this highest region he difplays moft of himself and his glories; and will impart most of himself (or his beatific rays) to his beloved ones. Here he shines in his refplendent glory, in fuch expreffive beams, or radiant manifeftations of himself, as are, to us, ineffable and incomprehenfible. O, what a world muft that be, where the glorious Jeha. vah will please to unvail most of his face, and beauty, and perfection! The world, which he has founded and built on purpose, for the honour of his name, for the glory of his Majefty, and the entertainment of his chofen, beloved ones, for evermore.

2. Here is the Son of God, in his economical perfon and glory; fo conftituted in perfon, fo advanced and glorified, as the economy of our falvation requires. He is, by nature, the brightness or irradia. tion of the Father's glory; and the exact expreffion of his perfon. But he would condefcend to wear our nature, and be intimately united to an human effence. Here he was manifefted in fleth ; above he is manifefted in human nature, transformed by glory. There is a fpectacle for men and angels! There he fits enthroned and crowned, at his Father's Right Hand; there he sheds beams of light and glory, all around him. There he appears in the discharge of his illuftrious Offices; as Prophet and Teacher, fending gracious inftructions to the world, and communicating his fpirit; as Priest upon his throne, righteously interceding on the behalf of his fervants below; and as King, prefiding over men and angels. He is the great reprefentative of the bleffed God. In his light, they fee the Father of Lights. By him, life, glory, and joy is communicated to all the bleffed fociety.

3. Here are thousands of attendant, beautiful fpirits. Myriads of noble natives fuitable to the delightful region. It becomes the great God (if he will pleafe to create at all) to have a moft numerous refplendent retinue. He is worthy to be seen and known by ten thoufand times ten thousand and thousands of thoufands. The knowledge of him will improve and bless the understanding. His excellencies deferve to be difcerned and admired. And though he needs nothing;

we

we may yet fay, it is pity that fo admirable a being should have none to take notice of him, or to be (in any ages of eternity) acquainted with him. He can make innumerable worlds blefs'd with the light of his countenance. And numberless hofts and fquadrons, has he made for that purpose. They are bright, beautiful, active spirits. They are pure, regular and holy, according to the law of their creation. They are full of fatisfaction, delight, and bleffedness. They continually furround the throne. They contemplate and adore the felf-exiftent excellencies. They applaud and celebrate the free counsel and favour, that made them what they are, and ordained them to all their dignity and blifs. They pay homage to the throne, and extol him that fits thereon. They look into his defigns, and execute his pleasure.. They are lovers of our world, and of our felicity. O, what happy fociety will they be! What pleasure to see, and know their excellencies, numbers, order and felicity! and to be admitted to their fellowship and enjoyments!

4. Here are the religious Spirits that are withdrawn from our world. They are not nullified or loft; but retire to a purer region, where they are enlarged, and their purity and pleasure fublimated and advanced. They are purged from all the corruptions and disorders, that here annoyed them, and wait for the redemption of the body. They are perfected in their love and joy; and are added to the foregoing worshippers, that furround the throne. O, how bright and amiable are they! Here's a scene of glorious inhabitants, beyond or above whom, the human mind is not able to extend it felf. Then we might confider

II. Their employments (fo far as they may be faid to be employ'd). The great God is worthy to receive the honours and acclamations of all the glorified world. The Mediator has his office (or employ) at least, till the confummation of all things. He is head over all things, to and for the Church. He intercedes for his profelites below, and manages affairs, in order to the ends of his own redemption. An

gels

gels and Saints will have work enough for ever. They will admire and love and fing! They are taken up in the contemplation of divine perfections, and myfteries. They celebrate the good-will (the free, unobliged, eternal good-will) that contrived them for all their glory. Here's employment (raptruous employment) for the most elevated fpirits! Here's a world, fuitable to divine wisdom, holiness, and grandeur! fuch as may inflame us with the most heroic ambition and zeal to be made members thereof. Then

And

II. Confider we the state of the dark, penal world. This is quite oppofite to the other. The privation of all that's joyous and delightful. It is utter darkness; most remote from all manifcftation of divine light and favour. Most remote from all the fociety and pleafures of heaven. Here will be found and felt the lofs of the greatest good, the greatest blifs, that human nature is capable of. It shall be known then (to endless lamentation) what it is to lofe God, the fountain of joy; to lose that love, that is better than life. Here the wrath and difpleasure of God intend to exert themselves. who shall ftand when the great God is angry! His indignation burns down to the lowest hell. Here is the place of punishment, inflicted on those prodigious offenders, that were caft out of heaven. Their fin was great, highly aggravated; and their punishment is fuitable thereto. They are ftrong fpirits, and can bear a great deal; and they fhall be loaded with the wrath of the Almighty. Their faces are hideous, their company horrible, their vexation and anguish will be terrifying and dreadful to all about them. Their envy and malice will make them tormentors of their companions; efpecially, of those whom they have drawn to fin, and to the fame place of torment. Hither muft the impenitent wretches of mankind be fent. Though they have not finned in the fame high ftation, that angels were in, they have finned againft greater love, and (poffibly) for a longer time, than angels did before their downfall. They agreed in rebellion against the eternal God; and here they muft unconceivably fuffer together. Here will be intellectual torture. Their rational powers will be tormen

ted

ted. Their minds and confciences will have no reft, in the review of their egregious fins and follies. They will hate and tear themfelves for the wilful contempt of all the favour and goodnefs, that was cither conferred upon them or fet before them. They will be ready to curfe the day, in which they committed fuch and fuch fins, and pawned their fouls for curfed pleafures. A furious confcience will remind them of the mercies, invitations and calls of a gracious God, which they scorn'd, and (it may be) ridiculed. And then there follows weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth. All the poetical inflictions in Tartarus and Phlegeton, are but fhades in comparison with thefe forrows. Here will be the pofitive exertions of divine wrath and righteoufnefs. His indignation and difplcafure is compared to the fulphurcous and moft vehement flame. And who shall dwell with everlasting burnings! What mind can conceive, what tongue can tell the everlasting fire, that is prepared (by divine wisdom, power, and justice) for the devil and his angels !

Here's a future ftate to awaken and roufe a careless world! Here's a world, that aggrandizes the majefty and authority, the foveraignty and righteoufnefs of the eternal God. Hell (in its way) fhall praise him. It becomes him to make it appear, that it is a fearful thing to. fall into the hands of the living God.

3

SECT.

The Chriftian Inftitution is inforced with the most lofty and awful fanctions; fuch as are most suitable to the power and laws of the foveraign Governour of Heaven and Earth.

HOUGH the Creator's known will fhould be our rule and

TH

law; and we owe our felves and all our powers to his will and pleasure; yet fuch is his goodness, that he does not call us to serve him for nought. He knows our frame, and how it was made at first; that man was a nature, apt to be guided by hope and fear. And accordingly, with fuch profpects, he treated him then. He knows our frame and temper now, how depraved and adulterated it is; how indifpofed we are to all the service and obedience that we owe him. And he wifely and mercifully feeks to conquer our reluctance, by the momentous proposals he makes us. He knows how apt we are to be inveigled by the flesh, that we wear about us; to be inti ced by the world, that lies continually in our view, and prefents its charms and lures unto us. But he is refolved to out-bid all, and offer incomparably more for us and to us, than any thing else can give And if we finally renounce and forfake him, he threatens more than the creation can inflict. If the greatness of his love may be learnt from the largeness of his promises, that are to draw us to him, and from the dreadfulness of the threatnings, that are to drive us to him; O, what unbounded love is here! But let us confider these important fanctions a little, both in the nature of the promises, and of the threatnings.