will He seize upon the careless World, even as the Lightening cometh out of the East, and shineth unto the Weft? He who is gone hence hall fo come. Methinks I hear His Trumpet found! Methinks fe Him coming with Clouds, with His attending Angels in Majefty and in Glory!'

$4. O fecure Sinners! What now will you do? Where will you hide yourselves? What thall cover you? Mountains are gone; the Heavens and the Earth which were, are paffed away; the devouring Fire hath confumed all, except yourfelves, who must be the Fuel for ever. O that you could confume as foon as the Earth; and melt away as did the • Heavens! Ah, thefe Wishes are now but vain! The Lamb Himself would have been your Friend; He would have loved you, and ruled you, and now ⚫ have faved you; but you would not then, and now it is too late. Never cry, Lord, Lord; too late, too late, Man. Why doft thou look about? Can any fave thee? Whither doft thou run? Can any hide thee? O Wretch, that haft brought thyself " to this!' $5. Now bleffed 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 fweet? See how the Judge fmiles upon you; there is Love in His Looks; "the Titles of Redeemer, Husband, Head, are written ' in His amiable, fhining Face. Hark, He calls you; He bids you ftand here on His right Hand;

fear not, for there He fets 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,

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 fo unworthy, you must be crowned. This was the Project of free redeeming Grace, the Purpose of eternal • Love. O bleffed Grace! O bleffed Love! O how Love and Joy will rife! But I cannot express it, I cannot conceive it.'

§ 6. THIS is that Joy which was procured by Sorrow, that Crown which was procured by the Crofs. My Lord wept, that now my Tears might be wiped away; He bled, that I might now rejoice; • He was forjaken, that I might not now be forfook; He then died, that I might now live. O free Mercy, ❝that can exalt fo vile a Wretch! Free to me, tho' dear to Chrift! Free Grace, that hath chofen me, when thoufands were forfaken! When my Companions in Sin muft burn in Hell, I muft here rejoice in Reft! Here muft I live with all thefe Saints! O comfortable Meeting of my old Acquaintance, with whom I prayed, and wept, and fuffered, and Spoke often of this Day and Place! I fee the Grave could not detain you; the fame Love hath redeemed ⚫ and faved you allo."

$7. THIS is not like our Cottages of Clay, our Prifons, our earthly Dwellings. This Voice of Joy is not like our old Complaints, our impatient Groans and Sighs; nor this melodious Praife like the Scoffs and Revilings, or the Oaths and Curfes, 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 Cloaths and Thoughts, our Look, Language, and Company. Before, a Saint was weak and defpifed; fo proud and peevish, we

'could

Ch. 16. • could often scarce difcern his Graces: But now how glorious a Thing is a Saint! Where is now their Body of Sin, which wearied themselves and thofe about them? Where are now our different Judgments, reproachful Names, divided Spirits, exafperated Paffions, ftrange Looks, uncharitable Cenfures? Now we are all of one Judgment, of one Name, of one Heart, Houfe, and Glory. O fweet Reconciliation! Happy Union! Now the Gospel fhall no more be difhonoured through our Folly. No more, my Soul, fhalt thou lament the Sufferings of the Saints, or the Church's Ruins, nor mourn thy fuffering Friends, nor weep over their dying Eeds, or their Graves. Thou fhalt never fuffer thy old Temptations from Satan, the World, or thy own Flefh. Thy Pains and Sickneffes are all cured; thy Body fhall no more burthen thee with Weakness and Wearinefs; thy aching • Head and Heart, thy Hunger and Thirft, thy Sleep and Labour, are all gone. O what a mighty • Change is this! From the Dunghill, to the Throne! • From perfecuting Sinners, to praifing Saints! From a vile Body, to this which hines as the Brightness of the Firmament! From a Senfe of God's Difpleasure, to the perfect Enjoyment of Him in Love! From all my Doubts and Fears, to this Poffeffion, which puts me out of Doubt! From all my fearful Thoughts of Death, to this joyful Life! Bleffed Change! Farewel Sin and Sorrow for ever: Farewel my rocky, proud, unbelieving Heart; my worldly, • fenfual, carnal Heart: And welcome now my moft · holy, heavenly Nature. Farewel Repentance, Faith, and Hope; and welcome Love, and Joy, and Praise. I fhall now have my Harveft, without ploughing or fowing; my Joy without a Preacher, or a Promife; even all from the Face of God Himself.

"What

Whatever Mixture is in the Streams, there is no thing but pure Joy in the Fountain. Here fhall I be encircled with Eternity, and ever live, and ever, ever praife the Lord. My Face will not wrinkle, nor my Hair be grey; for this corruptible fhall have put on Incorruption, and this mortal Immortality, and Death fhall be swallowed up in Victory. O Death, where is now thy Sting? O Grave, where is thy Victory? The Date of my Leafe will no more expire, nor fhall I trouble myself with Thoughts of Death, nor lofe my Joys through Fear of lofing them. When Millions of Ages are pafs'd, my Glory is 'but beginning; and when Millions more are pafs'd, it is no nearer ending. Every Day is all Noon, • every Month is Harveft, every Year is a Jubilee, every Age is full Manhood, and all this is one Eternity. O bleffed Eternity! The Glory of my Glory! The Perfection of my Perfection!

8. AH drowsy, earthly Heart! How coldly doft thou think of this reviving Day? Hadft thou < rather fit down in Dirt, than walk in the Palace of "God? Art thou now remembering thy worldly Business, or thinking of thy Lufts, 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 Excufe, nor Delay; God commands, and I command thee; gird up thy Loins; afcend 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 Defert, 'more fenfibly to perceive the wide Difference. Yonder is thy Father's Glory; yonder, O my Soul! ' must thou remove, when thou departeft from this Body; and when the Power of thy Lord hath raised it again, and joined thee to it, yonder muft thou ⚫ live

live with God for ever. There is the glorious new Jerufalem, the Gates of Pearl, the Foundations of Pearl, the Streets and Pavement of tranfparent Gold. That Sun, which lighteth all this World, will be useless there; even thyfelf fhalt be as bright as yonder fhining Sun; God will be the Sun, and Chrift the Light, and in His Light shalt thou have Light.'

$9.Ŏ MY Soul! doft thou ftagger at the Promife of God through Unbelief? I much fufpect thee. Didft 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

Thou

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 wife, almighty, faithful God with this. How many of the Promifes have been performed to thee in thy • Converfion? Would God fo powerfully concur with a feigned Word? O wretched Heart of Unbelief! Hath God made thee a Promife of Reft, and wilt thou come fhort of it? Thine Eyes, thy Ears, and all thy Senfes, may prove Delusions, fooner than a Promife of God can delude thee. mayft be furer of that which is written in the Word, than if thou fee it with thine Eyes, or feel it with thine Hands. Art thou fure thou art alive, or that this is Earth thou standeft on, or that thine Eyes fee the Sun? As fure is all this Glary to the Saints; · as fure fhall I be higher than yonder Stars, and live for ever in the holy City, and joyfully found forth the Praise of my Redeemer; if I be not fhut out by this evil Heart of Unbelief, caufing me to depart from the living God.

$10. AND is this Reft fo fweet, and fo fure? Then what means the carelefs World? Know they

"what