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better than a thousand in the tents or palaces of wickedness, but because it is the exchange where we have news of heaven, and trade for an eternity? And why is it better to be a door-keeper in the house of God, than to flourish in the prosperity of sinners, but because God's house is the porch or entrance to an eternity of delights; and the lowest room among the saints affords us a better prospect into heaven, than the highest state of worldly dignity? The ungodly are near to cutting down when they flourish in their greatest glory. Stay but a little, and he that flourisheth will be withered and cast into the fire, and the righteous shall see it when he is cut off, and shall seek him, but he is not to be found, for the enemies of God, and all that are far from him shall perish, their desire shall perish, their hope shall perish, their way shall perish, and themselves, and all that they sought, loved, and delighted in, shall perish, even the visible heavens and earth, which they abused, shall be consumed with fire. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought we to be in all holy conversation and godliness, looking towards and waiting for the coming and appearance of our Lord!' Shall any man be accounted wise, that is not wise for eternal happiness? Shall any man be counted happy that must be most miserable to eternity? Christian, I charge thee to hold on, and look to thy soul, thy words, thy ways, for it is for eternity. O play not, loiter not, do nothing by the halves in the way to eternity! Let the careless world do what they will; they despise, and know not what they despise; they neglect, and know not what they neglect; but thou that seekest, labourest, and waitest, knowest what thou seekest, labourest, and waitest for. They sin and know not what they do. They know not what they are treasuring up for an eternity. But thou knowest why thou hatest and avoidest sin. Sinners, be awakened by the call of God; do you know where you are, and what you do? You are every man of you stepping into eternity? Will you sin away, will you loiter away, will you sell for nothing, an eternal glory? Is thy sinful lust, gain, mirth, gluttony, and excess of drink, a price to set upon eternity? If heaven be no more worth to thee, art thou not as bad as Judas, who for thirty pieces of silver would sell his Lord? O eternity, eternity! what hearts have they that can so forget thee, neglect thee, and disesteem thee, when they stand so near thee! O sleepy souls; do you never use to rub your eyes, and look before you towards eternity? And doth it not amaze you to see whither it is that you

are going?

Merrily you run down the hill; but where is the bottom? If you look but down from the top of a steeple, it may occasion an amazing fear; what then should it cause in you to look down into hell, which is your eternity? No good can possibly be small that is eternal; and no hurt or pain can be called little, that is eternal: an eternal tooth-ache, or an eternal gout, or stone, or fever, were a misery unspeakable; but O what are these to an eternal loss of heaven, and to an eternal sense of the burning wrath of God Almighty! To be out of heaven a day, and in hell that day, is a misery now unknown to sinners: but if it were as many thousand years as the earth hath sands, it were a greater misery; but to be there for ever, doth make the misery past all hope and all conceiving. O methinks the very name of eternity, should frighten the drunkard out of the ale-house, and the sleepy sinner out of his security, and the lustful, sportful, voluptuous sinner out of his sensual delights! Methinks the very name of eternity should call off the worldling to seek betimes a more enduring treasure, and should take down the gallant's pride, and bring men to look after other matters than the most do look after. Methinks to hear the name of eternity should with men of any faith and reason, even blast all the beauty, sully the glory, sadden the delights, weaken the temptations of the world, and make all its pleasure, pomp and splendour, to be to our apprehensions as a smoke, a shadow, as the dust that we tread upon. Methinks to hear the name of eternity, should lay so odious a reproach on sin, and so nakedly open the folly, shame, and misery of the ungodly, and so lively show the need and worth of faith and holiness, that men should be soon resolved in their choice, and soon be at the end of an ungodly course, and need no more words to make them the resolved servants of the Lord, before to-morrow. O methinks, that a thought of eternity should, with a believer, answer all temptations, and put life into all his prayers and endeavours.

If we were ever so cold, or dull, or sleepy, one would think a serious thought of eternity should warm us, quicken us, and awake us! O Christians, shall we hear carelessly, or speak carelessly of eternity; shall we pray coldly, or labour negligently for eternity? O what an ocean of joy will eternity be unto the sanctified. It hath neither banks nor bottom. O what a gulf of misery and woe will eternity be to the ungodly! Wonderful, that on their dying beds they quake not with the horror, and that they cry not out with greatest lamentation, to think

souls must be cast into! To be for ever, ever, ever under the most heavy wrath of God. This is the appointed wages of ungodliness; this is the end of wicked ways; this is it that sinners chose, because they would not live to God; this they preferred or ventured on, before a holy, heavenly life; and this is it that believers are labouring to escape in all their holy care and diligence. It is an infinite value that is put upon the blood of Christ, the promises of God, the ordinances and means of grace, and grace itself, and the poorest duties of the poorest saints, because they are for an infinite, eternal glory. No mercy is small that tastes of heaven, as all doth or should do to the believer. No action is low that aims at heaven. O how lively should the resolutions and courage of those men be, that are travelling, fighting, and watching for eternity! How full should be their comforts, that are drawn from the foresight of infinite eternal comforts; as all things will presently be swallowed up in eternity, so methinks the present apprehension of eternity should now swallow up all things else in the soul.

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what a bottomless gulf of misery their departing the womb is not made to come into this world, and see the sun, and converse with men, because he hath no apprehensions of it. Our state here is a conjunction of the soul to a frail, distempered body and so near a conjunction, that the actions of the soul must have great dependence on the body; therefore our apprehensions are limited by its frailty; and the soul can go no higher than the capacity of the body will allow. Our apprehensions now are fitted to our use and benefit; we are now believers, and must live by faith: and therefore must not be beholders, and live by sense. If eternity were open to men's natural sight, or we had here as clear and lively apprehensions of it, as those have that are there, then it were no thanks, no praise to us to be believers, or to obey and live as saints; then God should not govern man, as man, here in the way by a law, but as a beast by sense, or as the glorified that have possession. Where there are perfect apprehensions of God and glory, there will be also perfect love, joy, and praise, and consequently perfect happiness; and this were to make earth and heaven, the way and the end, to be all one. Perfect apprehensions are kept for a perfect state of happiness. But here it is well if we have such apprehensions as are fitted to the use of travellers and soldiers, as will carry us on, and prevail against the difficulties of our course. Moreover, the body, the brain, which the soul in apprehending now makes use of, cannot bear such apprehensions as are suitable to the thousandth part of the greatness of the object, without distraction. The smallest eye may see the sun, but the greatest cannot endure to gaze upon its glory; much less if it were at the nearest approach. It is a mercy of mercies to give us such apprehensions of eternity, as are meet for passengers to bring us thither; and it is part of our mercy that those apprehensions are not so great as to distract and overwhelm us.

Object. But, saith the unbeliever, if God have made man for eternity, it is a wonder that there are no more lively impressions of so infinite a thing upon the souls of all; our sense of it is so small, that it makes me doubt whether we are made for it.

Answ. Consider, 1. That benumbness, sleep, and death, is the very state of an unholy soul. Hast thou cast thyself into a sleepy, senseless disease, and wilt thou argue thence against eternity? This is as if the blind should conclude that there is no sun, or that the eye of man was not made to see it, because he hath no sight himself: or as if you should think that man hath not any life or feeling, because your palsied limbs do not feel: or that the stomach was not made for meat, because the stomachs of the sick abhor it.

2. And for believers, you may see by their lives that they have some apprehensions of eternity: why else do they differ from you, and deny themselves, and displease the world and the flesh itself? Why do they set their hearts above, if they have not lively thoughts of an eternity?

2. But if you ask me, why their apprehensions are not a thousand times more lively about so infinite a thing; I answer, their apprehensions must be suitable to their state. Our state here is a state of imperfection; and so will our apprehensions be; but a perfect state will have perfect apprehensions. It is no proof that the infant in.

4. The eternity of God must teach the soul contentment and patience under all labours, changes, sufferings and dangers that are here below. Believing soul, draw near; look seriously on eternity, and try whether it will not make such impressions as these upon thee. Art thou weary of labours, either of the mind or body? Is not eternity long enough for thy rest? Canst thou not afford to work out the day light of this life, when thou must rest with Christ to all eternity? Canst thou not run with patience so short a race, when thou lookest to so long a rest? Canst thou not watch one hour with Christ, who must reign with him to all eternity? Dost thou begin to shrink at sufferings for Christ,

when thou must be in glory with him for ever? | scales? In a word, if there be any man that How short is the suffering? How long is the escapes the foolish seductions of this world, and reward? Dost thou begin to think hardly of uses it as not abusing it, and hath all his worldly the dealing of the Lord, because his people are accommodations as if he had none, it is he that here afflicted, and made the scorn and byeword fixes his eye upon eternity, and sees that the of the world? Why, is not eternity long enough fashion of these lower things doth pass away. for God to show his love and bounty to his people No man can be ignorant of the necessity and in? Is not the day at hand, when Lazarus and worth of a holy life, who discerns that the eternal the rich worldling both must hear, But now God is the end of it. The right apprehensions he is comforted, and thou art tormented.' Did of God's eternity, supposing him our end, which not that now, come time enough which was the is further to be manifested in its place, is a most entrance of eternity? Even Jesus, the author powerful antidote against all sin, and a most and perfecter of our faith, for the joy that was powerful composer of a distempered mind, and set before him, endured the cross, despising the a most powerful means to keep up all the powers shame, and is set down at the right hand of the of the soul in a resolute, vigorous, cheerful mo throne of God. Consider him that endured such tion to the eternal God, for whom and by whom contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye it was created. be wearied and faint in your minds.'

CHAP. VI.

The next attribute of God that is to make its impress on us, is, that he is a Spirit. In this one are these three especially comprehended: 1. That he is simple, and not material or compounded, as bodies are: 2. That he is invisible, and not to be seen as bodies are: 3. That he is immortal and incorruptible, and not subject to death or change, as bodies are.

1. As simplicity signifies unity, in opposition to multiplicity, we have spoken of it before. As it is opposite to all materiality, mixture or composition, we are now to speak of it. The believing thoughts of God's immateriality and simplicity, should have these three effects upon the soul. 1. It should do much to win the heart to God, and cause it to close with him as its felicity because as he hath no matter or mixture, so he hath nothing but pure and perfect goodness, and therefore there is nothing in him to discourage the soul. The creatures have evil in them with their good, and by contrary qualities hurt us, when they help us, and displease us when they please us : but in God there is nothing but infinite goodness. Should not the soul adhere to him, where it is sure to find nothing but simple, pure, and unmixed good? The creatures are all lia

Dost thou grudge at the prosperity of the wicked, and prevalency of the church's enemies? Look then unto eternity, and bethink thee whether that be not long enough, for the saints to reign, and the wicked to be tormented. Wouldst thou have them in hellore their time? Dost thou begin to doubt of the coming of Christ, or the truth of his promises, because he doth so long delay? O what is a thousand years to eternity? Is there not yet time enough before thee, for Christ to make good all the promises in ? Were not those disciples sharply but justly rebuked as, fools and slow of heart to believe,' that when their Lord had been but two days dead, were unbelievingly saying, ' we hoped this had been he that should have redeemed Israel. O remember, Christian, in all thy darkness and ignorance of the difficult passages of scripture, or of providence, that the things that are chained to eternity, cannot be perfectly understood by him that stands in an inch of time: but when eternity comes, thou shalt understand them. Remember when things seemed crooked in this world, and the best are lowest, and the worst are highest, that eternity is long enough to set all straight. Remember when sinners triumph, that eternity is long enough for their complaints. In thy poverty, pain, and long-ble to some exceptions: in one thing they help. est afflictions, remember that eternity is long enough for thy relief. If thy sorrow be long, and thy comforts short, remember that eternity is long enough for thy joys. Cannot we be content to take up short in this life, when we believe eternity? Dost thou stagger at the length or strength of thy temptations: and art thou ready to draw back and venture upon sin? Why what temptation can there be, that should not be lighter thaa a feather, if eternity be put against it in the

us, but in another they hinder us; in one thing they are suitable to us, and in another thing unsuitable; but God is liable to no exceptions. This will for ever confound the ungodly that give not up themselves unto him: they did ever for a thing of nought forsake that God that was purely and simply good, and against whom they had no exceptions. Had there been any thing in God to discourage the soul, or which his most malicious enemy could blame, the ungodly soul

had some excuse. But this will stop all the mouths of the condemned, that they had nothing to say against the Lord and yet they had no mind to him, no hearts for him, in comparison of the vain, vexatious creatures.

serviency to the Lord; but nothing should take up the least of that estimation, those affections, or endeavours that are his own peculiar. God will not accept of half a heart: a double-minded, double-hearted, double-faced, or double-tongued person, is contrary to the holy simplicity of a saint. As we would not bow the knee to any gods but one, so neither should we bow the heart or life to them. We should know what is God's prerogative, and that we should keep entirely for him. A subordinate esteem, love, and desire the creature may have, as it reveals God to us, or leads to him, or helps us in his work but it should not have the least of his part in our esteem, love, or desire. This is the chastity, the purity, the integrity of the soul. It is the mixture, impurity, corruption and confusion of our souls, when any thing is taken in with God. See therefore, Christian, that in thy heart thou have no God but one, and that he have all thy heart, soul, and strength, as far as thou canst attain it. Because there will be still in imperfect souls, some sinful mixture of the creature's interest with God's, let it be the work of thy life to be watch

2. The simplicity of God should make us know the imperfection and vanity of all the creatures that are compounded things; and so should help to alienate us from them. Our friends have in them perhaps much holiness, but mixed with much sin. They may have much knowledge; but mixed with much ignorance. Their humility is mixed with pride; their meekness with some passions, their love with selfishness, and a small matter will cause them to distaste us: they may be much for God; but withal they may do much against him. They help the church; but through their weakness they may lamentably detract or wrong it they are able to help us but in part; and willing but in part; and they have usually interests of their own, that are inconsistent with ours. We have no quality, but hath some alloy. Our houses, our families, our neighbours, our callings, our cattle, our land, our countries, churches, ministers, magistrates, laws and judging against it, casting it out, and cleansing thy ments, yea, even health, plenty, and peace itself, all have their mixtures of bitterness or danger, and those the most dangerous commonly that have least bitterness. But in God there is none of all this mixture, but pure uncompounded good. 'He is light, and with him is no darkness.' Indeed there is somewhat in God that an ungodly man distastes, and that seems in the state that he is in to be against him, and hurtful to him: as is his justice, holiness, truth, &c. But justice is not evil, because it doth condemn a thief or murderer: meat is not bad, because the sick distaste it. It is the cross position of the sinful soul, or his enmity to the Lord, that makes the Lord to use him as an enemy. Let him but become a subject fit for sweeter dealing from God, and he is sure to find it. Leave then the coinpounded, self-contradicting creature, and adhere to the pure, simple Deity.

3. God's simplicity must draw the soul to a holy simplicity, that it may be like to God. We that serve a pure simple God, must do it with simple pure affections, and not with hypocrisy, or a double heart. His interest in us should be maintained with a holy jealousy, that no other interest mix itself therewith. The soul should attain to a holy simplicity by closing with the simple infinite God, and suffering nothing to be a sharer with him in our superlative affections. All creatures must keep their places in our hearts, and that is only in a due subordination and sub

heart of it, as thou wouldst do with thy food if it fell into the dust. For whatever is added to God in thy affections, doth make no better an increase there, than the adding of earth unto thy gold, or of impurity unto thy meat, or of corrupted humours and sickness to thy body. Mixture will make no better work.

It may be thy rejoicing, if thou have the testimony of a good conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, and not in fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, thou hast had thy conversation in the world.' It is the state of hypocrisy when one God is openly professed and worshipped and yet the creature lies deepest and nearest to the heart.

2. The invisibility of God also must have its due effects upon us.

1. It must warn us, that we picture not God to our eye-sight, or in our fancies in any bodily shape. Saith the prophet, 'To whom will you liken God? or what likeness will ye compare unto him? So, no man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of his Father, he hath declared him; and therefore we must conceive of him but as he is declared, Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father.” If you ask me, how then you should conceive of God, if not in any bodily shape? I answer, get all these attributes, and relations of God to make their proper impress pon thy soul, as now I am

you.

teaching you, and then you will have the true | is a spirit, if corporeal substances had not a baser conceiving of God: this question therefore is to kind of being than spirits: intelligence is a more be answered at the end of this discourse, when noble operation than sense. If there be any you have seen all the attributes of God together, thing properly called sense in heaven, it will be and heard what impression they must make upon as far below the pure intellectual intuition of the Lord, as the glorified body will be below the glorified soul. But what that difference will be, we cannot now understand. Fix not your minds on sensible things. Remember that your God, your home, your portion are unseen: and therefore live in hearty affections to them, and serious prosecution of them, as if you saw them. Pray, as if you saw God, heaven, and hell. Hear, as if you saw him that sends his messenger to speak to you. Resist all the temptations to lust, sensuality, and every sin, as you would do if you saw God stand by. Love him, fear him, trust him, and serve him, as you would do if you beheld him. Faith is the evidence of things not seen.' Believing must be to you instead of seeing; and make you as serious about things unseen, as sensual men are about things sensible. In every thing that you see, remember it is he that is unseen that appears in them. He enlightens you by the sun; he warms you by the fire; he bears you by the earth. See him in all these by the eye of faith.

2. This must teach us, to think most highly of the things that are invisible, and more meanly of these visible things. Let it be the property of a beast, and not of a man, to know nothing but what he seeth or hath seen: let it be the mark of the brutish infidels, and not of Christians, to doubt of the invisible things, because they are invisible; or to think that things visible are more excellent or sure. As the senses are more ignoble than the intellect, a beast having as perfect senses as a man, and yet no reasonable understanding, so the objects of sense must proportionably be below the objects of the understanding, as such. The grossest and most palpable objects are the basest. It is the subtle part that is called the spirits; which being drawn out of plants or other vegetables, is most powerful and excellent, and valued, when the earthly dregs are cast away as little worth. It is that subtle part in our blood that is called the spirits, that hath more of the virtue of life, and doth more of the works than the feculent, gross and earthly part. The air and wind have as true a being as the earth, and a more excellent nature, though it be more gross and they invisible. The body is not so excellent as the invisible soul. Invisible things are as real as visible, and as suitable to our more noble invisible part, as visible things to our fleshly, baser part.

3. The invisibility of God must teach us to live a life of faith, and to get above a sensual life and it must teach us to value the faith of the saints, as knowing its excellency and necessity. Invisible objects have the most perfectly excellent reality; and therefore faith hath the pre-eminence above sense. Natural reason can live upon things not seen, if they have been seen, or can be known by natural evidence. Subjects obey a prince that they see not: and fear a punishment which they see not: and the nature of man is afraid of the devils, though we see them not. But faith lives upon such invisible things, as mortal eye did never see, nor natural, ordinary evidence demonstrate, but are revealed only by the word of God: though about many of its invisible objects, faith hath the consent of reason for its encouragement. Value not sight and sense too much. Think not all to be mere uncertainties and notions that are not the objects of sense. We should not have heard that God

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3. The immortality, incorruptibility and immutability of God, must

1. Teach the soul to rise up from these mortal, corruptible, mutable things, and to fix upon that God who is the immortal, incorruptible portion of his saints.

2. It must comfort and encourage all believers in the consideration of their felicity; and support them under the failings of all mortal corruptible things. Our parents, children, and friends are mortal: they are ours to-day, and dead to-morrow: they are our delight to-day, and our sorrow or horror to-morrow: but our God is immortal. Our houses may be burned; our goods may be consumed or stolen; our clothes will be worn out; our treasure here may be corrupted. But our God is unchangeable, the same for ever. Our laws and customs may be changed; our governors and privileges changed; our company, employments, and habitation changed: but our God is never changed. Our estates may change from riches to poverty: and our names that were honoured, may incur disgrace. Our health may quickly turn to sickness, and our ease to pain: but still our God is unchangeable for ever. Our friends are inconstant and may turn our enemies: our peace may be changed into war; and our liberty into slavery: but our God doth never change. Time will

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