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fuch Flames fhall be kindled in our Breasts, that fhall never languish or die.

(3.) It will be an appropriating fight of God; as we fhall fee him as he is, fo we fhall fee him as our God: there will be fomething very peculiar in our looking upon him, which fhall be with high fatisfaction and extraordinary pleasure. For Sight without Intereft, as one well expreffes it, is like the Light of a Glow-worm which is without any heat. Indeed one of the School-men places Happinefs in the intellectual part only, in the bare Seeing of God; but there are others that place it in the Act of the Will, in the enjoying of God: but certainly it is the safest way to place it in both; for in Heaven they will never be divided.

(4.) This Vifion will be delightful and fatisfying: I fhall be fatisfied when I awake with P1.17. ult. thy likeness. How great must be the Joy, the Delight, the Pleafure, the Satisfaction, that this fight of God fhall bring into the Soul? The Saints, while they remain in the Church Militant, have fometimes an unspeakable Joy fprings up in their Souls: What Extafy and Rapture fhall they feel, when translated to the Church Triumphant? How aimable and pleafing are the Beams of the Sun here? But how (fays one) would a Man be furpriz'd, if he were at the Spring of that Univerfal Fire, and faw how it rifes, and how it's manag'd? The Delight that a Child of God has below, is not comparable to that which he fhall enjoy when above, and he makes nearer Approaches to the inacceffible Light.

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I do not doubt but the Queen of Sheba did very much admire the Wifdom, the Glory,

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and the Pomp of Solomon, when her knowledg of him was only grounded upon Report; but when the faw his Conduct, heard his Wisdom, and beheld his Magnificence, fhe was thrown into an Extafy, and the Profpect even ravish'd away her Soul; fhe faints with Admiration, and almost dies with Wonder, for there was no more Spirit in her. But alas! what was

that to the furprizing fight which we shall have, if we get fafe to Heaven! What an Extafy of Joy shall the glorified Saints have in that Prefence where is Fulness of Foy, and Pleafures for evermore ?

Lastly, Our fight of God will be perpetual and eternal. Here on Earth we have an imperfect View, we fee God one day, and it may be the next he hides his Face from us in an angry Cloud; but in Heaven our fight of God fhall never be interrupted, nor any Cloud obfcure the Vifion of his Face; there we fhall fee him thro an endless Eternity.

Thus have I, by the little that I have spoken, reprefented the Vifion of God, as a wonderful Felicity, and a furprizing Wonder. And tho we fhall understand it better by Enjoyment, yet our perpetual Wonder will mingle with our everlasting Hallelujahs.

Fifthly, Here is the time when Job expected this Happiness, and that was at the latter Day; at which time the Text affures us, that the Redeemer should stand upon the Earth. By latter Day I understand the fame Period of time which in the New-Teftament Language is called the Joh. 6. 39, last Day: When that limited space of time which God hath fet for his Peoples lying in the Grave, is elaps'd and run out, then fhall the Redeemer defcend upon the Earth, and cause the

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Members

Members of his Mystical Body inftantaneously to arife and spring from their Beds of Duft. I know that fome interpret these words of the Redeemer's standing upon the Earth at the latter Day, to refer to our Saviour's Incarnation, and others to his Refurrection: Some refer 'em to the Lord's appearing in the Air over the Earth. There are feveral other Senfes given of thefe words,which I do not omit reciting because controverted amongst Learned Men, but because I have not time, neither think them proper for a popular Auditory. I proceed now to fome brief Application.

First, Hence we fee of what neceffity it is to get an Interest in the Lord Redeemer; for fuch only have ground to expect this comfortable fight of Chrift. Without Holiness no Heb. 1.14. Man fhall ever fee the Lord. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they fhall fee God.

Secondly, What an acceffion to the Riches of the Church, are the Writings of the New Teftament, that caft fuch a Light upon the Doctrine of the Refurrection.

Mat. 5.8.

Thirdly, Let what hath been fpoken arm Chriftians against the flavish Fears of Death. Death, tho a common Theme of Difcourfe, carries Terror in the very found of it; and when those that are at eafe, and promise themselves a long and merry Life, are admonifhed of the shortness of their Time, by the Meffengers of Death, they are like Belshazzar, when he saw the Fingers of a Hand writing fome myftical Characters which he understood not: His Thoughts troubled him, his Knees fmote Dan. 5.6. one against another, and his Countenance was changed. Thus it is with an unprepared Soul at the approach of Death.

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But blessed be God it was not thus with our Deceased Friend, who tho he had received the Sentence of Death in himself for a confiderable time before the blow was given, yet he was got beyond the Defire of Life, and above the Fears of Death: of whom I fhall fpeak nothing but words of Truth and Sobernefs. I had the benefit of his Acquaintance for about fixteen years, and I always difcover'd in him the most undiffembled Piety. God touched his Heart betimes, he feared the Lord from his Youth, and devoted to Heaven the first and the best part of his time; and to me it was an Argument of his great Sincerity, that he embraced Religion when its Profeffors were perfecuted and imprifoned; and what he himself fuffered, was not a little from the hands of thofe that had the power over him. When the Storm blew over, and Chriftians immerged from the black Cloud that overspread them, he still retain'd his Caution, his Strictnefs, and his clofe walking with God; always expreffing, as far as 1 obferv'd, a great deal of Modefty and Humility in his Carriage and Conduct. He was one that paid a Deference and Refpect to all that bore the Image of Chrift, under what Denomination foever they paffed: and I muft fay, that I always found him an affectionate, true and lasting Friend.

He was very found in the Doctrine of Christ's Satisfaction, and free Juftification by the Righteoufnefs of Chrift alone, and the other great Articles of the Chriftian Faith: and I think all that knew him muft fay, that abating human Frailties, (for no Man liveth and finneth not) his Converfation was futable to his Pro

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feffion: So that he generally had a great calm within.

When I first visited him in his laft Illness, which was a few days before he underwent a terrible Operation, which to mention is enough almost to chill our Blood: I fay, when I first visited him, I prefently enquired how things stood between God and his Soul. He told me all things were well, that he had a full affurance of the Love of God, and ftrong Confolation flowed into his Soul from the many great and excellent Promifes which were impreffed upon his Mind; and this he delivered with fuch an air of Humility, and fuch a mixture of Brokenness for the Remainders of indwelling Sin, as would even have diffolved a Rock, and caufed a Flint to flow. Moreover, he told me, he was fo perfectly refigned to the Will of God, that if God fhould bid him chufe for himself, he would refer it back to God to chufe for him, whether Life or Death.

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I then inquired whether the malicious Adverfary of Souls had not given him fome interruption during his weakness. He fignified to me, that he had been violently affaulted but a little before, but that Jefus foon bruifed the Devil under his feet.

I then enquired of him, that if the Lord fhould remove him by Death, whether he died in perfect Charity with all the World? He readily told me he did; and he earnestly wished that he were capable of doing any thing that might ferve the true Intereft of the greatest of his Enemies. Several other things paffed, which

He was cut for the Stone a few days before his Death,

were

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