long be left, if this is all I am to have! Think O my foul of this, and of the inexpreffible forrow in which they will be doomed to lie for ever, who have their good things here, and then who would not fay with the Pfalmift, Let men of the world have their portion in this prefent life: As for me, O Lord, I will behold thy face in righteousness, and I fhall be fatisfied. Let me have my part in the good land, and take this wildernefs who will.

And as for the evils to which I am exposed, how little a thing is it to go mourning to the heavenly Sion, where my God fhall be my glory and everlasting joy. The fufferings of this life are not worthy to be compared to the glory to be revealed. Lord, let me have my lot with those that mourn and fuffer, groan and die, fo I may have an interest in thy loving kindness, which is better than life, and may at laft be brought to thy prefence to be happy in that life for ever.

3. It is a faith that raifes up to, and is accompanied with a well-grounded hope of the happinefs to be enjoyed above, which is of ufe to keep the foul from finking under prefent fufferings. I had fainted, could I not have looked to the end of this vale of tears into a better state, where I truft I shall arrive fafe at laft, how long and deep foever be the way. There remaineth a reft for the people of God; and though out of fight, hope enters into that which is within the vail, and fo proves an anchor to the foul, both fure and stedfast, enabling them to ride out the storm, in which how forely foever they may be toffed,

they

they shall not perish or come short of the kingdom they are making to.

He that hath wrought them for the self-same thing is God and having made them meet for heaven, will not always keep them at fo mournful a distance. They look up to the glory of the other world, as that for which the price is paid; of which their Head and Lord is in poffeffion, and for which the royal word is past: and all the promises are yea and amen in him: therefore, whatever trials they are to pafs through, they fhall be kept by the power of God through faith unto falvation. Faithful is he that bath promised, who alfo will do it.

4. It works the heart to a patient waiting, till the feafon comes wherein the longing expectants of heaven shall not fail of being called up thither. Though the goodness be great I hope for, and the mifery great I endure; yet I am not in a finful and impatient hafte. I refign it to the divine good pleasure, when my warfare shall be accomplished, and the trial of my faith shall be finished. I know on what ground I fhall look for the fruition of bleffednefs. It is a reward indeed, yet not of merit, but of grace.

I know from how miferable an eftate I was raised to any hope of it, and prepared for it. And though my inclinations are ftrong to obtain it, and my Redeemer ftrong to give it; yet in patience I would poffefs my own foul, till I am called up to enjoy glory.

It is far better to be abfent from the body, and to be prefent with the Lord: but when, or in what manner, I fhall leave my present state, is

not

not mine to chufe; but to labour, whether prefent or abfent, to be accepted of him. The whole creation groaneth, and travelleth in pain together until now: and not only they, but ourselves alfo, groan within our felves, waiting for the adoption, &c. Rom. x. 23. We groan, not that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon with our house which is from heaven, 2 Cor. v. 1, 2, 4. But as we have need of patience from the greatness of the expected bleffednefs: fo, upon this fame ground, we have reafon for it too, as it is enough to make amends for the longest stay.

O happy they that have got within the Veil, who fee and enjoy what I believe; and do already poffefs a thousand times more than I can conceive of! O how gladly would I be with them, and make one of that joyful affembly! And, he that fhall come, will come, and will not tarry. He that wisdom to know the fitteft feafon, and will not forget me when that feafon comes: wherefore all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my great Lord give me leave to die, in order to enter into his joy. I would not be weary of the work he hath given me to do, nor fink under the burdens he would have me bear, but by patient continuance in well-doing, feek for glory, honour, and immortality; and rely on his promise to bestow eternal life, which cannot fail, though for a time deferred. I am fecure as to his faithfulness, and calmly truft him for a bleffed iffue. Surely there is an end, and, O my foul, thy expectation fhall not be cut off. And how little while need the longest stay appear, when all along thou art in

the

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the view and way to that bleffedness, which will never end?

5. Laftly, It is a faith that excites the most ferious diligence that they do not come short, or fail of feeing and enjoying the goodness God hath laid up for them that love him.

After the most raised views of the promised bleffedness, it is no unufual thing for a believer to turn in, and debate the matter with himself, in fuch manner as this. O my foul! are my hopes fure and well-grounded? Am I indeed an heir of that glory, in comparison of which all this world is to be difvalued and contemned? Am I a member of Christ, and in the number of those who having received him, and have power given to become fons of God? If children then Beirs, beirs of God and joint-beirs with Chrift. And under the profeffion of this, what have I to evidence it to be real? Is the bent of my heart, and the course of my life fuch as becomes one that expects to see the goodness of God in the land of the living?

Who can have fo glorious a prize before him, and not be folicitous to make it fure? Strive, and pray, and watch, and run, and with unfainting perfeverance hold out to the end, that ye may lay hold on eternal life. Upon this ground, Paul was at fo much pains with himfelf; left that by any means, after he had preached to others, he himself should be a caft-away, 1 Cor. ix. 26, 27. And David earnestly prays, Pfalm cxxxix. 23, 24. Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my thoughts; and Jee if

there

there be any wickedness in me; and lead me in the way everlasting.

This faith is to work in the foul it supports or keeps from fainting. Now it is easy to fhew,

2.

III. Whence and in what manner it helps to do fo. That it is of special influence, in order to this, is plain from the example of our blessed Lord, Who for the joy that was fet before him, endured the cross, and defpifed the shame, Heb. xii. The propofed joy which was to be his reward, drew him chearfully on through all the forrows and fufferings that lay in his way. And the Apoftle tells us, for this caufe we faint not; no, whatever we fuffer we ftill hold out : While we look not at the things that are feen, but at the things that are not feen: for the things that are feen, are temporal: but the things that are not feen, are eternal, 2 Cor. iv. 16, 17, 18. This is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith, 1 John v.4. The faith of feeing the gooanefs of God in the land of the living, helps to carry us through our prefent trials: and this several ways.

1. From the tranfcendent excellency the believing foul difcerns in it, to which the labours and fufferings of the present life bear no propor tion. Though heaven does not lie open to an eye of fenfe, the believer fees fo much of it, as makes him fit down abundantly satisfied with his choice, and to bless God for giving him counsel, not to take up with earth for his portion, but lay up his treasure in heaven. He views the goodness reserved in the land of the living, in its causes, nature, and end; and cannot but have raised apprehenfions of it, as worthy its di

vine