sealed thee a patent of heaven, and dost thou let it lie by thee, as if thou hadst forgot it? O that our hearts were as high as our hopes, and our hopes as high as these invalu. able promises!

15. (10) It is but equal that our hearts should' be on God, when the heart of God is so much on us. If the Lord of glory can stoop so low, as to set his heart on sinful dust, methinks we should easily be persuaded to set our hearts on Christ and glory, and ascend to him, in our daily affections, who so much condescends to us. Christian, dost thou not perceive that the heart of God is set upon thee, and that he is still minding thee with tender love, even when thou forgottest both thyself and him? Is he not following thee with daily mercies, moving upon thy soul, providing for thy body, preserving both? Doth he not bear thee continually in the arms of love, and promise that all shall work together for thy good, and suit all his dealings to thy greatest advantage, and give his angels charge over thee? And canst thou be taken up with the joys below, and forget thy Lord, who forgets not thee? Unkind ingratitude! When he speaks of his own kindness for us, hear what he says, 'Zion said, The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me. Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.'* But when he speaks of our regards to him, the case is otherwise. Can a maid forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire; yet my people have forgotten me days without number. As if he should say, "You will not rise one morning, but you will remember to cover your nakedness, nor forget your vanity of dress; and are these of more worth than your

God; of more importance than your eternal life? And yet you can forget these day after day." Give not God cause thus to expostulate with us. Rather let our souls get up to God, and visit him every morning, and our hearts be towards him every

moment.

We

§ 16. (11) Should not our interest in heaven, and our relation to it, continually keep our hearts upon it? There our Father keeps his court. call him, Our Father who art in heaven. Unworthy children! that can be so taken up in their play, as to be mindless of such a Father. There also is Christ our Head, our Husband, our Life; and shall we not look towards him, and send to him, as oft as we can, till we come to see him face to face? Since the heavens must receive him, until the times of restitution of all things; let them also receive our hearts with him. There also is New Jerusalem, which is the mother of us all.* And there are multitudes of our elder brethren. There are our friends and old acquaintance, whose society, in the flesh, we so much delighted in, and whose departure hence we so much lamented; and is this no attractive to thy thoughts? If they were within thy reach on earth, thou wouldst go and visit them, and why not oftener visit them in spir. it, and rejoice before-hand to think of meeting them there?" Socrates rejoiced that he should die, because he believed he should see Homer, Hesiod, and other eminent persons. How much more do I rejoice, said a pious old minister, who am sure to see Christ my Saviour, the eternal Son of God, in his assumed flesh; besides so many wise, holy and renowned patriarchs, prophets, apostles," &c. A believer should look to * Gal. iv. 26.

heaven, and contemplate the blessed state of the saints, and think with himself, "Though I am not yet so happy as to be with you, yet this is my daily comfort, you are my brethren and fellow-menbers in Christ, and therefore your joys are my joys, and your glory by this near relation is my glory; especially while I believe in the same Christ, and hold fast the same faith and obedience, by which you were thus dignified, and rejoice in spirit with you, and congratulate your happiness in my daily meditations."

ens.

§ 17. Moreover, our house and home is above. For we know, that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heav. Why do we then look no oftener towards it, and groan earnestly, desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven?* If our home were far meaner, sure we should remember it, because it is our home. If you were but banished into a strange land, how frequently would your thoughts be at home. And why is it not thus with us in respect of heaven? Is not that more truly and properly our home, where we must take up our everlasting abode, than this which we are every hour expecting to be separated from, and to see no more? We are strangers, and that is our country. We are heirs, and that is our inheritance; even an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for us. We are here in continual distress and want, and there lies our substance; even a better and enduring substance.‡ Yea the very hope of our souls is there; all our hope of relief from our distresses; all our hope of

* 2 Cor. v. 1, 2.

1

Pet. i.

• Heb. x. 84.

happiness, when here we are miserable; all this hope is laid up for us in heaven. Why, beloved Christians, have we so much interest, and so few thoughts there? So near relation and so little affection! Doth it become us to be delighted in the company of strangers, so as to forget our Father, and our Lord? Or to be so well pleased with those that hate and grieve us, as to forget our best and dearest friends? Or to be so fond of borrowed trifles, as to forget our own possession and treasure? Or to be so much impressed with tears and wants, as to forget our eternal joy and rest? God usually pleads his propriety in us; and thence concludes he will do us good, even because we are his own people whom he hath chosen out of all the world: Why then do we not plead our interest in him, and so raise our hearts above; even because he is our own God, and because the place is our own possession? Men commonly over-love and over-value their own things, and mind them too much. O that we could mind our own inheritance, and value it half as much as it deserves!

§ 18. (12) Once more consider, there is nothing, but heaven, worth setting our hearts upon. If God have them not, who shall? If thou mind not thy rest, what wilt thou mind? Hast thou found out some other god? Or something that will serve thee instead of rest? Hast thou found on earth an eternal happiness? Where is it? What is it made of? Who was the man that found it out? Who was he that last enjoyed it? Where dwelt he? What was his name? Or art thou the first that ever discovered heaven on earth? Ah wretch! trust not to thy discoveries, boast not of thy gain, till experience bid thee boast. Disquiet not thyself, in looking for that which is not on