need will there be of clothing | shall be taken off, all imperfecwhen our bodies shall be like tion of nature shall be done away. Christ's glorious body? What When the sunlight of glory shall need will there be of armour begin to shine in the heavenly when there is no enemy? What horizon, all dark shadows of igneed will there be of sleep, when norance shall fly away, our lamp there is no night? Rev. xxii. 5. of knowledge shall burn bright, The saints shall be freed, in the we shall have a full knowledge of heavenly kingdom, from these God, though not know him fully. necessities of nature to which they now lie exposed.

3. In the kingdom of heaven we shall be freed from the toil

2. In the kingdom of heaven some labours of this life. God we shall be freed from the imper-enacted a law in paradise, “In fections of nature. Since the the sweat of thy face shalt thou fall, our knowledge hath suffered eat bread," Gen. iii. 19. There an eclipse.

(1.) Our natural knowledge is imperfect, it is chequered with ignorance. There are many hard knots in nature, which we cannot easily untie : Why the sea should be higher than the earth, yet not drown it? What way the light is parted? Job xxxviii. 24. What is the reason of all the occult qualities, sympathies, and antipathies? He who sees clearest, hath a mist before his eyes. Socrates said on his deathbed, there were many things he had yet to learn. Our ignorance is more than our knowledge.

(2.) Our divine knowledge is imperfect; we know but in part," saith Paul, 1 Cor. xiii. 9., though he had many revelations, and was wrapt up into the third heaven. We have but dark conceptions of the Trinity, Job xi. 7., "Canst thou by searching find out God?" Our narrow capacities will no more contain the Trinity, than a little glass vial will hold all the water in the sea. We cannot unriddle the mystery of the incarnation,—the human nature assumed into the person of the Son of God,-the human nature not God, yet united with God; we see now in ænigmate, in a glass darkly, but in the kingdom of heaven the vail

is the labour of the hand in manufacture, and the labour of the mind in study, Eccl. i. 8., “All things are full of labour;" but in the kingdom of heaven we shall be freed from our labours.

(1.) There needs no labour when a man hath got to the haven, he hath no more need of sailing. In heaven there needs no labour, because the saints shall have that glory which they laboured for.

(2.) There shall be no labour, Rev. xiv. 13., They rest from their labours. As God when he had finished the work of creation, rested from his labours, Gen. ii. 2., so, when his saints have finished the work of sanctification, they rest from their labours. Where should there be rest, but in the heavenly centre? Not that this sweet rest in the kingdom of heaven excludes all motion, for spirits cannot be idle; but the saints glorified shall rest from all wearisome employment; it shall be a labour full of ease, a motion full of delight; the saints in heaven shall love God, and what labour is that? Is it any labour to love beauty? They shall praise God, and that sure is delightful; when the bird sings, it is not so much a labour as a pleasure.

4. In the kingdom of heaven,

we shall be freed from original 6. We shall, in the kingdom of corruption; this is causa causati, heaven, be freed from the immothe root of all actual sin. There desty of temptation. Satan is would be no actual sin, if there not yet fully cast into prison; were no original; there would be but is like a prisoner that goes no water in the stream, if there under bail, he walks about were none in the fountain. Ori- tempting,-he labours to trepan ginal sin is incorporated into our us into sin,-he is either laying nature; it is as if the whole mass of snares, or shooting of darts. of blood were corrupted. This Stat in procinctu diabolus. He makes a Christian weary of his laid a train of temptation to blow life; he offends that God whom up the castle of Job's faith. This he loves. What would a Chris- is as great a grief to a believer to tian give to have his chains taken be followed with temptations to off, to be rid of vain thoughts? sin, as it is for a virgin to have How did Paul (that bird of para- her chastity assaulted; but in the dise) bemoan himself for his sins? kingdom of heaven the saints We cannot act shall be freed from the red draeither our duties or our graces gon; he is cast out of paradise, without sin. The soul that is and shall be for ever locked up most refined and clarified by in chains, Jude 6. grace, is not without some dregs of corruption; but in the kingdom of heaven, the fountain of original sin shall be quite dried up. What a blessed time will that be, never to grieve God's Spirit more! In heaven are virgin-souls; there is beauty which is not stained with lust; nothing enters there that defiles,

Rom. vii. 24.

Rev. xxi. 27.

care to

7. In the kingdom of heaven we shall be freed from all vexing cares. The Greek word for care, comes from a primitive which signifies to cut the heart in pieces. Care discrutiates the mind, it wastes the spirits, it eats out the comfort of life. Care is an evil spirit that haunts us: prevent future dangers, and preserve present comforts. All care 5. In the kingdom of heaven is full of fear, and fear is full of we shall be freed from all sorrows, torment, 1 John iv. 18. God Rev. xxi. 4., "There shall be no threatens it as a judgment, Ezek. more sorrow." Our life here is xii. 19., " They shall eat their interlarded with trouble, Ps. xxxi. bread with carefulness." Every 10. Either losses grieve, or law comfort hath its care, as every suits vex, or unkindness breaks rose hath its prickle; but in the the heart. We may as well sepa- kingdom of heaven, we shall rate moisture from air, or weight shake off this viper of care. What from lead, as trouble from man's needs a saint glorified to take any life. Quid est diu vivere, nisi diu care, who hath all things provided torqueri? AUG. But, in the to his hand? There is the tree kingdom of heaven, sorrow and of life bearing all sorts of fruit. sighing shall fly away. Here the When the heart shall be freed saints sit by the rivers weeping, from sin, the head shall be freed but one smile from Christ's face from care.

will make them forget all their 8. We shall, in the kingdom of sufferings; their water then shall heaven, be freed from all doubts be turned into wine, their mourn- and scruples. In this life the ing into music. best saint hath his doubtings, as

said, Exod. xiv. 13., "Stand siill and see the salvation of the Lord: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to-day, ye shall see them again no more for ever:" so will God say, "stand still and see the salvation of God; these your enemies, that vex and molest you, you shall see them again no more for ever." At that day, God will separate the precious from the vile; then Christ will thoroughly purge his floor, he will gather the wheat into the garner, and the wicked, which are the chaff, shall be blown into hell.

the brightest star hath his twinkling. If there were no doubtings, there would be no unbelief; assurance itself doth not exclude all doubting, Ps. xxvi. 3., "Thy loving kindness is before mine eyes:" but at another time, Ps. lxxxix. 49., "Lord, where are thy former loving kindnesses?" A Christian is like a ship at anchor, which, though it be safe, yet it may sometimes be tossed upon the water. Sometimes a Christian questions his interest in Christ, and his title to the promise; and these doubtings, as they eclipse a Christian's comfort, so they are a bearing false witness against the Spirit. But, when the saints shall come into the kingdom of heaven, there may be angry with his people: shall be no more doubtings; then a Christian shall say, as Peter, "Now I know of a surety that the Lord hath sent his angel, and delivered me," Acts xii. 11. So, now I know, that I am passed from death to life, and am got beyond all rocks-I have shot the gulf, now I am in my Saviour's embraces for ever.

10. We shall, in the kingdom of heaven, be freed from all signs of God's displeasure. Here God

though he hath the heart of a father, he may have the look of an enemy; this is sad. As when the sun is gone the dew falls; when the light of God's face is gone, tears drop from the saints' eyes. But in the kingdom of heaven, there shall be no spiritual eclipses, there shall never appear any tokens of God's displeasure,-the saints shall have a constant aspect of love from God, they shall never complain any more, as Cant. v. 6., "My be loved hath withdrawn himself."

11. We shall, in the kingdom of heaven, be freed from all divisions. That which is the saddest thing in the world, is to see divisions among them that are good.

9. We shall, in the kingdom of heaven, be freed from all society with the wicked. Here, we are forced sometimes to be in their company, Ps. cxx. 5., "Woe is me that I sojourn in Mesech, and dwell in the tents of Kedar!" Kedar was Ishmael's son, whose children dwelt in Arabia, a profane, barbarous people. Here the wicked are still raising perse- It is sad, that such as have one cutions against the godly, and crucifying their ears with their oaths and curses; Christ's lily is among thorns; but in the heavenly kingdom there shall be no more any pricking briar, Mat. xiii. 41., "The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend." As Moses

faith, yet should not be of one heart; Ephraim envies Judah, and Judah vexeth Ephraim; it is matter of tears, to see those who are united to Christ, to be divided one from another. The soldier's spear pierced Christ's side, but the divisions of saints wound his heart. But, in the kingdom of heaven, there shall be

no villifying one another, or cen- ments of hell, 1 Thes. i. 10., suring; those who before could "Jesus which delivered us from hardly pray together, shall praise the wrath to come." God together; there shall not be one jarring string in the saints' music.

(1.) The multiplicity of these torments. In this life, the body is usually exercised with but one pain, the stone or headache; but in hell there is a diversity of torments, there is darkness to affright,-fire to burn,-a lake of sulphur to choke,-chains to bind, the worm to gnaw.

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12. We shall, in the kingdom of heaven, be freed from vanity and dissatisfaction. What Job saith of wisdom, chap. xxviii. 14., "The depth saith, It is not in me; and the sea saith, It is not with me," the same may I say (2.) The torments of hell will concerning satisfaction; every seize upon every part of the body creature saith, "It is not in me." and soul; the eye shall be torTake things most pleasing, and tured with the sight of devil; the which we promise ourselves most the tongue that hath sworn so content from, still out the spirits many oaths shall be tortured, and purest quintessence of them, Luke xvi. 24., "Send Lazarus, and we shall say, as Solomon did, thet he may dip the tip of his Eccl. ii. 11. "And behold all finger in water, and cool my was vanity!" God never did, tongue.' The memory shall be nor will, put a satisfying virtue tormented to remember what into any creature. In the sweet-mercies have been abused, what est music the world makes, either seasons of grace neglected; the there is some string wanting, or conscience shall be tormented out of tune. Who would have with self-accusations. thought that Hainan, who was so (3.) In the pains of hell there great in the king's favour, "he is no mitigation, no mixture of set his seat above all the princes mercy. In this life, God in anthat were with him," Est. iii. 1.; ger remembers mercy, Hab. iii. yet, for want of the bowing of a 2.; but in hell there is no alleknee he is dissatisfied? But in viation, or lessening of the pains. the kingdom of heaven, we shall As in the sacrifice of jealousy, be freed from these dissatisfac- Numb. v. 15., God would have tions. The world is like a land- no oil or frankincense put into it: scape, you may see gardens and so, in hell there is no oil of mercy fruit-trees, curiously drawn in to lenify the sufferings of the the landscape, but you cannot damned, no incense of prayer to enter into them; but you may appease God's wrath. enter into the joys of heaven, (4.) In the pains of hell there "enter thou into the joy of thy is no intermission. Lord." The soul shall be satisfied while it bathes in those rivers of pleasure at God's right hand; "I shall be satisfied when I awake with thy likeness," Ps. xvii. 15. Thus you see what the kingdom of glory implies; namely, a blessed freedom from all evil.

13. We shall, in the kingdom of heaven, be freed from the tor

The poets feign of Endymion, that he got leave of Jupiter always to sleep. What would the damned in hell give for one hour's sleep? Rev. iv. 8., " They rest not day and night." They are perpetually on the rack.

(5.) In the pains of hell there is no expiration; they must always lie scorching in flames of

wrath, Rev. xiv. 11., "The smoke of their torment ascended up for ever and ever:" but, in the heavenly kingdom, the elect shall be freed from all infernal torments: "Jesus hath delivered us from the wrath to come." A prison is not made for the king's children. Christ drank that bitter cup of God's wrath, that the saints might never drink it.

darkly through the glass of ordinances; but, in the kingdom of heaven, we shall see him "face to face," 1 Cor. xiii. 12. We shall have an intellectual sight of God, i. e. we shall see him with the eyes of our mind; we shall know God as much as the angels in heaven do, Mat. xviii. 10., and 1 Cor. xiii. 12., We shall know as we are known. We shall have a full knowledge of God, though not know him fully; as a vessel in the sea, is full of the sea, though it holds not all the sea. To see and enjoy God will be most delicious; in God are beams of majesty, and bowels of mercy. God hath all excellencies concentered in him, bonum in quo omnia

A. 2. In the kingdom of heaven there is a glorious fruition of all good. Had I as many tongues as hairs on my head, I could not fully describe this. I may say, as Judges xviii. 9, 10. Heaven is called "the excellent glory," 2 Pet. i. 17. I may as well span the firmament, or drain the ocean, as set forth the glory of this king-bona. If one flower should have dom. Cœlum non habit hyperbo- the sweetness of all flowers, how lum; the kingdom of heaven is sweet would that flower be! All above all hyperbole. Were the the beauty and sweetness which sun ten thousand times brighter lies seattered in the creature, is than it is, it could not parallel infinitely to be found in God; the lustre of this kingdom; therefore, to see and enjoy him, Apelles' pencil would blot, angels' will ravish the soul with delight. tongues would lessen it; I can We shall so see God as to love but give you the skiagraphia, or him, and be made sensible of his dark shadow of it; expect not to love; and, when we shall have see it in all its orient colours, till this sweet communion with God, you are mounted above the stars. then God shall be "all in all," 1 But let us not stand afar off, as Cor. xv. 28., light to the eye, manMoses, to behold this Canaan, na to the taste, music to the ear. but enter into it, and taste the honey. Concerning the fruitions and privileges of this heavenly kingdom,

2. We shall, in the kingdom of heaven, with these eyes, see the glorified body of Jesus Christ. This our Saviour makes a great part of the glory of heaven, to view the glory of his human na ture, John xvii. 24., "That they may behold my glory." When Christ was transfigured upon earth, it is said, "that his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light," Mat. xvii. 2. If the glory of his transfiguration was so great, what will the glory of his exaltation be? Much of the glory of God shines in Christ, by virtue of the