where all tribulation is at an end; no need of any fighte ing grace, where there is nothing but victory, light, life, love, liberty, joy, glory. You have a fighting life of it here, but then a fong of victory; victory for

evermore.

7. The vail of Infirmities will be rent in twain: here believers have infirmities on their bodies, that have no fmall influence on the actings of their fouls; infirmities on their fouls, darkne's and dulnefs in their intellectual powers; infirmities of the new nature, the gh created in Chrift Jefus, though fupported by his power, and guided by his grace; yet ftill it is a weak thing, like a new-born babe: but none of thefe infirmities are in them that are within the vail; they are become perfect; "Then fhall we all come in the unity of the faith, to a perfect man in Chrift," Eph. iv. 13. Then that fcripture fhall be fully accomplished, Ifa. xxx. 26. “The light of the moon fhall be as the light of the fun; and the light of the fun fhall be feven-fold, as the light of feven days."

8. The vail of Mortality fhall be rent in twain; for, "This mortal fhall put on immortality; this corruption, fhall put on incorruption; and death fhall be fwallowed up in victory." The vail of flesh, the clay taber nacle will be rent in twain; "We know, that if the earthly house of this tabernacle were diffolved, we have a building of God, a houfe not made with hands, eternal in the heavens: for in this we groan earnefily, defiring to be clothed upon with our houfe which is from heaven," 2 Cor. v. 1, 2. O was you ever brought to that man's faying, O mortality, mortality! O time, time! that will not hafte away, to let eternity come!' Was you never content to fhake the fand-glafs of time to win to eternity? was you never content to take death in your arms; and fay, Welcome, welcome; O friend, welcome news, that mortality fhall be fwallowed up of life?

9. The vail of Incapacity will be rent in twain; now you are not capable of that glory which you fhall be able to behold and contain in heaven; your eye is fo weak, that you cannot behold the Sun of righteousness fhining in his ftrength. Tho' light be the most pleafing thing to the eye; yet the meridian brightnefs of the

fun

fun cannot be looked upon without deftroying the fight; because the faculty is not fo ftrong, nor capable to receive the object: fo it is here, we want a capacity to behold the light of glory; but within the vail, or in hea ven, the faculty will be firengthened, and the capacity enlarged, to hold an exceeding great and eternal weight of glory; the want of which hath made fome, in time, when their cup hath overflowed with confolation, to cry out, Lord, hold thy hand, thy fervant is a clayveffel, and 'can hold no more.' Indeed it is little we get here below, and it is little we can hold, though we should get our fill; but in heaven the capacity will be fo enlarged, that it will be able to hold a fulness of God, a fulness of glory, a fulness of the Spirit, fulness of joy at God's right-hand for ever and ever.

10. The vail of wearinefs fhall be rent in twain; here we foon weary of praying and preaching, we foon weary of fermons and facraments. I doubt not but many here may be wearied to the heart with this day's work. Indeed little wonder that the carnal heart say, What a weariness is this work? For, as one fays, you may take a carnal man, tie him to a poft, and then kill him with praying and preaching only.' But even the spiritual man himself, while he hath a wearying body of death about him, he wearies of ordinances, he wearies of God's fervice; but in heaven, within the vail, they fhall ferve him without wearying or fainting, Rev. xxii. 3.; there his fervants fhall ferve him. Their weary fervice here is hardly to be called a fervice; but there his fervants fhall ferve him indeed. O! will it not be a myftery, and a great wonder, if we, who cannot pray half an hour to an end, and hardly hear an hour to an end, but will be toiled, as if we had done fome marvellous work, fhall be brought to heaven, and never weary of the fervice of heaven? Here is comfort, believer, you fhall through all the years of eternity, praife him, and never weary.

In a word, all the vails of trouble and trials will be rent in twain;`" There remains a reft for the people of God."-The vail of forrow and anxiety fhall be rent in twain; for all tears fhall be wipt from their eyes: Sorrow and fighing fhall flee away.-The vail of ficknefs and VOL. I.

K

un

uneafinefs of body or foul fhall be rent in twain: The inhabitants of that land fhall not fay, I am fick; the people that dwell therein fhall be forgiven their iniquity. The vail of wandering thoughts and vain imaginations will be rent in twain; you. fhall not have a wrong thought or conception of God throughout all eternity; for all your heart-plagues, lufts, and corruptions, that you have been wreitling with all your days, will leave you; and I am fure you will leave them with fuch pleafure and fatisfaction, and be fo glad to part with them, that you will hardly thake hands with them; but rather fay, the back of my hand to you: many a fad hour, many a figh and groan have you coft me; but it is well for me, that now I am quit of you for ever. And I cannot but fay, that they who now have a glad heart to think of a parting with the e, and a meeting with Chrift for ever, they have gotten fome communion with him this day. . Finally, The Vail of Time will be rent in twain; and the ftreams of time will be fwallowed up in the ocean of eternity. O how will you fay with wonder then, O hath fuch a black and ugly creature as I was, gotten glorious Chrift in my arms, never, never, never to part again! O how will his kind looks dart a sweetnefs and joy inexpreffible into your hearts, when you fhall be led with the Lamb about the rivers of living water, when time fhall be no more!-Take all this this comfort into your hearts, believers, for the God of confolation allows you to rejoice for ever, and to rejoice in the hope of the glory of God, which you fhall fee and be for ever poffeft of within the val.

Ufe Fifth, For Exhortation. All I fhall now fay, is this, if the vail be rent in twain by the death of Chrift, O then come and fee, come and take, come and wonder, come and enter, come and fing.

1. Come and fee. When the feal was opened, Rev. vi. then the voice cried, "Come and fee:" fo, when the vail is rent, O come and fee; come and fee. Turn afide and fee this great fight, the vail of feparation betwixt God and us rent in twain from the top to the bottom. What was to be feen within the vail of the temple, you are told, Heb. ix. 4, 5. "There was to be feen the golden

5:

cenfer,

cenfer, the golden pot, the ark of the covenant, the tables of the covenant, and over it the cherubims of glory overshadowing the mercy-feat." What all thefe did fignify, I cannot ftand to fhew; but in thort, they all pointed out the glory of God in Jefus Chrift. Now the vail is rent; then look into the holieft, and fee the glorious mystery of redeeming love; fee the wisdom, power, holiness, juftice, goodness, and grace of God, manifefted brightly in the face of Jefus, who by his death rent the vail, that we might fee heaven, and the glory of it.

2. Come and take. The pot of manna was within the vail, as you fee in that forecited text, which fignified Chrift the bread of life. Now, that the vail is rent; you may come to the holieft and take manna: if you go away fafting this night, it will be your own fault; for you have liberty to come and take, fince the vail is rent. Chrift himfelf is the manna; and if you take him, you take all things with. him that you need. Do you, need a pardon? Why, the opening of the vail is a proclamation of pardon upon a jubilee day. In the year of jubilee, the priests entered within the vail into the holieft; and there was a difcharge of debt, and liberty proclaimed; fo here is our jubilee; Chrift our High-Prieft having rent the vail, and entered into the holieft, he issues out his proclamation of indemnity; he proclaims pardon of debt. Many a bankrupt drowned in deb, is in this green; but behold, the cry is, " Go forth ye prifoners of hope." There is a pardon in this pot of manna, if you will but take it; yea, there is life to your fouls, and death to your fins in this pot of manna, if you will take it. Object. But you will fay, I cannot take what is offered to me. Anfw. I wish you indeed knew your own weakness, and fenfible of it; "No man can come to me, fays Chrift, except the Father draw him:" But, O! hath God drawn you fo far as that you are willing to take Chrift, though you can do nothing; and willing that Chrift fhould take you? Do you know what it is to believe? It is not to do fome great thing by your own power, no: it is a grace that hath two eyes; with the one it looks to a man's felf, and fees his own utter weaknefs, faying, "Not that I am fufficient of my felf to think

any thing as of myfelf:" and with the other it looks to God, and fees his infinite power, faying, " My fufficiency is of God." So, that to believe, is to fee that you can do nothing, and to employ the power of God to do all things for you, and in you that you need. Now, when you are called to take Chrift, you are called to take and employ the power of God to do all things that you are called to do, but cannot do of yourfelf; this power of God is in your offer, and you may give employment to it: Ifa. xxvii. 5. Let him take hold of my firength, that he may make peace with me, and he fhall make peace with me." Did you ever know before that the power of God was at your fervice? Take hold of his. power, and give employment to his power, feying, Lord, let this power of thine be put forth upon an indigent creature, that I may take Chrift. Behold, the Father offers him for wifdom, rightecufnefs, fanctification and redemption; there is manna indeed, which you have for the taking in this manner, faying, Lord, take me, and I will take thee. Let thy power and grace be glorified upon me. If you be in earneft, it is a bargain; for he never called a finner to take his Son upon any other terms, but that they only confent that Chrift perform all the work, and take all the glory.

3. Come and wonder: “Behold, the vail of the temple was rent in twain, from the top to the bottom." Come and wonder, that all hinderances are taken out of the way of your accefs to God. Wonder at the love of God in fending his Son to rend the vail; wonder at the love of Christ in rending the vail, that you might have accefs to God; wonder that it was rent at all; wonder that it was rent in twain; wonder that it was rent from the top to the bottom; wonder at the thing, and wonder at the occafion of it. Chrift gave up the ghoft, and the vail of the temple was rent. The rending of the vail coft him his life, it coft him his foul; his foul was made an offering for fin, and then the vail was rent. O, is there no wondering at this? It would be an evidence of a good communion to you, if you were filled with wonder. A fhort wonder is better than a long prayer.

4. Come and enter. Not only fee and take, and won

der,