them to be fo. They are the bfefed of the Father; tho' cur. fed and reproached by the world, yet they are blessed of God. The Holy Ghoft glorifies the Son, and the Son glorifies the Fa. ther, and the Father bleffes and glorifies the redeemed and fanc. tified, and thus the eternal Trinity are all intimately concerned in the accomplishment of the everlasting bleffednefs of the heirs of felicity. When Chrift calls them to come, this is no other than an hearty welcome to the glories prepared for them. He formerly in this world called upon them by his word and by his fpirit to come unto him, that they might be partakers of grace and life; then the call was to felf denial, to mortification, to take up their cross and to follow him. The call in the estimation of the world was to fhame, contempt, fuffering and foolishness; but now it is to glory, immortality, and the full fruition of God and perfect felicity forever. They who formerly obeyed his call and followed him bearing the crofs, will now enjoy his beatific prefence, wearing a crown. Hearken to the extatie pleasure of the address. "Come ye blefled of my Father, ye "beloved of my foul, for whom I have travailed and been in "pain, for whom I have endured toil, anxiety, fufferings and "oppreffion to the fweating of great drops of blood; for

whom I have trod the wine-prefs of divine wrath, and gone "through death and hell; come ye into my tendereft embra"ces, ye who are highly favored of the Lord and whom the "majefty of heaven delighteth to honor." O with what raptures of joy will this addrefs fill the hearts of the righteous!How will it caufe them to fing the glorious riches of free grace, the wonders of redeeming love, the praises of God and the lamb? The faints in this pilgrimage and imperfed fate may with humble boldness approach to the throne of grace; but then they fhall come boldly to the throne of glory. This word, "Come ye bleed of my father," holds out the golden fceptre, with a full affurance that the defires of their hearts fhall be fatisfied, and the whole of a heavenly kingdom fhall be conferred upon them. The king addrefies them from the

throne of his glory, and hereby admits them to be kings and priefts in mantions of glory forever. All power in heaven and earth is given unto the Son, and he introduces all the righteous into the heavenly Canaan, for none obtain entrance there but byhis approbation; therefore they are fuch in whom the divine perfections were defigned to be glorified from all eternity.They are the faved according to the eternal purpose, blessed in the father's defign, called in time, fanctified by the spirit, and now they receive all that perfection of blessedness, which they heretofore only had in promife and earnest at their first fanctification. Thus they are actually and completely bleffed of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghoft.-I proceed to the

Second confideration, to wit, the happiness of that glorious state into which they are admitted. «Inherit the kingdom "prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”

In regard to the nature of the happiness of heaven, we can know but little in this dark world, after our most careful at tention, painful ftudy and diligent refearches. The moft favoured and the most advanced faints upon earth, see but darkly as through a glass. "We know, fays St. Paul, but in part, "and we prophesy in part; but when that which is perfect is

come, then that which was in part fhall be done away.When I was a child, I fpake as a child, I underfood as a child, I thought as a child, but when I became a man, I "put away childish things. Eye hath not feen, nor ear heard,

neither hath it entered into the heart of man to understand, "the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.” The glory and felicity prepared for the bleffed, we fhall have, a very imperfect idea of, while in this embodied Rate. After we have contemplated all the deferiptions of it in our bibles, together with all the additions which fanciful imagination can fugget, we may fill be affured, that they fall infinitely short of a perfect picture. But as the facred oracles give us many

defcriptions of the celeftial glory to quicken and comfort faints and to allure and perfuade finners, for the encouragement and confolation of thofe who hope to enjoy this inheritance, we hall briefly exhibit a few of them. A leading line in the bu. finefs is the transcendent felicity expreffed in our text, "Inher

it the kingdom prepared for you, from the foundation of the "world." To inherit a kingdom is the fullness of the ambition of the human mind. This is what the proud, the enterprising and the brave wade through seas of blood to obtain; for this hecatombs of mortals have been facrificed; for this all the exertions of human invention, good and bad, have been practised A kingdom is reckoned the moft valuable acquifition by mortals on earth. In their view it comprehends all honor, wealth and happiness. They, who poffefs a kingdom, wear the glo. ries of a crown, sway the fceptre of dignity, poffefs the enfigns of royalty, enjoy the pleafures of a court, and command the treasures of their dominions. This is a feeble refemblance of the kingdom of heaven. The faints who are here pilgrims, Arangers, prifoners, accounted the outcafts and offscourings of the earth, fhall then, to the aftenifhment of all worlds, inherit a kingdom. Nebuchadnezzar divefted of birds feathers, and his fingers of eagles claws, with adjusted hair, combed head, and dreffed in royal robes, affords only a faint refemblance of an abject, hell deserving wretch who is raifed to the glory of heaven. "God raiseth up the poor out of the duit, and lifteth ‹ up the needy out of the dunghill, that he may fet him with

princes even with the princes of his people. He that overcometh fhall inherit all things, to him will be given power "over the nations." The kingdom which chriftians will en joy is a prepared kingdom, prepared at infinite expenfe of labour, pains and blood. That happinefs muft furely be indefcribably great which is the production of divine counfels, The preparation for the reception of the fin s mocks all the powers of defcription. Love originated the plan, wiflom and

power executed the greatnefs of the measure. God the Son purchased the kingdom by his blood, and is afcended to pre. pare a place; "Igo, fays he to his difciples, to prepare a place " for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself, that "where I am, there ye may be alfo." The kingdom is preparing for them, and in this world they are preparing for the kingdom. The preparing the kingdom fpeaks forth the perfeat happinefs of all those who fhall enter into it. Their intereft in it is hereby held forth to view, and it is adapted to the nature of the fanétified; it is prepared for them by name, for they are perfonally and particularly chofen to falvation.-It is a kingdom of early original, for it was prepared for them from the foundation of the world. This is a phrafe expreffing the fame idea as everlafting or eternity. This happiness was defigned for the faints, and they for it before time began. Thus fpeaks St. Paul," Bleed be the Father of our Lord Jefus "Chrift, who hath bleffed us with all fpiritual bleffings, in

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heavenly places in Chrift, according as he hath chofen us in "him before the foundation of the world, that we should be "holy and without blame before him in love." Thus it is a kingdom prepared from eternity, which the faints shall enjoy; hence they fhall be invefted with royal authority, royal dig. nity and honor. For when they enter this kingdom, they fhall afcend thrones, have fceptres put into their hands and crowns of gold, not like the changing diadems of this world, but crowns placed upon their heads that never change or fade away. They will be dressed in royal robes more rich and refulgent than ermin and glittering gold. They will be arrayed in immaculate robes, which can never be foiled or ftained, in white robes, robes made white by the blood of the Lamb. When thus adorned, their palace will be the royal city even the new Jerufalem. The building of the wall of which is of Jafper, the foundations are garnifhed with all manner of precious ftones, its gates are pearl and its ftreets of pure gold, as it were tranfparent glass. It is fo widely different from every thing

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royal on earth, and from every terreftrial city, that there is no need of the fun or moon there, for the glory of God doth lighten it and the lamb is the light thereof. In this glorious kingdom every thing is in a ftate of perfection, peace, holiness, knowledge, righteoufnefs, happiness and joy. No errors, ignorance, collifion of fentiments, party spirit or private interell,. will be there. God and Chrift will be there perfectly known, and the faints will be forever loft in admiration of the unrivalled beauties of Godhead, and the emanations of divine love. They will wander with heavenly pleasure, and raptures of delight thro' all the perfections and attributes of God. They: themselves will there be perfect in the beauties of holiness, free from fin and every moral impurity; from every evil bias, wicked thought and perverfe inclination. Nothing that is un clean or defileth enters there. They will no more be troubled with the rifings of pride or corrupt paffions; here will be a perfect conformity to the perfect image of God Univerfal benevolence, unremiting harmony, and perfect love to God angels and one another will reign throughout the whole kingdom. All peace and joy of which holy beings are capable, will in complete fulness be possessed there. The tabernacle of God is with men, he fhall dwell with them, they fhall be his people and he will be their God and portion forever. "All: "tears fhall be wiped away from their eyes, and there fhall be 45 no more death, neither forrow nor crying, neither shall there "be any more pain, for the former things are pafled away." There will be no fighing, complaining, nor mortification, fhame nor regret, in thefe happy regions. Every thing tending to enlarge and encrease their felicity they fhall enjoy. In this bleffed world the faints fhall have fweet fellowship and rapturous communion with God and Jefus Chrift. They fhall have free intercourfe with the angels, and enjoy the uninter rupted friendship and blisful fociety one of another. There they fhall hold happy converfe with Gabriel, Michael, with feraphim and cherubim, with Abraham,, Ifaac and Jacob,

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