any notion of, the employment will be exceedingly delightful, and will fill them with inexpressible joy and satisfaction.

'But of all the other works which the happy inhabitants of those blessed regions do exercise themselves in, that of praise and thanksgiving is in the Scripture taken notice of, as their peculiar office and constant employment in that state. There they cease not day and night saying, "Holy, holy, holy, LORD GOD Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come." Rev. iv. 8. There they "fall down and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O LORD, to receive glory, and honour, and power, for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created." Rev. iv. 10, 11. There they chant forth the praises of the Lamb, saying, "Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour and glory, and blessing; for he hath redeemed us to God by his blood, out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation, and hath made us unto our God kings and priests." Rev. v. 9, 10. 12. There they shall "sing the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, O LORD GOD Almighty, just and true are thy ways thou King of saints. Who shall not fear thee, O LORD, and glorify thy name, for thou only art holy?" Rev. xv. 3, 4. And what pleasant and cheerful lives must they needs lead, who are always thus employed?'

If in this dull state, where, through the infirmities of our nature, we cannot raise up our souls to a due sense of God's infinite excellencies and perfections, and not without some difficulty keep our thoughts steadily employed in the contemplation of them, it is yet so joyful and pleasant a thing, as holy David expresses it, to sing praises and thanksgivings to GOD the Father, and to our blessed Saviour, and to the Holy Spirit, for all those numberless invalu

able blessings we have received, and do daily receive from them: O! how delightful will it be to join with all the innumerable company of angels and archangels, and the blessed spirits of just men made perfect in knowledge and in love, in singing forth their praises in the lofty strains and harmonious melody of cherubim and seraphim! This, this shall be the employment of the blessed spirits above: and these are some of the ingredients of their happiness, which GOD has thought fit to acquaint us with in the Holy Scriptures.

And if there were no other, as there may be ten thousand more, for any thing we can tell, yet these would be sufficient to raise in their souls a pleasure so great, that nothing could be added to it but this, that it should be eternal; as indeed this happiness of Heaven is declared to be, to make it still more complete. I own indeed that eternity is but a circumstance, but it is an amazing and astonishing one, of our future blessedness; that after ten thousand times more millions of years, than are single dust or small sands in the vast body of the whole earth, our happiness should still be as far from an end, as it was in the first moment of our entering upon it; and though as a circumstance it does not indeed enter into the nature of the heavenly happiness, yet it is so material a one, that all the felicities which Heaven affords, would be imperfect without it.'

Indeed, if the happiness of Heaven were of the same nature with the joys of this world, it were fit it should be as short; because after a little enjoyment it would cloy us, and we should soon grow weary of it. But being so excellent, it would scarce be a happiness if it were not eternal. It would embitter the pleasures of Heaven, great as they are, to see an end of them, though it were at never so great a distance. To think that all this vast treasure of happiness would one day be exhausted, and that after so many years passed in the utmost felicity, we should one day be as poor and miserable Bp. Greene's Discourses.

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again as we were once in this world; this would strangely damp and allay all the joys of Heaven itself.

'Blessed therefore be GOD, and adored be his infinite goodness, who, though he has ordered that the vain and empty delights of this world should be but temporary and transient, yet hath ordained, that the great and substantial pleasures of the other, should be as lasting as they are excellent.' And therefore, as he has declared to us in his holy word, that Heaven is "an exceeding," so also has he assured us therein, that it is, "an eternal weight of glory." And this is that which crowns the joys of Heaven, and banishes all fear and trouble from the minds of the blessed.'

'O vast eternity! how dost thou swallow up our thoughts, and entertain us at once with delight and amazement: This is the very top and highest pitch of our happiness, upon which we may stand secure, and look down with scorn upon all things here below. And O! how small and inconsiderable do they appear to us, when compared with the vast and endless joys of our future state! O! the exceeding vanity and folly of those men, who are so little concerned for eternity, that they can find in their hearts to forfeit an everlasting felicity, for the poor mean trifles of time, and the pleasures of sin that are but for a season, and that but a very short one too!'

Holiness of Life, a necessary Qualification for the Happiness of Heaven.

HAVING thus given some account wherein the happiness of Heaven does consist (as far as we have light from Scripture),.I proceed now to the third thing I proposed to do on this subject, viz. to say something of

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the qualification for it, or what is to be done by us, in order to the attaining of it. Now this the Scriptures do every where assure us, must be holiness of life in this world.

Our constant and sincere endeavours after a holy life, are the means absolutely necessary on our part, to fit us to be made partakers of eternal happiness in Heaven. The true cause of man's salvation, is the infinite mercy of GOD to man, in and through the merits of our Saviour JESUS CHRIST, to whom therefore alone is due all the honour and glory of it. And hence the apostle tells us, Heb. v. 9, that CHRIST is the author of eternal salvation:" but then to whom? not to all men alike in general, but to them only that obey him. So that our hearty obedience to the laws of GOD, is the condition necessarily required on our part, upon which we are to expect and hope for it. It is the grace of GoD in the Gospel, as the apostle says in another place, which brings or offers this salvation to us; but then it is by the denying of ungodliness and worldly lusts, and living soberly, and righteously, and godly in this present world," that we are to wait for the blessed hope of it, Titus ii. 11, 12.

Now there are these two things which make holiness of life here necessary to every man, for the attainment of everlasting happiness hereafter.

First, GOD Almighty has been pleased to make this a necessary condition of it to all men.

And, Secondly, It is a necessary qualification in the persons themselves that are to enjoy it.

First, GOD Almighty has been pleased to make holiness of life a necessary condition of every happiness to all men.

As eternal life and happiness is in itself a blessing infinitely above the deserts of the very best of men that ever lived upon the face of the earth, so would it have been the highest presumption in any one to expect it. Nothing but the free grace of the most

infinitely compassionate and good Being, and his most merciful promise to mankind, could ever have given them the least encouragement to hope for it. Now since this promise of God is not absolute, but conditional, it is of the highest concern to us all, to enquire what that condition is, which he has been pleased to annex to his promise, and to make it the greatest care and concern of our lives to perform it, as we ever expect that God should make good his promise to us.

This then we shall find in many places of his holy word, wherein this promise is made to us, to be no other than this; That we may make it our utmost endeavour to cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit, and to perfect holiness in the fear of GOD," 2 Cor. vii. 1. That is, that we do with all care and diligence abstain from all manner of sin, and endeavour to lead a holy life, conforming ourselves to the will of GOD, and being obedient to his laws.' This he has declared by his apostle to be his unalterable resolution, that "without holiness no man shall see the LORD," Heb. xii. 14. That "if we sow to

the flesh, we shall of the flesh reap corruption :" but "if we sow to the spirit," that is, if we be sanctified and renewed in our minds, by the spirit of holiness, "we shall of the spirit reap life everlasting." Gal.

vi. 8.

He does not indeed require perfect holiness of us in this life, in order to eternal happiness in the next, because he knows that it is impossible for our frail nature to perform it; but he requires a sincere and hearty endeavour after it, and he has then promised to grant us his grace, to assist our endeavours therein, if we devoutly ask it of him; and if we go as far as we can ourselves towards it, he will himself not fail to perfect what is wanting in us.

Many excellent persons and truly pious souls have done this before us, and do now reap the benefit of it, in perfect peace and comfort in the separate state,