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though not of their first justification itself. But | sure or life? Has Christ the highest room in

eternally blessed be that hand of love, which hath drawn the free promise, and subscribed and sealed to that which ascertains us, both of the grace which is the condition, and the kingdom which on that condition is offered!

12. Such are the essentials of this people of God: not a full portraiture of them in all their excellencies, nor all the notes whereby they may be discerned. I beseech thee, reader, as thou hast the hope of a Christian, or the reason of a man, judge thyself, as one that must shortly be judged by a righteous God, and faithfully answer these questions. I will not inqure whether thou remember the time or the order of these workings of the Spirit: there may be much uncertainty and mistake in that. If thou art sure they are wrought in thee, the matter is not so great, though thou know not when or how thou camest by them. But carefully examine and inquire, Hast thou been thoroughly convinced of a prevailing depravation through thy whole soul? and a prevailing wickedness through thy whole life? and how vile sin is? and that, by the covenant thou hast transgressed, the least sin deserves eternal death? Dost thou consent to the law, that it is true and righteous, and perceive thyself sentenced to this death by it? Hast thou seen the utter insufficiency of every creature, either to be itself thy happiness, or the means of removing this thy misery? Hast thou been convinced, that thy happiness is only in God, as the end; and in Christ, as the way to him; and that thou must be brought to God through Christ, or perish eternally? Hast thou seen an absolute necessity of thy enjoying Christ, and the full sufficiency in him, to do for thee whatsoever thy case requires? Hast thou discovered the excellency of this pearl, to be worth thyselling all to buy it? Have thy convictions been like those of a man that thirsts; and not merely a change in opinion, produced by reading or education? Have both thy sin and misery been the abhorrence and burden of thy soul? If thou couldst not weep, yet couldst thou heartily groan under the insupportable weight of both? Hast thou renounced all thy own righteousness? Hast thou turned thy idols out of thy heart, so that the creature hath no more the sovereignty, but is now a servant to God and Christ? Dost thou accept of Christ as thy only Saviour, and expect thy justification, recovery, and glory, from him alone? Are his laws the most powerful commanders of thy life and soul? Do they ordinarily prevail against the commands of the flesh, and against the greatest interest of thy credit, profit, plea

thy heart and affections, so that, though thou canst not love him as thou wouldst, yet nothing else is loved so much? Hast thou to this end made a hearty covenant with him, and delivered up thyself to him? Is it thy utmost care and watchful endeavour that thou mayest be found faithful in this covenant; and though thou fall into sin, yet wouldst thou not renounce thy bargain, nor change thy Lord, nor give up thyself to any other government for all the world?—If this be truly the case, thou art one of the people of God in my text; and as sure as the promise of God is true, this blessed rest remains for thee. Only see thou abide in Christ,' and 'endure to the end;' for 'if any man draw back, his soul shall have no pleasure in him.' But if no such work be found within thee; whatever thy deceived heart may think, or how strong soever thy false hopes may be; thou wilt find to thy cost, except thorough conversion prevent it, that the rest of the saints belongs not to thee. O that thou wert wise, that thou wouldst understand this, that thou wouldst consider thy latter end! That yet while thy soul is in thy body, and a price in thy hand,' and opportunity and hope before thee, thine ears may be open, and thy heart yield to the persuasions of God, that so thou mightest rest among his people, and enjoy the inheritance of the saints in light!'

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13. That this rest shall be enjoyed by the people of God, is a truth which the Scripture, if its testimony be further needed, clearly asserts in a variety of ways: as, for instance, that they are fore-ordained to it, and it for them.-God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he hath prepared for them a city.' They are styled

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vessels of mercy, afore prepared unto glory. In Christ they have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the council of of his own will.' And 'whom he did predestinate, them he also glorified.' Who can bereave his people of that rest which is designed for them by God's eternal purpose? Scripture tells us, they are redeemed to this rest. By the blood of Jesus we have boldness to enter into the holiest ;' whether that entrance means by faith and prayer here, or by full possession hereafter. Therefore the saints in heaven sing a new song unto him who has 'redeemed them to God by his blood, out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation, and made them kings and priests unto God.' Either Christ, then, must lose his blood and sufferings, and never see of the travail of his soul, or else there remaineth a rest

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to the people of God.' In Scripture this rest is | who believe not the truth, but have pleasure in promised to them. As the firmament with stars, unrighteousness. The Lord Jesus shall come, so are the sacred pages, bespangled with these in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that divine engagements. Christ says 'Fear not, little know not God, and that obey not the gospel of flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give our Lord Jesus Christ; who shall be punished you the kingdom.' 'I appoint unto you a king- with everlasting destruction from the presence of dom, as my Father hath appointed unto me; that the Lord, and from the glory of his power.' Had ye may eat and drink at my table in my king- the ungodly returned before their life was expired, dom.' All the means of grace, the operations of and been heartily willing to accept of Christ for the Spirit upon the soul, and gracious actings their Saviour and their King, and to be saved by of the saints, every command to repent and be- him in his way, and upon his most reasonable lieve, to fast and pray, to knock and seek; to terms, they might have been saved. God freely strive and labour, to run and fight, prove that offered them life, and they would not accept it. there remains a rest for the people of God. The The pleasures of the flesh seemed more desirable Spirit would never kindle in us such strong desires to them than the glory of the saints. Satan after heaven, such love to Jesus Christ, if we should offered them the one, and God offered them the not receive what we desire and love. He that other; and they had free liberty to choose 'guides our feet into the way of peace,' will un- which they would, and they chose the pleadoubtedly bring us to the end of peace. How nearly sures of sin for a season,' before the everare the means and end conjoined! The kingdom lasting rest with Christ. And is it not a of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take righteous thing that they should be denied that it by force.' They that follow Christ in the which they would not accept? When God regeneration shall sit upon thrones of glory.' pressed them so earnestly, and persuaded them Scripture assures us, that the saints have the so importunately, to come in, and yet they would 'beginnings, foretastes, earnests, and seals,' of not, where should they be but among the dogs this rest here. The kingdom of God is within without? Though man be so wicked, that he them. Though they have not seen Christ, yet will not yield till the mighty power of grace preloving him, and believing in him, they rejoice vail with him, yet still we may truly say, that he with joy unspeakable and full of glory; receiv- may be saved, if he will, on God's terms. His ing the end of their faith, even the salvation of inability being moral, and lying in wilful wickedtheir souls.' They 'rejoice in hope of the glory ness, is no more excuse to him, than it is to an of God.' And does God'seal them with that adulterer that he cannot love his own wife, or to Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of a malicious person that he cannot but hate his own their inheritance,' and will he deny the full pos- brother: is he not so much the worse, and desession? The Scripture also mentions, by name, serving of so much the sorer punishment ? Sinthose who have entered into this rest,-as Enoch, ners shall lay all the blame on their own wills in Abraham, Lazarus, the thief that was crucified hell for ever. Hell is a rational torment by conwith Christ, &c. And if there be a rest for these, science, according to the nature of the rational sure there is a rest for all believers. But it is subject. If sinners could but then say, It was vain to heap up Scripture proofs, seeing it is the wrong of God, and not of us, it would quiet their very end of Scripture to be a guide to lead us consciences, and ease their torments, and make to this blessed state, and to be the charter and hell to them to be no hell. But to remember grant by which we hold all our title to it. their wilfulness, will feed the fire, and cause the worm of conscience never to die.

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14. Scripture not only proves that this rest remains for the people of God, but also that it remains for none but them; so that the rest of the world shall have no part in it. Without holiness no man shall see the Lord. Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. He that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him. No whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God. They all shall be damned,

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15. It is the will of God, that this rest should yet remain for his people, and not be enjoyed till they come to another world. Who should dispose of the creatures, but he that made them? You may as well ask, Why have we not spring and harvest without winter? or, Why is the earth below and the heavens above? as, Why have we not rest on earth? All things must come to their perfection by degrees. The strongest man must first be a child. The greatest scholar must first begin with the alphabet. The tallest oak was once an acorn. This life is our infancy; and 6 r

would we be perfect in the womb, or born at full | wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me?' stature? If our rest was here, most of God's What makes them 'press towards the mark, and providences must be useless. Should God lose run that they may obtain, and strive to enter in,' the glory of his church's miraculous deliverances, if they are capable of rest in their present condiand the fall of his enemies, that men may have tion?—And our bodies are incapable as well as their happiness here? If we were all happy, in- our souls. They are not now those sunlike nocent, and perfect, what use was there for the bodies which they shall be, when this corruptible glorious works of our sanctification, justification, hath put on incorruption, and this mortal hath and future salvation ?--If we wanted nothing, put on immortality. They are our prisons and we should not depend on God so closely, nor our burdens; so full of infirmities and defects, call upon him so earnestly. How little should that we are fain to spend most of our time in rehe hear from us, if we had what we would have! pairing them, and supplying their continual God would never have had such songs of praise wants. Is it possible that an immortal soul from Moses at the Red Sea and in the wilder- should have rest in such a distempered noisome ness, from Deborah and Hannah, from David habitation. Surely these sickly, weary, loathand Hezekiah, if they had been the choosers of some bodies, must be refined, before they can be their condition. Have not thy own highest capable of enjoying rest. The objects we here praises to God, reader, been occasioned by thy enjoy are insufficient to afford us rest. Alas! dangers or miseries? The greatest glory and what is there in all the world to give us rest? praise God has through the world, is for redemp- They that have most of it, have the greatest tion, reconciliation, and salvation by Christ; and burden. They that set most by it, and rejoice was not man's misery the occasion of that?— most in it, do all cry out at last of its vanity and And where God loses the opportunity of exercis- vexation. Men promise themselves a heaven ing his mercies, man must needs lose the happi- upon earth; but when they come to enjoy it, it ness of enjoying them. Where God loses his flies from them. He that has any regard to the praise, man will certainly lose his comforts. O works of the Lord, may easily see, that the very the sweet comforts the saints have had in return end of them is to take down our idols, to make to their prayers! How should we know what a us weary of the world, and seek our rest in him. tender-hearted Father we have, if we had not, Where does he cross us most, but where we proas the prodigal, been denied the husks of earthly mise ourselves most content? If you have a child pleasure and profit? We should never have you dote upon, it becomes your sorrow. If you felt Christ's tender heart, if we had not felt our-have a friend you trust in, and judge unchangeable, selves weary and heavy laden, hungry and he becomes your scourge. Is this a place or state thirsty, poor and contrite. It is a delight to a It is a delight to a of rest? And as the objects we here enjoy are soldier, or traveller, to look back on his escapes insufficient for our rest, so God, who is sufficient, when they are over; and for a saint in heaven is here little enjoyed. It is not here that he to look back on his sins and sorrows upon earth, hath prepared the presence-chamber of his glory. his fears and tears, his enemies and dangers, his He hath drawn the curtain between us and him. wants and calamities, must make his joy more We are far from him as creatures, and farther as joyful. Therefore the blessed, in praising the frail mortals, and farthest as sinners. We hear Lamb, mention his 'redeeming them out of now and then a word of comfort from him, and every nation, and kindred, and tongue;' and so, receive his love-tokens to keep up our hearts out of their misery, and wants, and sins, and and hopes; but this is not our full enjoyment. making them kings and priests to God.' But if And can any soul, that hath made God his porthey had had nothing but content and rest on tion, as every one hath that shall be saved by earth, what room would there have been for him, find rest in so vast a distance from him, and these rejoicings hereafter? so seldom and small enjoyment of him? Nor are we now capable of rest, as there is a worthiness must go before it. Christ will give the crown to none but the worthy. And are we fit for the crown, before we have overcome? or for the prize, before we have run the race? or to receive our penny, before we have wrought in the vineyard? or to be rulers of ten cities, before we have improved our ten talents? or to enter into the joy of our Lord, before we have well

16. Besides, we are not capable of rest upon earth. Can a soul that is so weak in grace, so prone to sin, so nearly joined to such a neighbour as this flesh, have full content and rest in such a case? What is soul-rest but our freedom from sin, and imperfection, and enemies? And can the soul have rest that is pestered with all these, and that continually? Why do Christians so often cry out, in the language of Paul, O

done, as good and faithful servants? God will not alter the course of justice, to give you rest before you have laboured, nor the crown of glory till you have overcome. There is reason enough why our rest should remain till the life to come. Take heed, then, Christian reader, how thou darest to contrive and care for a rest on earth; or to murmur at God for thy trouble, and toil, and wants in the flesh. Doth thy poverty weary thee? Thy sickness, thy bitter enemies, and unkind friends? It should be so here. Do the abominations of the times, the sins of professors, the hardening of the wicked, all weary thee? It must be so while thou art absent from thy rest. Do thy sins, and thy naughty distempered heart weary thee? Be thus wearied more and more. But under all this weariness, art thou willing to go to God thy rest, and to have thy warfare accomplished, and thy race and labour ended? If not, complain more of thy own heart, and get it more weary, till rest seem more desirable.

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do good; to enjoy all the comforts of life, the fellowship of saints, the comfort of ordinances, and much of Christ in all, than to lie rotting in the grave? Therefore some further blessedness is there promised.-How else is it said, 'We are come to the spirits of just men made perfect.' Sure, at the resurrection, the body will be made perfect, as well as the spirit. Does not Scripture tell us, that Enoch and Elias are taken up already? And shall we think they possess that glory alone?-Did not Peter, James and John see Moses also with Christ on the mount? yet the Scripture saith, Moses died. And is it likely that Christ deluded their senses, in showing them Moses, if he should not partake of that glory till the resurrection ?-And is not that of Stephen as plain as we can desire? Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.' Surely, if the Lord receive it, it is neither asleep, nor dead, nor annihilated: but it is where he is, and beholds his glory.— That of the wise man is of the same import: 'The spirit shall return unto God who gave it.' 17. I have but one thing more to add, for the Why are we said to have eternal life; and that close of this chapter,—that the souls of believers to know God is life eternal ;' and that a believer do enjoy inconceivable blessedness and glory, on the Son hath everlasting life?' Or how is even while they remain separated from their 'the kingdom of God within us?' If there be as bodies. What can be more plain than those great an interruption of our life, as till the resurwords of Paul-' we are always confident, know-rection, this is no eternal life, nor everlasting ing that whilst we are at home,' or rather, sojourning, in the body, we are absent from the Lord; for we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.'-Or those, 'I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ, which is far better.'-If Paul had not expected to enjoy Christ till the resurrection, why should he be in a strait, or desire to depart? Nay, should he not have been loath to depart upon the very same grounds? For while he was in the flesh, he enjoyed something of Christ.-Plain enough is that of Christ to the thief, To-day shalt thou be with me in paradise.'-In the parable of Dives and Lazarus, it seems unlikely Christ would so evidently intimate and suppose the soul's happiness or misery presently after death, if there were no such matter. Our Lord's argument for the resurrection supposes that, 'God, being not the God of the dead, but of the living,' therefore Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, were then living in soul.-If the 'blessedness of the dead that die in the Lord,' were only in resting in the grave, then a beast or a stone were as blessed; nay, it were evidently a curse, and not a blessing. For was not life a great mercy? Was it not a greater mercy to serve God, and to

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kingdom.-The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah
are spoken of as 'suffering the vengeance of eter-
nal fire.' And if the wicked already suffer eter-
nal fire, then, no doubt, but the godly enjoy
eternal blessedness. When John saw his glorious
revelations, he is said to be in the Spirit,' and
to be carried away in the Spirit.' And when
Paul was caught up to the third heaven, he
knew not whether in the body or out of the
body.' This implies, that spirits are capable of
these glorious things, without the help of their
bodies.-Is not so much implied, when John
says, 'I saw under the altar the souls of them
that were slain for the word of God? When
Christ says, 'Fear not them who kill the body
but are not able to kill the soul,' does it not
plainly imply, that when wicked men have killed
our bodies, that is, have separated the souls from
them, yet the souls are still alive? The soul of
Christ was alive when his body was dead, and
therefore so shall be ours too.
This appears by
his words to the thief, To-day shalt thou be
with me in paradise ;' and also by his voice on
the cross, Father, into thy hands I commend
my spirit.' If the spirits of those that were dis-
obedient in the days of Noah, were in prison,
that is, in a living and suffering state; then cer-
tainly, the separate spirits of the just are in an

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opposite condition of happiness. Therefore, rather show thee what hopes thou hast before

faithful souls will no sooner leave their prisons of flesh, but angels shall be their convoy; Christ, with all the perfected spirits of the just, will be their companions: heaven will be their residence, and God their happiness. When such die, they may boldly and believingly say, as Stephen, 'Lord Jesus, receive my spirit;' and commend it, as Christ did, into a Father's hands.

CHAPTER V.

THE GREAT MISERY OF THOSE WHO LOSE THE
SAINTS' REST.

Sect. 1. The reader, if unregenerate, urged to consider what the loss of heaven will be. 2. (I.) The loss of heaven particularly includes, 3. (1.) The personal perfection of the saints; 4. (2.) God himself; 5. (3.) All delightful affections towards God; 6. (4.) The blessed society of angels and glorified spirits. 7. (11.) The aggrava

tions of the loss of heaven: 8. (1.) The understanding of the ungodly will then be cleared; 9. (2.) also enlarged; 10. (3.) Their consciences will make a true and close application. 11. (4.) Their affections will be more lively; 12-18. (5.) Their memories will be large and strong. 19. Conclusion of the chapter.

1. If thou reader, art a stranger to Christ, and to the holy nature and life of his people, who art before described, and shalt live and die in this condition, let me tell thee, thou shalt never partake of the joys of heaven, nor have the least taste of the saints' eternal rest. I may say, as Ehud to Eglon, I have a message to thee from God;' that, as the word of God is true, thou shalt never see the face of God with comfort. This sentence I am commanded to pass upon thee; take it as thou wilt, and escape it if thou canst. I know thy humble and hearty subjection to Christ would procure thy escape; he would then acknowledge thee for one of his people, and give thee a portion in the inheritance of his chosen. If this might be the happy success of my message, I should be so far from repining, like Jonah, that the threatenings of God are not executed upon thee, that I should bless the day that ever God made me so happy a messenger. But if thou end thy days in thy unregenerate state, as sure as the heavens are over thy head, and the earth under thy feet, thou shalt be shut out of the rest of the saints, and receive thy portion in everlasting fire. I expect thou wilt turn upon me, and say, When did God show you the Book of Life, or tell you who they are that shall be saved, and who shut out? I answer, I do not name thee, nor any other; I only conclude it of the unregenerate in general, and of thee, if thou be such a one. Nor do I go about to determine who shall repent, and who shall not: much less, that thou shalt never repent. I had

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thee, if thou wilt not sit still, and lose them. I
would far rather persuade thee to hearken in
time, before the door be shut against thee, than
tell thee there is no hope of thy repenting and
returning. But if the foregoing description of
the people of God does not agree with the state
of thy soul, is it then a hard question, whether
thou shalt ever be saved? Need I ascend up
into heaven to know, that without holiness no
man shall see the Lord;' or, that only the pure
in heart shall see God;' or, that except a man
be born again, he cannot enter into the kingdom
of God?" Need I go up to heaven, to inquire
that of Christ, which he came down to earth to
tell us; and sent his Spirit in his apostles to tell
us; and which he and they have left record
to all the world? And though I know not the
secrets of thy heart, and therefore cannot tell
thee by name, whether it be thy state or not;
yet, if thou art but willing and diligent, thou
mayest know thyself, whether thou art an heir
of heaven or not. It is the main thing I desire,
that if thou art yet miserable, thou mayest dis-
cern and escape it. But how canst thou escape,
if thou neglect Christ and salvation? It is as
impossible as for the devils themselves to be
saved: nay, God has more plainly and frequently
spoken it in Scripture of such sinners as thou
Methinks a sight
art, than he has of the devils.
of thy case would strike thee with amazement
When Belshazzar saw the fingers
and horror.
of a man's hand that wrote upon the wall, his
countenance was changed and his thoughts
troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were
loosed, and his knees smote one against another.'
What trembling then should seize on thee, who
hast the hand of God himself against thee, not
in a sentence or two, but in the very scope of
the Scriptures, threatening the loss of an ever-
lasting kingdom! Because I would fain have
thee lay it to heart, I will show thee—the nature
of thy loss of heaven,-together with its aggra-

vations.

2. (I.) In their loss of heaven, the ungodly lose-the saints' personal perfection,-God himself,-all delightful affections towards God,-and the blessed society of angels and saints.

3. (1.) The glorious personal perfection which the saints enjoy in heaven, is the great loss of the ungodly. They lose that shining lustre of the body, surpassing the brightness of the sun at noonday. Though the bodies of the wicked will be raised more spiritual than they were upon earth, yet that will only make them capable of the more exquisite torments. They would be

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