pany thee to every duty, which thou canst no more leave behind thee, than leave thyself behind thee, shall now be left behind for ever. They may accompany thee to death but they shall not proceed a step further. We shall no more be oppressed with the power of our corruptions, nor vexed with their presence. No pride, passion, slothfulness, senselessness, shall enter with us; no strangeness to God, and the things of God; no coldness of affections; no imperfection in our love; no uneven walking; no grieving of the Spirit; no scandalous action or unholy conversation. We shall rest from all these for ever.

3. We shall rest from suffering. When the cause is gone, the effect ceases. Our sufferings were but the consequences of our sinning; and here they both shall cease together.

(1.) We shall rest from all our perplexing doubts and fears of God's love. We shall hear that kind of language no more,- "What shall I do to know my state? How shall I know that God is my father that my heart is upright, that my conversion is genuine, that my faith is sincere? Oh! I fear that my sins are yet unpardoned, that my religion is but hypocrisy, and that God will at last reject me from his presence. How can he accept so vile a wretch, so hard-hearted a sinner, such an undervaluer of Christ as I am?" All this kind of language shall there be turned into the praises of him who has forgiven, who has converted, who has accepted, yea, who has glorified a wretch so unworthy. It will then be as impossible for thee to doubt and fear, as it is now to doubt of the food which you are eating, or to fear it is night, when you see the sun shining.

(2.) We shall rest from all sense of God's displeasure, which was here our greatest torment. Surely hell shall not be mixed with heaven. Hell is the place for the glorifying of his justice and prepared wrath; but heaven, of his love and mercy. Job will not then use his own language, "Thou writest bitter things against me, and takest me for thine enemy, and settest me up as a mark to shoot at, so that I am a

burden to myself." David will not then complain"That the arrows of the Almighty stick fast in him; and that his hand presseth him sore; that he remembers God and is troubled, that his wrath lieth hard upon him, and that he afflicteth him with all his waves." Here the Christian is oft complaining: "O, if it were the wrath of man, I could bear it! But the wrath of the Almighty, who can bear? O, that all the world were mine enemies, if I were but assured that he was my friend!" But, O that blessed day! when all sense of God's displeasure shall be swallowed up in the ocean of love.

(3.) We shall rest from all the temptations of Satan. What a grief it is to a Christian, even though he yield not to the temptation, that he should be solicited to deny his Lord; that he can set about nothing that is good, but Satan must be dissuading him from it, distracting him in it, or discouraging him after it! What a torment is it, to have such horrid motions made to his soul, such blasphemous ideas presented to his mind; sometimes cruel thoughts of God, sometimes undervaluing thoughts of Christ, sometimes unbelieving thoughts of Scripture, sometimes injurious thoughts of Providence. What a distress is it, to be tempted to turn to present things, to play with the baits of sin, to venture on the delights of flesh, and even to atheism itself; especially, when we know the treachery of our own hearts, that they are as tinder or gunpowder, ready to take fire as soon as one of these sparks shall fall upon them. But here is our comfort. When the day of our deliverance comes, we shall fully rest from these temptations. Satan shall then be bound; the time of his temptations shall then be over; he himself shall be led captive in chains. Now we walk among his snares, and are in danger of being circumvented with his wiles: but then we shall be beyond his stratagems, and out of the reach of his enticing charms. We shall no more need to pray, "Lead us not into temptation;" nor to "watch that we enter not into temptation;" but now they who "continued with Christ in his temptations shall by him

be appointed to a kingdom, even as his Father appointed to him, that they may eat and drink at his table in his kingdom." "Blessed are they that endure temptation; for when they are tried, they shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him."

(4.) We shall rest from all the temptations of the world and the flesh. Every sense is a snare; every member a snare; every creature a snare; every mercy a snare; every duty a snare to us. We can scarcely open our eyes but we are in danger. If we behold our superiors, we are in danger of envy. If we see sumptuous buildings, pleasant habitations, honours and riches, we are in danger of covetousness. If we

look on the rags and beggary of others, we are in danger of self-applauding thoughts and unmercifulness. If we see beauty, it is a bait to lust; if deformity, it is apt to excite loathing and disdain. We can scarcely hear a word spoken, but it contains to us matter of temptation. How soon do slanderous reports, vain jests, wanton speeches, creep into the heart! How strong and prevalent a temptation is our appetite; and how constant and strong a watch does it require! Have we comeliness and beauty? What fuel for pride! Are we deformed? What an occasion of repining! Have we strength of reason and gifts of learning? O! how hard is it not to be puffed up, to hunt after applause, to despise our brethren, to dislike the simplicity that is in Christ, to affect a pompous, fleshly service of God, and to exalt reason above faith! Are we unlearned? How apt are we to despise what we have not, to undervalue what we know not, to err with confidence, because of our ignorance! Are we men of eminence and authority? How strong is our temptation to stand upon our honour and privileges, to forget ourselves, our poor brethren, and the public good! How hard to devote our power to the glory of him from whom we received it! How prone to make our will our law, and to cut out all the enjoyments of others, both civil and religious, by the rules and model of our own interest and policy! Are we

inferiors and subject to others? How prone to envy their pre-eminence, to bring all their actions to the bar of our incompetent judgment, to censure and slander them, and murmur at their proceedings! Are we rich, and are we not too much exalted? Are we poor, and are we not discontented? If we be sick, O how impatient! If in health, how few and stupid are our thoughts of eternity! If death be near, we are distracted with fears of it! If we think it far off, how careless is our preparation for it! Do we set about duty? Why, there are snares too. Either we are stupid and indolent; or we are formal in the performance of it; or we rest in it, and turn from Christ, who should be at once the spring and the object of it. See what a sad case we poor Christians are in, and especially they that discern not their danger; it is almost impossible they should escape. It was not without reason that our Lord declared, "What I say unto you, I say unto all, Watch."

But for ever blessed be that Omnipotent love, which saves us out of all these snares, and makes our straits but the manifestations of the glory of his saving grace! In heaven the danger and trouble will all be over. As Satan has no entrance there, so neither shall any thing enter to serve his malice, but all things shall there with us conspire to raise the praises of our great Deliverer. Then shall we sing, "Blessed be the Lord who hath not given our souls for a prey. Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers: the snare is broken, and we are escaped."

(5.) We shall rest from all the abuses and persecutions of the world. This is the time for crowning with thorns that is the time for crowning with glory. Now the law is, "That whosoever will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution;" then they that have "suffered with him, shall be glorified" with him. Now we must be hated of all men for Christ's sake; then he will be "admired in all them that believe.” Now, because we "are not of the world, but Christ hath chosen us out of the world, therefore doth the world hate us;" then, because we are not of the world,

us.

but are taken out of it, therefore will the world honour We are here "made a spectacle to the world, and to angels, and to men; we are reckoned as the filth of the world, and as the offscouring of all things." Now you can attempt no work for God without opposition, and find you must lose either the love of the world and your outward comforts, or else the love of God and your eternal salvation; but in heaven you shall have none to discourage you in the service of God, nor any company but will further your work, and gladly join heart and voice with you in your everlasting joys and praises.

(6.) We shall rest from all our sad divisions and unchristian quarrels with one another. In heaven, there is no contention, because there is none of that pride, ignorance, and other corruption, which prevail so much on earth. There, every man is not conceited of his own understanding, but all are admiring the divine perfection, and in love with God and one another. "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." Is not this his last great legacy, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you?" Mark the expression of that command, "If it be possible, as much as in you lieth, live peaceably with all men:" "Follow peace

with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord." Such peace, such fellowship shall be in heaven.

(7.) We shall rest from all our participation in the sufferings of our brethren. Alas! if we had nothing in ourselves to trouble us, yet what heart could lay aside sorrows, that lives in the sound of the church's sufferings. Unless we are turned into steel or stone, and have lost both Christian and human affection, there needs no more than the miseries of our brethren to fill our hearts with successions of sorrows, and make our lives a continued lamentation. The church on earth is a mere hospital. Which ever way we go, we hear complaining; and into what corner soever we cast our eyes, we behold objects of grief and pity; some groaning under a dark understanding, some un