Rev. xxi. 24 all other glories and excellences are swallowed up and concentred here: all joys, all pleasures, all contentments, all desires, are for ever here.

6. We cannot be so high, in our own

ry, but still we may

be higher.

But, let us draw near, that we conceptions of glo- may discover more of these wonderful things. What rapturous melody is this! Were it not heaven to dwell within the sound of heaven's melody? Oh, "it is good to be here!" Oh the sweet, sweet, sweet frame the inhabitants are in! their hallelujahs have converted me almost into joy itself. But what can I say? the idiom of glory has a wonderful efficacy and deepness, beyond our shallow thoughts, as far transcending earth's language, as immortality transcends mortality: and I want an ear celestial, musical, to perceive distinctly, and understand these angelical songs, and wonderful expressions of joy, love, and admiration, in the higher house but the very sound is enough to enrapture all our senses. Hear I not something like the song of Moses and the Lamb?—

"We will sing unto the Lord; for he hath triumphed gloriously, his enemies hath he overwhelmed with everlasting shame he is our strength, and our song, and he is become our salvation. Thy right hand, O Lord, is become glorious in power; who is like unto thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders? Thou in thy mercy hast led forth thy people, which thou hast redeemed; thou hast guided them, in thy strength, unto thy holy habitation. We have a strong city: salvation hath our God provided, for walls and bulwarks. We will

greatly rejoice in the Lord; our souls shall incessantly and eternally be joyful in our God; for he hath clothed us with the garments of salvation, he hath covered us with the robes of righteousness. Thou hast awaked, and put on strength, O arm of the Lord; art not thou it which dried up the Red Sea? that hath made the deeps of the sea a way for thy ransomed to pass over? Therefore, the redeemed of the Lord do return, and come with singing unto Sion, and everlasting joys upon their heads; and sorrow and sighing hath fled away. Sing, ye heavens; shout, ye lower parts of the earth; break forth into melody, ye mountains; for the Lord hath redeemed Jacob, and glorified himself in Israel. Behold, we dwell on high, our place of defence is the munition of rocks: our eyes do see the King in his beauty; our eyes do behold Jerusalem a quiet habitation, a tabernacle that shall never be taken down. And in this mountain hath the Lord of hosts made, unto all people, a feast of fat things; and hath swallowed up death in victory; and hath wiped away all tears from all faces. The Lord is a sun and shield; he hath given grace and glory; no good thing hath he withheld from those who have walked uprightly. How excellent is thy loving-kindness! we are abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house, and thou hast made us drink of the rivers of thy pleasures: thou hast turned our mourning into dancing; thou hast put off our sackcloth, and girded us with gladness: the lines are fallen to us in pleasant places; yea, we have a goodly heritage thou hast showed unto us the path of

life; in thy presence is fulness of joy, and at thy right hand are pleasures for evermore. Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing; for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood, out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; and hast made us unto our God kings and priests; and we shall reign for ever and ever. Cry, and shout, thou inhabitant of Sion; for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee."What a golden life is this! Am not I come into mount Sion? Know I not now by experience, that the converse of mortals may be above? Oh, what a delightful frame am I now in the melody of heaven draws me nearer and nearer ; I cannot, I will not, I may not rest, until I look "within the vail."

7. Christ, the Desire of all nations, be

fully manifested to finite capacities.

Oh strange, nothing but wonders!

cause he is God, most are not the whole inhabitants of the higher Canaan all in a sea of delight, love, and admiration? Are they not all flocking round about, as contending who shall see most of the matchless beauty and loveliness of the white and ruddy One, the Standard-bearer “among ten thousand?" Oh the Day's-man betwixt God and creatures! the wonder of wonders, the glory and triumph and shame of creatures, the beauty of heaven, the admiration of earth, the compend and model of heaven and earth and all things, the life of all joys, flower of all desires, fountain of all sweetness, sun of all glory, the everlasting delight of the Father, and of men and angels, the centre whereunto all hearts, all loves, all eyes do eter

nally and incessantly run, the brightness of the Father's glory, the express character of his person! Christ Jesus, God-man, the ever-flourishing stock and the stem of Jesse, the plant of renown! All are chanting thus.

Speak no more of beauties: men and angels, all lesser glories are quite swallowed up: this is the only beauty, the only excellency, by the borrowed rays of whose loveliness, we are all rendered glorious: out of his fulness have we all received; let us down with these massy crowns of glory at his feet: "For of him, and by him, and through him, and to him are all things," Rom. xi. 36.

8. No manifestation

of God so full and through Emmanuel;

sweet to creatures, as

so infinite is the distance.

Oh! my only Wellbeloved, thou art God; thou art God, the infinite JEHOVAH; and therefore thou art become my All, and only One; none but him! I disdain all yesterday-beings for a Wellbeloved: yet, since thou art a creature also, thou art more lovely as to me; wert thou not man, as well as God, I could not enjoy thee so familiarly and nearly. Though sin in itself cannot be the object of joy, yet the result thereof is passing joyful: this world of free grace transcends ever so many worlds of another kind. The enjoyment of God as a Redeemer, Husband, Brother, is another manner of enjoyment, than of God as Creator. Happy, happy we, that ever we were miserable! we had been undone, if we had not been undone. We ruined ourselves, but thou hast made us up; far, far above all that we had to lose. Oh sweet debt of thy free redeeming grace! shall not every moment of eternity augment

my obligation? I am thy bound debtor, O my Lord; and therefore my happiness shall grow and bloom throughout all eternity.

is enough to enrapture ever so many.

9. One sight of Christ The first sight of thine eyes hath stricken me with everlasting admiration! Many excellent beauties do my blessed eyes behold, but thou dost infinitely transcend them all. Thy countenance has a beauty and excellency above all possible created glory! Uncreated glory rays through the vail of his human nature! my blessed eyes, a thousand times blessed eyes, which behold the man who is God! Fellowbeholders, this sight hath cast us for ever into a wondering frame! the more we behold, the more we are inflamed; the more we love, the more we behold! Oh wonderful, eternal circle! hence joys unutterable, inexpressible; hence the sweet praising disposition, hence admiration, hence beholding; and thus throughout eternity.

ment nothing, till we

see him face to face.

10. All our enjoy- Oh flower of excellency! Oh ocean of loveliness! mortality could take up no considerable portion of thee; the most excellent of their discourses was childish nonsense: nothing but seeing thee face to face can discover thy worth. Verily, I never saw thee until now; and therefore love and joy were never in their highest vigour. I love, I love now indeed! what though I might be said to love thee in thy absence, and to be filled with joy unspeakable and glorious, with the very sound of thy name? These drops are nothing to the ocean, the tasting to the banquet. Oh sweet, sweet! nothing but joy! who can stand beside infinite love, and not be inflamed? Am I not almost converted into