company, the general affembly of the first born, Heb. xii. 21. All the faints that from the beginning to the end of the world fhall have lived in any part of the earth, will be altogether there, an innumerable multitude of the redeemed, all fhining ones. And fince they are in a state of perfection, I wonder how it can be queftioned, but they will know one another, their friends and aquaintance on earth, and get new acquaintance and knowledge of those at least that have been most eminent in the church on earth; or how the use of speech and converfation among them can be doubted.

(2.) They will have the fociety of the holy angels there, Heb. xii. 22. They will be no more afraid of angels, when they themselves are become their equals, Luke xx. 36. But they will join them in the heavenly choir, finging their Hallelujahs. And whether angels fhall affume airy bodies for converfing with the faints or not, there is no reason to think that they will be in a place with the angels, and yet incapable of converfing with them.

(3.) They will have the fociety of the man Christ there, I Theff. iv. 17. "So fhall we ever be with the Lord." They will fee him with their bodily eyes, who loved them, and gave limfelf for them: they will fee that very body that was for them crucified without the gates of Jerufalem. They will fee him there fhining in inconceivable glory, as their Lord, Saviour, and Redeemer; and compass his throne for ever with fongs of falvation.

Laftly, They will have the prefence and full enjoyment of God in Chrift there, Rev. xxi. 7. "He that overcometh fhall inherit all things, and I will be his God, and he shall be my fon." Here is the higheft pinnacle of the faints happiness in heaven; without this they cannot be happy completely, no not in heaven; and in the full enjoyment of him, they will be fohappy, that it is impoffible they can defire more for

the

the fatisfying of them. For he is an ocean of unbounded perfection. It lies in two things.

[1] They will enjoy God in Chrift, by fight of the divine glory, to the complete fatisfying of their understanding, Matth. v. 8. " Bleffed are the pure in heart: for they fhall fee God." The fight they will have of the divine glory is a full and clear knowledge of God, to the utmoft of their enlarged capacities, as by feeing face to face, Rev. xxii. 4. 1 Cor. xiii. 12. What heart can conceive the happiness of being freely let into the view of the infinite divine perfections! Men have a mighty fatisfaction in the fight of taking objects, as a curious garden, a fplendid palace; but we are fwallowed up when we think of being let into the view of the infinite divine perfections, where there must be fomething always new.

[2.] They will enjoy God in Christ, by experience of the divine goodnefs, to the complete fatisfying of their will, Rev. vii. 16, 17. "They fhall hunger no more, neither thirst any more;for the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne, fhall feed them, and fhall lead them unto living fountains of waters." There is an all-fulness of goodness in God, an inexhauftible fountain of it, and they fhall have an unreftrained participation of it, Pfal. xxxvi. 8, 9. " They fhall be abundantly fatisfied with the fatnefs of thy houfe; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures. For with thee is the fountain of life; in thy light fhall we fee light.". Rev, xxi. 3. "Behold the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God." will make of his goodness to flow into them for ever, and there fhall be nothing to hinder them from all of it they can defire. And it is impoffible they can defire any thing beyond it.

4thly, They will have a fulness of joy there, Pfal xvi. 11, Rivers of pleasures run in Immanuel's land."

Joy

Joy unspeakable shall fill their hearts for ever, and appear in the countenances, where never again hall the least cloud of forrows fit down. Now is the fowing time of tears, but then is the reaping time of joy; and that harvest wherein they bring back their heaves rejoicing, will never be over.

5thly, All their happiness, joy, and glory, they will have eternally through Christ, as the great mean of communication betwixt God and them, Rev. xxi. 23. "And the city had no need of the fun, neither of the moon to shine in it; for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof." They will continue for ever members of Chrift, and members as members must needs live by communication with the head. So that the immediate enjoyment of God in heaven, is to be understood only in oppofition to the intervening of outward means.

6thly, There will be degrees of glory among them, 1 Cor. xv. 41, 42. "There is one glory of the fun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the ftars: for one ftar differeth from another ftar in glory. So alfo is the refurrection of the dead." The reward will be according to, though not for their works; and they who have glorified God moft by fuffering or acting for him, will be the more highly advanced in glory by him, Luke xix. 17. 19. Howbeit all of them will have what they can hold, the least as well as the greatest, as when bottles of different fizes are filled.

7thly, They fhall be perfectly fure, that this their happy ftate fhall last for ever. They know it now by faith in the word, how can they doubt of it then in a state of perfection? Their having any doubt of it could not but breed fome anxiety, inconfiftent with perfect happiness.

Laftly, Then fhall the chief, laft, or farthest end of man, be reached. And that is the glory of God, for

which end they are made completely happy, in the full enjoyment of God, Prov. xvi. 4. Rom. xi. ult. So being made perfectly happy, they will answer that end in glorifying God, by loving, praifing, and ferving him perfectly, to all eternity, Pfal. lxxxvi. 12, 13. 'I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify thy name for evermore. For great is thy mercy toward me: and thou haft delivered my foul from the lowest hell." Rev. vii. 9, 10. " After this I beheld, and lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, frood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; and cried with a loud voice, faying, Salvation to our God which fitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb." Ver. 15. "Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he that fitteth on the throne fhall dwell among them." Chap. xxii. 3. " And there fhall be no more curfe: but the throne of God and of the Lamb fhall be in it; and his fervants shall serve him.

Inf. 1. Eye has not seen, ear has not heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. He is the best of masters, whatever hardships his fervants be put to here. Heaven will make amends for all.

2. They who are truly godly do beft confult not only the welfare of their fouls, but of their bodies too. The way of faith and holiness is the way to reach the cure of all maladies at length; it is the way to get a found body, with all the advantages of ftrength, comelinefs, livelinefs, &c.

Laftly, The faith of this should arm believers against the terror of death and the grave. Why not melt down the old crazy veffel, to be new shaped?

SECONDLY, Let us next view the state of men, foul and body, in hell. Having viewed the state of

men

men after the refurrection in the happy part of the other world, we must now confider the state of men after the refurrection in the regions of horror in the other world. An awful fubject! but neceffary. That part of mankind that shall juftly be doomed to that part of the other world, will be abfolutely miferable there. Concerning which these following things may be confidered.

1. They will be totally and finally feparated from God there, excommunicated from his prefence, Mat. XXV. 7. 41. Now they fay to God, " Depart from us," while he is following them with mercy and offers of peace; then they will be wholly and for ever put away. And this is the punishment of lofs. There are these fix things in it.

(1.) They will have no part in the habitation of the juft, Matth. viii. 11. 12. They will have no footing in the better country, no feat in the manfions of glory. They will lofe heaven, the feat of the bleffed; and while the godly are taken within the city, they cannot enter the gates, but muft lodge without for ever, Rev. xxii. 15.

(2.) They will be excommunicated from the prefence of the faints, and have no fhare in the happy fociety. They cared not for their company here, if it was not to ferve a turn; and there they shall be freely parted for ever. The company of the righteous being gone into the marriage, the door is bolted againft them, that they cannot get in, no not if it were to lie among their feet, Mat. xxv.10.

(3.) They will be excluded from the prefence of the holy angels. They will have at the refurrection a terrible meeting with them, Matt. xiii. 49. and a more dreadful parting with them, ver. 50. never to meet again. It is another kind of angels with whom they must eternally lodge.

(4.) They will be locally feparated from the man Chrift. They shall never come into the place where

he