light of the Gentiles," as before "the glory of Israel. I will be the God of thy seed, saith the Lord to Abraham," Luke ii. 32. "His mercy is on them that fear him, from generation to generation," Luke i. 50. Many parents are solicitously perplexed how their children shall do when they are dead; yet they consider not how God provided for them when they were children. Is the "Lord's arm shortened?" Did he take thee from thy mother's breasts; and "when thy parents forsook thee," (as the Psalmist saith), became thy Father? And cannot this experienced mercy to thee persuade thee that he will not forsake thine? Is not "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to-day, and for ever?” "I have been young (saith David), and am now old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken (that is granted, nay) nor his seed begging bread," Psal. xxxvii. 25. Many distrustful fathers are so carking for their posterity, that while they live they starve their bodies, and hazard their souls to leave them rich. To such a father it is said justly Dives es hæredi, pauper inopsque tibi. Like an over-kind hen, he feeds his chickens, and famisheth himself. If usury, circumvention, oppression, extortion, can make them rich, they shall not be poor. Their folly is ridiculous; they fear lest their children should be miserable, yet take the only course to make them miserable; for they leave them, not so much heirs to their goods as to their evils. They do as certainly inherit their fathers' sins as their lands: "God layeth up his iniquity for his children; and his offspring shall want a morsel of bread," Job xxi. 19. On the contrary, "the good man is merciful, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed," Psal. xxxvii. 26. That the worldling thinks shall make his posterity poor, God saith shall make the good man rich. The precept gives a promise of mercy to obedience, not only confined to the obedient man's self, but extended to his seed, and that even to a thousand generations, Exod. xx. 6. Trust, then, Christ with thy children; when thy friends shall fail, usury bear no date, oppression be condemned to hell, thyself rotten to dust, the world itself turned and burned into cinders, still "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and to-day, and for ever." Now then, as 62 grace and peace are from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; so glory and honour be to Him, which is, which was, and which is to come: even to "Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, and to-day, and for ever," Rev. i. 4. HEAVEN-GATE; OR, THE PASSAGE TO PARADISE. "And may enter in through the gates into the city."-Rev. xxii. 14. HEAVEN-GATE; OR, THE PASSAGE TO PARADISE. ཀཀཀཀཀའ "And may enter in through the gates into the city."-Rev. xxii. 14. IF we supply these words with the first word of the verse, “blessed,” we shall make a perfect sentence of perfect comfort. "Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city." In the whole there be 66 Premises, The premises qualify us; we must be such as are blessed; and who are they? Qui præstant mandata, that do his commandments. The promises crown us, and these are two: First, that we may have right to the tree of life," even that which "is in the midst of the paradise of God," Rev. ii. 7. From whence the angel, with a flaming sword. shall keep all the reprobate; secondly, Et per portas ingrediantur civitatem, and may enter in through the gates into the city; when without shall be dogs and scorners, &c.; whosoever loveth and maketh a lie. To the last words of the verse I have bound and bounded my discourse; wherein I find three points readily offering themselves to be |