a promise to support them till they came to life eternal! How joyfully shall I bless him that by that immortal seed regenerated me to the hopes of glory, and that ruled me by so holy and just a law! VI. In that world of light I shall better understand God's present and past works of providence, by which he orders the matters of this world the wisdom and goodness of them is little understood in little parcels; it is the union and harmony of all the parts which shows the beauty of them, when the single parcels seem deformed, or are not understood. No one can see the whole together but God, and they that see it in the light of his celestial glory: it is a prospect of that end, by which we have here any true understanding of such parcels as we see. Then I shall know clearly why, or to what use, God prospered the wicked, and tried the righteous by so many afflictions: I shall know why he set up the ungodly, and put the humble under their feet; why he permitted so much ignorance, ungodliness, pride, lust, oppression, persecution, falsehood, deceit, and other sins in the world. I shall know why the faithful are so few ; and why so many kingdoms of the world are left in heathenism, Mahometanism and infidelity. The strange permissions which now so puzzle me, and are the matter of my astonishment, shall all be then as clear as day, I shall know why God disposed of me as he did through all my life; and why I suffered what I did, and how many great deliverances I had, which I understood not here; and how they were accomplished. All our mis-interpretations of God's works and permissions, will be then rectified: all our controversies about them, which Satan hath made so great advantage of, by a pretended zeal for some truths of God, will then be reconciled, and at an end: all the works of divine providence from the beginning of the world, will then appear a most delectable, beauteous frame. VII. Among all these works, I shall specially know more, the nature and excellency of God's mercies, and gifts of love, which here we too unthankfully undervalued and made light of: the special works of love should be the matter of our most constant, sweet, and serious thoughts, and the fuel of our constant love and gratitude: the lively sense of love and mercy, makes lively Christians, abounding in love to God, and mercy to others but the enemy of God and man most labours to obscure, diminish, and disgrace God's love and mercies to us, or to make us disrelish them, that they may be unfruitful as to their excellent ends and uses. Little do most Chris tians know how much they wrong God and themselves, and how much they lose by the diminutive, poor thoughts which they have of God's mercies. Ingratitude is a grievous misery to the sinner, as gratitude is a very pleasant work. Many a thousand mercies we now receive, which we greatly undervalue. But when I come to the state and work of perfect gratitude, I shall have a more perfect knowledge of all the mercies which ever I received in my life, and which my neighbours, friends, God's church and the world, did ever receive: for though the thing be past, the use of it is not past. Mercies remembered must be the matter of our everlasting thanks: we cannot be perfectly thankful for them, without a perfect knowledge of them. The worth of a Christ, and all his grace, the work of the gospel, the worth of our church privileges, and all God's ordinances, the worth of our books, friends, helps of our life and health, and all conveniences, will be better understood in heaven than the most holy and thankful Christian here understands them. VIII. It will be some addition to my future happiness, that I shall then be much better acquainted with myself; both with my nature, and with my sin and grace. I shall then better know the nature of a soul, and its faculties, three in one. I shall know the nature and way of its operations, and how far its acts are simple, or compound. I shall know how far memory, fancy, and sense internal and external belong to the rational soul, and whether the sensitive and rational are two or one; and what senses will perish, and what not. I shall know how the soul doth act upon itself, and what acts it hath that are not felt in sleep, in apoplexies, and in the womb. I shall know whether the vegetative nature be any thing else than fire; and whether it be of the same essence with the soul, sensitive or rational. I shall know how far the soul is receptive, and what the final cause doth to it. and what each object is to the constitution or production of the act; yea, and what an act is, and what a habit; and how a soul acting or habited differs from itself not acting or habited; and how its acts are many and yet but one; or its faculties at least. Many other such difficulties will all be solved, which now philosophers contend about in the dark, and pass but under doubtful conjectures; or at least are known to very few. I shall know how God's Spirit operates on souls; and how it is sent from Christ's human nature to work on man; and whether grace be properly, or only metaphorically, called a nature vours of Satan and his instruments God defeated: how many snares I escaped and I shall better know how great my deliverance is by Christ from the wrath to come. Though we shall not know hell by painful sense, we shall know it so far as is necessary to fill us with gratitude to our Redeemer: yea, we shall know much of it far better than the damned spirits that feel it. For we shall know by sweet and full fruition what the joy and blessedness is which they have lost; when they have no such kind of knowledge of it. (a new nature, a divine nature) in us. I shall | mies, what sins, what dangers, I was here deliv know what freewill is, and how man's will canered: what contrivances and malicious endeabe the first determiner of any act of its own in a moral view, good or evil, without being such a first cause, as none but God can be: and so how far free acts are necessitated or not. I shall know what power the intellect hath on the will, and the will on the intellect; and what power the sense and fancy hath on either; and what any agent of intellect doth: whether it be to our intellect as the sun is to our sight. I shall know what is meant by the degrees of acts and habits in the soul; and whether there be divers degrees of substantiality, or of the virtue or former power of several souls. I shall know better the difference of habits called acquired and infused; and what common grace is, and what it doth; and what nature can do of itself or by common grace, without that which is proper to the justified; and how far any degrees of grace are lost. I shall know what measure of grace I had myself; and how far I was mistaken in myself; and what acts were sincere; and how much that was not found was mixed; and what was of myself and sin. I shall know much more of my sin than here I ever knew, the number and the greatness of them; that so I may know with greatest thankfulness and love, how much I am beholden to pardoning and healing grace. Yea, I shall know more of my body, as it was the habitation of my soul, or the organi. cal matter on which unitedly it worked. I shall know how far it helped or hindered me; and what were all those obscure diseases that puzzled all the physicians, and myself; and how marvellously God sustained, preserved, and often dilivered me; and what of my actions was to be imputed to the body, and what of them to the soul. All this knowledge will be thus advanced to my glorified soul beyond what I can here conceive in flesh and is it not then far better to be with Christ? SECTION IV.-REASONS FROM THE CONSTITUTION But it is the will that is to the soul, what the heart is to the body: as it is the prime seat of morality, so is it the chief seat of felicity. My greatest evil is there; and my greatest subjec tive good will be there. Satan did most against it, and God will do most for it. Will it not be better to be with Christ than here? It will not there be tied to a body of cross interests and inclinations, which is now the greatest snare and enemy to my soul which is still drawing my love, care, fears, and sorrows, to and for itself, and turning them from my highest interest. How great a deliverance will it be to be freed from the temptations, and the inordinate love, cares, and fears for this corruptible flesh? My will shall not there be tempted by a world IX. Every fellow-creature, which I am con- of inferior good, which is the bait and provision cerned to know, I shall know far better than now for the flesh, where meat, sleep, and possessions, I do, both things and persons: the good and bad, house, lands, and friends, are all become my the sincere and the hypocrites, will be there dis- snares and danger: God's mercies will not be cerned and many an action that here went for made there the tempter's instruments. I shall honourable, covered or coloured with wit or not there have the flatteries or frowns, promises worldly advantages, or false pretences, will then or threatenings of the tyrants of the world, to be found to be odious and unjust: and wicked-tempt me: bad company will not infect me, nor ness will be flattered or extenuated no more: divert me: the errors of good men will not seand many a good and holy work which false men, duce me, nor reputation or reverence of the through wickedness and worldly interest, re-wise, learned, or religious, draw me to imitate proached as some odious crime, will there be them in any sin. justified, honoured, and rewarded: all sciences are there perfect, without our ambiguous terms or imperfect axioms and rules of art. I shall there have none of Satan's solicitations, to pervert my will: he will not have that advantage by my sense and fancy, nor that access X. Lastly, I shall better know from what ene- unto me, as now he hath. But of this I spake before. How easy and sweet then will all my obedience be, when I shall perfectly will it, without any reluctancy or averseness? All will be my very My will shall there be better than here. There | all moral good is primarily in the will. Then will be nothing in it that is displeasing to God: there can be no matter of disquiet in me, but all no sinful inclination, habit or act nothing to will be in perfect peace; for all that is like God strive against God's Spirit; nor grudge at any will be pleasing both to God and me: no oppoword or work of God: no principles of enmity sition will remain. or rebellion left. There will be nothing that is against the good of others; no inclinations to injury, or any thing that is against my neighbours, or the common good. There will be no-pleasure that I do. thing in it that is cross to itself; no more war striving in me; not a law in my mind, and a law in my members, that are contrary to each other: no contrariety between sense and reason, nor between the sensitive appetite and the rational: all will be at unity and peace within. : Seeing my will shall be the same with the will of God, it follows that it shall never be frustrated, but I shall have all whatsoever I would have, and shall be and do whatsoever I would be and do, for I shall desire nothing but what God wills; and God's will shall certainly be done. I shall have as much love and joy as I would have. I shall be as happy as I would be, and desire nothing for others but it shall be done. Indeed if God's will were there unknown to me, I might ignorantly go against it, as I do here: but there before I will or desire any thing, I shall know whether it be God's will or not, so that I shall never wish any thing which shall not be accomplished. As it is God's perfection to have his will alway done, though all his laws be not obeyed, so my perfection shall consist in this likeness unto God, that my will shall be still fulfilled. Then Christ's promises will be perfectly performed, 'whatsoever ye ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.'-' Ye shall ask what you will, and it shall be done unto you.' While their will was the same with the will of Christ: but he saith not that it shall all be given us here. We ask for perfection, and we shall have it, but not here. Christ will have finished his cure on my will: the work of sanctification will be perfect: my will shall there, by union and communion, be made conformable to the will of Christ, and so unto the Father's will. This must needs be meant, whatever more, in the prayer of Christ, where he prays, 'that they may be one, as thou Father art in me, and I in thee, that they may be one in us, that they may be one, even as we are one.' The will of Christ, and of the Father, will be my will, that is, I shall love and will the same that God loves and wills (in the measure of a creature, infinitely below him :) and how can the will of man have greater honour, than to be the same with the will of God? Assimilation to a king among us poor mortals, goes for honour assimilation to angels, is much more: that we shall be like or equal to angels, is a high part of the blessed's praise: but how much more is it to be thus far like to God? Indeed God's image, and the divine in us here, can be no less Yea, my will itself shall be my fruition, for than this similitude to God's will in the degree it shall not be the will of one in need a desire that we have it but alas, that degree is so very of what I want, for I shall want nothing: therelow, as that we can hardly tell whether our si-fore it is said that we shall thirst no more. But militude or our dissimilitude be the more; it will be a complacency in what I mean, whether our wills are for more that God wills, or against more. O how many thousand wishes and desires have we had, which are against the will of God! But there we shall have the full impression of God's will upon our wills, as face answers face in a glass, or as the wax answers the seal: as the finger on the out-perly be said to want. Complacency in that which side answers to the motion of the clock within, so, in all things which belong to our duty and perfection, we shall answer the will of God. As the echo answers the voice, defectively, but truly without contradiction or discord, so will our wills be as the echo of God's will. Then I am sure there will be nothing in my will but good; for God wills no evil. This will be virtually all obedience; for all sin is voluntary, and 977 possess, and in this also my perfection will be the image of God's perfection. Not but that all creatures still receive from God, and in that sense may be said to need, in that they have nothing of themselves, but all by gift and communication from him. But being still and full possessors, they cannot pro we possess, is love and pleasure in one act; and indeed, pleasure and love are the same thing: to love any thing, is to have that thing to be pleasing to my mind. Even when it is wanted, it is thought on as a pleasing thing, and therefore desired; so that the desiring act of the will is but a second act occasioned by want, and following the first act, which is complacency or simple love. I desire it because I love it. Rightly 6 н therefore is the will itself called love; for in the | himself, that is, most amiable, and the nature of first act, love, will, and rational appetite, are all words of the same signification. My will therefore must needs be perpetually full of perfect joy, when enjoying love and pleasure will be my will itself. Thus shall I have in me the spring of living waters, and the Comforter will then perfectly do his work, when my constant will itself shall be comfort. Well therefore is glory said to be the perfection of sanctifying grace, when this grace is the beginning of that love and joy which glory is the perfection of; and perfection is the Spirit's work. It will be much of my felicity that my will shall be confirmed and fixed in this conformity to the will of God, and holy love will be its nature. Now, both understanding and will are so lamentably mutable, that further than God promises to uphold us, we know not one day what we shall think, judge, or will, the next. But when love is as a fixed nature in us, we shall be still the same, adhering to amiable goodness. without intermission or cessation. It will be as easy to us to love God and holiness, as it is to the hungry and thirsty to love meat and drink, or to the proud, to love praise or domination; yea, or to any man to love his life. We shall be no more weary of loving, than the sun is of shining, or than the hungry is of feasting, or a friend of friendly love and converse. Nay, the comparison is quite too low; for all creatures here have a fading vanity which wearies the satiated or failing appetite; but there is no such thing in heaven. As from the nature of that act, so much more from the nature of the object, my love will appear to be my happiness. God himself will be the full and everlasting object of my love. He that could but understand as well as those in heaven do, what this word signifies, to love God, and be beloved of him, would say, that there needs no other description of perfect happiness. Perfect joyful complacency in God is the heaven which I desire and hope for. This is my felicity, and much more. As I am the agent of love to God, and the object of God's love to me, it is my felicity: as God is the ultimate object of my love, and the agent of his love to me (that is, of the effects of it,) so it is unspeakably more high and excellent than to be my felicity. Love is the concurrence of the will of God and man, and as it is God's part or interest, efficiently or objectively, it is infinitely more excellent than as it is my part and interest. In God there is all that love can desire for its full, everlasting feast. He is infinitely good in man's will is to love good as good. Could we love God with a love that is adequate to the object, we should be God ourselves, which is impossible: none but God can adequately know God or love him. In God's love to himself, both the act and object are infinite, and indeed are both one, there being not that formally which we know by the name of act and object; but act and object are our analogical, inadequate conceptions of that act of God which is his essence. But in our love to God the act is finite, and infinitely below the object: yea, the object, which in reality is itself infinite, yet proximately, as the known existence is the object of our love, is finite there. It is the conception or idea of God in the intellect, which is the proper and nearest object of the will, and this is as in a glass, a shadow; even the finite little shadow of an infinite Being. The same infinite good is a felicity to divers persons in divers degrees, according as they diversely love him, and are receptive of his love. God, who is infinitely good in himself, will be that most suitable good to me, and meetest for the dearest embracements of my will. He hath all in himself that I need or can desire: there is no room, nothing above him, or beyond him, or without him, for love to cleave to: though below him the creature, though not being without him, is loved without him, by the deception of the mind. He is willing to be loved by me; he disdains not my love. He might have refused to be embraced by such affections, as have so often and sinfully polluted themselves by embracing vanity and iniquity. As persons of state, and stately cleanliness, will not be touched by filthy hands, much less let dogs leap on them, which come from wallowing in the mire, so God might have driven me away from the happiness of loving him, and have denied me the leave for so high a work. But he commands my love, and makes it my greatest duty; he invites and intreats me, as if he were a gainer by my happiness; he seeks to me to seek to him, and as he is the first, so is he the most earnest suitor. He is far readier to receive my love, than I am to give it him. All the compassionate invitations which I have had from him here, by his word and mercies, assure me, that he will there receive me readily. He that so valued my poor cold imperfect love to him on earth, will not reject my perfect love in heaven. He that made it the great work of his Spirit to effect it, will not refuse it when it is made perfect by himself. He is near to me, and not a distant God out | heavenly society be? Of this I spake before, of my reach, and so unsuitable to my love. Blind viz. of knowing them. unbelievers may dream that he is far off, but he is as near us, even now, as we are to ourselves. He is not far from any of us, for in him we live, and move, and have our being. The light of the sun is not so near my eyes, as God will be for ever to my mind. When he would sanctify us to love him, he brings us nigh to him in Christ. As we love ourselves easily as being, as they say, the nearest to ourselves; so we shall as easily love God as ourselves, when we see that he is as near us as we are to ourselves, as well as that he is infinitely more amiable in himself. Because of the natural inequality between the creature and the Creator, he hath provided such means to demonstrate to us his nearness, as are necessary to the exercise of our love. We shall see his glory, and taste his love, in our glorified Mediator, and in the glory of the church and world. God will condescend to show himself to us according to our capacities of beholding him. Here we see him in his works and word, and there we shall see him in the glory of all his perfect works. Under God as I shall see, so I shall delightfully love the glorious perfection of the universe; even the image of God in all the world; as my love will be my delight, so I shall love best, that which is best, and most delight in it. The whole is better than any part; and there is a peculiar beauty and excellency in the whole world, as perfectly harmonious, which is not to be found in any part, no, not in Christ himself, as man, nor in his church. The marvellous inclination that all things have to union, even the inanimates might persuade me, if I felt it not certainly in myself, that it is most credible that man also shall have the like inclination, and such as is agreeable to the nature of his faculties: therefore our love and delight in all things, is that uniting inclination in man. Think here, O my soul, how sweet a state unto thee it will be to love the Lord Jesus thy glorified Head, with perfect love! When the glory of God which shines in him, will feast thy love with full and everlasting pleasure, the highest created perfection of power, wisdom, and goodness, refulgent in him, will not give leave to thy love to cease, or intermit, or abate its fervour. When thou shalt see in the glorified church the precious fruits of Christ's redemption, grace, and love, this also will feed thy love to him, from whom this heavenly glory comes; and when thou shalt feel thyself possessed of perfect happiness, by his love to thee, will not this also do its part? Yea, the remembrance of all his former love; what he did for thee, and what he did in thee here on earth: how he called thee with an holy calling; how he washed thee in his blood from all thy sins; how he kindled in thee those desires which tended to that perfect glory; how he renewed thy nature; how he instructed, guided, and preserved thee from thy childhood; and how many and how great sins, enemies, dangers, and sufferings, he saved thee from; all this will constrain thee for ever to love him. Thus, though he give the kingdom to the Father, as ceasing his mediatory, healing, saving work of acquisition, he will be to thee the mediator of fruition. God in him will be accessible, and condescend to a suitable communion with us. As Christ is thy life, radically and efficiently, as he is the giver of grace and spirit of love, so he will be objectively thy life as he is lovely, and it will be formally thy life to love him, and God in him, for ever. Think also, O my soul, how delectable it will be to love, as well as to know, those angels that most fervently love the Lord! They will be lovely to thee as they have loved thee, and more as they have been lovers and benefactors to the church and to mankind; but far more as they are so many refulgent stars, which continually I shall have a special love to the holy society, move, shine, and burn in purest love to their the triumphant universal church, consisting of Creator. O blessed difference between that Christ, angels, and saints, as they are specially amiable society of holy spirits, and this dark, amiable in the image and glory of God. God mad, distracted, wicked world! Here devils tempt himself loves them more than his inferior works; me within, and devils incarnate persecute me that is, his essence, which is love, and hath no without: blaspheming of God, reviling godlidegrees or change, doth send for fuller streams ness, deriding the sacred scriptures, and sacred of good upon them, or makes them better and exercises, malignant slandering of the servants happier than the rest; and my love will imitate of God, hating, persecuting, silencing, and saythe love of God, in my capacity. If societiesing all manner of evil falsely of them, for their on earth, more holy and wise than others, though righteousness' sake, while such crimes are preimperfectly, are very amiable, what then will the tended, as they once falsely charged on Christ |