BERKClir 
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 UNIVSRSITY Of 
 CAIIFORNIA 
 
3 
 
' 
 
THB 
 
 SAINTS' EVERLASTING REST 
 
 BY 
 
 REY. RICHARD BAXTER. 
 
 ABRIDGED BY BENJAMIN EAWCETT, A. M. 
 
 WITH EXTRACTS FROM 
 
 AN INTRODUCTORY ESSAY 
 
 BT THOMAS IBIZIIB, S6Q 
 
 H. DAYTON, PUBLISHER, 
 
 36 HOWARD STREET. 
 WDIANAPOLIS, IND. : — ASHBR & COMPANY. 
 
 1859. 
 
512 5 1773 
 
 **H*TMM 
 
8VfJ 
 1853 
 
 EXTRACTS 
 
 FROM 
 
 AN INTRODUCTORY ESSAY, 
 
 BY THOMAS ERSKINE, ESQ., ADVOCATE. 
 
 We do not abrogate to ourselves so much as to suppose, that our 
 commendation can add any thing to the authority of such a name as 
 that of Richard Baxter. He belonged to a class of men, whose 
 characters and genius, now universally venerated, seem to have been 
 most peculiarly adapted, by Divine Providence, to the circumstances of 
 their age and country. We do not speak only of those who partook 
 in Baxter's views of ecclesiastical polity; but of those who, under any 
 name, maintained the cause of truth and liberty, during the eventful 
 period of the seventeenth century. They were made of the same firm 
 stuff with the Wickliffs, and the Luthers, and the Knoxes, and the Cran- 
 mers, and the Latimers, of a former age. They formed a distinguished 
 division of the same glorious army of reformation; they encountered 
 similar obstacles, and they were directed, and supported, and animated, 
 by the same spirit. They were the true and enlightened crusaders, 
 who, with all the zeal and courage which conducted their chivalrous 
 ancestors to the earthly Jerusalem, fought their way to the heavenly 
 city; and rescuing, by their sufferings and by their labours, the key of 
 knowledge from the unworthy hands in which it had long lain rusted J 
 and misused, generously left it as a rich inheritance to all coming gcner-* 
 ations. They speak with the solemn dignity of martyrs. They seem 
 to feel the importance of their theme, and the perpetual presence of 
 Him who is the great subject of it. There are only two things which 
 they seem to consider as realities — the favour of God and the enmity 
 of God; and only two parties in the universe to choose between — the 
 party of God, and the party of his adversaries. Hence that heroic and 
 noble tone which marks their lives and their writings. They had chosen 
 
 842 
 
4 INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 
 
 their side, and they kribw that it was worthy of all they could do or 
 suffer for it. 
 
 The agitated state of surrounding circumstances gave them continual 
 proof of the instability of all things temporal; and inculcated on them 
 the necessity of seeking a happiness which might be independent of 
 external things. They thus practically learned the vanity and nothing- 
 ness of life, except in its relation to eternity; and they declared to their 
 fellow-creatures the mysteries of the kingdom of God, with the tone of 
 men who knew that the lightest word which they spoke outweighed, in 
 the balance of reason as well as of the sanctuary, the value of all 
 earth's plans, and politics, and interests. They were upon high and firm 
 ground. They stood in the midst of that tempestuous ocean, secure 
 on the Rock of Ages ; and as they uttered to those around them their 
 invitations, or remonstrances, or consolations, they thought not of the 
 tastes, but of the necessities of men — they thought only of the differ- 
 ence between being lost and being saved, and they cried aloud, and 
 spared not. 
 
 There is no doubt a great variety of thought, and feeling, and expres- 
 sion, to be met with in the theological writers of that class; but deep 
 and solemn seriousness is the common character of them all. They 
 seem to have felt much. Religion was not allowed to remain as an 
 unused theory in their heads; they were forced to live on it as their 
 food, and to have recourse to it as their only strength and comfort. Hence 
 their thoughts are never given as abstract views; they are always deeply 
 impregnated with sentiment. Their style reminds us of the light which 
 streams through the stained and storied windows of an ancient cathe- 
 dral. It is not light merely, but light modified by the rich hues, and 
 the quaint forms, and the various incidents, of the pictured medium 
 through which it passes. So these venerable worthies do not give us 
 merely ideas, but ideas coloured by the deep affections of their own 
 hearts; they do not merely give us truth, but truth in its historical 
 application to the various struggles, and difficulties, and dejections of 
 their strangely-chequered lives. This gives a great interest to their 
 writings. They are real men, and not books, that we are conversing 
 with. And the peace, and the strength, and the hope, which they 
 describe, are not the fictions of fancy, but the positive and substantial 
 effects of the knowledge of God on their own minds. They are thus 
 not merely waymarks to direct our jouraeyings; they seem themselves 
 
INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 5 
 
 pilgrims travelling on the same road, and encouraging us to keep pace 
 with them. In their books, they seem thus still to journey, still to com- 
 bat; but, O! let us think of the bright reality! — their contests are past, 
 their labours are over; they have fought the good fight, and they are 
 now at rest, made perfect in Christ Jesus. They are joined to that 
 cloud of witnesses, of whom the world was not worthy; and their 
 names are inscribed in the rolls of heaven; yet not for their own glory, 
 but for the glory of him who washed them from their sins in his own 
 blood, and whose strength was made perfect in their weakness. 
 
 These were the great men of England, and to them, under God, is 
 England indebted for much of that which is valuable in her public insti- 
 tutions, and in the character of her people. They were indeed a noble 
 army; they were born from above" to be the combatants for truth, they 
 were placed in the gap, and they held their ground, or fell at their posts. 
 
 In this army Richard Baxter was a standard-bearer. He laboured 
 much, as well in preaching as in writing; and with an abundant blessing 
 on both. He had all the high mental qualities of his elass in perfection. 
 His mind is inexhaustible, and vigorous, and vivacious, to an extraordi- 
 nary degree. He seizes irresistibly on the attention, and carries it along 
 with him; and we assuredly do not know any author who can be com- 
 pared with him, for the^power with which he brings his reader directly 
 face to face with death, and judgment, and eternity; and compels him 
 to look upon them, and converse with them. He is himself most deeply 
 serious, and the holy solemnity of his own soul seems to envelope the 
 reader, as with the air of a temple. 
 
 The Saints' Everlasting Rest was written on a bed of sickness. It 
 contains those thoughts and feelings which occupied, and fortified, and 
 animated the author, as he stood on the brink of eternity. The exam- 
 ples of heavenly meditation which he gives, really breathe of heaven; 
 and the importance of such meditation, as a duty, and as a means of 
 spiritual growth, is admirably set forth, and most powerfully enforced. 
 And is it not a most pernicious madness and stupidity to neglect this 
 duty ? Is it not strange that such prospects should excite so little inter- 
 est? Is it not strange that the uncertainty of the duration of life, and 
 the certainty of its sorrows, do not compel men to seek refuge in that 
 inheritance which is incorruptible, undefiled, and which fadeth not away? 
 Is it not strange that the offers of friendship, and intimate relation- 
 ship, which God is continually holding out to us, should be slighted, 
 1* 
 
6 
 
 INTRODUCTORY ESSAY 
 
 even in competition with the society of those whom we cannot but 
 despise and reprobate? Is it not strange that we should, day after day, 
 allow ourselves to be duped by the same false promises of happiness, 
 which have disappointed us, just as often as they have been trusted? O! 
 let us be persuaded, that there is no rest in created things. No : there 
 is no rest, except in Him who made us. Who is the man that can say 
 he has found rest elsewhere? No man says it. May God open our 
 hearts, as well as our understandings, to see the truth; that we may 
 practically know the insufficiency, and hollowness, and insecurity of ail 
 earthly hopes; and that we may be led, in simplicity and earnestness, 
 to seek, and so to find, our rest in Himself. T. E. 
 
 Edinburgh, February, 1834. 
 
THE 
 
 COMPILER'S PREFACE 
 
 Mr. Richard Baxter, the author of the Saints' Rest, so well known 
 to the world by this and many other excellent and useful writings, was 
 a learned, laborious, and eminently holy divine of the last age. He was 
 born near Shrewsbury in 1615, and died at London in 1691. 
 
 His ministry, in an unsettled state, was for many years employed with 
 great and extensive success, both in London and in several parts of the 
 country; but he was no where fixed so long, or with such entire satis- 
 faction to himself, and apparent advantage to others, as at Kiddermin- 
 ster. His abode there was indeed interrupted, partly by his bad health, 
 Dut chiefly by the calamities of a civil war, yet in the whole it amounted 
 to sixteen years; nor was it by any means the result of his own choice, 
 or that of the inhabitants of Kidderminster, that he never settled there 
 again, after his going from thence in 1660. Before his coming thither, 
 the place was overrun with ignorance and profaneness; but, by the divine 
 blessing on his wise and faithful cultivation, the fruits of righteousness 
 sprung up in rich abundance. He at first found but a single instance 
 or two of daily family prayer in a whole street; and, at his going away, 
 but one family or two could be found in some streets that continued to 
 neglect it. And on Lord's days, instead of the open profanation to 
 which they had been so long accustomed, a person, in passing through 
 the town, in the intervals of public worship, might overhear hundreds 
 of families engaged in singing psalms, reading the Scriptures and 
 other good books, or such sermons as they had wrote down, while they 
 heard them from the pulpit. His care of the souls committed to his 
 charge, and the success of his labours among them, were truly remark- 
 able; for the number of his stated communicants rose to six hundred, 
 of whom he himself declared there were not twelve concerning whose 
 sincere piety he had not reason to entertain good hopes. Blessed be 
 God, the religious spirit which was thus happily introduced, is yet to be 
 traced in the town and neighbourhood in some degree — O that it were 
 in a greater! — and in proportion as that spirit remains, the name of Mr. 
 Baxter continues in the most honourable and affectionate remembrance. 
 
 As a writer, he has the approbation of some of his greatest contempo- 
 raries, who best knew him, and were under no temptations to be partial 
 
g COMPILER'S PREFACE. 
 
 in his favour. Dr. Barrow said "His practical writings were never 
 mended, and his controversial ones seldom confuted." With a view to 
 his casuistical writings, the Hon. Robert Boyle declared, "He was the 
 fittest man of the age for a casuist, because he feared no man's displea- 
 sure, nor hoped for any man's preferment." Bishop Wilkins observed 
 of him, "that he had cultivated every subject he had handled; that if he 
 had lived in the primitive times, he would have been one of the fathers 
 of the church ; and that it was enough for one age to produce such a 
 person as Mr. Baxter." Archbishop Usher had such high thoughts of 
 him, that, by his earnest importunity, he put him upon writing several 
 of his practical discourses, particularly that celebrated piece, his Call to 
 the Unconverted. Dr. Manton, as he freely expressed it, "thought Mr. 
 Baxter came nearer the apostolical writings than any man in the age." 
 And it is both as a preacher and a writer that Dr. Bates considers him, 
 when, in his funeral sermon for him, he says: "In his sermons, there 
 was a rare union of arguments and motives, to convince the mind and 
 gain the heart. All the fountains of reason and persuasion were open 
 to his discerning eye. There was no resisting the force of his discourses, 
 without denying reason and divine revelation. He had a marvellous 
 facility and copiousness in speaking. There was a noble negligence in 
 his style, for his great mind could not stoop to the affected eloquence 
 of words : he despised flashy oratory, but his expressions were clear and 
 powerful; so convincing the understanding, so entering into the soul, so 
 engaging the affections, that those were as deaf as adders who were not 
 charmed by so wise a charmer. He was animated with the Holy Spirit, 
 and breathed Tselestial fire, to inspire heat and life into dead sinners, and 
 to melt the obdurate in their frozen tombs. His books, for their num- 
 ber (which it seems was more than one hundred and twenty) and variety 
 of matter in them, make a library. They contain a treasure of contro- 
 versial, casuistical, and practical divinity. His books of practical divinity 
 have been effectual for more numerous conversions of sinners to God, 
 than any printed in our time ; and, while the church remains on earth, 
 will be of continual efficacy to recover lost souls. There is a vigorous 
 pulse in them, that keeps the reader awake and attentive." — To these 
 testimonies may not improperly be added that of the editors of his prac- 
 tical works in four folio volumes; in the preface to which they say: — 
 "Perhaps there are no writings among us that have more of a true 
 Christian spirit, a greater mixture of judgment and affection, or a greater 
 tendency to revive pure and undefiled religion; that have been more 
 esteemed abroad, or more blessed at home, for the awakening the secure, 
 instructing the ignorant, confirming the wavering, comforting the dejected, 
 recovering the profane, or improving such as are truly serious, than the 
 practical works of this author." Such were the apprehensions of emi- 
 nent persons, who were well acquainted with Mr. Baxter and his writings. 
 
COMPILER'S PREFACE. 
 
 9 
 
 It is therefore the less remarkable that Mr. Addison, from an accidental 
 and a very imperfect acquaintance, but with his usual pleasantness and 
 candour, should mention the following incident: "I once met with a page 
 of Mr. Baxter. Upon the perusal of it, I conceived so good an idea cf 
 the author's piety, that I bought the whole book." 
 
 Whatever other causes might concur, it must chiefly be ascribed to 
 Mr. Baxter's distinguishing reputation as a preacher and a writer, that, 
 presently after the restoration, he was appointed one of the chaplains in 
 ordinary to King Charles II., and preached once before him in triat 
 capacity; as also that he had an offer made him by the Lord Chancellor 
 Clarendon of the bishopric of Hereford, which, in a respectful letter to 
 his lordship, he saw proper to decline. 
 
 The Saints' Rest is deservedly esteemed one of the most valuable 
 parts of his practical works. He wrote it when he was far from home, 
 without any book to consult but his Bible, and in such an ill state of 
 health as to be in continual expectation of death for many months; and 
 therefore, merely for his own use, he fixed his thoughts on this heavenly 
 subject, "which," says he, "hath more benefited me than all- the studies 
 of my life." At this time he could be little more than thirty years old. 
 He afterwards preached over the subject in his weekly lecture at Kidder- 
 minster, and in 1656 he published it; and indeed it appears to have been 
 the first that ever he published of all his practical writings. Of this 
 book Dr. Bates says: "It w T as written by him when languishing in the 
 suspense of life and death, but has the signatures of his holy and vigor- 
 ous mind. To allure our desires, he unveils the sanctuary above, and 
 discovers the glories and joys of the blessed in the Divine Presence, by 
 a light so strong and lively, that all the glittering vanities of this world 
 vanish in that comparison, and a sincere believer will despise them, as 
 one of mature age does the toys and baubles of children. To excite 
 our fear, he removes the screen, and makes the everlasting fire of hell so 
 visible, and represents the tormenting passions of the damned in those 
 dreadful colours, that, if duly considered, would check and control the 
 unbridled, licentious appetites of the most sensual wretches." 
 
 Heavenly rest is a subject in its own nature so universally important 
 and interesting, and at the same time so truly engaging and delightful, 
 as sufficiently accounts for the great acceptance which this book has 
 met with; and partly, also, for the uncommon blessing which has 
 attended Mr. Baxter's manner of treating the subject, both from the 
 pulpit and the press. For where are the operations of divine grace 
 more reasonably to be expected, or where have they, in fact, been more 
 frequently discerned, than in concurrence with the best-adapted means ? 
 And should it appear that persons of distinguishing judgment and 
 piety have expressly ascribed their first religious impressions to the 
 hearing or reading the important sentiments contained in this book; or, 
 
10 COMPILER'S PREFACE. 
 
 after a long series of years, have found it both the counterpart and the 
 improvement of their own divine life; will not this be thought a consid- 
 erable recommendation of the book itself? 
 
 Among the instances of persons that dated their true conversion from 
 hearing the sermons on the Saints' Rest, when Mr. Baxter first preached 
 them, was the Rev. Mr. Thomas Doolittle, M. A., who was a native of 
 Kidderminster, and at that time a scholar, about seventeen years old; 
 whom Mr. Baxter himself afterwards sent to Pembroke Hall, in Cam- 
 bridge, where he took his degree. Before his going to the university, 
 he was upon trial as an attorney's clerk, and under that character, being 
 ordered by his master to write something on a Lord's day, he obeyed 
 with great reluctance, and the next day returned home, with an earnest 
 desire that he might not apply himself to any thing, as the employment 
 of life, but serving Christ in the ministry of the gospel. His praise is 
 yet in the churches for his pious and useful labours as a minister, a 
 tutor, and a writer. 
 
 In the Life of the Rev. Mr. John Janeway, Fellow of King's College, 
 Cambridge, who died in 1657, we are told that his conversion was, in a 
 great measure, occasioned by his reading several parts of the Saints' 
 Rest. And, in a letter which he afterwards wrote to a near relative, 
 speaking with a more immediate reference to that part of the book 
 which treats of heavenly contemplation, he says : " There is a duty, 
 which, if it were exercised, would dispel all cause of melancholy — I 
 mean heavenly meditation, and contemplation of the things which true 
 Christian religion tends to. If we did but walk closely with God one 
 hour in a day in this duty, O what influence would it have on the whole 
 day besides, and, duly performed, upon the whole life! This duty, with 
 its usefulness, manner, and directions, I knew in some measure before, 
 but had it more pressed upon me by Mr. Baxter's Saints' 1 Everlasting 
 Rest, a book that can scarce be overvalued, for which I have cause for 
 ever to bless God." — This excellent young minister's life is worth read- 
 ing, were it only to see how delightfully he was engaged in heavenly 
 contemplation, according to the directions in the Saints'' Rest. 
 
 It was the example of heavenly contemplation, at the close of this 
 book, which the Rev. Mr. Joseph Alleine, of Taunton, so frequently 
 quoted in conversation, with this solemn introduction, "Most divinely 
 says that man of God, holy Mr. Baxter." 
 
 Dr. Bates, in his dedication of his funeral sermon for Mr. Baxter to 
 Sir Henry Ashurst, Bart, tells that religious gentleman and most distin- 
 guished friend and executor of Mr. Baxter, "He was most worthy of 
 your highest esteem and love ; for the first impressions of heaven upon 
 your soul were in reading his invaluable book of the 'Saints' Ever- 
 lasting Rest.' " 
 
 In the Life of the Rev. Mr. Matthew Henry, we have the following 
 
COMPILER'S PREFACE. 1] 
 
 character given us of Robert Warburton, Esq., of Grange, the son of the 
 eminently religious Judge Warburton, and the father of Mr. Matthew 
 Henry's second wife : " He was a gentleman that greatly affected retire- 
 ment and privacy, especially in the latter part of his life; the Bible and 
 Mr. Baxter's Saints' Everlasting Rest used to lie daily before him on the 
 table in his pamour ; he spent the greatest part of his time in reading 
 and prayer." 
 
 In the life of that honourable and most religious knight, Sir Nathaniel 
 Barnardiston, we are told that " he was constant in secret prayer and 
 reading the Scriptures; afterwards he read other choice authors; but 
 not long before his death he took a singular delight to read Mr. Bax- 
 ter's Saints' Everlasting Rest, and preparations thereunto; which was 
 esteemed a gracious event of Divine Providence, sending it as a guide 
 to bring him more speedily and directly to that rest." 
 
 Besides persons of eminence, to whom this book has been precious 
 and profitable, we have an instance, in the Rev. Mr. James Janeway's 
 Token for Children, of a little boy, whose piety was so discovered and 
 promoted by reading it, as the most delightful book to him, next the 
 Bible, that the thoughts of everlasting rest seemed, even while he con- 
 tinued in health, to swallow up all other thoughts; and he lived in a 
 constant preparation for it, and looked more like one that was ripe for 
 glory, than an inhabitant of this lower world. And when he was in the 
 sickness of which he died, before he was twelve years old, he said, " I 
 pray, let me have Mr. Baxter's book, that I may read a little more of 
 eternity before I go into it." 
 
 Nor is it less observable that Mr. Baxter himself, taking notice, in a 
 paper found in his study after his death, what numbers of persons were 
 converted by reading his Call to the Unconverted, accounts of which he 
 had received by letter every week, expressly adds: "This little book, 
 the Call to the Unconverted, God hath blessed with unexpected success, 
 beyond all that I have written, except the Saints' Rest" With an evi- 
 dent reference to this book, and even during the life of the author, the 
 pious Mr. Flavell affectionately says: "Mr. Baxter is almost in heaven: 
 living in the daily views and cheerful expectation of the saints' everlast- 
 ing rest with God; and is left for a little while among us, as a great 
 example of the life of faith." And Mr. Baxter himself says, in his pre- 
 face to his Treatise of Self-Denial, "I must say, that of all the books 
 which I have written, I peruse none so often for the use of my own 
 soul in its daily work, as my Life of Faith, this of Self-Denial, and the 
 last part of the Saints' Rest." — On the whole, it is not without good 
 reason that Dr. Calamy remarks concerning it, "This is a book for 
 \yhich multitudes will have cause to bless God for ever." 
 
 This excellent and useful book now appears in the form of an abridg- 
 ment; and therefore, it is presumed, will be the more likely, under the 
 
12 COMPILER'S PREFACE. 
 
 Divine blessing, to diffuse its salutary influence among those that would 
 otherwise have wanted opportunity or inclination to read over the larger 
 volume. In reducing it to this smaller size, I have been very desirous 
 to do justice to the author, and at the same time promote the pleasure 
 and profit of the serious reader. And, I hope, these ends are, in some 
 measure, answered; chiefly by dropping things of a digressive, contro- 
 versial, or metaphysical nature; together with prefaces, dedications, and 
 various allusions to some peculiar circumstances of the last age ; and 
 particularly by throwing several chapters into one, that the number of 
 them may better correspond with the size of the volume; and sometimes 
 by altering the form, but not the sense, of a period for the sake of 
 brevity; and when an obsolete phrase occurred, changing it for one 
 more common and intelligible. I should never have thought of attempt- 
 ing this work, if it had not been suggested and urged by others; and 
 by some very respectable names, of whose learning, judgment, and 
 piety, I forbear to avail myself. However defective this performance 
 may appear, the labour of it (if it may be called a labour) has been — I 
 bless God — one of the most delightful labours of my life. 
 
 Certainly the thoughts of everlasting rest may be as delightful to 
 souls in the present day as they have ever been to those of past gener- 
 ations. I am sure such thoughts are as absolutely necessary now; nor 
 are temptations to neglect them either fewer or weaker now than for- 
 merly. The worth of everlasting rest is not felt, because it is not 
 considered: it is forgotten, because a thousand trifles are preferred 
 before it. But were the divine reasonings of this book duly attended 
 to — and O that the Spirit and grace of a Redeemer may make them so ! 
 — then an age of vanity would become serious ; minds enervated by 
 sensuality would soon resume the strength of reason, and display the 
 excellence of Christianity; the delusive names of Pleasure would be 
 blotted out by the glorious reality of heavenly joy upon earth; every 
 station and relation in life would be filled up with the propriety and 
 dignity of serious religion; every member of society would then effect- 
 ually contribute to the beauty and happiness of the whole ; and every 
 soul would be ready for life or death, for one world or another, in a 
 well-grounded and cheerful persuasion of having secured a title to that 
 rest which remaineth to the people of God. b. f 
 
 Kidderminster, Dec. 25th, 1758. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 lHTRODUCTORY EsSA.Y, . ....'.. 3 
 
 Compiler's Preface, 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 The Introduction to the Work, with some account of the Nature of the Saints' Rest, 15 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 The Great Preparatives to the Saints' Rest, ...... 30 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 The Excellencies of the Saints' Rest, . ' . . . . . .38 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 The Character of the Persons for whom this Rest is designed, ... 52 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 The Great Misery of those who lose the Saints' Rest, ..... 67 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 The Misery of those who, besides losing the Saints' Rest, lose the Enjoyments of 
 
 Time, and suffer the Torments of Hell, ..... 8C 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 The Necessity of diligently seeking the Saints' Rest, . ... . .92 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 How to discern our Title to the Saints' Rest, . . , 110 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 The Duty of the People of God to excite others to seek this Rest, . . .127 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 The Saints' Rest is not to be expected on Earth, 145 
 
J4 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHATTER XI. 
 The Importance of leading a Heavenly Life upon Earth, .... 163 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 Directions how to lead a Heavenly Life upon Earth, .... 181 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 The Nature of Heavenly Contemplation ; with the Time, Place, and Temper, fittest 
 
 for it, .... 198 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 What use Heavenly Contemplation makes of Consideration, Affections, Soliloquy, 
 
 and Prayer, ......... 210 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 Heavenly Contemplation assisted by Sensible Objects, and guarded against a 
 
 Treacherous Heart, ........ 225 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 Heavenly Contemplation exemplified, and the whole Work concluded, . 241 
 
THE 
 
 SAINTS' EVERLASTING REST 
 
 THERE REMAINETH THEREFORE A REST TO THE PEOPLE OF GOD.— Heb. It. 9. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 THE INTRODUCTION TO THE WORK, WITH SOME ACCOUNT OF THE 
 NATURE OF THE SAINTS' REST. 
 
 The important design of the apostle in the text, to which the author earnestly bespeaks 
 the attention of the reader. The saints' rest defined, with a general plan of the work. 
 What this rest presupposes. The author's humble sense of his inability fully to show 
 what this rest contains. It contains, 1. A ceasing from means of grace ; 2. A perfect 
 freedom from all evils ; 3. The highest degree of the saints' personal perfection, both 
 in body and soul ; 4. The nearest enjoyment of God the chief good ; 5. A sweet and 
 constant action of all the powers of soul and body in this enjoyment of God ; as, for 
 instance, bodily senses, knowledge, memory, love, joy, together with a mutual love 
 and joy. 
 
 It was not only our interest in God, and actual enjoyment of 
 him, which was lost in Adam's fall, but all spiritual knowledge 
 of him, and true disposition towards such a felicity. When the 
 Son of God comes with recovering grace, and discoveries of a 
 spiritual and eternal happiness and glory, he finds not faith in 
 man to believe it. As the poor man, that would not believe any 
 one had such a sum as a hundred pounds, it was so far above 
 what himself possesssed, so men will hardly now believe there 
 is such a happiness as once they had, much less as Christ hath 
 now procured. When God would give the Israelites his Sab- 
 bath rest, in a land of rest, he had more ado to make them believe 
 it, than to overcome their enemies, and procure it for them. And 
 when they had it, only as a small intimation and earnest of an 
 incomparably more glorious rest through Christ, they yet believe 
 no more than they possess, but say with the glutton at the feast, 
 Sure there is no other heaven but this! or, if they expect more 
 by the Messiah, it is only the increase of their earthly felicity. 
 The apostle bestows most of this Epistle against this distemper, 
 and clearly and largely proves, that the end of all ceremonies 
 
16 NATURE OP 
 
 and shadows is to direct them to Jesus Christ the substance; and 
 that the rest of Sabbaths, and Canaan, should teach them to 
 look for further rest, which indeed is their happiness. My 
 text is his conclusion after divers arguments; a conclusion, 
 which contains the ground of all the believer's comfort, the end 
 of all his duty and sufferings, the life and sum of all gospel 
 promises and Christian privileges. What more welcome to 
 men, under personal afflictions, tiring duties, successions of suf- 
 erings, than rest? It is notour comfort only, but our stability. 
 Our liveliness in all duties, our enduring tribulation, our hon- 
 ouring of God, the vigour of our love, thankfulness, and all our 
 graces ; yea, the very being of our religion and Christianity, 
 depend on the believing, serious thoughts of our rest. And 
 now, reader, whatever thou art, young or old, rich or poor, I 
 entreat thee, and charge thee, in the name of thy Lord, who will 
 shortly call thee to a reckoning, and judge thee to thy everlast- 
 ing, unchangeable state, that thou give not these things the read- 
 ing only, and so dismiss them with a bare approbation ; but that 
 thou set upon this work, and take God and Christ for thy only 
 rest, and fix thy heart upon him above all. May the living 
 God, who is the portion and rest of his saints, make these our 
 carnal minds so spiritual, and our earthly hearts so heavenly, 
 that loving him, and delighting in him, may be the work of our 
 lives ! and that neither I that write, nor you that read, this book, 
 may ever be turned from this path of life ; lest, a promise being 
 left us of entering into his rest, we should come short of it, 
 through our own unbelief or negligence ! 
 
 The saints' rest is the most happy state of a Christian ; or, it is 
 the perfect, endless enjoyment of God by the perfected saints, 
 according to the measure of their capacity, to which their souls 
 arrive at death, and both soul and body most fully after the 
 resurrection and final judgment. According to this definition 
 of the saints' rest, a larger account of its nature will be given 
 in this chapter ; of its preparatives, Chap. II. ; its excellencies, 
 Chap. III. ; and, Chap. IV., the persons for whom it is designed. 
 Further to illustrate the subject, some description will be given, 
 Chap. V., of their misery who lose this rest ; and, Chap. VI., who 
 also lose the enjoyments of time, and suffer the torments of hell. 
 Next will be showed, Chap. VII., the necessity of diligently 
 seeking this rest; Chap. VIII., how our title to it may be dis- 
 
THE SAINTS' REST: 
 
 17 
 
 cerned ; Chap. IX., that they who discern their title to it should 
 help those that cannot; and, Chap. X., that this rest is not to bo 
 expected on earth. It will then be proper to consider, Chap. 
 XL, the importance of a heavenly life upon earth; Chap. 
 XII., how to live a heavenly life upon earth ; Chap. XIII., the 
 nature of heavenly contemplation, with the time, place, and 
 temper fittest for it; Chap. XIV., what use heavenly contem- 
 plation makes of consideration, affections, soliloquy, and prayer ; 
 and likewise, Chap. XV., how heavenly contemplation may be 
 assisted by sensible objects, and guarded against a treacherous 
 heart. Heavenly contemplation will be exemplified, Chap. 
 XVI., and the whole work concluded. 
 
 There are some things necessarily presupposed in the nature 
 of this rest ; as, for instance, that mortal men are the persons 
 seeking it. For angels and glorified spirits have it already, and 
 the devils and damned are past hope. — That they choose God 
 only for their end and happiness. He that takes any thing else 
 for his happiness, is out of the way the first stepi — That they 
 are distant from this end. This is the woful case of all man- 
 kind since the fall. When Christ comes with regenerating 
 grace, he finds no man sitting still, but all posting to eternal ruin, 
 and making haste towards hell ; till, by conviction, he first brings 
 them to a stand, and then, by conversion, turns their hearts 
 and lives sincerely to himself. This end, and its excellency, 
 is supposed to be known, and seriously intended. An unknown 
 good moves not to desire or endeavour. And not only a distance 
 from this rest, but the true knowledge of this distance, is also 
 supposed. They that never yet knew they were without God, 
 and in the way to hell, did never know the way to heaven. Can 
 a man find he hath lost his God, and his soul, and not cry, I 
 am undone 1 The reason why so few obtain this rest, is, they will 
 not be convinced, that they are, in point of title, distant from it ; 
 and, in point of practice, contrary to it. Who ever sought for 
 that which he knew not he had lost? "They that be whole, 
 need not a physician, but they that are sick." — The influence 
 of a superior moving cause is also supposed; else we shall all 
 stand still, and not move toward our rest. If God move us not, 
 we cannot move. It is a most necessary part of our Christian 
 wisdom, to keep our subordination to God, and dependence on 
 him. "We are not sufficient of ourselves to think any tiling 
 
IS NATURE OF 
 
 as of ourselves, but our sufficiency is of God." "Without 
 me," says Christ, "ye can do nothing." — It is next supposed, 
 that they who seek this rest have an inward principle of spirit- 
 ual life. God does not move men like stones, but he endows 
 them with life, not to enable them to move without him, but in 
 subordination to himself, the first mover. And further, this 
 rest supposes such an actual tendency of soul towards it, as is 
 regular and constant, earnest and laborious. He that hides his 
 talent shall receive the wages of a slothful servant. Christ is 
 the door, the only way to this rest. "But strait is the gate, and 
 narrow is the way ;" and we must strive, if we will enter ; for, 
 " many will seek to enter in, and shall not be able ;" which 
 implies, "that the kingdom of heaven sufTereth violence." Nor 
 will it bring us to the end of the saints, if we begin in the spirit 
 and end in the flesh. He only "that endureth to the end shall be 
 saved." And never did a soul obtain rest with God, whose 
 desire was not set upon him above all things else in the 
 world. "Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." 
 The remainder of our old nature will much weaken and inter- 
 rupt these desires, but never overcome them. And, considering 
 the opposition to our desires, from the contrary principles in 
 our nature, and from the weakness of our graces, together with 
 our continued distance from the end, our tendency to that end 
 must be laborious, and with all our might. — All these things are 
 presupposed, in order to a Christian's obtaining an interest in 
 heavenly rest. 
 
 Now we have ascended these steps into the outward court, 
 may we look within the vail ? May we show what this rest con- 
 tains, as well as what it presupposes ? Alas ! how little know 
 I of that glory ! The glimpse which Paul had contained what 
 could not, or must not, be uttered. Had he spoken the things 
 of heaven in the language of heaven, and none understood 
 that language, what the better ? The Lord reveal to me what I 
 may reveal to you ! The Lord open some light, and show both 
 you and me our inheritance ! Not as to Balaam only, whose 
 eyes were opened to see the goodliness of Jacob's tents and 
 Israel's tabernacles, where he had no portion, and from whence 
 must come his own destruction ! — not as to Moses, who had only a 
 discovery instead of possession, and saw the land which he never 
 entered ! — but as the pearl was revealed to the merchant in the 
 
THE SAINTS' REST. 10 
 
 Gospel, who rested not till he had sold all he had, and bought 
 it ! and as heaven was opened to blessed Stephen, which he was 
 shortly to enter, and the glory showed him which should be hi* 
 own possession ! — The things contained in heavenly rest are sucr 
 as these : a ceasing from means of grace ; a perfect freedom frorr 
 all evils ; the highest degree of the saints' personal perfection 
 both of body and soul ; the nearest enjoyment of God the chiel 
 good ; and a sweet and constant action of all the powers of bod} 
 and soul in this enjoyment of God. 
 
 1. One thing contained in heavenly rest is, the ceasing from 
 means of grace. When we have obtained the haven, we have 
 done sailing. When the workman receives his wages, it i& 
 implied he has done his work. When we are at our journey's, 
 end, we have done with the way. Whether prophecies, the) 
 shall fail ; whether tongues, they shall cease ; whether knowl 
 edge, it also, so far as it had the nature of means, shall vanish 
 away. There shall be no more prayer, because no more 
 necessity, but the full enjoyment of what we prayed for : neithei 
 shall we need to fast and weep, and watch any more, being oui 
 of the reach of sin and temptations. Preaching is done ; thd 
 ministry of man ceaseth; sacraments become useless; th(. 
 labourers are called in, because the harvest is gathered, the 
 tares burned, and the work finished: the unregenerate past 
 hope, and the saints past fear, for ever. 
 
 2. There is in heavenly rest a perfect freedom from all evils, 
 all the evils that accompanied us through our course, and 
 which necessarily follow our absence from the chief good : 
 besides our freedom from those eternal flames, and restless 
 miseries, which the neglecters of Christ and grace must reme- 
 dilessly endure; a woful inheritance, which, both by birth 
 and actual merit, was due to us as well as to them ! In heaven 
 there is nothing that defileth or is unclean. All that remains 
 without. And doubtless there is not such a thing as grief and 
 sorrow known there : nor is there such a thing as a pale face, a 
 languid body, feeble joints, unable infancy, decrepit age, peccant 
 humours, painful or pining sickness, griping fears, consumiiag 
 cares, nor whatsoever deserves the name of evil. We did weep 
 and lament when the world dicl rejoice ; but our sorrow is turned 
 to joy, and our joy shall no man take from us. 
 
 3. Another ingredient of this rest is, the highest degree of tha 
 
20 NATURE OF 
 
 saints 1 personal perfection, both of body and soul. Were the 
 glory ever so great, and themselves not made capable of it, by a 
 personal perfection suitable thereto, it would be little to them. 
 "Eye hath not seen nor ear heard, neither have entered into 
 the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them 
 that love him." For the eye of flesh is not capable of seeing 
 them, nor this ear of hearing them, nor this heart of under- 
 standing them, but there the eye, and ear, and heart are made 
 capable ; else how do they enjoy them ? The more perfect the 
 sight is, the more delightful the beautiful object. The more 
 perfect the appetite, the sweeter the food. The more musical 
 the ear, the more pleasant the melody. The more perfect the 
 soul, the more joyous those joys, and the more glorious to us is 
 that glory. 
 
 4. The principal part of this rest is our nearest enjoyment of 
 God, the chief good. And here, reader, wonder not if I be at a 
 loss ! and if my appehensions receive but little of that which is 
 in my expressions. If it did not appear to the beloved disciple 
 what we shall be, but only, in general, "that when Christ shall 
 appear we shall be like him," no wonder if I know little. When 
 I know. so little of God, I cannot much know what it is to enjoy 
 him. If I know so little of spirits, how little of the Father of spirits, 
 or the state of my own soul, when advanced to the enjoyment of 
 him ? I stand and look upon a heap of ants, and see them all 
 with one view ; they know not me, my being, nature, or thoughts, 
 though I am their fellow-creature ; how little, then, must we know 
 of the great Creator, though he with one view clearly beholds us 
 all ? A glimpse the saints behold as in a glass, which makes us 
 capable of some poor, dark apprehensions of what we shall behold 
 in glory. If I should tell a worldling what the holiness and spirit- 
 ual joys of the saints on earth are, he cannot know ; for grace 
 cannot be clearly known without grace ; how much less could he 
 conceive it, should I tell him of this glory? But to the saints I 
 may be somewhat more encouraged to speak ; for grace gives 
 them a dark knowledge and slight taste of glory. If men and 
 angels should study to speak the blessedness of that state in one 
 word, what could they say beyond this, that it is the nearest enjoy- 
 ment of God? O, the full joys offered to a believer in that one 
 sentence of Christ, " Father, I will that those whom thou hast 
 given me be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory 
 
THE SAINTS' REST: 21 
 
 which thou hast given me !" Every word is full of life and joy. 
 If the queen of Sheba had cause to say of Solomon's glory, 
 " Happy are thy men, happy are these thy servants, who stand 
 continually before thee, and hear thy wisdom ;" then, surely they 
 that stand continually before God, and see his glory, and the 
 glory of the Lamb, are more than happy. To them will Christ give 
 to eat of the tree of life, and to eat of the hidden manna : yea, 
 he will make them pillars in the temple of God, and they shall 
 go no more out ; and he will write upon them the name of his 
 God, and the name of the city of his God, which is New Jerusa- 
 lem, which cometh down out of heaven from his God, and he will 
 write upon them his new name ; yea, more, if more may be, he 
 will grant them to sit with him in his throne. " These are they 
 who came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, 
 and made them white in the blood of the Lamb : therefore are 
 they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his 
 temple, and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. 
 The Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, 
 and shall lead them unto living fountains of water ; and God 
 shall wipe away all tears from their eyes." O blind, deceived 
 world ! Can you show us such a glory 1 This is the city of 
 our God, where the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will 
 dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself 
 shall be with them, and be their God. The glory of God shall 
 lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. And there shall 
 be no more curse ; but the throne of God and the Lamb shall be 
 in it ; and his servants shall serve him, and they shall see his 
 face, and his name shall be in their foreheads. These sayings 
 are faithful and true, and the things which must shortly be done. 
 And now we say, as Mephibosheth, Let the world take all, foras- 
 much as our Lord will come in peace. Rejoice therefore in the 
 Lord, O ye righteous, and say with his servant David, "The 
 Lord is the portion of mine inheritance : the lines are fallen unto 
 me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage. I have 
 set the Lord always before me ; because he is at my right hand, 
 I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory 
 rejoiceth; my flesh also shall rest in hope. For thou wilt not 
 leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to 
 see corruption. Thou wilt show me the path of life; in thy 
 presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures 
 
22 NATURE OF 
 
 for evermore." What presumption would it have been, once, to 
 have thought or spoken of such a thing, if God had not spoken it 
 before us ! I durst not have thought of the saints' preferment 
 in this life, as Scripture sets it forth, had it not been the express 
 truth of God. How indecent to talk of being sons of God — 
 speaking to him — having fellowship with him — dwelling in him 
 and he in us, if this had not been God's own language ! How 
 much less durst we have once thought of shining forth as the 
 sun — of being joint heirs with Christ — of judging the world — of 
 sitting on Christ's throne — of being one in him and the Father, if 
 we had not all this from the mouth, and under the hand of God ! 
 But hath he said, and shall he not do it? Hath he spoken, and 
 shall he not make it good ? Yes, as the Lord God is true, thus 
 shall it be done to the man whom Christ delighteth to honour. 
 Be of good cheer, Christian ; the time is near when God and thou 
 shalt be near, and as near as thou canst well desire. Thou shalt 
 dwell in his family. Is that enough 1 It is better to be a door- 
 keeper in the house of God, than to dwell in the tents of wicked- 
 ness. Thou shalt ever stand before him, about his throne, in the 
 room with him, in his presence-chamber. Wouldst thou yet be 
 nearer ? Thou shalt be his child, and he thy Father ; thou shalt 
 be an heir of his kingdom; yea, more, the spouse of his Son. 
 And what more canst thou desire ? Thou shalt be a member of 
 the body of his Son : he shall be thy head ; thou shalt be one with 
 him, who is one with the Father, as he himself hath desired for 
 thee of his Father, "that they all may be one, as thou, Father, 
 art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us ; and 
 the glory which thou gavest me I have given them, that they may 
 be one, even as we are one ; I in them, and thou in me, that they 
 may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that 
 thou hast sent me, and hast loved them as thou hast loved me'." 
 5. We must add, that this rest contains a sweet and constant 
 action of all the powers of the soul and body in this enjoyment of 
 God. It is not the rest of a stone, which ceaseth from all motion 
 when it attains the centre. This body shall be so changed, that it 
 shall no more be flesh and blood, which cannot inherit the king- 
 dom of God; but a spiritual body. We sow not that body that 
 shall be, but God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to 
 every seed his own body. If grace makes a Christian differ so 
 much from what he was, as to say, I am not the man I was ; how 
 
THE SAINTS' REST: 23 
 
 much more will glory make us differ! As much as a body 
 spiritual, above the sun in glory, exceeds these frail, noisome, 
 diseased lumps of flesh, so far shall our senses exceed those we 
 now possess. Doubtless, as God advanceth our senses, and en- 
 largeth our capacity, so will he advance the happiness of those 
 senses, and fill up with himself all that capacity. Certainly the 
 body should not be raised up and continued, if it should not share 
 in the glory. As it hath shared in the obedience and sufferings, 
 so it shall also in the blessedness. As Christ bought the whole 
 man, so shall the whole partake of the everlasting benefits of the 
 purchase. O blessed employment of a glorified body ! to stand 
 before the throne of God and the Lamb, and to sound forth for 
 ever, " Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory, and honour, 
 and power. Worthy is the Lamb, that was slain, to receive 
 power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and 
 glory, and blessing ; for thou hast redeemed us to God, by thy 
 blood, out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation ; 
 and hast made us unto our God kings and priests. Alleluia; 
 salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our 
 God. Aleluia ! for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth." O 
 Christians ! this is the blessed rest ; a rest, as it were, without 
 rest; for "they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy 
 Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come." And if 
 the body shall be thus employed, O how shall the soul be taken 
 up ? As its powers and capacities are greatest, so its actions are 
 strongest, and its enjoyments sweetest. As the bodily senses 
 have their proper actions, whereby they receive and enjoy their 
 objects, so does the soul in its own actions enjoy its own objects, 
 by knowing, remembering, loving, and delightful joying. This 
 is the soul's enjoyment. By these eyes it sees, and by these arms 
 it embraces. 
 
 Knowledge, of itself, is very desirable. As far as the rational 
 soul exceeds the sensitive, so far the delights of a philosopher, in 
 discovering the secrets of nature, and knowing the mystery of 
 sciences, exceed the delights of the glutton, the drunkard, the 
 unclean, and of all voluptuous sensualists whatsoever. So 
 excellent is all truth. What, then, is their delight who know the 
 God of truth ! How noble a faculty of the soul is the understand, 
 ing ! It can compass the earth ; it can measure the sun, moon, 
 stars, and heaven; it can foreknow each eclipse to a minute, 
 
24 NATURE OF 
 
 many years before. But this is the top of all its excellency, that it 
 can know God, who is infinite, who made all these, a little here, 
 and more, much more hereafter. O, the wisdom and goodness 
 of our blessed Lord ! He hath created the understanding with a 
 natural bias and inclination to truth, as its object; and to the 
 prime truth, as its prime object. Christian, when, after long 
 gazing heavenward, thou hast got a glimpse of Christ, dost thou 
 not sometimes seem to have been with Paul in the third heaven? 
 whether in the body or out, and to have seen what is unutterable ? 
 Art thou not, with Peter, ready to say, " Master, it is good to be 
 here? " "O that I might dwell in this mount ! O that I might 
 ever see what I now see !" Didst thou never look so long upon 
 the Sun of Righteousness, till thine eyes were dazzled with his 
 astonishing glory 1 And did not the splendour of it make all 
 things below seem black and dark to thee ? Especially in the 
 day of suffering for Christ, when he usually appears most mani- 
 festly to his people, didst thou never see one walking in the midst 
 of the fiery furnace with thee, like the Son of God 1 Believe me, 
 Christians, yea, believe God ; you that have known most of God 
 in Christ here, it is as nothing to what you shall know : it' scarce, 
 in comparison of that, deserves to be called knowledge. For as 
 these bodies, so that knowledge must cease, that a more perfect 
 may succeed. Knowledge shall vanish away. For we know in 
 part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is 
 in part shall be done away. When I was a child, I spake as a 
 child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child ; but when I 
 became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see 
 through a glass, darkly, but then face to face ; now I know in 
 part, but then shall I know even as also I am known. Marvel 
 not therefore, Christian, how it can be life eternal to know God 
 and Jesus Christ. To enjoy God and Christ is eternal life ; and 
 the soul's enjoying is in knowing. They that savour only of 
 earth, and consult with flesh, think it a poor happiness to know 
 God. But we know that we are of God, and the whole world 
 lieth in wickedness ; and we know that the Son of God is come, 
 and hath given us an understanding that we may know him that 
 is true ; and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus 
 Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life. 
 
 The memory will not be idle, or useless, ir. this blessed work 
 From that height the saint can look behind him, and before him. 
 
THE SAINTS' REST: 26 
 
 And to compare past with present things must needs raise in the 
 blessed soul an inconceivable esteem and sense of its condition. 
 To stand on that mount, whence we can see the Wilderness and 
 Canaan both at once ; to stand in heaven, and look back on earth, 
 and weigh them together in the balance of a comparing sense 
 and judgment, how must it needs transport the soul, and make it 
 cry out, " Is this the purchase that cost so dear as the blood of 
 Christ? No wonder. O blessed price! and thrice blessed love, 
 that invented, and condescended ! Is this the end of believing ? 
 [s this the end of the Spirit's workings ? Have the gales of grace 
 blown me into such a harbour? Is it hither that Christ hath 
 allured my soul? O blessed way, and thrice blessed end! Is 
 this the glory which the Scriptures spoke of, and ministers 
 preached of so much ? I see the gospel is indeed good tidings, 
 even tidings o^ peace and good things, tidings of great joy to all 
 nations! Is my mourning, my fasting, my sad humblings, my 
 heavy walking, come to this? Is my praying, watching, fearing 
 to offend, come to this? Are all my afflictions, Satan's tempta- 
 tions, the world's scorns and jeers, come to this? O vile nature, 
 that resisted so much, and so long, such a blessing! Unworthy- 
 soul, is this the place thou earnest so unwillingly to? Was duty 
 wearisome? Was the world too good to lose ? Didst thou stick 
 at leaving all, denying all, and suffering any thing fortius? Wast 
 thou loath to die, -to come to this? Ofalse heart, thou hadst 
 almost betrayed me to eternal flames, and lost me this glory! 
 Art thou not now ashamed, my soul, that ever thou didst question 
 that love which brought thee hither ? that thou wast jealous of the 
 faithfulness of thy Lord ? that thou suspectedst his love, when 
 thou shouldst only have suspected thyself? that ever thou didst 
 quench a motion of his Spirit? and that thou shouldst misinterpret 
 those providences, and repine at those ways, which have such 
 an end? Now thou art sufficiently convinced, that thy blessed 
 Redeemer was saving thee, as well when he crossed thy desires, 
 as when he granted them ; when he broke thy heart, as when he 
 bound it up. . No thanks to thee, unworthy self, for this received 
 crown ; but to Jehovah, and the Lamb, be glory for ever." 
 
 But, O ! the full, the near, the sweet enjoyment, is that of love 
 
 God is love, and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and 
 
 God in him. Now the poor soul complains, " O that I could 
 
 love Christ more!" then, thou canst not choose but love him. 
 
 3 
 
2« 
 
 NATUKE Ol 
 
 Now thou knowest little of his amiableness, and therefore loves; 
 little : then, thine eyes will affect thy heart, and the continual 
 viewing of that perfect beauty will keep thee in continual trans- 
 ports of love. Christians, doth it not now stir up your love, to 
 remember all the experiences of his love? Doth not kindness 
 melt you, and the sunshine of divine goodness warm your frozen 
 hearts? What will it do then, when you shall live in love, and 
 have all in him, who is all? Surely love is both work and 
 wages. What a high favour, that God will' give us leave to love 
 him! that he will be embraced by those who have embraced 
 lust and sin before him! But, more than this, he returned love 
 for love ; nay, a thousand times more. Christian, thou wilt be 
 then brim-full of love ; yet, love as much as thou canst, thou 
 shalt be ten thousand times more beloved. Were the arms of 
 the Son of God open upon the cross, and an open passage made 
 to his heart by the spear, and will not his arms and heart be open 
 to thee in glory? Did he begin to love before thou lovedst, and 
 will not he continue now? Did he love thee, an enemy? thee, 
 a sinner? thee, who even loathedst thyself; and own thee, when 
 thou didst disclaim thyself? And will he not now immeasurably 
 love thee, a son? thee, a perfect saint? thee, who returnedst 
 some love for love ? He that in love wept over the old Jerusa- 
 lem when near its ruin, with what love will he rejoice over the 
 new Jerusalem in her glory? Christian, believe this, and think 
 on it : thou shalt be eternally embraced in the arms of that love, 
 which was from everlasting, and will extend to everlasting; of 
 that love which brought the Son of God's lore from heaven to 
 earth, from earth to the cross, from the cross to the grave, from 
 the grave to glory : that love, which was weary, hungry, tempted, 
 scorned, scourged, buffeted, spit upon, crucified, pierced ; which 
 did fast, pray, teach, heal, weep, sweat, bleed, die ; that love will 
 eternally embrace thee. When perfect created love, and most 
 perfect uncreated love, meet together, it will not be like Joseph 
 and his brethren, who lay upon one another's necks weeping; it 
 will be loving and rejoicing, not loving and sorrowing. Yet it 
 will make Satan's court ring with the news, that Joseph's breth- 
 ren are come, that the saints are arrived safe at the bosom of 
 Christ, out of the reach of hell for ever. Nor is there any such 
 love as David's and Jonathan's, breathing out its last into sad 
 lamentations for a forced separation. Know this ; believer, to thy 
 
THE SAINTS' REST 27 
 
 everlasting comfort, if those arms have once embraced thee, 
 neither sin, nor hell, can get thee thence for ever. Thou hadst 
 not to deal with an inconstant creature, but with him with whom 
 is no variableness, nor shadow of turning. His love to thee will 
 not be as thine was on earth to him, seldom, and cold, up and 
 down. He that would not cease nor abate his love, for all thine 
 enmity, unkind neglects, and churlish resistances, can he cease 
 to love thee, when he hath made thee truly lovely? He that 
 keepeth thee so constant in thy love to him, that thou canst chal- 
 lenge tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril, 
 or sword, to separate thy love from Christ, how much more will 
 himself be constant? Indeed, thou mayest be persuaded, that 
 neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, 
 nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor 
 any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of 
 God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. And now, are we not 
 left in the apostle's admiration? What shall we say to these 
 things? Infinite love must needs be a mystery to a finite capa- 
 city. No wonder angels desire to look into this mystery. And 
 if it be the study of saints here, to know the breadth, and length 
 and depth, and height, of the love of Christ, which passeth knowl- 
 edge ; the saints' everlasting rest must consist in the enjoyment 
 of God by love. 
 
 Nor hath joy the least share in this fruition. It is that which 
 all the former lead to, and conclude in ; even the inconceivable 
 complacency which the blessed feel in their seeing, knowing, 
 loving, and being beloved of God. This is the white stone which 
 no man knoweth, saving he that receiveth it. Surely this is the 
 joy which a stranger doth not intermeddle with. All Christ's 
 ways of mercy tend to and end in the saints' joys. He wept, 
 sorrowed, suffered, that they might rejoice ; he sendeth the Spirit 
 to be their comforter; he multiplies promises; he discovers their 
 future happiness, that their joy may be full. He opens to them 
 the fountain of living waters, that they may thirst no more, and 
 that it may spring up in them to everlasting life. He chastens 
 them that he may give them rest. He makes it their duty to 
 rejoice in him always, and again commands them to rejoice. 
 He never brings them into so low a condition, wherein he does 
 not leave them more cause of joy than sorrow. And hath the 
 Lord such a care of our comfort here? O, what will that joy be, 
 
2£ NATURE OF 
 
 where the soul, being perfectly prepared for joy, and joy prepared 
 by Christ for the soul, it shall be our work, our business, eternally 
 to rejoice! It seems the saints' joy shall be greater than the 
 damned 's torment; for their torment is the torment of creatures, 
 prepared for the devil and his angels ; but our joy is the joy of 
 our Lord. The same glory which the Father gave the Son, the 
 Son hath given them, to sit with him in his throne, even a? he is 
 set down vyith his Father in his throne. Thou, poor soul, who 
 prayest for joy, vvaitest for joy, complainest for want of joy, long, 
 est for joy; thou then shalt have full joy, as much as thou canst 
 hold, and more than ever thou thoughtest on, or thy heart desired. 
 In the mean time, walk carefully; watch constantly, and then 
 let God measure out to thee thy times and degrees of joy. It 
 may be he keeps them until thou hast more need. Thou hadst 
 better lose thy comfort than thy safety. If thou shouldst die full 
 of fears and sorrows, it will be but a moment, and they are all 
 gone, and concluded in joy inconceivable. As the joy of the 
 hypocrite, so the fears of the upright are but for a moment. 
 "God's anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life; 
 weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning." 
 O blessed morning! Poor, humble, drooping soul, how would 
 it fill thee with joy now, if a voice from heaven should tell thee 
 of the love of God, the pardon of thy sins, and assure thee of 
 thy part in these joys ! What, then, will thy joy be, when thy 
 actual possession shall convince thee of thy title, and thou shalt 
 be in heaven before thou art well aware? 
 
 And it is not thy joy only ; it is a mutual joy, as well as a 
 mutual love. Is there joy in heaven at thy conversion, and will 
 there be none at thy glorification? Will not the angels welcome 
 thee thither, and congratulate thy safe arrival? — Yea, it is the 
 joy of Jesus Christ; for now he hath the end of his undertaking, 
 labour, suffering, dying, when we have our joys; when he is 
 glorified in his saints, and admired in all them that believe; when 
 he sees of the travail of his soul, and is satisfied. This is Christ's 
 harvest, when he shall reap the fruit of his labours; and it will 
 not repent him concerning his sufferings, but he will rejoice over 
 his purchased inheritance, and his people will rejoice in him. — 
 Yea, the Father himself puts on joy, too, in our joy. As we 
 grieve his spirit, and weary him with our iniquities, so he i£ 
 rejoiced in our good. O how quickly does he now spy a return- 
 
THE SAINTS' REST: 29 
 
 ing prodigal, even afar off! How does he run and meet him ! 
 And with what compassion does he fall on his neck, and kiss him, 
 and put on him the best robe, and a ring on his hand, and shoes 
 on his feet, and kills the fatted calf to eat and be merry. This 
 is indeed a happy meeting; but nothing to the embracing and 
 joy of that last and great meeting. Yea, more ; as God doth 
 mutually love and joy, so he makes this his rest, as it is our rest. 
 What an eternal Sabbatism, when the wor* of redemption, sanc- 
 tification, preservation, glorification, is all finished, and perfected 
 for ever ! " The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty ; 
 he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy, he will rest in 
 his love, he will joy over thee with singing." Well may we 
 then rejoice in our God with joy, and rest in our love, and joy in 
 him with singing. 
 
 Alas! my fearful heart scarce dares proceed. Methinks I 
 hear the Almighty's voice saying to me, " Who is this that dark- 
 eneth counsel by words without knowledge ?" But pardon thy 
 servant, O Lord ! I have not pried into unrevealed things. ] 
 bewail that my apprehensions are so dull, my thoughts so mean, 
 my affections so stupid, and my expressions so low, and unbe- 
 seeming such a glory. I have only heard by the hearing of the 
 ear : O, let thy servant see thee, and possess these joys ; and then 
 shall I have more suitable conceptions, and shall give thee fuller 
 glory; I shall abhor'my present self, and disclaim and renounce 
 all these imperfections. "I have uttered that I understood not, 
 things too wonderful for me, which I knew not." Yet " I believed, 
 and therefore have I spoken." What, Lord, canst thou expect 
 from dust but 'levity ? or from corruption but defilement? Though 
 the irreverence be the fruit of my own corruption, yet the fire 
 is from thine altar, and the work of thy commanding. I looked 
 not into thy ark, nor put forth my hand unto it, without thee. 
 Wash away these stains also in the blood of the Lamb. Imper- 
 fect, or none, must be thy service here. O take thy Sen's excuse, 
 "the spirit is willing, 1 ut the flesh is weak." 
 3* 
 
3D II A t L' HE Ot 
 
 CHAPTER II, 
 
 THE GREAT PREPARATIVES TO THE SAINTS' REST. 
 
 rhere are four things which principally prepare the way to enter into it ; particu'arly, 1 
 The glorious appearing of Christ; 2: The general resurrection ; 3. The last judgment; 
 and, 4: The saints' coronation: 
 
 The passage of paradise is not now so blocked up, as when 
 the law and curse reigned. Wherefore finding, beloved Chris- 
 dans, a new and living way consecrated for us, through the vail, 
 that is to say, the flesh of Christ, by which we may with boldness 
 enter into the holiest, I shall draw near with fuller assurance; 
 and, finding the flaming sword removed, shall look again into the 
 paradise of our God. And because I know that this is no for- 
 bidden fruit, and withal that it is good for food, and pleasant to 
 the spiritual eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one truly 
 wise and happy ; I shall, through the assistance of the Spirit, 
 take and eat thereof myself, and give to you according to my 
 power, that you may eat. The porch of this temple is exceeding 
 gloiious, and the gate of it is called Beautiful. Here are four 
 things as the four corners of this porch. Here is the most glo- 
 rious coming and appearance of the Son of God ; — that great 
 work of Jesus Christ in raising our bodies from the dust, and 
 uniting them again to the soul ; — the public and solemn process 
 at their judgment, where they shall first themselves be acquitted 
 and justified, and then with Christ judge the world ; — together 
 with their solemn coronation, and receiving the kingkom. 
 
 1 . The most glorious coming and appearance of the Son of God 
 may well be reckoned in his people's glory. For their sake he 
 came into the world, suffered, died, rose, ascended ; and for their 
 sake it is that he will return. To this end will Christ come again 
 to receive his people unto himself, that where he is, there they 
 may be also. The bridegroom's departure was not upon divorce. 
 He did not leave us with a purpose to return no more. He 
 hath left pledges enough to assure us to the contrary. We have 
 his word, his many promises, his sacraments, which show forth 
 his death till he come ; and his Spirit, to direct, sanctify, and 
 comfort till he return. We have frequent tokens of love from 
 him, to show us he forgets not his promise, nor us. We daily 
 behold the forerunners of his coming, foretold by himself. We 
 
t H ti S A 1 N T tf K fc S I ^ | 
 
 see the fig-tree putteth forth leaves, and therefore knew that sum- 
 mer is nigh. Though the riotous world say, My Lord delayeth 
 his coming; yet let the saints lift up their heads, for their 
 redemption draweth nigh. Alas ! fellow-Christians, what should 
 we do if our Lord should not return? What a case are we here 
 left in ! What! leave us in the midst of wolves, and among lions, 
 a generation of vipers, and here forget us ! Did he buy us so 
 dear, and then leave us sinning, suffering, groaning, dying daily, 
 and will he come no more to us? It cannot be. This is like our 
 unkind dealing with Christ, who, when we feel ourselves warm 
 in the world, care not for coming to him : but this is not like 
 Christ's dealing with us. He that would come to suffer, will 
 surely come to triumph. He that would come to purchase, will 
 surely come to possess. Where else were all our hopes? What 
 were become of our faith, our prayers, our tears, and our wait- 
 ing? What were all the patience of the saints worth to them? 
 Were we not left of all men the most miserable? Christians, 
 hath Christ made us forsake all the world, and be forsaken of 
 all the world? to hate all, and be hated of all? and all this for 
 him, that we might have him instead of all? And will he, thin* 
 you, after all this, forget us, and forsake us himself? Far be 
 such a thought from our hearts! But why staid he not with his 
 people while he was here? Why? Was not the work on earth 
 done? Must he not take possession of glory in our behalf? 
 Must he not intercede with the Father, plead his sufferings, be 
 filled with the Spirit to send forth, receive authority, and subdue 
 his enemies? Our abode here is short. If he had staid on earth, 
 what would it have been to enjoy him for a few days, and then 
 die? He hath more in heaven to dwell among ; even the spirits 
 of many generations. He will have us live by faith, and not 
 by sight 
 
 O, fellow-Christians ! what a day will that be, when we, who 
 have been kept prisoners by sin, by sinners, by the grave, shall 
 be brought out by the Lord himself! It will not be such a 
 coming as his first was, in poverty and contempt, to be spit upon, 
 and buffeted, and crucified again. He will not come, O careless 
 world ! to be slighted and neglected by you any more. Yet 
 that ceming wanted not its glory. If the heavenly host, for the 
 celebration of his nativity, must praise God, with what shoutings 
 will angels and saints at that day proclaim glory to Gc i, peace 
 
32 NATURE OJT 
 
 and good-will towards men! If a star must lead men from 
 remote parts of the world to come to worship a child in a manger ; 
 how will the glory of his next appearing constrain all the world 
 to acknowledge his sovereignty ! If, riding on an ass, he entered 
 Jerusalem with hosannas; with what peace and glory will he 
 come toward the New Jerusalem ! If, when he was in the form 
 of a servant, they cry out, " What manner of man is this, that 
 even the winds and the sea obey him?" what will they say, when 
 they shall see him coming in his glory, and the heavens and the 
 earth obey him ! " Then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn. " 
 To think and speak of that day with horror, doth well beseem 
 the impenitent sinner, but ill the believing saint. Shall the 
 wicked behold him, and cry, "Yonder is he whose blood we 
 neglected, whose grace we resisted, whose counsel we refused, 
 whose government we cast off!" And shall not the saints, with 
 inconceivable gladness, cry, " Yonder is he whose blood redeemed 
 us, whose Spirit cleansed us, whose law did govern us ; in whom 
 we trusted, and he hath not deceived our trust ; for whom we 
 long waited, and now we see we have not waited in vain ! O 
 cursed corruption ! that would have had us turn to the world, and 
 present things, and say, Why should we wait for the Lord any 
 longer? Now we see, Blessed are all they that wait for him." 
 And now, Christians, should we not put up that petition heartily, 
 "Thy kingdom come? The Spirit and the bride say, Come: 
 and let him that heareth," and readeth, "say, Come." Our Lord 
 himself says, "Surely I come quickly. Amen: even so, come 
 Lord Jesus." 
 
 2. Another thing that leads to paradise is, that great work of 
 Jesus Christ, in raising our oodles from the dust, and uniting 
 them again unto the soul. A wonderful effect of infinite power 
 and love ! Yea, wonderful indeed, says Unbelief, if it be true. 
 What! shall all these scattered bones and dust become a man? 
 Let me with reverence plead for God, for that power whereby I 
 hope to arise. What beareth the massy body of the earth? 
 What limits the vast ocean of the waters? Whence is that con- 
 stant ebbing and flowing of the tides? How many times bigger 
 than all the earth is the sun, that glorious body of light? Is it 
 not as easy to raise the dead as to make heaven and earth, and 
 all of nothing? Look not on the dead bones, and dust, and diffi- 
 culty, but at the promise. Contentedly commit these carcasses 
 
ihL o a in is* KUST 33 
 
 to a prison, that shall not long contain them. Let us lie down 
 in peace, and take our rest; it will not be an everlasting night, 
 nor endless sleep. If unclothing be the thing thou fearest, it is 
 that thou mayest have better clothing. If to be turned out of 
 doors be the thing thou fearest, remember that, when tlie earthly- 
 house of this tabernacle is dissolved, thou hast a building of God, 
 a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. Lay- 
 down cheerfully this lump of corruption ; thou shalt undoubtedly 
 receive it again in incorruption. Lay down freely this terrestrial, 
 this natural body; thou shalt receive it again a celestial, a spir- 
 itual body. Though thou lay it down with great dishonour, thou 
 shalt receive it in glory. Though thou art separated from it 
 through weakness, it shall be raised again in mighty power ; in 
 a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump ; for the 
 trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, 
 and we shall be changed. " The dead in Christ shall rise first. 
 Then they who are alive, and remain, shall be caught up together 
 with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air." Triumph 
 now, O Christian, in these promises; thou shalt shortly triumph 
 in their performance. This is the day which the Lord will 
 make; we shall rejoice and be glad in it. The grave, that 
 could not keep our Lord, cannot keep us. He arose for us, and 
 by the same power will cause us to arise. For if we believe 
 that Jesus died, and rose again, even so them also who sleep in 
 Jesus, will God bring with him. Let us never look at the grave, 
 but let us see the resurrection beyond it. Yea, let us be stead- 
 fast, immoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, 
 forasmuch as we know our labour is not in vain in the Lord. 
 
 3. Part of this prologue to the saints' rest is the public and 
 solemn process at their judgment, where they shall first them- 
 selves be acquitted and justified, and then with Christ judge the 
 world. Young and old, of all estates and nations, that ever were 
 from the creation to that day, must here come, and receive their 
 doom. O terrible, O joyful day! Terrible to those that have 
 forgotten the coming of their Lord ! joyful to the saints, whose 
 waiting and hope was to see this day ! Then shall the world 
 behold the goodness and severity of God ; on them who perish, 
 severity ; but to his chosen, goodness. Every one must give an 
 account of his stewardship. Every talent of time, health, wit, 
 mercies, afflictions, means, warnings, must be reckoned for. The 
 
 # 
 
34 
 
 MATURE OF 
 
 sins of youth, those which they had forgotten, and their secret sins, 
 shall all be laid open before Angels and men. They shall see 
 the Lord Jesus, whom they neglected, whose word they disobeyed, 
 whose ministers they abused, whose servants they hated, now 
 sitting to judge them. Their own consciences shall cry out 
 against them, and call to their remembrance all their misdoings. 
 Which way will the wretched sinner look? Who can conceive 
 the terrible thoughts of his heart? Now the world cannot help 
 him ; his old companions cannot ; the saints neither can nor will. 
 Only the Lord Jesus can ; but there is the misery — he will not. 
 Time was, sinner, when Christ would, and you would not ; now, 
 fain would you, and he will not. All in vain to cry to the 
 mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of 
 him that sitteth upon the throne ; for thou hast the Lord of 
 mountains and rocks for thine enemy, whose voice they will 
 obey, and not thine. I charge thee, therefore, before God, and 
 the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead, 
 at his appearing, and his kingdom, that thou set thyself seriously 
 to ponder on these things. 
 
 But why tremblest thou, O humble, gracious soul? He that 
 would not lose one Noah in a common deluge, nor overlook one 
 Lot in Sodom ; nay, that could do nothing till he went forth ; 
 will he forget thee at that day ? The Lord knoweth how to 
 deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust 
 unto the day of judgment to be punished. He knoweth how to 
 make the same day the greatest terror to his foes, and yet the 
 greatest joy to his people. There is no condemnation to them 
 that are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but aftei 
 the Spirit. Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's 
 elect? Shall the law? The law of the spirit of life in Christ 
 Jesus hath made them free from the law of sin and death. Or 
 shall conscience? The Spirit itself beareth witness with their 
 spirit, that they are the children of God. "It is God that justi- 
 fieth, who is he that condemneth?" If our judge condemn us 
 not, who shall ? He that said to the adulterous woman, Hath no 
 man condemned thee ? Neither do I ; will say to us, more faith- 
 fully than Peter to him, Though all men deny thee, or condemn 
 thee, I will not. Having confessed me before men, thee "will 
 I also confess before my Father who is in heaven." 
 
 What inexpressible joy, that our dear Lord, who loveth our 
 
THE SAINTS' RES'! 35 
 
 souls, and whom our souis love, shall he our judge! Will a 
 mac fear to be judged by his dearest friend ? or a wife by her 
 own husband ? Christian, did Christ come down and suffer, and 
 weep, and bleed, and die for thee, and will he now condemr 
 thee? Was he judged, condemned, and executed in thy stead 
 and now will he condemn thee himself? Hath he done most of 
 the work already, in redeeming, regenerating, sanctifying, 
 and preserving thee, and will he now undo all again? Well, 
 then, let the terror of that day be never so great, surely our 
 Lord can mean no ill to us in all. Let it make the devils trem- 
 ble, and the wicked tremble, but it shall make us leap for joy. 
 It must needs affect us deeply with the sense of our mercy and 
 happiness, to see the most of the world tremble with terror, while 
 we triumph with joy ; to hear them doomed to everlasting flames, 
 when we are proclaimed heirs of the kingdom ; to see our neigh- 
 bours, that lived in the same towns, came to the same congrega- 
 tion, dwelt in the same houses, and were esteemed more honour- 
 able in the world than ourselves, now by the Searcher of hearts 
 eternally separated. This, with the great magnificence and 
 dreadfulness of the day, the apostle pathetically expresses, "It 
 is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them 
 that trouble you ; and to you who are troubled, rest with us, when 
 the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven, with his mighty 
 angels, in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not 
 God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ ; who 
 shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence 
 of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; when he shall 
 come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them 
 that believe in that day." 
 
 Yet more : we shall be so far from the dread of that judgment, 
 that ourselves shall become the judges. Christ will take his 
 people, as it were, into commission with himself, and they shall 
 sit and approve his righteous judgment. Do you not know that 
 the saints will judge the world ? Nay, " know ye not that we 
 shall judge angels?" Were it not for the word of Christ that 
 speaks it, this advancement would seem incredible, and the 
 language arrogant. Even Enoch, the seventh from Adam, 
 prophesied this, saying^ " Behold the Lord cometh with ten thou- 
 sands of his saints, to execute judgment upon all, and to convince 
 all that are ungodly among them, of all their ungodly deeds 
 
3tf 
 
 NATURE OF 
 
 which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard 
 speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him." 
 Thus shall the saints be honoured, and the upright shall have 
 dominion in the morning. O that the careless world "were 
 wise, that they understood this, that they would consider their 
 latter end!" that they would be now of the same mind as they 
 will be, when they shall see the heavens pass away with a great 
 noise, and the elements melt with fervent heat, and the earth 
 also, and the works that are therein, burnt up ! when all shall 
 be in fire about their ears, and all earthly glory consumed. For 
 the heavens and the earth, which are now, are reserved unto 
 fire against the day of judgment, and perdition of ungodly men. 
 " Seeing, then, that all these things shall be dissolved, what man- 
 ner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and 
 godliness, looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of 
 God, wherein the heavens being on fire, shall be dissolved, and 
 the elements shall melt with fervent heat?" 
 
 4. The last preparative to the saints' rest is their solemn coro- 
 nation and receiving the kingdom. For as Christ, their head, is 
 anointed both King and Priest, so under him are his people made 
 unto God both kings and priests, to reign, and to offer praises for 
 ever. The crown of righteousness, which was laid up for them, 
 shall by the Lord, the righteous Judge, be given them at that 
 day. They have been faithful unto death, and therefore he will 
 give them a crown of life. And according to the improvement 
 of their talents here, so shall their rule and dignity be enlarged. 
 They are not dignified with empty titles, but real dominion. 
 Christ will grant them to sit with him on his throne, and will 
 give them power over the nations, even as he received of his 
 Father; and he "will give them the morning-star." The Lord 
 himself will give them possession with these applauding expres- 
 sions : " Well done, good and faithful servant ; thou hast been 
 faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many 
 things; enter thou into the joy of thy Lord." 
 
 And with this solemn and blessed proclamation shall he 
 enthrone them: "Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the 
 kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." 
 Every word is full of life and joy. Come — this is the holding 
 forth of the golden sceptre, to warrant our approach unto this 
 glory. Come now as near as you will : fear not the Bethshemite's 
 
THE SAINTS' REST. 37 
 
 judgment; for the enmity is utterly abolished. This is not such 
 a Come as we were wont to hear ; " Come take up your cross and 
 follow me." Though that was sweet, yet this much more. Ye 
 blessed — Blessed indeed, when that mouth shall so pronounce us! 
 For though the world hath accounted us accursed, and we have 
 been ready to account ourselves so ; yet certainly those that he 
 blesseth are blessed ; and those whom he curseth, only, are 
 cursed, and his blessing cannot be reversed. Of my Father — ■ 
 Blessed in the Father's love, as well as the Son's, for they are one. 
 The Father hath testified his love in their election, donation to 
 Christ, sending of Christ, and accepting his ransom, as the Son 
 hath also testified his. Inherit — No longer bondmen, nor ser- 
 vants only, nor children under age, who differ not in possession, 
 but only in title, from servants : but now we are heirs of the 
 kingdom and joint heirs with Christ. The kingdom — No less 
 than the kingdom ! Indeed, to be King of kings, and Lord of 
 lords, is our Lord's own proper title : but to be kings, and reign 
 with him, is ours. The enjoyment of this kingdom is as the 
 light of the sun : each has the whole, and the rest never the less. 
 Prepared for you — God is the Alpha, as well as the Omega, of 
 our blessedness. Eternal love hath laid the foundation. He 
 prepared the kingdom for us, and then prepared us for the king- 
 dom. This is the preparation of his counsel and decree ; for the 
 execution whereof Christ was yet to make a further preparation. 
 For you — Not for believers in general, who, without individual 
 persons, are nobody : but for you personally. From the found- 
 ation of the world — Not only from the promise after Adam's fall, 
 but from eternity. 
 
 Thus we have seen the Christian safely landed in paradise 
 and conveyed honourably to his rest. Now let us a little further, 
 in the next chapter, view those mansions, consider their privileges, 
 and see whether there be any glory like unto this glory. 
 4 
 
3g ru t excKLiveMctiitj ot 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 THE EXCELLENCIES OF THE SAINTS' LEST. 
 
 I. It is the purchased possession ; 2. A fres gift ; 3. Peculiar to saints ; 4. An association 
 with saints and angels; 5. It derives its joys immediately from God himself; 6. It will 
 be seasonable ; 7. Suitable ; 8. Perfect, without sin and suffering ; 9. And everlasting. 
 
 Let us draw a little nearer, and see what further excellencies 
 this rest affordeth. The Lord hide us in the clefts of the rock, 
 and cover us with the hands of indulgent grace, while we 
 approach to take this view ! This rest is excellent for being — > 
 a purchased possession; — a free gift; — peculiar to saints; — an 
 association with saints and angels; — yet deriving its joys imme- 
 diately from God ; — and because it will be a seasonable, — 
 suitable, — perfect, — and eternal rest. 
 
 1. It is a most singular honour of the saints' rest, to be called 
 the purchased possession ; That is, the fruit of the blood of the 
 Son of God ; yea, the chief fruit, the end and perfection of all 
 the fruits and efficacy of that blood. Greater love than this, 
 there is not, to lay down the life of the lover. And to have this 
 our Redeemer ever before our eyes, and the liveliest sense and 
 freshest remembrance of that dying, bleeding love still upon our 
 souls! How will it fill our souls with perpetual joy, to think, 
 that in the streams of this blood we have swam through the vio- 
 lence of the world, the snares of Satan, the seducements of flesh, 
 the curse of the law, the wrath of an offended God, the accu- 
 sations of a guilty conscience, and the vexing doubts and fears 
 of an unbelieving heart, and are arrived safe at the presence of 
 God! Now, he cries to us, Is it "nothing to you, all ye that 
 pass by? behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto my 
 sorrow !" and we scarce regard the mournful voice, nor scarce 
 turn aside to view the wounds. But then our perfected souls 
 will feel, and flame in love for love. With what astonishing 
 apprehensions will redeemed saints everlastingly behold their 
 blessed Redeemer! the purchaser, and the price, together with 
 the possession ! Neither will the view of his wounds of love 
 renew our wounds of sorrow. He, whose first words after his 
 resurrection were to a great sinner, "Woman, why weepest 
 thou ?" knows how to raise love and joy, without any cloud of 
 
i'HE * A iSTS- Rfc«l yy 
 
 sorrow, or storm of tears. If any thing we enjoy was purchased 
 with the life of our dearest friend, how highly should we value 
 it? If a dying friend deliver us but a token of his love, how 
 carefully do we preserve it! and still remember him when we 
 behold it, as if his own name were written on it! And will not, 
 then, the death and blood of our Lord everlastingly sweeten our 
 possessed glory ? As we write down the price our goods cost 
 us ; so on our righteousness and glory write down the price, the 
 precious blood of Christ. His sufferings were to satisfy the 
 justice that required blood, and to bear what was due to sinners, 
 and so to restore them to the life they lost, and the happi- 
 ness they fell from. The work of Christ's redemption so well 
 pleased the Father, that he gave him power to advance his 
 chosen, and give them the glory which was given to himself, 
 and all this "according to his good pleasure, and the counsel 
 of his own will." 
 
 2. Another pearl in the saints' diadem is, that it is a free gift. 
 These two, purchased and free, are the chains of gold which 
 make up the wreaths for the tops of the pillars in the temple of 
 God. It was dear to Christ, but free to us. When Christ was 
 to buy, silver and gold were nothing worth ; prayers and tears 
 could not suffice, nor any thing below his blood ; but our buying 
 is receiving; we have it freely, without money and without 
 price. A thankful acceptance of a free acquittance is no pay- 
 ing of the debt. Here is all free; if the Father freely give the 
 Son, and the Son freely pay the debt ; and if God freely accepts 
 that way of payment, when he might have required it of the 
 principal ; and if both Father and Son freely offer us the pur- 
 chased life on our cordial acceptance, and if they freely send 
 the Spirit to enable us to accept; what is here, then, that is not 
 free? O the everlasting admiration that must needs surprise the 
 9aints to think of this freeness! "What did the Lord see in me, 
 hat he should judge me meet for such a state? That I, who 
 was but a poor, diseased, despised wretch, should be clad in the 
 brightness of this glory ! That I, a creeping worm, should be 
 advanced to this high dignity! That I, who was but lately 
 groaning, weeping, dying, should now be as full of joy as my 
 heart can hold ! yea, should be taken from the grave, where I was 
 decaying, and from the dust and darkness, where I seemed for 
 gotten, and be here se*. before his throne! That i should bp 
 
40 I'HB EXCELLENCIES OF 
 
 taken, with Mordecai, f'rpni captivity, and be set next unto the 
 king ; and, with Daniel, from the den, to be made ruler of princes 
 and provinces! Who can fathom unmeasurable love?" If 
 worthiness were our condition for admittance, we might sit down 
 and weep, with St. John, Because no man was found worthy. 
 But the Lion of the tribe of Judah is worthy, and hath prevailed : 
 and by that title we must hold the inheritance. We shall oft'er 
 there the offering that David refused, even praise for that which 
 cost us nothing. Here our commission runs, Freely ye have 
 received, freely give ; but Christ has dearly bought, yet freely 
 gives. 
 
 If it were only for nothing, and without our merit, the wonder 
 were great ; but it is moreover against our merit, and against 
 our long endeavouring our own ruin. What an astonishing 
 thought it will be to think of the unmeasurable difference between 
 our deservings and receivings ! between the state we should have 
 been in, and the state we are in ! to look down upon hell, and 
 see the vast difference that grace hath made between us and them ! 
 to see the inheritance there, which we were born to, so different 
 from that which we are adopted to ! What pangs of love will it 
 cause within us to think, "Yonder was the place that sin would 
 have brought me to, but this is it that Christ hath brought me to! 
 Yonder death was the wages of my sin, but this eternal life is 
 the gift of God, through Jesus Christ my Lord ! Who made me 
 to differ? Had I not now been in those flames, if I had had my 
 own way, and been let alone to my own will ? Should I not 
 have lingered in Sodom, till the flames had seized on me, if God 
 had not in mercy brought me out?" Doubtless this will be our 
 everlasting admiration, that so rich a crown should fit the head 
 of so vile a sinner! that such high advancement, and such long 
 unfruitfulness and unkindness, can be the state of the same per- 
 son ! and that such vile rebellions can conclude in such most 
 precious joys ! But no thanks to us, nor to any of our duties and 
 labours, much less to our neglects and laziness: we know to 
 ivhom the praise is due, and must be given for ever. Indeed, to 
 this very end it was, that infinite wisdom cast the whole design 
 of man's salvation into this mould of purchase and freeness, 
 that the love and joy of man might be perfected, and the 
 honour of grace most highly advanced ; that the thought of merit 
 might neither cloud the one nor obstruct the other ; and that on 
 
THE SAINTS' REST: 
 
 41 
 
 these two hinges the gate of heaven might turn. So, then, tet 
 "deserved" be written on the door of hell, but on the door of 
 heaven and life, "the free gift." 
 
 3. This rest is peculiar to saints, belongs to no other of all 
 the sons of men. If all Egypt had been light, the Israelites 
 would not have had the less; but to enjoy that light alone, while 
 their neighbours lived in thick darkness, must make tbem more 
 sensible of their privilege. Distinguishing mercy affects more 
 than any mercy. If Pharaoh had passed as safely as Israel, the 
 Red Sea would have been less remembered. If the rest of the 
 world had not been drowned, and the rest of Sodom and Gomor- 
 rah not burned, the saving of Noah had been no wonder, nor 
 Lot's deliverance so much talked of. When one is enlightened, 
 and another left in darkness; one reformed, and another by his 
 lust enslaved ; it makes the saints cry out, "Lord, how is it that 
 thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world?" 
 When the prophet is sent to one widow only of all that Avere 
 in Israel, and to cleanse one Naaman of all the lepers, the mercy 
 is more observable. That will surely be a day of passionate 
 sense on both sides, when there shall be two in one bed, and two 
 in the field : the one taken, and the other left. The saints shall 
 look down upon the burning lake, and in the sense of their own 
 happiness and in the approbation of God's just proceedings, they 
 shall rejoice and sing, "Thou art righteous, O Lord, who wast, 
 art, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus." 
 
 4. But though this rest be peculiar to the saints, yet it is com- 
 mon to all the saints ; for it is an association of blessed spirits, 
 both saints and angels; a corporation of perfected saints, whereof 
 Christ is the head ; the communion of saints completed. As we 
 have been together in labour, duty, danger, and distress ; so shall 
 we be in the great recompense and deliverance. As we have 
 been scorned and despised ; so shall we be owned and honoured 
 together. We, who have gone through the day of sadness, shall 
 enjoy together that day of gladness. Those who have been 
 with us in persecution and prison, shall be with us also in that 
 palace of consolation. How oft have our groans made, as it 
 were, one sound! our tears one stream! and our desires one 
 prayer! But now all our praises shall make up one melody; 
 all our churches, one church; and all ourselves, one body; for 
 we shall be all one in Christ, even as he and the Father arc one. 
 
 4* 
 
4» THE EXCELLENCIES OP 
 
 it is (rue, we must be careful not to look for that in the saints 
 which is alone in Christ. But if the forethought of sitting down 
 with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven, 
 may be our lawful joy ; how much more the real sight and 
 actual possession ! It cannot choose but be comfortable to think 
 of that day when we shall join with Moses in his song, with 
 David in his psalms of praise, and with all the redeemed in the 
 song of the Lamb for ever; when we shall see Enoch walking 
 with God ; Noah enjoying the end of his singularity ; Joseph of 
 his integrity; Job of his patience; Hezekiah of his upright- 
 ness; and all the saints the end of their faith. Not only our old 
 acquaintance, but all the saints, of all ages, whose faces in the 
 flesh we never saw, we shall there both know and comfortably 
 enjoy. Yea, angels, as well as saints, will be our blessed 
 acquaintance. Those who now are willingly our ministering 
 spirits, will willingly then be our companions in joy. They, 
 who had such joy in heaven for our conversion, will gladly 
 rejoice with us in our glorification. Then we shall truly say as 
 David, I am a companion of all them that fear thee; when "we 
 are come unto Mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, 
 the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of 
 angels; to the general assembly, and church of the first-born, 
 who are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to 
 the spirits of just men made perfect, and to Jesus the Mediator 
 of the new covenant." It is a singular excellence of heavenly 
 rest, that "we are fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the 
 household of God." 
 
 5. As another property of our rest, we shall derive Us joys 
 immediately from God. Now we have nothing at all immediately, 
 but at the second or third hand, or how many, who knows ? From 
 the earth, from man, from sun and moon, from the ministra- 
 tion of angels, and from the Spirit, and Christ. Though in the 
 hand of angels, the stream savours not of the imperfection of 
 sinners, yet it does of the imperfection of creatures ; and as it 
 comes from man, it savours of both. How quick and piercing 
 is the word in itself! Yet many times it never enteis, being 
 managed by a feeble arm. What weight and worth is there i^ 
 every passage of the blessed Gospel ! Enough, one would think 
 to enter and pierce the dullest soul, and wholly possess its thought, 
 and affections ; and yet how oft does it fall as water upon a stone | 
 
TiiE SAINTS' REST 43 
 
 The things of God, which we handle, are divine ; but our manner 
 of handling is human. There is little we touch, but we leave 
 the print of our fingers behind. If God speaks the word him- 
 self, it will be a piercing, melting word indeed. The Christian 
 now knows by experience, that his most immediate joys are his 
 sweetest joys; which have least of man, and are most directly 
 from the Spirit. Christians, who are much in secret prayer and 
 contemplation, are men of greatest life and joy ; because they 
 have all more immediately from God himself. Not that we 
 should cast off hearing, reading, and conference, or neglect any 
 ordinance of God ; but to live above them, while we use them, is 
 the way of a Christian. There is joy in these remote receivings; 
 but the fulness of joy is in God's immediate presence. We shall 
 then have light without a candle, and perpetual day without the 
 sun ; for "the city has no need of the sun, neither of the moon, 
 to shine in it ; for the glory of God lightens it, and the Lamb is 
 the light thereof; there shall be no night there, and they need no 
 candle, neither light of the sun; and they shall reign for ever 
 and ever." We shall then have enlightened understandings 
 without Scripture, and be governed without a written law; for 
 the Lord will perfect his law in our hearts, and we shall be all 
 perfectly taught of God. We shall have joy, which we drew 
 not from the promises, nor fetched home by faith or hope. We 
 shall have communion without sacraments, without this fruit of 
 the vine, when Christ shall drink it new with us in his Father's 
 kingdom, and refresh us with the comforting wine of immediate 
 enjoyment. To have necessities, but no supply, is the case of 
 them in hell. To have necessity supplied by means of the crea- 
 tures, is the case of us on earth. To have necessity supplied 
 immediately from God, is the case of the saints in heaven. To 
 have no necessity at all, is the prerogative of God himself. 
 
 6. A further excellence of this rest is, that it will be season- 
 able. He that expects the fruit of his vineyard at the season, 
 and makes his people "like a tree planted by the rivers of water, 
 that bringeth forth his fruit in his season," will also give them the 
 crown in his season. He that will have a word of joy spoken in 
 season, to him that is weary, will surely cause the time of joy to 
 appear in the fittest season. They who are not weary in well 
 doing, shall, if they faint not, reap in due season. If God giveth 
 rain even to his enemies, both the former and the latter in his 
 
44 1H ^ EXCELLENCIES OK 
 
 season, and reserveth the appointed weeks of harvest, and cov- 
 enants that there shall be day and night in their season; then 
 surely the glorious harvest of the saints shall not miss its season. 
 Doubtless, he that would not stay a day longer than his promise, 
 but brought Israel out of Egypt on the self-same day, when the 
 four hundred and thirty years were expired ; neither will he fail 
 of one day or hour of the fittest season for his people's glory. 
 When we have had in this world a long night of darkness, will 
 not the day-breaking, and the rising of the Sun of Righteousness, 
 be then seasonable? When we have passed a long and tedious 
 journey, through no small dangers, is not home then seasonable? 
 When we have had a long and perilous war, and received many a 
 wound, would not a peace with victory be seasonable? Men live 
 in a continual weariness; especially the saints, who are most 
 weary of that which the world cannot feel. Some, weary of a 
 blind mind ; some of a hard heart; some of their daily doubts 
 and fears ; some of the want of spiritual joys ; and some of the 
 sense of God's wrath. And when a poor Christian hath desired 
 and prayed, and waited for deliverance many years, is it not 
 then seasonable? We grudge that we do not find a Canaan in 
 the wilderness ; or the songs of Sion in a strange land ; that we 
 have not a harbour in the main ocean, nor our rest in the heat 
 of the day, nor heaven before we leave the earth ; and would 
 not all this be very unseasonable? 
 
 7. As this rest will be seasonable, so it will be suitable. The 
 new nature of the saints doth suit their spirits to this rest. 
 Indeed, their holiness is nothing else but a spark taken from this 
 element, and by the Spirit of Christ kindled in their hearts ; the 
 flame whereof, mindful of its own divine original, ever tends to 
 the place from whence it comes. Temporal crowns and king, 
 doms could not make a rest for saints. As they were not 
 redeemed with so low a price, neither are they endued with so 
 low a nature. As God will have from them a spiritual worship, 
 suited to his own spiritual being, he will provide them a spirit- 
 ual rest, suitable to their spiritual nature. The knowledge of 
 God and his Christ, a delightful complacency in that mutual love, 
 an everlasting rejoicing in the enjoyment of our God, with a 
 perpetual singing of his high praises ; this is a heaven for a saint. 
 Then we shall live in our own element. We are now as the fish 
 in a vessel of water, only so much as will keep them alive ; but 
 
THE SAINTS' REST. 45 
 
 what is that to the ocean ? We have a little air let into us, to 
 afford us breathing ; but what is that to the sweet and fresh gales 
 upon Mount Sion? We have a beam of the sun to lighten our 
 darkness, and a warm ray to keep us from freezing; but then 
 we shall live in its light, and be revived by its heat for ever. — 
 As the natures of saints are, such are their desires; and it is the 
 desires of our renewed nature which this rest is suited to. Whilst 
 our desires remain corrupted and misguided, it is a far greater 
 mercy to deny them, yea, to destroy them, than to satisfy them ; 
 but those which are spiritual are of his own planting, and he 
 will surely water them, and give the increase. He quickened 
 our hunger and thirst for righteousness, that he might make us 
 happy in a full satisfaction. Christian, this is a rest after thy 
 own heart ; it contains all that thy heart can wish ; that which 
 thou longest, prayest, labourest for, there thou shalt find it all. 
 Thou hadst rather have God in Christ, than all the world ; there 
 thou shalt have him. What wouldst thou not give for assurance 
 of his love ! There thou shalt have assurance without suspicion. 
 Desire what thou canst, and ask what thou wilt, as a Christian, 
 and it shall be given thee, not only to half of the kingdom, but to 
 the enjoyment both of kingdom and King. This is a life of 
 desire and prayer, but that is a life of satisfaction and enjoy- 
 ment. — This rest is very suitable to the saints' necessities, also, 
 as well as to their natures and desires. It contains whatsoever 
 they truly wanted ; not supplying them with gross-created com- 
 forts, which, like Saul's armour on David, are more burden than 
 benefit. It was Christ and perfect holiness which they most 
 needed, and with these shall they be supplied. 
 
 8. Still more, this rest will be absolutely perfect. We shall 
 then have joy without sorrow, and rest without weariness. 
 There is no mixture of corruption with our graces, nor of suffer- 
 ing with our comfort. There are none of those waves in that 
 harbour, which now so toss us up and down. To-day we are well, 
 to-morrow sick ; to-day in esteem, to-morrow in disgrace ; to-day 
 we have friends, to-morrow none ; nay, we have wine and vine- 
 gar in the same cup. If revelations raise us to the third heaven, 
 the messenger of Satan must presently buffet us, and the thorn 
 in the flesh fe.ch us down. But there is none of this inconstancy 
 in heaven. If perfect love casteth out fear, then perfect jo\ 
 must neede cast out .sorrow, and perfect happiness exclude al 
 
46 THE EXCELLENCIES OF 
 
 the relicks of misery. We shall there rest from all :he evil of 
 sin and of p ufferi»g. 
 
 Heaven excludes nothing more directly than sin, whether of 
 nature or of conversation. "There shall in no wise enter any 
 thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination or 
 maketh lie." What need Christ at all to have died, if heaven 
 could have contained imperfect souls? "For this purpose the 
 Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of 
 the devil." His blood and Spirit have not done all this, to leave 
 us after all denied. "What communion hath light with dark- 
 ness? and what concord hath Christ with Belial?" Christian, 
 if thou be once in heaven, thou shalt sin no more. Is not this 
 glad news to thee, who hast prayed, and watched against it so 
 long? I know, if it were offered to thy choice, thou wouldst 
 rather choose to be freed from sin, than have all the world. 
 Thou shalt have thy desire. — That hard heart, those vile thoughts, 
 which accompanied thee to every duty, shall then be left behind 
 for ever. — Thy understanding shall never more be troubled with 
 darkness. All dark Scriptures shall be made plain; all seem- 
 ing contradictions reconciled. The poorest Christian is presently 
 there a more perfect divine than any here. O that happy day, when 
 error shall vanish for ever ! when our understanding shall be 
 filled with God himself, whose light will leave no darkness in 
 us! His face shall be the Scripture, where we shall read the 
 truth. Many a godly man hath here, in his mistaken zeal, been 
 a means to deceive and pervert his brethren, and, when he sees 
 his own error, cannot again tell how to undeceive them. But 
 there we shall conspire in one truth, as being one in him who is 
 the truth. — We shall also rest from all the sin of our will, affec- 
 tion and conversation. We shall no more retain this rebelling 
 principle, which is still drawing us from God; no more be 
 oppressed with the power of our corruptions, nor vexed with their 
 presence : no pride, passion, slothfulness, insensibility, shall enter 
 with us ; no strangeness to God, and the things of God ; no cold- 
 ness of affections, nor imperfection in our love; no uneven 
 walking, nor grieving of the Spirit; no scandalous action, nor 
 unholy conversation ; we shall rest from all these for ever. 
 Then shall our will correspond to the divine will, as face answer? 
 face in a glass, and from which, as our law and rule, we shall 
 
THE SAINTS' REST: 
 
 47 
 
 never swerve. "For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath 
 ceased from his own works, as God did from his." 
 
 Our sufferings were but the consequences of our sinning, and in 
 leaven they both shall cease together. We shall rest from all our 
 doubts of God's love. It shall no more be said, that " Doubts are 
 like the thistle, a bad weed, but growing in good ground." They 
 shall now be weeded out, and trouble the gracious soul no more. 
 We shall hear that kind of language no more, "What shall I dj 
 to know my state? How shall I know that God is my Father? 
 that my heart is upright? that my conversion is true? that faith 
 is sincere? I am afraid my sins are unpardoned; that all I do 
 is hypocrisy ; that God will reject me ; that he does not hear my 
 prayers." All this is there turned into praise. We shall rest 
 from all sense of God's displeasure. Hell shall not be mixed 
 with heaven. At times the gracious soul remembered God, and 
 was troubled ; complained, and was overwhelmed, and refused 
 to be comforted ; divine wrath lay hard upon him, and God 
 afflicted him with all his waves. But that blessed day shall 
 convince us that, though God hid his face from us for a moment, 
 yet with everlasting kindness will he have mercy on us. We 
 shall rest from all the temptations of Satan. What a grief is it to 
 a Christian, though he yield not to the temptation, yet to be solicited 
 to deny his Lord? What a torment to have such horrid motions 
 made to his soul ! such blasphemous ideas presented to his imagin- 
 ation ! sometimes cruel thoughts of God, undervaluing thoughts 
 of Christ, unbelieving thoughts of Scripture, or injurious thoughts 
 of Providence ! to be tempted sometimes to turn to present things, 
 to play with the baits of sin, and venture on the delights of flesh, 
 and sometimes to atheism itself! especially, when we know the 
 treachery of our own hearts, ready, as tinder, to take fire, as soon 
 as one of those sparks fall upon them ! Satan hath power here 
 to tempt us in the wilderness, but he entereth not the holy city; 
 he may set us on a pinnacle of the temple in the earthly Jerusa- 
 lem, but the New Jerusalem he may not approach : he may take 
 us up into an exceeding high mountain, but the Mount Sion he 
 cannot ascend; and if he could, all the kingdoms of the world, 
 and the glory of them, would be a despised bait to a soul pos- 
 sessed of the kingdom of our Lord. No, it is in vain for Satan 
 o offer a temptation more. All our temptations from the worlc 
 and the flesh shall also cease. O the hourly dangers that we hen 
 
43 THE EXCELLENCIES OF 
 
 walk in ! Every sense, and member, is a snare ; every creature 
 every mercy, and every duty, is a snare to us. We can scarce 
 open our eyes, but we are in danger of envying those above us, 
 or despising those below us; of coveting the honours and riches 
 of some, or beholding the rags and beggary of others with pride 
 and unmercifulness. If we see beauty, it is a bait to lust; if 
 deformity, to loathing and disdain. How soon do slanderous 
 reports, vain jests, wanton speeches, creep into the heart! How 
 constant and strong a watch does our appetite require ! Have 
 we comeliness and beauty? What fuel for pride! Are we 
 deformed? What an occasion of repining! Have we strength 
 of reason, and gifts of learning ? O how prone to be puffed up, 
 hunt after applause, and despise our brethren! Are we unlearn- 
 ed ? How apt then to despise what we have not ! Are we in 
 places of authority? How strong is the temptation to abuse our 
 trust, make our will our law, and cut out all the enjoyments of 
 others by the rules and model of our own interest and policy ! 
 Are we inferiors? How prone to grudge at others' preeminence; 
 and bring their actions to the bar of our judgment! Are we 
 rich, and not too much exalted? Are we poor, and not discon- 
 tented ? Are we not lazy in our duties, or make a Christ of 
 them ? Not that God hath made all these things our snares ; but 
 through our own corruption they become so to us. Ourselves 
 are the greatest snare to ourselves. This is our comfort, our rest 
 will free us from all these. As Satan hath no entrance there, so 
 neither any thing to serve his malice ! but all things there shall 
 join with us in the high praises of their great Deliverer. As we 
 rest from the temptations, we shall likewise from the abuses and 
 persecutions of the world. The prayers of the souls under the 
 altar will then be answered, and God will avenge their blood en 
 them that dwell on the earth. This is the time for crowning 
 with thorns ; that, for crowning with glory. Now, "all that live 
 godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution ;" then, they that 
 suffered with him shall be glorified with him. Now, we must be 
 hated of all men for Christ's name's sake ; then, Christ will be 
 admired in his saints that were thus hated. We are here mad'j 
 a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men : as the filth 
 of the world, and the offscouring of all things, men separate us 
 from their company, and reproach us, and cast out our names as 
 evil ; but we shall then be as much gazed at for our glory, and 
 
THE SAINTS' REST. 49 
 
 they will be shut of the church of the saints, and separated from 
 us, whether they will or not. We can scarce pray in our families, 
 or sing praises to God, but our voice is a vexation to them : how 
 must it torment them, then, to see us praising and rejoicing, while 
 they are howling and lamenting ! You, brethren, who can now 
 attempt no work of God without losing the love of the world, 
 consider, you shall have none in heaven but will further your 
 work, and join heart and voice with you in your everlasting joy 
 and praise. Till then, possess ye your souls in patience. Bind 
 all reproaches as a crown to your heads. Esteem them greater 
 riches than the world's treasures. " It is a righteous thing with 
 God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you ; and to 
 you, who are troubled, rest with Christ." We shall then rest from 
 all our sad divisions, and unchristian quarrels with one another. 
 How lovingly do thousands live together in heaven, who lived 
 at variance upon earth ! There is no contention, because none 
 of this pride, ignorance, or other corruption. There is no plot- 
 ting to strengthen our party, nor deep designing against our 
 brethren. If there be sorrow or shame in heaven, we shall then 
 be both sorry and ashamed to remember all this carriage on 
 earth; as Joseph's brethren were to behold him, when they 
 remembered their former unkind usage. Is it not enough that 
 all the world is against us, but we must also be against one an- 
 other? O happy days of persecution, which drove us together, in 
 love, whom the sunshine of liberty and prosperity crumbles into 
 dust by our contentions ! O happy day of the saints' rest in glory, 
 when, as there is one God, one Christ, one Spirit, so we shall 
 have one heart, one church, one employment for ever! 
 
 We shall then rest from our participation of our brethren's 
 sufferings. The church on earth is a mere hospital! Some 
 groaning under a dark understanding, some under an insensible 
 heart, some languishing under unfruitful weakness, and some 
 bleeding for miscarriages and wilfulness ; some crying out ot 
 their poverty, some groaning under pains and infirmities, and 
 some bewailing a whole catalogue of calamities. But a far 
 greater grief it is, to see our dearest and most intimate friends 
 turned aside from the truth of Christ, continuing their neglect of 
 Christ and their souls, and nothing will awaken them out of their 
 security : to look on an ungodly father or mother, brother or sis- 
 ter, wife or husband, child or friend, and think how certainly they 
 5 
 
fcU THE EXCELLENCIES OF 
 
 shall be in hell for ever, if they die in their present unregenerated 
 state; to think of the Gospel departing, the glory taken from our 
 Israel, poor souls left willingly dark and destitute, and blowing out 
 the light that should guide them to salvation ! Our day of rest 
 will free us from all this, and the days of mourning shall be 
 ended. Then thy people, O Lord shall be all righteous ; they 
 shall inherit the land for ever, the branch of thy planting, the 
 work of thy hands, that thou mayest be glorified. 
 
 Then we shall rest from all our own personal sufferings. Thia 
 may seem a small thing to those that live in ease and prosperity ; 
 but to the daily-afflicted soul it makes the thoughts of heaven 
 delightful. O the dying life we now live ! as full of sufferings 
 as of days and hours ! Our Redeemer leaves this measure of 
 misery upon us, to make us know for what we are beholden, to 
 remind us of what we should else forget, to be serviceable to his 
 wise and gracious designs, and advantageous to our full and 
 final recovery. Grief enters at every sense, seizes every part 
 and power of flesh and spirit. What noble part is there that 
 suffereth its pain or ruin alone? But sin and flesh, dust and 
 pain, will all be left behind together. O the blessed tranquillity 
 of that region, where there is nothing but sweet continued peace ! 
 O healthful place, where none are sick! O fortunate land, 
 where all are kings ! O holy assembly, where all are priests ! 
 How free a state, where none are servants but to their supreme 
 Monarch ! The poor man shall no more be tired with his labours : 
 no more hunger or thirst, cold or nakedness : no pinching frosts 
 or scorching heats. Our faces shall no more be pale or sad ; no 
 more breaches in friendship, nor parting of friends asunder; no 
 more trouble accompanying our relations, nor voice of lamenta- 
 tion heard in our dwellings : God shall wipe away all tears from 
 our eye. O my soul, bear with the infirmities of thine earthly 
 tabernacle ; it will be thus but a little while ; the sound of thy 
 Redeemer's feet is even at the door. 
 
 We shall also rest from all the toils of duties. The consci- 
 entious magistrate, parent and minister cries out, "O the burden 
 that lieth upon me!" Every relation, state, age hath variety of 
 duties ; so that every conscientious Christian cries out, " O the 
 burden! O my weakness, that makes it burdensome!" But 
 our remaining rest will ease us of the burdens. 
 
 Once more, we shall rest from all these troublesome qflictioni 
 
THE BAINTS' REST. 51 
 
 which necessarily accompany our absence from God. The 
 trouble that is mixed in our desires and hopes, our longings and 
 waitings, shall then cease. We shall no more look into our 
 cabinet, and miss our treasure; into our hearts, and miss our 
 Christ ; no more seek him from ordinance to ordinance ; but all 
 be concluded in a most blessed and full enjoyment. 
 
 9. The last jewel of our crown is, that it will be an everlasting 
 rest. Without this all were comparatively nothing. The very 
 thought of leaving it would imbitter all our joys. It would be 
 a hell in heaven, to think of once losing heaven ; as it would be 
 a kind of heaven to the damned, had they but hopes of once 
 escaping. Mortality is the disgrace of all sublunary delights. 
 How it spoils our pleasure to see it dying in our hands ! But, 
 O blessed eternity ! where our lives are perplexed with no such 
 thoughts, nor our joys interrupted with any such fears! where 
 "we shall be pillars in the temple of God, and go no more out." 
 While we were servants, we held by lease, and that but for the 
 term of a transitory life; "but the son abideth in the house for 
 ever." "O my soul, let go thy dreams of present pleasures, 
 and loose thy hold of earth and flesh. Study frequently, study 
 thoroughly, this one word — Eternity. What! Live, and never 
 die ! Rejoice, and ever rejoice !" O happy souls in hell, should 
 you but escape after millions of ages! O miserable saints in 
 heaven, should you be dispossessed, after the age of a million of 
 worlds ! This word, everlasting, contains the perfection of their 
 torment, and our glory. O that the sinner would study this 
 word ; methinks it would startle him out of his dead sleep ! O 
 that the gracious soul would study it; methinks it would revive 
 him in his deepest agony! "And must I, Lord, thus live for 
 ever? Then will I also love for ever. Must, my joys be 
 immortal ? and shall not my thanks be also immortal ? Surely, 
 if I shall never lose my glory, I will never cease thy praises. 
 If thou will both perfect and perpetuate me and my glory, as I 
 shall be thine, and not my own, so shall my glory be thy glory. 
 And as thy glory was thy ultimate end in my glory, so shall it 
 also be my end, when thou hast crowned me with that glory 
 which hath no end. ' Unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible 
 the only wise God, be honour and glory, for ever and ever.'" 
 
 Thus I have endeavoured to show you a glimpse of approach, 
 ing glory. But how short are my expressions of its excellency ! 
 
52 THOSE WHO SHALL ENJOY 
 
 Reader, if thou be an humble, sincere believer, and waitest with 
 longing and labouring for this rest, thou wilt shortly see and feel 
 the truth of all this. Thou wilt then have so high an apprehen- 
 sion of this blessed state, as will make thee pity the ignorance 
 and distance of mortals, and will tell thee, all that is here said 
 falls short of the whole truth a thousand-fold. In the mean time, 
 let this much kindle thy desires, and quicken thy endeavours. 
 Up, and be doing ; run, and strive, and fight, and hold on : for 
 thou hast a certain, glorious prize before thee. God will not 
 mock thee ; do not mock thyself, nor betray thy soul by delay- 
 ing, and all is thine own. What kind of men, dost thou think, 
 would Christians be in their lives and duties, if they had still 
 this glory fresh in their thoughts? What frame would their 
 spirits be in, if their thoughts of heaven were lively and believ- 
 ing? Would their hearts be so heavy? their countenances be 
 so sad? or would they have need to take up their comforts from 
 below ? Would they be so loath to suffer ; so afraid to die ; or 
 would they not think every day a year till they enjoy it ? May 
 the Lord heal our carnal hearts, lest we enter not into this rest, 
 because of unbelief. 
 
 CHAPTER IV 
 
 CHARACTER OF THE PERSONS FOR WHOM THIS REST IS DESIGNED. 
 
 The people of God, who shall enjoy this rest, are— 1. Chosen from eternity; 2. Given to 
 Christ ; 3. Born again ; 4. Deeply convinced of the evil of sin, their misery by sin, the 
 vanity of the creature, and the all-sufficiency of Christ. 5. Their will is proportionably 
 changed. 6. They engage in covenant with Christ. 7. They persevere in their engage- 
 ments. The reader invited to examine himself by the characteristics of God's people. 
 Further testimony from Scripture that this rest shall be enjoyed by the people of God: 
 also, that none but they shall enjoy it ; and that it remains for them, and is not to be 
 enjoyed till they come to another world. The chapter concludes with showing that 
 their souls shall enjoy this rest while separated from their bodies. 
 
 While I was in the mount, describing the excellencies of the 
 saints' rest, I felt it was good being there, and therefore tarried 
 the longer ; and was there not an extreme disproportion between 
 my conceptions and the subject, much longer had I been. Can 
 a prospect of that happy land be tedious? Having read of suck 
 a high and unspeakable glory, a stranger would wonder for what 
 
THE SAINTS' REST. 59 
 
 rare creatures this mighty preparation should be made, and expect 
 some illustrious sun should break forth: but, behold! only a 
 shell-full of dust, animated with an invisible rational soul, and 
 that rectified with as unseen a restoring power of grace ; and 
 this is the creature that must possess such glory ! You would 
 think it must needs be some deserving piece, or one that brings a 
 valuable price: but, behold! one that hath nothing; and can 
 deserve nothing ; yea, that deserves the contrary, and would, if 
 he might, proceed in that deserving : but, being apprehended by 
 love, he is brought to him that is All ; and most affectionately 
 receiving him, and resting on him, he doth, in and through him, 
 receive all this ! More particularly, the persons, for whom this 
 rest is designed, are — chosen of God from eternity; — given to 
 Christ, as their Redeemer; — born again; — deeply convinced of 
 the evil and misery of a sinful state, the vanity of the creature, 
 and the all-sufficiency of Christ ; — their will is renewed ; — they 
 engage themselves to Christ in covenant ; — and they persevere 
 in their engagements to the end. 
 
 1. The persons for whom this rest is designed, whom the text 
 calls "the people of God," are "chosen of God before the found- 
 ation of the world, that they should be holy and without blame 
 before him in love." That they are but a small part of mankind, 
 is too apparent in Scripture and experience. They are the little 
 flock, to whom " it is their Father's good pleasure to give the 
 kingdom." Fewer they are than the world imagines ; yet not so 
 few as some drooping spirits think, who are suspicious that God 
 is unwilling to be their God, when they know themselves willing 
 to be his people. 
 
 2. These persons are given of God to his Son, to be by him 
 redeemed from their lost state, and advanced to this glory. God 
 hath given all things to his Son. " God hath given him power 
 over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as the 
 Father hath given him." The Father hath given him all who 
 repent and believe. The difference is clearly expressed by the 
 apostle ; "he hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to 
 be the head over all things to the church." And though Christ 
 is, in some sense, a ransom for all, yet not in that special manner, 
 as for his people. 
 
 3. One great qualification of these persons is, that they are 
 bom again. To be the people of God without regeneration, is 
 
 5* 
 
54 
 
 THOSE WHO SHALL ENJOX 
 
 as impossible as to be the children of men without generation 
 Seeing we are born God's enemies, we must be new-born his sons, 
 or else remain enemies still. The greatest reformation of life 
 that can be attained to without this new life wrought in the soul 
 may procure our further delusion, but never our salvation. 
 
 4. This new life in the people of God discovers itself bj 
 conviction, or a deep sense of divine things. 
 
 They are convinced of the evil of sin. The sinner is made to 
 know and feel, that the sin, which was his delight, is a more 
 loathsome thing than a toad or serpent, and a greater evil than 
 plague or famine ; being a breach of the righteous law of the 
 most high God, dishonourable to him, and destructive to the sin- 
 ner. Now the sinner no more hears the reproof of sin, as words 
 of course ; but the mention of his sin speaks to his very heart, 
 and yet he is contented you should show him the worst. He 
 was wont to marvel, what made men keep up such a stir against 
 sin; what harm it was for a man to take a little forbidden plea- 
 sure; he saw no such heinousness in it, that Christ must needs 
 die for it, and a Christless world be eternally tormented in hell. 
 Now the case is altered : God hath opened his eyes to see the 
 inexpressible vileness in sin. 
 
 They are convinced of their own misery by reason of sin. 
 They who before read the threats of God's law, as men do the 
 story of foreign wars, now find it their own stdry, and perceive 
 they read their own doom, as if they found their own names 
 written in the curse, or heard the law say, as Nathan, " Thou 
 art the man." The wrath of God seemed to him before but as 
 a storm to a man in a dry house, or as the pains of the sick to 
 the healthful stander-by ; but now he finds the disease is his own, 
 and feels himself a condemned man, that he is dead and damned 
 in point of law, and that nothing was wanting but mere execution 
 to make him absolutely and irrecoverably miserable. This is a 
 work of the Spirit, wrought in some measure in all the regener- 
 ate. How should he come to Christ for pardon, that did not first 
 find himself guilty, and condemned? or for life, that never found 
 himself spiritually dead? "The whole need not a physician, 
 but they that are sick." The discovery of the remedy, as soon 
 as the misery, must needs prevent a great part of the trouble. 
 And perhaps the joyful apprehensions of mercy may make the 
 sense of misery sooner forgotten. 
 
THE SAINTS' REST: 
 
 55 
 
 They are also convinced of the creature's vanity and insvjfi. 
 c/'ency. Every man is naturally an idolater. Our hearts turned 
 from God in our first fall ; and, ever since, the creature hath 
 been our god. This is the grand sin of nature. Every unre- 
 generate man ascribes to the creature divine prerogatives, and 
 allows it the highest room in his soul ; or, if he is convinced of 
 misery, he flies to it as his saviour. Indeed, God and his Christ 
 shall be called Lord and Saviour ; but the real expectation is 
 from the creature, and the work of God is laid upon it. Plea- 
 sure, profit, and honour, are the natural man's trinity ; and his 
 carnal self is these in unity. It was our first sin to aspire to be 
 as gods ; and it is the greatest sin that is propagated in our nature 
 from generation to generation. When God should guide us, we 
 guide ourselves; when he should be our Sovereign, we rule 
 ourselves: the laws which he gave us we find fault with, and 
 would correct ; and, if we had the making of them, we would 
 have made them otherwise : when he should take care of us, 
 (and must, or we perish,) we will take care for ourselves: when 
 we should depend on him in daily receivings, we had rather 
 have our portion in our own hands : when we should submit to 
 his providence, we usually quarrel at it, and think we could 
 make a better disposal than God hath made. When we should 
 study and love, trust and honour God, we studv and love, trust 
 and honour our carnal selves. Instead of God, we would have 
 all men's eyes and dependence on us, and all men's thanks 
 returned to us, and would gladly be the only men on earth 
 extolled and admired by all. Thus we are naturally our own 
 idols. But down falls this Dagon, when God does once renew 
 the soul. It is the chief design of that great work to bring the 
 heart back to God himself. He convinceth the sinner, that the 
 creature can neither be his God, to make him happy, nor his 
 Christ, to recover him from his misery, and restore him to God, 
 who is happiness. God does this, not only by his word, but by 
 providence also. This is the reason why affliction so frequently 
 concurs in the work of conversion. Arguments, which speak 
 to the quick, will force a hearing, when the most powerful words 
 are slighted. If a sinner made his credit his god, and God shall 
 cast him into the lowest disgrace; or bring him, who idolized 
 his riches, into a condition wherein they cannot help him, or 
 cause them to take wing, and fly away; what a help is here to 
 
56 THOSE WHO SHALL ENJOY 
 
 this work of conviction ! If a man made pleasure his god, what 
 soever a roving eye, a curious ear, a greedy appetite, or a lust- 
 ful heart, could desire, and God should take these from him, or 
 turn them into gall or wormwood, what a help is here to convic- 
 tion ! When God shall cast a man into languishing sickness, 
 and inflict wounds on his heart, and stir up against him his own 
 conscience, and then, as it were, say to him, " Try if your credit, 
 riches, or pleasures, can help you. Can they heal your 
 wounded conscience? Can they now support your tottering 
 tabernacle? Can they keep your departing soul in your body? 
 or save you from mine everlasting wrath? or redeem your soul 
 from eternal flames? Cry aloud to them, and see now whether 
 these will be to you instead of God and Christ." O how this 
 works now with the sinner! Sense acknowledges the truth, and 
 even the flesh is convinced of the creature's vanity, and our very 
 deceiver is undeceived. 
 
 The people of God are likewise convinced of the absolute 
 necessity, the full sufficiency, and perfect excellency of Jesus 
 Christ : as a man in famine is convinced of the necessity of 
 food ; or a man that had heard or read his sentence of condem- 
 nation, of the absolute necessity of pardon ; or a man that lies in 
 prison for debt is convinced of his need of a surety to discharge 
 it. Now the sinner feels an unsupportable burden upon him, 
 and sees there is none but Christ can take it off: he perceives 
 the law proclaims him a rebel, and none but Christ can make 
 his peace ; he is as a man pursued by a lion, that must perish if 
 he finds not a present sanctuary : he is now brought to this dilem- 
 ma; either he must have Christ, to justify him, or be eternally 
 condemned ; have Christ to save him, or burn in hell for ever ; 
 have Christ to bring him to God, or be shut out of his presence 
 everlastingly! And no wonder if he cry as the martyr, "None 
 but Christ! none but Christ!" Not gold, but bread, will satisfy 
 the hungry; nor any thing but pardon will comfort the con- 
 demned. 
 
 All things are counted but dung now, that he may win 
 Christ; and what was gain, he counts loss for Christ. As the 
 sinner sees his misery, and the inability of himself and all things 
 to relieve him, so he perceives there is no saving mercy out of 
 Christ. He sees, though the creature cannot and himself cannot, 
 yet Christ can. Though the fig-leaves of our own unrighteous 
 
fHE SAINIS' REST. 57 
 
 righteousness are too short to cover our nakedness, yvi the 
 righteousness of Christ is large enough : ours is disproporUf/<-.ate 
 to the justice of the law, but Christ's extends to every little. If 
 he intercede, there is no denial ; such is the dignity of his person, 
 and the value of his merits, that the Father grants all he desires. 
 Before, the sinner knew Christ's excellency as a blind man knows 
 the light of the sun ; but now, as one that beholds its glory. 
 
 5. After this deep conviction, the will discovers also Us change. 
 As for instance — The sin, which the understanding pronounces 
 evil, the will turns from with abhorrence. Not that the sensitive 
 appetite is changed, or any way made to abhor its object: but 
 when it would prevail against reason, and carry us to sin against 
 God, instead of Scripture being the rule, and reason the master, 
 and sense the servant, this disorder and evil the will abhors. — 
 The misery, also, which sin hath procured, is not only discerned, 
 but bewailed. It is impossible that the soul should now look, 
 either on its trespass against God, or yet on its own self-procured 
 calamity, without some contrition. He that truly discerns that 
 he hath killed Christ, and killed himself, will surely in some 
 measure be pricked to the heart. If he cannot weep, he can 
 heartily groan ; and his heart feels what his understanding sees. 
 The creature is renounced as vanity, and turned out of the heart 
 with disdain. Not that it is undervalued, or the use of it dis- 
 claimed ; but its idolatrous abuse, and its unjust usurpation. Can 
 Christ be the way, where the creature is the end ? Can we seek 
 to Christ to reconcile us to God, while in our hearts we prefer 
 the creature before him? In the soul of every unregenerate 
 man, the creature is both God and Christ. As turning from the 
 creature to God, and not by Christ, is no true turning ; so believ- 
 ing in Christ, while the creature hath our hearts, is no true 
 believing. Our aversion from sin, renouncing our idols, and 
 our right receiving Christ, is all but one work, which God ever 
 perfects where he begins. At the same time, the will cleaves to 
 God the Father, and to Christ. Having been convinced that 
 nothing else can be his happiness, the sinner now finds it is in 
 God. Convinced, also, that Christ alone is able and willing to 
 make peace for him, he most affectionately accepts of Christ for 
 Saviour and Lord. Paul's preaching was " repentance toward 
 God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.'* And life eternal 
 consists, first in "knowing the only true God; and then Jesus 
 
5P THOSE WHO SHALL ENJOY 
 
 Christ, whom he hath sent." To take the Lord for our God is 
 the natural part of the covenant ; the supernatural part is, to 
 take Christ for our Redeemer. The former is first necessary, 
 and implied in the latter. To accept Christ without affection 
 and love, is not justifying faith : nor does love follow as a fruit, 
 but immediately concurs; for faith is the receiving of Christ with 
 the whole soul. "He that loveth father or mother more than 
 Christ, is not worthy of him," nor is justified by him. Faith 
 accepts him for Saviour and Lord : for in both relations will he 
 be received, or not at all. Faith not only acknowledges his suf- 
 ferings, and accepts of pardon and glory, but acknowledges his 
 sovereignty, and submits to his government and way of salvation. 
 
 6. As an essential part of the character of God's people, they 
 now enter into a cordial covenant with Christ. The sinner was 
 never strictly, nor comfortably, in covenant with Christ till now. 
 He is sure, by the free offers, that Christ consents ; and now he 
 cordially consents himself; and so the agreement is fully made. 
 — With this covenant Christ delivers up himself in all comfort- 
 able relations to the sinner; and the sinner delivers up himself 
 to be saved, and ruled by Christ. Now the soul resolutely con- 
 cludes, "I have been blindly led by flesh and lust, by the world 
 and the devil, too long, almost to my utter destruction ; I will 
 now be wholly at the disposal of my Lord, who hath bought me 
 with his blood, and will bring me to his glory." 
 
 7. I add, that the people of God persevere in this covenant to 
 the end. Though the believer may be tempted, yet he never 
 disclaims his Lord, renounces his allegiance, nor repents of his 
 covenant ; nor can he properly be said to break that covenant, 
 while that faith continues which is the condition of it. Indeed, 
 those that have verbally covenanted, and not cordially, may 
 "tread under foot the blood of the covenant, as an unholy thing, 
 wherewith they were sanctified," by separation from those with- 
 out the church; but the elect cannot be so deceived. Though 
 this perseverance be certain to true believers, yet it is made a 
 condition of their salvation ; yea, of their continued life and 
 fruitfulness, and of the continuance of their justification, though 
 not of their first justification itself. But 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 Jungdom which on that condition is offered ! 
 
THE SAINTS' REST. 59 
 
 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 inquire whether 
 you remember the time or the order of these workings of the 
 Spirit; there may be much uncertainty and mistake in that. If 
 you are sure they are wrought in you, the matter is not so great 
 though you know not when or how you came by them. But 
 carefully examine and inquire, Flast thou been thoroughly con- 
 vinced 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 remov- 
 ing this thy misery? Hast thou been convinced, that thy happi- 
 ness 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 excel- 
 lency of this pearl to be worth thy " selling 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 great- 
 est interest of thy credit, profit, pleasure, or life? Has Christ 
 the highest room in thy heart and affections, so that, though thou 
 canst not love him as thou wouldst, yet nothing else is loved so 
 
QO THOSE WHO SHALL ENJOY 
 
 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 mayst be found faithful in this 
 covenant ; and though thou fall into sin, yet wouldst 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;" foi "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 persua. 
 sions of God, that so thou mightest rest among his people, and 
 enjoy "the inheritance of the saints in light!" 
 
 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 "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 counsel 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 remainetb a rest to the people 
 
THE SAINTS' REST. Q\ 
 
 of God." In Scripture this rest is promised to them. As the 
 firmament with stars, so are the sacred pages bespangled with 
 these divine engagements. Christ says, "Fear not, little flock, 
 for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." 
 "I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed 
 unto me : that ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom." 
 All the means of grace, the operations of the Spirit upon the soul, 
 and gracious actings of the saints, every command to repent and 
 believe, to fast and pray, to knock and seek, to strive and labour, 
 to run and fight, prove that there remains a rest for the people 
 of God. The spirit would never kindle in us such strong desires 
 after heaven, such love to Jesus Christ, if we should not receive 
 what we desire and love. He that "guides our feet into the 
 way of peace" will undoubtedly bring us to the end of peace. 
 How nearly are the means and end conjoined ! " The kingdom 
 of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force." 
 They that "follow Christ in the regeneration shall sit upon 
 thrones of glory." Scripture assures us, that the saints have the 
 "beginnings, foretastes, earnests, and seals" of this rest here. 
 "The kingdom of God is within them." "Though they have 
 not seen Christ, yet, loving him, and believing in him, they 
 rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory ; receiving the 
 end of their faith, even the salvation of their souls." They 
 "rejoice in hope of the glory of God." And does God "seal 
 them with that Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of 
 their inheritance," and will he deny the full possession 1 The 
 Scripture also mentions, by name, those who have entered into 
 this rest; as Enoch, Abraham, Lazarus, the thief that was cru- 
 cified with Christ, &c. And if there* be a rest for these, surely 
 there is a rest for all believers. But it is vain to heap up Scrip, 
 ture-proofs, seeing it is the very end of Scripture to be a guide 
 X) lead us to this blessed state, and to be the charter and grant 
 by which we hold all our title to it. 
 
 Scripture not only proves that this rest remains for the people 
 of God, but also, that it remains for none hut 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 
 6 
 
62 THOSE WHO SHALL ENJOY 
 
 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, who believe not 
 the truth, but have pleasure in unrighteousness. The Lord Jesus 
 shall come in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know 
 not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ; 
 who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the 
 presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power." Had 
 the ungodly returned before their life was expired, and been 
 heartily willing to accept of Christ for their Saviour and their 
 King, and to be saved by him in his way, and upon his most 
 reasonable terms, they might have been saved. God freely 
 offered them life, and they would not accept it. The pleasures 
 of the flesh seemed more desirable to them than the glory of the 
 saints. Satan offered them the one, and God offered them the 
 other; and they had free liberty to choose which they would, 
 and they chose "the pleasures of sin for a season," before the 
 everlasting rest with Christ. And is it not a righteous thing that 
 they should be denied that which they would not accept? When 
 God pressed them so earnestly, and persuaded them so importu- 
 nately, to come in, and yet they would not, where should they 
 be but among the dogs without? Though man be so wicked, 
 that he will not yield till the mighty power of grace prevail with 
 him, yet still we may truly say, that he may be saved, if he 
 will, on God's terms. His inability being moral, and lying in 
 wilful wickedness, is no more excuse to him, than it is to an 
 adulterer that he cannot love his own wife, or to a malicious 
 person that he cannot but hate his own brother : is he not so 
 much the worse, and deserving of so much the sorer punishment ? 
 Sinners shall lay all the blame on their own wills in hell for ever. 
 Hell is a rational torment by conscience, according to the nature 
 of the rational subject. If sinners could but then say, It was 
 long of God, and not of us, it would quiet their consciences, and 
 ease their torments, and make hell to them to be no hell. But 
 to remember their wilfulness, will feed the fire, and cause the 
 worm of conscience "never to die." 
 
 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 
 
THE SAINTS' REST. Q3 
 
 winter? or, why is the earth below, and the heavens above? as, 
 why we have not rest on earth? All things must come to their 
 perfection by degrees. The strongest man must first be a chila. 
 The greatest scholar must first begin with the alphabet. The 
 tallest oak was once an acorn. This life is our infancy; and 
 would we be perfect in the womb, or born at full stature? — If our 
 rest was here, most of God's providences must be useless. Should 
 God lose the glory of his church's miraculous deliverances, 
 and the fall of his enemies, that men may have their happiness 
 here ? If we were all happy, innocent, and perfect, what use was 
 there for the glorious works of our sanctification, justification, and 
 future salvation? — If we wanted nothing, we should not depend 
 on God so closely, nor call upon him so earnestly. How little 
 should he hear from us, if we had what we would have ! God 
 would never have had songs of praise from Moses at the Red 
 Sea, and in the wilderness from Deborah and Hannah, from 
 David and Hezekiah, if they had been the choosers of their 
 condition. Have not thy own highest praises to God, reader, 
 been occasioned by thy dangers or miseries? The greatest 
 glory and praise God has through the world, is for redemption, 
 reconciliation, and salvation by Christ; and was not man's mis- 
 ery the occasion of that? — And where God loses the opportunity 
 of exercising his mercies, man must needs lose the happiness of 
 enjoying them. Where God loses his praise, man will certainly 
 lose his comforts. O the sweet comforts the saints have had in 
 return to their prayers ! How should we know what a tender, 
 hearted Father we have, if we had not, as the prodigal, been 
 denied the husks of earthly pleasure and profit? We should 
 never have felt Christ's tender heart, if we had not felt ourselves 
 "weary and heavy laden, hungry and thirsty, poor and contrite. " 
 It is a delight to a soldier, or traveller, to look back on his 
 escapes when they are over ; and for a saint in heaven to look 
 back on his sins and sorrows upon earth, his fears and tears, his 
 enemies and dangers, his wants and calamities, must make his 
 joy more joyful. Therefore the blessed, in praising the Lamb, 
 mentioned his " redeeming them out of every nation, and kindred, 
 and tongue ;" and so, out of their misery, and wants, and sins, 
 * and making them kings and priests to God." But if they had 
 Jiad nothing but content and rest on earth, what room would 
 there have been for these rejoicings hereafter? 
 
04 THOSE WHO SHALL ENJOY 
 
 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 imper- 
 fections, and enemies? And can the soul have rest that is 
 molested with all these, and that continually? Why do Chris- 
 tians so often cry out, in the language of Paul, "O wretched 
 man that I am! who shall deliver me?" What makes them 
 "press towards the mark, and run that they may obtain, and 
 strive to enter in," if they are capable of rest in their present 
 condition? — And our bodies are capable as well as our souls. 
 They are not now those sunlike bodies which they shall be, 
 when this " corruptible hath put on incorruption, and this mortal 
 hath put on immortality." They are our prisons and our bur- 
 dens ; so full of infirmities and defects, that we are fain to spend 
 most of our time in repairing them, and supplying their continual 
 wants. Is it possible that an immortal soul should have rest in 
 such a distempered habitation? Surely these sickly, weary, 
 loathsome bodies, must be refined, before they can be capable 
 of enjoying rest. The objects we here enjoy are insufficient to 
 afford us rest. Alas ! what is there in all the world to give us 
 rest? They that have most of it have the greatest burden. 
 They that set most by it, and rejoice in it, do all cry out at last 
 of its vanity and vexation. Men promise themselves a heaven 
 upon earth ; but when they come to enjoy it, it flies from them. 
 He that has any regard to the works of the Lord, may easily see, 
 that the very end of them is to take down our idols, to make us 
 weary of the world, and seek our rest in him. Where does he 
 cross us most, but where we promise ourselves most content? 
 If you have a child you dote upon, it becomes your sorrow. If 
 you have a friend you trust in, and judge unchangeable, he 
 becomes your scourge. Is this a place or state of rest? And 
 as the objects we here enjoy are insufficient for our rest, so God, 
 who is sufficient, is here little enjoyed. It is not here that he 
 hath prepared the presence-chamber of his glory. He hath 
 drawn the curtain net ween us and him. We are far from him 
 as creatures, and farther as frail mortals, and farthest as sinners. 
 We hear now and then a word of comfort from him, and receive 
 his love-tokens to keep up our hearts and hopes ; but this is not 
 our full enjoyment. And can any soul, that hath made God 
 
THIS SAINTS' REST. ($5 
 
 his portion, as every one halh that shall be saved by him, find 
 rest in so vast a distance from him and 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 done, as good and faith- 
 ful 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. 
 
 I have but one thing more to add, for the close of this chapter 
 — that the souls of believers do enjoy inconceivable blessedness 
 and glory, even while they remain separated from their bodies. 
 What can be more plain than those words of Paul — " We are 
 always confident, knowing 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 will- 
 ing 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 
 6* 
 
<J8 THOSE WHO SHALL ENJOY 
 
 enough is that of Christ to the thief, "To-day shalt thou be witn 
 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 sup- 
 poses, that, "God being not the God of the dead, but of the liv- 
 ing," 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 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?" Surely, at 
 the resurrection, the body will be made perfect as well as the 
 spirit. The Scriptures 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." Why 
 are we said to "have eternal life;" and that to "know God is 
 life eternal;" and that a believer "on the Son hath everlasting 
 life?" Or how is "the kingdom of God within us?" If there be 
 as great an interruption of our life as till the resurrection, this is 
 no eternal life, nor everlasting kingdom. — "The cities of Sodom 
 and Gomorrah" are spoken of as "suffering the vengeance of 
 eternal fire!" And if the wicked already suffer eternal 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 
 
THE SAINTS' REST. (ft 
 
 of Uiese glorious things, without the help of their bodies. — The 
 same is 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 tnief, "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 disobedient in the days of Noah were in 
 prison," that is, in a living and suffering state; then, certainly, 
 the separate spirits of the just are in an opposite condition of 
 happiness. Therefore, faithful souls will no sooner leave their 
 prisons of flesh, but angels shall be ther 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 Y. 
 
 THE GREAT MISERY OF THOSE WHO LOSE THE SAINTS' REST. 
 
 I. The loss of heaven includes— 1. The personal perfection of the saints ; 2. God himself; 
 3. All delightful affections towards God ; 4. The blessed society of angels and glorified 
 spirits. II. The aggravations of the loss of heaven— 1. The understanding of the ungodly 
 will then be cleared ; 2. Also, enlarged ; 3. Their consciences will make a true and close 
 application ; 4. Their affections will be more lively ; 5. Their memories, large and strong 
 
 If thou, reader, art a stranger to Christ and to the holy nature 
 and life of his people, who are before described, and shalt live 
 and die in this condition, let me tell thee, thou shalt never par- 
 take 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 
 
68 THE MISERY OF LOSING 
 
 Christ would procure thy escape; he would then acknowledge 
 thee fcr one of his people, and give thee a portion in the inherit- 
 ance 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 are 
 they 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 rather show thee what hopes 
 thou hast before 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 upon record to all the world 1 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 mayst 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 mayst discern 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 art, than he has of the devils. Methinks a sight 
 of thy case would strike thee with amazement and horror. When 
 Belshazzar " saw the fingers of a mar 's hand that wrote upon 
 
THE SAINTS' REST. 69 
 
 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 everlasting kingdom ! Because I would 
 fain have thee lay it to heart, I will show thee, jirst, the nature 
 of thy loss of heaven ; secondly, its aggravations. 
 
 First. In their loss of heaven, the ungodly lose — the saints' per. 
 sonal perfection — God himself — all delightful affections towards 
 God — and the blessed society of angels and saints. 
 
 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 noon- 
 day. 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 
 glad, then, if every member were a dead member, that it might 
 not feel the punishment inflicted on it; and if the whole body 
 were a rotten carcass, or might lie down again in the dust. 
 Much more do they want that moral perfection which the blessed 
 partake of; those holy dispositions of mind ; that cheerful readi- 
 ness to do the will of God ; that perfect rectitude of all their 
 actions: instead of these, they have that perverseness of will, 
 that loathing of good, that love to evil, that violence of passion, 
 which they had on earth. It is true, their understandings will 
 be much cleared by the ceasing of former temptation, and expe- 
 riencing the falsehood of former delusions; but they have the 
 same dispositions still, and fain would they commit the same sins, 
 if they could : they want but opportunity. There will be a 
 greater difference between these wretches and the glorified 
 Christians, than there is betwixt a toad and the sun in the firma- 
 ment. "The rich man's purple and fine linen, and sumptuous 
 fare," did not so exalt him above " Lazarus while at his gate 
 full of sores." 
 
 2. They shall have no comfortable relation to God, nor com- 
 munion with him. "As they did not like to retain God in their 
 knowledge," but said unto him, "Depart from us, for we desire 
 not the knowledge of thy ways ;" so God will abhor to retain 
 them in his household; He will never admit them to the inher- 
 
7() THE MISERY OF LOSING 
 
 itance of his saints, nor endure them to stand in his presence, 
 but "will profess unto them, I never knew you ; depart from me, 
 ye that work iniquity." They are ready now to lay as confident 
 claim to Christ and heaven, as if they were sincere believing 
 saints. The swearer, the drunkard, the whoremonger, the 
 worldling, can say, Is not God our Father as well as yours? 
 But when Christ separates his followers from his foes, and his 
 faithful friends from his deceived flatterers, where, then, will 
 be their presumptuous claim ? Then they shall find, that God 
 is not their Father, because they would not be his people. As 
 they would not consent that God by his Spirit should dwell in 
 them, so the tabernacle of wickedness shall have no fellowship 
 with him, nor the wicked inhabit the city of God. Only they 
 that walked with God here shall live and be happy with him in 
 heaven. Little does the world know what a loss that soul hath 
 who loses God ! What a dungeon would the earth be, if it had 
 lost the sun ! what a loathsome carrion the body, if it had lost 
 the soul ! Yet all these are nothing to the loss of God. As the 
 enjoyment of God is the heaven of the saints, so the loss of God 
 is the hell of the ungodly ; and as the enjoying of God is the 
 enjoying of all, so the loss of God is the loss of all. 
 
 3. They also lose all delightful affections towards God ; that 
 transporting knowledge ; those delightful views of his glorious 
 face ; the inconceivable pleasure of loving him ; the apprehen- 
 sions of his infinite love to us ; the constant joys of his saints, 
 and the rivers of consolation with which he satisfies them — Is it 
 nothing to lose all this? The emp^^ment of a king, in ruling 
 a kingdom, does not so far exceed that of the vilest slave, as this 
 heavenly employment exceeds that of an earthly king. God suits 
 men's employments to their natures. Your hearts, sinners, 
 were never set upon God in your lives, never warmed with his 
 love, never longed after the enjoyment of him ; you had no 
 delight in speaking or hearing of him; you had rather have 
 continued on earth, if you had known how, than to be interested 
 in the glorious praises of God. Is it meet, then, that you should 
 be members of the celestial choir? 
 
 4. They shall be deprived of the blessed society of angels and 
 glorified saints. Instead of being companions of those happy 
 spirits, and numbered with those triumphant kings, they must be 
 members of the corporation of hell, where they shall have com- 
 
THE SAINTS' REST. 7J 
 
 panions of a far different nature and quality. Scorning and 
 abusing the saints, hating them, and rejoicing in their calamities, 
 was not the way to obtain their blessedness. Now you are shut 
 out of that company, from which you first shut out yourselves; 
 and are separated from them, with whom you would not be joined. 
 You could not endure them in your houses, nor towns, nor scarce 
 in the kingdom. You took them, as Ahab did Elijah, for the 
 "troublers of the land;" and, as the apostles were taken, for 
 " men that turned the world upside down." If any thing fell 
 out amiss, you thought all was owing to thqm. When they 
 were dead or banished, you were glad they were gone, and 
 thought the country well rid of them. ' They molested you by 
 faithfully reproving your sins. Their holy conversation troubled 
 your consciences, to see them so far excel you. It was a vexa- 
 tion to you to hear them pray or sing praises in their families. 
 And is it any wonder if you be separated from them hereafter? 
 The day is near when they will trouble you no more. Betwixt 
 them and you will be a great gulf fixed. Even in this life, 
 while the saints were " mocked, destitute, afflicted, tormented," 
 and while they had their personal imperfections, yet, in the 
 judgment of the Holy Ghost, they were such "of whom the 
 world was not worthy." Much more unworthy will the world 
 be^ of their fellowship in gloiy. 
 
 Secondly. I know many will be ready to think they could 
 spare these things in this world well enough, and why may they 
 not be without them in the world to come? Therefore, to show 
 them that this loss of heaven will then be most tormenting, let 
 them now consider — their understandings will be cleared to know 
 their loss — and have more enlarged apprehensions concerning 
 it; their consciences will make a closer application of it to them- 
 selves; their affections will no longer be stupefied — nor their 
 memories be treacherous. 
 
 1. The understanding of the ungodly will then he cleared, to 
 know the worth of that which they have lost. Now they lament 
 not their loss of God, because they never knew his excellence ; 
 nor the loss of that holy employment and society, for they were 
 never sensible what they were worth. A man that has lost a 
 jewel, and took it but for a common stone, is never troubled at 
 his loss ; but when he comes to know what he lost, then he laments 
 it. Though the understanding of the damned will not be sane- 
 
72 THE MISERY OF LOSING 
 
 tified, yet they will be cleared from a multitude of errors. Thej 
 now think that their honours, estates, pleasures, health, and life, 
 are better worth their labour, than the things of another world ; 
 but when these things have left them in misery, when they 
 experience the things which before they did but read and hear 
 of, they will be of another mind. They would not believe tha\, 
 water would drown, till they were in the sea; nor the fire burn, 
 till they were cast into it ; but when they feel, they will easily 
 believe. All that error of mind which made them set light by 
 God, and abhor bis worship, and vilify his people, will then be 
 confuted and removed by experience. Their knowledge shall 
 be increased, that their sorrows may be increased. Poor souls! 
 they would be comparatively happy, if their understandings 
 were wholly taken from them, if they had no more knowledge 
 than idiots, or brute beasts, or if they knew no more in hell, 
 than they did upon earth, their loss would less trouble them. 
 How happy would they then think themselves, if they did not 
 know there is such a place as heaven ! Now, when their knowl- 
 edge would help to prevent their misery, they will not know, or 
 will not read or study, that they may know ; therefore, when 
 their knowledge will but feed their consuming fire, they shall 
 know, whether they will or not. They are now in a dead sleep, 
 and dream they are the happiest men in the world ; but when death 
 awakes them, how will their judgments be changed in a moment! 
 and they that would not see shall then see, and be ashamed. 
 2. As their understanding will be cleared, so it will be more 
 enlarged, and made more capacious to conceive the worth of 
 that glory which they have lost. The strength of the> appre- 
 hensions, as well as the truth of them, will then be increased. 
 What deep apprehensions of the wrath of God, the madness of 
 sinning, the misery of sinners, have those .souls that now endure 
 this misery, in comparison with those on earth, that do but hear 
 of it. What sensibility of tiie worth of life has the condemned 
 man that is going to be executed, compared with what he was 
 wont to have in the time of his prosperity ! Much more will the 
 actual loss of eternal blessedness make the damned exceedingly 
 apprehensive of the greatness of their loss ; and as a large vessel 
 will hold more water than a shell, so will their more enlarged 
 understandings contain more matter to feed their torment, than 
 their shallow capacity can now do. 
 
THE SAINTS' REST. 73 
 
 3. Their consciences also will make a truer and closer appli- 
 cation of this doctrine to themselves, which will exceedingly 
 tend to increase their torment. It will then be no hard matter 
 to them to say, " this is my loss ! and this is my everlasting, 
 remediless misery!" The want of this self- application is the 
 main cause v/hy they are so little troubled now. They are 
 hardly brought to believe that there is such a state of misery ; 
 but more hardly to believe that it is like to be their own. This 
 makes so many sermons lost to them, and all threatenings and 
 warnings ti vain. Let a minister of Christ show them their 
 misery ever eo plainly and faithfully, they will not be persuaded 
 they are so miserable. Let him tell them of the glory they must 
 lose, and th^ sufferings they must feel, and they think he means 
 not them, but some notorious sinners. It is one of the hardest 
 things in '.he world to bring a wicked man to know that he is 
 wicked, o~ to make him see himself in a state of wrath and con- 
 demnation. Though they may easily find, by their strangeness 
 to the P3w-birth, and their enmity to holiness, that they never 
 were p irtakers of them ; yet they as verily expect to see God, 
 and be saved, as if they were the most sanctified persons in the 
 world. How seldom do men cry out, after the plainest discovery 
 of their state, I am the man ! or acknowledge, that, if they die 
 in their present condition, they are undone for ever ! But when 
 they suddenly find themselves in the land of darkness, feel them- 
 selves in scorching flames, and see they are shut out of the 
 presence of God for ever ; then the application of God's anger 
 to themselves will be the easiest matter in the world ; they will 
 then roar out these forced confessions, " O my misery ! O my 
 folly! O my inconceivable, irrecoverable loss!" 
 
 4. Then will their affections likewise be more lively, and no 
 longer stupefied. A hard heart now makes heaven and hell 
 seem but trifles. We have showed them everlasting glory and 
 misery, and they are as men asleep ; our words are as stones 
 cast against a wall, which fly back in our faces. We talk of 
 terrible things, but it is to dead men ; we search the wounds, 
 but they never feel us ; we speak to rocks rather than to men ; 
 the earth will as soon tremble as they. But when these dead 
 souls are revived, what passionate sensibility ! what working 
 affections ! what pangs of horror ! what depth of sorrow, will 
 there then be ! How violently will they fly in their own faces ! 
 
 7 
 
74 THE MISERY OF LOSING 
 
 How will they rage against their former madness! The lament- 
 ations of the most affectionate wife for the loss of her husband, 
 or of the tenderest mother for the loss of her children, will be 
 nothing to theirs for the loss of heaven. O, the self-accusing 
 and self-tormenting fury of those forlorn creatures ! How will 
 they even tear their own hearts, and be God's executioners upon 
 themselves! As themselves were the only meritorious cause 
 of their sufferings, so themselves will be the chief executioners. 
 Even Satan, as he was not so great a cause of their sinning as 
 themselves, he will not be so great an instrument of their tor- 
 ment. How happy would they think themselves then, if they 
 were turned into rocks, or any thing that had neither passion 
 nor sense! How happy, if they could then feel as lightly as 
 they were wont to hear! if they could sleep out the time of 
 execution, as they did the time of the sermons that warned 
 them of it! But their stupidity is gone: it will not be. 
 
 5. Their memories will moreover be as large and strong as 
 their understanding and affections. Could they but lose the use 
 of their memory, their loss of heaven, being forgot, would little 
 trouble them. Though they would account annihilation a singu- 
 lar mercy, they cannot lay aside any part of their being. Under- 
 standing, conscience, affections, memory, must all live to torment 
 them, which should have helped to their happiness. As by these 
 they should have fed upon the love of God, and drawn forth per- 
 petually the joys of his presence, so by these must they feed upon 
 his wrath, and draw forth continually the pains of his absence. 
 Now they have no leisure to consider, nor any room in their 
 memories for the things of another life ; but then they shall have 
 nothing to do : their memories shall have no other employment. 
 God would have had the doctrine of their eternal state "written 
 on the posts of their doors, on their hands and hearts :" he would 
 have had them mind it, "and mention it when they lay down and 
 rose up, when they sat in their houses, and when they walked by 
 the way ;" and seeing they rejected this counsel of the Lord, 
 therefore it shall be written always before them in the place 
 of their thraldom, that, which way soever they look, they may 
 still behold it. It will torment them to think of the greatness of 
 the glory they have lost. If it had been what they could have 
 spared, or a loss to be repaired with any thing else, it had been 
 a smaller matter. If it had been health, or wealth, or friends, 
 
THE SAINTS' REsf. 
 
 75 
 
 or life, it had been nothing. But, O! to lose that exceeding 
 eternal weight of glory ! — It will also torment them tc think ol 
 the possibility they once had of obtaining it. Then they will 
 remember, "Time was, when I was as fair for the kingdom 
 as others. I was set upon the stage of the world; if I had 
 played my part wisely and faithfully, I might now have had 
 possession of the inheritance. I, who am now tormented with these 
 damned fiends, might have been among yonder blessed saints. 
 The Lord did set before me life and death ; and having chosen 
 death, I deserve to suffer it. The prize was held out before 
 me ; if I had run well, I might have obtained it ; if I had striven, 
 I might have had the victory ; if I had fought valiantly, I had 
 been crowned." — It will yet more torment them to remember, 
 that their obtaining the crown was not only possible, but veiy 
 probable. It will wound them to think, "I had once the gales 
 of the Spirit ready to have assisted me. I was proposing to be 
 another man, to have cleaved to Christ, and forsake the world. 
 I was almost resolved to have been wholly for God. I was once 
 even turning from my base, seducing lusts. I had cast off my 
 old companions, and was associating with the godly. Yet I 
 turned back, lost my hold, and broke my promises. I was 
 almost persuaded to be a real Christian, yet I conquered those 
 persuasions. What workings were in my heart, when a faithful 
 minister pressed home the truth ! O how fair was I once for 
 heaven ! I almost had it, and yet I have lost it. Had I followed 
 on to seek the Lord, I had now been blessed among the saints." 
 It will exceedingly torment them to remember their lost oppor- 
 tunities. "How many weeks, and months, and years, did I lose, 
 which, if I had improved, I might now have been happy ! Wretch 
 that I was ! could I find no time to study the work, for which I 
 had all my time ! no time, among all my labours, to labour for 
 eternity! Had I time to eat, and drink, and sleep, and none to 
 save my soul? Had I time for mirth and vain discourse, and 
 none for prayer ? Could I take time to secure the world, and 
 none to try my title to heaven 1 O precious time ! I had once 
 enough, and now I must have no more. I had once so much, 
 I knew not what to do with it ; and now it is gone, and cannot 
 be recalled. O that I had but one of those years to live over 
 again! how speedily would I repent! how earnestly would I 
 pray ! how diligently would 1 hear ! how closely would I exam 
 
76 THE MISERY OF LOSING 
 
 ine my state ! how strictly would I live ! but it is now too late, 
 alas! too late." 
 
 It will add to their calamity to remember how often they were 
 "persuaded to return. "Fain would the minister have had me 
 escaped these torments. With what love and compassion did 
 he beseech me ! and yet I did but make a jest of it. How oft 
 did he convince me ! and yet I stifled all these convictions. How 
 did he open to me my very heart ! and yet I was loath to know the 
 worst of myself. O how glad would he have been, if he could 
 have seen me cordially turn to Christ! My godly friends 
 admonished me: they told me what would become of my wilful- 
 ness and negligence at last; but I neither believed nor regarded 
 them. How long did God himself condescend to entreat me ! 
 How did the Spirit strive with my heart, as if he was loath to 
 take a denial! How did Christ stand knocking, one Sabbath 
 after another, and crying to me, 'Open, sinner, open thy heart 
 to thy Saviour, and I will come in, and sup with thee, and thou 
 with me! Why dost thou delay? How long shall thy vain 
 thoughts lodge within thee? Wilt thou not be pardoned, and 
 sanctified, and made happy? When shall it once be?'" O 
 how the recollection of such divine pleadings will passionately 
 transport the damned with self-indignation! "Must I tire out 
 the patience of Christ? Must I make the God of heaven follow 
 me in vain, till I had wearied him with crying to me, Repent ! 
 return! O how justly is that patience now turned into fury, 
 which falls upon me with irresistible violence! When the 
 Lord cried to me, 'Wilt thou not be made clean? When shall 
 it once be V my heart, or at least my practice, answered, Never. 
 And now, when I cry, 'How long shall it be till I am freed 
 from this torment?' how justly do I receive the same answer, 
 Never, never!" 
 
 It will also be most cutting to remember on what easy terms 
 they might have escaped their misery. This work was not to 
 remove mountains, nor conquer kingdoms, nor fulfil the law to 
 the smallest tittle, nor satisfy justice for all their transgression?. 
 "The yoke was easy, and the burden light," which Christ would 
 have laid upon them. It was but to repent, and cordially accept 
 him for their Saviour; to renounce all other happiness, and take 
 the Lord for their supreme good ; to renounce the world and the 
 flesh, and submit to his meek and gracious government ; and to 
 
THE SAINTS' REST. jf 
 
 forsake the ways of their own devising, and walk in his holy, 
 ^delightful way. "Ah," thinks the poor tormented wretch, ''how 
 justly do I suffer all this, who would not be at so small pains to 
 avoid it! Where was my understanding, when I neglected that 
 gracious offer; when I called 'the Lord a hard master/ and 
 thought his pleasant service a bondage, and the service of the 
 devil and the flesh the only freedom? Was I not a thousand 
 times worse than mad, when I censured the holy way of God 
 as needless preciseness ; when I thought the laws of Christ too 
 strict, and all too much that I did for the life to come ? What would 
 all sufferings for Christ and well-doing have been, compared 
 with these sufferings that I must undergo for ever! Would not 
 the heaven, which 1 have lost, have recompensed all my losses ? 
 And should not all my sufferings have been there forgotten? 
 What if Christ had bid me to do some great matter; whether to 
 live in continual fears and sorrows, or to suffer death a hundred 
 times over ; should I not have done it ? How much more, when 
 he only said, 'Believe and be saved. Seek my face, and thy 
 soul shall live. Take up thy cross, and follow me, and I will 
 give thee everlasting life.' O gracious offer! O easy terms! 
 
 cursed wretch, that would not be persuaded to accept them!" 
 This also will be a most tormenting consideration, to remem- 
 ber wliat they sold their eternal welfare for. When they com- 
 pare the value of the pleasures of sin with the value of "the 
 recompense of reward," how will the vast disproportion astonish 
 them ! To think of the low delights of the flesh, or the applaud- 
 ing breath of mortals, or the possessing heaps of gold, and then 
 to think of everlasting glory, "This is all I had for my soul, 
 my God, my hopes of blessedness!" It cannot possibly be 
 expressed how these thoughts will tear his very heart. Then 
 will he exclaim against his folly : " O miserable wretch ! Did 
 
 1 set my soul to sale for so base a price ? Did I part with my 
 God for a little dirt and dross; and sell my Saviour, as Judas, 
 for a little silver? I had but a dream of delight, for my hopes 
 of heaven ; and, now I am awakened, it is all vanished. My 
 morsels are now turned to gall, and my cups to wormwood. 
 When they were past my taste, the pleasure perished. And is 
 this all that I have had for the inestimable treasure ! What a 
 mad exchange did I make ! What if I had gained all the world, 
 and lost my soul ! But, alas ! how small a part of the world 
 
 7* 
 
78 THE MISERY OF LOSING 
 
 was it, for which I gave up my part in glory!" O that sinners 
 would think of this, when they are swimming in the delights of 
 the flesh, and studying how to be rich and honourable in the 
 world ! when they are desperately venturing upon known trans- 
 gression, and sinning against the checks of conscience ! 
 
 It will add yet more to their torment, when they consider that 
 they most wilfully procured their own destruction. Had they 
 been forced to sin, it would much abate the rage of their con- 
 sciences ; or if they were punished for another man's transgres- 
 sions; or any other had been the chief author of their ruin. 
 But to think it was the choice of their own will, and that none in 
 the world could have forced them to sin against their wills ; this 
 will be a cutting thought. "Had I not enemies enough in the 
 world," thinks this miserable creature, " but I must be an enemy 
 to myself? God would never give the devil, nor the world, so 
 much power over me, as to force me to commit the least trans- 
 gression. They could but entice, it was myself that yielded, 
 and did the evil. And must I lay hands upon my own soul ; 
 and imbrue my hands in my own blood? Never had I so great 
 an enemy as myself. Never did God offer any good to my soul, 
 but I resisted him. He hath heaped mercy upon me, and 
 renewed one deliverance after another, to draw my heart to him ; 
 yea, he hath gently chastised me, and made me groan under the 
 fruit of my disobedience ; and though I promised largely in my 
 affliction, yet never was I heartily willing to serve him." Thus 
 will it gnaw the hearts of these sinners, to remember that they 
 were the cause of their own undoing; and that they wilfully 
 and obstinately persisted in their rebellion, and were mere vol 
 unteers in the service of the devil. 
 
 The wound in their consciences will be yet deeper, when they 
 shall not only remember it was their own doing, but that they 
 were at so much cost and pains for their own damnation. What 
 great undertakings did they engage in to effect their ruin ; to 
 resist the Spirit of God ; to overcome the power of mercies, 
 judgments, and even the word of God ; to subdue the power of 
 reason, and silence conscience! All this they undertook and 
 performed. Though they walked in continual danger of the 
 wrath of God, and knew he could lay them in the dust, and cast 
 them into hell in a moment; yet would they run upon all this. 
 O the labour it costs sinners to be damned ! Sobriety, with 
 
THE SAINTS' REBT. 
 
 79 
 
 health and ease, they might have had at a cneaper rate ; yet 
 they will rather have gluttony and drunkenness, with poverty, 
 shame and sickness. Contentment they might have, with ease 
 and delight; yet they will rather have covetousness and ambi- 
 tion, though it costs them cares and fears, labour of body, and 
 distraction of mind. Though their anger be self-torment, and 
 revenge and envy consume their spirits; though uncleanness 
 destroy their bodies, estates, and good names: yet they will do 
 and suffer all this, rather than suffer their souls to be saved. 
 With what rage will they lament their folly, and say, "Was 
 damnation worth all my cost and pains ? Might I not have been 
 damned on free cost, but I must purchase it so dearly ! I thought 
 I could have been saved without so much ado, and could I not 
 have been destroyed without so much ado? Must I so labori- 
 ously work out my own damnation, when God commanded me 
 to "work out my own salvation? If I had done as much for 
 heaven as I did for hell, I had surely had it. I cried out of the 
 tedious way of godliness, and the painful course of self-denial ; and 
 yet I could be at a great deal more pains for Satan and for death. 
 Had I loved Christ as strongly as I did my pleasures, and profits, 
 and honours, and thought on him as often, and sought him as 
 painfully, O how happy had I now been! How justly do I suf- 
 fer the flames of hell, for buying them so dear, rather than have 
 heaven, when it was purchased to my hands!" 
 
 O that God would persuade thee, reader, to take up these 
 thoughts now, for preventing the inconceivable calamity of taking 
 them up in hell as thy own tormentor! Say not that they are 
 only imaginary. Read what Dives thought, being in torments. 
 As the joys of heaven are chiefly enjoyed by the rational eoul 
 in its rational actings, so must the pains of hell be suffered. As 
 they will be men still, so will they feel and act as men 
 
30 TH E MISERY OF LOSING 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 MISERY OF THOSE WHO, BESIDES LOSING THE SAINTS' REST, LOSE 
 THE ENJOYMENTS OF TIME, AND SUFFER THE TORMENTS OF HELL. 
 
 L The enjoyments of time which the damned lose— 1. Their presumptuous belief of their 
 interest in God and Christ ; 2. All their hopes ; 3. All the-ir peace of conscience ; 4. All 
 their carnal mirth ; 5. All their sensual delights. II. The torments of the damned are 
 exceeding great— 1. The principal Author of them is God himself. 2. The place or state 
 of torment. 3. These torments are the effects of divine vengeance. 4. God will take 
 pleasure in executing them. 5. Satan and sinners themselves will be God's executioners. 
 6. These torments will be universal ; 7. without any mitigation ; 8. and eternal. Tha 
 obstinate sinner convinced of his folly in Yenturrng on these torments ; and entreated 
 to fly for safety to Christ. 
 
 As " godliness hath a promise of the life that now is, and of 
 that which is to come;" and if we "seek first the kingdom of 
 God and his righteousness," then all meaner "things shall be 
 added unto us ;" so also are the ungodly threatened with the loss 
 both of spiritual and temporal blessings; and because they sought 
 not first God's kingdom and righteousness, therefore shall they 
 lose both it and that which they did seek, and there "shall be 
 taken from them that little which they have." If they could 
 but have kept their present enjoyments, they would not have 
 much cared for the loss of heaven. If they had " lost and for- 
 saken all for Christ," they would have found all again in him ; 
 for he would have been all in all to them. But now they have 
 forsook Christ for other things, they shall lose Christ, and that 
 also for which they forsook him, even the enjoyments of time, 
 besides suffering the torments of hell. 
 
 First. — They shall lose the enjoyments of time; particularly, 
 Jieir presumptuous belief of their interest in the favour of God 
 and the merits of Christ ; all their hopes ; all their false peace 
 of conscience ; all their carnal mirth ; and all their sensual 
 delights. 
 
 L They shall lose their presumptuous belief of their interest 
 in the favour of God and the merits of Christ. This false belief 
 now supports their spirits, and defends them from the terrors 
 that would otherwise seize upon them. But what will ease 
 their trouble, when they can believe no longer, nor rejoice any 
 longer? If a man be near to the greatest mischief, and yet 
 strongly conceit that he is in safety, he may be as cheerful as 
 if all were well. If there were no more to make a man happy, 
 
THE SAINTS' REST: Q] 
 
 but to believe that he is so, or shall be so, happiness would be 
 far more common than it is like to be. As true faith is the 
 leading grace in the regenerate, so is false faith the leading vice 
 in the unregenerate. Why do such multitudes sit still, when 
 they might have pardon, but that they verily think they are 
 pardoned already ? If you could ask thousands in hell, what 
 madness brought them thither? they would most of them answer, 
 " We made sure of being saved, till we found ourselves damned. 
 We would have been more earnest seekers of regeneration, and 
 the power of godliness, but we verily thought we were Christians 
 before. We have flattered ourselves into these torments, and 
 now there is no remedy." Reader, I must in faithfulness tell 
 thee, that the confident belief of their good state, which the care- 
 less, unholy, unhumbled multitude so commonly boast of r will 
 prove in the end but a soul-damning delusion. There is none 
 of this believing in hell. It was Satan's stratagem, that, being 
 blindfold, they might follow him the more boldly ; but then he 
 will uncover their eyes, and they shall see where they are. 
 
 2. They shall lose also all their hopes. In this life, though 
 they were threatened with the wrath of God, yet their hope of 
 escaping it bore up their hearts. We can now scarce speak with 
 the vilest drunkard, or swearer, or scoffer, but he hopes to be 
 saved for all this. O happy world, if salvation were as common 
 as this hope ! Nay, so strong are men's hopes, that they will 
 dispute the cause with Christ himself at judgment, and plead their 
 " having eat and drank in his presence, and prophesied in his 
 name, and in his name cast out devils;" they will stiffly deny 
 that ever they neglected Christ in hunger, nakedness, or in prison, 
 till he confutes them with the sentence of their condemnation. 
 O the sad state of those men, when they must bid farewell to aU 
 their hopes ! " When a wicked man dieth, his expectation shall 
 perish; and the hope of unjust men perisheth. The eyes of the 
 wicked shall fail, and they shall not escape, and their hope shall 
 be as the giving up of the ghost." The giving up the ghost is 
 a fit, but terrible resemblance of a wicked man giving up his 
 hopes. As the soul departeth not from the body without the 
 greatest pain, so doth the hope of the wicked depart. The soul 
 departs from the body suddenly, in a moment, which hath there 
 delightfully continued so many years; just so doth the hope of 
 the wicked depart. The soul will never more return to live 
 
82 - THE MISERY OF LOSING 
 
 with the body in this world ; and the hope of the wicked takes 
 an everlasting farewell of his soul. A miracle of resurrection 
 shall again unite soul and body, but there shall be no such 
 miraculous resurrection of the damned's hope. Methinks, it is 
 the most pitiable sight this world affords, to see such an ungodly 
 person dying, and to think of his soul and his hopes departing 
 together. With what a sad change he appears in another world ! 
 Then if a man could but ask that hopeless soul, "Are you as 
 confident of salvation as you were wont to be?" what a sad 
 answer would be returned ! O that careless sinners would be 
 awakened to think of this in time ! Reader, rest not till thou 
 canst give a reason of all thy hopes grounded upon Scripture 
 promises; that they purify thy heart; that they quicken thy 
 endeavours in godliness ; that the more thou hopest the less thou 
 sinnest, and the more exact is thy obedience. If thy hopes be 
 such as these, go on in the strength of the Lord, hold fast thy 
 hope, and " never shall it make thee ashamed." But if thou 
 hast not one sound evidence of a work of grace on thy soul, cast 
 away thy hopes. Despair of ever being saved, "except thou be 
 born again;" or of "seeing God, without holiness;" or of hav- 
 ing part in Christ, except thou "love him above father, mother, 
 or thy own life." This kind of despair is one of the first steps 
 to heaven. If a man be quite out of his way, what must be the 
 first means to bring him in again? He must despair of ever 
 coming to his journey's end in the way that he is in. If his 
 home be eastward, and he is going westward, as long as he hopes 
 he is right, he will go on ; and as long as he goes on hoping, he 
 goes further amiss. When he despairs of coming home, except 
 he turn back, then he will return, and then he may hope. Just so 
 it is, sinner, with thy soul : thou art born out of the way to 
 heaven, and hast proceeded many a year; thou goest on, and 
 hDpest to be saved, because thou art not so bad as many others. 
 Except thou throwest away those hopes, and see that thbu hast 
 all this while been quite out of the way to heaven, thou wilt 
 never return and be saved. There is nothing in the world more 
 likely to keep thy soul out of heaven, than thy false hopes of 
 being saved, while thou art out of the way to salvation. See, 
 then, how it will aggravate the misery of the damned, that, with 
 the loss of heaven, they shall lose all that hope of it which now 
 supports them. 
 
THE SAINTS' REST. Q3 
 
 3. They will lose all that false peace of conscience, which 
 makes their present life so easy. Who would think, that sees 
 how quietly the multitude of the ungodly live, that they must 
 very shortly lie down in everlasting flames? They are as free 
 from the fears of hell as an obedient believer; and for the 
 most part have less disquiet of mind than those who shall be 
 saved. Happy men, if this peace would prove lasting ! " When 
 they shall say, Peace and safety ; then sudden destruction cometh 
 upon them, as travail upon a woman with child ; and they shall 
 not escape." O cruel peace, which ends in such a war! The 
 soul of every man by nature is Satan's garrison ; all is at peace 
 in such a man till Christ comes, and gives it terrible alarms of 
 judgment and hell, batters it with the ordnance of his threats 
 and terrors, forces it to yield to his mere mercy, and take him 
 for the Governor ; then doth he cast out Satan, " overcome him, 
 take from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth 
 his spoils," and then doth he establish a firm and lasting peace. 
 If, therefore, thou art yet in that first peace, never think it will 
 endure. Can thy soul have lasting peace, in enmity with Christ ? 
 Can he have peace, against whom God proclaims war? I wish 
 thee no greater good, than that God break in upon thy careless 
 heart, and shake thee out of thy false peace, and make thee lie 
 down at the feet of Christ, and say, "Lord, what wouldst thou 
 have me to do?" and so receive from him a better and surer 
 peace, which will never be quite broken, but be the beginning 
 of thy everlasting peace, and not perish in thy perishing, as the 
 groundless peace of the world will do. 
 
 4. They shall lose all their carnal mirth. They will them- 
 selves say of their "laughter, it is mad ; and of their mirth, what 
 doeth it?" It was but " as the crackling of thorns under a pot." 
 It made a blaze for a while, but it was presently gone, and 
 returned no more. The talk of death and judgment was irk- 
 some to them, because it damped their mirth. They could not 
 endure to think of their sin and danger, because these thoughts 
 sunk their spirits. They knew not what it was to weep for sin, 
 or to humble themselves under the mighty hand of God. They 
 could laugh away sorrow, and sing away cares, and drive away 
 those melancholy thoughts. To meditate and pray, they fancied, 
 would be enough to make them miserable, or run mad. Poor 
 souls! what a misery will that life be, where you shall have 
 
84 THE MISERY OF LOSING ■ 
 
 nothing but sorrow ; intense, heart-piercing, multiplied sorrow , 
 when you shall neither have the joys of saints, nor your own 
 former joys ! Do you think there is one merry heart in hell 1 
 or one joyful countenance, or jesting tongue? You now cry "A 
 little mirth is worth a great deal of sorrow." But, surely, a 
 little godly sorrow, which would have ended in eternal joy, had 
 been worth much more than all your foolish mirth ; for the end 
 of such mirth is sorrow. 
 
 5. They shall also lose all their sensual delights. That 
 which they esteemed their chief good, their heaven, their god, 
 must they lose, as well as God himself. What a fall will the 
 proud, ambitious man have from the top of his honours ! As 
 his dust and bones will not be known from the dust and bones 
 of the poorest beggar; so neither will his soul be honoured 
 or favoured more than theirs. What a number of the great, 
 noble, and learned, will be shut out from the presence of Christ ! 
 They shall not find their magnificent buildings, soft beds, and 
 easy couches. They shall not view their curious gardens, their 
 pleasant meadows, and plenteous harvests. Their tables will 
 not be so furnished, nor attended. The rich man is there no 
 more "clothed in purple and fine linen, nor fareth sumptuously 
 every day." There is no expecting the admiration of beholders. 
 They shall spend their time in sadness, and not in sports and 
 pastimes. What an alteration will they then find ! The heat 
 of their lust will be then abated. How will it even cut them to 
 the heart, to look each other in the face ! What an interview 
 will there then be, cursing the day that ever they saw one 
 another ! O that sinners would now remember and say, * Will 
 these delights accompany us into the other world ? Will not the 
 remembrance of them be then our torment? Shall we then 
 take this partnership in vice for true friendship? Why should 
 we sell such lasting, incomprehensible joys for a taste of seem- 
 ing pleasure ? Come, as we have sinned together, let us pray 
 together, that God would pardon us ; and let us help one another 
 towards heaven, instead of helping to deceive and destroy each 
 other. O that men knew but what they desire, when they 
 would so fain have all things suited to the desires of the flesh ! 
 It is but to desire their temptations to be increased and their 
 snares strengthened. 
 
 Secondly. — As the loss o^ the saints' rest will be aggravated 
 
THJE SA1HTS' ftEST. 85 
 
 by losing the enjoyments of time, it will be much more so by 
 suffering the torments of hell. The exceeding greatness of 
 such torments may appear by considering — the principal Author 
 of them, who is God himself — the place or state of torment — that 
 these torments are the fruit of divine vengeance — that the 
 Almighty takes pleasure in them — that Satan and sinners them- 
 selves shall be God's executioners — that these torments shall t«» 
 universal — without mitigation — and without end. 
 
 1. The principal Author of hell-torments is God himself. As 
 it was no less than God whom the sinners had offended, so it is 
 no less than God who will punish them for their offences. He 
 hath prepared those torments for his enemies.. His continued 
 anger will still be devouring them. His breath of indignation 
 will kindle the flames. His wrath will be an intolerable burden 
 to their souls. If it were but a creature they had to do with, 
 they might better bear it. Woe to him that falls under the 
 strokes of the Almighty ! " It is a fearful thing to fall into the 
 hands of the living God." It were nothing, in comparison to 
 this, if all the world were against them, or if the strength of all 
 creatures were united in one to inflict their penalty. They had 
 now rather venture to displease God than displease a landlord, 
 a customer, a master, a friend, a neighbour, or their own flesh ; 
 but then they will wish a thousand times, in vain, that they had 
 been hated of all the world, rather than have lost the favour of 
 God. 'What a consuming fire is his wrath! If it be kindled 
 here but a little, how do we "wither like the grass!" How 
 soon doth our strength decay, and turn to weakness, and our 
 beauty to deformity ! The flames do not so easily run through 
 the dry stubble, as the wrath of God will consume these wretches. 
 They that could not bear a prison, or a gibbet, or a fire, for 
 Christ, nor scarce a few scoffs, how will they now bear the 
 devouring flames of divine wrath ? 
 
 2. The place or state of torment is purposely ordained to glo- 
 rify the justice of God. When God would glorify his power, 
 he made the worlds. The comely order of all his creatures 
 declareth his wisdom. His providence is shown in sustaining 
 all things. When a spark of his wrath kindles upon the earth 
 the whole world, except only eight persons, are drowned ; Sodom 
 Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboim, are burnt with fire from heaven 
 the sea shuts her mouth upon some, the earth opens, and swallows 
 
 8 
 
gg THE MISERY OF LOSING 
 
 up others ; the pestilence destroys by thousands. What a stand- 
 ing witness of the wrath of God is the present deplorable state 
 of the Jews! Yet the glorifying the mercy and justice of God 
 is intended most eminently for the life to come. As God will 
 then glorify his mercy in a way that is now beyond the compre- 
 hension of the saints that must enjoy it; so also will he manifest 
 his justice to be indeed the justice of God. The everlasting 
 flames of hell will not be thought too hot for the rebellious ; 
 and, when they have there burned through millions of ages, he 
 will not repent him of the evil which has befallen them. Woe 
 to the soul that is thus set up as a butt for the wrath of the 
 Almighty to shoot at! and as a bush that must burn in the 
 flames of his jealousy, and never be consumed. 
 
 3. The torments of the damned must be extreme, because 
 they are the effects of divine vengeance. Wrath is terrible, but 
 revenge is implacable. When the great God shall say, " My 
 rebellious creatures shall now pay for all the abuse of my 
 patience ; remember how I waited your leisure in vain, how 
 I stooped to persuade and entreat you ; did you think 1 would 
 always be so slighted?" — then will he be revenged for every 
 abused mercy, and for all their neglects of Christ and grace. 
 O that men would foresee this, and please God better in prevent- 
 ing their woe ! 
 
 4. Consider also, that, though God had rather men would 
 accept of Christ and mercy, yet, when they persist in rebellion, 
 he will take pleasure in their execution. He tells us, "fury is 
 not in me ;" yet he adds, " who would set the briers and thorns 
 against me in battle ; I would go through them, I would burn 
 them together." Wretched creatures! when "he that made 
 them will not have mercy upon them, and he that formed them 
 will show them no favour. As the Lord rejoiced over them to 
 do them good ; so the Lord will rejoice over them to destroy them, 
 and to bring them to nought." Woe to the souls whom God 
 rejoiceth to punish ! " He will laugh at their calamity, he will 
 mock when their fear cometh ; when their fear cometh as deso- 
 lation, and their destruction cometh as a whirlwind ; when dis- 
 tress and anguish cometh upon them." Terrible thing, when 
 none in heaven or earth can help them but God, and he shall 
 rejoice in their calamity ! Though Scripture speaks of God's 
 laughing and mocking, not literally, but after the manner of 
 
THE SAINTS' REST. 
 
 87 
 
 men; yet it is such an act of God in tormenting the sinner, 
 which cannot otherwise be more fitly expressed. 
 
 5. Consider that Satan and themselves shall he God's execu- 
 tioners. He that was here so successful in drawing them from 
 Christ, will then be the instrument of their punishment, for 
 yielding to his temptations. That is the reward he will give 
 them for all their service ; for their rejecting the commands of 
 God, forsaking Christ, and neglecting their souls at his persua- 
 sion. If they had served Christ as faithfully as they did Satan, 
 he would have given them a better reward. It is also most just, 
 that they should be their own tormentors; that they may see 
 their whole destruction is of themselves ; and then whom can 
 they complain of but themselves? 
 
 6. Consider also that their torment will be universal. As all 
 parts have joined in sin, so must they all partake in the torment. 
 The soul, as it was the chief in sinning, shall be the chief in 
 suffering; and as it is of a more excellent nature than the body, 
 so will its torments far exceed bodily torments; and as its joys 
 far surpass all sensuul pleasures, so the pains of the soul exceed 
 corporeal pains. — It is not only a soul, but a sinful soul, that 
 must sufFer. Fire will not burn, except the fuel be combustible ; 
 but if the wood be dry, how fiercely will it burn! The guilt 
 of their sins will he to the damned souls like tinder to gunpow- 
 der, to make the flames of hell take hold upon them with fury. 
 — The body must also bear its part. That body, which was so 
 carefully looked to, so tenderly cherished, so curiously dressed, 
 what must it now endure! How are its haughty looks now 
 taken down ! How little will those flames regard its comeliness 
 and beauty ! Those eyes, which were Wont to be delighted with 
 curious sights, must then see nothing but what shall terrify them ! 
 an angry God above them, with those saints whom they scorned, 
 enjoying the glory which they have lost ; and about them will 
 be only devils and damned souls. How will they look back, and 
 say, "Are all our feasts, and games, and revels, come to this!" 
 Those ears, which were accustomed to music and songs, shall 
 hear the shrieks and cries of their damned companions ; children 
 crying out against their parents, that gave them encouragement 
 and example in evil ; husbands and wives, masters and servants, 
 ministers and people, magistrates and subjects, charging their 
 misery upon one another, for discouraging in duty, conniving at 
 
88 THE MISERY OF LOSING 
 
 sin, and being silent, when they should have plainly foretold the 
 danger. Thus will soul and body be companions in woe. 
 
 7. Far greater will these torments be, because without mitiga 
 Hon. In this life, when told of hell, or if conscience troubled 
 their peace, they had comforters at hand ; their carnal friends, 
 their business, their company, their mirth. They could drink, 
 play, or sleep away their sorrows. But now all these remedies 
 are vanished. Their hard, presumptuous, unbelieving heart 
 was a wall to defend them against trouble of mind. Satan was 
 himself their comforter, as he was to our first mother: "Hath 
 God said, Ye shall not eat? ye shall not surely die. Doth God 
 tell you that you shall lie in hell? it is no such matter; God is 
 more merciful. Or, if there be a hell, what need you fear it? 
 Are not you Christians? Was not the blood of Christ shed for 
 you?" Thus, as the Spirit of Christ is the comforter of tho 
 saints, so Satan is the comforter of the wicked. Never was a 
 thief more careful lest he should awake the people, when he 
 is robbing the house, than Satan is not to awaken a sinner. But 
 when the sinner is dead, then Satan hath done flattering and 
 comforting. .Which way, then, will the forlorn sinner look for 
 comfort? They that drew him into the snare, and promised him 
 safety, now forsake him, and are forsaken themselves. His 
 comforts are gone, and the righteous God, whose forewarnings 
 he made light of, will now make good his word against him to 
 the least tittle. 
 
 8. But the greatest aggravation of these torments will be their 
 eternity. When a thousand millions of ages are past, they are 
 as fresh to begin as the first day. If there were any hope of an 
 end, it would ease the damned to foresee it; but for ever is an 
 intolerable thought. They were never weary of sinning, nor 
 will God be weary of punishing. They never heartily repented 
 of sin, nor will God repent of their suffering. They broke the 
 laws of the eternal God, and therefore shall suffer eternal pun- 
 ishment. They knew it was an everlasting kingdom which 
 they refused, and what wonder if they are everlastingly shut 
 out of it? Their immortal souls were guilty of the trespass, and 
 therefore must immortally suffer the pains. What happy men 
 would they think themselves, if they might have lain still in their 
 graves, or might but there lie down again ! How will they call 
 and cry, "O death, whither art thou now gone! Now come 
 
THE SAINTS' REST. ^ 
 
 and cut off this doleful life. O that these pains would bred* my 
 heart, and end my being! O that I might once at last die! O 
 that I had never had a being!" These groans will the thoughts 
 of eternity wring from their hearts. They were wont to think 
 sermons and prayers long; how long then will they think these 
 endless torments? What difference is there betwixt the length 
 of their pleasures and their pains! The one continued but a 
 moment, the other endureth through all eternity. Sinner, 
 remember how time is almost gone. Thou art standing at the 
 door of eternity ; and death is waiting to open the door, and put 
 thee in. Go, sleep out a few more nights, and stir about a few 
 more days on earth, and then thy nights and days shall end : thy 
 thoughts and cares, and pleasures, shall all be devoured by eter- 
 nity; thou must enter upon the state which shall never be 
 changed. As the joys of heaven are beyond our conception, so 
 are the pains of hell. Everlasting torment is inconceivable 
 torment. 
 
 But methinks I see the obstinate sinner desperately resolving, 
 "If I must be damned, there is no remedy. Rather than I will 
 live as the Scripture requires, I will put it to the venture ; I shall 
 escape as well as the rest of my neighbours, and we will even 
 bear it as well as we can." Alas! poor creature, let me beg 
 this of thee, before thou dost so flatly resolve, that thou wouldst 
 lend me thy attention to a few questions, and weigh them with 
 the reason of a man. — Who art thou, that thou shouldst bear the 
 wrath of God ? What is thy strength ? Is it not as the strength 
 of wax, or stubble, to resist the fire ; or chaff to the wind ; or as 
 dust before the fierce whirlwind? If thy strength were as iron, 
 and thy bones as brass ; if thy foundation were as the earth, 
 and thy power as the heavens, yet shouldst thou perish at the 
 breath of his indignation. How much more, when thou art but 
 a piece of breathing clay, kept a few days from # being eaten 
 with worms, by the mere support and favour of him whom thou 
 art thus resisting! — Why dost thou tremble at the signs of 
 almighty power and wrath? at claps of thunder or flashes of 
 lightning; or that unseen power which rends in pieces the mighty 
 oaks, and tears down the strongest buildings; or at the plague, 
 when it rageth around thee ? If thou hadst seen the plagues of 
 Egypt, or the earth swallow up Dathan and Abiram, or Elijah 
 bring fire from heaven to destroy the captains and their compa- 
 8* 
 
QO THE MISERY OF LOSING 
 
 nies, would not any of these sights have daunted thy spirit? How 
 then canst thou bear the plagues of hell ? — Why art thou dismayed 
 with such small sufferings as befall thee here? a toothache, a fit 
 of the gout, or stone, the loss of a limb, or falling into beggary 
 and disgrace? And yet all these laid together will be one day 
 accounted a happy state, in comparison of that which is suffered 
 in hell. — Why does the approach of death so much affright thee? 
 O how cold it strikes to thy heart! And would not the grave 
 be accounted a paradise, compared with that place of torment 
 which thou slightest? — Is it an intolerable thing to burn part of 
 thy body, by holding it in the fire? What, then, will it be to 
 suffer ten thousand times more for ever in hell ? — The thought or 
 mention of hell occasions disquiet in thy spirit; and canst thou 
 endure the torments themselves? — Why doth the rich man com- 
 plain to Abraham of his torments in hell ? or thy dying compan- 
 ions lose their courage, and change their haughty language ? — 
 Why cannot these make as light of hell as thyself? — Didst thou 
 never see or speak with a man under despair? How uncomfort- 
 able was his talk! how burdensome his life! Nothing he pos- 
 sessed did him good ; he had no sweetness in meat or drink ; the 
 sight of friends troubled him ; he was weary of life, and fearful 
 of death. If the misery of the damned can be endured, why 
 cannot a man more easily endure these foretastes of hell ? What 
 if thou shouldst see the devil appear to thee in some terrible 
 shape? Would not thy heart fail thee, and thy hair stand on an 
 end? And how wilt thou endure to live for ever, where thou 
 shalt have no other company but devils and the damned, and 
 shalt not only see them, but be tormented with them and by them ? 
 Let me once more ask, if the wrath of God be so light, why did 
 the Son of God himself make so great a matter of it? It made 
 him "sweat, as it were, great drops of blood falling down to the 
 ground." The Lord of life cried, "My soul is exceeding sor- 
 rowful, even unto death." And on the cross, "My God, my God, 
 why hast thou forsaken me?" Surely, if any one could have 
 borne these sufferings easily, it would have been Jesus Christ. 
 He had another measure of strength to bear it than thou hast. 
 Woe to thee, sinner, for thy mad security ! Dost thou think to 
 find that tolerable to thee, which was so heavy to Christ? Nay, 
 --he Son of God is cast into a bitter agony, and bloody sweat, only 
 mder the curse of the law ; and yet thou, feeble, foolish creature. 
 
THE SAINTS' REST. Ql 
 
 makest nothing to bear also the curse of the Gospel, which 
 requires a much sorer punishment. The good Lord bring thee 
 to thy right mind by repentance, lest thou buy thy wit at too 
 dear a rate! 
 
 And now, reader, I demand thy resolution — What use wilt 
 thou make of all this ? Shall it be lost to thee ? or wilt thou con- 
 sider it in good earnest? Thou hast cast away many a warning 
 of God ; wilt thou do so by this also? Take heed : God will not 
 always stand warning and threatening. The hand of revenge 
 is lifted up, the blow is coming, and woe to him on whom it 
 lighteth ! Dost thou throw away the book, and say, it speaks of 
 nothing but hell and damnation ? Thus thou usest also to com- 
 plain of the preacher. But wouldst thou not have us tell thee 
 of these things ? Should we be guilty of the blood of thy soul, 
 by keeping silent that which God hath charged us to make 
 known ? Wouldst thou perish in ease and silence, and have us 
 to perish with thee, rather than displease thee, by speaking the 
 truth? If thou wilt be guilty of such inhuman cruelty, God for- 
 bid we should be guilty of such sottish folly ! This kind of 
 preaching or writing is the ready way to be hated; and the 
 desire of applause is so natural, that few delight in such a dis- 
 pleasing way. But consider, are these things true, or are they 
 not? If they were not true, I would heartily join with thee 
 against any that fright people without a cause. But if these 
 threatenings be the word of God, what a wretch art thou, that 
 wilt not hear it and consider it! If thou art one of the people 
 of God, this doctrine will be a comfort to thee, and not a terror. 
 If thou art. yet unregenerate, methinks thou shouldst be as fear- 
 ful to hear of heaven as of hell, except the bare name of heaven 
 or salvation be sufficient. Preaching heaven and mercy to thee 
 is entreating thee to seek them, and not reject them ; and preach- 
 ing hell is but to persuade thee to avoid it. If thou weit quite 
 past hope of escaping it, then it were in vain to tell thee of hell ; 
 but as long as thou art alive, there is hope of thy recovery, and 
 therefore all means must be used to awake thee from thy leth- 
 argy. Alas! what heart can now possibly conceive, or what 
 tongue express, the pains of those souls, that are under the 
 wrath of God ! Then, sinners, you will be crying to Jesus 
 Christ, " O mercy ! O pity, pity on a poor soul !" Why, I do 
 uow, in the name of the Lord Jesus, cry to thee, "O have mercy. 
 
92 THE NECESSITY OF SEEKING 
 
 have pity, man, upon thy own sdul!" Shall God pity ther,, tVho 
 will not be entreated to pity thyself? If thy horse see but a pit 
 before him, thou canst scarcely force him in ; and wilt thou so 
 obstinately cast thyself into hell, when the danger is foretold 
 thee? "Who can stand before the indignation of the Lord? and 
 who can abide the fierceness of his anger?" Methinks thou 
 shouldst need no more words, but presently cast away thy soul- 
 damning sins, and wholly deliver up thyself to Christ. Resolve 
 on it immediately, and let it be done, that I may see thy face in 
 the rest among the saints. May the Lord persuade thy heart to 
 strike this covenant without any longer delay ! But if thou be 
 hardened unto death, and there be no remeby, yet say not another 
 day but that thou wast faithfully warned, and hadst a friend, 
 that would fain have prevented thy damnation. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 THE NECESSITY OF DILIGENTLY SEEKING THE SAINTS' REST. 
 
 1. The saints' rest surprisingly neglected. The author mourns the neglect, and excites the 
 reader to diligence, by considering— 1. The ends we aim at, the work we have to do, 
 the shortness and uncertainty of our time, and the diligence of our enemies ; 2. Our 
 talents, mercies, relations to God, and our afflictions ; 3. What assistances we have, what 
 principles we profess, and our certainty never to do enough; 4. That every grace tends 
 to diligence, and to trifle is lost labour ; that much time is misspent, and that our recom- 
 pense and labour will be proportionable ; 5. That striving is the divine appointment, all 
 men do or will approve it, the best Christians at death lament their want of it, heaven is 
 often lost for want of it, but never obtained without it ; 6. God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit, 
 are in earnest ; God is so in hearing and answering prayer ; ministers in their instructions 
 and exhortations ; all the creatures in serving us ; sinners in serving the devil, as we 
 wore once, and now are, in worldly things, and in heaven and hell all are in earnest. 
 
 1. If there be so certain and glorious a rest for the saints, 
 why is there no more industrious seeking after it? One would 
 think, if a man did but once hear of such unspeakable glory to 
 be obtained, and believed what he heard to be true, he should be 
 transported with the vehemency of his desire after it, and should 
 almost forget to eat and drink, and should care for nothing else, 
 and speak of and inquire after nothing else, but how to get this 
 treasure. And yet people who hear of it daily, and profess to 
 believe it as a fundamental article of their faith, do as little mind 
 it, or labour for it, as if they had never heard of any such thing, 
 or did not believe one word they hear. This reproof is more 
 
THE SAINTS' REST 93 
 
 particularly applicable to the worldly-minded; the profane mul- 
 titude ; the formal professors ; and even to the godly themselves. 
 The worldly -minded are so taken up in seeking the things 
 below, that they have neither heart nor time to seek this rest. O 
 foolish sinners, who hath bewitched you? The world bewitches 
 men into brute beasts, and draws them some degrees beyond 
 madness. See what riding and running, what scrambling and 
 catching for a thing of nought, while eternal rest lies neglected. 
 What contriving and caring to get a step higher in the world 
 than their brethren, while they neglect the kingly dignity of 
 the saints! What insatiable pursuit of fleshly pleasures, while 
 they look on the praises of God, the joy of angels, as a tire- 
 some burden! What unwearied diligence in raising their pos- 
 terity, enlarging their possessions, (perhaps for a poor living 
 "rom hand to mouth,) while judgment is drawing near! but how 
 t shall go with them then, never puts them to one hour's consid- 
 eration ! What rising early, and sitting up late, and labouring 
 from year to year, to maintain themselves and children in credit 
 till they die ! but what shall follow after, they never think on ! 
 Yet these men cry, " May we not be saved without so much ado ?" 
 How early do they rouse up their servants to their labour ! but how 
 seldom do they call them to prayer, or reading the Scriptures! 
 What hath this world done for its lovers and friends, that it is so 
 eagerly followed, and painfully sought after, while Christ and 
 heaven stand by, and few regard them ? or what will the world 
 do for them for the time to come ? The common entrance into 
 it is through anguish and sorrow. The passage through it is 
 with continual care and labour. The passage out of it is the 
 sharpest of all. O unreasonable, bewitched men! Will mirth 
 and pleasure stick close to you ! Will gold and worldly glory 
 prove fast friends to you in the time of your greatest need ! 
 Will they hear your cries in the day of your calamity ! At 
 the hour of your death, will they either answer or relieve you? 
 Will they go along with you to the other world, and bribe the 
 Judge, and bring you off clear, or purchase you a place among 
 the blessed ? Why then did the rich man want " a drop of water 
 to cool his tongue ?" Or are the sweet morsels of present delight 
 and honour of more worth than eternal rest? And will they 
 recompense the loss of that enduring treasure? Can there be 
 the least hope of any of these? Ah, vile, deceitful world! how 
 
94 THE NECESSITY OF SEEKING 
 
 oft have we heard thy most faithful servants at last complaining, 
 " O the world hath deceived me, and undone me ! It flattered 
 me in my prosperity, but now it turns me off in my necessity. 
 If I had as faithfully served Christ, as I have served it, he would 
 not have left me thus comfortless and hopeless." Thus they 
 complain ; and yet succeeding sinners will take no warning. 
 
 As for the profa?ie multitude, they will not be persuaded to be 
 at so much pains for salvation, as to perform the common out- 
 ward duties of religion. If they have the gospel preached in 
 the town where they dwell, it may be they will give the hearing 
 to it one part of the day, and stay at home the other ; or if the 
 master come to the congregation, yet part of his family must 
 stay at home. If they want the plain and powerful preaching 
 of the gospel, how few are there in a whole town, who will travel 
 a mile or two to hear abroad ; though they will go many miles 
 to the market for provisions for their bodies ! They know the 
 Scripture is the law of God, by which they must be acquitted 
 or condemned in judgment; and that "the man is blessed who 
 delights in the law of the Lord, and in his law doth meditate 
 day and night;" yet will they not be at pains to read a chapter 
 once a day. If they carry a Bible to church, and neglect it all 
 the week, this is the most use they make of it. Though they 
 are commanded to pray without ceasing, and to pray always, 
 yet they will neither pray constantly in their families or in secret. 
 Though Daniel would rather be cast to the lions, than forbear 
 praying three times a day in his house, where his enemies might 
 hear him, yet these men will rather venture to be an eternal 
 prey to Satan, the roaring lion, than thus seek their own safety. 
 Or their cold and heartless prayers invite God to a denial ; for 
 among men it is taken for granted, that he who asks but slightly 
 and seldom, cares not much for what he asks. They judge 
 themselves unworthy of heaven, who think it is not worth their 
 more constant and earnest requests. If every door was marked, 
 where families do not, morning and evening, earnestly seek the 
 Lord in prayer, that his wrath might be poured out upon such 
 prayerless families, our towns would be as places overthrown 
 by the plague, the people being dead within, and the mark of 
 judgment without. I fear where one house would escape, ten 
 would be marked out for death ; and then they might teach their 
 doors to pray, "Lord, have mercy upon us " because the people 
 
THE SAINTS' REST. J)5 
 
 would not pray themselves. But especially if we could see what 
 men do in their secret chambers, how few would you find in a 
 whole town that spend one quarter of an hour, morning and 
 night, in earnest supplication to God for their souls! O how 
 little do these men set by eternal rest! Thus do they slothfully 
 neglect all endeavours for their own welfare, except some public 
 duty in the congregation, which custom or credit engages them 
 to. Persuade them to read good books, learn the grounds of 
 religion in their catechism, and sanctify the Lord's day in prayer, 
 and meditation, and hearing the word, and forbearing all worldly 
 thoughts and speeches ; and what a tedious life do they take this 
 to be? As if they thought heaven were not worth doing so 
 much for. 
 
 Another sort are formal prof essors, who will be brought to an 
 outward duty, but to the inward work of religion they will never 
 be persuaded. They will preach, or hear, or read, or talk of 
 heaven, or pray in their families, and take part with the persona 
 or causes that are good, and desire to be esteemed among the 
 godly; but you can never bring them to the moje spiritual 
 duties; as, to be constant and fervent in secret prayer and med- 
 itation; conscientious in self-examination; heavenly-minded; to 
 watch over their hearts, words, and ways ; to mortify the fles^, 
 and not make provision to fulfil its lusts; to love and hearti 1 ./ 
 forgive an enemy, and prefer their brethren before themselves, 
 to lay all they have, or do, at the foot of Christ, and pri; 3 his 
 service and favour before all ; to prepare to die, and willingly 
 leave all to go to Christ. Hypocrites will never be persuaded 
 to any of these. — If any hypocrite entertains the gospel with 
 joy, it is only in the surface of his soul ; he never gives the seed 
 any depth of earth : it changes his opinion, but never melts ana 
 new-moulds his heart, nor sets up Christ there in full power and 
 authority. As his religion lies most in opinion, so does h:.r 
 cl.ief business and conversation. He is usually an ignorant, 
 bold, conceited dealer in controversies, rather than an humble 
 embracer of known truth, with love and obedience. By hw 
 slighting the judgments and persons of others, and seldom talking 
 with seriousness and humility of the great things of Christ, he 
 shows his religion dwells in the brain, and not in his heart. 
 The wind of temptation carries him away as a feather, because 
 his heart is not established with Christ and grace. He never in 
 
QQ THE NECESSITY OF SEEKING 
 
 private conversation humbly bewails his soul's imperfections, or 
 tenderly acknowledges his unkindness to Christ ; but gathers his 
 greatest comforts from his being of such a judgment or party. 
 The like may be said of the worldly hypocrite, who chokes the 
 gospel with the thorns of worldly cares and desires. He is con- 
 vinced, that he must be religious, or he cannot be saved ; and 
 therefore he reads, and hears, and prays, and forsakes his former 
 company and courses ; but he resolves to keep his hold of present 
 things. His judgment may say, God is the chief good ; but his 
 heart and affections never said so. The world hath more of his 
 afFections than God, and therefore it is his god. Though he 
 does not run after opinions and novelties, like the former, yet he 
 will be of that opinion which will best serve his worldly advan- 
 tage. And as one whose spirits are enfeebled by some pestilen- 
 tial disease, so this man's spirits being possessed by the plague 
 of a worldly disposition, how feeble is he in secret prayer ! how 
 superficial in examination and meditation ! how poor in heart- 
 watchings! how nothing at all in loving and walking with God, 
 rejoicing in him, or desiring him ! So that both these and many 
 other sorts of hypocrites, though they will go with you in the 
 easy outside if religion, yet will never be at the pains of inward 
 and sointual duties. 
 
 And even the godly themselves are too lazy seekers of their 
 everlasting rest. Alas! what a disproportion is there between 
 our light and heat ! our profession and prosecution ! Who makes 
 that haste as if it were for heaven 1 How still we stand ! how 
 idly we work ! how we talk and jest, and trifle away our time ! 
 how deceitfully we perform the work of God ! how we hear, as 
 if we heard not! and pray, as if we prayed not! and examine, 
 and meditate, and reprove sin, as if we did not! and enjoy Christ, 
 as if we enjoyed him not ! as if we had learned to use the things 
 of heaven, as the apostle teacheth us to " use the things of the 
 world!" What a frozen stupidity has benumbed us! We are 
 dying, and we know it, and yet we stir not; we are at the door 
 of eternal happiness, or misery, and yet we perceive it not j 
 death knocks, and we hear it not ; God and Christ call and cry 
 to us, "To-day, if ye will hear my voice, harden not your hearts , 
 work while it is day, for the night cometh when none can work." 
 Now ply your business, labour for your lives, lay out all your 
 strength and time; now or never! and yet we stir no more than 
 
THE SAINTS' REST. 97 
 
 if we were half-asleep. What haste do death and judgment 
 make ! how fast do they come on ! they are almost at us, and 
 yet what little haste we make ! Lord, what a senseless, earthly, 
 hellish thing is a hard heart! Where is the man that is in earn- 
 est a Christian ? Methinks men every where make but a trifle 
 of their eternal state. They look after it but a little by the by; 
 they do not make it the business of their lives. If I were not 
 sick myself of the same disease, with what tears should I mix 
 this ink ! with what groans should I express these complaints ! 
 and with what heart-grief should I mourn over this universal 
 deadness! 
 
 Do magistrates among us seriously perform their work? Are 
 they zealous for God ? Do they build up his house ? Are they 
 tender of his honour? Do they second the word? and fly in 
 the face of sin and sinners, as the disturbers of our peace, and 
 the only cause of all our miseries ? Do they improve all their 
 power, wealth, and honour, and all their influence, for the great- 
 est advantage to the kingdom of Christ, as men that must shortly 
 give an account of their stewardship? 
 
 How few are those ministers that are serious in their work! 
 Nay, how mightily do the very best fail in this ! Do we cry 
 out of men's disobedience to the gospel "in the demonstration of 
 the Spirit," and deal with sin as the destroying fire in our towns, 
 and by force pull men out of it? Do we persuade people, as 
 those should, that " know the terrors of the Lord ?" Do we press 
 Christ, and regeneration, and faith, and holiness, believing that, 
 without these, men can never have life ? Do our bowels yearn 
 over the ignorant, careless, and obstinate multitude ? When we 
 look them in the face, do our hearts melt over them, lest we 
 should never see their faces in rest. Do we, as Paul, "tell them, 
 weeping," of their fleshly and earthly disposition? "and teach 
 them publicly, and from house to house, at all seasons, and with 
 many tears ?" And do we entreat them, as for their soul's sal- 
 vation? Or, rather, do we not study to gain the approbation of 
 critical hearers ; as if a minister's business were of no more 
 weight but to tell a smooth tale for an hour, and look no more 
 after the people till the next sermon ? Does not carnal prudence 
 control our fervour, and make our discourses lifeless, on subjects 
 the most piercing? How gently do we handle those sins, which 
 will so cruelly handle our people's souls! In a word, our want 
 9 
 
y$ 
 
 THE NECESSITY C F SEEKING 
 
 of seriousness about the things of heaven, charms the souls of 
 men into formality, and brings them to this customary careless 
 hearing, which undoes them ! May the Lord pardon the great 
 sin of the ministry in this thing ; and, in particular, my own! 
 
 And are the people more serious than magistrates or ministers? 
 How can it be expected? Reader, look but to thyself, and 
 resolve the question. Ask conscience, and suffer it to tell thee 
 truly. Hast thou set thy eternal rest before thine eyes,, as the 
 great business thou hast to do in this world ? p I rt «t thou watched 
 and laboured, with all thy might, "that no man take thy crown?" 
 Hast thou made haste, lest thou shouldst come too late, and die 
 before thy work be done ? Hast thou pressed on, through crowds 
 of opposition, "towards the mark, for the prize of the high calling 
 of God in Christ Jesus," still "reaching forth unto those things 
 which are before ?" Can conscience witness your secret cries, 
 and groans, and tears? Can your family witness, that you taught 
 them the fear of the Lord, and warned them not to "go to that 
 place of torment?" Can your minister witness, that he has 
 heard you cry out, " What shall I do to be saved?" and that you 
 have followed him with complaints against your corruptions, and 
 with earnest inquiries after the Lord? Can your neighbours 
 about you witness, that you reprove the ungodly, and take pains 
 to save the souls of your brethren? Let all these witnesses 
 judge this day between God and you, whether you are in earnest 
 about eternal rest. You can tell, by his work, whether your 
 servant has loitered, though you did not see him ; so you may 
 by looking at your own work. Is your love to Christ, your faith, 
 your zeal, and other graces, strong or weak? What are your 
 joys? What is your assurance? Is all in order with you ? Are 
 you ready to die, if this should be the day ? Do the souls, among 
 whom you have conversed, bless you ? Judge by this, and it will 
 quickly appear whether you have been labourers or loiterers. 
 
 O blessed rest, how unworthily art thou neglected ! O glori- 
 ous kingdom, how art thou undervalued ! Little know the 
 careless sons of men what a state they set so light by. If they 
 once knew it, they would surely be of another mind. I hope thou, 
 reader, art sensible, what a desperate thing it is to trifle about 
 eternal rest, and how deeply thou hast been guilty of this thyself. 
 And I hope, also, thou wilt not now suffer this conviction to die. 
 Should the physician tell thee, "If you will observe but one 
 
THE SAINTS' REST. 
 
 99 
 
 thing, I doubt not to cure your disease," wouldst thou not observe 
 it? So I tell thee, if thou wilt observe but this one thing for thy 
 soul, I make no doubt of thy salvation : shake off thy sloth, and 
 put to all thy strength, and be a Christian indeed ; I know not, 
 then, what can hinder thy happiness. As far as thou art gone 
 from God, seek him with all thy heart, and no doubt thou shalt 
 find him. As unkind as thou hast been to Jesus Christ, seek him 
 heartily, obey him unreservedly, and thy salvation is as sure as 
 if thou hadst it already. But, full as Christ's satisfaction is, free 
 as the promise is, large as the mercy of God is, if thou only talk 
 of these, when thou shouldst eargerly entertain them, thou wilt 
 be never the better for them ; and if thou loiter, when thou shouldst 
 labour, thou wilt lose the crown. Fall to work, then, speedily 
 and seriously, and bless God that thou hast yet time to do it. 
 
 To show that I urge thee not without cause, I will here add a 
 variety of animating considerations. Rouse up thy spirit, and, 
 as Moses said to Israel, " set thy heart unto all the words which 
 I testify unto thee this day ; for it is not a vain thing, because 
 it is your life." May the Lord open thy heart, and fasten his 
 counsel effectually upon thee ! 
 
 1. Consider how reasonable it is, that our diligence should be 
 answerable to the ends we aim at, to the work we have to do, U 
 the shortness and uncertainty of our time, and to the contrary 
 diligence of our enemies. 
 
 The ends of a Christian's desires and endeavours are so great, 
 that no human understanding on earth can comprehend them. 
 What is so excellent, so important, or so necessary, as the glori- 
 fying of God, the salvation of our own and other men's souls, 
 by escaping the torments of hell, and possessing the glory of 
 heaven? And can a man be too much affected with things of 
 such moment? Can he desire them too earnestly, or love them 
 too strongly, or labour for them too diligently ? Do not we know, 
 that if our prayers prevail not, and our labour succeeds not, we 
 are undone for ever? — The work of a Christian here is very 
 great and various. The soul must be renewed ; corruptions 
 must be mortified ; custom, temptations, and worldly interests, 
 must be conquered; flesh must be subdued; life, friends, and 
 credit, must be slighted ; conscience on good grounds be quieted , 
 and assurance of pardon and salvation attained. Though God 
 must give us these without cur merit, yet he will not give them 
 
100 THE NECESSITY OF SEEKING 
 
 without ou: earnest seeking and labour. Besides, there is mucn 
 knowledge to be got, many ordinances to be used, and duties to 
 be performed : every age, year, and Jay ; every place we come 
 to; every person we deal with; every change of our condition; 
 still require the renewing of our labour : wives, children, ser- 
 vants, neighbours, friends, enemies, all of them call for duty from 
 us. Judge, then, whether men that have so much business lying 
 upon their hands should not exert themselves ; and whether it be 
 their wisdom either to delay or loiter. — Time passeth on. Yet 
 a few days, and we shall be here no more. Many diseases are 
 ready to assault us. We, that are now preaching, and hearing, 
 and talking, and walking, must very shortly be carried, and laid 
 in the dust, and there left to the worms in darkness and corrup- 
 tion : we are almost there already ; we know not whether we shall 
 have another sermon, or Sabbath, or hour. How active should 
 they be who know they have so short a space for so great a 
 work! And we have enemies that are always plotting and 
 labouring for our destruction. How diligent is Satan in all kinds 
 of temptations ! Therefore "be sober, be vigilant; because your 
 adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking 
 whom he may devour — whom resist, steadfast in the faith." How 
 diligent are all the "ministers of Satan ! False teachers, scoffers, 
 persecutors," and our inbred corruptions, the most busy and 
 diligent of all ! Will a feeble resistance serve our turn? Should 
 not we be more active for our own preservation, than our enemies 
 are for our ruin ? 
 
 2. It should excite us to diligence, when we consider our tal- 
 ents, and our mercies, our relation to God, and the afflictions he 
 lays upim us. 
 
 The talents which we have received are many and great. 
 What people breathing on earth have had plainer instructions, 
 or more forcible persuasions, or more constant admonitions, 
 in season and out of season ? sermons, till we have been weary 
 of them; and -Sabbaths, till we profaned them; excellent books 
 in such plenty that we knew not which to read. What people 
 have had God so near them ? or have seen so much of Christ 
 crucified before their eyes? or have had heaven and hell so open 
 unto them ? What speed should such a people make for heaven ! 
 now should they fly that are thus winged ! and how swiftlj 
 should they sail that have wind and tide to help them! A small 
 
THE SAiNTS' REST. 10 
 
 measure of grace becomes not such a people, nor will an ordinary 
 diligence in the work of God excuse them. — All our lives have 
 been filled with mercies. God hath mercifully poured out upon 
 us the riches of sea and land, of heaven and earth. We are fed 
 and clothed with mercy. We have mercies within and without. 
 To number them is to count the stars or the sands of the sea- 
 shore. If there be any difference betwixt hell and earth, yea, or 
 heaven and earth, then certainly we have received mercy. If 
 the blood of the Son of God be mercy, then we are engaged to 
 God by mercy. Shall God think nothing too much, nor too good 
 for us ; and shall we think all too much that we do for him ? 
 When I compare my slow and unprofitable life with the frequent 
 and wonderful mercies received, it shames me, it silences me, 
 and leaves me inexcusable. Besides our talents and mercies, 
 our relations to God are most endearing. Are we his children, 
 and do we not owe him our most tender affections and dutiful 
 obedience? Are we "the spouse of Christ," and should we not 
 obey and love him? "If he be a Father, where is his honour? 
 and if he be a Master, where is fear ? We call him Master, and 
 Lord, and we say well." But if our industry be not answerable 
 to our relations, we condemn ourselves in saying we are his 
 children or his servants. How will the hard labour, and daily 
 toil, which servants undergo to please their masters, judge and 
 condemn those who will not labour so hard for their great Mas- 
 ter? Surely there is no master like hirn ; nor can any servants 
 expect such fruit of their labours as his servants. — And if we 
 wander out of God's way, or loiter in it, how is every creature 
 ready to be his rod, to reduce us, or put us on! Our sweetest 
 mercies will become our sorrows. Rather than want a rod, the 
 Lord will make us a scourge to ourselves; our diseased bodies 
 shall make us groan ; our perplexed minds shall make us rest- 
 less ; our conscience shall be as a scorpion in our bosom. And 
 is it not easier to endure the labour than the spur? Had we 
 rather be still afflicted, than be up and doing? And though they 
 that do most, meet also with afflictions, yet, surely, according to 
 their peace of conscience and faithfulness to Christy the bitter- 
 ness of their cup is abated. 
 
 3. To quicken our diligence in our work, we should also con- 
 sider, what assistances we have, what principles we profess, and 
 our certainty that we can never do too much. 
 9* 
 
102 THE NECESSITY OF SEEKING 
 
 For our assistance in the service of God, all the world arc 
 our servants. The sun, moon, and stars, attend us with their 
 light and influence. The earth, with all its furniture of plants 
 and flowers, fruits, birds and beasts ; the sea, with its inhabitants ; 
 the air, the wind, the frost and snow, the heat and fire, the clouds 
 and rain, all wait upon us while we do our work. Yea, "the 
 angels are all our ministering spirits." Nay, more, the patience 
 of God doth wait upon us ; the Lord Jesus Christ waiteth, in the 
 offers of his blood; the Holy Spirit waiteth, by striving with 
 our backward hearts; besides the ministers of the gospel, who 
 study and wait, preach and wait, pray and wait, upon careless 
 sinners. And is it not an intolerable crime for us to trifle, while 
 angels and men, yea, the Lord himself, stand by and look on, 
 and, as it were, hold' us the candle while we do nothing? I 
 beseech you, Christians, whenever you are praying, or reproving 
 transgressors, or upon any duty, remember what assistances you 
 have for your work, and then judge how you ought to perform 
 it. — The principles we profess are, that God is the chief good ; 
 that all our happiness consists in his love, and therefore it should 
 be valued and sought above all things: that he is our only Lord 
 and therefore chiefly to be served ; that we must love him with 
 all our heart, and soul, and strength ; that our great business in 
 the world is to glorify God, and obtain salvation. Are these 
 doctrines seen in our practice? or, rather, do not our works deny 
 what our words confess? — But, however, our assistances and 
 principles excite us to our work, we are sure we can never do too 
 much. Could we "do all, we are unprofitable servants;" much 
 more when we are sure to fail in all. No man can obey or 
 serve God too much. Though all superstition, or service of our 
 own devising, may be called a "being righteous over much;" 
 yet, as long as we keep to the rule of the word, we can never 
 be righteous too much. The world is mad with malice, when 
 they think that faithful diligence in the service of Christ is fool- 
 ish singularity. The time is near when they will easily confess 
 that God could not be loved or served too much, and that no man 
 can be too busy to save his soul. We may easily do too much 
 for the world, but we cannot for God. 
 
 4. Let us further consider, that it is the nature of every grace 
 U promote diligence, that trijling in the way to heaven is lost 
 
THE SAINTS' REST. 
 
 103 
 
 ialour, thai much precious time is already misspent, and that in 
 •proportion to our labour will be our recompense. 
 
 See the nature and tendency of every grace. If you loved 
 God, you would think nothing too much that you could possibly 
 do to serve him, and please him still more. Love is quick and 
 impatient, active and observant. If you love Christ, you would 
 keep his commandments, nor accuse them of too much strictnesf 
 If you had faith, it would quicken and encourage you. If you 
 had the hope of glory, it would, as the spring in the watch, set 
 all the wheels of your souls a-going. If you had the fear of 
 God, it would rouse you out of your sloth fulness. If you had 
 zeal, it would inflame, and eat you up. In what degree soever 
 thou art sanctified, in the same degree thou wilt be serious and 
 laborious in the work of God. — They that trifle, lose their labour. 
 Many, who, like Agrippa, are but almost Christians, will find, in 
 the end, they shall be but almost saved. If two be running in a 
 race, he that runs slowest loses both prize and labour. A man 
 that is lifting a weight, if he put not sufficient strength to it, had 
 as good put none at all. How many duties have Christians lost, 
 for want of doing them thoroughly ? " Many will seek to enter 
 in, and shall not be able," who, if they had striven, might have 
 been able. Therefore, put to a little more diligence and strength, 
 that all you have done already be not in vain. — Besides, is not 
 much precious tune already lost ? With some of us, childhood 
 and youth are gone ; with some, their middle age also; and the 
 time before us is very uncertain. What time have we slept, 
 talked and played away, or spent in worldly thoughts and cares! 
 How little of our work is done! The time we have lost cannot 
 be recalled ; should we not, then, redeem and improve the little 
 which remains? If a traveller sleep, or trifle most of the day, 
 he must travel so much faster in the evening, or fall short of his 
 journey's end. — Doubt not but the recompense will be according 
 to your labour. The seed which is buried and dead will bring 
 forth a plentiful harvest. Whatever you do, or suffer, everlasting 
 rest will pay for all. There is no repenting of labours or suf- 
 ferings in heaven. There is not one says, " Would I had spared 
 my pains, and prayed less, or been less strict, and done as the rest 
 of my neighbours !" On the contrary, it will be their joy to look 
 back upon their labours and tribulations, and to consider how the 
 mighty power of God brought them through all. We may all 
 
[Q4 THE NECESSITY OF SEEKING 
 
 say, as Paul, "I reckon that the sufferings" and labours "of this 
 present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which 
 shall be revealed in us." We labour but for a moment, but we 
 shall rest for ever. Who would not put forth all his strength 
 for one hour, when, for that hour's work, he may be a prince 
 while he lives? "God is not unrighteous, to forget our work 
 and labour of love." Will not "all our tears be wiped away," 
 and all the sorrow of our duties be then forgotten? 
 
 5. Nor does it less deserve to be considered, that striving is the 
 divinely appointed way of salvation, that all men either do or will 
 approve it, that the best Christians at death lament their negli- 
 gence, and that heaven itself is often lost for want of striving, 
 but is never had on easier terms. 
 
 The sovereign wisdom of God has made striving necessary to 
 salvation. Who knows the way to heaven better than the God 
 of heaven? When men tell us we are too strict, whom do they 
 accuse, God or us? If it were a fault, it would lie in him that 
 commands, and not in us who obey. These are the men that 
 ask us, whether we are wiser than all the world besides ; and 
 yet they will pretend to be wiser than God. How can they rec- 
 oncile their language with the laws of God ? " The kingdom of 
 heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. Strive 
 to enter in at the strait gate ; for many will seek to enter in, and 
 shall not be able. Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with 
 thy might ; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor 
 wisdom in the grave, whither thou goest. Work out your own 
 salvation with fear and trembling. Give diligence to make your 
 calling and election sure. If the righteous scarcely be saved, 
 where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?" Let them bring 
 all the seeming reasons they can against the holy violence of 
 the saints ; this sufficeth me to confute them all, that God is of 
 another mind, and he hath commanded me to do much more 
 than I do ; and though I could see no other reason for it, his will 
 is reason enough. Who should make laws for us, but he thai 
 made us? and who should point out the way to heaven, but he 
 that must bring us thither? and who should fix the terms of sal- 
 vation, but he that bestows the gift of salvation? So that, let the 
 world, the flesh or the devil, speak against a holy, laborious life, 
 this is my answer, God hath commanded it. — Nay, there never 
 was, nor ever will be, a man but will approve such a life, and 
 
THE SAINTS' REST, 
 
 105 
 
 Will one day justify the diligence of the saints. And who would 
 not go that way, which every man shall finally applaud ! True, 
 it is now " a way every where spoken against." But, let me tell 
 you, most that speak against it, in their judgments approve of it ; 
 and those that are now against it will shortly be of another mind. 
 If they come to heaven, their mind must be changed before they 
 come there. If they go to hell, their judgment will then be 
 altered, whether they will or not. Remember this, you that love 
 the opinion and way of the multitude ; why, then, will you not be 
 of the opinion that all will be of? Why will you be of a judgment 
 which you are sure all of you shortly to change ? O that you were 
 but as wise in Jhis as those in hell ! — Even the best of Christians, 
 when they come to die, exceedingly lament their negligence. — 
 They then wish, "O that I had been a thousand times more holy, 
 more heavenly, more laborious for my soul ! The world accuses 
 me for doing too much, but my own conscience accuses me for 
 doing too little. It is far easier bearing the scoffs of the world 
 than the lashes of conscience. I had rather be reproached by 
 the devil for seeking salvation, than reproved of God for neglect- 
 ing it." how do their failings thus wound and disquiet them, 
 who have been the wonders of the world for their heavenly con- 
 versation ! — It is^br want of diligence that heaven itself is lost. 
 When they that have "heard the word, and anon with joy received 
 it, and have done many things, and heard" the ministers of Christ 
 gladly, shall yet perish, should not this rouse us out of our secu- 
 rity ! How far hath many a man followed Christ, and yet forsook 
 him, when all worldly interests and hopes were to be renounced ! 
 God hath resolved, that heaven shall not be had on easier terms. 
 Rest must always follow labour. "Without holiness, no man 
 shall see the Lord." Seriousness is the very thing wherein con- 
 sists our sincerity. If thou art not serious, thou art not a Chris- 
 tian. It is not not only a high degree in Christianity, but the 
 very life and essence of it. As fencers upon a stage differ from 
 soldiers fighting for their lives, so hypocrites differ from serious 
 Christians. If men could be saved without this serious diligence, 
 they would never regard it ; all the excellencies of God's ways 
 would never entice them. But when God hath resolved, that, 
 without serious diligence here, you shall not rest hereafter, is it 
 not wisdom to exert ourselves to the utmost? 
 
 6. But, to persuade thee, if possible, reader, to be serious \a 
 
106 THE NECESSITY OF SEIZING 
 
 thy endeavours for heaven, let me add more considerations." As, 
 for instance, consider — God is in earnest with you; and why 
 should you not be so with him ? In his commands, his threaten, 
 ings, his promises, he means as he speaks. In his judgments he 
 is serious. Was he not so when he drowned the world ? when 
 he consumed Sodom and Gomorrah ? and when he scattered the 
 Jews? Is it time then to trifle with God? Jesus Christ was 
 serious in purchasing our redemption. In teaching, he neglected 
 his meat and drink : in prayer, he continued all night : in doing 
 good, his friends thought him beside himself: in suffering, he* 
 fasted forty days, was tempted, betrayed, spit upon, buffeted, 
 crowned with thorns, sweat drops of blood, was crucified, pierced, 
 died. There was no jesting in all this. And should we not be 
 serious in seeking our own salvation ? — The Holy Spirit is seri- 
 ous in soliciting us to be happy. His motions are frequent, 
 pressing, and importunate. " He striveth with us." He is 
 grieved when we resist him ; and should we not be serious, then, 
 in obeying, and yielding to his motions? — God is serious in hear- 
 ing our prayers, and bestowing his mercies. He is afHicted with 
 us. He " regardeth every groan and sigh, and puts every tear 
 into his bottle." The next time thou art in trouble, thou wilt beg 
 for a serious regard of thy prayers. And shall we expect real 
 mercies, when we are slight and superficial in the work of God? 
 — The ministers of Christ are serious in exhorting and instruct- 
 ing you. They beg of God, and of you ; and long more for the 
 salvation of your souls, than for any worldly good. If they kill 
 themselves with their labour, or suffer martyrdom for preaching 
 the gospel, they think their lives are well bestowed, so that they 
 prevail for the saving of your souls. And shall other men be so 
 painful and careful for your salvation, and you be so careless 
 and negligent of your own? — How diligent and serious are all 
 the creatures in serving you! What haste makes the sun to 
 compass the world ! The fountains are always flowing for thy 
 use ; the rivers still running ; spring and harvest keep their 
 times. How hard does thy ox labour for thee from day to day ! 
 How speedily does thy horse travel with thee ! And shalt thou 
 only be negligent? Shall all these be so serious in serving thee, 
 and thou so careless in thy service to God? — The servants of the 
 world and the devil are serious and diligent. — They work as if 
 they could never do enough: they make haste,as if afraid of 
 
THE SAINTS' REST 
 
 107 
 
 coming to hell too late : they bear down ministers, sermons, and 
 all before them. And shall they be more diligent for damnation, 
 than thou for salvation ? Hast thou not a better master, sweeter 
 employment, greater encouragements, and a better reward ? — 
 Time was when thou wast serious thyself in serving Satan and 
 the flesh, if it be not so yet. How eagerly didst thou follow thy 
 sports, thy evil company, and sinful delights? And wilt thou 
 not now be as earnest and violent for God ? You are to this day 
 in earnest about the things of this life. If you are sick, or in 
 pain, what serious complaints do you utter! If you are poor, 
 how hard do you labour for a livelihood ! And is not the busi- 
 ness of your salvation of far greater moment ? — There is no jesting 
 in heaven or hell. The saints have a real happiness, and the 
 damned a real misery. There are no remiss or sleepy praises 
 in heaven, nor such lamentations in hell. All these are in earn- 
 est. When thou, reader, shalt come to death and judgment, O 
 what deep, heart-piercing thoughts wilt thou have of eternity! 
 Methinks I foresee thee already astonished to think how thou 
 couldst possibly make so light of these things. Methinks I even 
 hear thee crying out of thy stupidity and madness. 
 
 And now, reader, having laid down these undeniable argu- 
 ments, I do, in the name of God, demand thy resolution : wilt 
 thou yield obedience, or not ? I am confident thy conscience is 
 convinced of thy duty. Darest thou now go on in thy common, 
 careless course, against the plain evidence of reason, and com- 
 mands of God, and against the light of thy own conscience? 
 Darest thou live as loosely, sin as boldly, and pray as seldom, as 
 before? Darest thou profane the Sabbath, slight the service of 
 God, and think of thine everlasting state, as carelessly as before? 
 Or dost thou not rather resolve to "gird up the loins of thy mind," 
 and set thyself wholly to the work of thy salvation, and break 
 through the oppositions, and slight the scoffs and persecutions of 
 the world, and "lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth 
 so easily beset thee, and run with patience the race that is set 
 before thee?" I hope these are thy full resolutions. Yet, 
 because I know the obstinacy of the heart of man, and because 
 I am solicitous thy soul might live, I once more entreat thy 
 attention to the following questions; and I command thee from 
 God, that thou stifle not thy conscience, nor resist conviction ; 
 but answer them faithfully, ani obey accordingly. If, by being 
 
X08 TIIE NECESSITY OF SEEKING 
 
 diligent in godliness, you could grow rich, get honour or pre. 
 ferment in the world, be recovered from sickness, or live for 
 ever in prosperity on earth, what lives would you lead, and 
 what pains would you take in the service of God? And is not 
 the saints' rest a more excellent happiness than all this? If it 
 were felony to break the Sabbath, neglect secret or family wor- 
 ship, or be loose in your lives, what manner of persons would you 
 then be ? And is not eternal death more terrible than temporal ? 
 If God usually punished with some present judgment every act 
 of sin, as he did the lie of Ananias and Sapphira, what kind 
 of lives would you lead? And is not eternal wrath more terri- 
 ble ? — If one of your acquaintance should come from the dead, 
 and tell you that he suffered the torments of hell for those sins 
 you are guilty of, what manner of persons would you be after- 
 wards? How much more should the warnings of God affright 
 you? — If you knew that this was the last day you had to live in 
 the world, how would you spend it ? And you know not but it 
 may be your last, and are sure your last is near. — If you had 
 seen the general dissolution of the world, and all the pomp and 
 glory of it consumed to ashes, what would such a sight persuade 
 thee to do ? Such a sight you shall certainly see. — If you had 
 seen the judgment-seat, and the books opened, and the wicked stand 
 trembling on the left hand of the Judge, and the godly rejoicing 
 on the right hand, and their different sentences pronounced, what 
 persons would you have been after such a sight! This sight 
 you shall one day surely see. — If you had seen hell open, and 
 all the damned there in their ceaseless torments ; also, heaven 
 opened as Stephen did, and all the saints there triumphing in 
 glory ; what a life would you lead after such sights ! The»c 
 you will see before it be long. — If you had laid in hell but one 
 year, or one day, or hour, and there felt the torments you now 
 hear of, how seriously would you then speak of hell, and pray 
 against it! And will you not take God's word for the truth of 
 this, except you feel it? — Or, if you had possessed the glory of 
 heaven but one year, what pains would you take rather than 
 be deprived of such incomparable glory! — Thus I have saia 
 enough, if not to stir up the sinner to a serious working out hia 
 salvation, yet at least to silence him, and leave him inexcusable 
 at the judgment of God. Only as we do by our friends when 
 they are dead, and our words and action* can do them no good 
 
THE SAINTS' REST. |Q9 
 
 yet, to testify our affections for them, we weep and mourn, so 
 will I also do for these unhappy souls. It makes my heart 
 tremble, to think how they will stand before the Lord, confounded 
 and speechless ! When he shall say, " Was the world, or Satan, 
 a better friend to you than I? Or had they done for you more 
 than I had done? Try now whether they will save you, or 
 recompense you for the loss of heaven, or be as good to you as 
 I would have been" — what will the wretched sinner answer to 
 any of this? But, though man will not hear, we may hope in 
 speaking to God. "O thou that didst weep and groan in spirit 
 over a dead Lazarus, pity these dead and senseless souls, till 
 they are able to weep and groan in pity to themselves ! As 
 thou hast bid thy servants speak, so speak now thyself! They 
 will hear thy voice speaking to their hearts, who will not hear 
 mine speaking to their ears. Lord, thou hast long knocked at 
 these hearts in vain ; now break the doors, and enter in !" 
 
 To show the godly why they, above all men, should be labo- 
 rious for heaven, I desire to ask them, What manner of persons 
 should those be, whom God hath chosen to be vessels of mercy? 
 who have felt the smart of their negligence in their new birth, 
 in their troubles of conscience, in their doubts and fears, and in 
 other sharp afflictions? who have often confessed their sins of 
 negligence to God in prayer? who have bound themselves to 
 God by so many covenants? What manner of persons should 
 they be, who are near to God, as the children of his family! 
 who have tasted such sweetness in diligent obedience ! who are 
 many of them so uncertain what shall everlastingly become of 
 their souls ! What manner of persons should they be in holi- 
 ness, whose sanctification is so imperfect ! whose lives and duties 
 are so important to the saving or destroying a multitude of souls! 
 and on whom the glory of the great God so much depends! — 
 Since these things are so, I charge thee, Christian, in thy Mas- 
 ter's name, to consider, and resolve the question, "What manner 
 of persons ought we to be in all holy conversation and godliness ?" 
 And let thy life answer the question aa well as thy tongue. 
 10 
 
HO OUR TITLE TO 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 HOW TO DISCERN OUR TITLE TO THE SAINTS' REST. 
 
 Self-Examination urged — 1. From the possibility of arriving at a certainty ; 2. From the 
 hindrances which will be thrown in our way by Satan, sinners, our own hearts, and 
 many other causes ; 3. From considering how easy, common, and dangerous it is to be 
 iristaken: that trying will not be so painful as the neglect: that God will soon try us, 
 and that to try ourselves will be profitable. 4. Directions how to try. 5. Marks lor 
 trial, particularly— Do we make God our chief good ? Do we heartily accept of Christ 
 for our Lord and Saviour ? 
 
 Is there such a glorious rest so near at hand ? and shall none 
 enjoy it but the people of God ? What mean most of the world, 
 then, to live so contentedly without assurance of their interests 
 in this rest, and neglect the trying of their title to it? When 
 the Lord has so fully opened the blessedness of that kingdom, 
 which none but obedient believers shall possess; and so fully 
 expressed those torments, which the rest of the world must eter- 
 nally suffer; methinks they that believe this to be certainly true, 
 should never be at any quiet in themselves, till* they were fully 
 assured of their being heirs of the kingdom. Lord, what a 
 strange madness is this, that men, who know they must presently 
 enter upon unchangeable joy or pain, should yet live as uncertain 
 what shall be their doom, as if they had never heard of any such 
 state ; yea, and live as quietly and merrily in this uncertainty, 
 as if all were made sure, and there were no danger! Are these 
 men alive or dead? Are they awake or asleep? What do they 
 think on? Where are their hearts? If they have but a weighty 
 suit at law, how careful are they to know whether it will go for or 
 against them ? If they were to be tried for their lives at an earthly 
 bar, how careful would they be to know whether they should be 
 saved or condemned, especially if their care might surely save 
 them! If they be dangerously sick, they will inquire of the 
 physician, What think you, sir, shall I escape, or not? But in 
 the business of their salvation, they are content to be uncertain. 
 If you ask most men " a reason of the hope that is in them," they 
 will say, "Because God is merciful, and Christ died for sinners," 
 and the like general reasons, which any man in the world may 
 give as well as they: but put them to prove their interest in 
 Christ, and in the saving mercy of God, and they can say noth- 
 ing to the purpose. If God or man should say to them, What 
 
THE SAINTB' REST. m 
 
 case is thy soul in, man? Is it regenerate, sanctified, and par- 
 doned, or not? he would say, as Cain of Abel, "I know not; am 
 I my soul's keeper? I hope well; I trust God witli my soul; I 
 shall speed as well as other men do ; I thank God, I never made 
 any doubt of my salvation." Thou hast cause to doubt, because 
 thou never didst doubt; and yet more, because thou hast been 
 so careless in thy confidence. What do thy expressions discover, 
 but a wilful neglect of thy own salvation? as a ship-master that 
 should let his vessel alone, and say, "I will venture it among the 
 rocks, and waves, and winds ; I will trust God with it ; it will 
 speed as well as other vessels." What horrible abuse of God is 
 this, to pretend to trust God, to cloak their own wilful negligence ! 
 If thou didst really trust God, thou wouldst also be ruled by him, 
 and trust him in his own appointed way. He requires thee to 
 give "diligence to make thy calling and election sure," and so 
 trust him. He hath marked thee out a way in Scripture, by 
 which thou art charged to search and try thyself, and mayst 
 arrive at certainty. Were he not a foolish traveller, that would 
 hold on his way, when he does not know whether he be right 
 or wrong; and say, "I hope I am right; I will go on, and trust 
 in God?" Art thou not guilty of this folly in thy travels to eter- 
 nity? not considering that a little serious inquiry, whether thy 
 way be right, might save thee a great deal of labour, which thou 
 bestowest in vain, and must undo again, or else thou wilt miss 
 of salvation, and undo thyself. 
 
 How canst thou think or speak of the great God without terror, 
 as long as thou art uncertain whether he be thy father, or thy 
 enemy, and knowest not but all his perfections may be employed 
 against thee? or of Jesus Christ, when thou knowest not whether 
 his blood hath purged thy soul ; whether he will condemn or 
 acquit thee in judgment; or whether he be the foundation of thy 
 happiness, or a stone of stumbling to break thee and grind thee 
 to powder? How canst thou open the Bible, and read a chapter, 
 but it should terrify thee? Methinks every leaf should be to 
 thee as Belshazzar's writing on the wall, except only that which 
 draws thee to try and reform. If thou readest the promises, 
 thou knowest not whether they shall be fulfilled to thee. If 
 thou readest the threatenings, for any thing thou knowest, thou 
 readest thy own sentence. No wonder thou art an enemy to 
 plain preaching, and say of the minister, as Ahab of he prophet, 
 
U2 OUR TITLE TU 
 
 "I hate him, for he doth not prophesy good concerning me, but 
 evil." How canst thou without terror join in prayer? When 
 thou receivest the sacrament, thou knowest not whether it be thy 
 bane or bliss. What comfort canst thou find in thy friends, and 
 honours, and houses, and lands, till thou knowest thou hast the love 
 of God with them, and shalt have rest with him when thou leavest 
 them ? Offer a prisoner, before he knows his sentence, either music, 
 or clothes, or preferment ; what are they to him, till he knows he 
 shall escape with his life? for, if he knows he must die the next 
 day, it will be small comfort to die rich or honourable. Methinks 
 it should be so with thee, till thou knowest thy eternal state. 
 When thou liest down to take thy rest, methinks the uncertainty 
 of thy salvation should keep thee waking, or amaze thee in thy 
 dreams, and trouble thy sleep. Doth it not grieve thee to see 
 the people of God so comfortable in their way to glory, when 
 thou hast no good hope of ever enjoying it thyself? How canst 
 thou think of thy dying hour? Thou knowest it is near, and 
 there is no avoiding it, nor any medicine found out that can pre- 
 vent it. If thou shouldst die this day, (and who "knows what a 
 day may bring forth?") thou art not certain whether thou shalt 
 go to heaven or hell. And canst thou be merry, till thou art got 
 out of this dangerous state ? What shift dost thou make to pre- 
 serve thy heart from horror, when thou rememberest the great 
 judgment-day, and everlasting flames? When thou hearest oi 
 it, dost thou not tremble, as Felix? If the "keepers shook, and 
 became as dead men, when they saw the angel come and roll 
 back the stone from Christ's sepulchre," how canst thou think 
 of living in hell with devils, till thou hast some well-grounded 
 assurance that thou shalt escape it? Thy bed is very soft, or 
 thy heart is very hard, if thou canst sleep soundly in this uncer- 
 tain case. 
 
 If this general uncertainty of the world about their salvation 
 were remediless, then must it be borne as other unavoidable mis- 
 eries. But, alas! the common cause is wilful negligence. Men 
 will not be persuaded to use the remedy. The great means to 
 conquer this uncertainty is self-examination, or the serious and 
 diligent trying of a man's heart and state by the rule of Scripture. 
 Either men understand not the nature and use of this duty, or 
 else they will not be at the pains to try Go through a congre- 
 gation of a thousand men, and how few of them shall you meet 
 
THE SAINTS' REST. U3 
 
 with, thai ever bestowed one hour in all their lives in a close 
 examination of their title to heaven ! Ask your own conscience, 
 reader, when was the time, and where was the place, that ever 
 you solemnly took your heart to task, as in the sight of God, and 
 examined it by Scripture, whether it be renewed or not ; whether 
 it be holy or not ; whether it be set most on God or the creatures, 
 on heaven or earth. And when did you follow on this examina- 
 tion till you had discovered your condition, and passed sentence 
 on yourself accordingly? But because this is a work of so high 
 importance", and so commonly neglected, I will therefore show, 
 that it is possible, by trying, to come to a certainty ; what hinders 
 men from trying and knowing their state ; then offer motives to 
 examine — and directions — together with some marks out of 
 Scripture, by which you may try, and certainly know, whether 
 you are the people of God or not. 
 
 1. Scripture shows, that the certainty of salvation may be 
 attained, and ought to be laboured for, when it tells us so fre- 
 quently, that the saints before us have known their justification 
 and future salvation: when it declares, that "whosoever believeth 
 in Christ shall not perish, but have everlasting life ;" which it 
 would be in vain to declare, if we cannot know ourselves to be 
 believers or not : when it makes such a wide difference between 
 the children of God and the children of the devil : when it bids 
 us "give diligence to make our calling and election sure;" and 
 earnestly urges us to "examine, prove, know our own selves, 
 whether we be in the faith, and whether Jesus Christ be in us, 
 except we be reprobates:" also, when its precepts require us to 
 rejoice always, to call God our Father, to live in his praises, to 
 love Christ's appearing, to wish that he may come quickly, and 
 to comfort ourselves with the mention of it. But who can do 
 any of these heartily, that is not, in some measure, surethat he 
 is the child of God 1 
 
 2. Among the many hindrances which keep men from self- 
 examination, we cannot doubt but Satan will do his part. If ail 
 the power he hath, or all the means and instruments he can 
 employ, can do it, he will be sure above all duties to keep you 
 from this. He is loath the godly should have the joy, assurance, 
 
 "and advantage against corruption, which the faithful performance 
 of self-examination would procure them. As for the ungodly, he 
 knows if they should once earnestly examine, they would find 
 10* 
 
114 OUR TITLE TO 
 
 out Ills deceits, and their own danger, and so be very likely to 
 escape him. How could he get so many millions to hell will- 
 ingly, if they knew they were going thither? And how could 
 they avoid knowing it, if they did but thoroughly try; having 
 such a clear light and sure rule in the Scripture to discover 
 it? If the snare be not hid, the bird will escape it. Satan 
 knows how to angle for souls better than to show them the hook 
 and line, or fright them away with a noise, or with his own 
 appearance. Therefore he labours to keep them from a search- 
 ing ministry ; or to keep the minister from helping them to 
 search, or to take off the edge of the word, that it may not pierce 
 and divide; or to turn away their thoughts; or to possess them 
 with prejudice. Satan knows when the minister has provided 
 a searching sermon, fitted to the state and necessity of a hearer; 
 and therefore he will keep them away that day, if it be possible ; 
 or cast him into a sleep ; or steal away the word by the cares 
 and talk of the world ; or some way prevent its operation. 
 
 Another great hindrance to self-examination arises from wicked 
 men. Their examples; their merry company and discourse; 
 their continually insisting on worldly concerns ; their raillery and 
 scoffs at godly persons; also their persuasions, allurements, and 
 threats, are each of them exceedingly great temptations to secu- 
 rity. God doth scarcely ever open the eyes of a poor sinner, 
 to see that his way is wrong, but presently there is a multitude 
 of Satan's apostles ready to deceive and settle him again in the 
 quiet possession of his former master. " What!" say they, "do 
 you make a doubt of your salvation, who have lived so well, and 
 done nobody any harm? God is merciful; and if such as you 
 shall not be saved, God help a great many! What do you think 
 of all your forefathers? And what will become of all your 
 friends and neighbours that live as you do? Will they all be 
 damned ? Come, come, if you hearken to these preachers, they 
 will drive you out of your wits. Are not all men sinners? and 
 did not Christ die to save sinners ? Never trouble your head 
 with these thoughts, and you shall do well." O how many 
 thousands have such charms kept asleep in deceit and security, 
 till death and hell have awakened them ? The Lord calls to the 
 sinner, and tells him, "The gate is straight, the way is narrow, 
 and few find it : try and examine ; give diligence to make sure." 
 TLie world cries, "Never doubt, never trouble yourselves with 
 
THE SAINTS' REST ]J5 
 
 these thoughts." In this strait, sinner, consider, it js Christ, and 
 not your forefathers, or neighbours, or friends, that must judge 
 you at last; and, if Christ condemn you, these cannot save you: 
 therefore common reason may tell you, that it is not from the 
 words of ignorant men, but from the word of God, you must 
 fetch your hopes of salvation. When Ahab would inquire among 
 the multitude of flattering prophets, it was his death. They can 
 flatter men into the snare, but they cannot tell how to bring them 
 out. "Let no man deceive you with vain words; for because 
 of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of 
 disobedience : be not ye therefore partakers with them." 
 
 But the greatest hindrances are in men's own hearts. — Some 
 are so ignorant, that they know not what self-examination is, nor 
 what a minister means when he persuadeth them to try them- 
 selves : or they know not that there is any necessity for it, but 
 think every man is bound to believe that his sins are pardoned, 
 whether it be true or false, and that it is a great fault to make 
 any question of it : or they do not think that assurance can be 
 attained ; or that there is any great difference between one man 
 and another, but that we are all Christians, and therefore need 
 not trouble ourselves any further; or at least they know not 
 wherein the difference lies. They have as gross an idea of 
 regeneration as Nicodemus had. — Some will not believe that 
 God will ever make such a difference betwixt men in the life to 
 come, and therefore will not search themselves, whether they 
 differ here. — Some are so stupefied, say what we can to them, 
 that they lay it not to heart, but give us the hearing, and there 
 is the end. — Some are so possessed with self-love and pride, that 
 they will not so much as suspect they are in danger; like a 
 proud tradesman, who scorns the prudent advice of casting up his 
 books ; as fond parents will not believe or hear any evil of their 
 children. — Some are so guilty, that they dare not try, and yet they 
 dare venture on a more dreadful trial. — Some are so in love with 
 sin, and sq dislike the way of God, that they dare not try their 
 ways, lest they be forced from the course they love to that which 
 they loathe. — Some are so resolved never to change their present 
 state, that they neglect examination as a useless thing. Before 
 they will seek a new way, when they have lived so long, and 
 gone so far, they will put their eternal state to the venture, come 
 of it what will. Many men are so busy in the world, that they 
 
116 
 
 OUR TITLE TO 
 
 cannot set themselves to the trying their title to heaven. Others 
 are so clogged with slothfulness of spirit, that t\ey will not be at 
 the pains of an hour's examination of their c wn hearts. — But 
 the most common and dangerous impediment is, that false faith 
 and hope, commonly called presumption, which bears up the 
 hearts of the greatest part of the world, and so keeps them from 
 suspecting their danger. 
 
 And if a man should break through all these hindrances, and 
 set upon the duty of self-examination, yet assurance is not pre- 
 —/- .—after it, through one or other of the following causes : there is 
 ^"*» C__-sently attained. Too many deceive themselves in their inquiries 
 such confusion and darkness in the soul of man, especially of an 
 unregenerate man, that he can scarcely tell what he doth, or 
 what is in him. As in a house where nothing is in its proper 
 place, it will be difficult to find what is wanted, so it is in the 
 heart where all things are in disorder. Most men accustom 
 themselves to be strangers at home, and. too little observe the 
 temper and motions of their own hearts. — Many are resolved 
 what to judge before they try ; like a bribed judge, who examines 
 as if he would judge uprightly, when he is previously resolved 
 which way the cause shall go. Men are partial in their own 
 cause ; ready to think their great sins small, and their small sins 
 none; their gifts of nature to be the work of grace, and to say, 
 "All these have I kept from my youth ;" I am rich, and increased 
 in goods, and have need of nothing. Most men search but by 
 the halves. If it will not easily and quickly be done, they are 
 discouraged, and leave off. They try themselves by false marks 
 and rules; not knowing wherein the truth of Christianity doth 
 consist ; some looking beyond, and some short of the Scripture 
 standard. And frequently they miscarry in this work by attempt- 
 ing it in their own strength. As some expect the Spirit should do 
 it without them, so others attempt it themselves, without seeking 
 or expecting the help of the Spirit. Both these will certainly 
 miscarry in their assurance. 
 
 Some other hindrances keep even true Christians from com- 
 fortable certainty. As, for instance : — The weakness of grace. 
 Small things are hardly discerned. Most Christians content 
 themselves with a small measure of grace, and do not follow on 
 to spiritual strength and manhood. The chief remedy for such 
 would be to follow on their duty, till their grace be increased. 
 
THE BAINTS' REST. "|]7 
 
 Wait upon God'in the use of his prescribed means, and he will 
 undoubtedly bless you with increase. O that Christians would 
 bestow most of that time to getting more grace, which they 
 bestow in anxious doubtings whether they have any or none ; 
 and lay out those serious affections in praying for more grace, 
 which they bestow in fruitless complaints! I beseech thee, 
 Christian, take this advice as from God; and then, when thou 
 believest strongly, and lovest fervently, thou canst no more 
 doubt of thy faith and love, than a man that is very hot can 
 doubt of his warmth, or a man that is strong and lusty can 
 doubt of his being alive. — Christians hinder their own comfort 
 by looking more at signs, which tell them what they are, than 
 at precepts, which tell them what they should do ; as if their 
 present case must needs be their everlasting case ; and if they 
 be now unpardoned, there were no remedy. Were he not mad, 
 that would lie weeping because he is not pardoned, when his 
 prince stands by all the while, offering him a pardon, and per- 
 suading him to accept of it? Justifying faith, Christian, is not 
 thy persuasion of God's special love to thee, but thy accepting 
 Christ to make thee lovely. It is far better to accept Christ as 
 offered, than spend so much time in doubting whether we have 
 Christ or not. — Another cause of distress to Christians is, their 
 mistaking assurance for the joy that sometimes accompanies it; 
 as if a child should take himself for a son no longer than while 
 he sees the smiles of his father's face, or hears the comfortable 
 expressions of his mouth ; and as if the father ceased to be a father 
 whenever he ceased those smiles and speeches. — The trouble 
 of souls is also increased by their not knowing the ordinary way 
 of God's conveying comfort. They think they have nothing to 
 do but to wait when God will bestow it. But they must know, 
 that the matter of their comfort is in the promises, and thence 
 they must fetch it as often as they^ expect it, by daily and dili- 
 gently meditating upon the promises, and in this way they may 
 expect the Spirit will communicate comfort to their souls. The 
 joy of the promises, and the joy of the Holy Ghost, are one : 
 add to this, their expecting a greater measure of assurance than 
 God usually bestows. As long as they have any doubting, they 
 think they have no assurance. They consider not that there 
 are many degrees of certainty. While they are here, they shall 
 "know but in part." — And also, their derhing their comfort at 
 
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 first from insufficient grounds. This may be the case of a 
 gracious soul, who hath better grounds, but doth not see them. 
 As an infant hath life before he knoweth it, and many misap'pre 
 hensions of himself and other things, yet it will not follow that 
 he hath no life. So when Christians find a flaw in their first com- 
 forts, they are not to judge it a flaw in their safety. Many continue 
 under doubting, through the exceeding weakness of their natural 
 parts. Many honest hearts have weak heads, and know not how 
 to perform the work of self-trial. They will acknowledge the 
 premises, and yet deny the apparent conclusion. If God do not 
 some other way supply the defect of their reason, I see not how 
 they should have clear and settled peace. One great and too com- 
 mon cause of distress is, the secret maintaining of some known 
 sin. This abates the degree of our graces, and so makes them 
 more undiscernible. It obscureth that which it destroyeth not; 
 for it beareth such sway that grace is not in action ; nor seems 
 to stir, nor is scarce heard speak for the noise of this corruption 
 It puts out or dimmeth the eye of the soul, and stupefies it, that it 
 can neither see nor feel its own condition. But especially it pro- 
 vokes God to withdraw himself, his comforts, and the assistance 
 of his Spirit, without which we may search long enough before 
 we have assurance. God hath made a separation between sin 
 and peace. As long as thou dost cherish thy pride, thy love of 
 the world, the desires of the flesh, or any unchristian practice, 
 thou expectest comfort in vain. If a man "setteth up his idols 
 in his heart, and putteth the stumbling-block of his iniquity before 
 his face, and cometh " to a minister, or to God, "to inquire" for 
 comfort, instead of comforting him, God " will answer him that 
 cometh according to the multitude of his idols." — Another very 
 great and common cause of the want of comfort is, when grace 
 is not kept in constant and lively exercise. The way of painful 
 duty is the way of fullest comfort. Peace and comfort are 
 Christ's great encouragements to faithfulness and obedience; and 
 therefore, though our obedience does not merit them, yet they 
 usually rise and fall with our diligence in duty. As prayer 
 must have faith and fervency to procure it success, besides the 
 blood and intercession of Christ, so must all other parts of our 
 obedience. If thou grow seldom, and customary, and cold in 
 duty, especially in thy secret prayers to God, and yet Andes' no 
 abatement in thy joys, I cannot but fear thy joys are either carnal 
 
THE SAINTS' REST. HQ 
 
 or diabolical. Besides, grace is never apparent and sensible to 
 the soul, but while it is in action ; therefore want of action must 
 cause want of assurance. And the action of the soul upon such 
 excellent objects naturally bringeth consolation with it. The 
 very act of loving God in Christ is inexpressibly sweet. The 
 soul that is best furnished with grace, when it is not in action, is 
 like a lute well stringed and tuned, which, while it lieth still, 
 maketh no more music than a common piece of wood ; but when 
 it is handled by a skilful musician, the melody is delightful. 
 Some degree of comfort follows every good action, as heat 
 accompanies fire, and as beams and influence issue from the sun. 
 A man that is cold should labour till heat be excited ; so he that 
 wants assurance must not stand still, but exercise his graces, till 
 his doubts vanish. — The want of consolation in the soul is also 
 very commonly owing to bodily melancholy. It is no more 
 wonder for a conscientious man, under melancholy, to doubt, and 
 fear, and despair, than for a sick man to groan, or a child to cry 
 when it is chastised. Without the physician in this case, the 
 labours of the divine are usually in vain. You may silence, 
 but you cannot comfort them. You may make them confess 
 they have some grace, and yet cannot bring them to the comfort- 
 able conclusion. All the good thoughts of their state, which 
 you can possibly help them to, are seldom above a day or two 
 old. They cry out of sin, and the wrath of God, when the chief 
 cause is in their bodily distemper. 
 
 3. As motives to the duty of self-examination, I entreat you to 
 consider the following: — To be deceived about your title to 
 heaven is very easy. Many are now in hell that never suspected 
 any falsehood in their hearts, that excelled in worldly wisdom, 
 that lived in the clear light of the gospel, and even preached 
 against the negligence of others. To be mistaken in this great 
 point is also very common. It is the case of most in the world. 
 In the old world, and in Sodom, we find none that were in any 
 fear of judgment. Almost all men among us verily look to be 
 saved ; yet Christ tells us, "there be few that find the strait gate, 
 and narrow way, which leadeth unto life." And if such multi- 
 tudes are deceived, should we not search the more diligently, lest 
 we should be deceived as well as they? — Nothing is more dan- 
 gerous than to be thus mistaken. If the godly judge their state 
 worse than it is, the consequences of this mistake will be suf- 
 
120 OUR TITLE TO 
 
 rowful ; but the mischief flowing from the mistake of the ungodly 
 is unspeakable. It will exceedingly confirm them in the service 
 of Satan. It will render ineffectual the means that should do 
 them good. It will keep a man from compassionating his own 
 soul. It is a case of the greatest moment, where everlasting sal- 
 vation or damnation is to be determined. And if you mistake 
 till death, you are undone for ever. Seeing, then, the danger is so 
 great, what wise man would not follow the search of his heart, 
 both day and night, till he were assured of his safety? — Consider 
 how small the labour of this duty is in comparison of that sorrow 
 which followeth its neglect. You can endure to toil and sweat 
 from year to year, to prevent poverty, and why not spend a little 
 time in self-examination, to prevent eternal misery? By neg- 
 lecting this duty, you can scarce do Satan a greater pleasure, 
 nor yourselves a greater injury. It is the grand design of the 
 devil, in all his temptations, to deceive you, and keep you igno- 
 rant of your danger, till you feel the everlasting flames; and 
 will you join with him to deceive yourself? If you do this for 
 him, you do the greatest part of his work. And hath he deserved 
 so well of you, that you should assist him in such a design as 
 vour damnation? — The time is nigh when God will search you. 
 If it be but in this life by affliction, it will make you wish 
 that you had tried and judged yourselves, that you might have 
 escaped the judgment of God. It was a terrible voice to Adam, 
 " Where art thou ? Hast thou eaten of the tree ?" — And to Cain, 
 "Where is thy brother?" Men "consider not in their hearts, 
 that I," saith the Lord, " remember all their wickedness ; now 
 their own doings have beset them about; they are before my 
 face." Consider also what would be the sweet effects of this 
 self-examination. If thou be upright and godly, it will lead thee 
 straight towards assurance of God's love; if thou be not, though 
 it will trouble thee at the present, yet it will tend to thy happiness, 
 and at length lead thee to the assurance of that happiness. Is 
 it not a desirable thing to know what shall befall us hereafter? 
 especially what shall befall our souls? and what place and state 
 we must be in for ever ! And as the very knowledge itself is 
 desirable, how much greater will the comfort be of that certainty 
 of salvation ? What sweet thoughts wilt thou have of God ? All 
 that greatness and justice, which is the terror of others, will be 
 thy joy. How sweet may be thv thoughts of Christ, and tho 
 
THE SAINTS' REST. 
 
 121 
 
 blood he hath shed, and the benefits he hath procured I How 
 welcome will the word of God be to thee, and "how beautiful 
 the very feet of those that bring it!" How sweet will be the 
 promises when thou art sure they are thine own! The very 
 threatenings will occasion thy comfort, to remember that thou 
 hast escaped them. What boldness and comfort mayst thou 
 then have in prayer, when thou canst say, "Our Father," in 
 full assurance ! It will make the Lord's supper a refreshing 
 feast to thy soul. It will multiply the sweetness of every com- 
 mon mercy. How comfortably mayst thou then undergo all 
 afflictions ! How will it sweeten thy forethoughts of death and 
 judgment, of heaven and hell! How lively will it make thee 
 in the work of the Lord, and how profitable to all around thee ! 
 What vigour will it infuse into all thy graces and affections, 
 kindle thy repentance, inflame thy love, quicken thy desires, and 
 confirm thy faith, be a fountain of continual rejoicing, overflow 
 thy heart with thankfulness, raise thee high in the delightful 
 work of praise, help thee to be heavenly-minded, and render 
 thee persevering in all ! All these sweet effects of assurance 
 would make thy life a heaven upon earth. 
 
 Though I am certain these motives have weight of reason in 
 them, yet I am jealous, reader, lest you lay aside the book, as if 
 you had done, and never set yourself to the practice of the duty. 
 The case in hand is of the greatest moment, whether thou shalt 
 everlastingly live in heaven or hell. I here request thee, in 
 behalf of thy soul; nay, I charge thee, in the name of the Lord 
 that thou defer no longer, but take thy heart to task in gooa 
 earnest, and think with thyself, "Is it so easy, so common, and 
 so dangerous to be mistaken? Are there so many wrong ways? 
 Is the heart so deceitful ? Why, then, do I not search into every 
 corner, till I know my state? Must I so shortly undergo the 
 trial at the bar of Christ? And do I not presently try myself? 
 What a case were I in, if I should then miscarry ? May I know 
 by a little diligent inquiry now; and do I stick at the labour?" 
 But perhaps thou wilt say, "I know not how to do it." In that 
 I am now to give thee directions ; but, alas ! it will be in vain, 
 if thou art not resolved to practise them. Wilt thou, therefore, 
 before thou goest any further, here promise, before the Lord, to 
 set thyself upon the speedy performance of the duty, according 
 to the directions I shall lay down from the word of God? I 
 11 
 
J22 0UR TITLE TO 
 
 demand nothing unreasonable or impossible. It is but to bestow 
 a few hours, to know what shall become of thee for ever. If a 
 neighbour, or a friend, desire but an hour's time of thee in con- 
 versation, or business, or any thing in which thou mayst be of 
 service, surely thou wouldst not deny it; how much less shouldst 
 thou deny this to thyself in so great an affair ! I pray thee to 
 take from me this request, as if, in the name of Christ, I presented 
 it to thee on my knees : and I will betake me on my knees to Christ 
 again, to beg that he will persuade thy heart to the duty. 
 
 4. The directions how to examine thyself are such as these : — 
 Empty thy mind of all other cares and thoughts, that they may 
 not distract or divide thy mind. This work will be enough at 
 once, without joining others with it. Then fall down before God 
 in hearty prayer, desiring the assistance of his Spirit, to discover 
 to thee the plain truth of thy condition, and to enlighten thee in 
 the whole progress of this work. Make choice of the most con- 
 venient time and place. Let the place be the most private, and 
 the time when you have nothing to interrupt you ; and, if possi- 
 ble, let it be the present time. Have in readiness, either in 
 memory or writing, some Scriptures, containing the descriptions 
 of the saints, and the gospel terms of salvation; and convince 
 thyself thoroughly of their infallible truth. Proceed then to put 
 the question to thyself. Let it not be, whether there be any 
 good in thee at all ; nor, whether thou hast such or such a degree 
 and measure of grace ; but whether such or such a saving grace 
 be in thee in sincerity or not. If thy heart draw back from the 
 work, force it on. Lay thy command upon it. Let reason 
 interpose, and use its authority. Yea, lay the command of God 
 upon it, and charge it to obey upon the pain of his displeasure. 
 Let conscience also do its office, till thy heart be excited to the 
 work. — Nor let thy heart trifle away the time, when it should be 
 diligently at the work. Do as the psalmist; "my spirit made 
 diligent search." He that can prevail with his own heart shall 
 also prevail with God. — If, after all thy pains, thou art not 
 resolved, then seek out for help. Go to one that is godly, expe- 
 rienced, able, and faithful, and tell him thy case, and desire his 
 best advice. Use the judgment of such a one, as that of a phy- 
 sician for thy body; though this can afford thee no full certainty, 
 yet it may be a great help to stay and direct thee. But do not 
 make it a pretmcp to put oT thy own self-examination. Only 
 
THE SAINTS' REST. ] 23 
 
 use it as one of the last remedies, when thy own endeavours will 
 not serve. When thou hast discovered thy true state, pass sen- 
 tence on thyself accordingly ; either that thou art a true Christian, 
 or that thou art not. Pass not this sentence rashly, nor with 
 self-flattery, nor with melancholy terrors ; but deliberately, truly, 
 and according to thy conscience, convinced by Scripture and 
 reason. Labour to get thy heart affected with its condition, 
 according to the sentence passed on it. If graceless, think of 
 thy misery. If renewed and sanctified, think what a blessed 
 state the Lord hath brought thee into. Pursue these thoughts 
 till they have left their impression on thy heart. — Write this 
 sentence at least in thy memory — " At such a time, upon thorough 
 examination, I found my state to be thus, or thus." Such a 
 record will be very useful to thee hereafter. Trust not to this 
 one discovery, so as to try no more ; nor let it hinder thee in 
 the daily search of thy ways: neither be discouraged, if the trial 
 must be often repeated. Especially take heed, if unregenerate, 
 not to conclude of thy future state by the present. Do not say, 
 "Because I am ungodly, I shall die so; because I am a hypo- 
 crite, I shall continue so." Do not despair. Nothing but thy 
 unwillingness can keep thee from Christ, though thou hast hith- 
 erto abused him, and dissembled with him. 
 
 5. Now let me add some marks by which you may try your 
 title to the saints' rest. I will only mention these two — taking 
 God for thy chief good, and heartily accepting Christ for thy 
 only Saviour and Lord. 
 
 Every soul that hath a title to this rest doth place his chief 
 happiness in God. This rest consisteth in the full and glorious 
 enjoyment of God. He that maketh not God his chief good and 
 ultimate end, is in heart a pagan and a vile idolater. Let me 
 ask, then, Dost thou truly account it thy chief happiness to enjoy 
 the Lord in glory, or dost thou not? Canst thou say, "The 
 Lord is my portion ? Whom have I in heaven but thee ? and 
 there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee!" If thou 
 be an heir of rest, it is thus with thee. Though the flesh will be 
 pleading for its own delights, and the world will be creeping into 
 thine affections, yet in thy ordinary, settled, prevailing judgment 
 and affections, thou preferrest God before all things in the world. 
 — Thou makest him the very end of thy desires and endeavouis. 
 The very reason why thou hearest, and prayest, and desirest to 
 
124 
 
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 live on earth, is chiefly this, that thou mayest seek the Lord, and 
 make sure of thy rest. Though thou dost not seek it so zealously 
 as thou shouldst, yet it hath the chief of thy desires and endeav- 
 ours, so that nothing else is desired or preferred before it. Thou 
 wilt think no labour or suffering too great to obtain it. And 
 though the flesh may sometimes shrink, yet thou art resolved and 
 contented to go through all. Thy esteem for it will also be so 
 high, and thy affection to it so great, that thou wouldst not 
 exchange thy title to it, and hopes of it, for any worldly good 
 whatsoever. If God should set before thee an eternity of earthly 
 pleasures on one hand, and the saints' rest on the other, and bid 
 thee take thy choice, thou wouldst refuse the world, and choose this 
 rest. But if thou art yet unsanctified, then thou dost in thy heart 
 prefer thy worldly happiness before God ; and though thy tongue 
 may say, that God is thy chief good, yet thy heart doth not so 
 esteem him. For the world is the chief end of thy desires and 
 endeavours. Thy very heart is set upon it. Thy greatest care 
 and labour is to maintain thy credit, or fleshly delights. But the 
 life to come hath little of thy care or labour. Thou didst never 
 perceive so much excellency in that unseen glory of another 
 world, as to draw thy heart after it, and set thee a labouring 
 heartily for it. The little pains thou bestowest that way is but 
 in the second place. God hath but the world's leavings; only 
 that time and labour which thou canst spare from the world, or 
 those few, cold, and careless thoughts which follow thy constant, 
 earnest, and delightful thoughts or earthly things. Neither 
 wouldst thou do any thing at all for heaven, if thou knewest how 
 to keep the world. But lest thou shouldst be turned into hell, 
 when thou canst keep the world no longer, therefore thou wilt 
 do something. For the same reason thou thinkest the way of 
 God too strict, and wilt not be persuaded to the constant labour 
 of walking according to the gospel rule ; and when it comes to 
 the trial, that thou must forsake Christ, or thy worldly happiness, 
 then thou wilt venture heaven rather than earth, and so wilfully 
 deny thy obedience to God. And certainly, if God would but 
 give thee leave to live in health and wealth for ever on earth, 
 thou wouldst think it a better state than rest. Let them seek for 
 heaven that would, thou wouldst think this thy chief happiness. 
 This is thy case, if thou art yet an unregenerate person, and 
 hast no title to the saints' rest. 
 
THE SAINTS' REST. ]25 
 
 And as thou takest God for thy chief good, so thou dost heartily 
 accept of Christ for thy only Saviour and Lord, to bring thee to 
 this rest. The former mark was the sum of the first and great 
 command of the law, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with 
 all thy heart." The second mark is the sum of the command of 
 the gospel, "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be 
 saved." And the performance of these two is the whole of 
 godliness and Christianity. This mark is but the definition of 
 faith. Dost thou heartily consent that Christ alone shall be thy 
 Saviour? and no further trust to thy duties and works, than as 
 means appointed in subordination to him? and looking at them as 
 not in the least measure able to satisfy the curse of the law, or as 
 a legal righteousness, or any part of it ; but consent to trust thy 
 salvation on the redemption made by Christ? Art thou also 
 content to take him for thy only Lord and King, to govern and 
 guide thee by his laws and Spirit, and to obey him, even when 
 he commandeth the hardest duties, and those which most cross 
 the desires of the flesh ? Is it thy sorrow when thou breakest 
 thy resolution herein ? and thy joy when thou keepest closest in 
 obedience to him? Wouldst thou not change thy Lord and Mas- 
 ter for all the world ? Thus is it with every true Christian. But 
 if thou be a hypocrite, it is far otherwise. Thou mayst call 
 Christ thy Lord and thy Saviour; but thou never foundest thy- 
 self so lost without him, as to drive thee to seek him and trust 
 him, and lay thy salvation on him alone. At least, thou didst 
 never heartily consent that he should govern thee as thy Lord, 
 nor resign up thy soul and life to be ruled by him, nor take his 
 word for the law of thy thoughts and actions. It is likely thou 
 art content to be saved from hell by Christ when thou diest ; 
 but, in the mean time, he shall command thee no further than 
 will stand with thy credit, or pleasure, or other worldly ends. 
 And if he would give thee leave, thou hadst far rather live after 
 the world and flesh, than after the Word and Spirit. And though 
 thou mayst now and then have a motion or purpose to the con- 
 trary, yet this that Ihave mentioned is the ordinary desire and 
 choice of thy heart. Thou art therefore no true believer in Christ ; 
 for though thou confess him in words, yet in works thou dost 
 deny him, " being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every 
 good work reprobate." This is the case of those that shall be 
 shut out of the saints' rest. 
 11* 
 
126 0UR TITLE TO 
 
 Observe, it is the consent of your hearts, or wills, which I 
 especially lay down to be inquired after. I do not ask, whether 
 thou be assured of salvation, nor whether thou canst believe that 
 thy sins are pardoned, and that thou art beloved of God in Christ. 
 These are no parts of justifying faith, but excellent fruits of it, 
 and they that receive them are comforted by them : but, perhaps, 
 thou mayest never receive them while thou livest, and yet be a 
 true heir of rest. Do not say then, "I cannot believe that my 
 sins are pardoned, or that I am in God's favour ; and therefore I 
 am no true believer." This is a most mistaken conclusion. — 
 The question is, whether thou dost heartily accept of Christ, that 
 thou mayest be pardoned, reconciled to God, and so saved. Dost 
 thou consent that he shall be thy Lord, who hath bought thee, 
 and that he shall bring thee to heaven in his own way? This is 
 justifying, saving faith, and the mark by which thou must try 
 thyself. Yet still observe, that all this consent must be hearty 
 and real, not feigned or with reservations. It is not saying, as 
 that dissembling son, "I go, sir; and went not." If any have 
 more of the government of thee than Christ, thou art not his 
 disciple. I am sure these two marks are such as every Chris- 
 tian hath, and none but sincere Christians. O that the Lord 
 would now persuade thee to the close performance of this self- 
 trial ! that thou mayst not tremble with horror of soul, when the 
 Judge of all the world shall try thee ; but be so able to prove thy 
 title to rest, that the prospect and approach of death and judgment 
 may raise thy spirits, and fill thee with joy. 
 
 On the whole, if Christians would have comforts that will not 
 deceive them, let them make it the great labour of their lives to 
 grow in grace, to strengthen and advance the interest of Christ 
 in their souls, and to weaken and subdue the interest of the flesh. 
 Deceive not yourselves with a persuasion, that Christ hath done 
 all, and left you nothing to do. To overcome the world, the 
 flesh, and the devil, and, in order to that, to stand always armed 
 upon our watch, and valaintly and patiently to fight it out, is of 
 great importance to our assurance and salvation. Indeed, it is 
 so great a part of our baptismal vow, that he who performeth it 
 not is no more than a nominal Christian. Not to every one that 
 presumptuously believeth, but "to him that overcometh, will 
 Chri&i; give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white 
 str-ie, and in the stone a new name written, which no maa 
 
THE SAINTS' REST. 127 
 
 knoweth, saving he that receiveth it; he shall eat of the tree 
 of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God, and shall 
 not be hurt "of the second death. Christ will confess his name 
 before his Father, and before his angels, and make him a pillar 
 in the temple of God, and he shall go no more out; and will 
 write upon him the name of his God, and the name of the city 
 of his God, which is New Jerusalem, which cometh down out of 
 heaven from his God, and will write upon him his new name." 
 Yea, "He will grant to him to sit with him on his throne, even as 
 he also overcame, and is set down with his Father on his throne 
 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the 
 churches." 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 THE DUTY OF THE PEOPLE OF GOD TO EXCITE OTHEKS TO SEEK 
 THIS REST. 
 
 The author laments that Christians do so little to help others to obtain the saints' rest: 
 I. Shows the nature of this duty; particularly— 1. In having our hearts affected with 
 the misery of our brethren's souls ; 2. In taking all opportunities to instruct them in the 
 way of salvation; 3. In promoting their profit by public ordinances. II. Assigns vari- 
 ous reasons why this duty is so much neglected, and answers some objections against it. 
 Then— HI. Urges to the discharge of it by several considerations: 1. Addressed to such 
 as have knowledge, learning, and utterance ; 2. Those that are acquainted with sinners ; 
 3. Physicians that attend dying men ; 4. Persons of wealth and power; 5. Ministers; 
 G. And those that are intrusted with the care of children and servants. The chapter 
 concludes with an earnest request to Christian parents to be faithful to their trust. 
 
 Hath God set before us such a glorious prize as the saints' 
 rest, and made us capable of such inconceivable happiness? 
 Why, then, do not all the children of this kingdom exert them- 
 selves more to help others to the enjoyment of it? Alas! how 
 little are poor souls about us beholden to most of us ! We see 
 the glory of the kingdom, and they do not; we see the misery 
 of those that are out of it, and they do not; we see some wan- 
 dering quite out of the way, and know, if they hold on, they 
 can never come there; and they themselves discern it not. And 
 yet we will dot seriously show them their danger and error, and 
 help to bring them into the way, that they may live. Alas ! how 
 few Christians are there to be found, that set themselves with 
 all their might to save souls! No thanks to us, if heaven be 
 not empty, and if the souls of our brethren perish not for ever. 
 
J28 EXCITEMENT TO SEEK 
 
 Considering how important this duty is, to the glory of God, and 
 the happiness of-men. I will show — how it is to be performed ;— 
 why it is so much neglected ; — and then offer some considerations 
 to persuade to it. 
 
 First. The duty of exciting and helping others to discern their 
 title to the saints' rest. This does not mean that every man 
 should turn a public preacher, or that any should go beyond the 
 bounds of their particular callings ; much less does it consist in 
 promoting a party spirit; and, least of all, in speaking against 
 men's faults behind their backs, and be silent before their faces. 
 This duty is of another nature, and consists of the following 
 things; — in having our hearts affected with the misery of our 
 brethren's souls — in taking all opportunities to instruct them in 
 the way of salvation — and in promoting their profit by public 
 ordinances. 
 
 1. Our hearts must oe affected with the misery of our brethren's 
 souls. We must be compassionate towards them, and yearn after 
 their recovery and salvation. If we earnestly long after their 
 conversion, and our hearts were solicitious to do them good, it 
 would set us on work, and God would usually bless it. 
 
 2. We must take every opportunity that we possibly can, to 
 instruct them how to attain salvation. If the person be ignorant, 
 labour to make him understand the chief happiness of man ; how 
 far he was once possessed of it; the convenant God then made 
 with him; how he broke it; what penalty he incurred; and 
 what misery he brought himself into : teach him his need of a 
 Redeemer ; how Christ did mercifully interpose, and bear the 
 penalty; what the new covenant is; how men are drawn to 
 Christ; and what are the riches and privileges which believers 
 have in him. If he is not moved by these things, then show 
 him the excellency of the glory he neglects ; the extremity and 
 eternity of the torments of the damned ; the justice of enduring 
 them for wilfully refusing grace ; the certainty, nearness, and 
 terrors of death and judgment; the vanity of all things below; 
 the sinfulnes of sin ; the preciousness of Christ ; the necessity of 
 regeneration, faith, and holiness, and the true nature of them. 
 If, after all, you find him entertaining false hopes, then urge him- 
 to examine his state ; show him the necessity of doing so ; help 
 him in it; nor leave him till you have convinced him of his 
 misery and remedy. Show him how vain and destructive it is 
 
THE SAINTS' REST. 
 
 120 
 
 to join Christ and his duties, to compose his justifying righteous- 
 ness. Yet be sure to draw him to the use of all means ; such 
 as hearing and reading the word, calling upon God, and associ- 
 ating with the godly: persuade him to forsake sin, avoid all 
 temptations to sin, especially evil companions, and to wait patiently 
 on God in the use of means, as the way in which God will be 
 found. 
 
 But, because the manner of performing this work is of great 
 moment, observe therefore these rules: — Enter upon it with 
 right intentions. Aim at at the glory of God in the person's 
 salvation. Do it not to get a name, or esteem to thyself, or to 
 bring men to depend upon thee, or to get thee followers ; but in 
 obedience to Christ, in imitation of him, and tender love to men's 
 souls. Do not as those who labour to reform their children or 
 servants from such things as are against their own profit or 
 humour, but never seek to save their souls in the way which 
 God hath appointed. Do it speedily. As you would not have 
 them delay their return, do not you delay to seek their return. 
 While you are purposing to teach and help him, the man goes 
 deeper in debt; wrath is heaping up; sin taking root; custom 
 fastens him ; temptations to sin multiply ; conscience grows 
 seared ; the heart hardened ; the devil rules ; Christ is shut out; 
 the Spirit is resisted ; God is daily dishonoured ; his law violated ; 
 he is without a servant, and that service from him which He 
 should have ; time runs on ; death and judgment are at the door ; 
 and what if the man die, and drop into hell, while you are pur- 
 posing to prevent it? If in the case of his bodily distress, you 
 "must not say to him, Go, and come again, and to-morrow I will 
 give," when thou hast it by thee ; how much less may you delay 
 the succour of his soul ! that physician is no better than a mur- 
 derer, who negligently delayeth till his patient be dead or past 
 cure. Lay by excuses, then, and all lesser business, and " exhort 
 one another daily, while it is called to-day ; lest any be hardened 
 through the deceitfulness of sin." Let your exhortation proceed 
 from compassion and love. To jeer and scoff, to rail and vilify, 
 is not a likely way to reform men or convert them to God. Go 
 to poor sinners with tears in your eyes, that they may see you 
 believe them to be miserable, and that you unfeignedly pity 
 their case. Deal with them with earnest, humble entreaties. 
 Let them perceive, it is the desire of your hearts to do them 
 
130 EXCITEMENT TO SEEK 
 
 good : that you have no other end but their everlasting happi- 
 ness ; and that it is your sense of their danger, and your love to 
 their souls, that forceth you to speak; even because you "knew 
 the terrors of the Lord," and for fear you should see them in 
 eternal torments. Say to them "Friend, you know I seek no 
 advantage of my own : the method to please you, and keep your 
 friendship, were to soothe you in your way, or let you alone ; 
 but love will not suffer me to see you perish, and be silent. I 
 seek nothing at your hands, but that which is necessary to your 
 own happiness. It is yourself that will have the gain and com- 
 fort, if you come to Christ." 
 
 If we were thus to go to every ignorant and wicked neigh- 
 bour, what blessed fruit should we quickly see ! — Do it with all 
 possible plainness and faithfulness. Do not make their sins less 
 than they are, nor encourage them in a false hope. If you see 
 the case dangerous, speak plainly: "Neighbour, I am afraid 
 God hath not' yet renewed your soul; I doubt you are not yet 
 recovered * from the power of Satan to God ;' I doubt you have 
 not chosen Christ above all, nor unfeignedly taken him for your 
 sovereign Lord. If you had, surely you durst not so easily 
 disobey him, nor neglect his worship in your family, and in 
 public : you could not so eagerly follow the world, and talk of 
 nothing but the things of the world. If you were "in Christ," 
 you would be 'a new creature; old things' would be * passed 
 away, and all things' would 'become new.' You would have 
 new thoughts, new talk, new company, new endeavours, and a 
 new conversation. Certainly, without these you can never be 
 saved : you may think otherwise, and hope otherwise as long as 
 you will, but your hopes will all deceive you, and perish with 
 you." Thus must you deal faithfully with men, if ever you 
 intend to do them good. It is not in curing men's souls, as in 
 curing their bodies, where they must not know their danger, lest 
 it hinder the cure. They are here agents in their own cure ; 
 and if they know not their misery, they will never bewail it, nor 
 know their need of a Saviour. Do it also seriously, zealously, 
 and effectually. Labour to make men know that heaven and 
 hell are not matters to be played with, or passed over with a few 
 careless thoughts. '■ It is most certain, that one of these days 
 thou shalt be in everlasting joy or torment: and doth it not 
 awaken thee? Are there so few that find the way of life? so 
 
THE SAINTS' REST. J3j 
 
 many that go the way of death? Is it so hard to escape? so 
 easy to miscarry? and yet do you sit still and trifle? What do 
 you mean? The world is passing away : its pleasures, honours, 
 and profits, are fading and leaving you : eternity is a little before 
 you: God is just and jealous: his threatenings are true: the 
 great day will be terrible : time runs on : your life is uncertain : 
 you are far behindhand : your case is dangerous : if you die 
 to-morrow, how unready are you! With what terror will your 
 souls go out of your bodies! And do you yet loiter? Consider, 
 God is all this while waiting your leisure: his patience beareth : 
 his long-suffering forbeareth : his mercy entreateth you : Christ 
 offereth you his blood and merits : the Spirit is persuading : con- 
 science is accusing : Satan waits to have you. This is your 
 time ; now or never. Had you rather burn in hell, than repent on 
 earth? have devils your tormentors, than Christ your governor? 
 Will you renounce your part in God and glory, rather than 
 renounce your sins? O, friends, what do you think of these 
 things? God hath made you men; do not renounce your reason 
 where you should chiefly use it." Alas! it is not a few dull 
 words between jest and earnest, between sleep and awake, that 
 will rouse a dead-hearted sinner. If a house be on fire, you will 
 not make a cold oration on the nature and danger of fire, but 
 will run, and cry, "Fire! fire!" To tell a man of his sins 
 as softly as Eli did his sons; or to reprove him as gently as 
 Jehoshaphat did Ahab, "Let not the king say so;" usually doth 
 as much harm as good. Loathness to displease men makes us 
 undo them. 
 
 Yet, least you run into extremes, I advise you to do it with 
 prudence and discretion. — Choose the fittest season. Deal not 
 with men when they are in a passion, or where they will take 
 it for a disgrace. When the earth is soft, the plough will -enter. 
 Take a man when he is under affliction, or newly impressed 
 under a sermon. Christian faithfulness requires us, not only to 
 do good when it falls in our way, but to watch for opportunities. 
 Suit yourselves also to the quality and temper of the person. 
 You must deal with the ingenious more by argument than per- 
 suasion. There is need of both to the ignorant. The affections 
 of the convinced should be chiefly excited. The obstinate must 
 be sharply reproved. The timorous must be dealt with tenderly. 
 Love, and plainness, and seriousness, take with all ; but words 
 
132 EXCITEMENT TO SEEK. 
 
 of terror some can scarce bear. Use also the apiest expres. 
 sions. Unseeming language makes the hearers loathe the food 
 they should live by ; especially if they be men of curious ears, 
 and carnal hearts. — Let all your reproofs and exhortations be 
 backed with the authority of God. Let sinners be convinced 
 that you speak not of your own head. Turn them to the very 
 chapter and verse where their sin is condemned, and their 
 duty commanded. The voice of man is contemptible, but the 
 voice of God is awful and terrible. They may reject your 
 words, that dare not reject the words of the Almighty. — Be fre- 
 quent with men in this duty of exhortation. If we are "always 
 to pray, and not to faint," because God will have us importunate 
 with himself; the same course, no doubt, will be most prevailing 
 with men. Therefore we are commanded "to exhort one another 
 daily;" and "with all long-suffering." The fire is not always 
 brought out of the flint at one stroke ; nor men's affections kin- 
 dled at the first exhortation. And if they were, yet if they be 
 not followed, they will soon grow cold again. Follow sinners 
 with your loving and earnest entreaties, and give them no rest 
 in their sin. This is true charity, the way to save men's souls, 
 and will afford you comfort upon review. — Strive to bring all 
 your exhortations to an issue. If we speak the most convincing 
 words, and all our care is over with our speech, we shall seldom 
 prosper in our labours: but God usually blesses their labours, 
 whose very heart is set upon the conversion of their hearers, and 
 who are therefore inquiring after the success of their work. If 
 you reprove a sin, cease not till the sinner promises you to leave it, 
 and avoid the occasion of it. If you are exhorting to a duty, urge 
 for a promise to set upon it presently. If you would draw men 
 to Christ, leave not till you have made them confess the misery 
 of their present unregenerate state, and the necessity of Christ, 
 and of a change, and have promised you to fall close to the use 
 of means. O, that all Christians would take this course with 
 all their neighbours that are enslaved to sin, and strangers to 
 Christ !— Once more, be sure your example exhorts as well as 
 your words. Let them see you constant in all the duties you 
 persuade them to. Let them see in your lives that superiority 
 to the world which your lips recommend. Let them see, by 
 your constant labours for heaven, that you indeed believe what 
 you would have them believe. A holy and heavenly life is a 
 
THE SAINTS REST. ] flfc 
 
 continual pain to the consciences of sinners around you, and 
 continually solicits them to change their course. 
 
 3. Besides the duty of private admonition, you must endeav- 
 our to help men to profit by the public ordinances. In order to 
 that — endeaAour to procure for them faithful ministers, where 
 they are wanting. "How shall they hear without a preacher?" 
 Improve your interest and diligence to this end, till you prevail. 
 Extend your purses to the utmost. How many souls may be 
 saved by the ministry you have procured ! It is a higher and 
 nobler charity, than relieving their bodies. What abundance 
 of good might great men do, if they would support in academ- 
 ical education such youth as they have first carefully chosen for 
 their integrity and piety, till they should be fit for the ministry! 
 And when a faithful ministry is obtained, help poor souls to 
 receive the fruit of it. Draw them constantly to attend it. 
 Remind them often what they have heard ; and, if it be possible, 
 let them hear it repeated in their families or elsewhere. Promote 
 their frequent meeting together, besides publicly in the congre- 
 gation ; not as a separate church, but as a part of the church, 
 more diligent than the rest in redeeming time, and helping the 
 souls of each other heaven-ward. Labour also to keep the 
 ordinances and ministry in esteem. No man will be much 
 wrought on by that which he despiseth. An apostle says, " We 
 beseech you, brethren, to know them who labour among you, 
 and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you ; and to esteem 
 them very highly in love for their work's sake." 
 
 Secondly. Let us inquire, what may be the causes of the gross 
 neglect of this duty ; that the hindrances, being discovered, may 
 the more easily be overcome. 
 
 One hindrance is, men's own sin and guilt. They have not 
 themselves been ravished with heavenly delights; how then 
 should they draw others so earnestly to seek them? They 
 have not felt their own lost condition, nor their need of Christ, 
 nor the renewing work of the Spirit; how then can they dis- 
 cover these to others? They are guilty of the sins they should 
 reprove, and this makes them ashamed to reprove. — Another is, 
 a secret infidelity prevailing in men's hearts. Did we verily 
 believe that all the unregenerate and unholy shall be eternally 
 tormented, how could we hold our tongues, or avoid bursting 
 into tears, when we look them in the face, especially when thel 
 12 
 
134 EXCITEMENT TO SEE 
 
 are our near and dear friends] Thus doth 
 sume the vigour of each grace and duty. O, Christians! n yu^ 
 did verily believe that your ungodly neighbours, wife, husband, 
 or child, should certainly lie for ever in hell, except they be 
 thoroughly changed before death shall snatch them away, would 
 not this make you address them day and night till they were 
 persuaded? Were it not for this cursed unbelief, our own and 
 our neighbour's souls would gain more by us than they do. — 
 These attempts are also much hindered by our want of charity 
 and compassion for men's souls. We look on miserable souls, 
 and pass by, as the priest and Levite by the wounded man. 
 What though the sinner, wounded by sin, and captivated by 
 Satan, do not desire thy help himself; yet his misery cries aloud. 
 If God had not heard the cry of our miseries, before he heard 
 the cry of our prayers, and been moved by his own pity before 
 he was moved by our importunity, we might long have continued 
 the slaves of Satan. You will pray to God for them, to open 
 their eyes, and turn their hearts; and why not endeavour their 
 conversion, if you desire it? And if you do not desire it, 
 why do you ask it? Why do you not pray them to consider 
 and return, as well as pray to God to convert and turn them? 
 If you should see your neighbour fallen into a pit, and should 
 pray to God to help him out, but neither put forth your hand to 
 help him, nor once direct him to help himself, would not any 
 man censure you for your cruelty and hypocrisy? It is as 
 true of the soul as of the body. If any man "seeth his brother 
 have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, 
 how dwelleth the love of God in him V s or what love hath he to his 
 brother's soul? — We are also hindered by a base, man-pleasing 
 disposition. We are so desirous to keep in credit and favour 
 with men, that it makes us most unconscionably neglect our own 
 duty. He is a foolish and unfaithful physician that will let a 
 sick man die for fear of troubling him. If our friends are dis- 
 tracted, we please them in nothing that tends to their hurt. And 
 yet when they are beside themselves in point of salvation, and 
 in their madness posting on to damnation, we will not stop them 
 for fear of displeasing them. How can we be Christians that 
 "love the praise of men more than the praise of God?" For, 
 if we "seek to please men, we shall not be the servants of 
 Christ." — It is common to be hindered by sinful bashfulness. 4 
 
THE SAINTS' REST. 13^ 
 
 When we should shame men 'out of their sins, we are our- 
 selves ashamed of our duties. May not these sinners condemn 
 us, when they blush not to swear, be drunk, or neglect the wor- 
 ship of God; and we blush to tell them of it, and persuade 
 them from it? Bashfulness is unseemly in cases of necessity. 
 It is not a work to be ashamed of, to obey God in persuading 
 men from their sins to Christ. Reader, hath not thy conscience 
 told thee of thy duty many a time, and put thee on to speak to 
 poor sinners; and yet thou hast been ashamed to open thy 
 mouth, and so let them go alone to sink or swim? O read 
 and tremble, "Whosoever shall be ashamed of me, and of my 
 words, in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him also shall 
 the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his 
 Father, with the holy angels." An idle and impatient spirit 
 hindereth us. It is an ungrateful work, and sometimes makes 
 men our enemies. Besides, it seldom succeeds at the first, except 
 it be followed on. You must be long teaching the ignorant, and 
 persuading the obstinate. We consider not what patience God 
 used towards us when we were in our sins. Woe to us if God 
 had been as impatient with us as we are with others. — Another 
 hindrance is,. self-seeking. "All seek their own, not the things 
 which are Jesus Christ's," and their brethren's. — With many, 
 pride is a great impediment. If it were to speak' to a great man, 
 and it would not displease him, they would do it ; but to go among 
 the poor, and take pains with them in their cottages, Where is the 
 person that will do it? Many 'will rejoice in being instrumental 
 to convert a gentleman, and they have good reason ; but overlook 
 the multitude, as if the souls of all were not alike to God. Alas ! 
 these men little consider how low Christ stooped to us! Few 
 rich, and noble, and wise, are called. It is the poor that receive 
 the glad tidings of the gospel. — And with some, their ignorance 
 of the duty hindereth them from performing it. Either they 
 know it not to be a duty, or at least not to be their duty. If this 
 be thy case, reader, I am in hope thou art now acquainted with 
 thy duty, and will set upon it. 
 
 Do not object to this duty, that you are unable to manage an 
 exhortation; but either set those on the work who are more able, 
 or faithfully and humbly use the small ability you have, and tell 
 them, as a weak man may do, what God says in his word. — 
 Dscline not the duty, because it is your superior who needs 
 
13Q EXCITEMENT TO SEEK 
 
 advice and exhortation. Order must be dispensed with in cases 
 of necessity. Though it be a husband, a parent, a minister, 
 you must teach him in such a case. If parents are in want, 
 children must relieve them. If a husband be sick, the wife 
 must fill up his place in family affairs. If the rich are re- 
 duced to beggary, they must receive charity. If the physician 
 be sick, somebody must look to him. So the meanest servant 
 must admonish his master, and the child his parent, and the wife 
 her husband, and the people their minister ; so that it be done 
 when there is real need, and with all possible humility, modesty, 
 and meekness. — Do not say, this will make us all preachers ; 
 for every good Christian is a teacher, and has a charge of his 
 neighbour's soul. Every man is a physician, when a regular 
 physician cannot be had, and when the hurt is so small that any 
 man may relieve it ; and in the same cases every man must be 
 a teacher. — Do not despair of success. Cannot God give it? 
 And must it not be by means? — Do not plead; it will only be 
 casting pearls before swine. When you are in danger to be 
 torn in pieces, Christ would have you forbear; but what is that 
 to you that are in no such danger? As long as they will hear, 
 you have encouragement to speak, and may not cast them off as 
 contemptible swine. — Say not, "It is a friend on whom I much 
 depend, and, by telling him his sin and misery, I may lose his 
 love, and be undone." Is his love more to be valued than his 
 safety? or thy own benefit by him, than the salvation of his soul? 
 or wilt thou connive at his damnation because he is thy friend ? 
 Is that thy best requital of his friendship? Hadst thou rather 
 he should burn in hell for ever, than thou shouldst lose his favour, 
 or the maintenance thou hast from him. 
 
 Thirdly. But that all who fear God may be excited to do their 
 utmost to help others to this blessed rest, let me entreat you to 
 consider the following motives : — As, for instance, not only nature, 
 but especially grace, disposes the sou^ to be communicative of 
 good ; therefore to neglect this work is a sin both against nature 
 and grace. Would you not think him unnatural that would suffer 
 his children or neighbours to starve in the streets, while he has 
 provision at hand? And is not he more unnatural, that will let 
 them eternally perish, and not open his mouth to save them? 
 An. unmerciful, cruel man is a monster to be abhorred of all. 
 If God had bid you give them all your estates,- or lay down 
 
THE SAINTS' REST 
 
 13, 
 
 your lives to save them, you would surely have refused, when 
 you will not bestow a little breath to save them. Is not the soul 
 of a husband, or wife, or child, or neighbour, worth a few words ! 
 Cruelty to men's bodies is a most damnable sin ; but to their 
 souls much more, as the soul is of greater worth than the body, 
 and eternity than time. Little know you what many a soul may 
 now be feeling in hell, who died in their sins, for want of your 
 faithful admonition. — Consider what Christ did towards the sav- 
 ing of souls. He thought them worth his blood ; and shall we 
 not think them worth our breath? Will you not do a little 
 where Christ hath done so much? — Consider what fit objects of 
 pity ungodly people are. They are dead in trespasses and sins, 
 have not hearts to feel their miseries, nor to pity themselves. If 
 others do not pity them, they will have no pity : for it is the 
 nature of their disease to make them pitiless to themselves, yea, 
 their own most cruel destroyers. — Consider it was once thy own 
 case. It was God's argument to the Israelites, to be kind to 
 strangers, because themselves had been " strangers in the land 
 of Egypt." So should you pity them that are strangers to Christ, 
 and to the hopes and comfort of the saints, because you were 
 once strangers to them yourselves. — Consider your relation to 
 them. It is thy neighbour, thy brother, whom thou art bound to 
 love as thyself. "He that loveth not his brother, whom he seeth 
 daily, doth not love God, whom he never saw." And doth he love 
 his brother that will see him go to hell, and never hinder him ? 
 
 Consider what a load of guilt this neglect lays upon thy own 
 soul. Thou art guilty of the murder and damnation of all those 
 souls whom thou dost thus neglect; and of every sin they 
 now commit, and of all the dishonour done to God thereby ; and 
 of all those judgments which their sins bring upon the town or 
 country where they live. — Consider what will it be, to look upon 
 your poor friends in eternal flames, and to think that your neglec 
 was a great cause of it. If you should there perish with them 
 it would be no small aggravation of your torment. If you be in 
 heaven, it would surely be a sad thought, were it possible that 
 any sorrow could dwell there, to hear a multitude of poor souls 
 cry out for ever, "O, if you would but have told me plainly of 
 my sin and danger, and set it home, I might have escaped al l 
 this torment, and been now in rest !" What a sad voice will this 
 be ! — Consider what a joy it will be in heaven, to meet those 
 12* 
 
138 EXCITEMENT TO SEEK 
 
 there whom you have been the means to bring thither; to see 
 their faces, and join with them for ever in the praises of God, 
 whom you were the happy instruments of bringing to the knowl- 
 edge and obedience of Jesus Christ! — Consider how many souls 
 you may have drawn into the way of damnation, or hardened in it. 
 We have had, in the days of ignorance, our companions in sin, 
 whom we incited or encouraged. And doth it not become us to 
 do as much to save men, as we have done to destroy them ? — 
 Consider how diligent are all the enemies of these poor souls, to 
 draw them to hell. The devil is tempting them day and night: 
 their inward lusts are still working for their ruin : the flesh is 
 still pleading for its delights: their old companions are increas- 
 ing their dislike of holiness. And if nobody be diligent in helping 
 them to heaven, what is like to become of them ? 
 
 Consider how deep the neglect of this duty will wound, when 
 conscience is awakened. When a man comes to die, conscience 
 will ask him, "What good hast thou done in thy life-time? The 
 saving of souls is the greatest good work ; what hast thou done 
 towards it? How many hast thou dealt faithfully with?" I 
 have often observed that the consciences of dying men very much 
 wounded them for this omission. For my own part, when I have 
 been near death, my conscience hath accused me more for this 
 than for any sin. It would bring every ignorant, profane neigh- 
 bour to my remembrance, to whom I never made known their 
 danger. It would tell me, "Thou shouldst have gone to them 
 in private, and told them plainly of their desperate danger, though 
 it had been when thou shouldst have eaten or slept, if thou hadst 
 no other time." Conscience would remind me how, at such or 
 such a time, I was in company with the ignorant, or was riding 
 by the way with a wilful sinner, and had a fit opportunity to havo 
 dealt with him, but did not ; or at least did it to little purpose. 
 The Lord grant I may better obey conscience while I have time, 
 that it may have less to accuse me of at death ! — Consider what 
 a seasonable time you now have for this work. There are times 
 in which it is not safe to speak ; it may cost you your liberties 
 or your lives. Besides, your neighbours will shortly die, and so 
 will you. — Speak to them, therefore, while you may. — Consider, 
 though this is a work of the greatest charity, yet every one of 
 you may perform it; the poorest as well as the rich. Every 
 one hath a tongue to speak to a sinner. — Once more, consider 
 
THE SAINTS' RE8T. jgj, 
 
 the happy consequences of this work where it is faithfully done. 
 You may be instrumental in saving souls, for which Christ came 
 down and died, ana in which the angels of God rejoice. Such 
 souls will bless you here and hereafter. God will have much 
 glory by it ; the church will be multiplied and edified by it. 
 Your own souls will enjoy more improvement and vigour in a 
 divine life, more peace of conscience, more rejoicing in spirit. 
 Of all the personal mercies that I ever, received, next to the love 
 of God in Christ to my own soul, I must most joyfully bless him 
 for the plentiful success of my endeavours upon others. O what 
 fruits, then, might I have seen, if I had been more faithful ! I 
 know we need be very jealous of deceitful hearts in this point, 
 lest our rejoicing should come from our pride. Naturally we 
 would have the praise of every good work ascribed to ourselves; 
 yet to imitate our Father in goodness and mercy, and to rejoice in 
 the degree of them we attain to, is the duty of every child of 
 God. I therefore tell you my own experience, to persuade you 
 that, if you did but know what a joyful thing it is, you would 
 follow it night and day through the greatest discouragements. 
 
 Up, then, every man that hath a tongue, and is a servant of 
 Christ, and do something of your master's work. Why hath he 
 given you a tongue, but to speak in his service ? And how can 
 you serve more eminently than in saving souls? He that will 
 pronounce you blessed at the last day, and invite you to "the 
 kingdom prepared for you," because you "fed him, and clothed 
 him, and visited him," in his poor members, will surely pro- 
 nounce you blessed for so great a work as bringing souls to his 
 kingdom. He that saith, "the poor you have always with you," 
 hath left the ungodly always with you, that you might still have 
 matter to exercise your charity upon. If you have the hearts 
 of Christians or of men, let them yearn towards your ignorant, 
 ungodly neighbours. ' Say, as the lepers of Samaria, " We dc 
 not well ; this day is a day of good tidings, and we hold oui 
 peace." Hath God had so much mercy on you, and will you 
 have no mercy on your poor neighbours? But as this duty 
 belongs to all Christians, so especially to some, according as God 
 hath called them to it, or qualified them for it. To them, there- 
 fore, I will more particularly addrc-ss the exhortation. 
 
 1. God especially expects this duty at your hands, to whom 
 he hath given more learning and knowledge, and endued with 
 
140 EXCITEMENT TO SEEK 
 
 better utterance, than your neighbours. The strong are rnoie 
 to help the weak, and those that see must direct the Hind. God 
 looketh for this faithful improvement of your parts and gifts, 
 which, if you neglect, it were better you had never received 
 them ; for they will but aggravate your condemnation, and be as 
 useless to your own salvation as they were to others. 
 
 2. All those that are particularly acquainted with some un- 
 godly men, and that have peculiar interest in them, God looks for 
 this duty at your hands. Christ himself did eat and drink with 
 publicans and sinners; but it was only to be their physician, 
 and not their companion. Who knows but God gave you inter- 
 est in them to this end, that you might be the means of their 
 recovery] They that will not regard the words of a stranger, 
 may regard a brother, or sister, or husband, or wife, or near 
 friend ; besides that the bond of friendship engageth you to 
 more kindness and compassion than ordinary. 
 
 3. Physicians, that are much about dying men, should, in a 
 special manner, make conscience of this duty. It is their pecu* 
 liar advantage, that they are at hand ; that they are with men 
 in sickness and dangers, when the ear is open, and the heart less 
 stubborn, than in time of health ; and that men look upon their 
 physician as a person in whose hands is their life ; or, at least, 
 who may do much to save them ; and therefore they will the 
 more regard his advice. You that are of this honourable pro- 
 fession, do not think this a work beside your calling, as if it 
 belonged to none but ministers : except you think it beside your 
 calling to be compassionate, or to be Christians. O help, there- 
 fore, to fit your patients for heaven ! and, whether you see they 
 are for life or death, teach them both how to live and die, and 
 give them some physic for their souls, as you do for their bodies. 
 Blessed be God, that very many of the chief physicians of this 
 age have, by their eminent piety, vindicated their profession 
 from the common imputation of atheism and profaneness. 
 
 4. Men of wealth and authority, and that have many depend- 
 ants, have excellent advantages for this duty. O what a world 
 of good might lords and gentlemen do, if they had but hearts to 
 improve their influence over others! Have you not all your 
 honour and riches from God ? Doth not Christ say, " Unto whom, 
 soever much is given, of him much shall be required?" If you 
 speak to your dependants for God and their souls, you may be 
 
THE SAINTS' REST. J4| 
 
 regarded, when even a minister shall be despised. As you value 
 the honour of God, your own comfort, and the salvation of souls, 
 improve your influence over your tenants and neighbours; visit 
 their houses; see whether they worship God in their families; 
 and take all opportunities to press them to their duty. Despise 
 them not. Remember God is no respecter of persons. Let men 
 see that you excel others in piety, compassion, and diligence in 
 God's work, as you do in the riches and honours of the world. 
 I confess you will, by this means, be singular, but then you will 
 be singular in glory; for few of the "mighty and noble are 
 called." 
 
 5. As for the ministers of the gospel, it is the very work of 
 their calling to help others to heaven. — Be sure to make it the 
 main end of your studies and preaching. He is the able, skilful 
 minister, that is best skilled in the art of instructing, convincing, 
 persuading, and, consequently, of winning souls; and that is the 
 best sermon that is best in these. When you seek not God, but 
 yourselves, God will make you the most contemptible of men. 
 It is true of your reputation, what Christ says of your life, "He 
 that loveth it shall lose it." Let the vigour of your persuasions 
 show, that you are sensible on how weighty a business you are 
 sent. Preach with that seriousness and fervour, as men that 
 believe their own doctrine, and that, know their hearers must be 
 prevailed with, or be damned. — Think not that all your work 
 is in your studies and pulpit. You are shepherds, and must know 
 every sheep, and what is their disease, and mark their strayings, 
 and help to cure them, and fetch them home. Learn of Paul, not 
 only to "teach your people publicly, but from house to house." 
 Inquire how they grow in knowledge and holiness, and on what 
 grounds they build their hopes of salvation, and whether they 
 walk uprightly, and perform the duties of their several relations. 
 See whether they worship God in their families, and teach them 
 how to do it. Be familiar with them, that you may maintain 
 your interest in them, and improve it all for God. Know of them 
 how they profit by public teaching. If any too little "savoui 
 the things of the Spirit," let them be pitied, but not neglected. 
 If any walk disorderly, recover them with diligence and patience. 
 If they be ignorant, it may be your fault as much as theirs. Btf 
 not asleep while the wolf is waking. — Deal not slightly with any. 
 Some will not tell their people plainly of trieir sins, because they 
 
]42 EXCITEMENT TO SEEK 
 
 are great men ; and some because they are godly ; as if none 
 but the poor and the wicked should be dealt plainly with. Yet 
 labour to be skilful and discreet, that the manner may answer to 
 the excellency of the matter. Every reasonable soul hath both 
 judgment and affection ; and every rational, spiritual sermon 
 must have both. Study and pray, and pray and study, till you 
 are become " workmen that need not be ashamed, rightly divid- 
 ing the word of truth ; that your people may not be ashamed, 
 nor weary in hearing you. — Let your conversation be teaching, 
 as well as your doctrine. Be as forward in a holy and heavenly 
 life as you are in pressing others to it. Let your discourse 
 be edifying and spiritual. Suffer any thing, rather than the 
 gospel and men's souls should suffer. Let men see that you 
 use not the ministry only for a trade to live by; but that your 
 hearts are set upon the welfare of souls. Whatsoever meekness, 
 humility, condescension, or self-denial, you teach them from the 
 gospel, teach it them also by your unassembled example. — 
 Study and strive after unity and peace. If ever you would pro- 
 mote the kingdom of Christ, and j^our people's salvation, do it in 
 a way of peace and love. It is as hard a thing to maintain in 
 your people a sound understanding, a tender conscience, a lively, 
 gracious, heavenly frame of spirit, and an upright life, amidst 
 contention, as to keep your candle lighted in the greatest storms. 
 "Blessed is that servant, whom his Lord, when he cometh, shall 
 find so doing." 
 
 6. All you whom God hath intrusted with the care of chil- 
 dren and servants, I would also persuade to this great work of 
 helping others to the heavenly rest. — Consider what plain and 
 pressing commands of God require this at your hands. "These 
 words thou shalt teach diligently unto thy children, and shalt 
 talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou 
 walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou 
 risest up. Train up a child in the. way he should go, and when 
 he is old, he will not depart from it. Bring up your children in 
 the nurture and admonition of the Lord." Joshua resolved, that 
 ' he and his house would serve the Lord." And God himself 
 says of Abraham, "I know him, that he will command his chil- 
 dren, and his household after him, and they shall keep tne way 
 of the Lord." Consider, it is a duty you owe your children in 
 point of justice. From you they received the defilement and 
 
THE SAINTS' REST. J -13 
 
 misery of their natures ; and therefore you owe them all possible 
 help for their recovery. Consider, how near your children are 
 to you. They are parts of yourselves. If they prosper when 
 you are dead, you take it as if you lived and prospered in them; 
 and should you not be of the same mind for their everlasting 
 rest? Otherwise you will be witnesses against your own souls. 
 Your care, and pains, and cost for their bodies, will condemn 
 you for your neglect of their precious souls. Yea, all the brute 
 creatures may condemn you. Which of them is not tender of 
 their young? — Consider, God hath made your children your 
 charge, and your servants too. Every one will confess they are 
 the minister's charge. And have not you a greater charge of 
 your own families than any minister can have of them ? Doubt- 
 less at your hands God will require the blood of their souls. It 
 is the greatest charge you were ever intrusted with, and woe to 
 you, if you suffer them to be ignorant or wicked for want of your 
 instruction or correction. — Consider, what work there is for you 
 in their dispositions and lives. Theirs is not one sin, but thou- 
 sands. They have hereditary diseases, bred in their natures. 
 The things you must teach them are contrary to the interests and 
 desires of their flesh. May the Lord make you sensible what a 
 work and charge lieth upon you ! — Consider what sorrows you 
 prepare for yourselves by the neglect of your children. If they 
 prove thorns in your eyes, they are of your own planting. If you 
 should repent and be saved, is it nothing to think of their damna- 
 tion; and yourselves the occasion of it? But if you die in your 
 sins, how will they cry out against you in hell ! " All this was 
 wrong of you; you should have taught us better, and did not; 
 you should have restrained us from sin, and corrected us, but did 
 not." What an addition will such outcries be to your misery. 
 On the other side, think what a comfort you may have, if you be 
 faithful in this duty. If you should not succeed, you have freed 
 your own souls, and have peace in your own consciences. If you 
 do, the comfort is inexpressible, in their love and obedience, their 
 supplying your wants, and delighting you in all your remaining 
 path to glory. Yea, all your family may fare the bttter for one 
 pious child or servant. But the greatest joy will be, when you 
 shall say, "Lord, here am I, and the children thou hast given 
 me ;" and shall joyfully live with them for ever. — Consider how 
 much the welfare of church and state depends on this duty. Gooa 
 
144 EXCITEMENT TO SEEK 
 
 laws will not reform us, if reformation begin not at home. This 
 is the cause of all our miseries in church and state, even the 
 want of a holy education of children. I also entreat parents to 
 consider/what excellent advantages they have for saving their 
 children. They are with you while they are tender and flexible. 
 You have a twig to bend, not an oak. None in the world have 
 such interests in their affections as you have. You have also 
 the greatest authority over them. Their whole dependance is 
 upon you for a maintenance. You best know their temper and 
 inclinations. And you are ever with them, and can never want 
 opportunities: especially you, mothers, remember this, who are 
 more with your children, while young, than their fathers. What 
 pains are you at for their bodies ! What do you suffer to bring them 
 into the world ! And will you not be at as much pains for the 
 saving of their souls ! Your affections are tender ; and will it not 
 move you to think of their perishing for ever? I beseech you, for 
 the sake of the children of your bowels, teach them, admonish 
 them, watch over them, and give them no rest till you have 
 brought them to Christ. 
 
 I shall conclude with this earnest request to all Christian 
 parents that read these lines, that they would have compassion 
 on the souls of their poor children, and be faithful to the great 
 trust that God hath put on them. If you cannot do what you 
 would for them, yet do what you can. Both church and state, 
 city and country, groan under the neglect of this weighty duty. 
 Your children know not God, nor his laws, but "take his name 
 in vain," and slight his worship, and you neither instruct them 
 nor correct them; and therefore God corrects both them and 
 you. You are so tender of them, that God is the less tender of 
 both them and you. Wonder not if God make you smart for 
 your children's sins; for your are guilty of all they commit, by 
 your neglect of your duty to reform them. Will you resolve, 
 therefore, to set upon this duty, and neglect it no longer? Re- 
 member Eli. Your children are like Moses in the bulrushes, 
 ready to perish if they have not help. As ever you would not 
 be charged before God as murderers of their souls, nor have 
 them cry out against you in everlasting fire, see that you teach 
 them how to escape it, and bring them up in holiness and the fear 
 of Goa. I charge every one of you, upon your allegiance to 
 God, as you will very shortly answer the contrary at your peril, 
 
THIS SAINTS' REST. j^ 
 
 that you will neither refuse nor neglect this most necessary duty. 
 If you are not willing to do it, now you know it to be so great a 
 duty, you are rebels, and no true subjects of Jesus Christ. If 
 you are willing, but know not how, I will add a few words of 
 direction to help you. Lead them, by your own example, to 
 prayer, reading, and other religious duties. Inform their under- 
 standings. Store their memories. Rectify their wills. Quicken 
 their affections. Keep tender their consciences. Restrain their 
 tongues, and teach them gracious speech. Reform and watch 
 over their outward conversation. To these ends, get them Bibles 
 and pious books, and see that they read them. Examine them 
 often what they learn; especially spend the Lord's day in this 
 work, and suffer them not to spend it in sports or idleness. Show 
 them the meaning of what they read or learn. Keep them out 
 of evil company, and acquaint them with the godly. And fail 
 not to make them learn their catechism. Especially show them 
 the necessity, excellency, and pleasure of serving God, and 
 labour to fix all upon their hearts. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 THE SAINTS' REST IS NOT TO BE EXPECTED ON EARTH. 
 
 In order to show the sin and folly of expecting rest here — I. The reasonableness of present 
 afflictions is considered: 1. That they are the way to rest; 2. Keep us from mistaking 
 our rest; 3. From losing our way to it; 4. Quicken our pace towards it; 5. Chiefly 
 Incommode our flesh ; 6. Under them the sweetest foretastes of rest are often enjoyed. 
 II. How unreasonable to rest in present enjoyments: 1. That it is idolatry; 2. That it 
 contradicts God's end in giving them ; 3. Is the way to have them refused, withdrawn, 
 or imbittered ; 4. That to be suffered to take our rest here is the greatest curse ; 5. That 
 it is seeking rest where it is not ; 6. That the creatures, without God, would aggravate 
 our misery ; 7. And all this is confirmed by experience. III. How unreasonable our 
 unwillingness to die, and possess the saints' rest, is largely considered. 
 
 We are not yet come to our resting place. Doth it remain ? 
 Plow great then is our sin and folly to seek and expect it here! 
 Where shall we find the Christian that deserves not this reproof? 
 We would all have continual prosperity, because it is easy and 
 pleasing to the flesh : but we consider not the unreasonableness of 
 such desires. And when we enjoy convenient houses, goods, lands, 
 and revenues, or the necessary means God'hath appointed for our 
 spiritual good, we seek rest in these enjoyments. Whether we 
 13 
 
146 THE SAINTS' REST 
 
 are in an afflicted or prosperous state, it is apparent, we exceed- 
 ingly make the creature our rest. Do we not desire creature 
 enjoyments more violently, when we want them, than we desire 
 God himself? Do we not delight more in the possession of them, 
 than in the enjoyment of God ? And if we lose them, doth it not 
 trouble us more than our loss of God ? Is it not enough, thai, they 
 are refreshing helps in our way to heaven, but they must also be 
 made our heaven itself? Christian reader, I would as willingly 
 make thee sensible of this sin, as of any sin in the world, if I could 
 tell how to do it; for the Lord's greatest quarrel with us is 
 in this point. In order to this, I most earnestly beseech thee 
 to consider- — the reasonableness of present afflictions — and the 
 unreasonableness of resting in present enjoyments — as also of 
 our unwillingness to die, that we may possess eternal rest. 
 
 First. To show the reasonableness of present afflictions, con- 
 sider — they are the way to rest — they keep us from mistaking 
 our rest, and from losing our way to it — they quicken our pace 
 towards it — they chiefly incommode our flesh — and under them 
 God's people have often the sweetest foretastes of their rest. 
 
 1. Consider, that labour and trouble are the common way to 
 rest, both in the course of nature and grace. Can there possibly 
 be rest without weariness? Do you not travel and toil first, and 
 rest after? The day for labour is first, and then follows the 
 night for rest. Why should we desire the course of grace to be 
 perverted, any more than the course of nature? It is an estab- 
 lished decree, "that we must through much tribulation enter 
 into the kingdom of God ;" and that, "if we suffer we shall also 
 reign with Christ." And what are we, that God's statutes should 
 be reversed for our pleasure? 
 
 2. Afflictions are exceeding useful to us, to keep us from 
 mistaking our rest. A Christian's motion towards heaven is 
 voluntary, and not constrained. Those means therefore are most 
 profitable, which help his understanding and will. The most 
 dangerous mistake of our souls is, to take the creature for God, 
 and earth for heaven. What warm, affectionate, eager thoughts 
 have we of the world, till afflictions cool and moderate them ! 
 Afflictions speak convincingly, and will be heard when preachers 
 cannot. Many a poor Christian is sometimes bending his thoughts 
 to wealth, or flesh-pleasing, or applause, and so loses his relish of 
 Christ, and the joy above ; till God break in upon his riches, or 
 
IS NOT ON jsaRTII. J47 
 
 children, or conscience, or health, and break down his mountain 
 which he thought so strong. And then, when he lieth in Manas- 
 seh's fetters, or is fastened to his bed with pining sickness, the 
 world is nothing, and heaven is something. If our dear Lord 
 did not put these thorns under our head, we should sleep out our 
 lives, and lose our glory. 
 
 3. Afflictions are also God's most effectual means to keep us 
 from losing our way to our rest. Without this hedge of thorns on 
 the right hand and left, we could hardly keep the way to heaven. 
 If there be but one gap open, how ready are we to find it, and 
 turn out at it! When we grow wanton, or worldly, or proud, 
 how doth sickness, or other affliction, reduce us ! Every Christian, 
 as well as Luther, may call affliction one of the best schoolmas- 
 ters; and with David may say, "Before I was afflicted I went 
 astray ; but now have I kept thy word." Many thousand recov- 
 ered sinners may cry, "O healthful sickness! O comfortable 
 sorrows! O gainful losses! O enriching poverty ! O blessed 
 day that ever I was afflicted!" Not only the "green pastures, 
 and still waters, but the rod and staff, they comfort us." Though 
 the word and Spirit do the main work, yet suffering so unbolts 
 the door of the heart, that the world hath easier entrance. 
 
 4. Afflictions likewise serve to quicken our pace in the way 
 to our rest. It were well, if mere love would prevail with us, 
 and that we were rather drawn to heaven, than driven. But, 
 seeing our hearts are so bad that mercy will not do it, it is 
 better to be put on with the sharpest scourge, than loiter, like 
 the foolish virgins, till the door is shut. O, what a difference is 
 there, betwixt our prayers in health and in sickness! betwixt our 
 repentings in prosperity and adversity! Alas! if we did not 
 sometimes feel the spur, what a slow pace would most of us hold 
 toward heaven ! Since our vile natures require it, why should 
 we be unwilling that God should do us good by sharp means? 
 Judge, Christian, whether thou dost go more watchfully and 
 speedily in the way to heaven, in thy sufferings, than in thy more 
 pleasing and prosperous state. 
 
 5. Consider, further, it is but the flesh that is chiefly troubled 
 and grieved by afflictions. In most of our sufferings the soul is 
 free, unless we ourselves wilfully afflict it. "Why then, O my 
 soul, dost thou side with this flesh, and complain, as itcomplaineth? 
 It should be thy work to keep it under, and bring it into subjeo- 
 
143 TF1E SAINTS' REST 
 
 tion ; and if God do it for thee, shouldst thou be discontented ? 
 Hath not the pleasing of it been the cause of almost all thy 
 spiritual sorrows? Why, then, may not the displeasing of it 
 further thy joy ? Must not Paul and Silas sing, because their 
 feet are in the stocks? Their spirits were not imprisoned. Ah, 
 unworthy soul ! is this thy thanks to God for preferring thee so 
 far before thy body? When it is rotting in the grave, thou shalt 
 be a companion of the perfected spirits of the just. In the mean 
 time, hast thou not consolation which the flesh knows not of? 
 Murmur not, then, at God's dealings with thy body : if it were for 
 want of love to thee, he would not have dealt so by all his saints. 
 Never expect thy flesh should truly expound the meaning of the 
 rod. It will call love hatred ; and say, God is destroying, when 
 he is saving. It is the suffering party, and therefore not fit to 
 be the judge." Could we once believe God, and judge of hi3 
 dealings by his word, and by their usefulness to our souls, and 
 reference to our rest, and could we stop our ears against all the 
 clamours of the flesh, then we should have a truer judgment of 
 our afflictions. 
 
 6. Once more, consider, God seldom gives his people so sweet 
 a foretaste of their future rest, as in their deep afflictions. He 
 keeps his most precious cordials for the time of our greatest 
 faintings and dangers. He gives them when he knows they are 
 needed, and will be valued, and when he is sure to be thanked 
 for them, and his people rejoiced by them. Especially when our 
 sufferings are more directly for his cause, then he seldom fails 
 to sweeten the bitter cup. The martyrs have possessed the 
 highest joys. When did Christ preach such comforts to his 
 disciples, as when "their hearts were sorrowful" at his depart- 
 ure? When did he appear among them, and say, "Peace be 
 unto you," but when they were shut up for fear of the Jews? 
 When did Stephen see heaven opened, but when he was giving 
 up his life for the testimony of Jesus ? Is not that our best state, 
 wherein we have most of God ? Why else do we desire to come 
 to heaven? If we look for a heaven of fleshly delights, we shall 
 find ourselves mistaken. Conclude, then, that affliction is not so 
 bad a state for a saint in his way to rest. Are we wiser than 
 God? Doth he know what is good for us as well as we? or is 
 he not as careful of our good, as we are of our own ? Woe to us. 
 
IS NOT ON EARin. 249 
 
 if he were not much more so ; and if he did not love us better 
 than we love either him or ourselves! 
 
 Say not, "I could bear any other affliction but this." If God 
 had afflicted thee where thou canst bear it, thy idol would neither 
 have been discovered nor removed. Neither say, "If God would 
 deliver me out of it, I could be content to bear it." Is it nothing 
 that he hath promised it "shall work for thy good?" Is it not 
 enough that thou art sure to be delivered at death ? Nor let it 
 be said, "If my affliction did not disable me from my duty, I 
 could bear it." It doth not disable thee for that duty which 
 tendeth to thy own personal benefit, but is the greatest quickening 
 help thou canst expect. As for thy duty to others, it is not thy 
 duty when God disables thee. Perhaps thou wilt say, "The 
 godly are my afflicters; if it were ungodly men, I could easily 
 bear it." Whoever is the instrument, the affliction is from God 
 and the deserving cause thyself; and is it not better to look more to 
 God than thyself? Didst thou not know that the best men are 
 still sinful in part ? Do not plead, " If I had but that consolation, 
 which you say God reserveth for suffering times, I should suffer 
 more contentedly ; but I do not perceive any such thing." The 
 more you suffer for righteousness' sake, the more of this blessing 
 you may expect ; and the more you suffer for your own evil 
 doing, the longer it will be before that sweetness comes. Are 
 not the comforts you desire neglected or resisted? Have your 
 afflictions wrought kindly with you, and fitted you for comfort? 
 It is not suffering that prepares you for comfort, but the success 
 and fruit of suffering upon your hearts. 
 
 Secondly. To show the unreasonablenes of resting in -present 
 enjoyments, consider — it is idolizing them — it contradicts God's 
 end in giving them — it is the way to have them refused, with- 
 drawn, or imbittered ; — to be suffered to take up our rest here is 
 the greatest curse — it is seeking rest »vhere it is not to be found — 
 the creatures, without God, would aggravate our misery — and, to 
 confirm all this, we may consult our own and others' experience. 
 
 1. It is gross idolatry to make any creature, or means, our rest. 
 To be the rest of the soul, is God's own prerogative. As it is 
 apparent idolatry to place our rest in riches or honours, so it is 
 but a more refined idolatry to take up our rest in excellent means 
 of grace. How ill must our dear Lord take it, when we give him 
 cause to complain, as he did of our fellow-idolaters, " My people 
 13* 
 
150 
 
 THE bAINTS' REST 
 
 have been lost sheep ; they have forgotten their resting-place. 
 My people can find rest in any tiling rather than in me. They 
 can delight in one another, but not in me. They can rejoice in 
 my creatures and ordinances, but not in me. Yea, in their very 
 labours and duties they seek for rest, but not in me. They had 
 rather be any where, than be with me. Are thece their gods? 
 Have these redeemed them? Will these be better to them than 
 I have been, or than I would be?" If yourselves have a wife, a 
 husband, a son, that had rather be any where than in your com- 
 pany, and be never so merry as when farthest from you, would 
 you not take it ill ? So must our God needs do. 
 
 2. You contradict the end of God in giving these enjoyments. 
 He gave them to help thee to him, and dost thou take up with 
 them in his stead ? He gave them to be refreshments in thy 
 journey, and wouldst thou dwell in thy inn, and go no farther ! 
 It may be said of all our comforts and ordinances, as is said 
 of the Israelites, "The ark of the covenant of the Lord went 
 before them, to search out a resting-place for them." So do all 
 God's mercies here. They are not that rest; as John professed 
 he was not the Christ; but they are "voices crying in this wil- 
 derness," to bid us prepare, " for the kingdom of God," our true 
 rest, "is at hand." Therefore to rest here, were to turn all 
 mercies contrary to their own ends, and to our own advantages, 
 and to destroy ourselves with that which should help us. 
 
 3. It is the way to cause God either to deny the mercies we 
 ask, or to take from us those we enjoy, or at least imbitter them 
 to us. God is no where so jealous as here. If you had a ser- 
 vant whom your wife loved better than yourself, would you not 
 take it ill of such a wife, and rid your house of such a servant? 
 So, if the Lord see you begin to settle in the world, and say, 
 " Here I will rest," no wonder if he soon, in his jealousy, unsettle 
 you. If he love you, no wonder if he take that from you with 
 which he sees you are destroying yourselves. It hath long been 
 my observation of many, that when they have attempted great 
 works, and have just finished them ; or have aimed at great 
 things in the world, and have just obtained them; or have lived 
 in much trouble, and have just overcome it; and begin to look 
 on their condition with content, and rest in it; they are then 
 usually near to death or ruin. When a man is once at this 
 language, "Soul, take thy ease," the next news usually is. 
 
18 NOT ON EARTH. 
 
 151 
 
 "Thou fool, this night," or this month, or this year, "thy soul 
 shall be required, and then whose shall those things be?" What 
 house is there, where this fool dwelleth not? Let you and I 
 consider, whether it be not our own case. Many a servant of 
 God hath been destroyed from the earth, by being overvalued 
 and overloved. I am persuaded, our discontents and murmur- 
 ings are not so provoking to God, nor so destructive to the sinner, 
 as our too sweet enjoying, and resting in, a pleasing state. If 
 God hath crossed you in wife, children, goods, friends, either by 
 taking them away, or the comfort of them ; try whether this be 
 not the cause : for wheresoever your desires stop, and you say, 
 "Now I am well," that condition you make your god, and 
 engage the jealousy of God against it. Whether you be friends 
 to God, or enemies, you can never expect that God should suffer 
 you quietly to enjoy your idols. 
 
 4. Should God suffer you to take up your rest here, it is one 
 of the greatest curses that could befal you. It were better never 
 to have a day of ease in the world ; for then weariness might 
 make you seek after true rest. But if you are suffered to sit 
 down and rest here, a restless wretch you will be through all 
 eternity. To "have their portion in this life," is the lot of the 
 most miserable, perishing sinners. Doth it become Christians, 
 then, to expect so much here? Our rest is our heaven ; and 
 where we take our rest, there we make our heaven. And 
 wouldst thou have but such a heaven as this? 
 
 5. It is seeking rest where it is not to be found. Your labour 
 will be lost; and, if you proceed, your soul's eternal rest too. 
 Our rest is only in the full obtaining, of our ultimate end. But 
 that is not to be expected in this life ; neither is rest, therefore, 
 to be expected here. Is God to be enjoyed in the best church 
 here, as he is in heaven? How little of God the saints enjoy 
 under the best means, let their own complainings testify. Poor 
 comforters are the best ordinances, without God. Should a trav- 
 eller take up his rest in the way? No; because his home is his 
 journey's end. When you have all that creatures and means 
 can afford, have you that you believed, prayed, and suffered for? 
 I think you dare not say so. We are like little children strayed 
 from home, and God is now fetching us home, and we are 
 ready to turn into any house, stay and play with every thing in 
 our way, and sit down on every green bank, and much ado 
 
152 
 
 THE SAINTS' REST 
 
 there is to get us home. We are also in the midst of our labours 
 and dangers ; and is there any resting here ? What painful work 
 doth lie upon our hands ? Look to our brethren, to our souls, and 
 to God ; and what a deal of work, in respect to each of these, doth 
 lie before us? And can we rest in the midst of all our labours? 
 Indeed, we may rest on earth, as the ark is said to have "rested in 
 the midst of Jordan" — a short and small rest ; or as Abraham 
 desired the "angels to turn in, and rest themselves," in his tent, 
 where they would have been loath to have taken their dwelling. 
 Should Israel have fixed their rest in the wilderness, among ser- 
 pents, and enemies, and weariness, and famine? Should Noah 
 have made the ark his home, and have been loath to come forth 
 when the waters were assuaged? Should the mariner choose 
 his dwelling on the sea, and settle his rest in the midst of rocks, 
 and sands, and raging tempests? Should a soldier rest in the 
 thickest of his enemies? And are not Christians such travellers, 
 such mariners, such soldiers? Have you not fears within and 
 troubles without? Are we not in continual dangers? We can- 
 not eat, drink, sleep, labour, pray, hear, converse, but in the 
 midst of snares ; and shall we sit down and rest here ? O, Chris- 
 tian, follow thy work, look to thy dangers, hold on to the end, 
 win the field, and come off the ground, before thou think of a 
 settled rest. Whenever thou talkest of a rest on earth, it is 
 like Peter on the mount, "thou knowest not what thou sayest." 
 If, instead of telling the converted thief, " This day shalt thou 
 be with me in paradise," Christ had said he should rest there 
 upon the cross, would he not have taken it for a derision ? Me- 
 thinks it would be ill resting in the midst of sickness and pains, 
 persecutions and distresses. But if nothing else will convince 
 us, yet sure the remainders of sin, which do so easily beset us, 
 should quickly satisfy a believer, that here is not his rest. I 
 say, therefore, to every one that thinketh of rest on earth, " Arise 
 ye, and depart, for this is not your rest, because it is polluted." 
 These things cannot, in their nature, be a true Christian's rest. 
 They are too poor to make us rich ; too low to raise us to happi- 
 ness; too empty to fill our souls; and of too short a continuance 
 to be our eternal content. If prosperity, and whatsoever we 
 here desire, be too base to make gods of, they are too base to be 
 our rest. — The soul's rest must be sufficient to afford it perpetual 
 satisfaction. But the content which creatures afford, waxes old, 
 
IS NUT ON EARTH. I53 
 
 and abates after a short enjoyment. If God should rain down 
 angels' food, we should soon loathe the manna. If novelty sup- 
 port not, our delights on earth grow dull. All creatures are to 
 us as the flowers to the bee ; there is but little honey on any one, 
 and therefore there must be a superficial taste, and so to the 
 next. — The more 'he creature is known, the less it satisfieth. 
 Those only are taken with it, who see no farther than its outward 
 beauty, without discerning its inward vanity. When we tho- 
 roughly know the condition of other men, and have discovered 
 the evil as well as the good, and the defects as well as the per- 
 fections, we then cease our admiration. 
 
 6. To have creatures and means without God, is an aggravation 
 of our misery. If God should say, " Take my creatures, my 
 word, my servants, my ordinances, but not myself," would you 
 take this for happiness? If you had the word of God, and not 
 "the Word," which is God; or the bread of the Lord, and not 
 the Lord, which "is the true bread;" or could cry with the Jews, 
 "The temple of the Lord," and had not the Lord of the temple ; 
 this were a poor happiness. Was Capernaum the more happy, 
 or the more miserable, for seeing the mighty works which they 
 had seen, and hearing the words of Christ which they did 
 hear? Surely that which aggravates our sin and misery cannot 
 be our rest. 
 
 7. To confirm all this, let us consult our own and others' 
 experience. — Millions have made trial, but did any ever find a 
 sufficient rest for his soul on earth? Delights I deny not but 
 they have found, but rest and satisfaction they never found. 
 And shall we think to find that which never man could find 
 before us? Ahab's kingdom is nothing to him, without Naboth's 
 vineyard ; and did that satisfy him when he obtained it? Were 
 you, like Noah's dove, to look through the earth for a resting- 
 place, you would return, confessing that you could find none. 
 Go ask honour, Is there rest here ? You may as well rest on 
 the top of tempestuous mountains, or in ^Etna's flames. Ask 
 riches, Is there rest here? Even such as is in a bed of thorns. 
 If you inquire for rest of worldly pleasure, it is such as the fish 
 hath in swallowing the bait ; when the pleasure is sweetest, death 
 is nearest. Go to learning, and even to divine ordinances, and 
 inquire whether there your souls may rest. You might indeed 
 receive from those an olive-branch of lope, as thev are means 
 
154 THB SAINTS' REST 
 
 to your rest, and have relation to eternity; but, in regard of any 
 satisfaction in themselves, you would remain as restless as ever. 
 How well might all these answer us, as Jacob did Rachel, "Am 
 I in God's stead," that you come to me for soul-rest? Not all 
 the states of men in the world ; neither court nor country, towns 
 nor cities, shops nor fields, treasures, libraries, solitude, society, 
 studies nor pulpits, can afford any such thing as this rest. If 
 you could inquire of the dead of all generations, or of the living 
 through all dominions, they would all tell you, " Here is no rest." 
 Or, if other men's experience move you not, take a view of your 
 own. Can you remember the state that did fully satisfy you? 
 or, if you could, will it prove lasting? I believe we may all 
 say of our earthly rest, as Paul of our hope, "If it were in this 
 life only, we are of all men the most miserable." 
 
 If, then, either Scripture or reason, or the experience of our- 
 selves, and all the world, will convince us, we may see there is 
 no resting here. And yet how guilty are the generality of us 
 of this sin ! How many halts and stops do we make, before we 
 will make the Lord our rest ! How must God even drive us, 
 and fire us out of every condition, lest we should sit down and 
 rest there ! If he gives us prosperity, riches, or honour, we do 
 in our hearts dance before them, as the Israelites before the calf, 
 and say, "These are thy gods^" and conclude, "it is good to be 
 here." If he imbitter all these to us, how restless are we till 
 our condition be sweetened, that we may sit down again, and rest 
 where we were! If he proceed in the cure, and take the crea- 
 ture quite away, then we labour, and cry, and pray, that God 
 would restore it, that we may make it our rest again ! And 
 while we are deprived of our former idol, yet, rather than come 
 to God, wo delight ourselves in the hope of recovering it, and 
 make that very hope our rest, or search about from creature to 
 creature, to find out something to supply the room ; yea, if we 
 can find no supply, yet we will rather settle in this misery, and 
 make a rest of a wretched being, than leave all, and come to 
 God. O the cursed averseness of our souls from God! If any 
 place in hell were tolerable, the soul would rather take up its rest 
 there, than come to God. Yea, when he is bringing us over to 
 him, and hath convinced us of the worth of his ways and service; 
 the last deceit of all is here— we will rather settle upon those 
 Ways that lead to him, and those ordinances that speak of him, 
 
IS NOT ON EARTH. 155 
 
 and those gifts which flow from him, than we will come entirely 
 over to himself. Christians, marvel not that I speak so much of 
 resting in these; beware lest it prove thy own case. I suppose 
 thou art so far convinced of the vanity of riches, honour, and 
 pleasure, that thou canst more easily disclaim these, and it is 
 well if it be so ; but the means of grace thou lookest on with 
 less suspicion, and thinkest thou canst not delight in them too 
 much, especially seeing most of the world despise them, or 
 delight in them too little. I know they must be loved and val- 
 ued ; and he that delighteth in any worldly thing more than in 
 them, is not a Christian. But when we are content with ordi- 
 nances without God, and had rather be at a sermon than in 
 heaven, and a member of the church here than of the perfect 
 church above, this is a sad mistake. So far let thy soul take 
 comfort in ordinances, as God doth accompany them ; remem- 
 bering, this is not heaven, but the first- fruits. "While we are 
 present in the body, we are absent from the Lord ;" and while 
 we are absent from him, we are absent from our rest. If God 
 were as willing to be absent from us as we from him, and as 
 loath to be our rest as we to rest in him, we should be left to an 
 eternal restless separation. In a word, as you are sensible of 
 the sinfulness of your earthly discontents, so be you also of your 
 irregular satisfaction, and pray God to pardon them much more. 
 And, above all the plagues on this side hell, see that you watch 
 and pray against settling any where short of heaven, or reposing 
 your souls on any thing below God. 
 
 Thirdly. The next thing to be considered is, our unreasonable 
 unwillingness to die, that we may possess the saints 1 rest. We 
 linger, like Lot in Sodom, till "the Lord, being merciful unto 
 us," doth pluck us away against our will. I confess that death 
 of itself is not desirable : but the soul's rest with God is, to 
 which death is the common passage. Because we are apt to make 
 light of this sin, let me set before you its nature and remedy, 
 in a variety of considerations ; as, for instance — it has in it much 
 infidelity. If we did but verily believe that the promise of this 
 glory is the word of God, and that God doth truly mean as he speaks, 
 and is fully resolved to make it good ; if we did verily believe that 
 there is indeed such blessedness prepared for believers, surely 
 we should be as impatient of living as we are now fearful of 
 dying, and should think every day a year till our last day should 
 
J56 THE SAINTS' REST 
 
 come. Is it possible that we can truly believe, that death wi.i 
 remove us from misery to such glory, and yet be loath to 
 die? If the doubts of our own interest in that glory make us 
 fear, yet a true belief of the certainty and excellency of this 
 rest would make us restless till our title to it be cleared. Though 
 there is much faith and Christianity in our mouths, yet there is 
 much infidelity and paganism in our hearts, which is the chief 
 cause that we are so loath to die. — It is also much owing to the 
 coldness of our love. If we love our friend, we love his company ; 
 his presence is comfortable, his absence is painful : when he 
 comes to us, we entertain him with gladness ; when he dies, we 
 mourn, and usually overmourn. To be separated from a faith- 
 ful friend, is like the rending a member from the body. And 
 would not our desires after God be such, if we really loved him ? 
 Nay, should it not be much more than such, as he is above all 
 friends most lovely ? May the Lord teach us to look closely to 
 our hearts, and take heed of self-deceit in this point ! Whatever 
 we pretend, if we love either father, mother, husband, wife, child, 
 friend, wealth, or life itself, more than Christ, we are yet "none 
 of his" sincere "disciples." When it comes to the trial, the 
 question will not be, Who hath preached most, or heard most, 
 or talked most? but, Who hath loved most? Christ will not take 
 sermons, prayers, fastings; no, nor the "giving our goods," nor 
 the "burning our bodies," instead of love. And do we love him, 
 and yet care not how long we are from him? Was it such a 
 joy to Jacob to see the face of Joseph in Egypt? and shall we 
 be contented without the sight of Christ in glory, and yet say 
 we love him? I dare not conclude, that we have no love at all, 
 when we are so loath to die ; but I dare say, were our love more, 
 we should die more willingly. If this holy flame were thoroughly 
 kindled in our breasts, we should cry out, with David, " As the 
 hart panteth after the water-brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, 
 O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God ; when 
 shall I come and appear before God ?" — By our unwillingness 
 to die, it appears we are little weary of sin. Did we take sin 
 for the greatest evil, we should not be willing to have its com- 
 pany so long. "O, foolish, sinful heart ! hast thou been so long 
 a cage of all unclean lusts, a fountain incessantly streaming forth 
 ♦he bitter waters of transgressions, and art thou not yet weary ? 
 Wretched soul! hast thou been so long wounded in all thy 
 
IS NOT ON EARTH. |57 
 
 faculties, so grievously languishing in all thy performances, so 
 fruitful a soil of all iniquities, and art thou not yet more weary ? 
 Wouldst thou still lie under thy imperfections? Hath thy sin 
 proved so profitable a commodity, so necessary a companion, 
 such a delightful employment, that thou dost so much dread the 
 parting day? May not God justly grant thee thy wishes, and 
 seal thee a lease of thy desired distance from him, and nail thy 
 ears to these doors of misery, and exclude thee eternally from 
 his glory?" — It shows that we are insensible of the vanity of 
 the creature, when we are so loath to hear or think of a removal. 
 "Ah, foolish, wretched soul! doth every prisoner groan for free- 
 dom? and every slave desire his jubilee? and every sick man 
 long for health? and every hungry man for food? and dost thou 
 alone abhor deliverance? Doth the sailor wish to see land? 
 Doth the husbandman desire the harvest, and the labourer to 
 receive his pay? Doth the traveller long to be at home, and the 
 racer to win the prize, and the soldier to win the field? and art 
 thou loath to see thy labours finished, and to receive the end of 
 thy faith and sufferings? Have thy griefs been only dreams? 
 If they were, yet methinks thou shouldst not be afraid of waking. 
 Or is it not rather the world's delights that are all mere dreams 
 and shadows? Or is the world become of late more kind? We 
 may at our peril reconcile ourselves to the world, but it will 
 never reconcile itself to us. O, unworthy soul ! who hadst 
 rather dwell in the land of darkness, and wander in this barren 
 wilderness, than be at rest with Jesus Christ ! who hadst rather 
 stay among the wolves, and daily suffer the scorpion's stings, 
 than praise the Lord with the host of heaven ?" 
 
 This unwillingness to die doth actually impeach us of high 
 treason against the Lord. Is it not choosing of earth before him, 
 and taking of present things for our happiness, and consequently 
 making them our very god ? If we did indeed make God our 
 end, our rest, our portion, our treasure, how is it possible but we 
 should desire to enjoy him? — It moreover discovers some dissim- 
 ulation. Would you have any believe you, when you called the 
 Lord your only hope, and speak of Christ as all in all, and of the 
 joy that is in his presence, and yet would endure the hardest 
 life, rather than die, and enter into his presence ? What self-con. 
 tradiction is this, to talk so hardly of the world, and the flesh, to 
 groan and complain of sin and suffering, and yet fear no day 
 
153 THE SAINTS' REST 
 
 more than that which we expect should bring our final free- 
 dom! What hypocrisy is this, to profess to strive and fight for 
 heaven, which we are loath to come to! and spend one hour 
 after another in prayer for that which we would not have. 
 Hereby we wrong the Lord and his promises, and disgrace his 
 ways in the eyes of the world. As if we would persuade them 
 to question whether God be true to his word or not ; whether there 
 be any such glory as the Scripture mentions. When they see 
 those so loath to leave their hold of present things, who have pro- 
 fessed to live by faith, and have boasted of their hopes in another 
 world, and spoken disgracefully of all things below in comparison 
 of things above, how doth this confirm the world in their unbelief 
 and sensuality? "Sure," say they, "if these professors did 
 expect so much glory, and make so light of the world as they 
 seem, they would not themselves be so loath to change." O 
 how are we ever able to repair the wrong which we do to God 
 and souls by this scandal? And what an honour to God, what 
 a strengthening to believers, what a conviction to unbelievers 
 would it be, if Christians in this did answer their profession, 
 and cheerfully welcome the news of rest ! — it also evidently 
 shows, that we have spent much to little purpose. Have we 
 not had all our lifetime to prepare to die? so many years to 
 make ready for one hour, and are we so unready and unwilling 
 yet? What have we done? Why have we lived? Had we 
 any greater matters to mind ? Would we have wished for more 
 frequent warnings? How oft hath death entered the habitations 
 of our neighbours. How oft hath it knocked at our own doors! 
 How many distempers have vexed our bodies, that we have been 
 forced to receive the sentence of death! And are we unready 
 and unwilling after all this? O careless, dead-hearted sinners! 
 unworthy neglecters of God's warnings! faithless betrayers of 
 our own souls ! 
 
 Consider, not to die is never to be happy. To escape death 
 is to miss of blessedness, except God should translate us, as 
 Enoch and Elijah, which he never did before or since. "If in 
 this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most 
 miserable." If you would not die, and go to heaven, what would 
 you have more than an epicure or a beast? Why do we pray, 
 and fast, and mourn? Why do we suffer the contempt of the 
 world? Why are we Christians, and not pagans and infidels, if 
 
IS NOT ON EARTH I59 
 
 v?e do not desire a life to come? Wouldst thou lose thy faith 
 and labour, Christian? all thy duties and sufferings, all the end 
 of thy life, and all the blood of Christ, and be contented with the 
 portion of a worldling or a brute? Rather say, as one did on 
 his death-bed, when he was asked whether he was willing to die 
 or not, "Let him be loath to die, who is loath to be with Christ." 
 Is God willing by death to glorify us, and are we unwilling to die, 
 that we may be glorified? Methinks, if a prince were willing to 
 make you his heir, you would scarcely accept it; the refusing 
 such a kindness would discover ingratitude and unworthiness. 
 As God hath resolved against them, who make excuses when 
 they should come to Christ, "None of those men, who were 
 bidden, shall taste of my supper;" so it is just with him to 
 resolve against us, who frame excuses when we should come to 
 glory. — The Lord Jesus Christ was willing to come from heaven 
 to earth for us, and shall we be unwilling to remove from earth 
 to heaven for ourselves and him? He might have said, "What 
 is it to me, if these sinners suffer? If they value their flesh 
 above their spirits, and their lusts above my father's love ; if 
 they will sell their souls for nought, who is it fit should be the 
 loser? Should I, whom they have wronged? Must they wil- 
 fully transgress my law, and I undergo their deserved pain? 
 Must I come down from heaven to earth, and clothe myself with 
 human flesh, be spit upon and scorned by man, and fast, and 
 weep, and sweat, and suffer, and bleed, and die a cursed death ; 
 and all this for wretched worms, who would rather hazard their 
 souls, than forbear one forbidden morsel? Do they cast away 
 themselves so slightly, and must I redeem them so dearly?" 
 Thus we see Christ had reason enough to have made him unwill- 
 ing; and yet did he voluntarily condescend. But we have no 
 reason against our coming to him ; except we will reason against 
 our hopes, and plead for a perpetuity of our own calamities. 
 Christ came down to fetch us up ; and would we have him lose 
 his blood and labour, and go again without us? Hath he bought 
 our rest at so dear a rate? Is our inheritance "purchased with 
 this blood?" And are we, after all this, loath to enter? Ah, 
 sirs! it was Christ, and not we, that had cause to be loath. May 
 the Lord forgive, and heal this foolish ingratitude ! 
 
 Do we not combine with our most cruel foes in their most 
 malicious designs, while we are loath to die, and go to heaven? 
 
160 THE 8AINTS' REST 
 
 What is the devil's daily business ! Is it not to keep our soula 
 from God? And shall we be content with this? Is it not the 
 one half of hell which we wish to ourselves, while we desire to 
 be absent from heaven ? What sport is this to Satan, that his 
 desires and thine, Christian, should so concur! that, when he 
 sees he cannot get thee to hell, he can so long keep thee out of 
 heaven, and make thee the earnest petitioner for it thyself! O 
 gratify not the devil so much to thy own injury! Do not our 
 daily fears of death make our lives a continual torment? Those 
 lives which might be full of joy, in the daily contemplations of 
 the life to come, and the sweet, delightful thoughts of bliss ; how 
 do we fill them up with causeless terrors! Thus we consume 
 our own comforts, and prey upon our truest pleasures. When 
 we might lie down, and rise up, and walk abroad, with our hearts- 
 full of the joys of God, we continually fill them with perplexing 
 fears. For he that fears dying must be always fearing ; because 
 he hath always reason to expect it. And how can that man's 
 life be comfortable, who lives in continual fear of losing his 
 comforts? — Are not these fears of death self-created sufferings? 
 as if God had not inflicted enough upon us, but we must inflict 
 more upon ourselves. Is not death bitter enough to the flesh of 
 itself, but we must double and treble its bitterness? The suffer- 
 ings laid upon us by God do all lead to happy issues ; the progress 
 is from tribulation to patience, from thence to experience, and 
 so to hope, and at last to glory. But the sufferings we make 
 for ourselves are circular and endless, from sin to suffering, 
 from suffering to sin, and so to suffering again ; and not only so, 
 but they multiply in their course ; every sin is greater than the 
 former, and so every suffering also : so that, except we think 
 God made us to be our own tormentors, we have small reason to 
 nourish our fears of death — And are they not useless, unprofit- 
 able fears? As all our care " cannot make one hair white or 
 black, nor add one cubit to our stature," so neither can our fear 
 prevent our sufferings, nor delay our death one hour: willing, 
 or unwilling, we must away. Many a man's fears have hastened 
 his end, but no man's ever did avert it. It is true, a cautious 
 fear concerning the danger after death, hath profited many, and 
 is very useful to the preventing of that danger ; but for a member 
 of Christ, and an heir of heaven, to be afraid of entering his own 
 inheritance, is a sinful, useless fear. — And do not our fears of 
 
IS NOT ON EARTH. 261 
 
 dying insnare our souls, and add strength to many temptations ? 
 What made Peter deny his Lord ? What makes apostates in 
 suffering times forsake the truth ? Why does the green blade 
 of unrooted faith wither before the heat of persecution? Fear 
 of imprisonment and poverty may do much, but fear of death 
 will do much more. So much fear as we have of death, so 
 much cowardice we usually have in the cause of God ; beside 
 the multitude of unbelieving contrivances, and discontents at the 
 wise disposal of God, and hard thoughts of most of his providences, 
 of which this sin makes us guilty. 
 
 Let us further consider, what a competent time most of us have 
 had. Why should not a man, that would die at all, be as willing 
 at thirty or forty, if God see fit, as at seventy or eighty ? Length 
 of time does not conquer corruption ; it never withers nor decays 
 through age. Except we receive an addition of grace, as well 
 as time, we naturally grow worse. " O my soul, depart in peace ! 
 As thou wouldst not desire an unlimited state in wealth and 
 honour, so desire it not in point of time. If thou wast sensible 
 how little thou deservest an hour of that patience which thou hast 
 enjoyed, thou wouldst think thou hadst had a large part. Is it 
 not divine wisdom that sets the bounds? God will honour himself 
 by various persons, and several ages, and not by one person or age. 
 Seeing thou hast acted thy own part, and finished thy appointed 
 course, come down contentedly, that others may succeed, who must 
 have their turns as well as thyself. Much time hath much duty. 
 Beg therefore for grace to improve it better; but be content with 
 thy share of time. Thou hast also had a competency of the com- 
 forts of life. God might have made thy life a burden, till thou hadst 
 been as weary of possessing it, as thou art now afraid of losing 
 it. He might have suffered thee to have consumed thy days 
 in ignorance, without the true knowledge of Christ : but he hath 
 opened thy eyes in the morning of thy days, and acquainted 
 thee betimes with the business of thy life. Hath thy heavenly 
 Father caused thy lot to fall in Europe, not in Asia, Africa, or 
 America; in England, not in Spain or Italy? Hath he filled up 
 all thy life with mercies, and dost thou now think thy share too 
 small ? What a multitude of hours of consolation, of delightful 
 Sabbaths, of pleasant studies, of precious companions, of wonder- 
 ful deliverances, of excellent opportunities, of fruitful labours, of 
 joyful tidings, of sweet experiences, of astonishing providences, 
 14* 
 
[02 THE SAINTS' REST, ETC. 
 
 hath thy life partaken of! Hath thy life been so sweet, that 
 thou ait loath to leave it? Is this thy thanks to him, who is thus 
 drawing thee to his own sweetness? O, foolish soul! would 
 thou wast as covetous after eternity, as thou art for a fading, 
 perishing life! and after the presence of God in glory, as thou 
 art for continuance on earth! Then thou wouldst cry, "Why 
 is his chariot so long in coming? Why tarry the wheels of his 
 chariot ?" How long, Lord! how long? — What if God should 
 let thee live many years, but deny thee the mercies which thou 
 hast hitherto enjoyed ? Might he not give thee life, as he gave the 
 murmuring Israelites quails? He might give life till thou art 
 weary of living, and as glad to be rid of it as Judas, or Ahitho- 
 phel ; and make thee like many miserable creatures in the world, 
 who can hardly forbear laying violent hands on themselves Be 
 not therefore so importunate for life, which may prove a judgment, 
 instead of a blessing. How many of the precious servants of 
 God, of all ages and places-, have gone before thee! Thou art 
 not to enter an untrodden path, nor appointed first to break the 
 ice. Except Enoch and Elijah, which of the saints have escaped 
 death? And art thou better than they ? There are many millions 
 of saints dead more than now remain on earth. What a number 
 of thine own bosom-friends, and companions in duty, are now 
 gone, and why shouldst thou be so loath to follow? Nay, hath 
 not Jesus Christ himself gone this way? Hath he not sanctified 
 the grave to us, and perfumed the dust with his own body, and 
 art thou loath to follow him too? Rather say, as Thomas, "Let 
 us also go, that we may die with him." 
 
 If what has been said will not persuade, Scripture and reason 
 have little force. And I have said the more on this subject, find- 
 ing it so needful to myself and others; finding among so many 
 Christians, who could do and suffer much for Christ, so few that 
 can willingly die? and of many, who have somewhat subdued 
 other corruptions, so few that have gotten the conquest of this. I 
 persuade not the ungodly from fearing death. It is a wonder that 
 they fear it no more, and spend not their days in continual horror 
 
A HEAVENLY LIFE UPON EARTH. 1Q3 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 THE IMPORTANCE OF LEADING A HEAVENLY LIFE UPON EARTH. 
 
 ITie reasonableness of delighting in the thoughts of the saints' rest. Christians exhorfed 
 to it, by considering— 1. It will evidence their sincere piety; 2. It is the highest excel- 
 lence of the Christian temper ; 3. It leads to the most comfortable life ; 4. It will be the 
 best preservative from temptations to sin ; 5. It will invigorate their graces and duties ; 
 ti. It will be their best cordial in all afflictions ; 7. It will render them most profitable 
 to others ; 8. It will honour God ; 9. Without it, we disobey the commands, and loso 
 the most gracious and delightful discoveries of the word of God; 10. It is the more 
 reasonable to have our hearts with God, as his is so much on us; and, 11. In heaven, 
 where we have so much interest and relation ; 12. Besides, there is nothing but heaven 
 worth setting our hearts upon. 
 
 1. Is there such a rest remaining for us? Why, then, are our 
 thoughts no more upon it? Why are not our hearts continually 
 there? Why dwell we not there in constant contemplation? 
 What is the cause of this neglect? Are we reasonable in this, 
 or are we not? Hath the eternal God provided us such a glory, 
 and promised to take us up to dwell with himself? and is not this 
 worth thinking on ? Should not the strongest desires of our hearts 
 be after it ? Do we believe this, and yet forget and neglect it ! 
 If God will not give us leave to approach this light, what mean all 
 his earnest invitations? Why doth he so condemn our earthly- 
 mindedness, and command us to set our affections on things 
 above? Ah, vile hearts! If God were against it, we were 
 likelier to be for it ; but when he commands our hearts to heaven, 
 then they will not stir one inch ; like our predecessors, the sinful 
 Israelites, when God would have them march for Canaan, then 
 they mutiny, and will not stir; but when God bids them not go, 
 then they will be presently marching. If God say, " Love not 
 the world, nor the things of the world," we dote upon it. How 
 freely, how frequently can we think of our pleasures, our friends, 
 our labours, our flesh and its lusts ! yea, our wrongs and miseries, 
 our fears and sufferings! But where is the Christian whose 
 heart is on his rest? What is the matter? Are we so full of 
 joy, that we need no more? Or is there nothing in heaven foi 
 our joyous thoughts? Or, rather, are not our hearts carnal and 
 stupid ! Let us humble these sensual hearts, that have in them 
 no more of Christ and glory. If this world was the only subject 
 of our discourse, all would count us ungodly : why, then, may we 
 
1(}4 A HEAVENLY LIFE 
 
 not call our hearts ungodly, that have so little delight in Christ 
 and heaven? 
 
 But I am speaking only to those whose portion is in heaven, 
 whose hopes are there, and who have forsaken all to enjoy this 
 glory; and shall I be discouraged from persuading such to be 
 heavenly-minded? Fellow-Christians, if you will not hear and 
 obey, who will ? Well may we be discouraged to exhort the 
 blind, ungodly world, and may say, as Moses did, "Behold, the 
 children of Israel have not hearkened unto me ; how then shall 
 Pharaoh hear me ?" I require thee, reader, as ever thou hopest 
 for a part in this glory, that thou presently take thy heart to task, 
 chide it for its wilful strangeness to God, turn thy thoughts from 
 the pursuit of vanity, bend thy soul to study eternity, busy it 
 about the life to come, habituate thyself to such contemplations, 
 and let not those thoughts be seldom and cursory, but bathe 
 thy soul in heaven's delights; and if thy backward soul begin to 
 flag, and thy thoughts to scatter, call them back, hold them to 
 their work, bear not with their laziness, nor connive at one neg- 
 lect. And when thou hast, in obedience to God, tried this work, 
 got acquainted with it, and kept a guard on thy thoughts till they 
 are accustomed to obey, thou wilt then find thyself in the suburbs 
 of heaven, and that there is, indeed, a sweetness in the work and 
 way of God, and that the life of Christianity is a life of joy. 
 Thou wilt meet with those abundant consolations which thou 
 hast prayed, panted, and groaned after, and which so few Chris- 
 tians do ever here obtain, because they know not this way to 
 them, or else make not conscience of walking in it. Say not, 
 "We are unable to set our own hearts on heaven; this must be 
 the work of God only." . Though God be the chief disposer of 
 your hearts, yet, next under him, you have the greatest com- 
 mand of them yourselves. Though without Christ you can do 
 nothing, yet under him you may do much, and must, or else it 
 will be undone, and yourselves undone through your neglect. 
 Christians, if your souls were healthful and vigorous, they 
 would perceive incomparably more delight and sweetness in the 
 believing, joyful thoughts of your blessedness, than the soundest 
 stomach finds in its food, or the strongest senses in the enjoyment 
 of their objects ; so little painful would this work be to you. But 
 because I know, while we have flesh about us, and any remains 
 of that "carnal mind, which is enmity to God," and to this noble 
 
LED UPON EaATH. ]65 
 
 work, that all motives are little enough, I will here lay down 
 some considerations, which, if you will deliberately weigh, with 
 an impartial judgment, I doubt not but they will prove effectual 
 with your hearts, and make you resolve on this excellent duty. 
 More particularly consider — it will evidence your sincere piety ; 
 it is the highest excellence of the Christian temper; it is the 
 way to live most comfortably; it will be the best preservative 
 from temptations to sin; it will enliven your graces and duties; 
 it will be your best cordial in all afflictions ! it will render you 
 most profitable to others; it will honour God: without it you 
 will disobey the commands, and lose the most gracious and 
 delightful discoveries, of the word of God : it is also the more 
 reasonable to have your hearts with God, as his is so much on 
 you; and in heaven, where you have so much interest and rela- 
 tion : besides, there is nothing but heaven worth setting your 
 hearts upon. 
 
 1. Consider, a heart set upon heaven will be one of the most 
 unquestionable evidences of your sincerity, and a clear discovery 
 of a true work of saving grace upon your souls. You are often 
 asking, "How shall we know that we are truly sanctified]" 
 Here you have a sign infallible from the mouth of Jesus Christ 
 himself; "where your treasure is, there will your hearts be 
 also." God is the saints' treasure and happiness; heaven is 
 the place where they must fully enjoy him. A heart, therefore, 
 set upon heaven, is no more but a heart set upon God ; and, 
 surely, a heart set upon God through Christ, is the truest evi- 
 dence of saving grace. When learning will be no proof of 
 grace; when knowledge, duties, gifts, will fail; when arguments 
 from thy tongue or hand may be confuted ; yet then will this, 
 from the bent of thy heart, prove thee sincere. Take a poor 
 Christian, of a weak understanding, a feeble memory, a stam- 
 mering tongue ; yet his heart is set on God, he hath chosen him 
 for his portion, his thoughts are on eternity, his desires are there ; 
 he cries out, "O that I were there!" He takes that day for a 
 time of imprisonment, in which he hath not had one refreshing 
 view of eternity. I had rather die in this man's condition, than 
 in the case of him who hath the most eminent gifts, and is most 
 admired for his performances, while his heart is not thus taken 
 up with God. The man that Christ will find out at the last day, 
 and condemn for want of a "wedding garment," will be one that 
 
Ifift A HEAVENLY LIFE 
 
 wants this frame of heart. The question will not then be, How 
 much have you known, or professed, or talked ? but, How much 
 have you loved, and where was your heart? Christians, as you 
 would have a proof of your title to glory, labour to get your 
 hearts above. If sin and Satan keep not your affections &«•* 
 thence, they will never be able to keep away your persons. 
 
 2. A heart in heaven is the highest excellence of Christian 
 temper. As there is a common excellence, by which Christians 
 differ from the world, so there is this peculiar dignity of spirit, 
 by which the more excellent differ from the rest. As the noblest 
 of creatures, so the noblest of Christians, are they whose faces 
 are set most direct for heaven. Such a heavenly saint, who 
 hath been wrapped up to God in his contemplations, and is newly 
 come down from the views of Christ, what discoveries will he 
 make of those superior regions! how high and sacred is his dis- 
 course! enough to convince an understanding hearer, that he 
 hath seen- the Lord, and that no man could speak such words, 
 except he had been with God. This, this is the noble Christian. 
 The most famous mountains and trees are those that reach near- 
 est to heaven; and he is the choicest Christian, whose heart is 
 most frequently and most delightfully there. If a man have 
 lived near the king, or hath seen the sultan of Persia, or the 
 great Turk, he will be thought a step higher than his neighbours. 
 What, then, shall we judge of him that daily travels as far as 
 heaven, and there hath seen the King of kings, hath frequent 
 admittance into the divine presence, and feasteth his soul upon the 
 tree of life? For my part, I value this man before the noblest, 
 the richest, the most learned, in the world. 
 
 3. A heavenly mind is the nearest and truest way to a life of 
 comfort. The countries far north are cold and frozen, because 
 they are distant from the sun. What makes such frozen uncom- 
 fortable Christians, but their living so far from heaven ? And 
 what makes others so warm in comforts, bat their living higher, 
 and having nearer access with God? When the sun in the 
 spring draws nearer to our part of the earth, how do all things 
 congratulate its approach? The earth looks green, the trees 
 shoot forth, the plants revive, the birds sing, and all things smile 
 upon us. If we would but try this life with God, and keep these 
 hearts above, what a spring of joy would be within us! How 
 should we forget our winter sorrows ! How early should we rise 
 
LED UPON EARTH. 16? 
 
 to sing the praise of our great Creator ! O, Christians, get above. 
 Those that have been there have found it warmer ; and i doubt not 
 but thou hast sometime tried it thyself. When have you largest 
 comforts? Is it not when thou hast conversed with God, and 
 talked with the inhabitants of the higher world, and viewed their 
 mansions, and filled thy soul with the forethoughts of glory. If 
 thou knowest by experience what this practice is, I dare say 
 thou knowest what spiritual joy is. If, as David professes, "the 
 light of God's countenance more gladdens the heart, than corn 
 and wine," then, surely, they that draw nearest, and most behold 
 it, must be fullest of these joys. Whom should we blame, then, 
 that we are so void of consolation, but our own negligent hearts? 
 God hath provided us a crown of glory, and promised to set it 
 shortly on our heads, and we will not so much as think of it. 
 He bids us behold and rejoice, and we will not so much as look 
 at it; and yet we complain for want of comfort. It is by believ- 
 ing that we are "filled with joy and peace," and no longer than 
 we continue believing. It is in hope the saints rejoice, and no 
 longer than they continue hoping. God's Spirit worketh our 
 comforts, by setting our own spirits on work upon the promises, 
 and raising our thoughts to the place of our comforts. As you 
 would delight a covetous man by showing him gold, so God 
 delights his people by leading them, as it were, into heaven, and 
 showing them himself, and their rest with him. He does not 
 cast in our joys while we are idle, or taken up with other things. 
 He gives the fruits of the earth while we plough, and sow, and 
 weed, and water, and dung, ?nd dress, and with patience expect 
 his blessing ; so doth he give the joys of the soul. I entreat 
 thee, reader, in the name of the Lord, and as thou valuest the 
 life of constant joy, and that good conscience which is a contin- 
 ual feast, to set upon this work seriously, and learn the art of 
 heavenly-mindedness, and thou shalt find the increase an hun- 
 dred fold, and the benefit abundantly exceed thy labour. But 
 this is the misery of man's nature ; though every man naturally 
 hates sorrow, and loves the most merry and joyful life, yet few 
 love Ihe way to joy, or will endure the pains by which it is 
 obtained ; they will take the next that comes to hand, and content 
 themselves with earthly pleasures, rather than they will ascend 
 to heaven to seek it; and yet, when all is do:ie, they must have 
 it there, or be without it. 
 
IQS A HEAVENLY LIFE 
 
 4. A heart in h.aven will be a most excellent preservative 
 against temptations to sin. It will keep the heart well employed. 
 When we are idle, we tempt the devil to tempt us; as careless 
 persons make thieves. A heart in heaven can reply to the 
 tempter, as Nehemiah did, " I am doing a great work, so that 
 I cannot come." It hath no leisure to be lustful or wanton, 
 ambitious or worldly. If you were but busy in your lawful 
 callings, you would not be so ready to hearken to temptations ; 
 much less if you were also busy above with God. Would a 
 judge be persuaded to rise from the bench, when he is sitting 
 upon life and death, to go and play with children in the streets? 
 No more will a Christian, when he is taking a survey of his 
 eternal rest, give ear to the alluring charms of Satan. The 
 children of that kingdom should never have time for trifles, 
 especially when they are employed in the affairs of the kingdom ; 
 and this employment is one of the saints' chief preservatives 
 from temptations. 
 
 A heavenly mind is the freest from sin, because it hath truer 
 and livelier apprehensions of spiritual things. He hath so deep 
 an insight into the evil of sin, the vanity of the creature, the 
 brutishnessof fleshly, sensual delights, that temptations have little 
 power over him. "In vain the net is spread," says Solomon, 
 "in the sight of any bird." And usually in vain doth Satan lay 
 his snares to entrap the soul that plainly sees them. Earth is 
 the place for his temptations, and the ordinary bait; and how 
 shall these insnare the Christian who hath left the earth, and 
 walks with God ? Is converse with wise and learned men the 
 way to make one wise ? Much more is converse with God. If 
 travellers return home with wisdom and experience, how much 
 more he that travels to heaven ! If our bodies are suited to the 
 air and climate we most live in, his understanding must be fuller 
 of light, who lives with the Father of lights. The men of the 
 world that dwell below, and know no other conversation but 
 earthly, no wonder if their "understanding be darkened," and 
 Satan "takes them captive at his will." How can worms and 
 moles see, whose dwelling is always in the earth? While this 
 dust is in their eyes, no wonder they mistake gain for godliness, 
 sin for grace, the world for God, their own wills for the law of 
 Christ, and, in the issue, hell for heaven. But when a Christian 
 withdraws himself from his worldly thoughts, and begins to con- 
 
LED UPON EARTH. 1Q9 
 
 verse with God in heaven, methinks he is, as Nebuchadnezzar, 
 taken from the beasts of the field to the throne, and "his reason 
 returneth unto him." When he hath had a glimpse of eternity, 
 and looks down on the world again, how doth he charge with 
 folly his neglects of Christ, his fleshly pleasures, his earthly 
 cares ! How doth he say to his laughter, It is mad ; and to his 
 vain mirth, What doth it? How both he verily think there is 
 no man in Bedlam so truly mad, as wilful sinners, and unworthy 
 slighters of Christ and glory ! This makes a dying man usually 
 wiser than others, because he looks on eternity as near, and hath 
 more heart-piercing thoughts of it, than he ever had in health 
 and prosperity. Then many of the most bitter enemies of the 
 saints have their eyes opened, and, like Balaam, cry out, "O 
 that I might die the death of the righteous, and that my last end 
 might be like his!"- Yet let the same men recover, and lose 
 their apprehensions of the life to come, and how quickly do they 
 lose their understandings with it? Tell a dying sinner of the 
 riches, honours, or pleasures of the world, and would he not 
 answer, "What is all this to me, who must presently appear 
 before God, and give an account of all my life!" Christian, 
 if the apprehended nearness of eternity will work such strange 
 effects upon the ungodly, and make them so much wiser than 
 before, O what rare effects would it produce in thee if thou 
 couldst always dwell in the views of God, and in lively thoughts 
 of thy everlasting state ! Surely a believer, if he improve his 
 faith, may ordinarily have more quickening apprehensions of 
 the life to come, in the time of his health, than an unbeliever 
 hath at the hour of his death. 
 
 A heavenly mind is also fortified against temptations, because 
 the affections are thoroughly prepossessed with the high delights 
 of another world. He that loves most, and not he that only knows 
 most, will most easily resist the emotions of sin. The will doth as 
 sweetly relish goodness, as the understanding doth truth; and 
 here lies much of a Christian's strength. When thou hast had 
 a fresh, delightful taste of heaven, thou wilt not be so easily 
 persuaded from it. You cannot persuade a child to part with 
 his sweetmeats, while the taste is in his mouth. O that you 
 would be much on feeding on the hidden manna, and frequently 
 tasting the delights of heaven! How would this confirm thy 
 resolutions, and make thee despise the fooleries of the world, 
 15 
 
]70 A HEAVENLY LIFE 
 
 and scorn to be cheated with such childish toys. If tl.e ne\i 
 had set upon Peter in the mount of transfiguration, when he saw 
 Moses and Elias talking with Christ, would he so easily have 
 been drawn to deny his Lord ? What ! with all that glory in his 
 eye? No. So, if he should set upon a believing soul, when he 
 is taken up in the mount with Christ, what would such a sou! 
 say ? " Get thee behind me, Satan ; wouldst thou persuade me 
 hence with trifling pleasures, and steal my heart from this my 
 rest? Wouldst thou have me sell these joys for nothing? Is 
 any honour or delight like this? or can that be profit, for which 
 I must lose this?" But Satan stays till we are come down, and 
 the taste of heaven is out of our mouths, and the glory we saw, is 
 even forgotten, and then he easily deceives our hearts. Though 
 the Israelites below eat, and drink, and rise up to play before their 
 idol, Moses in the mount will not do so. O, if we could keep the 
 taste of our souls continually delighted with the sweetness above, 
 with what disdain should we spit on the baits of sin! 
 
 Besides, whilst the heart is set on heaven, a man is under God's 
 protection. If Satan then assault us, God is more engaged for 
 our defence, and will doubtless stand by us, and say, "My grace 
 is sufficient for thee." When a man is in the way of God's 
 blessing, he is in the less danger of sin's enticing. Amidst thy 
 temptations, Christian reader, use much this powerful remedy — 
 keep close with God by a heavenly mind ; follow your business 
 above with Christ, and you will find this a surer help than any 
 other. " The way of life is above to the wise, that he may depart 
 from hell beneath." Remember that "Noah was a just man, and 
 perfect in his generation ;" for he " walked with God :" and that 
 God said to Abraham, "Walk before me, and be thou perfect." 
 
 5. The diligent keeping your hearts in heaven will maintain 
 the vigour of all your graces, and put life into all your duties. 
 The heavenly Christian is the lively Christian. It is our strange- 
 ness to heaven that makes us so dull. How will the soldier hazard 
 his life, and the mariner pass through storms and waves, and no 
 difficulty keep them back, when they think of an uncertain, per- 
 ishing treasure ! What life, then, would it put into a Christian's* 
 endeavours if he would frequently think of his everlasting trea- 
 sure? We run so slowly, and strive so lazily, because we so little 
 mind the prize. Observe but the man who is much in heaven, 
 and vou shall see he is not like other Christians; there is some- 
 
LEI) UPON EARTH. 17] 
 
 whing of what he hath seen ax>ve appeareth in all his duty and 
 conversation. If a preacher, how heavenly are his sermons! . 
 [f a private Christian, what heavenly converse, prayers, and 
 deportment! Set upon this employment, and others will see the 
 face of your conversation shine, and say, Surely he hath been 
 "with God on the mount.'' But if you lie complaining of dead- 
 ness, and dulness; that you cannot love Christ, nor rejoice in his 
 love; that you have no life in prayer, nor in any other duty; 
 and yet neglect this quickening employment; you are the cause 
 of your own complaints. Is not thy life hid with Christ in God ? 
 Where must thou go, but to Christ for it? And where is that, 
 but to heaven, "where Christ is? Thou wilt not come to Christ, 
 that thou mayst have life." If thou wouldst have light and heat, 
 why art thou no more in the sunshine ? For want of this recourse 
 to heaven, thy soul is as a lamp not lighted, and thy duties as a 
 sacrifice without fire. Fetch one coal daily from this altar, and 
 see if thy offering will not burn. Light thy lamp at this flame, 
 and feed it daily with oil from hence, and see if it will not 
 gloriously shine. Keep close to this reviving fire, and see if thy 
 affections will not be warm. In thy want of love to God, lift up 
 thy eye of faith to heaven, behold his beauty, contemplate his 
 excellences, and see whether his amiableness and perfect good- 
 ness will not ravish thy heart. As exercise gives appetite, 
 strength, and vigour to the body, so these heavenly exercises 
 will quickly cause the increase of grace and spiiitual life. 
 Besides, it is not false or strange fire, which you fetch from 
 heaven for your sacrifices. The zeal which is kindled by your 
 meditations on heaven, is most likely to be a heavenly zeal. 
 Some men's fervency is only drawn from their books, some from 
 the sharpness of affliction, some from the mouth of a moving 
 minister, and some from the attention of an auditory ; but he that 
 knows this way to heaven, and derives it daily from the true 
 fountain, shall have his soul revived with the water of life, and 
 enjoy that quickening which is peculiar to the saints. "By 
 this faith thou mayst offer Abel's sacrifice more excellent than" 
 that of common men, and "by it obtain witness that thou art 
 righteous, God testifying of thy gifts" that they are sincere. 
 When others are ready, like Baal's priests, to "cut themselves," 
 because their sacrifice will not burn, thou mayst breathe the spirit 
 of Elijah, and in the chariot of contemplation soar aloft, till thy 
 
4 72 A HEAVENLY LIFE 
 
 bouI and sacrifice gloriously flame, though the flesh and the worio 
 should cast upon them all the water of their opposing enmi y 
 Say not, How can mortals ascend to heaven? Faith hath wings. 
 and meditation is its chariot. Faith is a burning-glass to thy 
 sacrifice, and meditation sets it to the face of the sun ; only take it 
 not away too soon, but hold it there awhile, and thy soul will feeJ 
 the happy effect. Reader, art thou not thinking, when thou secst 
 a lively Christian, and nearest his lively, fervent prayers, and 
 edifying discourse, "O how happy a man is this! O that my 
 soul were in this blessed condition!" Why, I here advise thee 
 from God, set thy soul conscientiously to this work, wash thee 
 frequently in this Jordan, and thy leprous, dead soul will revive, 
 '•and thou shalt know that there is a God in Israel," and that 
 thou mayst live a vigorous and joyful life, if thou dost not wil- 
 fully neglect thy own mercies. 
 
 6. The frequent believing views of glory are the most precious 
 cordials in all afflictions. These cordials, by cheering our spirits, 
 render our sufferings far more easy, enable us to bear them with 
 patience and joy, and so strengthen our resolutions, that we for- 
 sake not Christ for fear of trouble. If the way be ever so rough, 
 can it be tedious if it lead to heaven? O, sweet sickness, 
 reproaches, imprisonments, or death, accompanied with these 
 tastes of our future rest! This keeps the suffering from the 
 soul, so that it only can touch the flesh. Had it not been for 
 that little (alas ! too little) taste which I had of rest, my sufferings 
 would have been grievous, and death more terrible. I may say, 
 "I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the 
 Lord in the land of the living." Unless this promised rest " had 
 been my delight, I should then have perished in mine afflic- 
 tion. One thing have I desired of the Lord ; that will I seek 
 after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord, all the days of 
 my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his tem- 
 ple. For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion : 
 in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me ; he shall set me 
 upon a rock. And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine 
 enemies, round about me. Therefore will I offer in his tabernacle 
 sacrifices of joy; I will sing — yea, I will sing praises unto the 
 Lord." All sufferings are nothing to us, so far as we have these 
 supporting joys. When persecution and fear hath shut the doors> 
 Christ can come in ; and stand in the midst, and say to his disci- 
 
LED UPON EARTH. y £ 
 
 • 
 
 pies, "Peace be unto you." Paul and Silas can be in heaven ; 
 even when they are thrust into the inner prison, their bodies 
 scourged with "many stripes, and their feet fast in the stocks." 
 The martyrs find more rest in their flames, than their persecutors 
 in their pomp and tyranny ; because they foresee the flames they 
 escape, and the rest which their fiery chariot is conveying them 
 to. If the Son of God will walk with us, we are safe in the 
 midst of those flames, which shall devour them that cast us in. 
 "Abraham went out of his country, not knowing whither he 
 went; because he looked for a city which hath foundations, 
 vhose builder and maker is God. Moses esteemed the reproach 
 cf Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; because 
 he had respect unto the recompense of reward. He forsook 
 Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; because he endured 
 as seeing him who is invisible. Others were tortured, not accept- 
 ing deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. 
 Even Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, for the joy that 
 was set before them, endured the cross, despising the shame, and 
 is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. This is 
 the noble advantage of faith ; it can look on the means and end 
 together. This is the great reason of our impatience, and cen- 
 suring of God, because we gaze on the evil itself, but fix not our 
 thoughts on what is beyond it. They that saw Christ only on 
 the cross, or in the grave, do shake their heads, and think him 
 lost; but God saw him dying, buried, rising, glorified, and all 
 this at one view. Faith will in this imitate God, so far as it 
 hath the glass of a promise to help it. We see God burying us 
 under ground, but we foresee not the spring, when we shall all 
 revive. Could we but clearly see heaven, as the end of all 
 God's dealings with us, surely none of his dealings could be 
 grievous. If God would once raise us to this life, we should 
 find, that though heaven and sin are at a great distance, yet 
 heaven and a prison, or banishment, heaven and the belly of a 
 whale, or a den of lions, heaven and consuming sickness, or 
 invading death, are at no such distance. But as "Abraham saw 
 Christ's day and rejoiced," so we, in our most forlorn state, might 
 see that day when Christ shall give us rest, and therein rejoice. 
 I beseech thee, Christian, for the honour of the gospel, and for 
 thy soul's comfort, be not to learn this heavenly art when, in thy 
 greatest extremity, thou hast most need to use it. He that, with 
 15* 
 
174 A HEAVENLY LIFE 
 
 Stephen, "sees the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right 
 hand of God," will comfortably bear the shower of stones. 
 "The joy of the Lord is our strength," and that joy must be 
 fetched from the place of our joy ; and if we walk without our 
 strength, how lon^ are we like to endure? 
 
 7. He whose conversation is in heaven is the profitable Chris- 
 tian to all about him. When a man is in a strange country, 
 how glad is he of the company of one of his own nation! How 
 delightful is it to talk of their own country, their acquaintance, 
 and affairs at home ! With what pleasure did Joseph talk with 
 his brethren, and inquire after his father, and his brother Benja- 
 min! Is it not so to a Christian, to talk with his brethren that ' 
 have been above, and inquire after his Father, and Christ his 
 Lord? When a worldly man will talk of nothing but the world; 
 and a politician of state affair^ and a mere schola^of human 
 learning,' and a common prdfessor of his duties; the heavenly 
 man will be speaking of heaven, and the strange glory his faith 
 hath seen, and our speedy and blessed meeting there. O how 
 refreshing and useful are his expressions ! How his words pierce 
 and melt the heart, and transform the hearers into other men ! 
 How doth his " doctrine drop as the rain, and his speech distil 
 as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the 
 showers upon the grass, while his lips publish the name of the 
 Lord, and ascribe greatness unto his God !" His sweet discourse 
 of heaven is like the "box of precious ointment," which, being 
 " poured upon the head of Christ, filled the house with the odour." 
 All that are near may be refreshed by it. Happy the people 
 that have a heavenly minister ! Happy the children and servants 
 that have a heavenly father or master! Happy the man that 
 hath a heavenly companion, who will watch over thy ways, 
 strengthen thee* when thou art weak, cheer thee when thou art 
 drooping, and "comfort thee with the comfort wherewith he him- 
 self" hath been so often comforted of God ! This is he that will 
 always be blowing at the spark of thy spiritual life, and drawing 
 thy soul to God, and will say to thee, as the Samaritan woman. 
 "Come and see one that hath told me all that ever I did;" one 
 that hath loved our souls to the death. "Is not this the Christ?" 
 Is not "the knowledge of God and him eternal life?" ^ Is it not 
 the glory of the saints to see his glory ! Come to this man's 
 house, and sit at his table, and he will feast thy scul with the 
 
LED UPON EARTH. 175 
 
 dainties of heaven ; travel with him by the way, and he will 
 direct and quicken thee in thy journey to heaven ; trade with him 
 in the world, and he will counsel thee to buy "the pearl of great 
 price." If thou wrong him, he can pardon thee, remembering 
 that Christ hath pardoned his greater offences. If thou be angry, 
 he is meek, considering the meekness of his heavenly Pattern ; 
 or, if he fall out with you, he is soon reconciled, when he recol- 
 lects that in heaven you must be everlasting friends. This is 
 the Christian of the right stamp, and all about him are better 
 for him. How unprofitable is the society of all other sorts of 
 Christians, in comparison with this ! If a man should come from 
 heaven, how would men long to hear what reports he would make 
 of the other world, and what he had seen, and what the blessed 
 there enjoy ! Would they not think this man the best companion, 
 and his discourses the most profitable ! Why, then, do you value 
 the company of saints no more, and inquire no more of them, 
 and relish their discourse no better? For every saint shall go 
 to heaven in person, and is frequently there in spirit, and hath 
 often viewed it in the glass of the gospel. For my part I had 
 rather have the company of a heavenly-minded Christian, than 
 that of the most learned disputants or princely commanders. 
 
 8. No man so highly honoureth God as he whose conversation 
 is in heaven. Is not a parent disgraced, when his children feed 
 on husks, are clothed in rags, and keep company with none but 
 rogues and beggars? Is it not so to our heavenly Father, when 
 we, who call ourselves his children, feed on earth, and the garb 
 of our souls is like that of the world ; and our hearts familiarly 
 converse with, and "cleave to the dust," rather than stand con- 
 tinually in our Father's presence? Surely we live below the 
 children of the King, not according to the height of our hopes, nor 
 the provision of our Father's house, and the great preparations 
 made for his saints. It is well we have a father of tender bowels, 
 who will own his children in rags. If he did not first challenge 
 his interest in us, neither ourselves nor others could know us to 
 be his people. But when a Christian can live above, and rejoice 
 his soul with the things that arc unseen, how is God honoured by 
 such a one ! The Lord will testify for him, This man believes me, 
 and takes me at my word ; he rejoices in my promise, before he 
 has possession ; he can be thankful for what his bodily eyes never 
 saw ; his rejoicing is not in the flesh ; his heart is with me ; he 
 
176 A HEAVENLY LIFE 
 
 loves my presence ; and he shall surely enjoy it in my kingdom 
 for ever. "Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have 
 believed. Them that honour me, I will honour." How did God 
 esteem himself honoured by Caleb and Joshua, when they went 
 into the promised land, and brought back to their brethren a taste 
 of the fruits, and spake well of the good land, and encouraged the 
 people ! What a promise and recompense did they receive ! 
 
 9. A soul that does not set its affections on things above, dis- 
 oheys the commands, and loses the most gracious and delightful 
 discoveries of the word of God. The same God that hath com- 
 manded thee to believe, and to be a Christian, hath commanded 
 thee to "seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth 
 on the right hand of God, and to set your affections on things 
 above, not on things on the earth." The same God that has for- 
 bidden thee to murder, steal, or commit adultery, has forbidden 
 thee the neglect of this great duty ; and darest thou wilfully dis- 
 obey him? Why not make conscience of one as well as the 
 other? He hath made it thy duty, as well as the means of thy 
 comfort, that a double bond may engage thee not to forsake thy 
 own mercies. Besides,. what are all the most glorious descriptions 
 of heaven, all those discoveries of our future blessedness, and 
 precious promises of our rest, but lost to thee? Are not these 
 the stars in the firmament of Scripture, and the golden lines in 
 that book of God ? Methinks thou shouldst not part with one of 
 these promises — no, not for a world. As heaven is the perfection 
 of all our mercies, so the promises of it in the gospel are the 
 very soul of the gospel. Is a comfortable word from the mouth 
 of God of such worth, that all the comforts in the world are 
 nothing to it? And dost thou neglect and overlook so many of 
 them? Why should God reveal so much of his counsel, and tell 
 us beforehand of the joys we shall possess, but to make us know 
 it for our joy? If it had not been to fill us with the delights ot 
 our foreknown blessedness, he might have kept his purpose tc 
 himself, and never have let us known it till we came to enjoy it. 
 Yea, when we had got possession of our rest, he might still have 
 concealed its eternity from us, pnd then the fears of losing it 
 would have diminished the sweetness of our joys. But it hath 
 pleased our Father to open his counsel, and let us know the very 
 intent of his heart, that our joy might be full, and that we might 
 live as the heirs of such a kingdom. And shall we now overlook 
 
LED UPON EARTH. 177 
 
 all ? Shall we live in earthly cares an J sorrows, and rejoice no 
 more in these discoveries, than if the Lord had never wrote them ? 
 If thy prince had but sealed thee a patent of some lordship, how 
 oft wouldst thou cast thy eyes upon it, and make it thy delightful 
 study, till thou shouldst come to possess the dignity itself! And 
 hath God sealed thee a patent of heaven, and dost thou let it lie 
 by thee, as if thou hadst forgot it? O that our hearts were 
 as high as our hopes, and our hopes as high as these infallible 
 promises ! 
 
 10. It is but equal that our hearts should be on God, when the 
 heart of God is so much on us. If the Lord of glory can stoop 
 so low as to set his heart on sinful dust, methinks we should 
 easily be persuaded to set our hearts on Christ and glory, and 
 ascend to him, in our daily affections, who so much condescends 
 to us. Christian, dost thou not perceive that the heart of God is 
 set upon thee, and that he is still minding thee with tender love, 
 even when thon forgettest both thyself and him ? Is he not fol- 
 lowing thee with daily mercies, moving upon thy soul, providing 
 for thy body, preserving both ? Doth he not bear thee continually 
 in the arms of love, and promise that "all shall work together 
 for thy good," and suit all his dealings to thy greatest advantage, 
 and "give his angels charge over thee?" And canst thou be 
 taken up with the joys below, and forget thy Lord, who forgets 
 not thee? Unkind ingratitude! When he speaks of his own 
 kindness for us, hear what he says: "Zion said, The Lord hath 
 forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me. Can a woman 
 forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on 
 the son of her womb? Yea, she may forget, yet will I not forget 
 thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; 
 thy walls are continually before me." But when he speaks of 
 our regards in him, the case is otherwise. "Can a maid forget 
 her ornaments, or a bride her attire? Yet my people have for- 
 gotten me days without number." As if he should say, "You 
 will not rise one morning, but you wiil remember to cover your 
 nakedness, nor forget your vanity of dress; and are these of 
 more worth than your God? of more importance than your eter- 
 nal life? And yet you can forget these day after day." Give 
 not God cause thus to expostulate with us. Rather let our souls 
 get up to God, and visit him every morning, and car hearts 
 towards him every moment 
 
J78 A HEAVENI Y LIFE 
 
 11. Our interest in heaven, and our relation to it, should con- 
 tinually keep our hearts upon it. There our Father keeps his 
 court. We call him our "Our Father, who art in heaven." 
 Unworthy children! that can be so taken up in their play, as to 
 be mindless of such a Father. There also is Christ, our head, 
 our husband, our life ; and shall we not look towards him, and 
 send to him as often as we can, till we come to see him face to 
 face? Since "the heavens must receive him until the time of 
 the restitution of all things," let them also receive our hearts 
 with him. There also is "New Jerusalem, which is the mother 
 of us all." And there are multitudes of our elder brethren. 
 There are our friends and old acquaintance, whose society in the 
 flesh we so much delighted in, and whose departure hence we so 
 much lamented; and is this no attractive to thy thoughts? If 
 they were within thy reach on earth, thou wouldst go and visit 
 them, and why not oftener visit them in spirit, and rejoice before- 
 hand to think of meeting them there? "Socrates rejoiced that 
 he should die, because he believed he should see Homer, Hesiod, 
 and other eminent persons. How much more do I rejoice, said 
 a pious old minister, who am sure to see Christ my Saviour, the 
 eternal Son of God, in his assumed flesh ; besides so many wise, 
 holy, and renowned patriarchs, prophets, apostles," &c. A 
 believer should look to heaven, and contemplate the blessed state 
 of the saints, and think with himself, "Though I am not yet so 
 happy as to be with you, yet this is my daily comfort — you are 
 my brethren and fellow-members in Christ, and therefore your 
 joys are my joys, and your glory, by these near relations, is my 
 glory; especially while I believe in the same Christ, and hold 
 fast the same faith and obedience, by which you were thus dig- 
 nified, and rejoice in spirit with you, and congratulate your 
 happiness in my daily meditations." 
 
 Moreover, our house and home is above. "For we know that 
 if our earthly house of his tabernacle were dissolved, we have 
 a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the 
 heavens." Why do we then look no oftener towards it, and 
 "groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house 
 which is in heaven?" If our home were far meaner, sure we 
 should remember it, because it is our home. If yon were but 
 banished into a strange land, how fervently would your thoughts 
 tye at home, And why is it not thus with us in respect of heaven 1 
 
LED UPON EARTH. ■ I79 
 
 Is not that more truly and properly our home, where we must 
 take up our everlasting abode, than this, which we are every 
 hour to be separated from, and to see no more? We are stran- 
 gers, and that is our country. We are heirs, and that is our 
 inheritance; even "an inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, and 
 that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for us." We are here 
 in continual distress and want, and there lies our substance ; 
 even "a better and enduring substance." Yea, the very hope 
 of our souls is there ; all our hope of relief from our distresses ; 
 all our hope of happiness, when here we are miserable ; all this 
 "hope is laid up for us in heaven." Why, beloved Christians, 
 have we so much interest, and so few thoughts there ? so near 
 relation, and so little affection? Doth it become us to be delighted 
 in the company of strangers, so as to forget our Father, and our 
 Lord? or to be so well pleased with those that hate and grieve 
 us, as to forget our best and dearest friends ; or to be so fond of 
 borrowed trifles, as to forget our own possession and treasure; 
 or to be so much impressed with tears and wants, as to forget our 
 eternal joy and rest? God usually pleads his property in us; and 
 thence concludes he will do us good, even because we are his 
 own people, whom he hath chosen out of all the world. Why 
 then do we not plead our interest in him, and so raise our hearts 
 above ; even because he is our own God, and because the place 
 is our own possession? Men commonly overlove and overvalue 
 their own things, and mind them too much. O, that we could mind 
 our own inheritance, and value it half so much as it deserves. 
 12. Once more consider, there is nothing but heaven worth 
 setting our hearts upon. If God have them not, who shall? If 
 thou mind not thy rest, what wilt thou mind ? Hast thou found 
 out some other good? or something that will serve thee instead 
 of rest? Hast thou found on earth eternal happiness? Where 
 is it? What is it made of? Who was the nan that found it out? 
 Who was the man that last enjoyed it? Where dwelt he? 
 What was his name? Or art thou the first that ever discovered 
 heaven on earth? Ah, wretch! trust not to thy discoveries, 
 boast not of thy gain till experience bid thee boast. Disquiet 
 not thyself in looking for that which is not on earth ; lest thou 
 learn thy experience with the loss of thy soul, w "lich thou might- 
 est have learned on easier terms ; even by the warnings of God 
 in his word, and the loss of thousands of souls before thee. If 
 
IQQ a ubaVENLY life upon earth. 
 
 Satan should "take thee up to the mountain of temptation, and 
 show thee all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them," 
 he could show thee nothing that is worthy thy thoughts, much 
 less to be preferred before thy rest. Indeed, so far as duty and 
 necessity require it, we must be content to mind the things below ; 
 but who is he that contains himself within the compass of those 
 limits? And yet, if we ever so diligently contract our cares and 
 .thoughts, we shall find the least to be bitter and burdensome. 
 Christian, see the emptiness of all those things, and the precious- 
 ness of the things above. If thy thoughts should, like the 
 laborious bee, go over the world from flower to flower, from 
 creature to creature, they would bring no honey or sweetness 
 home, save what they gathered from their relations to eternity. 
 Though every truth of God is precious, and ought to be defended , 
 yet even all our study of truth should be still in reference to oui 
 rest; for the observation is too true, "that the lovers of contro- 
 versies in religion have never been warmed with one spark of 
 the love of God." And as for minding the "affairs of church 
 and state;" so far as they illustrate the providence of God, and 
 tend to the settling of the gospel and the government of Christ, 
 and consequently to the saving of our own souls, and those of 
 our posterity, they are well worth our diligent observation; but 
 these are only their relations to eternity. Even all our dealings 
 in the world, our buying and selling, or eating and drinking, our 
 building and marrying, our peace and war, so far as they relate 
 not to the life to come, but tend only to the pleasing of the flesh, 
 are not worthy the frequent thoughts of a Christian. And now 
 doth not thy conscience say, that there is nothing but heaven and 
 the way to it, that is worth thy minding? 
 
 Now, reader, are these considerations weighty or not? Have 
 i proved it thy duty to keep thy heart on things above, or have 
 1 not? If thou say, Not, I am confident thou contradictest thy 
 own conscience. If thou acknowledge thyself convinced of the 
 duty, that very tongue of thine shall condemn thee, and that 
 confession be pleaded against thee, if thou wilfully neglect such 
 a confessed duty. Be thoroughly willing, and the work is more 
 than half done. I have now a few plain directions to give you 
 for your help in this great work; but, alas! it is in vain to 
 mention them, except you be willing to put them into practice. 
 However, I will propose them, and may the Lord persuade thy 
 heart to the work ' 
 
A HEAVENLY LIFE. ]ftl 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 DIRECTIONS HOW TO LEAD A HEAVENLY LIFE UPON EARTH. 
 
 I. The hindrances to a heavenly life : 1. Living in any known sin ; 2. An earthly mind ; 
 
 3. Ungodly companions ; 4. A notional religion ; 5. A haughty spirit ; 6. A slothful 
 spirit ; 7. Resting in preparatives for a heavenly life, without the thing itself. II. The 
 duties which will promote a heavenly life: 1. Be convinced that heaven is the only 
 treasure and happiness ; 2. Labour to know your interest in it; 3. And how near it is; 
 
 4. Frequently and seriously talk of it ; 5. Endeavour in every duty to raise your affections 
 nearer to it ; 6. To the samo purpose, improve every object and event ; 7. Be much 
 in the angelical work of praise; 8. Possess your souls with believing thoughts of the 
 infinite love of God ; 9. Carefully observe and cherish the motions of the Spirit of God; 
 10. Nor even neglect the due care of your bodily health. 
 
 1. As thou valuest the comforts of a heavenly conversation, 
 I must here charge thee, from God, to avoid carefully some 
 dangerous hindrances; and then faithfully and diligently to 
 practice such duties as will especially assist thee in attaining to 
 a heavenly life. 
 
 First. Let us consider those hindrances which are to be 
 avoided with all possible care. 
 
 1. Living in any known sin, is a grand impediment to a heav- 
 enly conversation. What havoc will this make in thy soul t O, 
 the joys that this hath destroyed ! the ruin it hath made among 
 men's graces! the soul-strengthening duties it hath hindered! 
 Christian reader, art thou one that hast used violence with thy 
 conscience ? Art thou a wilful neglecter of known duties, either 
 public, private, or secret? Art thou a slave to thine appetite, or 
 to any other commanding sense? Art thou a proud seeker of 
 thine own esteem? Art thou a peevish and passionate person, 
 ready to take fire at every word, or look, or supposed slight? 
 Art thou a deceiver of others in thy dealings, or one that will be 
 rich, right or wrong? If this be thy case, I dare say, heaven 
 and thy soul are very great strangers. These beams in thine 
 eyes will not suffer thee to look to heaven ; they will be " a cloud 
 between thee and thy God." When thou dost but attempt to 
 study eternity, and gather comforts from the life to come, thy sin 
 will presently look thee in the face, and say, "These things 
 belong not to thee. How shouldst thou take comfort from 
 heaven., who takest so much pleasure in the lusts of the flesh V 
 16 
 
182 HOW TO LEAD 
 
 How will this damp thy joys, and make the thoughts of that day 
 and state become thy trouble, and not thy delight? Every wilful 
 sin will be to thy comforts as wate:* to the fire ; when thou thinkest 
 to quicken them, this will quench them. It will utterly indispose 
 and disable thee, that thou canst no more ascend in divine medi- 
 tation, than a bird can fly when Ls wings are clipped. Sin cuts 
 the very sinews of this heavenly life. O, man ! what a life dost 
 thou lose? What daily delights dost thou sell for a vile lust! 
 If heaven and hell can meet together, and God become a lover 
 of sin, then mayst thou live in thy sin, and in the tastes of glory ; 
 and have a conversation in heaven, though thou cherish thy cor- 
 ruption. And take heed, lest it banish thee from heaven, as it 
 does thy heart. And though thou be not guilty, and knowest no 
 reigning sin in thy soul, think what a sad thing it would be, if 
 ever this should prove thy case. Watch, therefore ; especially 
 resolve to keep from the occasions of sin, and out of the way of 
 temptations. What need have we daily to pray, "Lead us not 
 into temptation, but deliver us from evil !" 
 
 2. An earthly mind is another hindrance carefully to be 
 avoided. God and Mammon, earth and heaven, cannot both 
 have the delight of thy heart. When the heavenly believer is 
 blessing himself in his God, and rejoicing in hope of the glory 
 to come; perhaps thou art blessing thyself in thy worldly pros- 
 perity, and rejoicing in hope of thy thriving here. When he is 
 comforting his soul in the views of Christ, of angels, and saints, 
 whom he shall live with for ever; then thou art comforting thy- 
 self with thy wealth, in looking over thy bills and bonds, thy 
 goods, thy cattle, or thy buildings, and in thinking of the favour 
 of the great, of the pleasure of a plentiful estate, of larger pro- 
 vision for thy children after thee, of the advancement of thy 
 family, or the increase of thy dependants. If Christ pronouncea 
 him a fool, that said, "Soul, take thy ease ; thou hast enough laid 
 up for many years :" how much more so art thou, who, know- 
 ingly, speakest in thy heart the same words! Tell me, what 
 difference between this fool's expressions and thy affections? 
 Remember, thou hast to do with the Searcher of hearts. Cer- 
 tainly, so much as thou delightest, and takest up thy rest on 
 earth, so much of thy delight in God is abated. Thine earthly 
 mind may consist with thy outward profession and common 
 duties, but it cannot consist with this heavenly duty. Thou thy- 
 
A HEAVENLY LIFE. 193 
 
 self knowest how seldom and cold, how cursory and reserved, 
 thy thoughts have been of the joys above, ever since thou didst 
 trade so eagerly for the world. O, the cursed madness of many 
 that seem to be religious! They thrust themselves into a multi- 
 tude of employments, till they are so loaded with labours, and 
 clogged with cares, that their souls are as unfit to converse with 
 God, as a man to walk with a mountain on his back ; and as 
 unapt to soar in meditation, as their bodies to leap above the 
 sun ! And when they have lost that heaven upon earth, which 
 they might have had, they take up with a few rotten arguments 
 to prove it lawful ; though, indeed, they cannot. I advise thee, 
 Christian, who hast tasted the pleasures of a heavenly life, as 
 e\cr thou wouldst taste of them any more, avoid this devouring 
 guJf of an earthly mind. If once thou come to this, that thou 
 "wilt be rich," thou "fallest into temptation and a snare, and 
 irto many foolish and hurtful lusts." Keep these things loose 
 aSut thee, like thy upper garments, that thou mayst lay them by 
 whenever there is need ; but let God and glory be next thy 
 heart. Ever remember, "that the friendship of the world is 
 enmity with God. Whosoever, therefore, will be a friend of the 
 world, is the enemy of God." "Love not the world, neither the 
 things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the 
 love of the Father is not in him." This is plain dealing, and 
 happy he that faithfully receives it! 
 
 3. Beware of the company of the ungodly. Not that I would 
 dissuade thee from necessary converse, or from doing them any 
 office of love; especially not from endeavouring the good of 
 their souls, as long as thou hast any opportunity or hope : nor 
 would I have thee to conclude them to be dogs and swine, in 
 order to evade the duty of reproof; nor even to judge them such 
 at an, as long as there is any hope for the better: much less can 
 I arvrove of their practice, who conclude men dogs or swine, 
 bef >e ever they faithfully and lovingly admonished them, or 
 pe\ nps before they have known them, or spoke with them. But 
 it v. the unnecessary society of ungodly men, and too much 
 fir parity with unprofitable companions, that I dissuade you 
 Jrcm. Not only the open profane, the swearer, the drunkard, 
 and ti.<) Ajemies of godliness, will prove hurtful companions to us, 
 Jhouglj inese indeed are chiefly to be avoided; but too frequent 
 4W»tyy •■*• th persons merely civil and moral, whose conversation 
 
184 
 
 HOW TO LEAD 
 
 is empty and unedifying, may much divert our thoughts from 
 heaven. Our backwardness is such, that we need the most 
 constant and powerful helps. A stone, or a clod, is as fit to rise 
 and fly in the air, as our hearts are naturally to move toward 
 heaven. You need not hinder the rocks from flying up to the 
 sky ; it is sufficient that you do not help them : and surely, if 
 our spirits have not great assistance, they may easily be kept from 
 soaring upward, though they should never meet with the least 
 impediment. O, think of this in the choice of your company ! 
 When your spirits are so disposed for heaven, that you need 
 no help to lift them up, but, as flames, you are always mounting, 
 and carrying with you all that is in your way, then, indeed, you 
 may be less careful of your company; but till then, as you love 
 the delights of a heavenly life, be careful herein. What will it 
 advantage thee in a divine life to hear how the market goes, or 
 what the weather is, or is like to be, or what news is stirring ! 
 This is the discourse of earthly men. What will it conduce to 
 the raising thy heart God-ward, to hear that this is an able min- 
 ister, or that an eminent Christian, or this an excellent sermon, 
 or that an excellent book, or to hear some difficult, but unimport- 
 ant controversy? Yet this, for the most part, is the sweetest 
 discourse thou art like to have from a formal, speculative, dead- 
 hearted professor. Nay, if thou hadst newly been warming thy 
 heart in the contemplation of the blessed joys above, would not 
 this discourse benumb thy affections, and quickly freeze thy 
 heart again? I appeal to the judgment of any man that hath 
 tried it, and maketh observations on the frame of his spirit. Men 
 cannot well talk of one thing, and mind another, especially things 
 of such different natures. You, young men, who are most liable 
 to this temptation, think seriously of what I say ; can you have 
 your hearts in heaven among your roaring companions, in an 
 ale-house or tavern? or when you work in your shops with those 
 whose common language is oaths, "filthiness, or foolish talking 
 or jesting?" Nay, let me tell you, if you choose such company 
 when you might have better, and find most delight in such, you 
 are so far from a heavenly conversation, that, as yet, you have no 
 title to heaven at all, and in that state shall never come there. 
 If your treasure was there, your heart could not be on things so 
 distant. In a word, our company will be a part of our happiness 
 in heaven, and it is a singular part of our furtherance to it, o;* 
 hindrance from it. 
 
A HEAVENLY LIFE 1Q5 
 
 4. Avoid frequent disputes about lesser truths, and a religion 
 that lies only in opiyiions. They are usually least acquainted with 
 a heavenly life, who are violent disputers about the circumstantials 
 of religion. He whose religion is all in his opinions, will be most 
 frequently and zealously speaking his opinions; and he whose 
 religion lies in the knowledge and love of God and Christ, will 
 be most delightfully speaking of that happy time when he shall 
 enjoy them. He is a rare and precious Christian, who is skilful 
 to improve well-known truths. Therefore, let me advise you 
 who aspire after a heavenly life, not to spend too much of your 
 thoughts, your time, your zeal, or your speech, upon disputes, 
 that less concern your souls ; but when hypocrites are feeding 
 on husks or shells, do you feed on the joys above. I wish you 
 were able to defend every truth of God, and to this end would 
 read and study; but still I would have the chief truths to be 
 chiefly studied, and none to cast out your thoughts of eternity. 
 The least controverted points are usually most weighty, and of 
 most necessary, frequent use to our souls. Therefore, study 
 well such Scripture precepts as these : "Him that is weak in the 
 faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations. Foolish and 
 unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes. 
 And the servant of the Lord must strive." "Avoid foolish ques- 
 tions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the 
 law; for they are unprofitable and vain." "If any man teach 
 otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words 
 of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to 
 godliness, he is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about ques- 
 tions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, 
 evil surmisings, perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, 
 and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness ; from 
 such withdraw thyself." 
 
 5. Take heed of a proud and lofty spirit. There is such an 
 antipathy between this sin and God, that thou wilt never get thy 
 heart near him, nor get him near thy heart, as long as this pre- 
 vaileth in it. If it cast the angels out of heaven, it must 
 needs keep thy heart from heaven. If it cast our first parents 
 out of Paradise, and separated between the Lord and us, and 
 brought his curse on all the creatures here below, it will cer- 
 tainly keep our hearts from Paradise, and increase the cursed 
 separation from our God. Intercourse with God will keep men low, 
 
 16* 
 
Igg HOW TO LEAD 
 
 and that lowliness, will promote their intercourse. When a man 
 is used to be much with God, and taken up in the study of his 
 glorious attributes, he "abhors himself in dust and ashes; and 
 that self-abhorrence is his best preparative to obtain admittance 
 to God again. Therefore, after a soul-humbling day, or in times 
 of trouble, when the soul is lowest, it useth to have freest access 
 to God, and savour most of the life above. The delight of God 
 is in "him that is poor, and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at 
 his word ;" and the delight of such a soul is in God ; and where 
 there is mutual delight, there will be freest admittance, heartiest 
 welcome, and most frequent converse. But God is so far from 
 dwelling in the soul that is proud, that he will not admit it to any 
 near access. "The proud he knoweth afar off;" " God resisteth 
 the proud, and giveth grace to the humble." A proud mind is 
 high in conceit, self-esteem, and carnal aspiring; a humble mind 
 is high, indeed, in God's esteem, and in holy aspiring. These 
 two sorts of high-mindedness are most of all opposite to each 
 other, as we see most wars are between princes and princes, and 
 not between a prince and a ploughman. Well, then, art thou a 
 man of worth in thy own eyes? Art thou delighted when thou 
 hearest of thy esteem with men, and much dejected when thou 
 hearest that they slight thee? Dost thou love those best that 
 honour thee, and think meanly of them that do not, though they 
 be otherwise men of godliness and honesty? Must thou have thy 
 humours fulfilled, and thy judgment be a rule, and thy word a 
 law to all about thee? Are thy passions kindled, if thy word or 
 will be crossed? Art thou ready to judge humility to be sordid 
 baseness, and knowest not how to submit to humble confession, 
 when thou hast sinned against God, or injured thy brother? Art 
 thou one that lookest strange at the godly poor, and art almost 
 ashamed to be their companion ? Canst thou not serve God in a 
 low place as well as a high ? Are thy boastings restrained more 
 by prudence or artifice than humility? Dost thou desire to have 
 all men's eyes upon thee, and to hear them say, "This is he?" 
 Art thou unacquainted with the deceitfulness and wickedness of 
 thy heart? Art thou more ready to defend thy innocence, than 
 accuse thyself, or confess thy fault? Canst thou hardly bear a 
 close reproof, or digest plain dealing? If these symptoms be 
 undeniably in thy heart, thou art a proud person. There is too 
 much of hell abidbg in thee, to have any acquaintance with 
 
A HEAVENLY LIFE. jg-jr 
 
 heaven ; thy soul is too like the devil, to have any familiarity 
 with God. A proud man makes himself his god, and sets up 
 himself as his idol : how, then, can his affections be set on God? 
 How can he possibly have his heart in heaven? Invention and 
 memory may possibly furnish his tongue with humble and heav- 
 enly expressions, but in his spirit there is no more heaven than 
 there is humility. I speak the more of it, because it is the most 
 common and dangerous sin in morality, and most promotes the 
 great sin of infidelity. O, Christian ! if thou wouldst live contin- 
 ually in the presence of thy Lord, lie in the dust, and he will 
 thence take thee up. "Learn of him to be meek and lowly, and 
 thou shalt find rest unto thy soul." Otherwise thy soul will be 
 "like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up 
 mire and dirt;" and instead of these sweet delights in God, thy 
 pride will fill thee with perpetual disquiet. As he that humbleth 
 himself as a little child shall hereafter be greatest in the kingdom 
 of heaven, so shall he now be greatest in the foretastes of that 
 kingdom. God "dwells with a contrite and humble spirit, to 
 revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the 
 contrite'ones." Therefore, " humble yourselves in the sight of 
 the Lord, and he shall lift you up." And when "others are 
 cast down, then thou shalt say, there is lifting up ; and he shall 
 save the humble person." 
 
 6. A slothful spirit is another impediment to this heavenly life. 
 And I verily think, there nothing hinders it more than this in 
 men of a good understanding. If it were only the exercise of 
 the body, the moving of the lips, the bending of the knee, men 
 would as commonly step to heaven as they go to visit a friend. 
 But to separate our thoughts and affections from the world, 
 to draw forth all our graces, and increase each in its proper 
 object, and hold them to it till the work prospers in our hands; 
 this, this is the difficulty. Reader, heaven is above thee, and 
 dost thou think to travel this steep ascent without labour and 
 resolution? Canst thou get that earthly heart to heaven, and 
 bring that backward mind to God, while thou liest still, and takest 
 thine ease ? If lying down at the foot of the hill, and looking 
 toward the top, and wishing we were there, would serve the turn, 
 then we should have daily travellers for heaven. But "the 
 kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by 
 force." There must be violence used to get these first-fruits, as 
 
188 HOW TO LEAD 
 
 well as to get the fu A possession. Dost tb^u not feel it so, t ugh 
 i should not tell thee? Will thy heart get upwards, except thou 
 drive it? Thou knowest that heaven is all thy hope ; that nothing 
 below can yield thee rest ; that a heart, seldom thinking of heaven^ 
 can fetch but little comfort thence ; and yet dost thou not lose 
 thy opportunities, and lie below, when thou shouldst walk above, 
 and live with God? Dost thou not commend the sweetness of a 
 heavenly life, and judge those the best Christians that use it, and 
 yet never try it thyself? As the sluggard that stretches himself 
 on his bed, and cries, O that this were working! so dost thou 
 talk, and trifle, and live at thy ease, and say, O that I could get 
 my heart to heaven ! How many read books, and hear sermons, 
 expecting to hear of some easier way, or to meet with a shorter 
 course to comfort, than they are ever like to find in Scripture. 
 Or they ask for directions for a heavenly life, and if the hearing 
 them will serve, they will be heavenly Christians ; but if we show 
 them their work, and tell them they cannot have these delights 
 on easier terms, then they leave us, as the young man left Christ, 
 sorrowful. If thou art convinced, reader, that this work is 
 necessary to thy comfort, set upon it resolutely; if thy heart 
 draw back, force it on with the command of reason ; if thy reason 
 begin to dispute, produce the command of God, and urge thy own 
 necessity, with the other considerations suggested in the former 
 chapter. Let not such an incomparable treasure lie before thee, 
 with thy hand in thy bosom ; nor thy life be a continual vexation, 
 when it might be a continual feast, only because thou will not 
 exert thyself. Sit not still with a disconsolate spirit, while com- 
 forts grow before thine eyes, like a man in the midst of a garden 
 of flowers, that will not rise to get them, and partake of their sweet- 
 ness. This I know, Christ is the fountain ; but the well is deep, 
 and thou must get forth this water before thou canst be refreshed 
 with it. I know, so far as you are spiritual, you need not all this 
 sti'iving and violence; but in part you are carnal, and as long 
 as it is so, there is need of labour. It was a custom of the Par- 
 thians not to give their children any meat in the morning, before 
 they saw the sweat on their faces with some labour. And you 
 shall find this to be God's usual course, not to give his children 
 the tastes of his delights till they begin to sweat in seeking aftei 
 them. Judge, therefore, whether a heavenly life, or thy carnal 
 ease be better; and, as a wise man, make thy choice accordingly. 
 
A HEAVENLY LIFE. JQ9 
 
 Vea, lei me add for thy encouragement, Thou needst not employ 
 tfy thoughts more than thou now dost ; it is only to fix them upon 
 better and more pleasant objects. Employ but as many serious 
 thoughts every day upon the excellent glory of the life to come, 
 as thou now dost upon worldly affairs, yea, on vanities and im- 
 pertinences, and thy heart will soon be at heaven. On the whole, 
 it is "the field of the slothful, that is all grown over with thorns 
 and nettles ; and the desire of the slothful killeth his joy, for his 
 hands refuse to labour; and it is the slothful man that saith, 
 There is a lion in the way, a lion is in the streets. As the door 
 turneth on its hinges, so doth the slothful upon his bed. The sloth- 
 ful hideth his hand in his bosom ; it grieveth him to bring it 
 again to his mouth," though it be to feed himself with the food 
 of life. What is this but throwing away our consolations, and 
 consequently the precious blood that bought them ? For " he that 
 is slothful in his work is brother to him that is a great waster.'' 
 Apply this to thy spiritual work, and study well the meaning of it. 
 7. Contentment with the mere preparatives to this heavenly life, 
 while we are utter strangers to the life itself, is also a dangerous 
 and secret hindrance: when we take up with the mere study 
 of heavenly things, and the notions of them, or the talking with 
 one another about them ; as if this were enough to make us 
 heavenly. None are in more danger of this snare, than those 
 that are employed in leading the devotions of others, especially 
 preachers of the gospel. O how easily may such be deceived ! 
 While they do nothing so much as read and study of heaven ; 
 preach, and pray, and talk of heaven ; is not this the heavenly 
 life? Alas! all this is but mere preparation: this ?s but col- 
 lecting the materials, not erecting the building itself: it is but 
 gathering the manna for others, and not eating and digesting it 
 ourselves. As he that sits at home may draw exact maps of 
 countries, and yet never see them, nor travel toward them ; so 
 may you describe to others the joys of heaven, and yet never 
 come near it in your own hearts. A blind man, by learning, 
 may dispute of light and colours; so may you set forth to others 
 that heavenly light, which never enlightened your own souls, and 
 bring that fire from the hearts of your people, which never 
 warmed your own hearts. What heavenly passages had Balaam 
 in his prophecies, yet how little of it in his spirit ! Nay, we are 
 under a more subtle temptation than any other men to draw us 
 
190 HOW TO LEAD 
 
 from this heavenly life. Studying and preaching of heaven more 
 resembles a heavenly life, than thinking and talking of the world 
 does; and the resemblance is apt to deceive us. This is to die 
 the most miserable death, even to famish ourselves, because we 
 have bread on our tables; and to die for thirst, while we draw 
 water for others, thinking it enough that we have daily to do with 
 it, though we never drink for the refreshment of our own souls. 
 
 Secondly. Having thus showed what hindrances will resist 
 the work, I expect that thou resolve against them, consider them 
 seriously, and avoid them faithfully, or else thy labour will be 
 in vain. I must also tell thee, that I here expect thy promise, as 
 thou valuest the delights of these foretastes of heaven, to make 
 conscience of performing the following duties : particularly, 
 
 1. Be convinced that heaven is the only treasure and happiness, 
 and labour to know what a treasure and happiness it is. If thou 
 do not believe it to be the chief good, thou wilt never set thy 
 heart upon it; and this conviction must sink into thy affections ; 
 for if it be only a notion, it will have little efficacy. If Eve 
 once supposes she sees more worth in the forbidden fruit, than 
 in the love and enjoyment of God, no wonder if it have more 
 of her heart than God. If your judgment once prefer the delights 
 of the flesh before the delights of the presence of God, it is 
 impossible your heart should be in heaven. As it is ignorance 
 of the emptiness of things below, that makes men so overvalue 
 them ; so it is ignorance of the high deliglits above, which is the 
 cause that men so little mind them. If you see a purse of gold, 
 and believe it to be but counters, it will not entice your affections 
 to it. It is not the real excellence of a thing itself, but its known 
 excellence, that excites desire. If an ignorant man see a book, 
 containing the secrets of arts or sciences, he values it no more 
 than a common piece, because he knows not what is in it ; but 
 he that knows it, highly values it, and can even forbear his meat, 
 drink, and sleep, to read it. As the Jews killed the Messiah, 
 while they waited for him, because they did not know him; so 
 the world cries out for rest, and busilv seeks for delight and 
 happiness, because they know it not; for did they thoroughly 
 know what it is, they could not so slight the everlasting treasure. 
 
 .2. Labour also to know that heaven is thy own happiness. We 
 may confess heaven to be the best condition, though we despair 
 of enjoying it; and we may desire and seek it, if we see the 
 
A HEAVENLY IIFE ]f)l 
 
 attainment v ut probable; but we can never delightfully rejoice 
 in it, till we are in some measure pe.'suaded of our title to it 
 What comfort is it to a man that is naked, to see the rich attire 
 of others? What delight is it for a man that hath not a house 
 to put his head in, to see the sumptuous buildings of others? 
 Would not all this rather increase his anguish, and matte him 
 more sensible of his own misery? So, for a man to know the 
 excellencies of heaven, and not know whether ever he shall 
 enjoy them, may raise desire, and urge pursuit, but he will have 
 little joy. Who will set his heart on another man's possessions? 
 If your houses, your goods, your cattle, your children, were not 
 your own, you would less mind them, and less delight in them. 
 O, Christian ! rest not, therefore, till you can call this rest your 
 own : bring thy heart to the bar of trial : set the qualifications 
 of the saints on one side, and of thy soul on the other, and then 
 judge how near they resemble. Thou hast the same word to 
 judge thyself by now, as thou must be judged by at the great 
 day. Mistake not the Scripture's description of a saint, that 
 thou neither acquit nor condemn thyself upon mistakes. For as 
 groundless hopes tend to confusion, and are the greatest cause 
 of most men's damnation ; so groundless doubts tend to, and are 
 the great cause of, the saints' perplexity and distress. Therefore 
 lay thy foundation for trial safely, and proceed in the work 
 deliberately and resolutely, nor give over till thou canst say, 
 either thou hast or hast not yet a title to this rest. O ! if men 
 did truly know, that God is their own Father, and Christ their 
 own Redeemer and Head, and that those are their own everlast- 
 ing habitations, and that there they must abide and be happy for 
 ever; how could they choose but be transported with the fore- 
 thoughts thereof! If a Christian could but look upon sun, moon, 
 and stars, and reckon all his own in Christ, and say, "These are 
 the blessings that my Lord hath procured me, and things incom- 
 parably greater than these ;" what holy raptures would his 
 spirit feel ! 
 
 The more do they sin against their own comforts, as well as 
 against the grace of the gospel, who plead for their unbelief, and 
 cherish distrustful thoughts of God, and injurious thoughts of 
 their Redeemer ; who represent the covenant as if it were of 
 works, and not of grace; and Christ as an enemy, rather than 
 a Saviour; as if he were willing they should die in their unbe- 
 
192 HOW TO LEAD 
 
 lief, when he hath invited them so often and so affectionately, 
 and suffered the agonies that they should suffer. Wretches that 
 we are ! to be keeping up jealousies of our Lord, when we 
 should be rejoicing in his love. As if any man could choose 
 Christ, before Christ hath chosen him, or any man were more will- 
 ing to be happy, than Christ is to make him happy. Away with 
 these injurious, if not blasphemous thoughts! If ever tnou hast 
 harboured such thoughts in thy breast, cast them from thee, and 
 take heed how thou ever entertainest them more. God hath 
 written the names of his people in heaven, as you use to write 
 your names or marks on your goods ; and shall we be attempting 
 to raze them out, and to write our names on the doors of heil? 
 But blessed be "God, whose foundation standeth sure;" and 
 who "keepeth us by his power through faith unto salvation." 
 
 3. Labour to apprehend how near thy rest is. What we think 
 near at hand, we are more sensible of than that which we behold 
 at a distance. When judgments or mercies are afar off, we talk 
 of them with little concern ; but when they draw close to us, we 
 tremble at, or rejoice in them. This makes men think on heaven 
 so insensibly, because they conceit it at too great a distance ; 
 they look on it as twenty, thirty, or forty years off. How much 
 better were it to receive "the sentence of death in ourselves," 
 and to look on eternity as near at hand! While I am thinking, 
 and writing of it, it hasteth near, and I am even entering into it 
 before I am aware. While thou art reading this, whoever thou 
 art, time posteth on, and thy life will be gone "as a tale that is 
 told." If you verily believed you should die to-morrow, how 
 seriously would you think of heaven to-night! When Samuel 
 had told Saul, "To-morrow shalt thou be with me;" this struck 
 him to the heart. And if Christ should say to a believing soul, 
 «' To-morrow shalt thou be with me ;" this would bring him in 
 spirit to heaven beforehand. Do but suppose that you are still 
 entering into heaven, and it will greatly help you more seriously 
 to mind it. 
 
 4. Let thy eternal rest be the subject of thy frequent serious 
 discourse ; especially with those that can speak from their hearts, 
 and are seasoned themselves with a heavenly nature. It is great 
 pity Christians should ever meet together, without some talk of 
 their meeting in heaven, or of the way to it, before they part. It 
 is pity so much time is spent in vain conversation, and useless 
 
A HEAVENLY LIFE. 193 
 
 disputes, and not a serious word of heaven among them. Me- 
 thinks we should meet together on purpose to warm our spirits 
 with discoursing of our rest. To hear a Christian set forth that 
 blessed, glorious state, with life and power, from the promises of 
 the Gospel, methinks, should make us say, " Did not our hearts 
 burn within us, while he opened to us the Scriptures?" If a 
 Felix will tremble, when he hears his judgment powerfully rep- 
 resented, why should not the believer be revived, when he hears 
 his eternal rest described? Wicked men can be delighted in 
 talking together of their wickedness; and should not Christians 
 then be delighted in talking of Christ; and the heirs of heaven 
 in talking of their inheritance? This may make our hearts 
 revive, as it did Jacob's to hear the message that called him to 
 Goshen, and to see the chariots that should bring him to Joseph. 
 O that we were furnished with skill and resolution, to turn the 
 stream of men's common discourse to these more sublime and 
 precious things ! and, when men begin to talk of things unprofit- 
 able, that we could tell how to put in a word for heaven, and say, 
 as Peter of his bodily food, "Not so, for I have never eaten any 
 thing that is common or unclean!" the good that we might 
 both do and receive by this course ! Had it not been to deter 
 us from unprofitable conversation, Christ would not have talked 
 of our "giving an account of every idle word in the day of judg- 
 ment." Say then, as the Psalmist, when you are in company, 
 "Let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth, if I prefer not 
 Jerusalem above my chief joy." Then you shall find it true, 
 that a "wholesome tongue is a tree of life." 
 
 5. Endeavour, in every duty, to raise thy affections nearer to 
 heaven. God's end in the institution of his ordinances was, that 
 they should be as so many steps to advance us to our rest, and 
 by which, in subordination to Christ, we might daily ascend in 
 our affections. Let this be thy end in using them, and doubtless 
 they will not be unsuccessful. How have you been rejoiced 
 by a few lines from a friend, when you could not see him face 
 to face! And may we not have intercourse with God in his 
 or jinances, though our persons be yet so far remote ? May not 
 our spirits rejoice in reading those lines, which contain our leg- 
 acy and charter for heaven ? With what gladness and triumph 
 may we read the expressions of divine love, and hear of our 
 celestial country, though we have not yet the happiness to behold 
 17 
 
194 HOW TO LAED 
 
 it! Men that are separated by sea and land, can by letters carry 
 on great and gainful trades; and may not a Christian, in the wise 
 improvement of duties, drive on this happy trade for rest ? Come, 
 then, renounce formality, custom, and applause, and kneel down 
 in secret or public prayer, with hope to get thy heart nearer to 
 God before thou risest up. When thou openest thy Bible, or 
 other book, hope to meet with some passage of divine truth, and 
 such blessing of the Spirit with it, as will give thee a fuller taste 
 of heaven. When thou art going to the house of God, say, " I 
 hope to meet with somewhat from God to raise my affections, 
 before I return ; I hope the Spirit will give me the meeting, and 
 sweeten my heart with those celestial delights ; I hope Christ 
 will ' appear to me in that way, and shine about me with light 
 from heaven ;' let me hear his instructing and reviving voice, 
 and cause the scales to fall from my eyes, that I may see more 
 of that glory than I ever yet saw. I hope, before I return, my 
 Lord will bring my heart within the view of rest, and set it before 
 his Father's presence, that I may return as 'the shepherds' from 
 the heavenly vision, 'glorifying and praising God, for all the 
 things I have heard and seen.'" When the Indians first saw 
 that the English could converse together by letters, they thought 
 there was some spirit enclosed in them. So would by-standers 
 admire, when Christians have communion with God in duties, 
 what there is in those Scriptures, in that sermon, in this prayer, 
 that fills their hearts so full of joy, and so transports them above 
 themselves. Certainly God would not fail us in our duties, if 
 we did not fail ourselves. Remember, therefore, always to pray 
 for your minister, that God would put some divine message into 
 his mouth, which may leave a heavenly relish upon your spirit. 
 6. Improve every object and every event, to mind thy soul of 
 its approaching rest. As all providences and creatures are 
 means to our rest, so they point us to that as their end. God's 
 sweetest dealings with us at the present would not be half so 
 sweet as they are, if they did not intimate some further sweet- 
 ness. Thou takest but the bare earnest, and overlookest the 
 main sum, when thou receivest thy mercies, and forgettest thy 
 crown. O that Christians were skilful in this art! You can 
 open your Bibles; learn to open the volumes of creation and 
 providence, to read there also of God and glory. Thus we might 
 have a fuller taste of Christ and heaven in every common meal, 
 
A HEAVENLY LIFE. 292! 
 
 than most men have in a sacrament. If thou prosper in the 
 world, let it make thee more sensible of thy perpetual prosperity. 
 If thou art weary with labour, let it make the thoughts of thy 
 eternal rest more sweet. If things go cross, let thy desire's be 
 more earnest to have sorrows and sufferings for ever cease. Is 
 thy body refreshed with food or sleep? remember the inconceiv- 
 able refreshment with Christ. Dost thou hear any good news? 
 remember what glad tidings it will be to hear the trump of God, 
 and the applauding sentence of Christ. Art thou delighted with 
 the society of the saints? remember what the perfect society in 
 heaven will be. Is God communicating himself to thy spirit? 
 remember the time of thy highest advancement, when both thy 
 communion and joy shall be full. Dost thou hear the raging 
 noise of the wicked, and the confusions of the world ? think of 
 the blessed harmony in heaven. Dost thou hear the tempest of 
 war ? remember the day, when thou shalt be in perfect peace, 
 under the wings of the Prince of peace for ever. Thus, every 
 condition, and creature, affords us advantages for a heavenly life, 
 if we had but hearts to improve them. 
 
 7. Be much in the angelical work of praise. The more heav- 
 enly the employment, the more it will make the spirit heavenly. 
 Praising God is the work of angels and saints in heaven, and will 
 be our own everlasting work ; and if we were more in it now, 
 we Should be liker to what we shall be then. As desire, faith, 
 and hope, are of shorter continuance than love and joy, so also 
 preaching, prayer, and sacraments, and all means for expressing 
 and confirming our faith and hope, shall cease, when our tri- 
 umphant expressions of love and joy shall abide for eve*. The 
 liveliest emblem of heaven that I know upon earth, is, when the 
 people of God, in the deep sense of his excellency and bounty, 
 from hearts abounding with love and joy, join together both in 
 heart and voice, in the cheerful and melodious singing of his 
 praises. These delights, like the testimony of the Spirit, witness 
 themselves to be of God, and bring the evidences of their heav- 
 enly parentage along with them. 
 
 Little do we know how we wrong ourselves by shutting out 
 of our prayers the praises of God, or allowing them so narrow a 
 room as we usually do, while we are copious enough in our con- 
 fessions and petitions. Reader, I entreat thee, remember this : 
 let praises have a larger room in thy duties ; keep matter ready 
 
193 HOW TO LEAD 
 
 at hani to feed thy praise, as well as matter for confession and 
 petition. To this end, study the excellencies and goodness of the 
 Lord, as frequently as thy own wants and unworthiness; the 
 mercies thou hast received, and those which are promised as often 
 as the sins thou hast committed. "Praise is comely for the 
 upright. Whoso offereth praise, glorifieth God. Praise ye the 
 Lord, for the Lord is good : sing praises unto his name, for it 
 is pleasant. Let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God contin- 
 ually, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to his name." 
 Had not David a most heavenly spirit, who was so much in this 
 heavenly work? Doth it not sometimes raise our hearts, when 
 we only read the song of Moses, and the psalms of David ? How 
 much more would it raise and refresh us, to be skilful and fre- 
 quent in the work ourselves! O the madness of youth, that lay 
 out their vigour of body and mind upon vain delights and fleshly 
 lusts, which is so fit for the noblest work of man ! And O the 
 sinful folly of many of the saints, who drench their spirits in 
 continual sadness, and waste their days in complaints and groans, 
 and so make themselves, both in body and mind, unfit for this 
 sweet and heavenly work! Instead of joining with the people 
 of God in his praises, they are questioning their worthiness, and 
 studying their miseries, and so rob God of his glory, and them- 
 selves of their consolation. But the greatest destroyer of our 
 comfort in this duty, is our taking up with the tune and melody, 
 and suffering the heart to be idle, which ought to perform the 
 principal part of the work, and use the melody to revive and 
 exhilarate itself. 
 
 8. Ever keep thy soul possessed with believing thoughts of the 
 infinite love of God. Love is the attractive of love. Few so 
 vile, but will love those that love them. No doubt it is the 
 death of our heavenly life to have hard thoughts of God, to 
 conceive of him as one that would rather damn than save us. 
 This is to put the blessed God into the similitude of Satan. When 
 our ignorance and unbelief have drawn the most deformed 
 picture of God in our imaginations, then we complain that we 
 cannot love him, nor delight in him. This is the case of many 
 thousand Christians. Alas, that we should thus blaspheme God, 
 and blast our own joys! Scripture assures us, that "God is 
 love; that fury is not in him; that he hath no pleasure in the 
 death of the wtcked, but that the wicked turn from his way, and 
 
A HEAVENLY LITE. 1Q7 
 
 live." Much more hath he testified his love to his chosen, and 
 his full resolution to save them. O that we could always think 
 of God as we do of a friend ; as of one that unfeignedly loves us, 
 even more than we do ourselves; whose very heart is set upon 
 us to do us good, and hath therefore provided for us an everlasting 
 dwelling with himself! it would not then be so hard to have our 
 hearts ever with him ! Where we love most heartily, we shall 
 think most sweetly and most freely. I fear most Christians think 
 higher of the love of a hearty friend than of the love of God ; and 
 what wonder, then, if they love their friends better than God, and 
 trust them more confidently than God, and had rather live with 
 them than with God ? 
 
 9. Carefully observe and cherish the motions of the Spirit of 
 God. If ever thy soul get above this earth, and get acquainted 
 with this heavenly life, the Spirit of God must be to thee as the 
 chariot to Elijah ; yea, the very living principle by which thou 
 must move and ascend. O, then, grieve not thy guide, quench 
 not thy life, knock not off thy chariot wheels ! You little think 
 how much the life of all your graces, and the happiness of your 
 souls, depend upon your ready and cordial obedience to the Spirit. 
 When the Spirit urges thee to secret prayer, or forbids thee thy 
 transgressions; or points out to thee the way in which thou 
 shouldst go; and thou wilt not regard, no wonder if heaven and 
 thy soul be strange. If thou wilt not follow the Spirit, while 
 it would draw thee to Christ and thy duty ; how should it lead 
 thee to heaven, and bring thy heart into the presence of God ? 
 What supernatural help, what bold access, shall the soul find in 
 its approaches to the Almighty, that constantly obeys the Spirit? 
 And how backward, how dull, how ashamed, will he be in these 
 addresses, who hath often broke away from the Spirit that would 
 have guided him ! Christian reader, dost thou not feel sometimes 
 a strong impression to retire from the world, and draw near to 
 God? Do not disobey, but take the offer, and hoist up thy sails 
 while this blessed gale may be had. The more of the Spirit we 
 resist, the deeper will it wound ; and the more we obey, the 
 speedier will be our pace. 
 
 10. I advise thee, as a further help to this heavenly life, neg- 
 lect not the due care of thy bodily health. Thy body is a useful 
 servant, if thou give it its due, and no more than its due ; but it 
 is a most devouring tyrant, if thou suffer it to have what it 
 
 17* 
 
198 
 
 THE NATURE OF 
 
 unreasonably desires; and it is as a blunted knife, if thou 
 unjustly deny it what is necessary to its support. When we 
 consider how frequently men offend on both extremes, and how 
 few use their bodies aright, we cannot wonder if they be much 
 hindered in their converse with heaven. Most men are slaves 
 to their appetite, and can scarce deny any thing to the flesh, and 
 are therefore willingly carried by it to their sports, or profits, or 
 vain companions, when they should raise their minds to God and 
 heaven. As you love your souls, "make not provision for the 
 flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof;" but remember, "to be carnally 
 minded is death ; because the carnal mind is enmity against God, 
 for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So, 
 then, they that are in the flesh cannot pjease God. Therefore, 
 brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. 
 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die ; but if ye through the 
 Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live." There 
 are a few who much hinder their heavenly joy by denying the 
 body its necessaries, and so making it unable to serve them : if 
 such wronged their flesh only, it would be no great matter; but 
 they wrong their souls also; as he that spoils the house injures 
 the inhabitants. When the body is sick, and the spirits languish, 
 how heavily do we move in the thoughts and joys of heaven ! 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 THE NATURE OF HEAVENLY CONTEMPLATION; WITH THE TIME, 
 PLACE, AND TEMPER, FITTEST FOR IT. 
 
 1. The duty of heavenly contemplation is recommended and defined. The definition fa 
 illustrated. I. The time fittest for it is represented, as— 1. Stated; 2. Frequent; 3. Sea- 
 sonable every day, particularly every Lord's day, but more especially when our hearts 
 are warmed with a sense of divine things; or when we are afflicted or tempted; oi 
 when we are near death. II. The fittest place for it. III. The fittest temper for it is— L 
 When our minds are most clear of the world ; 2. And most solemn and serious. 
 
 1. Once more I entreat thee, reader, as thou makest conscience 
 of a revealed duty, and darest not wilfully resist the Spirit; as 
 thou valuest the high delights of a saint, and the soul-ravishing 
 exercise of heavenly contemplation ; that thou diligently study, 
 and speedily and faithfully practise, the following directions. If, 
 by this means, thou dost not find an increase of all thy graces, 
 and <lost not grow beyond the stature of common Christians, and 
 
HEAVENLY CONTEMPLATION. \QQ 
 
 art not made more serviceable m thy place, and more precious 
 in the eyes of all discerning persons; if thy soul enjoy not more 
 communion with God, and thy life be not fuller of comfort, and 
 hast it not readier by thee at a dying hour; then cast away these 
 directions, and exclaim against me for ever as a deceiver. 
 
 The duty which I press upon thee so earnestly, and in the 
 practice of which I am now to direct thee, is, " The set and sol- 
 emn acting of all the powers of thy soul in meditation upon thy 
 everlasting rest. More fully to explain the nature of this duty, 
 I will here illustrate a little the description itself — then point out 
 the fittest time, place, and temper of mind for it. 
 
 It is not improper to illustrate a little the manner in which we 
 have described this duty of meditation, or the considering and 
 contemplating of spiritual things. It is confessed to be a duty 
 by all, but practically denied by most. Many, that make con- 
 science of other duties, easily neglect this. They are troubled 
 if they omit a sermon, 'a fast, or a prayer, in public or private; 
 yet were never troubled that they have omitted meditation, per- 
 haps all their life-time to this very day; though it be that duty, 
 by which all other duties are improved, and by which the soul 
 digesteth truths for its nourishment and comfort. It was God's 
 command to Joshua, "This book of the law shall not depart out 
 of thy mouth, but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that 
 thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein." 
 As digestion turns food into chyle and blood, for vigorous health, 
 so meditation turns the truths received and remembered into 
 warm affection, firm resolution, and holy conversation. 
 
 This meditation is the acting of all the powers of the soul. It 
 is the work of the living, and not of the dead. It is a work of 
 all others the most spiritual and sublime, and therefore not to be 
 well performed by a heart that is merely carnal and earthly. 
 They must necessarily have some relation to heaven, before 
 they can familiarly converse there. I suppose them to be such as 
 have a title to rest, when I persuade them to rejoice in the medita- 
 tions of rest. And supposing thee to be a Christian, I am now 
 exhorting thee to be an active Christian. And it is the work of 
 the soul I am setting thee to, for bodily exercise doth here profit 
 but little. And it must have all the powers of the soul to distin- 
 guish it from the common meditation of students; for the under- 
 standing is not the whole soul, and therefore cannot do the whole 
 
200 THE NATURE OP 
 
 work. As in the body, the stomach must turn the food into chyle, 
 and prepare for the liver, the liver and spleen turn it into blood, 
 and prepare for the heart and brain ; so in the soul, the under- 
 standing must take in truths, and prepare them for the will, and 
 that for the affections. Christ and heaven have various excel- 
 lencies, and therefore God hath formed the soul with different 
 powers for apprehending those excellencies. What the better 
 had we been for odoriferous flowers, if we had no smell? or what 
 good would language or music have done us, if we could not 
 hear? or what pleasure should we have found in meats and 
 drinks, without the sense of taste? So what good could all the 
 glory of heaven have done us, or what pleasure should we have 
 had in the perfection of God himself, if we had been without 
 the affections of love and joy? And what strength or sweetness 
 canst thou possibly receive by thy meditations on eternity, while 
 thou dost not exercise those affections of the soul by which thou 
 must be sensible of this sweetness and strength ? It is the mis- 
 take of Christians to think that meditation is only the work of 
 the understanding and memory ; when every school-boy can do 
 this, or persons that hate the things which they think on. So 
 that you see there is more to be done, than barely to remember 
 and think of heaven. As some labours not only stir a hand, or 
 a foot, but exercise the whole body ; so doth meditation the whole 
 soul. As the affections of sinners are set on the world, are 
 turned to idols, and fallen from God, as well as their understand- 
 ing; so must their affections be reduced to God, as well as the 
 understanding; and as their whole soul was filled with sin 
 before, so the whole must be filled with God now. See David's 
 description of the blessed man: "His delight is in the law of 
 the Lord, and in his law doth he meditate day and night." 
 
 This meditation is set and solemn. As there is solemn prayer, 
 when we set ourselves wholly to that duty; and ejaculatory 
 prayer, when, in the midst of other business, we send up some 
 short request to God; so also there is solemn meditation, when 
 we apply ourselves wholly to that work ; and transient meditation, 
 when, in the midst of other business, we have some good thoughts 
 of God in our minds. And as solemn prayer is either set, in a 
 constant course of duty, or occasional, at an extraordinary sea- 
 son; so also is meditation. Now, though I would persuade you 
 to that meditation which is mixed with your common labours, 
 
HEAVENLY CONTEMPLATION. 201 
 
 and also that which special occasions direct you to ; yet I would 
 have you likewise make it a constant standing duty, as you do 
 by hearing, praying, and reading the Scriptures; and no more 
 intermix other matters with it, than you would with prayer, or 
 other stated solemnities. 
 
 This meditation is upon thy everlasting rest. I, would not 
 have you cast off your other meditations; but surely as heaven 
 hath the pre-eminence in perfection, it should have it also in our 
 meditation. That which will make us most happy when we 
 possess it, will make us most joyful when we meditate upon it. 
 Other meditations are as numerous as there are lines in the 
 Scripture, or creatures in the universe, or particular providences 
 in the government of the world. But this is a walk to Mount 
 Sion ; from the kingdoms of this world to the kingdom of saints ; 
 from earth to heaven ; from time to eternity : it is walking upon 
 sun, moon and stars, in the garden and paradise of God. It may 
 seem far off; but spirits are quick ; whether in the body or out 
 of the body, their motion is swift. You need not fear, like the 
 men of the world, lest these thoughts should make you mad. It 
 is heaven, and not hell, that I persuade you to walk in. It is 
 joy, and not sorrow, that I persuade you to exercise. I urge 
 you to look on no deformed objects, but only upon the ravishing 
 glory of saints, and the unspeakable excellencies of the God of 
 glory, and the beams that stream from the face of his Son. Will 
 it distract a man to think of his only happiness? Will it distract 
 the miserable to think of mercy, or the prisoner to foresee deliv- 
 erance, or the poor to think of approaching riches and honour? 
 Methinks it should rather make a man mad, to think of living 
 in a world of wo, and abiding in poverty and sickness, among 
 the rage of wicked men, than to think of living with Christ in 
 bliss. "But wisdom is justified of all her children." Knowl- 
 edge hath no enemy but the ignorant. This heavenly course 
 was never spoken against by any but those that never knew it, 
 or never used it. I fear more the neglect of men that approve 
 it, than the opposition or arguments of any against it. 
 
 First. As to the fittest time for this heavenly contemplation, 
 let rne only advise, that it be — stated — frequent — and seasonable. 
 
 1. Give it a stated time. If thou suit thy time to the advan- 
 tage of the work, without placing any religion in the time itself, 
 thou hast no need to fear superstition. Stated time is a hedge tq 
 
202 TH P NATURE OF 
 
 duty, and defends it against many temptations to omission. Some 
 have not their time at command, and therefore cannot set their 
 hours; and many are so poor, that the necessities of their fami- 
 lies deny them this freedom ; such persons should be watchful 
 to redeem time as much as they can, and take their vacant 
 opportunities as they fall, and especially join meditation and 
 prayer, as much as they can, with the labours of their callings. 
 Yet those that have more time to spare from their worldly neces- 
 sities, and are masters of their time, I still advise to keep this 
 duty to a stated time. And indeed, if every work of the day 
 had its appointed time, we should be better skilled, both in 
 redeeming time and in performing duty. 
 
 2. Let it he frequent as well as stated. How oft it should be, 
 I cannot determine, because men's circumstances differ. But, 
 in general, Scripture requires it to be frequent, when it mentions 
 meditating day and night. For those therefore, who can conve- 
 niently omit other business, I advise, that it be once a day at 
 least. Frequency in heavenly contemplation is particularly 
 important. 
 
 To prevent a shyness between God and thy soul. Frequent 
 society breeds familiarity, and familiarity increases love and 
 delight, and makes us bold in our addresses. The chief end of 
 this duty is, to have acquaintance and fellowship with God; and 
 therefore, if thou come but seldom to it, thou wilt keep thyself a 
 stranger still. When a man feels his need of God, and must 
 seek his help in a time of necessity, then it is great encourage- 
 ment to go to a God we know and are acquainted with. "O !" 
 saith the heavenly Christian, " I know both whither I go, and to 
 whom. I have gone this way many a time before now. It is 
 the same God that I daily converse with, and the way has been 
 my daily walk. God knows me well enough, and I have some 
 knowledge of him." On the other side, what a horror and dis- 
 couragement will it be to the soul, when it is forced to fly to God 
 in straits, to think, " Alas ! I know not whither to go. I never 
 went the way before. I have no acquaintance at the court of 
 heaven. My soul knows not that God that I must speak to, and 
 I fear he will not know my soul." But especially when we 
 come to die, and must immediately appear before this God, and 
 expect to enter into his eternal rest, then the difference will 
 plainly appear; then what a joy will it be to think, "I am going 
 
HEAVENLY CONTEMPLATION. 203 
 
 to the place that I daily conversed in ; to the place from whence 
 I tasted such frequent delights ; to that God whom I have met 
 in my meditation so often. My heart hath been at heaven 
 before now, and hath often tasted its reviving sweetness; and 
 if my eyes were so enlightened, and my spirits so refreshed, 
 when I had but a taste, what will it be when I shall feed on it 
 freely?" On the contrary, what a terror will it be to think, ** I 
 must die, and go I know not whither; from a place where I am 
 acquainted, to a place where I have no familiarity or knowledge !" 
 It is an inexpressible horror to a dying man to have strange 
 thoughts of God and heaven. I am persuaded the neglect of 
 this duty, so commonly makes death, even to godly men, unwel- 
 come and uncomfortable. Therefore I persuade to frequency 
 in this duty. And as it will prevent shyness between thee and 
 God, so also, 
 
 It will prevent unskiifulness in the duty itself. How awk- 
 wardly do men .oet thoir hands to a work they are seldom 
 employed in! Whereas, frequency will habituate thy heart to 
 the work, and make & more easy and delightful. The hill 
 which made thee pant and blow at first going up, thou mayst 
 easily run up, when thou art once accustomed to it. 
 
 Thou wilt also prevent the loss of that heat and life thou hast 
 obtained. If thou e&t but once in two or three days, thou wilt 
 lose thy strength as fast as it comes. If in holy meditation thou 
 get near to Christ, and warm thy heart with the fire of love, and 
 then come but seldom, thy former coldness will soon return ; 
 especially as the work is so spiritual, and against the bent of 
 depraved nature. It is true, the intermixing of other duties, 
 especially secret prayer, may do much to the keeping thy heart 
 above; but meditation is the life of most other, duties, and the 
 view of heaven is the life of meditation. 
 
 3. Choose also the most seasonable time. All things are 
 beautiful and excellent in their season. Unseasonableness may 
 lose the fruit of thy labour, may raise difficulties in the work, 
 and may turn a duty to a sin. The same hour may be season- 
 able to one, and unseasonable to another. Servants and labour- 
 ers must take that season which their business can best afford ; 
 either while at work, or in travelling, or when they lie awake 
 in the night. Such as can choose what time of the day they 
 will, should observe when they find their spirits most active and 
 
204 TH£ NATURE OF 
 
 fit for contemplation, and fix upon that as the stated time. 1 have 
 always found that the fittest time for myself is the evening, from 
 sunsetting to the twilight. I the rather mention this, because it 
 was the experience of a better and wiser man ; for it is expressly 
 said, " Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the eventide." 
 The Lord's day is exceeding seasonable for this exercise. When 
 should we more seasonably contemplate our rest, than on that 
 day of rest which typifies it to us? It being a day appropriated 
 to spiritual duties, methinks we should never exclude this duty, 
 which is so eminently spiritual. I verily think this is the chief 
 work of a Christian Sabbath, and most agreeable to the design 
 of its positive institution. What fitter time to converse with our 
 Lord, than on the Lord's day? What fitter day to ascend to 
 heaven, than that on which he arose from earth, and fully tri- 
 umphed over death and hell? The fittest temper for a true 
 Christian is, like John, to "be in the spirit on the Lord's day." 
 And what can bring us to this joy in the Spirit, but the spiritual 
 beholding of our approaching glory ? Take notice of this, you 
 that spend the Lord's day only in public worship ; your allowing 
 no time to private duty, and therefore neglecting this spiritual 
 duty of meditation, is very hurtful to your souls. You, also, 
 that have time on the Lord's day for idleness and vain discourse, 
 were you but acquainted with this duty of contemplation, you 
 would need no other pastime ; you would think the longest day 
 short enough, and be sorry that the night had shortened your pleas- 
 ure. Christians, let heaven have more share in your Sabbaths, 
 where you must shortly keep your everlasting Sabbath. Use 
 your Sabbaths as steps to glory, till you have passed them all, 
 and are there arrived. Especially you that are poor, and cannot 
 take time in the week as you desire, see that you well improve 
 this day ; as your bodies rest from their labours, let your spirits 
 seek after rest from God. 
 
 Besides the constant seasonableness of every day, and partic- 
 ularly every Lord's day, there are also more peculiar seasons 
 for heavenly contemplation. As for instance : 
 
 When God hath more abundantly warmed thy spirit with fire 
 from above, then thou mayst soar with greater freedom. A little 
 labour will set thy heart a-going at such a time as this; whereas 
 at another time thou mayst take pains to little purpose. Observe 
 the gales of the Spirit, and how the Spirit of Christ doth move 
 
HEAVENLY CONTEMPLATION. 205 
 
 thy spirit. "Without Christ we can do nothing; ' and therefore 
 iet us be doing while he is doing; and be sure not to be out of 
 the way, nor asleep when he comes. When the Spirit finds thy 
 heart, like Peter, in prison, and in irons, and smites thee, and 
 says, "Arise up quickly, and follow me," be sure thou then 
 arise, and follow, and thou shalt find thy chains fall off, and all 
 doors will open, and thou wilt be at heaven before thou art aware. 
 
 Another peculiar season for this duty is, when thou art in a 
 suffering, distressed, or tempted state. W T hen should we take 
 our cordials, but in time of fainting? When is it more season- 
 able to walk to heaven, than when we know not in what corner of 
 earth to live with comfort? Or when should our thoughts con- 
 verse more above, than when they have nothing but grief below ? 
 Where should Noah's dove be but in the ark, when the waters 
 cover all the earth, and she cannot find rest for the sole of her 
 foot? What should we think on, but our Father's house, when 
 we have not even the husks of the world to feed upon? Surely 
 God sends thy afflictions to this very purpose. Happy art thou, 
 poor man, if thou make this use of thy poverty ! and thou that 
 art sick, if thou so improve thy sickness! It is seasonable to go 
 to the promised land, when our burdens are increased in Egypt, 
 and our straits in the wilderness. Reader, if thou knewest what 
 a cordial to thy griefs the serious views of glory are, thou 
 wouldst less fear these harmless troubles, and more use that pre- 
 serving, reviving remedy. "In the multitude of my troubled 
 thoughts within me," saith David, "thy comforts delight my 
 soul." "I reckon," saith Paul, " that the sufferings of this pres- 
 ent time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which 
 shall be revealed in us." "For which cause we faint not, but 
 though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed 
 day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, 
 worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, 
 while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things 
 which are not seen ; for the things which are seen are temporal ; 
 but the things which are not seen are eternal." 
 
 And another season peculiarly fit for this heavenly duty is, 
 when the messengers of God summon us to die. When should 
 we more frequently sweeten our souls with the believing thoughts 
 of another life, than when we find that this is almost ended ? No 
 men have greater need of supporting joys, than dying men; and 
 18 
 
200 THE NATURE OP 
 
 those joys must be fetched from our eternal joy. As heavenly 
 delights are sweetest, when nothing earthly is joined with them; 
 so the delights of dying Christians are oftentimes the sweetest 
 they ever had. What a prophetic blessing had dying Isaac, and 
 Jacob, for their sonsl With wha* a heavenly song, and divine 
 benediction, did Moses conclude his life! What heavenly advice 
 and prayer had the disciples from their Lord, when he was about 
 to leave them! When Paul was ready to be offered up, what 
 heavenly exhortation and advice did he give the Philippians, 
 Timothy and the elders of Ephesus! How near to heaven was 
 John in Patmos, but a little before his translation thither ! It is 
 the general temper of the saints, to be then most heavenly when 
 they are nearest heaven. If it be thy case, reader, to perceive 
 thy dying time draw on, O where should thy heart now be but 
 with Christ ! Methinks thou shouldst even behold him standing 
 
 o 
 
 by thee, and shouldst bespeak him as thy father, thy husband, thy 
 physician, thy friend. Methinks thou shouldst, as it were, see 
 the angels about thee, waiting to perform their last office to thy 
 soul ; even those angels which disdained not to carry into Abra- 
 ham's bosom the soul of Lazarus, nor will think much to conduct 
 thee thither. Look upon thy pain and sickness as Jacob did on 
 Joseph's chariots, and let thy spirit revive within thee, and say, 
 " It is enough, Christ is yet alive ; because he liveth, I shall live 
 also." Dost thou need the choicest cordials? Here are choicer 
 than the world can afford ; here are all the joys of heaven, even 
 the vision of God and Christ, and whatsoever the blessed here 
 possess. These dainties are offered thee by the hand of Christ ; 
 he hath written the receipt in the promises of the gospel; he hath 
 prepared the ingredients in heaven ; only put forth the hand of 
 faith, and feed upon them, and rejoice and live. The Lord saitl 
 to thee, as to Elijah, "Arise and eat, because the journey is too 
 great for thee." Though it be not long, yet the way is miry; 
 therefore obey his voice, arise and eat, "and in the strength of that 
 meat thou mayst go to the mount of God ;" and, like Moses, 
 "die in the mount whither thou goest up;" and say, as Simeon, 
 " Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace ; for my eye 
 of faith hath seen thy salvation." 
 
 Secondly. Concerning the fittest place for heavenly contem- 
 plation, it is sufficient to say, that the most convenient is some 
 prhate retirement. Our spirits need every help, and to be freed 
 
HEAVENLY CONTEMPLATION. 207 
 
 from every hindrance in the work. If in private prayer, Christ 
 directs us to "enter into our closet, and shut the door, that our 
 Fa.her may see us in secret," so should ive do this in meditation. 
 How often did Christ himself retire to seme mountain, or wilder- 
 ness, or other solitary place ! I give not this advice for occasional 
 meditation, but for that which is set and solemn. Therefore 
 withdraw thyself from all society, even that of godly men, that 
 thou mayst awhile enjoy the society of thy Lord. If a student 
 cannot study in a crowd, who exerciseth only his invention and 
 memory ; much less shouldst thou be in a crowd, who art to 
 exercise all the powers of thy soul, and upon an object so far 
 above nature, We are fled so far from superstitious solitude, 
 that we have even cast off the solitude of contemplative devotion. 
 We seldom read of God's appearing by himself, or by his angels, 
 to any of his prophets or saints in a crowd ; but frequently when 
 they were alone. But observe for thyself what place best agrees 
 with thy spirit; within doors or without. Isaac's example, in 
 "going out to meditate in the field," will, I am persuaded, best 
 suit with most. Our Lord so much used a solitary garden, that 
 even Judas, when he came to betray him, knew where to find 
 him : and though he took his disciples thither with him, yet he 
 "was withdrawn from them" for more secret devotions; and 
 though his meditation be not directly named, but only his pray- 
 ing, yet it is very clearly implied ; for his soul is first made sor- 
 rowful with the bitter meditations on his sufferings and death, and 
 then he poureth it out in prayer. So that Christ had his accus- 
 tomed place, and consequently accustomed duty ; and so must 
 we; he hath a place that is solitary, whither he retireth himself, 
 even from his own disciples, and so must we ; his .meditations go 
 further than his thoughts ; they affect and pierce his heart and 
 soul; and so must ours. Only there is a wide difference in the 
 object: Christ meditates on the sufferings that our sins had 
 deserved, so that the wrath of his Father passed through all his 
 soul ; but we are to meditate on the glory he hath purchased, 
 that the love of the Father, and the joy of the Spirit, may enter 
 at our thoughts, and revive our affections, and overflow our souls. 
 Thirdly. I am next to advise thee concerning the preparations 
 of thy heart for this heavenly contemplation. The success of 
 the work much depends on the frame of thy heart. When man's 
 heart had nothing in it to grieve the Spirit, it was then the delight- 
 
208 THE NATURE OF 
 
 ful habitation of his Ma^er. God did not quit his residence 
 there, till man expelled him by unworthy provocations. There 
 was no shyness or reserve till the heart grew sinful, and too 
 loathsome a dungeon for God to delight in. And, was this soul 
 reduced to its former innocency, God would quickly return to 
 his former habitation ; yea, so far as it is renewed and repaired 
 by the Spirit, and purged from its lusts, and beautified with his 
 image, the Lord will yet acknowledge it as his own : Christ will 
 manifest himself unto it, and the Spirit will take it for his temple 
 and residence. So far as the heart is qualified for conversing 
 with God, so far it usually enjoys him. Therefore, "with all 
 diligence keep thy heart, for out of it are the issues of life." 
 More particularly, 
 
 1. Get thy heart as clear from the world as thou canst. 
 Wholly lay by the thoughts of thy business, troubles, enjoyments, 
 and every thing that may take up any room in thy soul. Get 
 it as empty as thou possibly canst, that it may be the more capa- 
 ble of being filled with God. If thou couldst perform some 
 outward duty with a piece of thy heart, while the other is absent, 
 yet this duty above all I am sure thou canst not. When thou 
 shalt go into the mount of contemplation, thou wilt be like the 
 covetous man at the heap of gold, who, when he might take as 
 much as he could, lamented that he was able to carry no more ; 
 so thou wilt find so much of God and glory as thy narrow heart 
 is able to contain, and almost nothing to hinder thy full posses- 
 sion, but the incapacity of thy own spirit. Then thou wilt think, 
 "O that this understanding, and these affections, could contain 
 more ! It is more my unfitness than any thing else, that even 
 this place is not my heaven. 'God is in this place, and I know 
 it not.' This 'mount is full of chariots of fire*,' but mine eyes 
 are shut, and I cannot see them. O the words of love Christ 
 hath to speak, and wonders of love he hath to show, but I cannot 
 bear them! Heaven is ready for me, but my heart is unready 
 for heaven." Therefore, reader, seeing thy enjoyment of God 
 in this contemplation much depends on the capacity and disposi- 
 tion of thy heart, seek him here, if ever, with all thy soul. 
 Thrust not Christ into the stable and the manger, as if thou hadst 
 better guests for the chief rooms. Say to all thy worldly busi- 
 ness and thoughts, as Christ to his disciples, "Sit ye here, while 
 I go and pray yonder;" or, as Abraham to his servants, when 
 
HEAVENLY CONTEMPLATION. 209 
 
 he went to offer Isaac, "Abide ye here, and I will go yonder and 
 worship, and come again to you." Even as "the priests thrust 
 king Uzziah out of the temple," where he presumed to burn 
 incense, when they saw the leprosy upon him ; so do thou thrust 
 those thoughts from the temple of thy heart, which have the 
 badge of God's prohibition upon them. 
 
 2. Be sure to set upon this work with the greatest solemnity 
 of heart and mind. There is no trifling in holy things. " God 
 will be sanctified in them that come nigh him." These spiritual, 
 excellent, soul-raising duties, are, if well used, most profitable; 
 but when used unfaithfully, most dangerous. Labour, therefore, 
 to have the deepest apprehensions of the presence of God, and 
 his incomprehensible greatness. If queen Esther must not draw 
 near, "till the king hold out the sceptre;" think, then, with what 
 reverence thou shouldst approach him, who made the worlds 
 with the word of his mouth, who upholds the earth as in the palm 
 of his hand, who keeps the sun, moon, and stars in their courses, 
 and who sets bounds to the raging sea. Thou art going to con- 
 verse with Him before whom the earth will quake, and devils do 
 tremble, and at whose bar thou and all the world must shortly 
 stand, and be finally judged. O think! "I shall then have 
 lively apprehensions of his majesty. My drowsy spirits will 
 .hen be awakened, and my irreverence be laid aside; and why 
 should I not now be roused with the sense of his greatness, and 
 the dread of his name possess my soul?" Labour also to appre- 
 hend the greatness of the work which thou attemptest, and to be 
 deeply sensible both of its importance and excellency. If thou 
 wast pleading for thy life at the bar of an earthly judge, thou 
 wouldst be serious, and yet that would be a trifle to this. If \ 
 thou wast engaged in such a work as David against Goliath, on 
 which the welfare of a kingdom depended; in itself considered, 
 it were nothing to this. Suppose thou wast going to such a 
 wrestling as Jacob's, or to see the sight which the three disciples 
 saw in the mount, how seriously, how reverently, wouldst thou 
 both apprc ach and behold ! If but an angel from heaven should 
 appoint to meet thee, at the same time and place of thy contem- 
 plations; with what dread wouldst thou be filled? Consider, 
 then, with what a spirit thou shouldst meet the Lord, and with 
 what seriousness and awe thou shouldst daily converse with 
 him. Consider also, the blessed issue of the work, if it succeed; 
 18* 
 
210 
 
 AUXILIARIES OF 
 
 it will be thy admission into the presence of God, and the begin 
 ning of thy eternal glory on earth; a means to make thee live 
 above the rate of other men, and fix thee in the next room to the 
 angels themselves, that thou mayst both live and die joyfully. 
 The prize being so great, thy preparations should be answerable. 
 There is none on earth live such a life of joy and blessedness, as 
 those that are acquainted with this heavenly conversation. The 
 joys of all other men are but like a child's plaything, a fool's 
 laughter, or a sick man's dream of health. He that trades for 
 heaven is the only gainer, and he that neglects it is the only 
 loser. How seriously, therefore, should this work be done ! 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 WHAT USE HEAVENLY CONTEMPLATION MAKES OF CONSIDERATION, 
 AFFECTIONS, SOLILOQUY, AND PRAYER. 
 
 I. The use of consideration, and its great influence over the heart. II. Contemplation h. 
 promoted by the affections; particularly— 1. By love; 2. Desire; 3. Hope; 4. Courage; 
 5. Joy. III. The usefidness of soliloquy and prayer in heavenly contemplation. 
 
 Having set thy heart in tune, we now come to the music 
 itself. Having got an appetite, now approach to the feast, and 
 delight thy soul as with marrow and fatness. Come, for all 
 things are now ready. Heaven and Christ, and the exceeding 
 weight of glory, are before you. Do not make light of this 
 invitation, nor begin to make excuses: whatever thou art, rich 
 or poor, though in alms-houses or hospitals, though in high-ways 
 and hedges, my commission is, if possible, to compel you to come 
 in ; and blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God ! 
 The manna lieth about your tents; walk out, gather it up, take 
 it home, and feed upon it. In order to this, I am only to direct 
 you — how to use your consideration — and affections — your 
 soliloquy and prayer. 
 
 First. Consideration is the great instrument by which this 
 heavenly work is carried on. This must be voluntary, and not 
 forced. Some men consider unwillingly; so God will make the 
 wicked consider their sins, when he shall "set them in order 
 before their eyes ;" so shall the damned consider of the excel- 
 lency of Christ, whom they once despised, and of the eternaJ 
 
HEAVENLY OONTEii P L A TION . - oj[ 
 
 joys winch they have foolishly lost. Great is the power u!,ir], 
 consideration hath for moving the affections, and impressing things 
 on the heart; as will appear by the following particulars: 
 
 1. Consideration, as it were, opens the door between the head 
 and the heart. The understanding having received truths, lavs 
 them up in the memory, and consideration conveys them from 
 thence to the affections. What excellency would there be in 
 much learning and knowledge, if the obstructions between the 
 head and the heart were but opened, and the affections did but 
 correspond to the understanding ! He is usually the best scholar, 
 whose apprehension is quick, clear, and tenacious; but he is 
 usually the best Christian, whose apprehension is the deepest 
 and most affectionate, and who has the readiest passages, not so 
 much from the ear to the brain, as from that to the heart. And 
 though the Spirit be the principal cause ; yet, on our part, this 
 passage must be opened by consideration. 
 
 2. Consideration presents to the affections those things which 
 are most important. The most delightful object does not enter- 
 tain where it is not seen, nor the most joyful news affect him 
 that does not hear it; but consideration presents to our view 
 those things which were as absent, and brings them to the eye 
 and ear of the soul. Are not Christ and glory affecting objects? 
 Would they not work wonders upon the soul, if they were but 
 clearly discovered, and our apprehensions of them were in some 
 measure answerable to their worth. It is consideration that pre- 
 sents them to us : this is the Christian's perspective, by which 
 he can see from earth to heaven. 
 
 3. Consideration, also, presents the most important things in 
 the most affecting way. Consideration reasons the case with a 
 man's own heart. When a believer would reason his heart to 
 heavenly contemplation, how many arguments offer themselves 
 from God and Christ, from each of the divine perfections, from 
 our former and present state, from promises, from present suffer- 
 ings and enjoyments, from hell and heaven ! Every thing offers 
 itself to promote our joy, and consideration is the hand to draw 
 them all out; it adds one reason to another, till the scales turn: 
 this it does when persuading to joy, till it hath silenced all our 
 distrust and sorrows, and your cause for rejoicing lies plain 
 before you. If another's reasoning is powerful with us, though 
 we are not certain whether he intends to inform or deceive us, 
 
212 AUXILIARIES OF 
 
 how much more should our own reasoning prevail with us, whe., 
 we are so well acquainted with our own intentions ! Nay, how 
 much more should God's reasoning work upon us, which we are 
 sure cannot deceive, or be deceived! Now, consideration is but 
 the reading over, and repeating God's reasons to our hearts. As 
 the prodigal had many and strong reasons to plead with himself, 
 why he should return to his father's house, so have we to plead 
 with our affections, to persuade them to our Father's everlasting 
 mansion. 
 
 4. Consideration exalts reason to its just authority. It helps 
 to deliver it from its captivity to the senses, and sets it again on 
 the throne of the soul. When reason is silent, it is usually sub- 
 ject: for when it is asleep, the senses domineer. But consider- 
 ation awakens our reason, till, like Samson, it rouses up itself, and 
 breaks the bonds of sensuality, and bears down the delusions of 
 the flesh. What strength can the lion exert while asleep? What 
 is a king, when dethroned, more than another man? Spiritual 
 reason, excited by meditation, and not fancy or fleshly sense, 
 must judge of heavenly joys. Consideration exalts the objects 
 of faith, and comparatively disgraces the objects of sense. The 
 most inconsiderate men are most sensual. It is too easy and 
 common to sin against knowledge, but against sober, strong, per- 
 severing consideration, men seldom offend. 
 
 5. Consideration makes reason strong and active. Before, it 
 was a standing water, but now as a stream, which violently bears 
 down all before it. Before, it was as the stones in the brook, but 
 now like that out of David's sling, which smites the Goliath of 
 our unbelief in the forehead. As wicked men continue wicked, 
 because they bring not reason into act and exercise ; so godly 
 men are uncomfortable, because they let their reason and faith 
 lie asleep, and do not stir them up to action by this work of med- 
 itation. What fears, sorrows, and joys will our very dreams 
 excite ! How much more, then, would serious meditation affect us ! 
 
 6. Consideration can continue and persevere in this rational 
 employment. Meditation holds reason and faith to their work, 
 and blows the fire till it thoroughly burns. To run a few step 
 will not get a man heat, but walking an hour may ; and though 
 a sudden occasional thought of heaven will not raise our affec- 
 tions to any spiritual heat, yet meditation can continue our 
 thoughts till our hearts grew warm. Thus you see the power 
 
HEAVENLY CONTEMPLATION. 213 
 
 ful tendency of consideration to produce this great elevation of 
 the soul in heavenly contemplation. 
 
 Secondly. Let us next see how this heavenly work is pro- 
 moted by the particular exercise of the affections. — It is by con- 
 sideration that we first have recourse to the memory, and from 
 thence take those heavenly doctrines which we intend to make 
 the subject of our meditation; such as promises of eternal life, 
 descriptions of the saints' glory, the resurrection, &c, &c. We 
 then present them to our judgment, that it may deliberately view 
 them over, and take an exact survey, and determine uprightly 
 concerning the perfection of our celestial happiness, against all 
 the dictates of flesh and sense, and so as to magnify the Lord in 
 our hearts, till we are filled with a holy admiration. But the 
 principal thing is to exercise, not merely our judgment, but our 
 faith in the truth of our everlasting rest; by which I mean, both 
 the truth of the promises, and of our own personal interest in 
 them, and title to them. If we did really and firmly believe that 
 there is such a glory, and that within a few days our eyes shall 
 behold it, O what passions would it raise within us! What 
 astonishing apprehensions of that life would it produce ! What 
 love, what longing would it excite withjn us ! O how it would 
 actuate every affection ! How it would transport us with joy, 
 upon the least assurance of our title ! Never expect to have 
 love and joy move, when faith stands still, which must lead the 
 way. Therefore daily exercise faith, and set before it the fine- 
 ness of the promise, God's urging all to accept it, Christ's gra- 
 cious disposition, all the evidences of the love of Christ, his 
 faithfulness to his engagements, and the evidences of his love 
 in ourselves; lay all these together, and think whether they do 
 not testify the good-will of the Lord concerning our salvation, 
 and may not properly be pleaded against our unbelief. Thus, 
 when the judgment hath determined, and faith hath apprehended 
 the truth of our happiness, then may our meditation proceed to 
 raise our affections, and particularly — love — desire — hope — 
 courage or boldness — and joy. 
 
 1. Love is the first affection to be excited in heavenly contem- 
 plation ; the object of it is goodness. Here, Christian, is the 
 soul-reviving part of thy work. Go to thy memory, thy judg- 
 ment, aid thy faith, and from them produce the excellencies of 
 thy rest; present these to thy affection of love, and thou will 
 
214 
 
 AUXILIARIES OP 
 
 find thyself, as it were, in another world. Speak out, and lovo 
 can hear. Do but reveal these things, and love can see. It ia 
 the brutish love of the world that is blind ; divine love is exceed- 
 ing quick-sighted. Let thy faith take hold of thy heart, and 
 show it the sumptuous buildings of thy eternal habitation, and 
 the glorious ornaments of thy Father's house, even the mansions 
 Christ is preparing, and the honours of his kingdom ; let thy 
 faith lead thy heart into the presence of God, and as near as 
 thou possibly canst, and say to it, "Behold the Ancient of Days, 
 the Lord Jehovah, whose name is, I AM ; this is he who made 
 all the worlds with his word, who upholds the earth, who rules 
 the nations, who disposes of all events, who subdues his foes, who 
 controls the swelling waves of the sea, who governs the winds, 
 and causes the sun to run its race, and the stars to know their 
 courses. This is he who loved thee from everlasting, formed thee 
 in the womb, gave thee this soul, brought thee forth, showed 
 thee the light, and ranked thee with the chief of his earthly 
 creatures ; who endued thee with thy understanding, and beau- 
 tified thee with his gifts, who maintains thy life and all its com- 
 forts, and distinguishes thee from the most miserable and vilest 
 of men. O here is an object worthy thy love ! Here shouldst 
 thou even pour out thy soul in love ! Here it is impossible for 
 thee to love too much ! This is the Lord who hath blessed thee 
 with his benefits, 'spread thy table in the sight of thine enemies, 
 and made thy cup overflow!' This is he whom angels and 
 saints praise, and the heavenly host for ever magnify!" Thus 
 do thou expatiate on the praises of God, and open his excellen- 
 cies to thine heart, till the holy fire of love begins to kindle in 
 thy breast. 
 
 If thou feelest thy love not yet burn, lead thy heart farther, 
 and show it the Son of the living God, whose name is " Wonder- 
 ful, Counsellor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the 
 Prince of Peace:" show it the King of saints on the throne of 
 his glory, "the First and the Last; who is, and was, and is to 
 come; who liveth, and was dead, and, behold, he lives for ever- 
 more; who hath made thy peace by the blood of his cross," and 
 hath prepared thee with himself a habitation of peace ; His office 
 is the great peace-maker ; His kingdom is the kingdom of peace : 
 [lis gospel is the tidings of peace; His voice to tiee now is the 
 voice of peace! Draw near, and behold him. Dost thou not 
 
HEAVENLY JONTEMPL AI ION. 2\h 
 
 hear his voice? He that bode Thomas come near, and ste the 
 print of the nails, and put his finger into his wounds; He it is 
 that calls to thee, "Come near, and view the Lord thy Saviour, 
 and be not faithless, but believing ; Peace be unto thee, fear not, 
 it is I." Look well upon him. Dost thou not know him? It 
 is he that brought thee up from the pit of hell, reversed the sen- 
 tence of thy damnation, bore the curse which thou shouldst have 
 borne, restored thee to the blessing thou hadst forfeited, and pur- 
 chased the advancement which thou must inherit for ever. And 
 dost thou not yet know him? His hands were pierced, his head, 
 his side, his heart, were pierced, that by these marks thou mightst 
 always know him. Dost thou not remember when he "found 
 thee lying in thy blood, and took pity on thee, and dressed thy 
 wounds, and brought thee home, and said unto thee, Live?" 
 Hast thou forgotten since he wounded himself to cure thy wounds, 
 and let out his own blood to stop thy bleeding? If thou knowest 
 him not by the face, the voice, tLs hands, thou mayst know him 
 by that heart; that soul-pitying heart is his; it can be none but 
 his ; love and compassion are its certain signatures ; this is he, 
 who chose thy life before his own; who pleads his blood before 
 his Father, and makes continual intercession for thee. If he had 
 not suffered, what hadst thou suffered ? There was but a step 
 between thee and hell, when he stepped in, and bore the stroke. 
 And is not here fuel enough for thy love to feed on? Doth 
 not thy throbbing heart stop here to ease itself, and, like Joseph, 
 "seek for a place to weep in?" or do not the tears of thy love 
 bedew these lines ? Go on then, for the field of love is large ; 
 it will be thy eternal work to behold and love ; nor needst thou 
 want work for thy present meditation. 
 
 How often hath thy Lord found thee, like Hagar, sitting, and 
 weeping, and giving up thy soul for lost, and he opened to thee 
 a well of consolation, and also opened thine eyes to see it ! How 
 often, in the posture of Elijah, desiring to die out of thy misery, 
 and he hath spread thee a table of unexpected relief, and sem 
 thee on his work refreshed and encouraged ! How often, in the 
 case of the prophet's servant, crying out, "Alas, what shall we 
 do, for a host doth encompass us;" and he hath "opened thine, 
 eyes to see more for thee than against thee !" How often, like 
 Jonah, peevish, and weary of thy life, and he hath mildly said. 
 M S'ost thou well to be angry " with me, or murmur against rne ? 
 
2]6 AUXILIARIES OF 
 
 How often hath he set thee on " watching and praying," repent 
 ing and believing, "and, when he hath returned, hath found thee 
 asleep," and yet he hath covered thy neglect with a mantle of 
 love, and gently pleaded for thee, that "the spirit is willing, but 
 the flesh is weak !" Can thy heart be cold, when thou think est of 
 this? Can it contain, when thou rememberest those boundless 
 compassions? Thus, reader, hold forth the goodness of Christ to 
 thy heart ; plead thus with thy frozen soul, till, with David, thou 
 canst say, "My heart was hot within me; while I was musing, 
 the fire burned." If this will not rouse up thy love, thou hast 
 all Christ's personal excellencies to add, all his particular mer- 
 cies to thyself, all his sweet and near relations to thee, and the 
 happiness of thy everlasting abode with him. Only follow them 
 close to thy heart. Deal with it as Christ did with Peter, when 
 he thrice asked him, "Lovest thou me?" till he was grieved, and 
 answers, "Lord, thou knowest that I love thee!" So grieve 
 and shame thy heart out of its stupidity, till thou canst truly say, 
 "I know, and my Lord knows, that I love him." 
 
 2. The next affection to be excited in heavenly contemplation, 
 is desire. The object of it is goodness considered as absent, or 
 not yet attained. If love be hot, desire will not be cold. Think 
 with thyself, "What have I seen? O the incomprehensible 
 glory ! O the transcendent beauty ! O blessed souls that now 
 enjoy it! who see a thousand times more clearly what I have 
 seen at a distance, and through dark, interposing clouds. What 
 a difference between my state and theirs! I am sighing, and 
 they are singing; I am offending, and they are pleasing God. 
 I am a spectacle of pity, like a Job or a Lazarus, but they 
 are perfect, and without blemish. I am here entangled in the 
 love of the world, while they are swallowed up in the love 
 of God. They have none of my cares and fears ; they weep 
 not in secret; they languish not in sorrows; these "tears are 
 wiped away from their eyes." O happy, a thousand times happy 
 souls! Alas, that I must dwell in sinful flesh, when my breth- 
 ren and companions dwell with God ! How far out of sight and 
 reach of their high enjoyment do I here live ! What poor feeble 
 thoughts have I of God ! What cold affections towards him ! 
 How little have I of that life, that love, that joy, in which they 
 continually live!- How soon doth that little depart, and leave 
 me in thicker darkness! Now and then a spark falls upon ml 
 
HEAVENLY CONTEMPLATION. 217 
 
 heart, and, while I gaze upon it, it dies, or rather my cold heart 
 quenches it. But they have their "light in his light," and drink 
 continually at the spring of joys. Here we are vexing each 
 other with quarrels, when they are of one heart and voice, and 
 daily sound forth the hallelujahs of heaven with perfect harmony. 
 O what a feast hath my faith beheld, and what a famine is yet 
 in my spirit ! O blessed souls ! I may not, I dare not, envy 
 your happiness; I rather rejoice in my brethren's prosperity, and 
 am glad to think of the day when I shall be admitted into your 
 fellowship. I wish not to displace you, but to be so happy as to 
 be with you. Why must I stay, and weep, and wait? My 
 Lord is gone ; He hath left this earth, and is entered into his 
 glory ; my brethren are gone ; my friends are there ; my house, 
 my hope, my all, is there. When I am so far distant from my 
 God, wonder not what aileth me, if I now complain ; an igno- 
 rant Micah will do so for his idol, and shall not my soul do so 
 for the living God ? Had I no hope of enjoyment, I would go 
 hide myself in the deserts, and lie and howl in some obscure 
 wilderness, and spend my days in fruitless wishes; but since it 
 is the land of my promised rest, and the state I must myself be 
 advanced to, and my soul draws near, and is almost at it, I will 
 love and long, I will look and desire, I will be breathing. "How 
 long, Lord ! how long wilt thou suffer this soul to pant and groan, 
 and not open to him who waits, and longs to be with thee !" Thus, 
 Christian reader, let thy thoughts aspire, till thy soul longs, as 
 David, "O that one would give me to drink of the wells of sal- 
 vation!" And till thou canst say, as he did, "I have longed for 
 thy salvation, O Lord!" And as the mother and brethren of 
 Christ, when they could not come at him, because of the multi- 
 tude, sent to him, saying, "Thy mother and brethren stand with- 
 out, desiring to see thee ;" so let thy message to him be, and he 
 will own thee; for he hath said, "They that hear my word, and 
 do it, are my mother and my brethren." 
 
 3. Another affection to be exercised in heavenly contemplation, 
 is hope. This helps to support the soul under sufferings, ani- 
 mates it to the greatest difficulties, gives it firmness in the most 
 shaking trials, enlivens it in duties, and is the very spring that 
 sets all the wheels a-going. Who would believe or strive for 
 heaven, if it were not for the hope he hath to obtain it ? Who 
 would pray, but for the hope to prevail with God? If your hope 
 19 
 
£|g AUXILIARIES OF 
 
 dies, your duties die, your endeavours die, your joys die, and 
 your soul dies. And if your hope be not in exercise, but asleep, 
 it is next to be dead. Therefore, Christian reader, when thou art 
 winding up thy affections to heaven, forget not to give one lift to 
 thy hope. Think thus, and reason thus with thy own heart: 
 "Why should I not confidently and comfortably hope, when my 
 soul is in the hands of so compassionate a Saviour, and when the 
 kingdom is at the disposal of so bountiful a God? Did he ever 
 discover the least backwardness to my good, or inclination to my 
 ruin? Hath he not sworn, that "he delights not in the death of 
 him that dieth, but rather that he should repent and live? Have 
 not all his dealings witnessed the same ? Did he not mind me 
 of my danger, when I never feared it, because he would have 
 me escape it? Did he not mind me of my happiness, when 1 
 had no thoughts of it, because he would have me enjoy it? How 
 often hath he drawn me to himself, and his Christ, when I have 
 drawn backward! How hath his spirit incessantly solicited my 
 heart! And would he have done all this, if he had been willing 
 that 1 should perish ? Should I not hope, if an honest man had 
 promised me something in his power? And shall I not hope, 
 when I have the covenant and oath of God? It is true, the 
 glory is out of sight ; we have not beheld the mansions of the 
 saints; but is not the promise of God more certain than our 
 sight? We must not be saved by sight, but "by hope, and hope 
 that is seen is not hope ; for what a man seeth, why doth he yet 
 hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with 
 patience wait for it." I have been ashamed of my hope in an arm 
 of flesh, but hope in the promise of God, "maketh not ashamed." 
 In my greatest sufferings, I will say, " The Lord is my portion ; 
 therefore will I hope in him. The Lord is good unto them that 
 wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man 
 should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord. 
 For the Lord will not cast off for ever. But though he cause 
 grief, yet will he have compassion, according to the multitude 
 of his mercies." Though I languish and die, yet will I hope ; 
 for "the righteous hath hope in his death." Though I must lie 
 down in dust and darkness, yet there "my flesh shall rest in 
 hope." And when my flesh hath nothing to rejoice in, yet will 
 I " hold fast the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end ; for the 
 hope of the righteous shall be gladness. Indeed, if I was myself 
 
HEAVENLY CON TE M PL ATION . 219 
 
 to satisfy divine justice, then there had been no hope! but Christ 
 hath "brought in a better hope, by the which we draw nigh unto 
 God." Or, if I had to do with a feeble creature, there were 
 small hope; for now could he raise this body from the dust, and 
 lift me above the sun? But what is this to the Almighty Power, 
 which made the heavens and the earth out of nothing? Cannot 
 that power which raised Christ from the dead raise me? and 
 that which hath glorified the Head, glorify also the members? 
 "Doubtless, by the blood of his covenant, God will send forth 
 his prisoners out of the pit, wherein is no water;" therefore will 
 I '-turn to the stronghold, as a prisoner of hope." 
 
 4. Courage, or boldness is another affection to be exercised in 
 heavenly contemplation. It leadeth to resolution, and concludeth 
 in action. When you have raised your love, desire, and hope, 
 go on, and think thus with yourself; "Will God indeed dwell 
 with men? And is there such a glory within the reach of hope? 
 Why, then, do I not lay hold upon it? Where is the cheerful 
 vigour of my spirit? Why do I not 'gird up the loins of my 
 mind?' Why do I not set upon my enemies on every side, and 
 valiantly break through all resistance? What should stop me, 
 or intimidate me? Is God with me, or against me, in the work? 
 Will Christ stand by me, or will he not? 'If God and Christ be 
 for me, who can be against me?' In the work of sin, almost alJ 
 things are ready to help us, and only God and his servants are 
 against us; yet how ill doth that work prosper in our hands! 
 But in my course to heaven, almost all things are against me, 
 but God is for me ; and therefore how happily doth the work 
 succeed ! Do I set upon this work in my own strength, or rather 
 in the strength of Christ my Lord? And 'cannot I do all things 
 through him that strengthens me?' Was he ever foiled by an 
 enemy? He hath indeed been assaulted, but was he ever con- 
 quered? Why, then, doth my flesh urge me with the difficulties 
 of the work? Is any thing too hard for Omnipotence? May 
 not Peter boldly walk on the sea, if Christ give the word of com- 
 mand ? If he begin to sink, is it from the weakness of Christ, 
 or the smallnessof his faith? Do I not well deserve to be turned 
 into hell, if mortal threats can drive me thither? Do I not well 
 deserve to be shut out of heaven, if I will be frightened from 
 thence with the reproach of tongues? What if it were father 
 or mother, or husband, oj wife, or the nearest friend I have in 
 
220 
 
 A UX I LIAR F.S OK 
 
 the world, if they may be called friends that wo ill J draw me to 
 damnation, should I not forsake all that would keep me from 
 Christ? Will their friendship countervail the 'enmity of God or 
 be any comfort to my condemned soul? Shall I be yielding to 
 the desires of men, and only harden myself against the Lord? 
 Let them beseech me upon their knees, I will scorn to stop my 
 course to behold them; I will shut my ears to their cries; let 
 them flatter or frown ; let them draw out tongues and swords 
 against me; I am resolved in the strength of Christ to break 
 through, and look upon them as dust. If they would entice me 
 with preferment, even with the kingdoms of the world, I will no 
 more regard them than the dung of the earth. 0, blessed rest! 
 O, glorious state ! Who would sell thee for dreams and shadows? 
 Who would be enticed or affrighted from thee? Who would not 
 strive, and fight, and watch, and run, and that with violence, 
 even to the last breath, in order to obtain thee? Surely none but 
 those that know thee not, and believe not thy glory." 
 
 5. The last affection to be exercised in heavenly contemplation, 
 is joy. Love, desire, hope, and courage, all tend to raise our joy. 
 This is so desirable to every man by nature, and so essentially 
 necessary to constitute our happiness, that I hope I need not say 
 much to persuade you to any thing that would make your life 
 delightful. Supposing you therefore already convinced that the 
 pleasures of the flesh are brutish and perishing, and that your 
 solid and lasting joy must be from heaven, instead of persuading, 
 I shall proceed in directing. Reader, if thou hast managed well 
 the former work, thou art got within sight of thy rest; thou 
 believest the truth of it; thou art convinced of its excellencies; 
 thou art fallen in love with it; thou longest after it; thou hopest 
 for it; and thou art resolved to venture courageously for obtaining 
 it. But is here any work for joy in this? We delight in the good 
 we possess; it is present good that is the object of joy ; and thou 
 wilt say, "Alas, I am yet without it!" But think a little further 
 with thyself. Is it nothing to have a deed of gift from God? 
 Are his infallible promises no ground of joy? Is it nothing to 
 live in daily expectations of entering into the kingdom? Is not 
 my assurance of being hereafter glorified a sufficient ground 
 for inexpressible joy? Is it not a delight to the heir of a kingdom 
 to think of what he must soon possess, though at present he lr.tle 
 
HEAVENLY CONTEiM PL ATION . 221 
 
 differ from a servant? Have we not both command and example 
 for " rejoicing in hope of the glory of God ?" 
 
 Here, then, reader, take my heart once more, and carry it to 
 the top of the highest mount; show it the kingdom of Christ, and 
 the glory of it ; and say to it, " All this will thy Lord give thee, 
 who hast believed in him, and been a worshipper of him. 'It is 
 the Father's good pleasure to give thee this kingdom.' Seest thou 
 this astonishing glory which is above thee? All this is thy own 
 inheritance. This crown is thine, these pleasures are thine; 
 this company, this beautiful place, are all thine; because thou 
 art Christ's, and Christ is thine ; when thou wast united to him, 
 thou hadst all these with him." Thus take thy heart into the 
 land of promise ; show it the pleasant hills and fruitful valleys ; 
 show it the clusters of grapes which thou hast gathered, to con- 
 vince it that it is a blessed land, flowing with better than milk 
 and honey. Enter the gates of the holy city, walk through the 
 streets of the " New Jerusalem, walk about Sion, and go round 
 about her; tell the towers thereof; mark well her bulwarks; 
 consider her palaces ; that thou mayst tell it to" thy soul. Hath 
 it not "the glory of God, and is not her light like unto a stone 
 most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal?" 
 See the "twelve foundations of her walls, and in them the 
 names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. And the building 
 of the walls of it are of jasper; and the city is pure gold, like 
 unto clear glass ; and the foundations are garnished with all 
 manner of precious stones. And the twelve gates are twelve 
 pearls, every several gate is of one pearl, and the street of the 
 city is pure gold, as it were transparent glass. There is no 
 temple in it; for the Lord God Almighty, and the Lamb, are the 
 temple of it. It hath no need of the sun, neither of the moon 
 in it, for the glory of God doth lighten it, and the Lamb is the 
 light thereof; and the nations of them which are saved shall 
 walk in the light of it. These sayings are faithful and true ; and 
 the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angels," and his own 
 Son, "to show unto his servants the things which must shortly be 
 done." Say now to all this, "This is thy rest, O, my soul! and 
 this must be the place of thy everlasting habitation." Let all 
 the sons of "Sion rejoice; let the daughters of Jerusalem bo 
 glad ; for great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised in the city 
 of our God, in the mountain of his holiness. Beautiful for situ. 
 19* 
 
222 AUXILIARIES OP 
 
 ation, the joy of the whole earth, is Mount Sion. God is knowh 
 in her palaces for a refuge." 
 
 Yet proceed on; the soul that loves, ascends frequently, ana 
 runs familiarly through the streets of the heavenly Jerusalem, 
 visiting the patriarchs and prophets, saluting the apostles, and 
 admiring the armies of martyrs; so do thou lead on thy heart as 
 from street to street; bring it into the palace of the Great King; 
 lead it, as it were, from chamber to chamber. Say to it, "Here 
 must I lodge; here must I live; here must I praise; here must 
 I love, and be beloved. I must shortly be one of this heavenly 
 choir, and be better skilled in the music. Among this blessed 
 company must I take up my place ; my voice must join to make 
 up the melody. My tears will then be wiped away ; my groans 
 be turned to another tune ; my cottage of clay be changed to 
 this palace; my prison rags to these splendid robes; and my 
 sordid flesh shall be put off, and such a sunlike, spiritual body 
 be put on ; 'for the former things are here passed away.' 'Glo- 
 rious things are spoken of thee, O city of God !' When I look 
 upon this glorious place, what a dunghill and dungeon methinks 
 is earth ! O what difference betwixt a man feeble, pained, groan- 
 ing, dying, rotting in the grave, and one of these triumphant, 
 shining saints! Here shall I 'drink of the river of pleasures, 
 the streams whereof make glad the city of God.' Must Israel, 
 under the bondage of the law, 'serve the Lord with joy fulness, 
 and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things?' 
 Surely I shall serve him with joyfulness and gladness of heart, 
 for the abundance of glory. Did persecuted saints ' take joyfully 
 the spoiling of their goods?' And shall not I take joyfully such 
 a full reparation of all my losses? Was it a celebrated 'day 
 wherein the Jews rested from their enemies,' because it 'was 
 turned unto them from sorrow to joy, and from mourning into a 
 good day?' What a day, then, will that be to my soul, whose 
 rest and change will be inconceivably greater! 'When the 
 wise men saw the star' that led to Christ, 'they rejoiced with 
 exceeding great joy ;' but I shall shortly see him, who is himself 
 'the bright and morning Star.' If the disciples 'departed from 
 the sepulchre with great joy,' when they had but heard that 
 their J^ord ' was risen from the dead ;' what will be my joy, 
 when I shall see him reigning in glory, and myself raised to a 
 blessed communion with him ! Then shall I indeed have ' beautv 
 
HEAVENLY CONTEMPLATION. 2*23 
 
 for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, and the garment of praise 
 for the spirit of heaviness; and Sion shall be made an eternal 
 excellency, a joy of many generations.' Why, then, do I not 
 arise from the dust, and cease my complaints? Why do I not 
 trample on vain delights, and feed on the foreseen delights of 
 glory? Why is not my life a continual joy, and the savour of 
 heaven perpetually upon my spirit?" 
 
 Let me here observe, that there is no necessity to exercise 
 these affections, either exactly in this order, or all at one time. 
 Sometimes one of thy affections may need more exciting, or may 
 be more lively than the rest ; or, if thy time be short, one may 
 be exercised one day, and another upon the next; all which 
 must be left to thy prudence to determine. Thou hast also an 
 opportunity, if inclined to make use of it, to exercise opposite 
 and more mixed affections; such as — hatred of sin, which would 
 deprive thy soul of these immortal joys; — godly fear, lest thou 
 shouldst abuse thy mercy ; — godly shame and grief, for having 
 abused it; — unfeigned repentance; self-indignation; jealousy 
 over thy heart; — and pity for those who are in danger of losing 
 these immortal joys. 
 
 Thirdly. We are also to take notice how heavenly contempla- 
 tion is promoted by soliloquy and prayer. Though consideration 
 be the chief instrument in this work, yet, by itself, it is not so 
 likely to affect the heart. In this respect, contemplation is like 
 preaching, where the mere explaining of truths and duties is 
 seldom attended with such success, as the lively application of 
 them to the conscience; and especially when a divine blessing 
 is earnestly sought for to accompany such application. 
 
 1. By soliloquy, or pleading the case with thyself, thou must 
 in thy meditation quicken thy own heart. Enter into a serious 
 debate with it. Plead with it in the most moving and affecting 
 language, and urge it with the most powerful and weighty argu- 
 ments. It is what holy men of God have practised in all ages. 
 Thus David: "Why art thou cast down, O, my soul? and why 
 art thou disquieted within me? Hope thou in God; for I shall 
 yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my 
 God." And again: "Bless the Lord, O my soul! and all that 
 is within me, bless his holy name ! Bless the Lord, O my soul ! 
 and forget not all his benefits!" This soliloquy is to be made 
 use of according to the several affections of the soul, and accord- 
 
224 AUXILIARIES OF 
 
 ing to its several necessities. It is a preaching to one's self; for 
 as every good master or father of a family is a good preacher 
 to his own family, so every good Christian is a good preacher to 
 his own soul. Therefore the very same method which a minister 
 should use in his preaching to others, every Christian should 
 endeavour after in speaking to himself. Observe the matter and 
 manner of the most heart- affecting minister; let him be as a 
 pattern for your imitation ; and the same way that he takes with 
 the hearts of his people, do thou also take with thy own heart. 
 Do this in thy heavenly contemplation ; explain to thyself the 
 things on which thou dost meditate ; confirm thy faith in them 
 by Scripture ; and then apply them to thyself, according to their 
 nature, and thy own necessity. There is no need to object 
 against this, from a sense of thy own inability. Doth not God 
 command thee to "teach the Scriptures diligently unto thy chil- 
 dren, and talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when 
 thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when 
 thou risest up ?" And if thou must have some ability to teach 
 thy children, much more to teach thyself; and if thou canst talk 
 of divine things to others, why not also to thy own heart? 
 
 2. Heavenly contemplation is also promoted by speaking to 
 God in prayer, as well as by speaking to ourselves in soliloquy. 
 Ejaculatory prayer may very properly be intermixed with medi- 
 tation, as a part of the duty. How often do we find David, in the 
 same psalm, sometimes pleading with his soul, and sometimes with 
 God? The apostle bids us "speak to ourselves in psalms, and 
 hymns, and spiritual songs ;" and no doubt we may also speak to 
 God in them. This keeps the soul sensible of the divine pres- 
 ence, and tends greatly to quicken and raise it. As God is the 
 highest object of our thoughts, so our viewing of him, speaking 
 iO him, and pleading with him, more elevates the soul, and excites 
 the affections, than any other part of meditation. .Though we 
 remain unaffected, while we plead the case with ourselves ; yet, 
 when we turn our speech to God, it may strike us with awe ; ana 
 the holiness and majesty of him whom we speak to may cause 
 both the matter and words to pierce the deeper. When w? 
 read, that "Isaac went out to meditate in the field," the mar 
 gin says, "to pray;" for the Hebrew word signifies both.— - 
 Thus, in our meditations, to intermix soliloquy and prayer, 
 sometimes speaking to our own hearts, and sometimes to God, 
 
HEAVENLY CONTEMPLATION. 2S.5 
 
 is, I apprehend, the highest step we can advance to in this heav- 
 enly work. Nor should we imagine it will be as well to take 
 up with prayer alone, and lay aside meditation ; for they are 
 distinct duties, and must both of them be performed. We need 
 one as well as the other, and therefore shall wrong ourselves by 
 neglecting either. Besides, the mixture of them, like music, will 
 be more engaging, as the one serves to put life into the other. 
 And our speaking to ourselves in meditation, should go before 
 our speaking to God in prayer. For want of attending to this 
 due order, men speak to God with far less reverence and affec- 
 tion than they would speak to an angel, if he should appear to 
 them, or to a judge, if they were speaking for their lives. 
 Speaking to the God of heaven in prayer, is a weightier duty 
 than most are aware of. 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 HEAVENLY CONTEMPLATION ASSISTED BY SENSIBLE OBJECTS, AND 
 GUARDED AGAINST A TREACHEROUS HEART. 
 
 It is difficult to maintain a lively impression of heavenly things : therefore — I. Heavenly 
 contemplation may be assisted by sensible objects : 1. If we draw strong suppositions 
 from sense ; and, 2. If we compare the objects of sense with the objects of faith. II. 
 Heavenly contemplation may also be guarded against a treacherous heart, by consider 
 ing— 1. The great backwardness of the heart to this duty; 2. Its trifling in it; 3. Its 
 wandering from it ; and 4. Its too abruptly putting an end to it. 
 
 The most difficult part of heavenly contemplation is, to main- 
 tain a lively sense of heavenly things upon our hearts. It is 
 easier merely to think of heaven a whole day, than to be lively 
 and affectionate in those thoughts a quarter of an hour. Faith 
 is imperfect, for we are renewed but in part, and goes against a 
 world of resistance ; and, being supernatural, is prone to decline 
 and languish, unless it be continually excited. Sense is strong, 
 according to the strength of the flesh ; and, being natural, con- 
 tinues while nature continues. The objects of faith are far off; 
 but those of sense are nigh. We must go as far as heaven for 
 our joys. To rejoice in what we never saw, nor ever knew the 
 man that did see, and this upon a mere promise in the Bible, is 
 not so easy as to rejoice in what we see and possess. It must, 
 therefore, be a point of spiritual prudence, to call in sense to the 
 
226 CONTEMPLATION ASSISTED 
 
 assistance of faith. It will be a good work, if we can make 
 friends of these usual enemies, and make them instruments for 
 raising us to God, which are so often the means of Jrawing us 
 from him. Why hath God given us either our senses, or their 
 common objects, if they might not be serviceable to his praise? 
 Why doth the Holy Spirit describe the glory of the New Jerusa- 
 lem in expressions that are even grateful to the flesh? Is it that 
 we might think heaven to be made of gold and pearl ? or that 
 saints and angels eat and drink? No, but to help us to conceive 
 of them as we are able, and to use these borrowed phrases as a 
 glass, in which we must see the things themselves imperfectly 
 represented, till we come to an immediate and perfect sight. 
 And, besides showing how heavenly contemplation may be 
 assisted by sensible objects — this chapter will also show how it 
 may be preserved from a wandering heart. 
 
 First. In order that heavenly contemplation may be assisted 
 by sensible objects, let me only advise to draw strong supposi- 
 tions from sense — and to compare the. objects of sense with the 
 objects of faith. 
 
 1. For the helping of thy affections in heavenly contemplation, 
 draw as strong suppositions as possible from thy senses. Think 
 on the joys above, as boldly as Scripture hath expressed them. 
 Bring down thy conceptions to the reach of sense. Both love 
 and joy are promoted by familiar acquaintance. When we 
 attempt to think of God and glory, without the Scripture mannei 
 of representing them, we are lost, and have nothing to fix oui 
 thoughts upon ; we set them so far from us, that our thoughts are 
 strange, and we are ready to say, what is above us is nothing to 
 us. To conceive of God and glory, only as above our concep- 
 tion, will beget but little love ; or, as above our love, will produce 
 little joy. Therefore put Christ no farther from you than he 
 hath put himself, lest the divine nature be again inaccessible. 
 Think of Christ as in our own glorified nature. Think of glo- 
 ri/ied saints as men made perfect. Suppose thyself a companion 
 with John, in his survey of the New Jerusalem, and viewing the 
 thrones, the majesty, the heavenly hosts, the shining splendour, 
 which he saw. Suppose thyself his fellow-traveller into the 
 celestial kingdom, and that thou hadst seen all the saints in their 
 white robes, with "palms in their hands;" and that thou hadst 
 heard those "songs of Moses and of the Lamb." If thou hadst 
 
BY SENSIBLE OBJECTS. 227 
 
 really seen and heard these things, in what a rapture would* 
 thou have been! And the more seriously thou puttest this sup. 
 position to thyself, the more will thy meditation elevate thy heart. 
 Do not, like the Papists, draw them in pictures; but get the live- 
 liest picture of them in thy mind that thou possibly canst, by 
 contemplating the Scripture account of them, till thou canst say, 
 " Methinks I see a glimpse of glory ! Methinks I hear the shouts 
 of joy and praise, and even stand by Abraham and David, Peter 
 and Paul, and other triumphant souls ! Methinks I even see the 
 Son of God appearing in the clouds, and the world standing at 
 his bar to receive their doom; and hear him say, 'Come, ye 
 blessed of my Father;' and see them go rejoicing into the joy 
 of their Lord ! My very dreams of these things have sometimes 
 greatly affected me ; and should not these just suppositions much 
 more affect me ! What if I had seen, with Paul, those 'unutter- 
 able things?' Or, with Stephen, had seen 'heaven opened, and 
 Christ sitting at the right hand of God?' Surely that one sight 
 was worth his storm of stones. What if I had seen, as Isaiah 
 did, 'the Lord sitting upon his throne, and all the host of heaven 
 standing on his right hand and on his left?' Such things did 
 these men of God see ; and I shall shortly see far more than 
 ever they saw, till they were loosed from the flesh, as I must be." 
 Thus you see how it excites our affections in this heavenly work, 
 if we make strong and familiar suppositions, from our bodily 
 senses, concerning the state of blessedness, as the Spirit hath in 
 condescending language expressed it. 
 
 2. The other way in which our senses may promote this 
 heavenly work, is, by comparing the objects of sense with the 
 objects of faith. As for instance : You may strongly argue with 
 your hearts from the corrupt delights of sensual men to the joys 
 above. Think with yourselves, " Is it such a delight to a sinner 
 to do wickedly? And will it not be delightful indeed to live with 
 God? Hath the drunkard such delights in his cups, that the 
 fears of damnation will not make him forsake them ? Will the 
 whoremonger rather part with his credit, estate, and salvation, 
 than with his brutish delights ! If the way to hell can afford 
 such pleasure, what then are the pleasures of the saints in 
 heaven! If the covetous man hath so much pleasure in his 
 wealth, and the ambitious man in places of power and titles of 
 honour, what then have the saints in everlasting treasures, and 
 
228 CONTEMPLATION ASSISTED 
 
 in heavenly honours, where we shall be set above principalities 
 and powers, and be made the glorious spouse of Christ! How 
 delightfully will the voluptuous follow their recreations from 
 morning to night, or sit at their cards and dice nights and days 
 together ! O, the delight we shall have when we come to our 
 rest, in beholding the face of the living God, and in singing forth 
 the praises unto him and the Lamb !" Compare also the delights 
 above with the lawful and moderate delights of sense. Think 
 with thyself, "How sweet is food to my taste when I am hungry ; 
 especially if it be, as Isaac said, 'such as I love,' which my tem- 
 perance and appetite incline to ! What delight, then, must my 
 soul have in feeding upon 'Christ, the living bread,' and in 'eat- 
 ing with him at his table in his kingdom !' Was a mess of 
 pottage so sweet to Esau in his hunger, that he would buy it at 
 so dear a rate as his birthright? How highly, then, should I 
 value this never-perishing food ! How pleasant is drink in the 
 extremity of thirst, scarcely to be expressed ; enough to make 
 the 'strength of Samson revive!' O how delightful will it be 
 to my soul to drink of that 'fountain of living water, which 
 whoso drinketh it shall thirst no more!' How delightful are 
 grateful odours to the smell ; or music to the ear ; or beautiful 
 sights to the eye! What fragrance, then, hath 'the precious 
 ointment which is poured on the head ' of our glorified Saviour, 
 and which must be poured on the head of all his saints, and will 
 fill all heaven with its odour! How delightful is the music 'of 
 the heavenly host!' How pleasing will be those real beauties 
 above ! How glorious the ' building not made with hands,' the 
 house that God himself dwells in, the walks and prospects in 
 'the city of God,' and the celestial paradise!" 
 
 Compare also the delights above with those we find in natural 
 knowledge. These are far beyond the delights of sense ; but 
 how much farther are the delights of heaven! Think, then, 
 "Can an Archimedes be so taken up with his mathematical 
 invention, that the threats of death cannot disengage him, but 
 he will die in the midst of his contemplations? Should not I be 
 much more taken up with the delights of glory, and die with 
 these contemplations fresh upon my soul ; especially when my 
 death will perfect my delights, while those of Archimedes die 
 with him ! What exquisite pleasure is it to dive into the secrets 
 of nature, and find out the mysteries of arts and sciences ; espe- 
 
BY SENSIBLE OBJECTS. 229 
 
 cially if we make a new discovery in any one of them ! Whal 
 high delights are there, then, in the knowledge of God and 
 Christ! If the face of human learning be so beautiful as to 
 make sensual pleasures appear base and brutish, how beautiful, 
 then, is the face of God ! When we meet with some choice 
 book, how could we read it day and night, almost forgetful of 
 meat, drink, or sleep? What delights are there, then, at God's 
 right hand, where we shall know in a moment all that is to be 
 known!" — Compare, also, the delights above with the delights 
 of morality, and of the natural affections. What delight had 
 many sober heathens in the rules and practice of moral duties, 
 so that they took him alone for an honest man, who did well 
 through the love of virtue, and not merely for fear of punishment ; 
 yea, so much valued was this moral virtue, that they thought 
 man's chief happiness consisted in it. Think then, "What 
 excellency will there be in our heavenly perfection, and in that 
 uncreated perfection of God which we shall behold! What 
 sweetness is there in the exercise of natural love, whether to 
 children, parents, yoke-fellows, or intimate friends ! Does David 
 say of Jonathan, 'Thy love to me was wonderful, passing the 
 love of women?' Did 'the soul of Jonathan cleave to David?' 
 Had Christ himself one 'disciple whom he especially loved, and 
 who was wont to lean on his breast?' If, then, the delights of 
 close and cordial friendship be so great, what delight shall we 
 have in the friendship of the Most High, and in our mutual inti- 
 macy with Jesus Christ, and in the dearest love of the saints ! 
 Surely this will be a stricter friendship, and these more lovely 
 and desirable friends, than ever the sun beheld ; and both our 
 affections to our Father and Saviour, and especially theirs to 
 us, will be such as we never knew here. If one angel could 
 destroy a host, the affections of spirits must also be proportion, 
 ably stronger, so that we shall then love a thousand times more 
 ardently than we can now. As all the attributes and works of 
 God are incomprehensible, so is this of love : he will love us 
 infinitely beyond our most perfect love to Him. What, then, - 
 xvill there be in this mutual love !" 
 
 Compare also the excellencies of heaven with those glorious 
 
 works of creation which our eyes now behold. What wisdom, 
 
 power, and goodness, are manifested therein ! How does the 
 
 majesty of the Creator shine in this fabric of the world ! "His 
 
 20 
 
239 CONTEMPLATION ASSISTED 
 
 works are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure there- 
 in.," What divine skill in forming the bodies of men or beasts! 
 What excellency in every plant! What beauty in flowers 
 What variety and usefulness in herbs, plants, fruits, and mine- 
 rals! What wonders are contained in the earth and its inhabit- 
 ants ; the ocean of waters, with its motions and dimensions ; and 
 the constant succession of spring and autumn, of summer and 
 winter! Think, then, "If these things, which are but servants 
 to sinful man, are so full of mysterious worth, what is that place 
 where God himself dwells, and which is prepared for just men 
 made perfect with Christ! What glory is there in the least of 
 yonder stars ! What a vast replendent body is yonder moon, 
 and every planet ! What an inconceivable glory hath the sun ! 
 But all this is nothing to the glory of heaven. Yonder sun 
 must there be laid aside as useless. Yonder is but darkness to 
 the lustre of my Father's house. I shall myself be as glorious 
 as that sun. This whole earth is but my Father's foot-stool. 
 This thunder is nothing to his dreadful voice. These winds 
 are nothing to the breath of his mouth. If the * sending rain, 
 and making the sun to rise on the just and on the unjust' be so 
 wonderful, how much more wonderful and glorious will that 
 sun be, which must shine on none but saints and angels!'' Com- 
 pare also the enjoyments above with the wonders of Providence 
 in the church and world. Would it not be an astonishing sight 
 to see "the sea stand as a wall on the right hand, and on the left, 
 and the dry land appear in the midst, and the people of Israel 
 pass safely through, and Pharaoh and his host drowned ?" or to 
 have seen the ten plagues of Egypt? or the rock gushing forth 
 streams? or manna and quails rained from heaven? or the earth 
 opening and swallowing up the wicked ? But we shall see far 
 greater things than these ; not only sights more wonderful, but 
 more delightful ! there shall be no blood, nor wrath, intermin- 
 gled ; nor shall we cry out, as "the men of Bethshemesh, Who 
 is able to stand before this holy Lord God?" How astonishing 
 it is to see the sun stand still in the firmament; or "the dial of 
 Ahaz go back ten degrees!" But we shall see when there shall 
 be no sun ; or rather shall behold for ever a sun of infinitely 
 greater brightness. What a life should we have if we could 
 have drought or rain at our prayers ; or have fire from heaven to 
 destroy our enemies, as Elijah had ; or raise the dead, as Elisha } 
 
BY 6ENSIBLE OBJECTS. 231 
 
 or miraculously cure diseases, and speak all languages, as the 
 apostles! Alas, these are nothing to the wonders we shall see 
 and possess with God ; and all of them wonders of goodness and 
 love ! We shall ourselves be the subjects of more wonderful 
 mercies than any of these. Jonah was raised but from a three 
 days' burial in the belly of a fish ; but we shall be raised from 
 many years' rottenness and dust ; and that dust exalted to the glory 
 of the sun ; and that glory perpetuated through eternity. Surely, 
 if we observe but common providences, as the motions of the 
 sun; the tides of the sea; the standing of the earth ; the water- 
 ing it with rain, as a garden ; the keeping in order a wicked, 
 confused world ; with many others, they are all admirable. 
 But what are these to the Sion of God, the vision of the divine 
 Majesty, and the order of the heavenly host? — Add to these, those 
 particular providences which thou hast thyself enjoyed and 
 recorded through thy life, and compare them with the mercies 
 thou shalt have above. Look over the mercies of thy youth and 
 riper age, of thy prosperity and adversity, of thy several places 
 and relations; are they not excellent and innumerable, rich and 
 engaging? How sweet was it to thee, when God resolved thy 
 doubts; scattered thy fears ; prevented the inconveniences into 
 which thy own counsel would have cast thee ; eased thy pains ; 
 healed thy sickness, and raised thee up as from death and the 
 grave ! Think, then, "Are all these so sweet and precious, that 
 without them my life would have been a perpetual misery? Hath 
 his providence on earth lifted me so high, 'and his gentleness 
 made me so great?' How sweet, then, will his glorious presence 
 be! How high will his eternal love exalt me! And how great 
 shall I be made in communion with his greatness! If my pil- 
 grimage and warfare have such mercies, what shall I find in 
 my home, and in my triumph ! If God communicates so much 
 to me, while I remain a sinner, what will he bestow me when I 
 am a perfected saint! If I have had so much at such a distance 
 from him, what shall I have in his immediate presence, where I 
 shall ever stand before his throne !" 
 
 Compare the joys above with the comforts thou hast here 
 received in ordinances. Hath not the Bible been to thee as an 
 open fountain, flowing with comforts day and night? What 
 suitable promises have come into thy mind ; so that, with David, 
 thou mayst say, "Unless thy law had been my delight, I s'lould 
 
232 CONTEMPLATION \SSISTED 
 
 then have perished in mine affliction!" Think then, "If his 
 word be so full of consolations, what overflowing springs shall 
 we find in God himself! If his letters are so comfortable, wha 
 will the glories of his presence be ! If the promise is so sweet, 
 what will the performance be ! If the testament of our Lord, 
 and our charter for the kingdom, be so comfortable, what will be 
 our possession of the kingdom itself!" — Think farther, "What 
 delights have I also found in the word preached ! When I have 
 sat under a heavenly, heart-searching teacher, how hath my 
 heart been warmed ! Methinks I have felt myself almost in 
 heaven. How often have I gone to the congregation troubled in 
 spirit, and returned joyful ! How often have I gone doubting, 
 and God hath sent me home persuaded of his love in Christ ! 
 What cordials have I met with to animate me in every conflict! 
 If but the face of Moses shine so gloriously, what glory is there 
 in the face of God! If 'the feet of them that publish peace, 
 that bring good tidings of salvation, be beautiful,' how beautiful 
 is the face of the Prince of peace! If this treasure be so pre- 
 cious in earthen vessels ; what is that treasure laid up in 'leaven ! 
 Blessed are the eyes that see what is seen there, and he ears 
 that hear the things that are heard there. There sha I hear 
 Elijah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, John, Peter, Paul; not preaching to 
 gainsayers, in imprisonment, persecution, and reproach ; but 
 triumphing in the praises of Him that hath raised them to hon- 
 our and glory." — Think, also, " What joy is it to have access 
 and acceptance in prayer; that I may always go to God, and 
 open my case, and unbosom my soul to him, as to my most faith- 
 ful friend ! But it will be a more unspeakable joy, when I shall 
 receive all blessings without asking, and all my necessities and 
 miseries will be removed, and when God himself will be the 
 portion and inheritance of my soul." — As for the Lord's supper, 
 "What a privilege is it to be admitted to sit at his table, to have 
 his covenant sealed to me there! But all the life and comfort 
 there, is, to assure me of the comforts hereafter. O the differ- 
 ence between the last supper of Christ on earth, and the mar- 
 riage supper of the Lamb at the great day ! Then his room 
 will be the glorious heavens; his attendants, all the hosts of 
 angels and saints; no Judas, no unfurnished guest, comes there; 
 but the humble believers must sit down by him, and their feast 
 will be their mutual loving and rejoicing." — Concerning the 
 
BY SENSIBLE OBJECTS. 233 
 
 communion of saints, think with thyself, "What a pleasure is it 
 to live with intelligent and heavenly Christians! David says of 
 such, 'they were all his delight.' O what a delightful society, 
 then, shall I have above ! Had I but seen Job on the dunghill, 
 what a mirror of patience ! and what will it be to see him in 
 glory ! How delightful to have heard Paul and Silas singing 
 in the stocks ! How much more to hear them sing praises in 
 heaven! What melody did David make on his harp ! But how 
 much more melodious to hear that sweet singer in the heavenly 
 choir! What would I have given for an hour's free converse 
 with Paul, when he was just come down from the third heaven ! 
 But I must shortly see those things myself, and possess what I 
 see." — Once more, think of praising God in concert with his 
 saints: "What if I had been in the place of those shepherds, 
 who saw, and heard, the heavenly host singing, ' Glory to God 
 in the highest, and on earth peace, good will towards men !' But 
 I shall see and hear more glorious things. How blessed should 
 I have thought myself, had I heard Christ in his thanksgivings 
 to his Father! How much more, when I shall hear him pro- 
 nounce me blessed! If there was such joy at bringing back the 
 ark, or at rebuilding the temple; what will there be in the New 
 Jerusalem ! If the earth rent, when the people rejoiced at Sol- 
 omon's coronation ; what a joyful shout will there be at the 
 appearing of the King of the church! If, 'when the foundations 
 of the eaith were laid, the morning stars sang together, and all 
 the sons of God shouted for joy;' what a joyful song will there 
 be, when the world of glory is both founded and finished, when 
 the top-stone is laid, and when 'the holy city is adorned as the 
 bride, the Lamb's wife!'" 
 
 Compare the joys thou shalt have in heaven with what the 
 saints have found in the way to it, and in the foretastes of it. 
 When did God ever reveal the least of himself to any of his 
 saints, but the joy of their hearts was answerable to the revela- 
 tion? In what an ecstasy was Peter on the mount of transfig- 
 uration! "Master," says he, "it is good for us to be here; let 
 us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for I>Ioses, and 
 one for Elias." As if he had said, "O let us not go down again 
 to yonder persecuting rabble ; let us not return to our mean and 
 suffering state. Is it not better to stay here, now we are here? 
 Is not here better company, and sweeter pleinu^e?" Hpw \v*s 
 20* 
 
234 CONTEMPLATION ASSISTED 
 
 Paul lifted up with what he saw! Flow did the face of Moses 
 shine, when he had been talking with God ! These were all 
 extraordinary foretastes; but little to the full beatifical vision. 
 How often have we read and heard of dying saints who have 
 been full of joy ; and when their bodies have felt the extremity 
 of sickness and pain, have had so much of heaven in their spirits, 
 that their joy hath far exceeded their sorrows ! If a spark of this 
 fire be so glorious, even amidst the sea of adversity; what then 
 is glory itself! O the joy that the martyrs have felt in the flames ! 
 They were flesh and blood, as well as we; it must therefore be 
 some excellent thing that filled their spirits with joy, while their 
 bodies were burning. Think, reader, in thy meditations, "Sure 
 it must be some wonderful foretaste of glory that made the flames 
 of fire easy, and the king of terrors welcome. What then is 
 glory itself! What a blessed rest, when the thoughts of it made 
 Paul desire to depart, and be with Christ; and makes the saints 
 never think themselves well, till they are dead ! Shall Saunders 
 embrace the stake, and cry, 'Welcome, cross!' And shall not I 
 more delightfully embrace my blessedness, and cry, 'Welcome, 
 crown]' Shall Bradford kiss the fagot, and shall not I kiss the 
 Saviour! Shall another poor martyr rejoice to have her foot in 
 the same hole of the stocks in which Mr. Philpot's had been 
 before her? And shall not I rejoice, that my soul shall live in i 
 ihe same, place of glory where Christ and his apostles are gone 
 before me? Shall fire and fagot, prisons and banishment, cruel 
 mockings and scourgings, be more welcome to others than Christ 
 and glory to me? God forbid!" 
 
 Compare the glory of the heavenly kingdom with the glory 
 of the church on earth, and of Christ in his state of humiliation. 
 If Christ's suffering in the room of sinners had such excellency, 
 what is Christ at his Father's right hand ! If the church under 
 her sins and enemies have so much beauty, what will she have 
 at the marriage of the Lamb ! How wonderful was the Son of 
 God in the form of a servant. When he is born, a new star 
 must appear, and conduct the strangers to worship him in a man- 
 ger; heavenly hosts with their songs must celebrate his nativity; 
 v/hile a child, he must dispute with doctors ; when he enters 
 upon his office, he turns water into wine ; feeds thousands with a 
 few loaves and fishes; cleanses the lepers, heals the sick, restores 
 the lame, gives sight to the blind, and raises the dead. How 
 
BY SENSIBLE OBJECTS. 
 
 235 
 
 wonderful then is his celestial glory! If there be such cutting 
 down of boughs, and spreading of garments and crying Hosanna, 
 for one that comes^into Jerusalem riding on an ass; what will 
 there be when he comes with his angels in his glory ! If they 
 that heard him "preach the gospel of the kingdom," confess, 
 "Never man spake like this man;" they, then, that behold his 
 majesty in his kingdom, will say, "There was never glory like 
 this glory." If, when his enemies came to apprehend him, they 
 fell to the ground; if, when he is dying, the earth quakes, the 
 vail of the temple is rent, the sun is eclipsed, the dead bodies of 
 the saints arise, and the standers-by acknowledge, "Verily this 
 was the Son of God ;" O, what a day will it be, when the dead 
 must all arise, and stand before him! when he "will once more 
 shake, not the earth only, but the heavens also!" when this sun 
 shall be taken out of the firmament, and be everlastingly dark- 
 ened with his glory! and when every tongue shall confess him 
 to be Lord and King! If, when he rose again, death and the 
 grave lost their power; if angels must "roll away the stone," 
 terrify the keepers till they are "as dead men," and send the 
 tidings to his disciples; if he ascend to heaven in their sight; 
 what power, dominion, and glory, is he now possessed of, and 
 which we must for ever possess with him ! When he is gone, 
 can a few poor fishermen and tent-makers cure the lame, blind, 
 and sick, open prisons, destroy the disobedient, raise the dead, 
 and astonish their adversaries; what a world will that be, where 
 every one can do greater works than these ! If the preaching 
 of the gospel be accompanied with such power as to discover the 
 secrets of the heart, humble the proud sinner, and make the most 
 obdurate tremble ; if it can make men burn their books, sell their 
 lands, bring in the price, and lay it down at the preacher's feet ; 
 if it can convert thousands, and turn the world upside down; 
 if its doctrine, from the prisoner at the bar, can make the 
 judge on the bench tremble ; if Christ and his saints have this 
 power and honour in the day of their abasement, and in the time 
 appointed for their suffering and disgrace; what then will they 
 have in their absolute dominion, and full advancement in their 
 kingdom of glory. 
 
 Compare the glorious change thou shalt have at last, with the 
 gracious change which the Spirit hath here wrought on thy heart. 
 There is not the smallest sincere grace in thee, but is of greater 
 
230 CONTEMPLATION ASSISTED 
 
 worth than the riches of the Indies; not a hearty desire afte* 
 Christ, but is more to be valued than the kingdoms of the vorld 
 A renewed nature is the very image of Gcd ; Christ dwelling in 
 us; and the Spirit of God abiding in us; it is a beam from the 
 face of God ; the seed of God remaining in us ; the only inherent 
 beauty of the rational soul: it ennobles man above all nobility; 
 fits him to understand his Maker's pleasure, do his will, and 
 receive his glory. If this grain of mustard-seed be so precious, 
 what is "the tree of life in the midst of the paradise of God !' ? 
 If a spark of life, which will but strive against corruptions, anc* 
 flame ouj a few desires and groans, be of so much worth, how 
 glorious then is the fountain of this life ! If we are said to be 
 like God, when we are pressed down with a body of sin ; sure we 
 shall be much more like God, when we have no ^i such thing 
 as sin within us. Is the desire after, and love of heaven, so 
 excellent ; what then is the thing itself? Is our joy in foreseeing 
 and believing so sweet ; what will be the joy of full possession ? 
 How glad is a Christian when he feels his heart begin to melt, 
 and be dissolved with the thoughts of sinful unkindness! Even 
 this sorrow yields him joy. O what, then, will it be, when we 
 shall know, and love, and rejoice, and praise in the highest ncr^ 
 fection ! Think with thyself, " What a change was it, to be taken 
 from that state wherein I was born, and in which I was riveted 
 by custom, when thousands of sins lay upon my score, and if I 
 had so died, I had been damned for ever! What an astonishing 
 change, to be justified from all these enormous crimes, and freed 
 from all these fearful plagues, and made an heir of heaven ! 
 How often, when I have thought of my regeneration, have I cried 
 out, O blessed day ! and blessed be the Lord that ever I saw it ! 
 How, then, shall I cry out in heaven, O blessed eternity ! and 
 blessed be the Lord that brought me to it ! Did the angels of 
 God rejoice to see my conversion ? Surely they will congratulate 
 my felicity in my salvation. — Grace is but a spark raked up in 
 the ashes, covered with flesh from the sight of the worlcl, and 
 sometimes covered with corruption from my own sight ; but my 
 everlasting glory will not be so clouded, nor my light be ; under 
 a bushel, but upon a hill,' even upon Mount Sion, the mount of 
 God." 
 
 Once more, compare the joys which thou shalt have above, 
 with those foretastes of it which the Spirit hath given thee here 
 
BY SENSIB ,E OBJECTS. 237 
 
 Hath not God sometimes revealed himself extraordinarily to thy 
 soul, and let a drop of glory fall upon it? Hast thou not been 
 ready to say, " O that it might be thus with my soul continually !" 
 Didst thou never cry out with the martyr, after thy long and 
 mournful expectations, "Fie is come, He is come!" Didst thou 
 never, under a lively sermon of heaven, or in thy retired con- 
 templations on that blessed state, perceive thy drooping spirits 
 revive, and thy dejected heart lift up thy head, and the light of 
 heaven dawn on thy soul? Think with thyself, "What is this 
 earnest to the full inheritance! Alas,, all this light, that so 
 amazeth and rejoiceth me, is but a candle lighted from heaven, 
 to lead me thither through this world of darkness! If some 
 godly men have been overwhelmed with joy till they have cried 
 out, 'Hold, Lord, stay thy hand; I can bear no more!' what 
 then will be my joys in heaven, when my soul shall be so capa- 
 ble of seeing and enjoying God, that though the light be ten 
 thousand times greater than the sun, yet my eyes shall be able 
 for ever to behold it!" Or if thou hast not yet felt these sweet 
 foretastes, (for every believer hath not felt them,) then make use 
 of such delights as thou hast felt, in order the better to discern 
 what thou shalt hereafter feel. 
 
 Secondly. I am now to show how heavenly contemplation 
 may be preserved from a wandering heart. Our chief work is 
 here to discover the danger, and that will direct to the fittest 
 remedy. The heart will prove the greatest hindrance in this 
 heavenly employment; either — by backwardness to it; — or, by 
 trifling in it; — or, by frequent excursions to other objects; — or, 
 by abruptly ending the work before it is well begun. As you 
 value the comfort of this work, these dangerous evils must be 
 faithfully resisted. 
 
 1. Thou wilt find thy heart as backward to this, I think, as to 
 any work in the world. O, what excuses will it make! What 
 evasions will it find out! What delays and demurs, when it is 
 ever so much convinced ! Either it will question, whether it be 
 a duty or not- or, if it be so to others, whether to thyself. It 
 will tell thee, "This is a work for ministers that have nothing 
 else to study or for persons that have more leisure than thou 
 hast." If thou be a minister, it will tell thee, "This is the duty 
 of the people: it is enough for thee to meditate for their instruc. 
 tion, and let them meditate on what they have heard." As if it 
 
238 CONTEMPLATION ASSISTED 
 
 was thy duty only to cook their meat, and serve it up; and they 
 alone must eat it, digest it, and live upon it. If all this will not 
 do, thy heart will tell thee of other business, or set thee upon 
 some other duty; for it had rather go to any duty than this. 
 Perhaps it will tell thee, "Other duties are greater, and therefore 
 this must give place to them, because thou hast no time for both. 
 Public business is more important; to study and preach for the 
 saving of souls, must be preferred before these private contem- 
 plations." As if thou hadst not time to care for thy own salva- 
 tion, for looking after that of others. Or thy charity to others 
 were so great, that it obliges thee to neglect thy own eternal 
 welfare. Or as if there were any better way to fit us to be use- 
 ful to others, than making this proof of our doctrine ourselves. 
 Certainly heaven is the best fire to light our candle at, and the 
 best book for a preacher to study ; and if we would be persuaded 
 to study that more, the church would be provided with more 
 heavenly lights ; and when our studies are divine, and our spirits 
 divine, our preaching will also be divine, and we may be called 
 divines indeed. Or if thy heart have nothing to say against the 
 work, it will trifle away the time in delays, and promise this day, 
 and the next, but still keep off from the business. Or it will 
 give thee a flat denial, and oppose its own unwillingness to thy 
 reason. All this I speak of the heart, so far as it is still carnal ; 
 for I know, so far as it is spiritual, it will judge this the sweetest 
 work in the world. 
 
 What is now to be done? Wilt thou do it, if I tell thee? 
 Wouldst thou not say in a like case, What should I do with a 
 servant that will not work? or with a horse that will not travel? 
 Shall I keep them to look at? Then faithfully deal thus with 
 thy heart ; persuade it to the work, take no denial, chide it for 
 its backwardness, use violence with it. Hast thou no command 
 of thy own thoughts? Is not the subject of thy meditations a 
 matter of choice, especially under this conduct of thy judgment? 
 Surely God gave thee, with thy new nature, some power to gov- 
 ern thy thoughts. Art thou again become a slave to thy depravd 
 nature? Resume thy authority. Call in the Spirit of Christ 
 to thine assistance, who is never backward to so good a work, 
 nor will deny his help in so just a cause. Say to him, "Lord, 
 thou gavest rny reason the command of my thoughts and affec- 
 tions: the authority I have received over them is from thee; 
 
BY SENSIBLE OBJECTS k 23° 
 
 and now, behold, they refuse to obey thine authority. Thou 
 commandest me to set them to the work of heavenly meditation, 
 but they rebel, and stubbornly re fuss the duty. Wilt thou not 
 assist me to exercise that authority which thou hast given me? 
 O send down thy Spirit, that I may enforce thy commands, and 
 effectually compel them to obey thy will!" Thus thou shah 
 see thy heart will submit, its resistance be overcome, and its 
 backwardness be turned into cheerful compliance. 
 
 2. Thy heart will also be likely to betray thee by trifling, 
 when it should be effectually meditating. Perhaps, when thou 
 hast an hour for meditation, the time will be spent before thy 
 heart will be serious. This doing of duty, as if we did it not, 
 ruins as many as the omission of it. Here let thine eye be 
 always upon thy heart. Look not so much to the time it spends 
 in the duty, as to the quantity and quality of the work that is 
 done. You can tell by his work, whether a servant hath been 
 diligent. Ask yourself, " What affections have yet been exer- 
 cised 1 How much am I yet got nearer to heaven V s Think 
 not, since thy heart is so trifling, it is better to let it alone : for, 
 by this means, thou wilt certainly banish all spiritual obedience; 
 because the best hearts, being but sanctified in part, will resist, 
 so far as they are carnal. But rather consider well the corrup- 
 tion of thy nature ; and that its sinful indispositions will not 
 supersede the commands of God ; nor one sin excuse for another ; 
 and that God has appointed means to excite our affections. This 
 self-reasoning, self-considering duty of heavenly meditation, is 
 the most singular means, both to excite and increase love. 
 Therefore stay not from the duty, till thou feelest thy iove con- 
 strain thee, any more than thou wouldst stay from the fire, till 
 thou feelest thyself warm ; but engage in the work till love is 
 excited, and then love will constrain thee to further duty. 
 
 3. Thy heart will also be making excursions from thy heav- 
 enly meditation to other objects. It will be turning aside, like a 
 careless servant, to talk with every one that passeth by. Whc 
 there should be nothing in thy mind but heaven, it will be thir '.- 
 ing of thy calling, or thy afflictions, or of every bird, or tree, or 
 place thou seest. The cure is here the same as before, use 
 watchfulness and violence. Say to thy heart, "What! 'iid I 
 come hither to think of my worldly business, of persons, places, 
 news, or vanity, or of any thing but heaven, be it ever so good? 
 
240 CONTEMPLATION ASSISTED, ETC. 
 
 'Canst Ihou not watch one hour?' Wouldst thou leave this 
 world, and dwell for ever with Christ in heaven, and not leave 
 it one hour to dwell with Christ in meditation? 'Is this thy love 
 to thy friend V Dost thou love Christ, and the place of thy eter- 
 nal, blessed abode no more than this?" If the ravening fowls 
 of wandering thoughts devour the meditations intended for heaven, 
 they devour the life and joy of thy thoughts ; therefore drive them 
 away from thy sacrifice, and strictly keep thy heart to the work. 
 4. Abruptly ending thy meditation before it is well begun, is 
 another way in which thy heart will deceive thee. Thou mayst 
 easily perceive this in other duties. In secret prayer, is not 
 thy heart urging thee to cut it short, and frequently making a 
 motion to have done? So in heavenly contemplation, thy heart 
 will be weary of the work, and will stop thy heavenly walk 
 before thou art well warm. But charge it in the name of God 
 to stay, and not do so great a work by halves. Say to it, " Fool- 
 ish heart! if thou beg awhile, and goest away before thou hast 
 thy alms, is not thy begging a lost labour? If thou stoppest 
 before the end of thy journey, is not thy travel lost? Thou 
 earnest hither in hope to have a sight of the glo^y which thou 
 must inherit; and wilt thou stop when thou ar, almost at the 
 top of the hill, and turn back before thou hast t?.ken thy survey? 
 Thou earnest hither in hope to speak with God ; and wilt thou 
 go before thou hast seen him? Thou earnest to bathe thyself in 
 the streams of consolation, and to that end didst unclothe thyself 
 of thy earthly thoughts; and wilt thou only touch the bank and 
 return? Thou earnest to 'spy out the land of promise;' go not 
 back without one cluster of grapes to show thy brethren,' for 
 their encouragement. Let them see that thou hast taste.d of the 
 wine by the gladness of thy heart; and that thou hast been 
 anointed with the oil, by the cheerfulness of thy countenance ; 
 and hast fed of the milk and honey, by the mildness of thy dis- 
 -position, and the sweetness of thy conversation. This heavenly 
 fire would melt thy frozen heart, and refine and spiritualize it; 
 but it must have time to operate." Thus pursue the work till 
 something be done, till thy graces be in exercise, thy affections 
 raised, and thy soul refreshed with the delights above ; or, if thou 
 canst not attain these ends at once, be the more earnest at another 
 time. "Blessed is that servant, whom his Lord, when he cometh, 
 shall find so doing," 
 
CONTEMPLATION EXEMPLIFIED. 241 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 HEAVENLY CONTEMPLATION EXEMPLIFIED, AND THE WHOLE WORK 
 CONCLUDED. 
 
 The reader's attention excited to tho following example of meditation : 1. The excellenciei 
 of heavenly rest ; 2. Its nearness ; 3. Dreadful to sinners ; 4. And joyful to saints ; 5. 
 Its dear purchase ; 6. Its difference from earth ; 7. The heart pleaded with ; 8. Unbelief 
 banished ; 9. A careless world pitied ; 10. Heavenly rest the object of love ; 11. And 
 joy; 12. The heart's backwardness to heavenly joy lamented; 13. Heavenly rest the 
 object of desire. 
 
 And now, reader, according to the above directions, make con- 
 science of daily exercising thy graces in meditation, as well as 
 prayer. Retire into some secret place, at a time the most con- 
 venient to thyself, and, laying aside all worldly thoughts, with 
 all possible seriousness and reverence, look up toward heaven, 
 remember there is thine everlasting rest, study its excellency 
 and reality, and rise from sense to faith, by comparing heavenly 
 with earthly joys. Then mix ejaculations with thy soliloquies; 
 till, having pleaded the case reverently with God, and seriously 
 with thy own heart, thou hast pleaded thyself from a clod to a 
 flame ; from a forgetful sinner, and a lover of the world, to an 
 ardent lover of God ; from a fearful coward to a resolved Chris- 
 tian ; from an unfruitful sadness to a joyful life ; in a word, till 
 thou hast pleaded thy heart from earth to heaven ; from convers- 
 ing below, to walking with God, and till thou canst lay thy heart 
 to rest as in the bosom of Christ, by some such meditation of 
 thy everlasting rest, as is here added for thy assistance. 
 
 1. "Rest! How sweet the sound ! It is melody to my ears ! 
 It lies as a reviving cordial at my heart, and from thence sends 
 forth lively spirits, which beat through all the pulses of my soul ! 
 Rest! — not as the stone that rests on the earth, nor as this flesh 
 shall rest in the grave, nor such a rest as the carnal world desires. 
 O, blessed rest ! when we ■ rest not day and night, saying, Holy, 
 holy, holy, Lord God Almighty!' when we shall rest from sin, 
 but not from worship ; from suffering and sorrow, but not from 
 joy ! O, blessed day ! when I shall rest with God ! when I shall 
 rest in the bosom of my Lord ! when I shall rest in knowing, 
 loving, rejoicing, and praising! when my perfect soul and body 
 Bhall together perfectly enjoy the most perfect God ! when God, 
 21 
 
242 CONTEMPLATION EXEMPLIFIED. 
 
 who is love itself, shall perfectly love me, and rest in his love ta 
 me, as I shall rest in my love to him ; and rejoice over me with 
 joy, and joy over me with singing, as I shall rejoice in him! 
 
 2. " How near is that most blessed, joyful day ! It cornea 
 apace. 'He that shall come, will come, and will not tarry.' 
 Though my Lord seems to delay his coming, yet a little while 
 and he will be here. What is a few hundred years, when they 
 are over? How surely will his sign appear! How suddenly 
 will he seize upon the careless world, even 'as the lightning 
 cometh out of the east, and shineth unto the west!' He who 
 is gone hence shall so come. Methinks I hear his trumpet sound ! 
 Methinks I see him coming in clouds, with his attending angels, 
 in majesty and glory ! 
 
 3. "O, secure sinners! What now will you do? Where 
 will you hide yourselves? What shall cover you? Mountains 
 are gone ; the heavens and the earth, which were, are passed 
 away; the devouring fire hath consumed all, except yourselves, 
 who must be the fuel for ever. O that you could consume as 
 soon as the earth ; and melt away as did the heavens ! Ah, these 
 wishes are now but vain ! The Lamb himself would have 
 been your friend ; he would have loved you, and ruled you, and 
 now have saved you ; but you would not then, and now it is loo 
 late. Never cry, Lord, Lord ! too late, too late, man. Why dost 
 thou look about? Can any save thee? Whither dost thou run? 
 Can any hide thee? O, wretch, that hast brought thyself to this! 
 
 4. "Now, blessed saints, that have believed and obeyed! this 
 is the end of faith and patience. This is it for which you 
 prayed and waited. Do you now repent your sufferings and 
 sorrows, your self-denying and holy walking? Are your tears 
 of repentance now bitter or sweet? See how the Judge smiles 
 upon you ; there is love in his looks ; the titles of Redeemer^ 
 Husband, Head, are written in his amiable, shining face. Hark, 
 he calls you ! he bids you stand here on his right hand : fear 
 not, for there he sets his sheep. O joyful sentence! 'Come, 
 ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you 
 from the foundation of the world.' He takes you by the hand, 
 the door is open, the kingdom is his, and therefore yours ; there 
 is your place before his throne! the Father receives you as the 
 spouse of his Son, and bids you welcome to the crown of glory. 
 Ever so unworthy, you must be crowned. This was the project 
 
CONTEMPLATION EXEMPLIFIED. 213 
 
 of free redeeming grace, the purpose of eternal love. O, blessed 
 grace! O, blessed love! O, how love and joy will rise! But 
 I cannot express it, I cannot conceive it. 
 
 5. " This is that joy which was procured by sorrow, that 
 crown which was procured by the cross. My Lord wept, that 
 now my tears might be wiped away ; he bled, that I might now 
 rejoice; he was forsaken, that I might not now be forsook; he. 
 then died, that I might now live. O free mercy, that can exalt 
 so vile a wretch! Free to me, though dear to Christ! Free 
 grace, that hath chosen me, when thousands were forsaken! 
 When my companions in sin must burn in hell, I must hero 
 rejoice in rest! Here must I live with all these saints! O com- 
 fortable meeting of my old acquaintance, with whom I prayed, 
 and wept, and suffered, and spoke often of this day and place ! 
 I see the grave could not detain you; the same love hath 
 redeemed and saved you also. 
 
 6. "This is not like our cottages of clay, our prisons, our 
 earthly dwellings. This voice of joy is not like our old com. 
 plaints, our impatient groans and sighs; nor this melodious 
 praise like the scoffs and revilings, or the oaths and curses, 
 which we heard on earth. This body is not like that we had, 
 nor this soul like the soul we had, nor this life like the life we 
 lived. We have changed our place and state, our clothes and 
 thoughts, our looks, language, and company. Before, a saint 
 was weak and despised ; so proud and peevish, we could often 
 scarce discern his graces ; but now, how glorious a thing is a 
 saint ! Where is now their body of sin, which wearied them, 
 selves and those about them? Where are now our different 
 judgments, reproachful names, divided spirits, exasperated pas- 
 sions, strange looks, uncharitable censures? Now we are all 
 of one judgment, of one name, of one heart, house and glory. O 
 sweet reconciliation ! Happy union ! Now the gospel shall no 
 more be dishonoured through our folly. No more, my soul, 
 shalt thou lament the sufferings of the saints, or the church's 
 ruins, nor mourn by suffering friends, nor weep over their dying 
 beds, or their graves. Thou shalt never suffer thy old tempta- 
 tions from Satan, the world, or thy own flesh. Thy pains and 
 sickness are all cured ; thy body shall no more burden thee with 
 weakness and weariness, thy aching head and heart, thy hunger 
 an i thirst, thy sleep and labour, are all gone. O, what a mighty 
 
214 CONTEMPLATION EXEMPLIFIED. 
 
 change is this ! from the dunghill to the throne ! from persecut- 
 ing sinners to praising saints ! from a vile body, to this which 
 'shines as the brightness of the firmament !' from a sense of 
 God's displeasure to the perfect enjoyment of him in love! from 
 all my doubts and fears to this possession, which puts me out of 
 doubt! from all my fearful thoughts of death, to this joyful life! 
 Blessed change ! Farewell sin and sorrow for ever; farewell 
 my rocky, proud, unbelieving heart ; my worldly, sensual, car- 
 nal heart; and welcome now my most holy, heavenly nature. 
 Farewell repentance, faith, and hope ; and welcome love, and 
 joy, and praise. I shall now have my harvest, without plough- 
 ing or sowing ; my joy without a preacher, or a promise ; even 
 all from the face of God himself. Whatever mixture is in the 
 streams, there is nothing but pure joy in the fountain. Here 
 shall I be encircled with eternity, and ever live, and ever, ever, 
 praise the Lord. My face will not wrinkle, nor my hair be gray ; 
 'for this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mor- 
 tal, immortality, and death shall be swallowed up in victory. O 
 death, where is now thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?' 
 The date of my lease will no more expire, nor shall I trouble 
 myself with thoughts of death, nor lose my joys through fear cf 
 losing them. When millions of ages are passed, my glory is 
 but beginning; and when millions more are passed, it is no 
 nearer ending. Every day is all noon, every month is harvest, 
 every year is a jubilee, every age is full manhood, and all this 
 is one eternity. O, blessed eternity ! the glory of my glory ! 
 the perfection of my perfection ! 
 
 7. "Ah, drowsy, earthly heart! how coldly dost thou think 
 of this reviving day! Hadst thou rather sit down in dirt, than 
 walk in the palace of God? Art thou now remembering thy 
 worldly business, or thinking of thy lusts, earthly delights, and 
 merry company? Is it better to be here, than above with God? 
 Is the company better? Are the pleasures greater? Come 
 away ; make no excuse nor delay ; God commands, and I com- 
 mand thee; gird up thy loins; ascend the mount; look about 
 thee with faith and seriousness, Look not back upon the way 
 of the wilderness, except it be to compare the kingdom with that 
 howling desert, more sensibly to perceive the wide difference. 
 Yonder is thy Father's glory ; yonder, O my soul, must thou 
 remove, when thou departest from this body; and when ihe 
 
CONTEMPLATION EXEMPLIFIED. 245 
 
 power of thy Lord hath raised it again, and joined thee to it, 
 yonder must thou live with God for ever. There is the glori- 
 ous New Jerusalem, the gates of pearl, the foundation of pearl, 
 the streets and pavements of transparent gold. That sun, which 
 lighteth all this world, will be useless there; even thyself shall 
 be as bright as yonder shining sun ; God will be the sun, and 
 Christ the light, and in his light shalt thou have light. 
 
 8. "O, my soul! dost thou 'stagger at the promise of God 
 through unbelief?' I much suspect thee. Didst thou believe 
 indeed, thou wouldst be more affected with it. Is it not under 
 the hand, and seal, and oath of God? Can God lie? Can he 
 that is truth itself be false ! What need hath God to flatter or 
 deceive thee? Why should he promise thee more than he will 
 perform? Dare not to charge the wise, almighty, faithful God, 
 with this. How many of the promises have been performed to 
 thee in thy conversion ! Would God so powerfully concur with 
 afeigned word ! O, wretched heart of unbelief ! Hath God 
 made thee a promise of rest, and wilt thou come short of it ! 
 Thine eyes, thine ears, and all thy senses, may prove delusions, 
 sooner than a promise of God can delude thee. Thou mayst bo 
 surer of that which is written in the word, than if thou see it 
 with thine eyes, or feel it with thine hands. Art thou sure thou 
 art alive, or that this is earth thou standest on, or that thine eyes 
 see the sun? As sure is all this glory to the saints; as sure 
 shall I be higher than yonder stars, and live for ever in the holy 
 city, and joyfully sound forth the praises of my Redeemer; if I 
 be not shut out by this 'evil heart of unbelief,' causing me to 
 'depart from the living God.' 
 
 9. "And is this rest so sweet and so sure? Then what means 
 the careless world? Know they what they neglect? Did they 
 ever hear of it, or are they yet asleep, or are they dead ? Do 
 they certainly know that the crown is before them, while they 
 thus sit still, or follow trifles? Undoubtedly they are beside 
 themselves, to mind so much their provision by the way, when 
 they are hasting so fast to another world, and their eternal 
 happiness lies at stake. Were there left one spark of reason, 
 they would never sell their rest for toil, nor their glory for 
 worldly vanities, nor venture heaven for sinful pleasure. Poor 
 men I O, that you would once consider what you hazard and 
 
 21* 
 
24G CONTEMPLATION EXEMPLIFIED. 
 
 then you would scorn these tempting baits ! Blessed for ever be 
 that love which hath rescued me from this bewitching darkness! 
 
 10. "Draw yet nearer, O my soul ! with thy most fervent love. 
 Here is matter for it to work upon, something worth thy loving. 
 O, see what beauty presents itself! Is not all the beauty in the 
 world united here? Is not all other beauty but deformity? Dost 
 thou now need to be persuaded to love ! Here is a feast for thine 
 eyes, and all the powers of thy soul : dost thou need entreaties 
 to feed upon it? Canst thou love a little shining earth, a walking 
 piece of clay ? and canst thou not love that God, that Christ, that 
 glory, which is so truly and unmeasurably lovely? Thou canst 
 love thy friend, because he loves thee ; and is the love of a friend 
 like the love of Christ 1 Their weeping or bleeding for thee does 
 not ease thee, nor stay the course of thy tears or blood ; but the 
 tears and blood that fell from thy Lord have a sovereign healing 
 virtue. — O,' my soul ! if love deserves, and should beget love, 
 what incomprehensible love is here before thee ! Pour out all 
 the store of thy affections here, and all is too little. O that it 
 were more! O that it were many thousand times more! Let 
 him be first served, that served thee first. Let him have the 
 first-born, and strength of thy soul, who parted with strength 
 and life, and love for thee. — O, my soul ! dost thou love for 
 excellency? Yonder is the region of light; this is a land of 
 darkness. Yonder twinkling stars, that shining moon, and 
 radiant sun, are all our lanterns, hung out of thy Father's house, 
 to light thee while thou walkest in this dark world. But how 
 little dost thou know the glory and blessedness that are within ! 
 Dost thou love for suitableness? What person more suitable 
 than Christ? His Godhead and humanity, his fulness and free- 
 ness, his willingness and constancy, all proclaim him thy most 
 suitable friend. What state more suitable to thy misery, than 
 mercy? or to thy sin and polution, than honour and perfection? 
 What place more suitable to thee than heaven ? Does this world 
 agree with thy desires? Hadst thou not had a sufficient trial of 
 it, or dost thou love for interest and near relation? Where hast 
 thou better interest than in heaven, or nearer relation than there? 
 
 "Dost thou love for acquaintance and familiarity? Though 
 thine eyes have never seen thy Lord, yet thou hast heard his 
 voice, received his benefits, and lived in his bosom. He taught 
 thee to know thyself and him ; he opened thee that first window, 
 
CONTEMPLATION EXEMPLIFIED. 247 
 
 through which thou sawest into heaven. Hast thou forgotten 
 since thy heart was careless, and he awakened it; hard, and 
 he softened it ; stubborn, and he made it yield ; at peace, and he 
 troubled it; whole, and he broke it; and broken, till he healed 
 it again? Hast thou forgotten the times when he found thee in 
 tears; when he heard thy secret sighs and groans, and left all to 
 come and comfort thee ; when he took thee, as it were, in his 
 arms, and asked thee, Poor soul, what ails thee? Dost thou weep, 
 when I have wept so much? Be of good cheer; thy wounds 
 are saving, and not deadly ; it is I have made them, who mean 
 thee no hurt ; though I let out thy blood, I will not let out thy life. 
 I remember his voice. How gently did he take me up! How 
 carefully did he dress my wounds ! Methinks I hear him still 
 saying to me, 'Poor sinner, though thou hast dealt unkindly with 
 me, and cast me ofF, yet I will not do so by thee. Though thou 
 hast set light by me, and all my mercies, yet they and myself are 
 all thine. What wouldst thou have, that I can give thee? And 
 what dost thou want that. I cannot give thee? If any thing I 
 have will give thee pleasure, thou shalt have it. Wouldst thou 
 have pardon ? I freely forgive thee all the debt. Wouldst thou 
 have grace and peace? Thou shalt have them both. Wouldst 
 thou have myself? Behold, I am thine, thy Friend, thy Lord, 
 thy Brother, Husband and Head. Wouldst thou have the Father? 
 I will bring thee to him, and thou shalt have him, in and by me.' 
 These were my Lord's reviving words. After all, when I was 
 doubtful of his love, methinks I yet remember his overcoming 
 arguments. 'Have I done so much, sinner, to testify my love, 
 and yet dost thou doubt? Have I offered thee myself and love 
 so long, and yet dost thou question my willingness to be thine? 
 At what dearer rate should I tell thee that I love thee? Wilt 
 thou not believe my bitter passion proceeded from love? Have 
 I made myself in the gospel a lion to thine enemies, and a lamb 
 to thee, and dost thou overlook my lamb-like nature? Had I 
 been willing to let thee perish, what need have I done and suf- 
 fered so much? What need I follow thee with such patience 
 and importunity? Why dost thou tell me of thy wants; have I 
 not enough for me and thee? or of thy un worthiness ; for if thou 
 wast thyself worthy, what shouldst thou do with my worthiness? 
 Did I ever invite, or save, the worthy and the righteous; or is 
 there any such upon earth? Hast thou nothing; art thou lost 
 
248 CONTEMPLATION EXEMPLIFIED. 
 
 and miserable, helpless and forlorn? Dost thou believe I arn 
 an all-sufficient Saviour, and wouldst thou have me? Lo, I 
 am thine; take me; if thou art willing, I am; and neither 
 sin nor Satan shall break the match. ' These, O, these, were 
 the blessed words which his Spirit from his gospel spoke unto 
 me, till he made me cast myself at his feet, and cry out, ' My 
 Saviour, and my Lord, thou hast broken, thou hast revived my 
 heart ; thou hast overcome, thou hast won my heart ; take it ; 
 it is thine; if such a heart can please thee, take it; if it cannot, 
 make it such as thou wouldst have it.' Thus, O my soul, mayst 
 thou remember the sweet familiarity thou hast had with Christ; 
 therefore, if acquaintance will cause affection, let out thy heart 
 unto him. It is he that hath stood by thy bed of sickness, hath 
 eased thy pains, refreshed thy weariness, and removed thy fears. 
 He hath been always ready, when thou hast earnestly sought him ; 
 hath met thee in public and private ; hath been found of thee in 
 the congregation, in thy house, in thy closet, in the field, in thy 
 waking nights, in thy deepest dangers. 
 
 "If bounty and compassion be an attractive of love, how 
 unmeasurably, then, am I bound to love him! All the mercies 
 that have filled up my life, all the places that ever I abode in, 
 all the societies and persons I have been conversant with, all 
 my employments and relations, every condition I have been in, 
 and every change I have passed through, all tell me that the 
 fountain is overflowing goodness. Lord, what a sum of love am 
 I indebted to thee ! And how does my debt continually increase ! 
 How should I love again for so much love? But shall I dare to 
 think of requiting thee, or of recompensing all thy love with 
 mine? Will my mite requite thee for thy golden mines; my 
 seldom wishes, for thy constant bounty ; mine, which is nothing, 
 or not mine, for thine, which is infinite, and thine own ? Shall 
 J dare to contend in love with thee, or set my borrowed, languid 
 6park against the sun of love ? Can I love as high, as deep, as 
 broad, as long, as Love itself? as much as he that made me, and 
 that made me love, and gave me all that little which I have? As 
 f cannot match thee in the works of power, nor make, nor pre- 
 serve, nor rule the worlds; no more can I match thee in love. 
 No, Lord, I yield; I am overcome. O, blessed conquest! Go 
 on victoriously, and still prevail, and triumph in thy love. The 
 captive of love shall proclaim thy victory ; when thou leadest 
 
CONTEMPLATION EXEMPLIFIED. 249 
 
 me in triumph from earth to heaven, from death to life, from the 
 tribunal to the throne; myself, and all that see it, shall acknowl- 
 edge thou hast prevailed, and all shall say, 'Behold how he loved 
 him !' Yet let me love in subjection to thy love ; as thy redeemed 
 captive, though not thy peer. Shall I not love at all, because I 
 cannot reach thy measure? O that I could feelingly say, ' I love 
 thee,' even as I love my friend and myself! Though I cannot 
 say, as the apostle, ' Thou knowest that I love thee ;' yet I can 
 say, Lord, thou knowest that I would love thee ! I am angry 
 with my heart, that it doth not love thee ; I chide it, yet it doth 
 not mend ; I reason with it, and would fain persuade it, yet I do 
 not perceive it stir; I rub and chafe it in the use of ordinances, 
 and yet I feel it not warm within me. Unworthy soul ! is not 
 thine eye now upon the only lovely object? Art thou not now 
 beholding the ravishing glory of the saints? And dost thou not 
 love? Art thou not a rational soul, and should not reason tell 
 thee, that earth is a dungeon to the celestial glory? Art thou 
 not thyself a spirit, and shouldst thou not love God, ' who is a 
 spirit, and the Father of spirits?' Why dost thou love so much 
 thy perishing clay, and love no more the heavenly glory ? Shalt 
 thou love when thou comest there ; when the Lord shall take thy 
 carcass from the grave, and make thee shine as the sun in glory 
 for ever and ever, shalt thou then love, or shalt thou not? Is 
 not the place a meeting of lovers? Is not the life a state of love? 
 Is it not the great marriage-day of the Lamb? Is not the em- 
 ployment there the work of love, where the souls with Christ 
 take their fill? O then, my soul, begin it here! 'Be sick with 
 love* now, that thou mayst be well with love there. 'Keep thy- 
 self now 'in the love of God;' and let 'neither life, nor death, 
 nor any thing, separate thee from it;' and thou shalt be kept in 
 the fulness of love for ever, and nothing shall imbitter or abate 
 thy pleasure ; for the Lord hath prepared a city of love, a place 
 for communicating love to his chosen, 'and they that love his 
 name shall dwell therein.' 
 
 "Awake, then, O my drowsy soul! To sleep under the light 
 of grace is unreasonable, much more in the approach of the light 
 of glory. Come forth, my dull, congealed spirit; thy Lord bids 
 thee ' rejoice and again rejoice.' Thou hast lain long enough 
 in thy prison of flesh, where Satan hath been thy jailer; cares 
 Have oeen thy irons, fears thy scourges, and thy food the bread 
 
250 CONTEMPLATION EXEMPLIFIED. 
 
 ■»nd water of affliction ; where sorrows have been thy lodging, 
 md thy sins and foes have made thy bed, and an unbelieving 
 heart hath been the gates and bars that have kept thee in : the 
 angel of the covenant now calls thee, and bids thee ' arise and 
 follow him.' Up, O my soul! and cheerfully obey, and thy 
 bolts and bars shall all fly open: follow the Lamb whithersoever 
 he goeth. Shouldst thou fear to follow such a guide? Can the 
 sun lead thee to a state of darkness? Will he lead thee to death, 
 who died to save thee from it? Follow him, and he will show 
 thee the paradise of God ; he will give thee a sight of the New 
 Jerusalem, and a taste of the tree of life. Come forth, my droop- 
 ing soul, and lay aside thy winter dress; let it be seen, by thy 
 * garments of joy and praise,' that the spring is come; and as 
 thou now seest thy comforts green, thou shalt shortly see them 
 'white and ripe for harvest,' and then thou shalt be called to 
 reap, and gather, and take possession. Should I suspend and 
 delay my joys till then ? Should not the joys of the spring go 
 before the joys of harvest? Is title nothing before possession? 
 Is the heir in no better a state than a slave? My Lord hath 
 taught me to rejoice in hope of his glory ; and how to see it 
 through the bars of a prison; for when persecuted for righteous- 
 ness' sake, he commands me to 'rejoice and be exceeding glad/ 
 because 'my reward in heaven is great.' I know he would have 
 my joys exceed my sorrows, and as much as he delights in 'the 
 humble and contrite,' he yet more delights in the soul that 
 'delights in him.' Hath my Lord spread me a table in this wil- 
 derness, and furnished it with the promises of everlasting glory, 
 and set before me angels' food? Doth he frequently and impor- 
 tunately invite me to sit down, and feed, and spare not? Hath 
 he, to that end, furnished me with reason, and faith, and a joy- 
 ful disposition ; and is it possible that he should be unwilling to 
 have me rejoice? Is it not his command, to 'delight thyself in 
 the Lord;' and his promise, to 'give thee the desires of thine 
 heart?' Art thou not charged to 'rejoice evermore;' yea to 
 'sing aloud, and shout for joy?' Why should I, then, be dis- 
 couraged ? My God is willing, if I were but willing. He is 
 delighted with my delights. He would have it my constant frame 
 and daily business, to be near him in my believing meditations, 
 and to live in the sweetest thoughts of his goodness. O blessed 
 employment, fit for the sons of God ! But thy feast, my Lord, 
 
CONTEMPLATION EXEMPLIFIED. 251 
 
 is nothing to me without an appetite. Thou hast set the dainties 
 of heaven before me; but, alas! I am blind, and cannot see 
 them! I am sick, and cannot relish them! I am so benumbed, 
 that I cannot put forth a hand to take them. I therefore humbly 
 beg this grace, that, as thou hast opened heaven to me in thy 
 word, so thou wouldst open mine eyes to see it, and my heart 
 to delight in it; else heaven will be no heaven to me. O thou 
 spirit of life, breathe upon thy graces in me; take me by the 
 hand, and lift me from the earth, that I may see what glory ' thou 
 hast prepared for them that love thee!' 
 
 "Away then, ye soul-tormenting cares and fears, ye heart- 
 vexing sorrows! At least forbear a little while: stand by; stay 
 here below till I go up and see my rest. The way is strange 
 to me, but not to Christ. There was the eternal abode of his 
 glorious Deity; and thither hath he also brought his glorified 
 flesh. It was his work to purchase it; it is his to prepare it, and 
 to prepare me for it, and bring me to it. The eternal God of 
 truth hath given me his promise, his seal and oath, 'that, believing 
 in Christ, I shall not perish, but have everlasting life.' Thither 
 shall my soul be speedily removed, and my body very shortly 
 follow. And can my tongue say, that I shall shortly and surely 
 live with God; and yet my heart not leap within me? Can* I 
 say it with faith, and not with joy ? Ah, faith, how sensibly do 
 I now perceive thy weakness! But though unbelief darken 
 my light, and dull my life, and suppress my joys, it shall not be 
 able to conquer and destroy me ; though it envy all my comforts, 
 yet some, in spite 'of it, I shall even here receive; and if that 
 did not hinder, what abundance might I have! The light of 
 heaven would shine into my heart, and I might be almost as 
 familiar there as I am on earth. Come away then, my soul ; 
 stop thine ears to the ignorant language of infidelity : thou art 
 able to answer all its arguments ; or, if thou art not, yet tread 
 them under thy feet. Come away; stand not looking on that 
 grave, nor turning those bones, nor reading thy lesson now in 
 the dust ; those lines will soon be wiped out. But lift up thy 
 /lead, and look to heaven, and see thy name written in golden 
 letters ' in the book of life of the Lamb that was slain.' What 
 if an angel should tell thee, that there is a mansion in heaven 
 prepared for thee, that it shall certainly be thine for ever ; would 
 %o\ such a message majce thee glad 1 And dost thou make light 
 
252 CONTEMPLATION EXEMPLIFIED. 
 
 of the infallible Word of Promise, which was delivered by the 
 Spirit, and even by the Son himself? Suppose thou hadst seen 
 a fiery chariot come for thee, and fetch thee up to heaven, like 
 Elijah ; would not this rejoice thee? But thy Lord assures thee, 
 that the soul of Lazarus hath a convoy of angels to carry it into 
 Abraham's bosom. Shall a drunkard be so merry among his 
 cups, or the glutton in his delicious fare, and shall not I rejoice, 
 who must shortly be in heaven? Can meat and drink delight 
 me when I hunger and thirst? Can I find pleasure in walks 
 and gardens, and convenient dwellings? Can beautiful objects 
 delight mine eyes ; or grateful odours my smell ; or melody my 
 ears? and shall not the forethought of celestial bliss delight me? 
 Methinks among my books I could employ myself in sweet con- 
 tent, and bid the world farewell, and pity the rich and great that 
 know not this happiness ; what then will my happiness in heaven 
 be, where my knowledge will be perfect! If 'the Queen of 
 Sheba came from the utmost parts of the earth to hear the wis- 
 dom of Solomon,' and see his glory; how cheerfully should I 
 pass from earth to heaven, to see the glory of the eternal Majesty, 
 and attain the height of wisdom, compared with which the most 
 learned on earth are but fools and idiots! What if God had 
 made me commander of the earth; what if I could * remove 
 mountains, heal diseases with a word or a touch, or cast out 
 devils,' should I not rejoice in such privileges and honours as 
 these, and shall I not much more rejoice that my name is writ- 
 ten in heaven? I cannot here enjoy my parents, or my near 
 and beloved friends, without some delight; especially when I 
 did freely let out my affection to my friend, how sweet was that 
 exercise of my love ! O what will it, then, be to live in the per- 
 petual love of God! 'For brethren to dwell together in unity 
 here, how good and how pleasant it is!' To see a family live 
 in love ; husband and wife, parents, children, and servants, doing 
 all in love to one another ; to see a town live together in love, 
 without any envyings, brawlings, or contentions, law-suits, fac- 
 tions, or divisions, but every man loving his neighbour as himself, 
 thinking they can never do too much for one another, but striv- 
 ing to go beyond each other in love ; how happy, how delightful 
 a sight is this! O, then, what a blessed society will the family 
 of heaven be, and those peaceful inhabitants of the New Jerusa- 
 lem, where there is no division, nor differing judgments, no dis- 
 
CONTEMPLATION EXEMPLIFIED. 253 
 
 affection, nor strangeness, no deceitful friendship — no, not one 
 unkind expression, not an angry look or thought; but all are 
 one in Christ, who is one with the Father, and all live in the 
 love of him, who is love itself! The soul is not more where it 
 lives, than where it loves. How near, then, will my soul be 
 united to God, when I shall so heartily, strongly, and incessantly, 
 love him ! Ah, wretched, unbelieving heart, that can think of 
 such a day, and work, and life as this, with such low and feeble 
 joys! But my future enjoyments will be more lively. 
 
 "How delightful is it to me to behold and study these inferior 
 works of creation ! What a beautiful fabric do we here dwell 
 in ; the floor so dressed with herbs, and flowers, and trees, and 
 watered with springs and rivers ; the roof so widely expanded, 
 so admirably adorned! What wonders do sun, moon, and stars, 
 seas, and winds, contain ! And hath God prepared such a house 
 for corruptible flesh, for a soul imprisoned? and doth he bestow so 
 many millions of wonders upon his enemies? O what a dwelling 
 must that be, which he prepares for his dearly beloved children ; 
 and how will the glory of the New Jerusalem exceed all the 
 present glory of the creatures! Arise, then, O my soul, in thy 
 contemplation, and let thy thoughts of that glory as far exceed 
 in sweetness thy thoughts of the excellencies below ! Fear not 
 to go out of this body, and this world, when thou must make so 
 happy a change; but say, as one did when he was dying, 'I am 
 glad, and even leap for joy, that the time is come in which that 
 mighty Jehovah, whose majesty in my search of nature I have 
 admired, whose goodness I have adored, whom by faith I have 
 desired and panted after, will now show himself to me face to face.' 
 
 " How wonderful, also, are the works of Providence ! How 
 delightful to see the great God interest himself in the safety and 
 advancement of a few humble, praying, but despised persons; 
 and to review those special mercies, with which my own life 
 hath been adorned and sweetened ! How often have my prayers 
 been heard, my tears regarded, my troubled soul relieved ! How 
 often hath my Lord bid me be of good cheer! What a support 
 are these experiences, these clear testimonies of my Father's 
 love, to my fearful, unbelieving heart! O, then, what a blessed 
 day will that be, when I shall have all mercy, perfection of 
 mercy, and fully enjoy the Lord of mercy ; when I shall stand 
 on the shore, and look back on the raging seas I have safely 
 22 
 
254 CONTEMPLATION EXEMPLIFIED. 
 
 passed; when I shall review my pains and sorrows, my fears 
 and tears, and possess the g.ory which was the end of all! If 
 one drop of lively faith was mixed with these considerations, what 
 a heaven-ravishing heart should I carry with me? Fain would 
 'I believe; Lord, help my unbelief.' 
 
 " How sweet, O, my soul, have ordinances been to thee ! W hat 
 delight hast thou had in prayer, and thanksgiving, under heav- 
 enly sermons, and in the society of saints, and to see ' the Lord 
 adding to the church such as should be saved !' How, then, can 
 my heart conceive the joy which I shall have to see the per- 
 fected church in heaven, and to be admitted into the celestial 
 temple, and with the heavenly host praise the Lord for ever! If 
 the word of God was sweeter to Job than his necessary food, and 
 to David than the honey and the honeycomb, and was the joy and 
 rejoicing of Jeremiah's heart; how blessed a day will that be, 
 when we shall fully enjoy the Lord of this word, and shall no 
 more need these written precepts and promises, nor read any book 
 but the face of the glorious God ! If they that heard Christ speak 
 on earth 'were astonished at his wisdom and answers, and won- 
 dered at the gracious words that proceeded out of his mouth,' how 
 shall I, then, be affected to behold him in his majesty ! 
 
 "Can the prospect of this glory make others welcome the cross, 
 and even refuse deliverance ; and cannot it make thee cheerful 
 under lesser sufferings ! Can it sweeten the flames of martyrdom, 
 and not sweeten thy life, or thy sickness, or thy natural death? 
 Is it not the same heaven which they and I must live in ? Is not 
 their God, their Christ, their crown, and mine, the same? And 
 shall I look upon it with an eye so dim, a heart so dull, a counte- 
 nance so dejected ? Some small foretastes of it have I myself had ; 
 and how much more delightful have they been, than any earthly 
 things ever were ! and what, then, will the full enjoyment be ! 
 
 "What a beauty is there here in the imperfect graces of the 
 Spirit! Alas! how small are these to what we shall enjoy in 
 our perfect state! What a happy life should I here live, coula 
 I but love God as much as I would ; could I be all love, and 
 always loving! O, my soul, what wouldst thou give for such a 
 life? Had I such apprehensions of God, such knowledge of his 
 word as I desire ; could I fully trust him in all my straits ; could 
 I be as lively as I would in every duty; could I make God mj 
 constant desire and delight ; I would not envy the world theit 
 
CONTEMPLATION EXEMPLIFIED. 
 
 255 
 
 honours or pleasures. What a olessed state, O my soul ! wilt 
 thou shortly be in, when thou shalt have far more of these than 
 thou canst now desire, and shalt exercise thy perfected graces 
 in the immediate vision of God, and not in the dark, and at a 
 distance, as now. 
 
 "Is the sinning, afflicted, persecuted church of Christ, so much 
 more excellent than any particular gracious soul? What, then, 
 will the church be, when it is fully gathered and glorified ; when 
 it is ascended from the valley of tears to Mount Sion ; when it 
 shall sin and suffer no more! The glory of the Old Jerusalem 
 will be darkness and deformity to the glory of the New. What 
 cause shall we have, then, to shout for joy, when we shall see 
 how glorious the heavenly temple is, and remember the meanness 
 of the church on earth! 
 
 12. "But alas! what a loss am I at in the midst of my con- 
 templations! I thought my heart had all the while attended, but 
 I see it hath not. What life is there in empty thoughts and 
 words, without affections? Neither God, nor I, find pleasure in 
 them. Where hast thou been, unworthy heart, while I was 
 opening to thee the everlasting treasures? Art thou not ashamed 
 to complain so much of an uncomfortable life, and to murmur 
 at God for filling thee with sorrows; when he in vain offers thee 
 the delights of angels? Hadst thou now but followed me close, 
 it would have made thee revive and leap for joy, and forget thy 
 pains and sorrows. Did I think my heart had been so backward 
 to rejoice ? 
 
 13. "Lord, thou hast reserved my perfect joys for heaven; 
 therefore, help me to desire till I may possess, and let me long 
 when I cannot, as I would rejoice. O, my soul, thou knowest, 
 to thy sorrow, that thou art not yet at thy rest. When shall I 
 arrive at that safe and quiet harbour, where there are none of 
 these storms, waves and dangers ; when I shall never more have 
 a weary, restless night or day ! Then my life will not be such 
 a mixture of hope and fear, of joy and sorrow; nor shall flesh 
 and spirit be combating within me ; nor faith and unbelief, 
 humility and pride, maintain a continual conflict. O, when shall 
 I be past these soul-tormenting fears, and cares, and griefs? 
 When shall I be out of this soul-contradicting, insnaring, deceit- 
 ful flesh; this corruptible body, this vain, vexatious world? 
 Alas, that I must stsmd and see the church and cause of Christ 
 
256 CONTEMPLATION EXEMPL FIED. 
 
 tossed about in contention, and made subservient to private inter, 
 ests, or deluded fancies! There is none of this disorder in the 
 heavenly Jerusalem ; there I shall find a harmonious concert of 
 perfected spirits, obeying and praising their everlasting King. 
 O, how much better to be a door-keeper there, than the com- 
 mander of this tumultuous world! VVhy am I no more weary 
 of this weariness? Why do I so forget my resting-place? Up, 
 then, O my soul, in thy most raised and fervent desires ! Stay 
 not till this flesh can desire with thee ; expect not that sense 
 should apprehend thy blessed object, and tell thee when and 
 what to desire. Doth not the dulness of thy desires after rest 
 accuse thee of most detestable ingratitude and folly? Must thy 
 Lord procure thee a rest at so dear a rate, and dost thou no more 
 value it? Must he go before to prepare so glorious a mansion 
 for such a wretch, and art thou loath to go and possess it? Shall 
 the Lord of glory be desirous of thy company, and thou not 
 desirous of his? Must earth become a very hell to thee, before 
 thou art willing to be with God? Behold the most lovely crea- 
 ture, or the most desirable state, and tell me, where wouldst thou 
 be if not with God? Poverty is a burden; riches a snare; sick- 
 ness unpleasing; health unsafe; the frowning world bruises thy 
 heel ; the smiling world stings thee to the heart ; so much as 
 the world is loved and delighted in, it hurts and endangers the 
 lover; and if it may not be loved, why should it be desired? If 
 thou art applauded, it proves the most contagious breath ; if thou 
 art vilified, or unkindly used, methinks this should not entice 
 thy love. If thy successful labours, and thy godly friends, seem 
 better to thee than a life with God, it is time for God to take them 
 from thee. If thy studies have been sweet, have they not also 
 been bitter? And, at best, what are they to the everlasting views 
 of the God of truth? Thy friends here have been thy delight, 
 and have they not also been thy vexation and grief? They are 
 gracious, and are they not also sinful? They are kind, and are 
 they not soon displeased? They are humble, but alas! how 
 proud also! Their graces are sweet, and their gifts helpful; 
 but are not their corruptions bitter, and their imperfections hurt- 
 ful ? And art thou so loath to go from them to thy God ? 
 
 "O, my soul, look above this world of sorrows! Hast thou 
 so long felt the smarting rod of affliction, and no better understood 
 its meaning! Is not every stroke to drive thee hence? Is not its 
 
CONTEMPLATION EXEMPLIFIED. 257 
 
 voice like that to Elijah, ' What dost thou here ?' Dost thou forget 
 thy Lord's prediction, 'In the world ye shall have tribulation; 
 in me ye may have peace!' Ah, my dear Lord, I feel thy mean- 
 ing; it is written in my flesh, engraved in my bones. My heart 
 thou aimest at; thy rod drives, thy silken cord of love draws; 
 and all to bring it to thyself. Lord, can such a heart be worth 
 thy having? Make it worthy, and then it is thine; take it to 
 thyself, and then take me. This clod hath life to stir, but not to 
 rise. As the feable child to the tender mother, it looketh up to 
 thee, and stretcheth out the hands, and fain would have thee take 
 it up. Though I cannot say, ' My soul longeth after thee ;' yet I 
 can say, I long for such a longing heart. 'The spirit is willing, 
 the flesh is weak.' My spirit cries, 'Let thy kingdom come,' or 
 let me come to thy kingdom ; but the flesh is afraid thou shouldst 
 hear my prayer, and take me at my word. O, blessed be thy 
 grace, which makes use of my corruptions to kill themselves; 
 for I fear my fears, and sorrow for my sorrows, and long for 
 greater longings; and thus the painful means of attaining my 
 desires increase my weariness, and that makes me groan to be 
 at rest. 
 
 "Indeed, Lord, my soul itself is in a strait, and what to choose 
 1 know not; but thou knowest what to give: 'to depart and be 
 with thee, is far better;' but 'to abide in the flesh seems need- 
 ful.' Thou knowest I am not weary of thy work, but of sorrow 
 and sin ; I am willing to stay while thou wilt employ me, and 
 despatch the work thou hast put into my hands ; but, I beseech 
 thee, stay no longer when this is done ; and while I must be here, 
 let me be still amending and ascending; make me still better, and 
 take me at the best. I dare not be so impatient, as to importune 
 thee to cut off my time, and snatch me hence unready; because 
 I know my everlasting state so much depends on the improvement 
 of this life. Nor would I stay when my work is done ; and 
 remain here sinning, while my brethren are triumphing. Thy 
 footseps bruise this worm, while those stars shine in the firma- 
 ment of glory. Yet I am thy child as well as they ; Christ is 
 my Head as well as theirs ; why is there, then, so great a dis- 
 tance ! But I acknowledge the equity of thy ways; though we 
 are all children, yet I am the prodigal, and therefore more fit in 
 this remote country to feed on husks, while they are always with 
 thee, and possess thy glory. They were once themselves in my 
 22* 
 
259 CONTEMPLATION EX E Al PL I H EI). 
 
 condition, and I shall shortly be in theirs. They were of th.r 
 lowest form, before they came to the highest ; they suffered, before 
 they reigned ; they 'came out of great tribulation, who are now 
 before thy throne;' and shall I not be content to come to the 
 crown as they did ; and to 'drink of*their cup, before 1 sit with 
 them in the kingdom?' Lord, I am content to stay thy time, and 
 go thy way, so thou wilt exalt me also in thy season, and take 
 me into thy barn, when thou seest me ripe. In the mean time, I 
 may desire, though I am not to repine; I may believe and wish, 
 though "not make any sinful haste ; I am willing to wait for thee, 
 but not to lose thee; and when thou seest me too contented with 
 thine absence, then quicken my languid desires, and blow up the 
 dying spark of love; and leave me not till I am able unfeignedly 
 to cry out, 'As the hart panteth after the water-brooks, so panteth 
 my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the 
 living God; when shall I come and appear before God? My 
 conversation is in heaven, from whence I look for a Saviour. 
 My affections are set on things above, where Christ sitteth, and 
 my life is hid. I walk by faith, and not by sight; willing rathei 
 to be absent from the body, and present with the Lord.' 
 
 "What interest hath this empty world in me; and what is 
 there in it that may seem so lovely as to entice my desires from 
 my God, or make me loath to come away? Methinks, when ] 
 look upon it with a deliberate eye, it is a howling wilderness, and 
 too many of its inhabitants are untamed monsters. I can view 
 all its beauty as deformity ; and drown all its pleasures in a ^ew 
 penitent tears ; or the wind of a sigh will scatter them away. O 
 let not this flesh so seduce my soul, as to make it prefer this weary 
 life before the joys that are about thy throne ! And though death 
 itself be unwelcome to nature, yet let thy grace make thy glory 
 appear to me so desirable, that the king of terrors may be the 
 messenger of *ny joy. Let not my soul be ejected by violence, 
 and dispossessed of its habitation against its will; but draw it to 
 thyself by the secret power of thy love, as the sunshine in the 
 spring draws forth the creatures from their winter cells; meet it 
 half-way, and entice it to thee, as the loadstone doth the iron, and 
 as the greater flame attracts the less ! Dispel, therefore, the clouds 
 that hide thy love from me; or remove the scales that hinder 
 mine eyes from beholding thee ; for the beams that stream from 
 thy face, and the foretastes of thy great salvation, and nothing 
 
CONTEMPLATION EXEMPLIFIED. 259 
 
 else, can make a soul unfeignedly say, Now let thy servant 
 depart in peace !' But it is not thy ordina:y discoveries that will 
 here suffice; as the work is greater, so must thy help be. O, 
 turn these fears into strong desires, and this loathness to die into 
 longings after thee ! While I'must be absent from thee, let my 
 soul as heartily groan, as my body doth under its want of health ! 
 If I have any more time to spend on earth, let me live as without 
 the world in thee, as I have sometimes lived as without thee in 
 the world ! While I have a thought to think, let me not forget 
 thee; or a tongue to move, let me mention thee with delight; or 
 a breath to breathe, let it be after thee and for thee ; or a knee 
 to bend, let it daily bow at thy footstool ; and when by sickness 
 thou confinest me, do thou 'make my bed, number my pains, and 
 put all my tears into thy bottle !' 
 
 "As my flesh desired what my spirit abhorred, so now let my 
 spirit desire that day which my flesh abhorreth ; that my friends 
 may not with so much sorrow wait for the departure of my soul, 
 as my soul with joy shall wait for its own departure! Then 'let 
 me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like 
 his ;' even a removal to that glory which shall never end ! Then 
 let thy convoy of angels bring my departing soul among the per- 
 fected spirits of the just, and let me follow my dear friends that 
 have died in Christ before me; and, while my sorrowing friends 
 are weeping over my grave, let my spirit be reposed with thee 
 in rest; and, while my corpse shall lie rotting in the dark, let my 
 soul be in 'the inheritance of the saints in light!' O thou that 
 numberest the very hairs of my head, number all the days that my 
 body lies in the dust ; and thou that ■ writest all my members in thy 
 book,' keep an account of my scattered bones? O, my Saviour, 
 hasten the time of thy return; send forth thy angels, and let that 
 dreadful, joyful trumpet sound! Delay not, lest the living give 
 up their hopes; delay not, lest earth should grow like hell, and 
 thy church, by division, be all crumbled to dust; delay not, lest 
 thy enemies get advantage of thy flock, and lest pride, hypocrisy, 
 sensuality, and unbelief, prevail against thy little remnant, and 
 share, among them thy whole inheritance, and when thou comest 
 thou find not faith on the earth; delay not, lest the grave should 
 boast of victory, and, having learned rebellion of its guest, should 
 refuse to deliver thee up thy due! O, hasten that great resur- 
 rection-day, when thy command shall go forth, and none disobey ; 
 when 'the sea and earth shall yield up their hostages, and all that 
 
260 CONTEMPLATION EXEMPLIFIED. 
 
 sleep in the grave shall awake, and t!.e dead in Christ shall rise 
 first;' when the seed which thou sowest corruptible, shall come 
 forth incorruptible; and graves that received rottenness and dust, 
 shall return thee glorious stars and suns! Therefore dare I lay 
 down my carcass in the dust, intrusting it, not to a grave, but 
 to thee ; and therefore my flesh shall rest in hope, till thou shalt 
 raise it to the possession of everlasting rest. 'Return, O Lord, 
 how long? O let thy kingdom come ! Thy desolate bride saith, 
 Come!' for thy Spirit within her saith, Come; and teacheth her 
 thus to 'pray with groanings which cannot be uttered ; yea, the 
 whole creation saith, Come, waiting to be delivered from the 
 bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children 
 of God.' Thyself hast said, 'Surely I come quickly. Amen. 
 Even so, Come, Lord Jesus !' " 
 
 CONCLUSION. 
 
 Thus, reader, I have given thee my best advice for maintain- 
 ing a heavenly conversation. If thou canst not thus meditate 
 methodically and fully, yet do it as thou canst; only be sure to 
 do it seriously and frequently. Be acquainted with this heav- 
 enly work, and thou wilt, in some degree, be acquainted with 
 God; thy joys will be spiritual, prevalent, and lasting, according 
 to the nature of their blessed object; thou wilt have comfort in 
 life and death. When thou hast neither wealth, nor health, nor 
 the pleasures of this world, yet wilt thou have comfort. With- 
 out the presence, or help, of any friend, without a minister, 
 without a book, when all means are denied thee, or taken from 
 thee, yet mayst thou have vigorous, real comfort. Thy graces 
 will be mighty, active, and victorious ; and the daily joy, which 
 is thus fetched from heaven, will be thy strength. Thou wilt 
 be as one that stands on the top of an exceeding high mountain ; 
 he looks down on the world as if it were quite below him ; fields 
 and woods, cities and towns, seem to him but little spots. Thus 
 despicably wilt thou look on all things here below. The great- 
 est princes will seem but as grasshoppers; the busy, contentious, 
 covetous world, but as a heap of ants. Men's threatenings will 
 be no terror to thee ; nor the honours of this world any strong 
 enticement; temptations will be more harmless, as having lost 
 their strength ; and afflictions less grievous, as having lost their 
 sting; and every mercy will be better known and relished. It 
 
CONTEMPLAT ON EXEMPLIFIED. 261 
 
 is now, under God, in thy own choice, whether thou wilt live 
 this blessed life or not; and whether all this pains I have taken 
 for thee shall prosper or be lost. If it be lost through thy lazi- 
 ness, thou thyself wilt prove the greatest loser. O man! what 
 hast thou to mind but God and heaven? Art thou not almost 
 out of this world already ? Dost thou not look every day, when 
 one disease or other will let out thy soul? Does not the grave 
 wait to be thine house ; and worms to feed upon thy face and 
 heart? What if thy pulse must beat a few strokes more? What 
 if thou hast a little longer to breathe, before thou breathe out thy 
 last ; a few more nights to sleep, before thou sleepest in the dust? 
 Alas! what will this be, when it is gone? And is it not almost 
 gone already? Very shortly thou wilt see thy glass run out, 
 and say to thyself, "My life is done! My time is gone! It is 
 past recalling! There is nothing now but heaven or hell before 
 me!" Where, then, should thy heart be now, but in heaven? 
 Didst thou know what a dreadful thing it is to have a doubt of 
 heaven when a man is dying, it would rouse thee up. And what 
 else but doubt can that man then do, that never seriously thought 
 of heaven before? 
 
 Some there be that say, "It is not worth so much time and 
 trouble, to think of the greatness of the joys above ; so that we 
 can make sure they are ours, we know they are great." But 
 as these men obey not the command of God, which requires 
 them to have their "conversation in heaven, and to set their 
 affections on things above ;" so they wilfully make their own lives 
 miserable, by refusing the delights which God hath set before 
 them. And if this were all, it were a small matter; but see 
 what abundance of other mischiefs follow the neglect of these 
 heavenly delights. This neglect will damp, if not destroy, their 
 love to God — will make it unpleasant to them to think or speak 
 of God, or engage in his service — it tends to pervert their judg- 
 ments concerning the ways and ordinances of God — it makes 
 them sensual and voluptuous — it leaves them under the power of 
 every affliction and temptation, and is a preparative to total apos- 
 tacy — it will also make them fearful and unwilling to die. For 
 who would go to a God or a place he hath no delight in? Who 
 would leave his pleasure here, if he had not better to go to? 
 Had I only proposed a course of melanchol}', and fear, and sor- 
 row, you might reasonably have objected. But you must have 
 heavenly delights, or none that are lasting. Gdd is willing you 
 
262 
 
 CONTEMPLATION EXEMP LIF lii u . 
 
 shoulJ daily walk with him. and fetch in consolations from the 
 everlasting fountain : if you are unwilling, even bear the loss ; and 
 when you are dying, seek for comfort where you can get it, and 
 see whether fleshly delights will remain with you ; then conscience 
 will remember, in spite of you, that you was once persuaded to 
 a way for more excellent pleasures — pleasures that would have 
 followed you through death, and have lasted to eternity. 
 
 As for you, whose hearts God hath weaned from all things 
 here below, I hope you will value this heavenly life, and take 
 one walk every day in the New Jerusalem. God is your love 
 and your desire ; you would fain be more acquainted with your 
 Saviour; and I know it is your grief that your hearts are not 
 nearer to him, and that they do not more feelingly love him, 
 and delight in him. O, try this life of meditation on your heav- 
 enly rest! Here is the mount on which the fluctuating ark of 
 your souls may rest. Let the world see, by your heavenly lives, 
 that religion is something more than opinions and disputes, or a 
 talk of outward duties. If ever a Christian is like himself, and 
 answerable to his principles and profession, it is when he is most 
 serious and lively in this duty. As Moses, before he died, went 
 up into Mount Nebo, to take a survey of the land of Canaan ; so 
 the Christian ascends the mount of contemplation, and by faith 
 surveys his rest. He looks upon the glorious mansions, and says, 
 ''Glorious things are" deservedly "spoken of thee, thou city of 
 God !" He hears, as it were, the melody of the heavenly choir, 
 and says, "Happy is the people that are in such a case; yea, 
 happy is that people, whose God is the Lord !" He looks upon 
 the glorified inhabitants, and says, " Happy art thou, O Israel ; 
 who is like unto thee, O people, saved by the Lord, the shield 
 of thy help, and who is the sword of thine excellency!" When 
 he looks upon the Lord himself, who is their glory, he is ready, 
 with the rest, to "fall down and worship Him that liveth for ever 
 and ever, and say, Holy, holy, holy Lord 'God Almighty, who 
 was, and is, and is to come! Thou art worthy, O Lord, to 
 receive glory, and honour, and power!" When he looks on the 
 glorified Saviour, he is ready to say, Amen, to that "new song, 
 Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that 
 sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. 
 For thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood, 
 out of every kindred, and tongue, and people; and nation; and 
 hast made us, unto our God, kings and pries's!" When he 
 
CONTEMPLATION EXEMPLIFIED. 263 
 
 looks back on the wilderness of this world, he blesses the believ- 
 ing, patient, despised saints; he pities the ignorant, obstinate, 
 miserable world, and for himself, he says, as Peter, "It is good 
 to be here;" or, as Asaph, "It is good for me to draw near to 
 God; for, lo, they that are far from thee, shall perish." Thus, 
 as Daniel, in his captivity, daily opened his window towards 
 Jerusalem, though far* out of sight, when he went to God in his 
 devotions ; so may the believing soul, in this captivity of the flesh, 
 look towards "Jerusalem, which is above." And as Paul was 
 to the Colossians, so may the believer be with the glorified spirits, 
 "though absent in the flesh, yet with them in the spirit, joying 
 and beholding their heavenly order." And as the lark sweetly 
 sings, while she soars on high, but is suddenly silenced when 
 she falls to the earth ; so is the frame of the soul most delightful 
 and divine, while it keeps in the views of God by contemplation. 
 Alas, we make there too short a stay ; fall down again, and lay 
 by our music! 
 
 But, "O thou, the merciful Father of spirits, the attractive of 
 love, and ocean of delights, draw up these drossy hearts unto 
 thyself, and keep them there till they are spiritualized and 
 refined ; and second thy servant's weak endeavours, and per. 
 suade those that read these lines to the practice of this delightful, 
 heavenly work ! O, suffer not the soul of thy most unworthy 
 servant to be a stranger to those joys which he describes to 
 others; but keep me, while I remain on earth, in daily breath- 
 ings after thee, and in a believing, affectionate walking with thee ! 
 And when thou comest, let me be found so doing; not serving 
 my flesh, nor asleep with my lamp unfurnished; but waiting 
 and longing for my Lord's return! Let those who shall read 
 these heavenly directions, not merely read the fruit of my stud- 
 ies, but the breathing of my active hope and love : that, if my 
 heart were open to their view, they might there read the same 
 most deeply engraven with a beam from the face of the Son of 
 God; and not find vanity, or lust, or pride, within, when the 
 words of life appear without; that so these lines may not wit- 
 ness against me ; but, proceeding from the heart of the writer, 
 may be effectual, through thy grace, upon the heart of the reader, 
 and so be the savour of life to both! Amen." 
 
 "Glory be to God in the highest; on earth peace, good-wil' 
 towards men." 
 
 END OF THE SAINTS' REST. 
 
GENERAL UBBARY-U.C. BERKELEY 
 
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