flattering fancy, nor is it a matter of doubtful dişpute, or of uncertain opinion. I am assured of it from the words of Christ the Son of God, and from his blessed followers, whom he authorised to teach me the things of a future world.' He that is taught of God beholds these glories in the light of a divine faith, which is to him the "substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not yet seen,” Heb. xi. 1.

2. God works up the souls of his people to a preparation for the heavenly state, by purifying them from every defilement that might unfit them for the blessedness of heaven.' The removal of the guilt of sin by his pardoning mercy I have mentioned before, as necessary to our entrance into the heavenly state; and we must walk through this world, this defiling world with all holy watchfulness, lest our soul be blemished with new pollutions, lest new guilt come upon our consciences, and the thoughts of appearance before God be terrible to us. That soul is very much unfit for an entrance into the presence of a holy God, who is ever plunging itself into new circumstances of guilt, by a careless and unholy conversation. stand upon the borders of life, and the very edge of eternity, will be dreadful to those who have given themselves a loose to criminal pleasures, and indulged their irregular appetites and passions.

To

But it is not only a conscience purged from the guilt of sin by the blood of Christ, but a soul washed also from the defiling power and taint of sin, by the sanctifying spirit that is necessary to make us meet

for the heavenly inheritance. This is that purifica. tion which I now chiefly intend, Matth. v. 8. "Bléssed are the pure in heart for they shall see God." Nothing that defileth must enter into the city of God on high, nor whosoever maketh a lye or loveth it, Rev. xxi. 27. No injustice, no falsehood, no guile or deceit can be admitted within those gates: They must be without guile both in their heart and tongue, if they will stand before the throne of God," Rev. xiv. 5. sincerity and truth of soul, with all the beauties of an upright heart and character, are necessa ry to prepare an inhabitant for that blessed state. There must be no envy, no wrath or malice, no revenge; nor will any of the angry principles that dwell in our flesh and blood, or that inflame and disturb the mind, be found in those regions of peace and love. There must be no pride or ambition, no selfexaltation and vanity that can dwell in heaven, for it cast out the angels of glorious degree, when they would exalt themselves above their own station. 'Pride was the condemnation of the devil,' and it must not dwell in a human heart that ever hopes for a heavenly dwelling-place, 1 Tim. iii. 6. and Jude ver. 6. There must be no sensual and intemperate creature there, no covetous selfishness, no irregular passions, no narrowness of soul, no uncharitable and party spirit will ever be found in that country of diffusive love and joy.

And since the best of Christians have had the seeds of many of these iniquities in their hearts, and they have made a painful complaint of these rising corrup

tions of nature upon many occasions, these iniquities must be mortified and slain by the work of the Spirit of God within us, if ever we ourselves would live the divine life of heaven, Rom. viii. 13. There is a great deal of this purifying work to be done in the souls of all of us, before we can be prepared for the heavenly world, and though we cannot arrive at perfection here, yet we must be wrought up to a temper in some measure fit to enter into that blessedness: And God is training his people up for this purpose all the days of their travels through this desert world. Happy souls, who feel themselves more and more released from the bonds of these iniquities, day by day, and thereby feel within themselves the growing evidences of a joyful hope!

3. God does not only purify us from every sin in order to prepare us for heaven, but he is ever loosening and weaning our hearts from all those lawful things in this life, which are not to be enjoyed in heaven.' Our sensual appetites, and our carnal desires, so far as they are natural, though not sinful, must die before we can enter into eternal life. Flesh and blood cannot inherit' that divine, incorruptible, and refined happiness. Riches and treasures of gold and silver which the 'rust can corrupt, and which thieves can break through and steal,' are not provided for the heavenly state: They are all of the earthly kind, and too mean for the relish of a heavenly spirit. Although a Christian may possess many of these things in the present life, yet his affections must be divested of them, and his soul divided from

them, if he would be a saint indeed, and ever ready for the purer blessings of paradise. The businesses, the cares and the concerns of this secular life, are ready to drink up our spirits too much while we are here; we are too prone to mingle our very souls with them, and thereby grow unfit for heavenly felicities: And therefore it is that our Saviour has warned us, Luke xxi. 34. "Let not your hearts be overcharged with the cares of this world," any more than " with surfeiting and drunkenness,” if you would be always ready for your flight to a better state, and meet the summons of your Lord to paradise.

There are also many curious speculations and delightful amusements which may lawfully entertain us while we are here; there are sports and recreations which may divert the flesh or the mind in a lawful manner, whilst we dwell in tabernacles of flesh and blood, and are encompassed with mortal things: But the soul that is wrought up for heaven must arise to an holy indifference to all the entertainments of flesh and sense, and time, if it would put on the appearance of an heavenly inhabitant. Christians that would be ever ready for the glories of a better world must be such in some measure as the Apostle describes, 1 Cor. vii. 30. &c. They must rejoice' with such moderation in their dearest comforts of life as though they rejoiced not,' they must weep and mourn for the loss of them with such a divine self-government as though they wept not,' they must buy as though they possessed not,' they must use this world as not abusing it' in any instance, but must look upon

the fashions and the scenes of it as vanishing things, and have their hearts "set on the things that are above where Christ Jesus is at the Father's right hand," Colos. iii. 1, 2.

If you ask me, what methods the blessed God uses in order to attain these ends, and to purify and refine the soul for heaven? I answer, he sometimes does it by sharp strokes of affliction, making our interests in the creature bitter to us, that we may be weaned from the relish of them, and the power of divine grace must accompany all his weaning providences, or the work will not be done.

Sometimes again he weans the soul from the lawful things of this world, by permitting our earthly enjoyments to plunge us into difficulties, to seize the heart with anxieties, or to surround us with sore temptations: Then, when we feel ourselves falling into sin, and bruised or defiled thereby, we lose our former gust of pleasure in them; and when we are recovered by divine grace, we are more effectually weaned from such kind of temptations for the future; but it is impossible in the compass of a few lines to describe the various methods which the blessed God uses to wean the spirit from all its earthly attachments, and to work it up to a meetness for the inhe ritance of the saints in light. Blessed souls, who are thus loosened and weaned from sensible things, though it be done by painful sufferings !

4. The great God not only weans our hearts from those things that are not to be enjoyed in heaven, but he gives us a holy appetite and relish suited to