and the heaven of heavens, and all the treasures of the earth, amaffed together, and laid in the fcale, it would be but as a duft in the balance, when compared with him who is the Lord of life, joy of faints, and theme of angels, Ifa. xl. 17. All nations before him are as nothing, and they are counted to bim lefs than nothing, and vanity.

Friendly. If CHRIST JESUS be here fo precious, in his name and presence, what muft his perfonal glory be, when we fhall fee him face to face, and be for ever with the LORD!

Truth. Here we are loft, as the glory is too ineffable for our feeble frame to form an idea of, faith the Apostle, Ex hath not feen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man to conceive of it. It will infinitely more tranfcend our ideas, than the wifdom, majefty, and glory of Solaman tranfcended the ideas of the Queen of Sheba, when she saw it and faid, one half was not told me. And the reafon is this, because it is a glory above all example; it is faid of the children of Ifrael, they faw the God of Ifrael, and there was under bis feet, as it were, a paved work of Sapphire ftone, and as it were the body of Heaven in its clearness. The Prophet Ifaiah fays, I faw alfo the Lord fitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the Temple. Ezekiel fays, I faw the appearance of the glory of the Lord. The Evangelift fays, we beheld his glory; and Paul defcribes it above the brightness of the fun. And to this give all the Prophets witnefs, for it is recorded of them, that they faw his glory, and fpake of him. But all these beams were only faint ideas of the glory that shall shine forth from him when he fhall come in the glory of his Father, with all his holy angels; whofe glorious rays will then blaze forth, like the fun at noon day, and whose beams will irradiate the empire of glory; becaufe then all the glories of the God-head, will blaze forth with uncreated beauties through the Man CHRIST JESUS, whofe glory-looks will contain in them, the meekness of the man, and yet the majefty of the GOD; the glories of JEHOVAH, and yet the graciouínefs of a Mediator; the sweetness of love, cloathed with all the luftre and life of heaven, and the wonders of wisdom, power and faithfulness, beaming forth like the morning light, through his name, death, and interceffion, as the centre of grace, the medium and mirror of glory. For the fountain head of our happiness is nothing less than Deity itself, made known to us in all the treasures of mercy, love and peace, in that new and living way which he hath confecrated for us. This is the grand fource of all felicity, O the infinite riches, boundlefs nature, and

eternal duration of this blifs! This hath funds inexhaustible! riches unfearchable! ftreams immortal! and joys unutterable! in which the glory of heaven is confummated, and the felicity of men and angels made compleat!

A faith view of this elevates the mind, and enlivens the hope of the drooping Chriftian, when he views fuch a fountain open, fuch a well of falvation flowing, fuch grace, life, and peace difplayed; this encourages him, I might have faid, engages him, especially at death, as the fummit of his joy, to launch forth into this ocean of love, which has neither bound, bottom, bank nor fhore. Then the Chriftian, immediately upon landing on the heavenly fhore, will break forth,

And is this heaven! and am I there!
How short the road, how swift the flight!

I am all life, all love, all ear,

JESUS is here, my foul's delight!

Is this the heav'nly friend who hung
In blood and anguish on the tree!

Whom Paul proclaim'd, whom David fung,
Who dy'd for them, who dy'd for me.

WATTS.

• What is this facred JESUSs mine, in whom all the perfections, glories and beauties of the Deity frine! What, this JESUS mine, whom all heaven adores, whom faints and feraphs praife, whofe glory, gracioufnefs, majefty and meeknefs filleth all heaven with blifs! and is this dear adorable JESUS mine! my beloved and my friend! What, my bridegroom and my brother! O amazing, tranfporting joy! Is this the dear heavenly friend, who died, groaned, and bled for me? It is my JESUS, I fee him, for he appears in the midst of the throne, as one that had been flain.. I know in whom I have believed; this is my beloved, and this is my friend! O worthy is the Lamb that was flain.'

Then the foul will be furprized with its companions in heaven, when it views all angels cafting their crowns at IMMANUEL's feet; will be ready to fay, What, these associates of heaven my companions, am I a free citizen of the heavenly Jerufalem, with thefe fublime inhabitants, who have been my guardians and guide? thefe, who proclaimed with feraphic tongues, the glad tidings of great joy, saying, To us a Saviour is born, which is Christ the Lord!

Likewife the foul will then be joyfully astonished to fee all the Patriarchs; with the Prophets, Apostles, and all the trains of faints in glory! May we not fuppofe the Chriftian then to fay to the Patriarchs, What, are these the happy fpirits who lived by, died in faith, are now crowned in glory? To the Prophets, What, are these the happy feers who faw my SAVIOUR'S glory, fpake and fweetly fung of him, foretold his fufferings, and the glory that should follow? To the Apostles, What, are these the happy meffengers of grace, heralds of falvation, and witneffes of my SAVIOUR's refurrection and power, who are now finging the fong of Mofes and the LAMB? To the innumerable number, What, are these they who came through great tribulation, have washed their robes, made them white in the blood of the LAMB, and are now faying, Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our fins in his own blood; and hath made us Kings and Priefts to our God; to him be glory and dominion, for ever and ever, Amen. And not lefs furprized will he be, when he views their joy, that they are all perfect in blifs, confummate in felicity, and loft in glory; that their employment is perpetual praise, the song for ever new; palms of victory, joys, trophies, fongs and triumphs, will be their fweet, endless theme! Then the Christian will fay with John, Rev. vii. 9. I beheld, and ls a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations and kindreds, and people and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands, faying, Salvation to him that fitteth upon the throne, and into the Lamb!

Friendly. I thank you for this fhort, though fweet and infpiring abstract of glory; but, Oh! when shall my faith be changed to fight! when fhall I fee my Jesus as he is?

Truth. When death has put out the expiring lamp of life, when you are abfent from the body, then fhall you be prefent with the LORD; then faith will ceafe, and the perfections of the LAMB will appear in beauty; then you will enjoy a full perfection of love to CHRIST, in all his names, characters, relations, and offices: all the fupplies of life and love you now receive, have their communication from CHRIST JESUS, from his heart, his hand, and bleeding fide; this cannot fail of rendering his name infinitely dear, his perfon fuperlatively lovely, his titles moft amiable, and his relationship unspeakably precious; especially when you view, with ftrengthened fight and enlarged capacity, uncreated glories fhine through them all; which as they are the effential glories of his Father, will

engage every eye, attract every heart, and employ every tongue to celebrate the infinite honours of his name, matchlefs glories of his perfon, and triumphs of his death and atone ment: then hope will be fwallowed up in full fruition, and perfect poffeffion of all the bleffings hoped for, the full enjoyment of the grace and kindness contained in all the precious promises, in all the treasures of mercies, in all the depths of love, and displays of peace, that are fealed, and fecured in that well-ordered covenant. Then you will poffefs that inheritance which is unchangeable, that glory which is unfpeakable, the company of angels which will be joyful, of faints which will be defirable; but above all the beatific prefence of JESUS, who is the life, fum and fource of all joy: In whofe prefence there is fulness of joy.

To explain this more clearly, let us confider, that knowledge, love and joy are the perfections of immortal fpirits, and correfpondent to the excellency of the object upon whom they are fixed, and the capacity of the faculties that are exercised, and the degrees of fatisfaction communicated to them. Now in heaven our nobleft faculties, the understanding and will, are raised, enlarged, and entirely united to the best objects. What conceptions can we frame of joy to an intellectual créature, as the clear vifion of GOD and CHRIST, with all his attractive attributes and glorious perfections, and in perfectly loving the moft lovely object, and being perfectly loved by him. When the foul (freed from every thing here below.) fees GOD face to face, how is it ravished with the fight of his moft amiable excellencies! How pure a joy is infused into the centre of the foul, and fills all its defires! How permanent, like the everlasting spring from whence it flows! And the reason is, because the faints are always under the direct beams of God's favour, which are vigorously reflected in their praises; all their felicity is to contemplate his excellent perfections, all their pleasure is to love him, and all their glory to obey him. Their affectionate praifes are renewed without intermiffion, becaufe divine favours are renewed every mo. ment; there is a perpetual circulation of graces from their bleffed Creator, and thanksgivings from the happy creatures. All their joyful affections, and their folemn thoughts, are terminated in that glorious object; they never cease to love and admire, therefore never ceafe to praife. Their hearts are eternally inflamed, their lips eternally employed; and with the highest veneration they adore his mercy, that deareft delight

glories, beauties, and perfections of King JESUS ; fo the heart or affections will be one perpetual flame of love, and the tongue will be employed in perpetual praises to GOD and the LAMB. In fhort, the whole body, through the whole of its texture and formation, will be confummately happy in the perfonal prefence of CHRIST, the company of angels, and the fociety of the Saints. Thus the body may be faid to be fpiritual on the refurrection morn, be delighted with spiritual objects, and employed in spiritual praises, Rev. vii. 15. There fore they are before the throne of God, and ferve him day and night in his temple. And he that fitteth upon the throne shall dwell among them.

Friendly. But is it not faid, 1 Cor. xv. 50. That flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God?

Truth. Yes, This the Apoftle afferts to prove the absolute neceffity of our mortal bodies paffing through a change of nature and qualities; for that in their prefent state it is impoffible for them to poffefs the kingdom of GOD. As the glory of his prefence, and of the heavenly ftate, would crufh mortal perishable bodies to the duft, for frail nature cannot bear up under an immortal weight of glory; fo that this expreffion only denotes the abfolute neceffity there is of the body, or human frame, being changed from this carnal or corrupt itate, (fo flesh and blood are to be understood, fee Gal. i. 16. Epb. vi. 12.) by Gon, that it may be strong and able to enjoy the glory of the heavenly state, and have a difpofition perfectly happy in that state and condition; For flesh and blood (faith be) cannot inherit the kingdom of God; as though he had faid, were it poffible for us to be tranflated into heaven in this ftate we are now, we could not poffefs the glory of the kingdom; we fhould want ftrength of nature to fupport under the weight of the glory, and a difpofition of nature to enjoy the glory. From hence it appears, that a change of the qualities of the body is as neceflary for the enjoyment of glory, as a change upon the foul by regenerating grace. The change upon the foul is an act of love, wrought by almighty power, and the change of the body is wrought by an act of almighty power, to frame or naturalize it to enjoy, in union with the foul, the confummation of this love.

Friendly. How may this change be defcribed?

Truth. As the change upon the foul by the energetic power of divine grace is better known than expreffed, fo will the refurrection-change of the body be. At prefent it is a great mystery, inconceivable and unutterable, but fome faint ideas