way is gone, that he is now nearer home; and that he shall presently be there; and the toil and fatigue of his journey will

be over.

So should we thus desire heaven so much more than the comforts and enjoyments of this life, that we should long to change these things for heaven. We should wait with earnest desire for the time when we shall arrive at our journey's end. The apostle mentions it as an encouraging, comfortable consider ation to Christians, when they draw nigh their happiness."Now is our salvation nearer than when we believed."

Our hearts ought to be loose to these things, as it is with a man that is on a journey. However comfortable enjoyments are, yet we ought to keep our hearts so loose from them, as cheerfully to part with them, whenever God calls, But this I say, brethren, the time is short. It remaineth, that both they that have wives, be as though they had none; and they that weep, as though they wept not; and they that rejoice, as though they rejoiced not; and they that buy, as though they possessed not; and they that use this world, as not abusing it; for the fashion of this world passeth away." 1 Cor. 29, 30, 31.

We ought to look upon these things as only lent to us for a little while, to serve a present turn; but we should set our hearts on heaven as our inheritance forever.

II. We ought to seek heaven, by travelling in the way that leads thither.

The way that leads to heaven is the way of holiness. We should choose and desire to travel thither in this way and in no other. We should part with all those sins, those carnal appe tites that are as weights, that will tend to hinder us in our travelling towards heaven. "Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race set before us, Heb. xii. 1. However pleasant any practice, or the gratification of any appetite may be, we must lay it aside, cast it away; if it be any hinderance, and stumblingblock in the way to heaven.

We should travel on in a way of obedience to all God's commands, even the difficult as well as the easy commands. We should travel on in a way of selfdenial; denying all our

sinful inclinations and interests. The way to heaven is ascending; we must be content to travel up hill, though it be hard and tiresome, though it be contrary to the natural tendency and bias of our flesh that tends downward to the earth. We should follow Christ in the path that he has gone in. The way that he travelled in was the right way to heaven. We should take up our cross and follow him. We should travel along in the same way of meekness and lowliness of heart; in the same way of obedience and charity, and diligence to do good; and patience under afflictions. The way to heaven is a heavenly life; we must be travelling towards heaven in a way of imitation of those that are in heaven. In imitation of the saints and angels there, in their holy employment, in their way of spending their time, in loving, adoring, serving, and praising God and the Lamb. This is the path that we ought to prefer before all others, if we could have any other that we might choose. If we could go to heaven in a way of carnal living, in the way of the enjoyment and gratification of our lusts, we should rather prefer a way of holiness and conformity to the spiritual selfdenying rules of the gospel.

III. We should travel on in this way in a laborious manner. The going of long journies is attended with toil and fatigue; especially if the journey be through a wilderness. Persons, in such a case, expect no other than to suffer hardships and weariness in travelling over mountains and through bad places.

So we should travel in this way of holiness, in a laborious manner, improving our time and strength to surmount the difficulties and obstacles that are in the way. The land that we have to travel through is a wilderness; there are many mountains, rocks, and rough places that we must go over in the way; and there is a necessity that we should lay out our strength.

IV. Our whole lives ought to be spent in travelling this road. 1. We ought to begin early. This should be the first concern and business that persons engage in when they come to be capable of acting in the world in doing any business.

When they first set out in the world, they should set out on this journey. And

2. We ought to travel on in this way with assiduity. It ought to be the work of every day to travel on towards heaven. We should often be thinking of our journey's end; and not only be thinking of it, but it should be our daily work to travel on in the way that leads to it.

As he that is on a journey is often thinking on the place that he is going to, and it is his care and business every day to get along; to improve his time, to get towards his journey's end. He spends the day in it; it is the work of the day, whilst the sun serves him. And when he has rested in the night, he gets up in the morning, and sets out again on his journey; and so from day to day, till he has got to his jour ney's end. Thus should heaven be continually in our thought; and the immediate entrance or passage to it, viz.death, should be present with us. And it should be a thing that we famil iarize to ourselves; and so it should be our work every day, to be preparing for death, and travelling heavenward.

3. We ought to persevere in this way as long as we live : We should hold out in it to the end.

"Let us run with patience the race that is set before us," Heb. xii. 1. Though the road be difficult, and it be a toilsome thing to travel it, we must hold out with patience, and be content to endure the hardships of it. If the journey be long, yet we must not stop short; we should not give out in discouragement, but hold on till we are arrived at the place we seek. We ought not to be discouraged with the length and difficulties of the way, as the children of Israel were, and be for turning back again. All our thought and design should be to get along. We should be engaged and resolved to press forward till we arrive.

V. We ought to be continually growing in holiness; and in that respect coming nearer and nearer to heaven.

He that is travelling towards a place, comes nearer and nearer to it continually. So we should be endeavoring to come nearer to heaven, in being more heavenly; becoming

more and more like the inhabitants of heaven, and more and more as we shall be when we have arrived there, if ever that be.

We should endeavor continually to be more and more, as we hope to be in heaven, in respect of holiness and conformity to God. And with respect to light and knowledge, we should labor to be growing continually in the knowledge ofGod and Christ, and clear views of the glory of God, the beauty of Christ, and the excellency of divine things, as we come nearer and nearer to the beatific vision.

We should labor to be continually growing in divine love; that this may be an increasing flame in our hearts, till our hearts ascend wholly in this flame. We should be growing in obedience, and in heavenly conversation; that we may do the will of God on earth as the angels do in heaven.

We ought to be continually growing in comfort and spiritual joy; in sensible communion with God and Jesus Christ. Our path should be as "the shining light, that shines more and more to the perfect day." Prov. iv. 18.

We ought to be hungering and thirsting after righteousness; after an increase in righteousness. "As new born babes desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby." 1 Pet. ii. 2. And we should make the perfection of heaven our mark. We should rest in nothing short of this, but be pressing towards this mark, and laboring continually to be coming nearer and nearer to it. "This one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things that are before, I press toward the mark, for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." Phil. iii. 13, 14.

VI. All other concerns of life ought to be entirely subordi nate to this.

As when a man is on a journey, all the steps that he takes are in order to further him on his journey; and subordinate to that aim of getting to his journey's end. And if he carries money or provision with him, it is to supply him in his jour ney. So we ought wholly to subordinate all our other business, and all our temporal enjoyments to this affair of travel

ling to heaven. Journeying towards heaven, ought to be our only work and business, so that all we have and do, should be in order to that. When we have worldly enjoyments we should be ready to part with them, whenever they are in the way of our going toward heaven. We should sell all this world for heaven. When once any thing we have becomes a clog and hinderance to us, in the way heavenward, we should quit it immediately. When we use our worldly enjoyments and possessions, it should be with such a view and in such a manner as to further us in our way heavenward. Thus we should eat, and drink, and clothe ourselves. And thus should we improve the conversation and enjoyment of friends.

And whatever business we are setting about; whatever design we are engaged in, we should inquire with ourselves, whether this business or undertaking will forward us in our way to heaven? And if not, we should quit our design.

We ought to make use of worldly enjoyments, and pursue worldly business in such a degree and manner as shall have the best tendency to forward our journey heavenward, and no otherwise.

I shall offer some reasons of the doctrine.

I. This world is not our abiding place.

Our continuance in this world is but very short.. Man's days on the earth are as a shadow. It was never designed by God this world should be our home. We were not born into

If

this world for that end. Neither did God give us these temporal things, that we are accommodated with for that end. God has given us good estates; if we are settled in families, and God has given us children, or other friends that are very pleasant to us; it is with no such view or design, that we should be furnished and provided for here, as for a settled abode; but with a design that we should use them for the present, and then leave them again in a very little time.

If we are called to any secular business; or if we are charged with the care of a family; with the instruction and education of children, we are called to these things with a design that we shall be called from them again, and not to be our everlasting employment. So that if we improve our lives to