ty and mistake in that: If thou art sure they are wrought in thee, the matter is not so great, though thou know not when or how thou camest by them.But carefully examine and inquire, hast thou been thoroughly convinced of a prevailing depravation through thy whole soul? and a prevailing wickedness through thy whole life? and how vile sin is? and that, by the covenant thou hast transgressed, the least sin deserves eternal death? Dost thou consent to the law, that it is true and righteous, and perceive thyself sentenced to this death by it? Hast thou seen the utter insufficiency of every creature, either to be itself thy hap piness, or the means of removing this thy misery? Hast thou been convinced, that thy happiness is only in God, as the end; and in Christ as the way to him? and that thou must be brought to God through Christ, or perish eternally? Hast thou seen an absolute necessity of thy enjoying Christ, and the full sufficiency in him, to do for thee whatsoever thy case requires? Hast thou discovered the excellency of this pearl, to be worthy thy selling all to buy it? Have thy convictions been like those of a man that thirsts; and not merely a change in opinion, produced by reading, or education? Have both thy sin and misery been the abhorrence and burden of thy soul? If thou couldest not weep, yet couldst thou heartily groan under the insupportable weight of both? Hast thou renounced all thy own righteousness? Hast thou turned thy idols out of thy heart, so that the creature hath no more the Sovereignty, but is now a servant to God and Christ? Dost thou accept of Christ as thy only Saviour, and expect thy justification, recovery, and glory, from him alone? Are his laws the most powerful commanders of thy life and soul? Do they ordinarily prevail against the commands of the flesh, and against the greatest interest of thy credit, profit, pleasure, or life? Has Christ the highest room in thy heart and affections, that thou canst not love him as thou wouldest, yet nothing else is loved so much? Hast thou to this end made a hearty covenant with him, and delivered up thyself to him? Is it thy utmost care and watchful endeavor that thou mayest be found faithful in this covenant; and though thou fall into sin, yet would est not renounce thy bargain, nor change thy Lord, nor

give up thyself to any other government for all the world? If this be truly thy case, thou art one of the people of God in my text; and as sure as the promise of God is true, this blessed rest remains for thee.Only see thou "abide in Christ," and "endure to the end;" for "if any man draw back, his soul shall have no pleasure in him."-But if no such work be found within thee; whatever thy deceived heart may think, or how strong soever thy false hopes may be; thou wilt find to thy cost, except thorough conversion prevent it, that the rest of the saints belongs not to thee. "O that thou wert wise, that thou wouldest understand this, that thou wouldest consider thy latter end! That yet, while thy soul is in thy body, and a price in thy hand, and opportunity and hope before thee, thine ears may be open, and thine heart yield to the persuasions of God, that so thou mightest rest among his people, and enjoy the inheritance of the saints in light!

§ 13. That this rest shall be enjoyed by the people of God, is a truth, which the scripture, if its testimony be further needed, clearly asserts in a variety of ways. As for instance, That they are fore ordained to it, and it for them. "God is not ashamed to be called their God for he hath prepared for them a city."— They are styled "vessels of mercy, afore-prepared anto glory." "In Christ they have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the council of his own will. And "whom he did predestinate, them he also glorified." Who can bereave his people of that rest which is designed for them by God's eternal purpose?-Scripture tells us, they are redeemed to this rest: By the blood of Jesus we have boldness to enter into the holiest;" whether the entrance means by faith and prayer here, or by full possession hereafter. Therefore the saints in heaven "sing a new song" unto him who has "redeemed them to God by his blood, out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation, and made them kings and priests unto God." Either Christ then must lose his blood and sufferings, and never "see of the travail of his soul," or else there remaineth a rest to the people of God." In Scripture this rest is promised to them. As the

firmament with stars, so are the sacred pages bespangled with these divine engagements. Christ says, "fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." "I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my father hath appointed unto me; that ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom,' &c. &c.-All the means of grace, the operations of the Spirit upon the soul, and gracious actings of the saints, every command to repent and believe, to fast and pray, to knock and seek, to strive and labor, to run and fight, prove that there remains a rest for the people of God. The Spirit would never kindle in us such strong desires after heaven, such love to Jesus Christ, if we should not receive what we desire and love. He that "guides our feet in the way of peace," will undoubtedly bring us to the end of peace. How nearly is the means and end conjoined? "The kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force." They that "follow Christ in the regeneration, shall sit upon thrones of glory."-Scripture assures us, that the saints have the beginnings, foretastes, earnests, and seals of their rest here. "The kingdom of God is within them." "Though they have not seen Christ, yet loving him, and believing in him, they rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory; receiving the end of their faith, even the salvation of their souls." They "rejoice in hope of the glory of God." And does God "seal them with that holy spirit of promise, which is the earnest of their inheritance," and will he deny the full possession? The scripture also mentions, by name, those who have entered into this rest. As Enoch, Abraham, Lazarus, the thief that was crucified with Christ, &c. And if there be a rest for these, sure there is a rest for all believers. But it is in vain to heap up scripture-proofs, seeing it is the very end of scripture to be a guide to lead us to this blessed state, and to be the charter and grant by which we hold all our title to it.

§ 14. Scripture not only proves that this rest remains for the people of God, but also that it remains for none but them, so that the rest of the world shall have no part in it. "Without holiness no man shall see the Lord." "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." "He that believeth

not in the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him." "No whore-monger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolator, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.”— "The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God." "They shall all be damned, who believe not the truth, but have pleasure in unrighteousness." "The Lord Jesus shall come in flaming fire, to take vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ; who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power." Had the ungodly returned before their life was expired, and been heartily willing to accept of Christ for their Saviour and their King, and to be saved by him in his way, and upon his most reasonable terms, they might have been saved. God freely offered them life, and they would not accept it. The pleasures of the flesh seemed more desirable to them than the glory of the saints. Satan offered them the one, and God offered them the other, and they had free liberty to choose which they would, and they chose "the pleasures of sin for a season," before the everlasting rest with Christ. And is it not a righteous thing, that they should be denied that, which they would not accept? When God pressed them so ear nestly, and persuaded them so importunately to come in, and yet they would not, where should they be but among the dogs without? Though man be so wicked, that he will not yield till the mighty power of grace prevail with him, yet still we may truly say, that he may be saved if he will, on God's terms. His inability being moral, and lying in wilful wickedness, is no more excuse to him, than it is to an adulterer, that he cannot love his own wife, or to a malicious person that he cannot but hate his own brother: is he not so much the worse, and deserving of so much the sorer punishment? Sinners shall lay all the blame on their own wills in hell for ever. Hell is a rational torment by conscience, according to the nature of the rational subject. If sinners could but then say, it was long of God, and not of us, it would quiet their consciences, and ease their torments, and make hell to them to be

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no hell. But to remember their wilfulness, will feed the fire, and cause the worm of conscience never to die.

§ 15. It is the will of God, that this rest should yet remain for his people, and not be enjoyed till they come to another world.-Who should dispose of the creatures, but he that made them? You may as well ask, why have we not spring and harvest without winter? or, why is the earth below, and the heavens above, as, why we have not rest upon earth? All things must come to their perfection by degrees. The strongest man must first be a child. The greatest scholar must first begin in his alphabet. The tallest oak was once an acorn. This life is our infancy; and would we be perfect in the womb, or born at full stature? If our rest was here, most of God's provi⚫dences must be useless. Should God lose the glory of his church's miraculous deliverances and the fall of his enemies, that men may have their happiness here? If we were all happy, innocent and perfect, what use was there for the glorious works of our sanctification, justification, and future salvation? If we wanted nothing, we should not depend on God so closely, nor call upon him so earnestly. How little should he hear from us, if we had what we would have? God would never have had such songs of praise from Moses at the Red Sea and in the wilderness, from Deborah and Hannah, from David and Hezekiah, if they had been the choosers of their own condition. Have not thy own highest praises to God, reader, been occasioned by thy dangers or miseries? The greatest glory and praise God has through the world, is for redemption, reconciliation, and salvation by Christ; and was not man's misery the occasion of that? And where God loses the opportunity of exercising his mercies, man must needs lose the happiness of enjoying them.Where God loses his praise, man will certainly lose his comforts. O the sweet comforts the saints have had in return to their prayers! How should we know what a tender hearted Father we have, if we had not, as the prodigal, been denied the husks of earthly pleasure and profit? We should never have felt Christ's tender heart, if we had not felt ourselves weary and heavy laden, hungry and thirsty, poor and contrite.-It is a delight to a soldier, or traveller, to look back