we feel our fouls capacitated to enjoy. Our grofs fleshly bodies hide God from the view of our minds, and permit us to fee barely the outfide of his works, and of a very small part of these. The appetites and wants of our animal bodies detain us for a great part of life, from the purfuit of these fatisfactions, and render our poffeffion of them at beft very short and imperfect. And we can feldom, by clear and fixed meditation on the perfections and works of God, excite corre fpondent affections of admiration and love. In the present state alfo we know fo little of the Divine defigns and difpenfations, that dark clouds, and puzzling doubts and difficulties attend our meditations; and create to us pain and perplexity in those exercises, which were originally intended to give us divine entertainments. If we are here on our trial for another state, wherein they who furmount thefe difficulties, and in opposition to them cultivate a prevailing affection to the Deity, concern to please him, and value for his favour, fhall become bleffed in the perfection of devotion: this conftitution is alfo evidently right. And by ftruggling against and overcoming thefe difficulties, we may qualify ourselves for higher degrees of the Divine favour, and to become more bleffed in clear and extenfive views of the Creator's perfections and works, in exalted ado ration, love and devotednefs, and in a tranf porting porting fenfe of his full acceptance. But were our acquaintance with this infinitely perfect Being, and with his works, to end forever at death, would not fo wife and good a Father have made it easier for us to acquire the knowledge and love of himself, and to enjoy fatisfactions herein, fome way proportionate to the noble capacities with which he hath formed us? As we are therefore evidently made to know and love God, and with faculties for attaining a fupream bleffedness in him; with good reafon we conclude, that we were made for another ftate, more favourable to our fully enjoying this felicity. And fince the perfections and works of God being infinite, will fully employ our ftudy, admiration and other devout affections to endless ages, we alfo with reafon conclude ourselves made for eternal life, and refolve to cultivate a fupream love to the Deity. And although the distractions, errors, doubts and darknefs, attending the prefent ftate, will allow us to know but little of this infinitely perfect Being, and to love him lefs, in proportion to his excellence, and the capacity of our own rational powers, yet may we rejoice in the affured hope, of foon feeing him as he is *, and of dwelling in his prefence, where is * 1 John iii. 2. fulness fulness of joy, and at his right hand, where are pleafures for evermore*. Thus the noble, and continually inlarging faculties of the human mind, which qualify it for making improvements in knowledge, goodness, devotion, and felicity to eternity, compared with the perfections and works of the Creator, juftify the fuppofition in the text, that men are defigned for an eternal life, and should determine us to live worthy fo glorious a hope; and to be mainly concerned while we live here, to cultivate those difpofitions, which are the qualifications for being happy to eternity, in employments and pleasures of this kind, if indeed we are happy forever. Some other proofs, fupplied by reason, of this most important truth, I fhall offer to your thoughts in the next discourse. * Pfalm xvi. 11. SERMON SERMON XVIII. Farther Evidences fupplied by Reafon for a future State. MARK X. 17. And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good mafter, what fhali I do that I may inherit eternal life? I Am illuftrating the following important obfervation contained in this question. I. 'Tis fuppofed by it as an acknowledged truth, that we are made for eternal life. The inquirer does not afk Jefus, whether men were defigned for immortality; but taking this for granted, he inquires what he muft do that he might obtain the happiness of an everlafting ftate. That this was a rational fuppofition has been proved, by its being the common belief of mankind in all ages. The univerfality of the expectation and defire, proves them to be natural; and with reason we conclude, that a most wife. and good Creator intended, that every na Hh tural tural defire and expectation of his creatures fhould be gratified, and efpecially the most excellent; and he therefore intended us for immortality. The noble and perpetually improving capacities of the human mind, which qualify us for advancing in knowledge, goodness and devotion to eternity, are also ftrong affurances given us by our most wise and benevolent Creator, that he defigned us for an eternal life. We with reafon conclude, that the Maker of the eye defigned it for feeing, because we can obferve, that its feveral coats, humours and mufcles are adapted to answer this ufe. And with like evidence we can infer, that God made the human mind for eternal improvements in knowledge, goodness, devotion and felicity; fince he hath formed it with faculties for thefe improvements, and introduced it, into an universe, which will furnish it with fuitable objects to eternity. A wife Being certainly knows and intends what he effects, and certainly defigned that end, for answering which he with great fkill fuited his productions; efpecially when this end is by far the moft excellent and worthy, which these productions are capable of anfwering. The God therefore who made the human mind, with faculties for improving in perfection and happiness forever, defigned it to live forever; and the prefent life is a state of discipline, |