exclaimed," Vanity of vanities, vanity of vanities; all is vanity!" The habitual view of eternity sinks the world and all its enjoyments in the estimation of christians, and leads them to value all beings and objects according to their real worth and importance in another world.

4. The habitual view of eternity gives christians a proper sense of the worth of the human soul. God has made man wiser than the beasts of the field and the fowls of heaven, and endued him with a rational and immortal soul, which gives him the preeminence, in point of importance, to all the lower creation. Every human soul shall exist for ever, and be for ever happy or miserable. It is only in the view of eternity that its worth and importance can be justly estimated. But christians, who live in the habitual view of eternity, can and do view it according to its eternal and inestimable value. The immortality of the soul gives it infinite worth and importance. Those who never carry their thoughts into eternity, never have a just view of the vast importance of their precious and immortal souls. But christians, who believe the gospel, which has unfolded the invisible world, and brought life and immortality to light, view their own souls and the souls of all men as more precious and valuable than the whole world. And it is their heart's desire and prayer to God, that they may be saved from the wrath to come, and be for ever happy beyond. the grave.

5. The view which christians have of eternity impresses their minds with a deep conviction of the value and importance of all the means of grace. They have found that the Bible, the Sabbath, and the ordinances of the gospel, have had a powerful, a happy and saving effect upon their minds. They ascribe all their peculiar knowledge of God, of themselves, of time and eternity, to the light they have derived from these means of grace. They are sensible that they would have lived without God, without Christ, and without hope in the world, and been still strangers to the covenant of promise, if they had not enjoyed and improved the precious privileges of the gospel. These means of grace they constantly prize and improve, in order to enjoy comfort, grow in knowledge, and make advances in the christian and divine life. Though mankind generally make light of the gospel and all the means of grace, yet christians, who live in the light of eternity, view all religious advantages as infinitely important to themselves, and to all who enjoy them. They know that the gospel is an everlasting gospel; that its truths are everlasting truths; that they will make everlasting impressions on their minds; and that they will prove a savor of life unto life, or a savor of death unto death

to all eternity; which stamps an infinite importance upon them. This inspires them with a zeal to read the Bible, sanctify the Sabbath, and attend divine institutions themselves, and to lead others to improve the means of grace to their own spiritual and eternal benefit.

6. The habitual view of eternity never fails to dispose christians to order all their secular concerns with discretion, and bring them into subserviency to their eternal interests. These things, which are seen and temporal, appear light while they look at things which are not seen, and which are eternal. They see the propriety and feel the force of what Christ says to them. "Labor not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life." They sincerely desire to bring all their secular designs and pursuits into subordination to their spiritual concerns, and to eat and drink, and do every thing to the glory of God. While they live in the exercise of that faith which is the substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen, they gain the victory over the world, and the things of the world, and make them all the means of laying up treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, nor thieves break through and steal.

7. The habitual view of eternity animates and encourages christians to live a life of usefulness in this world. They see much to be done for the temporal and spiritual benefit of their fellow men, and they have but a short time to serve God and their generation in this life. They know that God has set them apart for himself, and requires them to be instrumental in promoting his glory and the best good of their fellow men, while the day of life lasts; and has solemnly admonished them that the night of death will put a final period to their usefulness on earth. He says to every man, "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom in the grave, whither thou goest." But so long as christians are allowed to live in the world, they have great encouragement to be steadfast, and indefatigable in discharging all the relative duties of life; for their labor shall not be in vain to themselves nor to their fellow men, but meet a glorious reward.

8. There is another great and happy effect which the habitual view of eternity has upon christians; and that is, to support and comfort them under all the trials, afflictions and bereavements which they are called to experience in this present evil world. This happy effect the apostles and primitive christians derived from viewing all their troubles and afflictions in the light of eternity. "We are troubled on every side," says

the apostle," yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed." "Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus, shall raise us up also by Jesus, and shall present us with you. For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal." The same support and consolation all christians derive from viewing their light and momentary trials and sufferings in the light of that vast eternity, where all their tears shall be wiped away, and an eternal weight of glory bestowed upon them.

IMPROVEMENT.

1. It appears from what has been said that christians have reason to be willing to die. Death is theirs, and will convey them into that blessed eternity which they have contemplated with peculiar pleasure and satisfaction. Good men have often been willing to die, and make the happy transition out of time into eternity, in order to enjoy a blessed immortality beyond the grave. Job said, "I would not live alway." "All the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come." David said to God, "As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake with thy likeness." Paul said, "For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better." All the primitive christians had the same desire, and spoke the same language. "We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord." It is not strange that those who have lived in the habitual and joyful view of eternity, should be willing and even desirous to leave things seen and temporal to behold and enjoy things unseen and eternal. They see something worth dying for, which gives them a triumph over the king of terrors, and enables them to say, "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?" But if such are the happy views that christians may have of God, while they see through a glass darkly, what glorious and astonishing views must they have of him, when they first open their eyes in eternity, and find themselves in his presence, and surrounded by all the heavenly hosts! Every being and every object will bear the stamp of eternity. The holiness they see will be

eternal holiness, and the happiness they enjoy will be eternal happiness. They will there shine forth in all the beauties of holiness in the kingdom of their Father, in whose presence is fulness of joy, at whose right hand are pleasures for evermore. 2. If christians have reason to rejoice in the view of a happy eternity, then sinners have reason to tremble in the view of a miserable eternity. They have nothing to hope for, but every thing to fear, beyond the grave. They choose to have their portion in this world; but they must soon leave this world, and go into eternity, where their souls must exist as long as the souls of saints, but without the least source of happiness. All that they loved, or valued, or enjoyed in this world will be for ever removed from them; and they will find nothing in eternity to please their eyes, or their ears, or their hearts, but every thing to strike terror and consternation into their minds. They will meet with no friends, but with fixed and eternal enemies. If they look up to heaven, they can see no source of light or hope there. If they look into their own hearts, they can find no source of light or hope there. If they look back upon this world, they can think of nothing but what fills them with selfreproach and self-condemnation. If they look around them, they can see nothing but what will augment their misery, and if they look forward, they can see nothing but endless darkness and despair. This is not an unscriptural and visionary representation of the state of incorrigible sinners beyond the grave; and have they not reason to tremble, when they carry their thoughts into eternity, and realize their future and eternal doom? O how must they feel, when they open their eyes in eternity, and find the gate of heaven shut against them, and the gate of destruction open to receive them! Can their hands be strong, or their hearts endure, in the day when God shall cast them into the bottomless pit? While you are standing upon the borders of this pit, be entreated to escape the wrath to come, and lay hold on eternal life.

3. If eternity has an habitual and powerful influence upon christians, who have an habitual view of it, then we may conclude that sinners in general are extremely stupid in respect to their future state. God has told them that they are rational and immortal creatures; that their souls will not die with their bodies; that when they leave this, they will go into another world; and that they will there exist for ever completely happy, or miserable. He has told them that while they continue in the state of nature, they are dead in trespasses and sins; that they are unfit for his kingdom; that they stand condemned by his holy law, and that they are constantly exposed to be called into a miserable eternity. But, notwithstanding all this light

in their understanding, they cast off fear, and live in great ease and security. This looks strange at first view. But the cause is obvious. They banish death and eternity from their view. And so long as they can keep future and eternal objects out of view, and the world in their hearts, they see nothing to disturb their peace, or to alarm their fears. This extreme stupidity of sinners is certainly owing to their habitually keeping eternity out of view; for if they would only realize that future and eternal misery to which they are exposed, a sense of danger would alarm their fears, and destroy all their pleasing prospects, and plunge them in deep anxiety and distress. Whenever God awakens sinners, and causes them to realize that they are going into a miserable eternity, it never fails to throw them into the gall of bitterness and bonds of iniquity. The most stupid, hardened and stout-hearted sinners cannot help trembling like Felix and Belshazzar, when they look into eternity, and realize their lying down in eternal sorrow. They are guilty, therefore, of inexcusable folly and stupidity, in banishing eternity from their thoughts. They bear the same relation to eternity that saints do, and must as certainly take up their everlasting residence in it; and it certainly as deeply concerns them to live in an habitual view of eternity. But their supreme love to the world and the things of the world so darkens their understanding and stupifies their conscience, that they cry to themselves peace and safety, while their feet stand on slippery places, and they know not but the next step they take they may slide into the world of eternal wo. Such stupidity appears astonishing to those who habitually realize eternity, and it will sooner or later appear still more astonishing to those who take pains to shut eternity out of sight. If they are wise, they will look into eternity, and consider their latter end; but if they will not hear Moses, nor the prophets, they must bear the fatal effects of their voluntary stupidity, and lie down in everlasting sorrow.

4. So long as sinners live without a just and realizing view of eternity, they can have no just and realizing view of themselves, or of the world in which they live. This world is inseparably connected with another. Things seen are inseparably connected with things unseen. Things temporal are inseparably connected with things eternal. The temporal existence of sinners is inseparably connected with their eternal existence. The value of all earthly objects is to be estimated according to their duration. Houses and their furniture are to be estimated according to their duration. Living creatures are to be estimated according to the length of their lives. And mankind are to be estimated according to the duration of their existence. Neither the world, nor the things of the world, will