know, that God is their own Father, and Christ their own Redeemer and Head, and that those are their own everlasting habitations, and that there they must abide and be happy for ever; how could they choose but be transported with the forethoughts thereof? If a Christian could but look upon the sun, moon, and stars, and reckon all his own in Christ, and say, "These are the blessings that my Lord hath procured me, and things incomparably greater than these:" what holy raptures would his spirit feel?

§ 12. The more do they sin against their own comforts, as well as against the grace of the gospel, who plead for their unbelief, and cherish distrustful thoughts of God, and injurious thoughts of their Redeemer; who represent the covenant, as if it were of works, and not of grace; and Christ as an enemy, rather than a Saviour; as if he were willing they should die in their unbelief, when he hath invited them so often, and so affectionately, and suffered the agonies that they should suffer. Wretches that we are! to be keeping up jealousies of our Lord, when we should be rejoicing in his love. As if any man could choose Christ, before Christ hath chosen him, or any man were more willing to be happy, than Christ is to make him happy. Away with these injurious, if not blasphemous thoughts! If ever thou hast harboured such thoughts in thy breast, cast them from thee, and take heed how thou ever cntertainest them more. God hath written the names of his people in heaven, as you use to write your names or marks, on your goods; and shall we be attempting to erase them out, and write our names on the doors of hell? But blessed be God, whose foundation standeth sure; and who keepeth us by his power through faith unto salvation.

§ 13. (3.) Labor to apprehend how near thy rest is. What we think near at hand, we are more sensible of, than that which we behold at a distance. When judgments or mercies are afar off, we talk of them with little concern; but when they draw close to us, we tremble at, or rejoice in them. This makes men think on heaven so insensibly, because they conceit it at too great a distance: they look on it as twenty, thirty, or forty years off. How much better were it to receive the sentence of death in ourselves, and to look on cter

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nity as near at hand? While I am thinking and writing of it, it hasteth near, and I am even entering into it before I am aware. While thou art reading this, whoever thou art, time posteth on, and thy life will be gone, as a tale that is told. If you verily believed you should die to-morrow, how seriously would you think of heaven to night? When Samuel had told Saul, "Tomorrow thou shalt be with me;" this struck him to the heart. And if Christ should say to a believing soul, To-morrow thou shalt be with me; this would bring him in spirit to heaven before-hand. Do but suppose that you are still entering heaven, and it will greatly help you more seriously to mind it.

§14. (4.) Let thy eternal rest be the subject of thy frequent serious discourse; especially with those that can speak from their hearts, and are seasoned themselves with a heavenly nature. It is pity Christians should ever meet together, without some talk of their meeting in heaven, or of the way to it, before they part: It is pity so much time is spent in vain conversation, and useless disputes, and not a serious word of heaven among them. Methinks we should meet together on purpose, to warm our spirits with discoursing of our rest. To hear a Christian set forth that blessed, glorious state, with life and power, from the promises of the gospel; methinks should make us say, "Did not our hearts burn within us, while he opened to us the Scriptures?" If a Felix will tremble when he hears his judgment powerfully represented, why should not the believer be revived, when he hears his eternal rest described? Wicked men can be delighted in talking together of their wickedness; and should not Christians then be delighted in talking of Christ? and the heirs of heaven in talking of their inheritance? This may make our hearts revive, as it did Jacob's to hear the message that called him to Goshen, and to see the chariots that should bring him to Joseph. O that we were furnished with skill and resolution, to turn the stream of men's common discourse to these more sublime and precious things! And when men begin to talk of things unprofitable, that we could tell how to put in a word for hea ven, and say, as Peter of his bodily food, "Not so, for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean!" O the good that we might both do and receive

by this course! Had it not been to deter us from unprofitable conversation, Christ would not have talked of our giving an account of every idle word in the day of judgment. Say then, as the Psalmist, when you are in company, "Let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth, if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy." Then you shall find it true, that a wholesome tonguc is a tree of life.

§ 15. (5.) Endeavour, in every duty, to raise thy affections nearer to heaven. God's end in the institution of his ordinances was, that they should be as so many steps to advance us to our rest, and by which, in subordination to Christ, we might daily ascend in our affections. Let this be thy end in using them, and doubtless they will not be unsuccessful. How have you been rejoiced by a few lines from a friend, when you could not see him face to face? And may we not have intercourse with God in his ordinances, though our persons be yet so far remote? May not our spirit rejoice in reading those lines, which contain our legacy and charter for heaven? With what gladness and triumph may we read the expressions of divine love; and hear of our celestial country, though we have not yet the happiness to behold it? Men that are separated by sea and land, can by letters carry on great and gainful trades; and may not a Christian, in the wise improvement of duties, drive on this happy trade for rest? Come then, renounce formality, custom and applause, and kneel down in secret or public prayer, with a hope to get thy heart nearer to God before thou risest up. When thou openest thy Bible, or other book, hope to meet with some passage of divine truth, and such blessings of the Spirit with it as will give thee a fuller taste of heaven. "I When thou art going to the house of God, say, hope to meet with somewhat from God, to raise afmy fections, before I return; I hope the Spirit will give me the meeting, and sweeten my heart with those celestial delights; I hope Christ will appear to me in that way, and shine about me with light from heaven; let me hear his instructing and reviving voice, and cause the scales io fall from my eyes, that I may see more of the glory than I ever yet saw. I hope, before I return my Lord will bring my heart within the view of rest, and set it before his Father's presence, that I may return as the shepherds from the heavenly vision, glorifying and praising God for all the things I have heard

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and seen. When the Indians first saw that the English could converse together by letters, they thought there was some spirit enclosed in them. So would byestanders admire, when Christians have communion with God in duties, what there is in those Scriptures, in that sermon, or this prayer, that fills their hearts so full of joy, and so transports them above themselves. Certainly God would not fail us in our duties, if we did not fail ourselves. Remember, therefore, always to pray for your minister, that God would put some divine message into his mouth, which may leave a heavenly relish on your spirit.

§ 16. (6.) Improve every object and every event, to mind thy soul of its approaching rest. As all providences and creatures are means to our rest, so they point us to that, as their end. God's sweetest dealings with us at present, would not be half so sweet as they are, if they did not intimate some further sweetness. Thou takest but the bare earnest, and overlookest the main sum, when thou receivest thy mercies, and forgettest thy crown. O that Christians were skilful in this art! You can open your Bibles; learn to open the volumes of creatures and providences, to read there also of God and glory. Thus we might have a fuller taste of Christ and heaven in every common meal, than most men have in a sacrament. If thou prosper in the world, let it make thee more sensible of thy perpetual prosperity. If thou art weary with labor, let it make the thoughts of thy eternal rest more sweet. If things go cross, let thy desires be more earnest to have sorrows and sufferings for ever cease. Is thy body refreshed with food, or sleep? remember the inconceivable refreshment with Christ. Dost thou hear any good news? remember what glad tidings it will be, to hear the triumph of God, and the applauding sentenee of Christ. Art thou delighted with the society of saints? remember what the perfect society in heaven will be. Is God communicating himself to thy spirit? remember the time of thy highest advancement; when both thy communion and joy shall be full. Dost thou hear the raging noise of the wicked, and the confusion of the world? think of the blessed harmony in heaven. Dost thou hear the tempest of war? remember the day when thou shalt be in perfect peace, under the wings of the Prince of peace for ever. Thus, every condition and creature affords us advantages for a heavenly life, if we had but hearts to improve them.

§ 17. (7.) Be much in the angelic work of praise. The more heavenly the employment, the more will it make the spirit heavenly. Praising God is the work of angels and saints in heaven, and will be our own everlasting work; and if we were more in it now, we should be more like to what we shall be then. As desire, faith, and hope, are of shorter continuance than love and joy; so also preaching, prayer, and sacraments and all means for expressing and confirming our faith and hope, shall cease, when our triumphant expressions of love and joy shall abide for ever. The liveliest emblem of heaven that I know upon earth, is when the people of God, in the deep sense of his excellency and bounty, from hearts abounding with love and joy, join together both in heart and voice, in the cheerful and melodious singing of his praises. These dellghts like the testimony of the Spirit, witness themselves to be of God, and bring the evidences of their heavenly parentage along with them.

§ 18. Little do we know how we wrong ourselves by shutting out of our prayers the praises of God, or allowing them so narrow a room as we usually do, while we are copious enough in our confessions and petitions. Reader, I entreat thee, remember this, let praises have a larger room in thy duties; keep matter ready at hand to feed thy praise, as well as matter for confession and petition. To this end, study the excellencies and goodness of the Lord, as frequently as thy own wants and unworthiness; the mercies thou hast received, and those which are promised, as often as the sins thou hast committed. "Praise is comely for the upright." ." "Whoso offereth praise, glorifieth God." Praise ye the Lord, for the Lord is good; sing praises unto his name, for it is pleasant." Let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to his name." Had not David a most heavenly spirit, who was so much in this hea venly work? Doth it not sometimes raise our hearts, when we only read the song of Moses, and the Psalms of David? How much more would it raise and refresh us, to be skilful and frequent in the work ourselves! O the madness of youth, that lay out their vigor of body and mind upon vain delights and fleshly lusts, which is so fit for the noblest work of man! And O the sinful folly of many of the saints, who drench their spirits in continual sadness, and waste their days in