hand are pleafures for evermore," Pfal. xvi. 11. The objective bleffedness of the faints confifteth in their fruition of God, Pfal. Ixxii. 25. To fee God in his word and works, is the happiness of the faints on earth; but to fee him face to face, will be the fulness of their bleffedness in heaven, 1 John iii. 2. This is that intuitive, transforming, and fanctifying vifion, of which the fcriptures frequently speaks, Pfal. xyii. 15. 1 Cor. xv. 28. Rev. vii. 17. Fourthly, To be brought unto God, muft needs imply a state of perfect joy and highest delight. So fpeaks the apoftle, Jude 14. Chrift fhall prefent, or bring them to God with exceeding joy. And more fully the joy of this day is expreffed, Pfal. xlv. 15. "With joy and rejoicing fhall they be brought; they shall enter "into the king's palace." It will be a day of univerfal joy, when all the faints are brought home to God in a perfected state. For, 1. God the Father will rejoice when Chrift brings home that precious number of his elect, whom he redeemed by his blood: he rejoiceth in them now, though imperfect, and under many distasteful corruptions and weakneffes, Zeph. iii. 17. How much more will he rejoice in them when Chrift prefents them without spot or wrinkle to him, Eph. v. 27. 2. Jefus Chrift will exceedingly rejoice; it will be the day of the gladness and fatisfaction of his heart: for now, and not till now, he receives his myftical fulness, Col. i. 24. beholds all the bleffed iffues of his death, which cannot but give him unfpeakable-contentment, Ifa. liii. 11. « He fhall fee of the travail of his foul, and "fhall be fatisfied." 3. The day in which believers are brought home to God, will be a day of unfpeakable joy to the Holy Spirit of God himself. For unto this all his fanctifying detigns in this world had respect: to this day he fealed them: towards this day he stirred up detires, and groanings in their hearts that cannot be uttered, Eph. iv. 30. Rom. viii. 26. Thus the great and bleffed perfons, Father, Son, and Spirit, will rejoice in the bringing home of the elect to God. For as it is the greatest joy to a man to fee the defigns which his heart hath been long projecting, and intently fet upon, by an orderly conduct, at last brought to the happy iffue he first aimed at; much more will it be fo here; the counfel and hand of each person being deeply concerned in this bleffed defign. 4. The angels of God will rejoice at the bringing home of believers to him: the spirits of just men made perfect, will be united in one general affembly, with an innumerable company of angels, Heb. ii. 22. Great is the affection and love of angels to redeemed ones: they greatly rejoiced at the incarnation of Christ for them, Luke ii. 13. They greatly delighted to pry into the mystery of their redemption, Pet. i. 12. They were marvellously delighted at their converfion, which was the day of their efpoufals to Christ, Luke xv. 10. They have been tender and careful over them, and very ferviceable to them in this world, Heb. i. 14. and therefore cannot but rejoice exceedingly, to fee them all brought home in fafety to their father's houfe. 5. To conclude, Christ's bringing home all believers unto God, will be matter of unspeakable joy to themselves: for, whatever knowledge and acquaintance they had with God here, whatever fights of faith they had of heaven and the glory to come in this world, yet the fight of God and Chrift the redeemer will be an unfpeakable furprize to them in that day. This will be the day of relieving all their wants, the day of fatisfaction to all their de fires; for now they are come where they would be, arrived at the very defires of their fouls. Secondly, In the laft place, let it be confidered, what influence the death of Chrift hath upon this defign, and you fhall find it much every way. In two things especially, the death of Chrift hath a bleffed caufality and influence in this matter, viz. 1. It effectually removes all obftacles to it. First, The death of Chrift removes all obftacles out of the way of this mercy: fuch were the bars hindering our access to God as nothing but the death of Chrift could remove, and thereby open a way for believers to come to God. The guilt of fin barred us from his gracious prefence, Rom. i. 2, 3. Hof. xiv. 2. The filth of fin excluded us from God, Hab. i. 23. Heb. xii. 14. The enmity of our nature perfectly ftopped up our way to God, Col. i. 21. Rom. viii. 7. by reafon hereof fallen man hath no defire to come unto God, Job xxi. 14. The juftice of God, like a flaming fword, turning every way, kept all men from accefs to God. And Lafly, Satan, that malicious and armed adversary, lay as a lion in the way to God, 2 Pet. v. 8. O, with what strong bars were the gates of heaven fhut against our fouls! The way of God was chained up with fuch difficulties, as none but Christ was able to remove; and he by death hath effectually removed them all: The way is now open, even the new and the living way, confecrated for us by his blood. The death of Chrift effectually removes the guilt of tin, 1 Pet. ii. 24. wafhes off the filth of fin, 1 John v. 6. takes away the enmity of nature, Col. i. 20, 21. fatisfies all the demands of justice, Rom. iii. 25, 26. hath broken all the power of Satan, Col. ii. 15. Heb. ii. 14. and confequently the way to God is effectually and fully opened to believers by the blood of Jefus, Heb. x. 20. Secondly, The blood of Chrift purchased for believers their right and title to this privilege, Gal. iv. 4, 5. "But when the fulness of time was come, God fent forth his Son, made of a woman, "made under the law; to redeem them that were under the law, "that we might receive the adoption of fons," i. e. both the relation and inheritance of fons. There was value and worth enough in the precious blood of Chrift, not only to pay all our debts to justice, but over and above the payment of our debts, to purchase for us this invaluable privilege. We must put this unspeakable mercy of being brought to God, as my text puts it, upon the account, and to the fcore of the death of Chrift: no believer had ever tafted the sweetness of fuch a mercy, if Chrift had not tasted the bitterness of death for him. The use of all you will have in the following deductions of truth. Deduction 1. Great is the preciousness and worth of fouls, that the life of Chrift fhould be given to redeem and recover them to God. As God laid out his thoughts and counfel from eternity, upon them, to project the way and method of their falvation, fo the Lord Jefus, in pursuance of that bleffed defign, came from the bofom of the Father, and fpilt his invaluable blood to bring them to God. No wife man expends vaft fums to bring home trifling commodities: how cheap foever our fouls are in our estimation, it is evident by this they are of precious efteem in the eyes of Chrift. Deduct. 2. Redeemed fouls must expect no reft or fatisfaction on this fide heaven, and the full enjoyment of God. The life of a believer in this world, is a life of motion and expectation: they are now coming to God, Pet. ii. 4. God, you fee, is the centre and reft of their fouls, Heb. iv. 9. As the rivers cannot reft till they pour themselves into the bofom of the fea, fo neither can renewed fouls find reft till they come into the bofom of God*. There are four things which do and will break the reft, and difturb the fouls of believers in this world; afflictions, temptations, corruptions, and abfence from God. If the three former caufes of difquietnefs were totally removed, fo that a believer were placed in fuch a condition upon earth, where no affliction could disturb him, no temptation trouble him, no corruption defile or grieve him, yet his very abfence from God must still keep him restless and unfatisfied, 2 Cor. v. 6. « Whilst we are a home in the body, we are absent from "the Lord." Deduct. 3. What freet and pleasant thoughts should all believers have of death! When they die, and never till they die, fhail they be fully brought home to God. Death to the faints, is the door by which they enter into the enjoyment of God: the dying Chriftian is almoft at home, yet a few pangs and agonies more, and then he is come to God, in whofe prefence is the fulness of joy. • Thou haft made us for thyfelf, and our hearts are unfatisfied till they reft in thee. Aug. Confef. lib. 1. c. 1. "I defire (faith Paul) to depart, and to be with Chrift, which is "far better." Phil. i. 23. It should not affright us to be brought to death, the king of terrors, fo long as it is the office of death to bring us to God. That dreaming opinion of the foul fleeping after death, is as ungrounded as it is uncomfortable: the fame day we loofe from this fhore, we fhall be landed upon the bleffed fhore, where we fhall fee and enjoy God for ever. O, if the friends of dead believers did but understand where, and with whom their fouls are, whilft they are mourning over their bodies, certainly a few believing thoughts of this would quickly dry up their tears, and fill the house of mourning with voices of praife and thankf giving! Deduct. 4. How comfortable and fweet should the converses and com→ munication of Chriftians be one with another, in this world! Chrift is bringing them all to God through this vale of tears; they are now in the way to him; all bound for heaven; going home to God, to their everlasting rest in glory: every day, every hour, every duty brings them nearer and nearer to their journey's end, Rom. xiii. II. "Now (faith the apoftle) is our falvation nearer than when "we believed." O, what manner of heavenly communications and ravishing difcourfes fhould believers have with each other as they walk by the way! O, what pleasant and delightful converse fhould they have with one another about the place and state whither Chrift is bringing them, and where they shall shortly be! What ravishing, tranfporting, transforming vifions they fhall have that day they are brought home to God! How furprizingly glorious to them the fight of Jefus Chrift will be, who died for them to bring them unto God! how fhould fuch difcourfes as these, fhorten and fweeten their paffage through this world, ftrengthen and encourage the dejected and feeble-minded, and exceedingly honour and adorn their profeffion! Thus lived the believers of old, Heb. xi. 9, 10. "By faith he fojourned in the land of pro"mife, as in a ftrange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Ifaac " and Jacob, the heirs with him of the fame promise; for he "looked for a city which hath foundations, whofe builder and "maker is God." But, alas! moft Chriftians are either so entangled in the cares and troubles, or fo enfnared by the delights and pleafures which almoft continually divert and take up their thoughts by the way, that there is but little room for any difcourfes of Chrift and heaven, among many of them: but certainly this would be as much your intereft as your duty. When the apostle had entertained the Theffalonians with a lovely difcourfe of their meeting the Lord in the air, and being ever with the Lord, he charges it upon them as their great duty, to comfort one another with these words, 1 Thef. iv. 17, 18. Deduc. 5. How unreasonable are the dejections of believers upon the account of thofe troubles which they meet with in this world! It is true, afflictions of all kinds do attend believers in their way to God; through many tribulations we muft enter into that kingdom. But what then? muft we defpond and droop under them as other men? Surely no; If afflictions be the way through which you must come to God, then never be difcouraged at affliction; troubles and afAlictions are of excellent ufe, under the bleflings of the Spirit, to further Chrift's great delign in bringing you to God. How often would you turn out of that way which leads to God, if he did not hedge up your way with thorns, Hof. ii. 6. Doubtlefs when come home to God, you fhall find you have been much beholden (it may be a great deal more) to your troubles than to your comforts, for bringing you thither: however, the fweetness of the end will infinitely more than recompenfe the forrows and troubles of the way: nor are they worthy to be compared with the glory that fhall be revealed in you, Rom. viii. 18. you Deduct. 6. How much are all believers obliged, in point of interest, to follow Jefus Chrift whitherfoever he goes! Thus are the faints defcribed, Rev. xiv. 4. "Thefe are they which follow the Lamb "whitherfoever he goeth: these were redeemed from among "men, being the first-fruits unto God, and to the Lamb." If it be the defign of Chrift to bring us to God, then certainly it is our duty to follow Chrift in all the paths of active and paffive obedience through which he now leads us, as ever we expect to be brought home to God at laft: "We are made partakers of Chrift, "if we hold the beginning of our confidence ftedfast unto the "end," Heb. iii. 14. If we have followed him through many fufferings and troubles, and shall turn away from him at laft, we lofe all that we have wrought and fuffered in religion, and shall never reach home to God at laft. The crown of life belongs only to them who are faithful to the death. Deduct. 7. Let all that defire, or expect to come to God hereafter, come to Chrift by faith now. There is no other way to the Father, but by Chrift; no other way to Chrift but faith. How vain therefore are the hopes and expectations of all unbelievers? Be affured of this great truth, Death Thall bring you to God as an avenging Judge, if Chrift do not bring you now to God as a reconciled Fa ther without holiness no man fhall fee God: the door of hope is fhut against all chriftiefs perfons, John xiv. 6. « No man cometh "unto the Father but by me.' O what a fweet voice cometh down from heaven to your fouls this day, faying, As ever you expect or hope to come to God, and enjoy the blefling that is here, come unto Chrift, obey his calls, give up yourfelves to his conduct and government, and you fhall certainly be brought to God! As |