he acted accordingly. He weaned his affections from his native country; he would not be tempted to stay in fruitful Egypt any longer than his neceffities required; neither his own, nor his wife's great age hindered him from depending upon the promises of God; and God rewarded his faith, and anfwered the defires of his heart.

Why now, good Chriftians, we have the word of the Son of God for it, that in a short time, when this mortal shall have put on immortality, we shall be as happy as the angels of God. Then we shall be amazed at the madness of those who preferred a temporal gain, or pleasure, or honour, to the glories of heaven, which will laft for ever.

And oh! that Chriftians would but lay this seriously to heart, before it is too late; that they would behave themselves as strangers and pilgrims in this world, and look upon the next as the place where true joys are to be found. Then should we not be tempted with earthly pleasures, nor doat upon the things now, which we shall then defpife and abhor; and be astonished that creatures made for, and having the promise of eternal happiness, if they will but in good earneft ftrive for it, fhould yet choose eternal death, rather than renounce a prefent, fhort, unfatisfactory enjoyment.

We find by fad experience, that not only the enjoyment, but the very defire of the good

things of this world, do very much indispose and hinder us from purfuing the prize of our high calling, with that earnestness which it deferves. How hardly (faith our Lord) shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of beaven. For they have fo many and strong temptations to love this world, and fet up their rest here, that the happiness of the world to come finds no place in their thoughts.

Happy then are they, who have feen the vanity of this world, and have so long confidered the bleffings of the world to come, that faith has made thofe bleffings prefent to them; and they fee and feel (what others laugh at them for) that for the joys of heaven, though at a distance, one ought to part with any fatisfaction upon earth.

III. Thirdly; A firm belief of the confequences of the refurrection will very much help us to run with patience the race that is fet before us: That is, it will help us to perform all those duties of christianity, which are abfolutely neceffary to fit us for heaven. For if we believe that God is a rewarder of fuch as diligently feek him; if we are thoroughly convinced of this, and that the reward we expect will be inconceivably great; then fhall we apply ourselves to the obtaining it, like men that are really in earneft, with unwearied diligence.

And truly, there is need of a right underStanding of these things, of a firm faith, and very lively hopes, and most glorious promises, to

T 2

make

make us go through so many Christian duties, which are fo uneafy to flesh and blood, and yet are indispensably neceffary to eternal happiness.

For my part, I fhould be at a lofs for arguments to perfuade a man, either to watch, or pray, or to deny himself, or to be in charity with all men, if I could not firft convince him, that he will be the greatest gainer by doing these things; particularly, that he has the promise of a moft glorious reward; that he has many and powerful enemies that envy him fuch a reward, and will not fail to divert him from pursuing it, if he be not very watchful over himself; that God will give him all the affistance that is neceffary, provided he prays for it with the seriousness of one that is in good earnest; that the life and joys of heaven will be quite of another kind than those which we are naturally fond of here; that therefore we muft wean our affections from fenfual pleafures, bring ourselves by degrees to follow the will of God with readinefs and fatisfaction, whenever we know it; this being one of the duties, and the delight of the inhabitants of heaven:-In short, that we must use fome felf-denial to effect this, and to alter the bent of our inclinations, or elfe we fhall never be happy as we hope to be.

Laftly; if I could convince him, that in heaven there is no fournefs of temper, no felfish ends, no jarring or undermining one

another,

another, no jealousy and fufpicion; that such evil difpofitions as thefe will render a man utterly incapable of heaven, where all the inhabitants live in good understanding with one another, and in the ftricteft bonds of love, rejoicing in one another's happiness, and praifing God for his goodness to others as well as to themselves.

When a man is once convinced of this, then he will see how neceffary that charity is, which the gospel requires, to help us to get rid in time of fuch evil affections and habits, as, if not cured here, will most surely hinder us of the happiness we expect there.

And feeing the reasonableness of these duties, and how abfolutely neceffary they are, to make us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the faints in light, a Chriftian will set about them in good earnest, as he hopes for falvation: at least, if this will not prevail with us to do so, nothing else will. St. Paul therefore concludes all his discourse of the refurrection, and everlasting life after death, with these words: Be ye therefore ftedfaft, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forafmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord; intimating, that the ferious belief of an immortal happiness will keep us ftedfaft in the faith, notwithstanding the troubles we meet with; unmoved by the temptations of the world; always abounding in the work of the Lord; that is, doing the duties of christianity

f 1 Cor. xv.

.

christianity with patience and joy in the Holy Ghoft.

And now, good Chriftians, you see, first, how much it concerns every body who professes to believe the refurrection of the body, and an everlasting life after death, fo to order his life in this world, that in the next he may be happy.

Confider, fecondly, whence you have this affurance of immortal happiness. It is not from conjecture, not from the vain and weak reafonings of men like ourselves, but from the mouth of the Son of God. It is he who tells us, that the children of the refurrection fhall never die, but fhall be equal to the angels.

But then obferve, thirdly, that the fame God of truth, who gives us this comfortable hope, affures us, at the fame time, that there is fomething to be done on our part, in order to obtain it. It is not every one who profeffes to believe these things that shall be happy as the angels, but they that fhall be worthy; that is, they who through faith in the promises of God have been encouraged to deny all ungodlinefs and worldly lufts, and to live foberly, righteoufly, and godly, in this prefent world; looking for that bleffed hope-which God has given us in our Saviour Jefus Chrift.

So that the belief of a refurrection, and an everlasting life, will eafily be perceived to be of little ufe or comfort to one who will not be perfuaded to prepare for it.

For,