fhall fee for myself, and mine eyes fhall behold him: But in heaven every vail will be removed, and in the effulgence of his own light they fhall fee. their Saviour face to face. There, with a familiarity ten thousand times greater than even the infpired evangelift had attained upon earth, their eyes will fee, their ears will hear, their hands will handle of the word of life, and all their wants fhail be fupplied from the overflowings of his love. Yes, that very Jefus of whom they had fo often. read in the fcriptures; of whom they had fo often heard in the fanctuary; of whom it had been their greateft delight to difcourfe, and whom they had fo ardently defired to behold: that very Jefus who for their fakes lay obfcure in the manger of Bethlehem, who was defpifed and rejected by the world, who endured forrows unremitting, fufferings the most exquifite, and a death the most ignominious and painful; that very Jefus will then be exhibited without one intervening cloud for ever and ever. None of the fpirits of the just made perfect will ever have reason. to expoftulate with Mofes, Lord, fhew me thy glory, for Jehovah will be all and in all: Their fun fhall no more go down, neither shall their moon withdraw itfelf, but the Lord fhall be unto them an everlasting light, and their God their glory. None in the streets of the New Jerufalem will be found enquiring with the difconfolate fpoufe, Saw ye him whom my foul loveth, or uttering the plaintive exclamation of Job, O that I knew

where I might find him, I would go even to his feat, for every eye fhall fee him and all fhall know, even as alfo they are known.:

3. In heaven all their fellow fhip with the father will be in the face, and through the mediation of Jefus Chrift. From the moment of our apoftacy in the first Adam, our representative in the covenant of works, there could be no comfortable approach to an abfolute God: He could become propitious to man, and afford the pledges of his good will only through the interpofition of a mediator. God was in Chrift; when immediate access to the uncreated majefty was rendered impoffible by the disobedience of the firft Adam, a new and a living way was opened up by the mediation of the fecond; God was in Chrift, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing unto them their trefpaffes. Through him, through the Eternal Son appearing in the character of a mediator, we both, Jews and Gentiles, have an accefs by one fpirit unto the Father. All our approaches to Jehovah are exclufively through the facrifice, and mediation of the word made flesh. As all our communion with the Father in grace, all our communion with him in glory muft be through the inediation of Jesus Christ. This is a confideration to which I wifh your attention to be particularly directed. It is the opinion of fome that when all the election of grace are brought in and the prefent difpenfation of mercy fhall ter

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minate, that all our dependance on the Son as mediator will then ceafe, and our fellowship with the Father will be immediate. This is certainly a very great miftake, and tends to derange the whole economy of redemption. What is glory, but the perfection of grace, and as all our enjoy ments now are through the interpofition of a me. diator, why not hereafter? Befides, it is proper that as Jefus procured the kingdom, he should have the honor of occupying the throne, and eternally adminiftering the kingdom; that as he obtained every fpiritual and immortal bleffing at a price inconceivably great, even the furrender of his own life, he fhould have the honor of communicating every bleffing to the favored heirs of falvation; and this reward is everlaftingly referved to him. Our Lord Jefus Chrift will as really appear in his perfon God-man; he will as really exercife each mediatorial office in heaven, as on earth, and all the bleffednefs and all the glory of his members will immediately depend on that exercife. He is therefore pronounced with peculiar emphafis the light of the heavenly temple he is reprefented as filling all and in all; as leading them into living fountains of waters. He will be forever bringing them nearer, and nearer to Jehovah the fource of all their blifs, and inviting them to drink deeper and deeper of thatpure river of the water of life which flows from his throne. The father loveth the fon, and as a reward for his former humiliation, hath gi

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ven all things into his hand. In him as the great trustee of the covenant all its bleffings are now depofited, and by him they will be communicated both in time, and eternity.

Is the chriftian, in the moment of his diffolution, admitted into the immediate presence of Jefus his beloved; does he fee him forever as he is, and know him as he is known, who would not defire to depart? To confider the fuperior advantages of the heavenly ftate was our third propofition, and to this your attention is now invited, It is far better.

THE heavenly ftate may be pronounced far better for the righteous, because,

1. THEN they will glorify God more perfeâly and this confideration should excite an ardent defire to depart. Here ten thousand imperfections accompany thofe who are moft advanced in the divine life. Every fervice that we perform is tinged by the pollutions of a heart deceitful above all things. We never pray; we never praise; we never love God; we never love our neighbor with that purity and fervor which the holy law requires. The moft fpiritual worshiper on earth, in his moft fpiritual moments,may unite in the humiliating confeffion, I am carnal; the good which I would I do not, and the evil that I would not that do I: But in heaven all imperfections

will be eternally done away. There will be no complaint of indifference among the spirits of the just made perfect; there will be no wandering of imagination; no langour of love; no alienation of heart, but every thought will be spiritual; every bofom will burn with the pureft, the most ardent flame of love to God, and to all around. Every harp will be tuned to its highest ftring, and cach worshiper will fing with an extacy inconceivably greater than that of the militant David, I will blefs Jehovah at all times, and his praife fhall be continually in my mouth: My meditation of him Shall be fweet, and I will rejoice in the Lord: Blefs the Lord, O my foul; and all that is within me, blefs his holy name: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy difeafes: Who redeemeth thy life from deftruction; who crowneth thee with loving kindness, and tender mercies.

2. THEY will hereafter enjoy him more fully. As our fervices are imperfe&t during our pilgrimage on earth, our enjoyments are alfo incomplete. The comforter who fhould relieve our fouls is often removed, and our candle goes out in almost utter darknefs. Ordinances are frequently like dry breafts to the fpiritual babe, affording little nourishment or confolation, and thofe joys which they occafionally impart are of short duration. The fun which diffufes its healing beams one hour is vailed in darkness the next. But in heaven there is fullness of joy, and pleasures for