So that, in truth, what we call the Gain of the World, is to lofe, to fpoil the World it felf, to make its Enjoyments uneafy, dangerous, unfatiffactory, and very inconftant. This all bad Men find, who are never fatisfied long together with what they have; they think other Men Happy, but not themselves; which is generally the Condition of the most profperous Sinners, who are happy in other Mens Opinions, but not in their own; but still they purfue an Opinion of Happiness, and climb as faft as they can up the Hill, where they think they can reach the Heavens with their Hands, and when they have got thither, they only find that they are the more expofed to Storms, but the Heavens, the Happiness they expected, are as far off as ever. Sinners themselves then being Judges, what they have already gained is not very great, for it does not fatisfy; but they hope at laft to find that Happiness, which all Sinners hitherto have in vain fought for; and for these Hopes they lofe their Souls; too great a Purchase for fuch vain Hopes! as will appear, if we confider,

2dly, What the Lofs of the Soul is; which confifts of two Parts. 1. The Lofs of that Happiness to which good Men fhall be advanced in the next World. 2. The Suffering thofe Miferies which shall be inflicted upon bad Men.

1. The Lofs of Heaven. And were it poffible for me to give you a View of thofe Glories, nay, to draw but fome of the darkest Shades of them, it would make you defpife this World, and pity the Folly of Sinners, who gain this World with the Lofs of Heaven: But thefe are fuch Things as neither Eye bath feen, nor Ear beard, neither bath it entred into the Heart of Man to conceive. It is reprefented in Scripture by fome earthly Compari

fons,

fons, by a Kingdom, and an immarceffible Crown of Glory; it is to fee God, and to dwell for ever in his prefence; it is Light, and Life, and Joy, Rivers of Pleafures, and Fulness of Joy. Thefe are the greatest and beft Things we know in this World, and these serve only for fome faint Images of the Happiness of Heaven: To be fure Heaven is all that it is faid to be, a Kingdom, and a Crown, Light, and Life, and Joy, and as much greater than all we yet know of thefe Things, as to live, and to reign, and to rejoyce in the immediate Prefence of God, may reasonably be fuppofed to excel all earthly Glories and Pleasures. But I need not prove to any Man, who believes that there is fuch a Place as Heaven, that it must be a much happier Place than this World; and that is enough to my prefent Purpose, for then the Lofs of Heaven is minch greater than the Gain of this World.

Bad Men indeed have no Senfe of this Lofs now; they think they could bear the Lofs of Heaven, could they but efcape Hell: And therefore that they may fin the more fecurely, they perfuade themselves, that all that is faid of the Punifhments of bad Men in the next World, is only this Punishment of Lofs; and they value Heaven fo little now, they think they fhall value it as little hereafter. Now fuppofe it were fo; Is there no Trouble in Lofs? no Trouble to mifs of Happiness? Are all Men fo paffionately defirous of Happiness? fo impatient in this World of every Difappointment? of every Delay? of every Interruption of their Enjoyments? And can we think, that when they come into the next World, they will be unconcern'd whether they be Happy or not? Is the Defire of Happiness only confined to this World, where the leaft of it is to be had? where it is a Virtue to be contented with a very little? and if we shall be as defirous

of

of Happiness in the next World, as we are in this, why fhould we think that it will be no Trouble, no great Punishment to us to mifs of Heaven? I doubt not but to convince all Men, that this will be thought an unsupportable Lofs at the Day of Judgment, who will be pleafed to confider thefe few Things:

1. The Reason why bad Men despise Heaven now, is, because they do not believe that there is fuch a Place, or know not what the Happiness of it is: But this will be no Reafon when they fhall fee Heaven, and fee the Glories of it; when they fhall fee good Men fbine forth like the Sun in the Kingdom of their Father; when they fhall fee them come from the East, and from the Weft, and fit down with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the Kingdom of God, and they themselves fout out. Such a Sight of Heaven now, would eclipse all the Glories of this World, and bring down the Price of it; and when Men come to fee how great a Happiness they have loft, the Trouble of lofing it must bear Proportion to the Greatness of the Lofs; and that is as unconceivable to us now, as the Happiness of Heaven is. The Torments and Agonies of Mind for lofing Heaven, must be as great as the Joy and Triumph of gaining it: For fo we always find it in this World, that the Trouble of lofing, bears proportion to the Pleasure of gaining; and then bad Men must be as miferable in their Lofs, as good Men are happy in their Enjoy

ment.

zdly, Heaven is the only State of Happiness in the next World, and that muft. neceffarily make Men very fenfible of their Lofs. In this World bad Men find other Diverfions and Entertainments, which are more agreeable to their Inclinations, than the Thoughts and Hopes of Heaven; they have fomething, how mean foever it is,

which they call their Happinefs, which employs their Thoughts and Time, and deludes their Fancies, as Children divert themselves with childish Sports, to the Neglect of greater and better Things: But when this World is at an End, and can enchant them no longer, when they open their Eyes in the next World, and fee themfelves ftript of all that they called their Happinefs, and fee nothing that can make them happy, but what they have refused, what they have now no Right to, what they fhall never have; when they fee their Lofs, and muft think of it, and think eternally of it, without any thing to divert, or to allay and mitigate the Anguifh of fuch Thoughts: What this is, God grant we may never feel; I'm fure no Words can ever express.

3dly, It will be a great Aggravation of this Lofs, to confider, That this is a Happiness they might have had, a Happiness which was purcha fed for them by the Blood of Chrift, which they refufed and flighted, and did not think worth their having. Thofe bleffed Saints, whom they now fee poffefs'd of eternal Glory, had no better Title to it originally than themselves: Chrift purchafed Heaven for us all; but thofe happy Souls thought it worth their while to obey God here, that they might be happy hereafter; other foolish Sinners defpifed Heaven, and loft it. It is a great Trouble to any Man to mifs an Opportunity of making himself happy, tho' it were only his Misfortune, not his Fault; but what a piercing Thought it will be, when a Man fees himfelf fhut out of Heaven, to remember that God would.. have beftowed Heaven on him, but he rejected and fcorn'd the Offer, and would not be perfuaded to accept of Heaven by all the Endearments and Obligations of an infinite Love? Oh that Fury, Indignation and Self-Revenge, where

with fuch guilty Souls will torment themfelves!

4. Especially when they confider, that they have loft Heaven for the Sake of fuch Trifles, of fuch perishing Riches, and Honours, and Pleafures, as are all gone and past, and have not fo much as left any pleasant Remembrance behind them. Oh Wretch that I am, will fuch a Man fay! What have I loft; and for what! A Crown, the Richest and the Brighteft Crown, the most Glorious Kingdom, the most fatisfying and transporting Pleasures; for an empty vanishing Scene, for a Dream, for an Apparition of Happiness! What is become now of all the Pageantry of the World! Was there ever fuch Folly as this! 1 refufed Heaven for Earth; the Earth is gone and perifh'd with all its Delights; Heaven indeed remains, and I see it, and I long for it, but I cannot have it. I have indeed my Choice, and a miferable Choice it is I chose what was not worth having, and what I could not keep, and now I muft want for ever.

:

5. For this is the greatest Aggravation of the Lofs, that it is for ever: Heaven-Gates are fhut against fuch Sinners, and that for ever: they have loft an Opportunity of making themselves eternally Happy, which can never be recalled: And if a temporary Difappointment, if every Delay of our Defires be so uneasy and troublesome, what will eternal Despair be?

So that if we confult all the Paffions of human Nature, if we believe that we fhall have the fame Paffions in the next World that we have in this; that the Sight and Prefence of a great Happiness will excite in us ftrong and vehement Defires; that to miss it, will overwhelm us with the fharp-. eft Sorrows; that a Reflection on our Guilt and Folly, will turn all our Paffions on our selves; and

that