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out, not knowing whither he went. was the Type of Heaven; and Heaven is as unknown a Country to us, as Canaan was to Abraham. And herein we must imitate this Father of the Faithful, to be contented to leave our native Country, and the World we know, to follow God whitherfoever he leads us, into unknown Regions, and to an unknown and unexperienc'd Happiness. This indeed all Men muft do, because they cannot avoid leaving this World, but must go when God calls for them: But that which makes it our Choice, an Act of Faith and Virtue, is this, fuch a strong Perfuafion, and firm Reliance on the Goodnefs, and Wisdom, and Promises of God, that though we are ignorant of the State of the other World, we can chearfully forfake all our known Enjoyments, and embrace the Promises of an unknown Happiness. And there are two distinct Acts of this, which answer to Abraham's Faith in leaving his own Country, and following God into a strange Land: The first is the Exercise of our Faith while we live; the second when we die.

To mortify all our inordinate Appetites and Defires, to deny ourselves the finful Vanities and Pleasures of this Life, for the Promifes of an unknown Happiness in the next, is our myftical dying to this World, leaving our native Country, and following God into a ftrange and unknown Land; to quit all our

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prefent Poffeffions in this World, to forfeit our Eftates or Liberties, all that is dear to us here; nay, to forfake our native Country, rather than to offend God, and lofe our Title to the Promises of an unknown Happiness, is, in a literal Senfe, to leave our own Country at God's Command, not knowing whither we go; which is like Abraham's going out of his own Country, and living as a Sojourner in the Land of Promife, without having an Inheritance in it. This is that Faith which overcomes the World, which makes us live as Pilgrims and Strangers here, as those who seek for another Country, for a heavenly Canaan, as the Apostle tells us Abraham did: For by faith he fojourned in the land of promife, as in a ftrange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Ifaac and facob, the heirs with him of the Jame promife; for he looked for a city which has foundations, whofe builder and maker is God, Heb. xi. 9, 10.

And when we come to die, and can with Joy and Triumph, in an Affurance of God's Promises, commend our Spirits to him, and truft him with our Souls, when we know not the Country we go to, and never experienced what the Happiness of it is, without any Concern or Sollicitude about it; this is a noble Act of Faith, which does great Honour to God, and conquers all the natural Averfions to Death, and makes it an eafy thing to leave this World, and the Object of our De

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fire and Choice, to fee that promised Land, and tafte thofe Pleafures which we are yet We must live, and we muft die in Faith too, as the Patriarchs did, who all died in Faith, not having received the Promifes, but feeing them afar off. And for that Reason, the other World must be in a great measure unknown to us; for could we fee it, could we before-hand taste the Pleafures of it, or know what they are, it would be no Act of Faith to leave this World for it, to be willing to be tranflated from Earth to Heaven: But no Man is worthy of Heaven, who dares not take God's Word for it; and therefore God has concealed thofe Glories from us, and given us only a Promife of a great, but an unknown Happiness, for the Object of our Hope, to be a Trial of our Faith, and Obedience, and Truft in him.

That the other World is an unknown State to us, trains us up to a great Truft and Confidence in God: For we must trust God for our Souls, and for the next World; and this naturally teaches us to truft God in this World too, to live fecurely upon his Providence, and to fuffer him to difpose of us as he pleases.

Indeed, no Man can trust God in this World, who has not a ftedfaft Faith in God, for the Rewards of the next. For the external Administrations of Providence are not always what we could with; but good Men are

very well contented, and have great Reason to be fo, to take this World and the next together; and therefore are not follicitous about prefent Things, but leave God to chuse what Condition for them he pleases, as being well affured of his Goodnefs, who has prepared for them eternal Rewards.

And those who can truft God with their Souls, who can trust him for an immortal Life, for an unfeen and unknown Happiness, will find no Difficulty in trusting him for this World; I mean those who are concern'd for their future Happiness, and take any care of their Souls. If all who are unconcern'd for their Souls, and never trouble their Heads what will become of them hereafter, may be faid to truft God with their Souls, then, I confefs, this will not hold true; for the greateft Number of those who thus truft God with their Souls, will truft him for nothing else. But this is not to truft God, but to be carelefs of our Souls. But now, when a Man who ftedfastly believes another Life after this, and is heartily concerned what will become of him for ever, can fecurely rely on God's Promises, beyond his own Knowledge and Prospect of Things; he will very easily trust God for every thing elfe: For he is not fo follicitous about any thing in this World, as he is for his Soul; and if he can trust God with his dearest Interefts, furely he will truft him in lefs Matters. The Promises of eter

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nal Life, through our Lord Jesus Christ, are the highest Demonstration of God's Love to us; and he who is fo well affur'd of God's Love, that he can trust him for Heaven, can never diftruft his Care and Providence in this World. The Methods of God's Providence can never be fo unknown to us in this World, as the State of the other World is unknown: And if we can chearfully follow God into an unfeen and unknown World, cannot we be contented to follow him through the most dark and perplexed Tracks of Providence here? So that we have as little Reason to complain, that the State of the other World is unknown to us, as we have, that we must live by Faith in this World; for absent, unfeen, and unknown Things, are the Objects of our Faith. And thofe who will truft God no farther than they can fee, neither in this World nor in the next, have no Reason to depend upon his Providence here, nor to expect Heaven hereafter.

2dly, The State of the other World being fo much unknown to us, is a very good Reafon why we should chearfully comply with all the Terms and Conditions of the Gospel; to do whatever our Saviour requires, that we may obtain eternal Life. This, it may be, you will not fo readily apprehend, and yet the Reason of it is very plain; for fince the State of the other World is fo much unknown to us, we do not, and cannot know neither,

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