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infinite perfections, wherewith it is stored? or, who can reach the infinite number of paradises, mountains, vallies, rivers? yea, who can reach the ten thousand thousandth part of its immensity? So that eternally we shall follow the Lamb, through new gardens, orchards, paradises, mountains, and ever be going directly forward, making greater and greater, and more wonderful discoveries. All the powers and faculties become more and more powerful and vigorous; so that joy, and delight, and love, and rapture, shall swell more and more in height, and breadth, and length, and depth, throughout eternity. Men and angels, is not our inheritance inconceivably large and fertile, rich and beautiful, and delightsome? can we among us all but reckon over our palaces, cities, paradises, countries, kingdoms and worlds? Oh what high stretchings of mind! and what further and further stretchings, to let in these boundless inundations of uncreated sweetness, that overflow incessantly, rapidly and eternally? O my God, this happiness is more than superabounding! who can express, who can conceive, what a life it is, to be received into the bosom of thine infinite excellences! to be admitted into the eternal enjoyment of thy incomprehensible Self! Oh what eternal manifestations of the Godhead, to men and angels, in the face of Christ! what outlettings of new and various influences from the Sun of Righteousness! what incessant showers of the dew of our Wellbeloved's youth! what high, full, constant, lively and cherishing gales! What wonder then, all the trees of this paradise of glory ascend higher and higher; spread their branches

farther and farther, and increase eternally in their strength, verdure, and blooming and fruitfulness? Poor life, that depends on creature influences, and creature enjoyments! neither are they satisfying in themselves, nor can they yield new sweetness eternally. Was it not the highest of all madness and folly to forsake the eternal Fountain of living waters, and rest on broken cisterns, that can hold no water? Oh joy of all joys, that ever I rested upon thee, as my only portion! Oh my happiness! my happiness surpasses all expression!

54. Emmanuel's land is altogether of free

it is given by way of

reward.

And what is this great assembly

redeeming grace, yet of such glorious and majestic creatures, but a number of bound debtors to the free grace, altogether free redeeming grace of JEHOVAH and the Lamb? Are ye not, O blessed creatures, so many monuments of the free and undeserved bounty and love of him, whose love passeth all understanding? Away with deserving and merit! what can creatures do to thee? what can their acting, or suffering for thee merit at thy hand? If any have any thing of its own, or can do any thing of itself, then may it glory in what is its own. If all creatures are not eternally obliged to love, and obey, and serve thee, with all their might and vigour, then let them ask wages for obeying. Yea, is it not an eternal wonder, thou shouldst make men, or angels, actors, or witnesses of thy infinite glory and excellence? What are all creatures to thee, that thou shouldst open thine eyes upon them? what unspeakable dignity, to be allotted to the lowest piece of service for thee! The more creatures adore, and love, and

obey thee, the more are they run into the debt of thy free grace: yea, though creatures could deserve, the very active glorifying of thee carries in its bosom full and overrunning recompense. And what proportion imaginable is there betwixt the acting or suffering of a finite creature, and one moment of these boundless joys? the service is finite, but the reward is invaluable. Continuation of a rational life, in an earthly paradise, so long as the creature persevered, was the reward of the first covenant; eternal duration of a divine life, in this celestial paradise, the reward of the second. The first was made with the earthly Adam, as the head, and principal person of the earthly house; the second, with the heavenly Adam, as Head, and principal Person of the heavenly. But the first ruined both himself and his, not being able to fulfil the bargain; the Second has made up both himself and his, for evermore, by perfect obedience, and full satisfaction, and excellence of power, in transforming his children into his heavenly image, and bringing them all infallibly to glory. The covenant was principally made with our Wellbeloved; all the promises of the new covenant were made to him, as the chief and "first-born among many brethren," Rom. viii. 29; so that it was impossible, that any of his chosen from eternity could be lost; being put into so sure a hand, who was accountable to the Father for every one of them; having from eternity received them from him, as his spouse, his children, his brethren, his co-heirs, his pupils, to be guided and tutored by him, in time and eternity: so that all the stress and care of our

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salvation was laid upon our great Lord Redeemer's shoulders; according to which trust, he hath called, justified, sanctified us, enabled us, kept us from falling away, in the midst of infirmities, difficulties, temptations, and presented us "without spot or blemish, before his Father." Our first earthly father played the bankrupt with all, and left us poor, vile, miserable wretches, lying in our blood, and no eye pitying us," Ezek. xvi. 5, 6; our nature being in his loins, as the root, and original of us all. Did he not degrade and debase us; so that from excellent rational creatures, created after the image of our Maker, we became brutish, vain, foolish, and vile? But in came our Wellbeloved, and assumed our nature, in its low and base condition, with all its infirmities, and passions, "yet without sin," and raised it up to a far, far higher pinnacle of excellence, than ever it fell from. Before, its excellence was natural, but now it is supernatural; before earthly, now heavenly and divine. What are our thoughts of the inconceivable rays and resplendencies of free, free, free grace, shining from the Godhead, in the face of Christ, to undone creatures? What could we do for ourselves, when broken and lost? was not our condition most desperate? We could not keep ourselves in our first condition, when entire and in our full vigour; what then could we do, when broken in pieces and destroyed? Had we not been obliged to him who had restored us to our former estate, or merely saved us from eternal wrath, though no more? But oh what astonishing bounty, love, mercy, condescension, compassion, kindness, patience, and

infinite wonders shine here! Sirs, what have we lost by our great and unspeakable loss? Our fall was abominable, dreadful, monstrous, ungrateful, and astonishing; yet what have we lost? Ah, no thanks to us, that we are not eternally undone. Utter destruction may be ascribed for ever to us, though the guilt thereof is eternally cancelled; let all the glory and praise rest upon his head, unto whom it doth alone appertain; even on his glorious and majestic head, who is the "author and finisher" of this great salvation. We are thine! we are thine! O excellent Wellbeloved; even thine upon all possible accounts! In our first condition, we were thine by creation, thine by covenant, and these were sweet; but oh, now! now we are also thinę by redemption, thine by purchase, thine by a better covenant foundation, a better foundation than by conquest; thine by a new creation, thine by exaltation to this glorious and divine estate. Oh sweet, sweet! we we are altogether thine, and nothing our own! Oh boundless joys! I am eternally tied to thee, by all obligations! Oh my inconceivable happiness! self has not the least occasion to boast of itself: no creature, man, or angel, has any thing to glory in, before thy presence. Oh thou heaven of heavens, shalt thou not be filled with songs of free redeeming grace ? what should we do with our diadems, our sceptres, our palms, our robes, our glorious adornments? what should we do with all that we are and have, but cast them down at the feet of him, who has created, redeemed, and sanctified us? even at the feet of him, who "hath redeemed us to God by his own blood, and made us to our

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