their ability to live above, their fublime nature, their acting like Angels, their reflex acts, their immateriality, the addreffes God makes to them, the threatnings and promifes of the Gospel, the Devil's bufie endeavours to undermine them, the prefages they have, the joy they feel, the torments of Confcience, they endure fometimes, all proclaim, the certainty of an eternal state or condition they are intended for.

This eternal ftate imprinted on our Natures, discover'd to the Gentiles, proclaim'd by the Son of God, preach'd by Angels, confirm'd by Apostles, reveal'd to Chriftians, believ'd in the World, as it relates either to Blifs or Mifery, to Joy or Torment, to Honour or Dishonour; fo how to enjoy the one, and avoid the other, muft, in all probability, be the great object which God defign'd Men's Souls fhould be chiefly employ'd about.

For as there cannot be a thing of greater moment than Eternity; fo he must be a Sot or a Beaft, that can imagine, that God, who ever intends the noblest Creatures for the nobleft Ends, will give men leave to bufie themselves about picking of Straws, and pleasing a few fenfual Lufts, when he hath given them Souls capable, not only of labouring and feeking after, but obtaining a Kingdom which fades not away; and when we fweat, and toil, and labour, to make provifion for twenty, thirty, forty years, what do we do, but proclaim our obligation to be infinitely more concern'd, how to provide

for

for that state which must never have an end?

And as it was the goodness and wisdom of God, to make us capable of an everlasting duration; so we should be injurious to both, if we did not fuppofe, that God hath order'd and appointed means, whereby it's poffible to fave our felves from the wrath to come.

He that takes a view of God's proceedings and dealings with Men, ever fince the Creation of the World, cannot but stand amaz'd at the cost, and labour, and pains, and means, and motives, and arguments, God hath us'd to make men fenfible of their everlasting intereft, and to engage them to a serious preparation for that World they must live for ever in.

This ferious preparation must neceffarily be a holy, blameless, fpotlefs life; for the means must ever be suitable and agreeable to the nature of the end. And Heaven being a holy Place, perfect Holiness reigning there, it's not to be imagin'd, how perfection of Holiness can be enter'd upon, without a confiderable progress in Holiness here, no man reaching the highest step of a Ladder without the lowermoft; and one might as well flatter himself, that his Trade by such a time will bring him in Ten thoufand Pounds, when he is fo far from minding his Trade, that he contrives only how to run with others into excefs of Riot.

Who ever hoped for a crop of Corn without fowing any? Or who ever expected Tulips fhould grow in his Garden, without planting B 4 fuch

fuch Roots, as muft produce them? The inno cence, which is above, is to compleat what is begun here, and what purity there is in those everlasting Manfions, is to crown that Sanctity, the Soul arrived to here, and the Light that fhines there, is only to mingle with that which did illuminate the Soul in this lower World, fo that if there be no light in our Spirits here, there can be no Light mingled with it hereafter, for God is Light, and his Heaven is nothing else but Light, and as Light cannot mingle with Darkness, nor Fire with Snow; fo Holiness hereafter can mingle with no Soul, but what comes attended with the light of Holiness.

And indeed to plant this holiness in Men, the means have been fo various, fo numerous, fo potent before the Law, under the Law, and under the Gospel, that one may juftly admire, the whole World doth not stand Candidate for Heaven, and all the Inhabitants of the Earth do not take the Kingdom of God by violence.

Before the Law, the continual pleadings of the long-liv'd Patriarchs with finful men, to improve the light of Nature, that Primar of Di vinity, the many Vifions, Revelations, Dreams, Signs, Wonders, Voices from Heaven, the Miniftery of Angels, God's Patience, Forbearance, Long-fuffering, and fometimes Exemplary JuItice, the Examples of holy Men, God's love to thofe that honour'd him, and the fignal Bleffings he bestow'd on those that made him their higheft and chiefeft good; what were all these but

fo

so many calls and entreaties, that men would by holiness prepare for a future happiness?

No fooner did the World drop into Luxury, and contempt of the Supreme Law-giver, but God railed, and fent forth Preachers of Righteousness to give them notice of his Will, and their Duty; and when all Flesh had corrupted its ways, Noah, and his Sons in all likelihood, became Preachers itinerant, who in thofe hundred and twenty years, which God allotted the Rebels for Repentance, travelled about the habitable World, and forwarn'd every man, and bid them by Prayer, and ferious turning to God, fecure his favour here, and his more neceflary Mercy hereafter. And foafter the Floud, when Vice and Folly had made men forget the ftu pendous Deluge, the Almighty had fent on their Fathers, to cool their Hellish Lufts, Abraham is fet up as a mark of God's Love and Bounty, and on him are conferr'd both the upper and nether Springs of Mercy, that by his pious Example, the vicious Generation might be recalled from their evil. ways, and perfuaded into ferious thoughts of another World, and fo on till Mʊfes his time; in a word, in Abraham's Pofterity were fuch wonders wrought, as were enough, had not men fhut their eyes, to engage them to all that strictness and circumfpection, which Heaven and a better Life requires..

Under the Law, God was fo far from being weary of ufing means, and taking pains with Men in order to this end, that he feem'd to have referv'd

referv'd those Ages for larger and fuller Demonftrations of his Power and Munificence; and if the People of Lyftra had any ground for their exclamation, the Jews had far greater reason to cry out, That God was come down to

A&s 14. 11. them in the likeness of men.

For

while other Countries were left in darkness, and, like Moles, fuffer'd to wander in the fhadow and valley of Death, they, as if they had been made of purer Clay, feem'd to be the Darlings of Providence, and the Favourites of Heaven. Heaven bow'd to them, and under its protection they went, as under a Canopy of State, and might, with greater reafon than the Sultan, have challeng'd that lofty Title, The Shadow of God; and with that Perfian Emperour, ftyled themselves, Kinsmen of the Stars. Their eyes faw Miracles almost every day; and with their daily Bread, they receiv'd daily Prodigies; Six hundred thousand men faw the Red Sea divided. They faw how with the blaft of God's Noftrils, the Waters were gathered together, how the Floods stood upright as an Heap, and the Depths were congealed in the heart of the Sea. The Enemy said, I will purfue, I will overtake, I will divide the Spoil; my Luft shall be satisfied upon them, I will draw my Sword, my Hand fhall destroy them. But the Almighty blew with his Wind, the Sea covered them, they fank as Lead in the mighty Waters.

This the Hebrews faw, They faw it and re

bell'd,