entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him. 1 Cor. ii. 9.

I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared to the glory which shall be revealed in us. Rom. viii. 18.

Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know this, that when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is.

And every man that hath this hope in Him purifieth himself, even as He is pure. 1 John iii. 2, 3.

These are they which have come out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple : and He that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.

They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor heat.

any

For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. Rev. vii. 14—17.

And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.

And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.

And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it.

And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, nor maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.

Rev. xxi. 22-24. 27.

There are many collateral issues and little streams of comfort which God hath made to issue from that religion to which God hath obliged us; such as our mutual comforts, visiting sick people, instructing the ignorant, and so becoming better instructed and fortified and comforted ourselves by the instruments of our brother's ease and advantage; the glories of converting souls, of rescuing a sinner from hell, of a miserable man from the grave; the honour and nobleness of being a good man; the noble confidence and bravery of innocence, the ease of patience, the quiet of contentedness, the rest of peacefulness, the worthiness of forgiving others, the greatness of spirit that is in despising riches, and the sweetness of spirit that is in meekness and humility, these are Christian graces in every sense, favours of God, and issues of His bounty and mercy. Bp. Jeremy Taylor.

The highest glory that I can think of is to be a friend to God; and this I am sure to be

as soon as I commence a righteous man. And shall I stand so much in my own light, O foolish creature that I am, as to refuse His friendship when I may have it on such reasonable terms, and shall need no other endearment to introduce me into His favour, but only that of righteousness ? For besides the honour of being His favourites, what infinite advantage may we expect to reap from it! For what may we not promise ourselves from the grace and favour of the great Sovereign of beings, who doth whatsoever pleases Him in both worlds, and hath the absolute disposal of all the blessings that either heaven or earth affords ? Doubtless we

may safely promise ourselves every thing, both from below and above, that can either do us good here, or contribute to our happiness hereafter. For, as the Psalmist tells us, that such is His love of righteousness, that He "will give both grace and glory, and that no good thing will He withhold from them that live uprightly." (Ps. lxxxiv. 11.) Who would not then be tempted to righteousness upon the prospect of being a favourite of God, and of the infinite glory and advantage which redounds from thence ? Dr. John Scott.

God has impressed upon the human mind an apprehension and desire of enjoyment far exceeding any thing which the world is competent to gratify; and for a wise and obvious reason, namely, because eternity, and not the contracted sphere of temporal objects, is intended to be our final destination. Bp. Shuttleworth.

A man who is in earnest in his endeavours after the happiness of a future state has an advantage over all the world; for he has constantly before his eyes an object of supreme importance, productive of perpetual enjoyment and activity, and of which the pursuit (which can be said of no other pursuit) lasts him to his life's end. Paley.

And indeed the rewards of heaven are so great and glorious, and Christ's burden is so light, and His yoke so easy, that it is a shameless impudence to expect so great glories at a less rate than so little a service, at a lower rate than a holy life. It cost the eternal Son of God His life-blood to obtain heaven for us upon that condition; and who then shall die again for us, to get heaven for us upon easier conditions? What would you do if God should command you to kill your eldest son, or to work in the mines for a thousand years together, or to fast all thy lifetime with bread and water? Were not heaven a great bargain even after all this? And when God requires of us but to live soberly, justly, and godly (which very things of themselves to men are a very great felicity, and necessary to their present well-being), shall we think this to be a load, and an insufferable burden ? Bp. Jeremy Taylor.

Death will deliver me from the burden of the flesh, from that by which alone I have been susceptible of pain, which has been the source of all my sorrows, the instrument of all my

sins. It will deliver me from that which has weighed down all my upward aspirations, corrupted my purer joys, marred my most earnest efforts at advancement. Surely, then, death must prove joy and felicity to me! It will be to my soul as liberty to the captive, health to the sick, happiness to the troubled in spirit. How, then, can I contemplate otherwise than with complacency an event which will then enfranchise me?

Coxe.

The only way to cure the fear of death is to mortify all remains of love and affection for this world; to withdraw ourselves as much as may be from the conversation of it; to use it very sparingly, and with great indifference; to supply the wants of nature, rather than to enjoy the pleasures of it; to have our conversation in heaven, to meditate on the glories of that blessed place; to live in this world upon the hopes of unseen things; to accustom ourselves to the work, and to the pleasures of heaven; to praise and adore the great Maker and Redeemer of the world; to mingle ourselves with the heavenly quire, and possess our very fancies and imaginations with the glory and happiness of seeing God and the blessed Jesus, of dwelling in His immediate presence, of conversing with saints and angels. This is to live like strangers in this world, and like citizens of heaven; and then it will be as easy to us to leave this world for heaven, as it is for a traveller to leave a foreign country to return home. This is the height and perfection of Christian virtue; it is our morti