in the love of God, as in himself, though the manifestations of it may be more or less; yet the favour he bears to his own peculiar people is the same, and so always continues to the end, and to all eternity.

11. They are all chosen together in Christ, as not one before another, their election being together in Christ, before the foundation of the world; so not one more than another: the election of one may be manifested before another, and be more clearly manifested to one than to another; but the act is the same; so is the glory they are chosen to.

III. They are equally interested in the same covenant of grace, which is an everlasting one; and the one were as early in it as the others; and are all alike blessed with the same spiritual blessings of it; and have the same grace given them in Christ before the world began, one as another; and have all the same right to the exceeding great and precious promises of it.

IV. They are all equally redeemed with the same price, which is the precious blood of Christ! 1 Pet. i. 18, 19; and though they are redeemed out of every kindred, tongue, people, and nation, yet it is by the same blood, Rev. v. 9; as the half-shekel for the ransom of the souls of the Israelites, was the same for one as another, the rich did not give more, nor the poor less, Exod. xxx. 12-15; so the ransom price for Christ's people is the same, which is himself.

v. They are all justified by the same righteousness; it is unto all, and upon all them that believe; there is no difference between greater and lesser believers; though one may have more faith than another, that is, as to exercise; yet no man has more righteousness than another and in every one it is the same precious faith as to its nature and object; it is by one and the same righteousness that all the seed of Israel, the spiritual seed of Christ, are justified; Christ's righteousness is a garment that reaches down to the feet, and covers the meanest member of his body, as well as the greatest.

VI. All are equally the sons of God, are predestinated to the same adoption of children; and which they receive through the redemption that is by Christ; and from whom they receive the same power, authority, and privilege to become the children of God, one as another; they are all the children of God by faith in Christ, and are fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; and being children, they are heirs, heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; all alike so, they are all first-born ones, Heb. xii. 23.

VII. They are all kings and priests unto God, made so by Christ; their office and dignity are alike; they are alike raised by his grace and favour, from a low estate, to sit among princes, and to inherit the same throne of glory.

VIII. The future glory and happiness of the saints is frequently expressed by words of the singular number; showing, that though it belongs to more, it is the same to all, or that all have an equal right to, and share in it; thus it is called, the inheritance of the saints in light; the inheritance reserved in heaven; a kingdom it is their Father's good pleasure to give them; a crown of righteousness laid up for them;

and is signified by a penny given to the labourers alike, who came into the vineyard at different parts of the day.

It is a question moved by some, whether there will not be an increase of the happiness of the saints in a future state, or some addition made unto it, and improvement of it, by fresh discoveries of the mysteries of grace and of providence, that may be gradually made, which may afford new pleasure and delight. This is not easy to determine; some are inclined to think there will be an increase, as in the angels, who desire to look more into the mysteries of grace, 1 Pet. i. 12; and have a greater knowledge of them, which may be an addition to their happiness. But it is not so certain, that angels by nature are meant in the text referred to; but angels by office, ministers of the gospel: besides, the happiness of the good angels may not be as yet complete, until all the elect men are gathered in; as the punishment of the evil angels will not be full until the day of judgment: and if any addition is gradually made to the happiness of the saints in heaven, it must be imperfect until that addition is made, and must continue so till the last is made; which does not seem consistent with the perfection of their state. However, much may be said for the growing happiness of the saints onward in eternity; but the determination of this question must be left till we come into that state, when we shall know even as also we are known.

The eternity of this happiness is the next and the last thing to be considered, and which is essential to it; for let the happiness of men be what it may, yet if it is to have an end, though at a great distance, the thought of that will greatly spoil the pleasure of it; but this happiness will never have an end; as appears by its names.-1. By its being frequently called eternal life, everlasting life, a life that will never end: the present life has an end; let a man live ever so long, he dies at last ; it is said of Methuselah, the oldest man, that he lived so many years, and he died; but he that lives and believes in Christ, shall never die; though he may die corporally, he shall not die spiritually and eternally, and therefore must be everlastingly happy.-2. It is a glory, and it is called eternal glory, an eternal weight of glory, a crown of glory that fadeth not away: the glory of kings and kingdoms, continues not long, but passes away, and so their happiness is temporal and transitory; but that of the saints endures for ever, 1 Pet. v. 10. - 3. It is a house eternal in the heavens; it consists of many rooms; there are many mansions, dwelling, abiding places for the saints in it; and those habitations are everlasting habitations, Luke xvi. 8; houses on earth may be consumed by fire, or be pulled down by violence, or decay through length of time; or a man may be turned out of house and home; but nothing of this kind can befal the dwelling-place of the saints in heaven, and them in that.-4. It is an inheritance, and an eternal one; an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, 1 Pet. v. 4. An inheritance on earth, a man may be dispossessed of by force or fraud; but an inheritance in heaven is reserved there, and so safe and secure; and is out of the reach of any to disturb the saints in their possession of it.-5. It is a city, and a

continued one; here the saints have none; but they seek one to come; a city which has foundations firm and sure, and can never be subverted, Heb. xi. 10; here cities of great antiquity and fame, of great strength and glory, are destroyed, and come to nothing, and their memorial perishes with them; but this is a city that will endure to all eternity. -6. It is a kingdom, and an everlasting one, 2 Pet. i. 11; it is the kingdom of Christ, of which there will be no end; in it the saints will reign with him for ever and ever; his spiritual and mediatorial kingdom, when the end cometh, will be delivered up to the Father; the millennium kingdom will be at an end when the thousand years are expired; but the kingdom of heaven, or the ultimate state of glory, will never end.-7. It is a country in which the saints are not sojourners, as here, where they continue but for a while; and so a better country than this; for there they will for ever dwell as in their own native land, being born from above, and partakers of the heavenly calling.-8. It is expressed by being with Christ, and which will be for ever; and with which words the saints are directed to comfort themselves now, that they shall be ever with the Lord! Eternity infinitely adds to the happiness of this state.-9. The eternal purpose of God, which first gave birth to this state of happiness; the everlasting covenant of grace, in which it is secured; and the promise of it, made before the world began, confirm and ensure the everlasting continuance of it.-10. Were there any fears of its ever ending, it would not be perfect happiness; but as perfect love casteth out fear, so the full evidence that is given of the eternity of the saints' happiness, casts out all fear of its ever coming to an end; which, as it cannot be admitted, can never be an alloy unto it.

BOOK III.

OF THE WORSHIP OF GOD, OR PRACTICAL RELIGION.

OF THE OBJECT OF WORSHIP.

I HAVE, in the former part of this work, proved there is a God, from the light of nature and reason, from the works of creation, &c.; and now my business is to show that this God is to be worshipped. I have treated of the nature, perfections, and attributes of God, which are the foundation of the worship of him; and now I shall treat of worship itself. I have considered the various works of God, the works of creation, providence, and grace; and these may be used as so many arguments to engage us to divine worship, or as so many reasons why we should glorify God with our bodies and spirits, which are his; or in other words, worship him both internally and externally and I shall begin with the object of worship, for which we have a plain direction, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve, Matt. ix. 10. Two things are to be observed and considered-that the Lord God is the object of worship-that he alone is the object of worship, to the exclusion of all others.

I. The object of worship is the Lord God, God essentially and personally considered.

1. God essentially considered, or as considered in his nature and essence, which is the foundation of worship. The Lord is to be worshipped; the Lord who is the one Jehovah, and whose name alone is Jehovah, Deut. vi. 4, Psalm lxxxiii. 18. The word Lord in the New Testament answers to Jehovah in the Old, a name expressive of the existence or being of God, and of him as the fountain of being, and the author of being to all others; who is the everlasting I am, which is, and which was, and which is to come; these words of John are a proper decyphering of the word Jehovah, or the I am that I am in Exod. iii. 14. Now he whose essence is simple, uncompounded, immutable, infinite, eternal, &c., is to be worshipped, even the Lord thy God, thy Creator, thy Benefactor, thy Supporter and Preserver. Thus the apostle describes the proper object of worship unknown to the Athenians, as he who made the world, and all things in it; and gives life, and breath, and all things to his creatures;

and in whom they live, move, and have their being, Acts xvii. 23-28. Thus Jacob invoked God, which to do is a part of religious worship, who had fed him all his life long to that day, Gen. xlviii. 15. David says, his prayer, which is a part of worship, should be to the God of his life, who had given him life and upheld him in it, Psalm xlii. 8; he who is the true God, the living God, and the everlasting King, is the object of worship: the true God, in distinction from nominal gods, from such who are falsely so called; the living God, in distinction from idols of gold and silver, the work of men's hands, lifeless statues, in whom there is no breath; but the true God, and who is to be worshipped, has life in and of himself, originally and underivatively, and is the fountain and giver of life to others, and from everlasting to everlasting he is God. He is by nature God; there are some who are not so, and therefore not to be served and worshipped, Gal. iv. 8; but God is a spirit, is of spiritual nature, and to be worshipped in spirit and in truth: his nature is most perfect, has all perfections in it, though there is no finding him out unto perfection: his nature is infinite and incomprehensible, beyond all conception and thought, beyond all words and expressions, exalted above all blessing and praise. The name of God, the very first name by which he is called in Scripture, Elohim, Gen. i. 1, implies worship, and that he is to be worshipped who created the heavens and the earth, for it comes from a word which signifies to worship. And to this the apostle seems to allude, when he says that Antichrist exalts himself above that is called God, or that is worshipped, intimating that the name of God signifies σeßaoua, the object of worship, 2 Thess. ii. 4.

II. God personally considered, or God considered in the three persons, is the object of worship. The Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost, and these three are one, are one God, and so equally the object of divine worship.

1. The Father, of whom Christ expressly says, that men shall worship the Father, John iv. 21, 23; and of the propriety of this there can be no doubt, since his Deity is not denied by any; and was it, they would easily be confronted; he is expressly called God the Father, Phil. ii. 11, and sometimes God even the Father, 1 Cor. xv. 23, 2 Cor. i. 3; all the perfections of Deity are attributed to him, as immutability, eternity, &c., and the works of creation, providence, and grace; and he has undoubtedly a proper claim of worship from his creatures, and accordingly worship is given to him, and acts of it are exercised on him. Baptism, which is a solemn act of religious worship under the New Testament dispensation, is administered in his name; and his name stands first in the form of it, "Baptizing in the name of the Father," &c., which signifies not only its being done by his authority and command, but the persons, by submission to it, devote themselves to him, profess to be his, and lay themselves hereby under an obligation to serve him; and because to do this in the name of a creature would be idolatry and irreligion, the apostle Paul was thankful that he had baptised no more of the Corinthians than he had, when he found they were for setting him up as the head of a party among them, lest