which I will but just mention. The first is reft. While religion regulates the diforder, and reduces the extravagance of our affections, it does in effect lay aftorm, and compofe a mutiny in our bofoms. Whilft it enlightens our minds, and teaches us the true value, that is, at least the comparative worthlefness of worldly things, it extinguishes the troubles which prefent disappointments and loffes, and prevents those fears which the prospect of future changes and revolutions is wont to create in us. A mind that is truly enlightened, and has no ambition but for immortality and glory, whofe humility with reference to these temporal things is built upon a true notion of the nature of them; this foul has entered already into its reft. This is the doctrine of our Lord and Mafter, Matt. xi. 28, 29. Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden; that is, all ye that are oppreffed by the weight of your own cares and fears, that are fatigued and toiled in the defigns and projects of avarice and ambition, and I will give you reft. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart; and ye shall find reft unto your fouls. I need not, I think, here fhew, that the more we fear and ferve God, the more we love and admire him, the more clear is the underStanding, and the more pure the heart: for the more we converse with folid and eternal

good,

good, the more infignificant and trifling will temporal things appear to us; and, the more the mind rejoyces in the Lord, the oftner 'tis rapt up into heaven, and, as it were, transfigured into a more glorious being, by the joy of the fpirit, and the ardors of divine love; the more flat and infipid are all earthly and carnal fatisfactions to it. Another effect that attends our shaking off the dominion of fin, and our devoting our felves to the fervice of God, is our being purified from guilt. The ftains of the past life are wafhed off by repentance and the blood of Jefus; and the fervant of God contracts no new ones by wilful and prefumptuous fin. Now therefore he can enter into himself, and commune with his own heart, without any uneasiness; he can reflect upon his actions, and review each day when it is past, without inward regret or fhame. To break off a vicious courfe; to vanquish both terrors and allurements, when they perfuade to that which is mean and bafe; to be master of one's felf, and entertain no affections, but what are wife, and regular, and fuch as one has reafon to wifh fhould daily increase and grow stronger; these are things fo far from meriting reproach and reproof from one's own mind, that they are fufficient to Support it against all reproaches from without, Such is the beauty, fuch the pleasure of a well established habit of righteousness, that

it does more than compenfate the difficulties to which either the attainment or the preEtice of it can expofe a man. Lastly, He that is free from guilt, is free from fear too. And indeed this is the only way to get rid of all our fears; not by denying or renouncing God, with atheifts; but by doing the things that please him. He that is truly religious, is the only man who upon ratio. nal ground is raised above melancholy and fear: for what fhould he fear? God is his glory, his boaft, his joy, his ftrength; and, if God be for him, who can be against him? neither things prefent, nor to come; neither life, nor death, can feparate him from the love of God in Chrift Jefus. There is nothing within the bounds of time or eternity that he needs fear. Man cannot hurt him; he is encompaffed with the favour and loving kindness of God, as with a fhield. But if God permit him to fuffer for righteousness fake, happy is he; this does but increase his prefent joy, and future glory. But what is molt confiderable, death itself cannot hurt him, devils cannot hurt him; the fling of death is fin, and the ftrength of fin is the law, but thanks be to God, who giveth us the victo ry through our Lord Jefus Chrift. For there is no condemnation to them who are in Chrift Jefus, who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit. Thefe confiderations prove the prefent condition of a fervant of God happy : happy

happy in comparison of the loose and wicked but in comparison with what he shall be here after, he is infinitely fhort of the joy and glory of his end. In this refpect indeed he is yet in a state of tryal and trouble, of difcipline and probation; in this respect his perfection and happiness do but just peep up above the ground, the fulness and maturity of both he cannot enjoy till he come to heaven. And this is,

§. 4. The laft fruit of Chriftian liberty. That heaven will confift of all the blessings, of all the enjoyments that human nature, when railed to an equality with angels, is capable of; that beauties and glories, joys and pleafures, will as it were, like a fruitful and ripe harveft here, grow up there in all the utmost plenty and perfection that Omnipotence itself will e'er produce, is not at all to be controverted. Heaven is the mafterpiece of God, the accomplishment and conJummation of all his wonderful designs, the laft and most endearing expreffion of boundlefs love. And hence it is, that the Holy Spirit in fcripture defcribes it by the mot taking and the most admired things upon earth; and yet we cannot but think that this image, tho' drawn by a divine pencil, muft fall infinitely fhort of it: for what temporal things can yield colours or metaphors ftrong and rich enough to paint heaven to the life? One thing there is indeed, S 2 which

which feems to point us to a just and adequate notion of an heaven; it seems to excite us to ftrive and attempt for conceptions of what we cannot grafp, we cannot comprebend; and the labouring mind, the more it difcovers, concludes ftill the more behind; and that is, the beatific vifion. This is that, which, as divines generally teach, does confitute heaven; and fcripture feems to teach fo too. I confefs, I have often doubted, whether our feeing God in the life to come, did neceffarily imply that God fhould be the immediate object of our fruition: or only, that we should there, as it were, drink at the fountain-head; and being near and dear to him in the highest degree, fhould ever flourish in his favour, and enjoy all good, heap'd up, prefs'd down, and running over. I thought the feriptures might be eafily reconciled to this fente; and the incomprehenfible glory of the divine Majefty inclined me to believe it the most reasonable, and most easily accountable. Enjoyment, and especially where an intelligent Being is the object of it, feemed to imply fomething of proportion, fomething of equality, fomething of familiarity. But ah! what proportion, thought I, can there ever be between finite and Infinite? what equality between a poor creature and his incomprehenfible Creator? What eye fhall gaze on the fplendors of his effential beauty, when the very light he dwells in

is