doers; no his great defign was to deftroy Sin, and to draw men on to Obedience and Repentance, by the gracious Offers of pardon and acceptance. So that as for all the Promises of the Gofpel, the Salvation which they encourage,is plainly this Deliverance from our fins, that being the very thing which all the good things of the Gofpel are promised to.

Nay I add further, if God had not told us, that all the Promises of the next Life run upon condition of Mens repentance, and Reformation here in this; yet the very Nature of the things themfelves, would fufficiently fuggeft it to us. For the Happiness of the next Life cannot be enjoyed by wicked men; there is an impoffibility in the thing; eternal Happiness, and an unholy Soul, are things inconfiftent; fo that till men have mortified their wicked Lufts, and are delivered from their fins, they are not capable to partake of it; for the great Happiness of the beatifick Vifion, St.John tells us, is to change us into Gods Image, and to transform us into his likenefs; When he appears, faith he, we shall be like him; because we shall fee him as he is, 1 Joh. 3. 2. Now this Image of God as St. Paul tells us, confifts in righteouf nefs

)

nefs and true holiness, Ephef. 4. 24. God has made our Duty to be only a tranfcript of his own perfections; he requires no more of us than to be fuch as he is himself, that we may be meet to live with him, and take delight in him for ever and ever. If then we would hope to enjoy God, in being like him in the next world, we must study to be vertuous here in this; we have no fhare of his likeness as long as we wallow in fin and wickedness; and fo far as we are unlike, we are uncapable, if he fhould be supposed to give way to it never fo much, of partaking in that Happiness, which confifts in our likeness, and refemblance to him.

This Happiness of the beatifick Vifion then, which confifts in a near resem blance to God himself, a wicked man cannot receive, fince all manner of wickedness renders us most utterly unlike to him, and as for any other Happiness, which we may promise our felves to find there; men of finful Lives and Inclinations are as utterly uncapable of that too. For fo long as their Natures are corrupt, and finful Lufts and Difpofitions reign in them, they can take no delight in the other world, nor would Heaven it felf, C

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if they were admitted into it, be a place of Pleasure to them. Thus for inftance, if a man is wholly given up to Luft and Intemperance; if his greatest Pleasure be in Revellings and Drunkenness, in Luxury and Wantonnefs, in Licentiousness, Mirth and Riotous, Entertainments, he would as foon be condemned to Abstinence and Fafting, and other Religious Severities, and Self-denials here on earth, as to undergo the very fame in Heaven. For there he must needs ftarve his eager defire, and languish in the pain of an unfatisfied Appetite, the place it felf affording no fuch things, as would content them: In the Refurrection from the dead, fays our Saviour, they neither Marry, nor are given in Marriage: That is a Fools wifh, and a Mahometan's Paradife; they neither eat nor drink to fuftain them, fince they cannot die any more; being in these respects not like men on Earth, but equal to the Angels of God in Heaven, Luk. 20. 35, 36. Again, if a man is turbulent and factious, apt to fet Friends at odds, and to enflame Enmities; if his whole delight is to ftir up ftrife, and to engage Parties; in Heaven he must live alone, for he will find no Abettors, nor Encouragers, nor after all his Labour

procure

procure so much as one adherent in that moft peaceable and quiet place.

Again, if a man is ill natur'd and envious;if he mourns because others rejoyce, and grieves at the profperity of his Neighbours; to place him in Heaven, where even the meaneft Souls, whom he most contemned on Earth, are Crown'd with immortal Happiness, would be the readiest way both infinitely to heighten,and to perpetuate his Torments.

Again, if a Man's heart is full of hatred and malice, if he delights in doing mischief, and is glad at his Soul when he can work his fpite, and revenge an injury; what should he do in Heaven, where there is nothing else but Mercy, Forgiveness and Love. There are none there, but who have loved, not only their Friends, but even their Enemies: they have fought the good of all the World, and have hazarded; yea, when it was needful,laid down their own Lives to confirm, or bring others to the truth and make them happy. This was the Gallantry of their Vertue then, and it is their immortal Honour and Delight now; they still reflect upon it, and always rejoyce in it; and then to make fuch a man as this a conftant Witness of C 2 that

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that joy, is to confute and reproach, to fhame and torment him for evermore.

Again, if a man is proud and ambitious, if he give himself up to assume ftate, and expect attendance; if his highest aim be to be above his Brethren, and to have them submit and pay a deference,to bow and cringe to him; what delight fhould he take in Heaven, where he would find every Saint raised to Honour, whilst he stands off at a distance, only as a Looker on; for all the Saints in Heaven , yea, even the very meanest whom he accounted unworthy to come into his Prefence here on Earth, are Christ's Brethren, and God's Heirs; they are fet upon a Throne, and Crown'd with an unfpeakable and immortal weight of Glory. And this all the Saints about them, whether higher or lower in Happiness and Honour, according as the deof their Faith and Obedience in this World have been, are infinitely pleased with.For whilft they were here on Earth, they were wont to efteem others better than themselves, Phil. 2. 3. And to look every man not so much upon his own things, as the things of others, 1 Cor. 10. 24. And this temper they carried to Heaven with them, where every one rejoyces

grees