CHAP. V.

Of the Hall of God's House.

Here remains to be confider'd the Hall, that place in the House, which is defign'd for Variety of Occafions. But in this bleffed House, There will be One only Business, common to all; Which is, to Praise the most High and Eternal King and Lord of all. With us here, Some are Employed in getting Money, fome in getting Dignity: Some to get Learning, that they may Know, and Teach others : And fome to get and follow Trades, that they may Subfift, and Help themselves. But in the Land of the truly Living and Immortal, There will be no Want or Ignorance, no Pride, or Afpiring after further Pre-eminence. For all there will be moft highly Pleas'd with their prefent State; and never wifh any more at all, than what they have. They'll be all moft fweetly Taken up in Enjoying, Loving, and Praifing the Chiefeft Good Everlasting.

But does any fhrink at the Office, To hear of Prailing God, in Pfalms and Hymns; as not to be difcharged, without fome Labour and Weariness? Let 'em

know

know and confider, That what is a Work, in the prefent Life, will be nothing but Reward in the Life to come. What may fometimes here feem Tedious, will there be evermore the moft Joyous. Now it may give Uneafinefs, to go over fome things in the Religious Offices, that are not well Understood. And it may coft no fmall Pains fometimes, to drive away Vain Thoughts, as noifom Flies. Nor can the Corruptible Body Long wait upon the Heavenly Soul, and not be fenfible of the Fatigue. But in that bleffed Countrey, the Body will be Spiritual and Immortal: All impertinent Thoughts too will there for ever be gone: We fhall perfectly Understand all that we Sing: And, which is more than all this, The Praising of God will be nothing else but the Exercifing, and Ufing, and Feeling of our own Happiness. So that if Eternal Felicity will not be Troublesome Neither will the Praifing of God be fo. But that there will be in Heaven this Praifing of God, as the Exercise of Blifs, We may Learn from Pfal. 84. 4. Bleffed are they that dwell in thy Houfe; They will be fill Praifing thee. For as it is a part of Bleffednefs ftill to See and Love the Chief Good; So 'tis an Exercife of the Bleffednefs, ftill to Praise it. And as none fhall be Tir'd in Loving, fo neither in Praifing the Lord. Neither

in

in Seeing and Praifing of his Works, ftill before their Eyes, and ftill Charming their Sight. And then, how can we Praise the Works, without Praising him that Made 'em? Finally, As we can never forget the precious Benefits, wherewith our Father fweetly Overwhelms us, and with fo many dear Tyes of Love (never to be Loofed,) has Oblig'd us to Himfelf; So we cannot chufe, but with the moft Grateful Minds, ever Triumph in the Glorious Praises of our beft and highest Benefactor, our dearest Friend and Father, our only full and Satisfying Good, Bleffed for ever.

,

Let S. Aug. end this, What elfe, (fays he) fhall be done, Where we shall neither give o're for Sloth; nor be at a Lofs, for Want? God bimfelf will be the End of our Defires; Who, without End will be Seen without Cloying will be Loved, without Weariness be Praifed. This Office, this Affection, this Action, (like Eternal Life it felf,) will be in common to all; For there we shall Rest and See, See and Love, Love and Praife. Behold here, What shall be the End, without any End. For what else is our End, but to Arrive at that Bleffed Kingdom, whereof shall be no End?

CHAP. VI.

Of Faith, the first part of the Gate of God's Houfe.

T

Hefe things fo far opened, It remains now, that we enquire after the Gate, thro' which we may Enter into that moft Happy Houfe of God. And our Lord himself has not only fhew'd us the Gate; but also acquainted us, that it is ftrait; and that we muft Strive to Enter. Luk. 13. 24, 5. Being asked, Lord, are there Few that be Saved? He answer'd > Strive to enter in at the Strait Gate. For many, I fay unto you, will Seek to Enter in, and fhall not be able. When once the Mafter of the Houfe is risen up, and bath fhut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, Saying, Lord, Lord, Open to us; And he shall answer and fay to you, know you not, whence you are.

I

Be the House then never fo Large, Yet the Gate appears to be Strait: And by reafon of that Straitnefs, many who have a mind to it, Yet will not Enter in at it. They may Wish nnd Defi e; But the Striving they will not Endure.

Now

Now let us explain the Matter, How the Gate, Leading to fo Wide a House, comes to be fo Strait. This Gate then, (you must know,) has Four parts; a Threshold, a Lintell, and two Side-Stones; which you are to take for so many divine Virtues, moft neceffary to be poffefs'd by every one that will Enter the heavenly House of God. And what are thefe Virtues, but Faith, Hope, Charity, and Humility? Faith and Hope are the Sideftones, Charity is the Lintell, and Humility the Threshold. But all these Virtues have fo little Longitude and Latitude, that being Strait in themselves, They make Strait the Gate, in like manner.

To begin with Faith. Such Straits has the true Chriftian Faith, that unless a man's Mind offers a kind of Violence to it felf, and fuffers fuch a Captivity, as to be bound and Thruft up; None can Enter by it. After this manner fpeaks one, that well understood the matter; 2 Cor. 10. §. Bringing into Captivity every Thought to the Obedience of Christ. For many things does the Chriftian doctrine propound to be Believed, which are fo much above Human Reafon, That we cannot, without great Difficulty, Allent to 'em: And Yet.commands 'em fo firmly to be Owned and Held; That That Blood and Life muft be

Yielded