the character, and pursuits of the people, as well as of their language and modes of living; and he would commence a course of preparations to fit himself for their society. If he expected that the change would be productive of happiness his thoughts would naturally turn to the place. He would contemplate with delight its mountains and rivers, its diversified scenery and productions, and he would make himself acquainted with the sentiments and subjects which engage the attention of the inhabitants. All this would be requisite in order to his feeling himself at home in it; in order to his being either comfortable or happy.

It is true, the knowledge and feelings and habits necessary to the full enjoyment of the happiness which the place is fitted to impart, might be acquired by a residence in it. The people are of the same species to which he himself belongs; their physical, intellectual, and moral constitution are, in their most prominent features, similar to his own; the same general laws which regulate the processes of nature in the land of his nativity prevail in that country, and the ultimate object of their pursuit is not materially different from that which he has in view. There is no insurmountable barrier to be broken down; there is nothing to be done to make him enjoy their society, which skill and resolution and perseverance may not effect.

If, however, instead of removing to a different, though remote locality on the surface of the same globe,

he were to be transported to another sphere of being, where the system of nature is essentially different from that of the globe on which he dwelt; where the physical organization of the inhabitants and their modes of existence are in every respect unlike his own; where there are no means of supporting animal life; and where there is no object of nature that can afford him the least assistance in forming a medium through which to convey to the beings with whom he comes into contact a knowledge of his wants, his feelings, and desires; he would feel an overwhelming sense of loneliness, and would be miserable in the extreme, although the countenances of all around him were bright with joy, and the place decorated with the richest and rarest specimens of the Creator's work. A residence in it, however long, could not, by any possibility, effect such a change upon him as to make his existence there in any measure tolerable. Before it could be so, the whole frame-work of his constitution would require to be remodelled, and a knowledge of the history and laws of the place, as well as of the language and pursuits of the inhabitants, acquired. But if the requisite change were effected upon him before he was transported to it, and a history of the place put in his possession, clothed in language founded upon objects with which he was familiar, would he not frequently avail himself of the assistance which the book afforded to make himself acquainted with the place, and to cherish in his mind

feelings and desires in virtue of which he would feel perfectly at home there?

This bears some resemblance to the case under consideration, and it shows the absolute necessity of a previous acquaintance with the heavenly state, the occupations and pursuits of the redeemed, and the sources from which they derive their enjoyment. We have the means of obtaining this, at least to a certain extent, in our own possession. Although eye hath not seen nor ear heard, and although no heart can conceive, nor language fully express, what heaven is, yet there are delineations of it contained in the scriptures adequate to create, in every devout and holy mind, strong desires after it. And these delineations, though they come inconceivably short of the reality, furnish matter for the most delightful contemplation, and are some of the choicest means by which the Holy Spirit makes the soul meet for the full enjoyment of it. How cheering are such descriptions as these:-" And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal; and it had a wall great and high. And the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass. And I saw no temple therein;

for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it; for the glory of

God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it. And the gates shall not be shut at all by day; for there shall be no night there.""And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him and they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. And there shall be no night there, and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever."

Now, what shall we think of those who, having this map of the heavenly land, this delineation of its varied glories in their possession, seldom cast their eyes upon it, or spend an hour in examining it! Is this like the conduct of those who expect to dwell in it for ever, and enjoy its blessedness? Is this like the spirit of those who are looking for a better country, even an heavenly."

As the heavenly world is not an object of sense,

* Rev. xxi. 10-12, 18, 22—25; xxii. 1—5.

as it is imperceptible to flesh and blood, the contemplation of it is an exercise which must be carried on through the medium of faith. The intimations of its existence, and the descriptions of its nature and its glory, are conveyed to us in the form of a testimony, and we can derive no pleasure nor advantage from thinking of it, except in as far as we believe the testimony. Faith is indispensable to heavenly contemplation. It is a kind of perspective through which the christian obtains some glimpses of glory, and sees "the King in his beauty and the land that is very far off."

Although dwelling in this lower world, he can, in thought at least, by the power of that divine principle, ascend the mount of contemplation, and like Moses, when placed upon the top of Pisgah, he can see all the land of promise lying before him in the distance; or, like John, when he was carried in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, he can gaze upon "the holy Jerusalem"-"the city of the living God"-till the most ardent desires and elevated affections are produced in his mind. In consequence of being encumbered with a load of mortality, he cannot climb far above the base of that mount. He cannot ascend above those parts of it over which mists and clouds occasionally hang; but the higher he rises, his vision becomes less obstructed, and the scenes below either recede from his view, or fail to absorb his thoughts so much as they formerly did. In that favourable position, he can bring every individual