Chap. 3.] THE SAINTS/ REST. 51 present pleasures, and loose thy hold of earth and flesh. Study frequently, study thoroughly, this one wordEter- nity. What ! Live, and never die! Rejoice, and ever re- joice !" 0 happy souls in hell, should you but escape after millions of ages ! O miserable saints in heaven, should you be dispossessed after the age of a million of worlds ! This word, Everlasting, contains the perfection of their torment, and our glory. O that the sinner would study this word; methinks it would startle him out of his dead sleep ! O that the gracious soul would study it; methinks it would revive him in his deepest agony! "And must I, Lord, thus live for ever? Thenwill I also love for ever. Must my joys be immortal ; and shall not my thanks be also immortal ? Surely, if I shall never lose my glory, I will never cease thy praises. If thou wilt both perfect and perpetuate me and my glory, as I shall be thine, andnot my own, so shall my glory be thy glory. And as thy glory was thy ultimate end in my glory, so shall it also be my end, when thou hast crowned me with that glory which hath no end. Unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honor and glory, for ever and ever.' " Thus I have endeavored to show you a glimpse of ap- proaching glory. But how short are my expressions of its excellency ! Reader, if thou be an humble, sincere be- liever, and waitest with longing and laboring for this rest, . thou wilt shortly see and feel the truth of all this. Thou wilt then have so high an apprehension of this blessed state, as will make thee pity the ignorance and distance of mortals, and will tell thee, all that is here said falls short of the whole truth a thousand-fold. In the mean time, let this much kindle thy desires, and quicken thy en- deavors. Up, and be doing; run, and strive, and fight, and hold on : for thou hast a certain, glorious prize before thee. God will not mock thee; do not mock thyself, nor betray thy soul by delaying, and all is thine own. What kind of men, dost thou think, would Christians be in their lives and duties, if they had still this glory fresh in their What ? frame would their spirits be in, if their thoughts of heaven were lively and believing? Would their hearts be so heavy ? their countenances be so sad ? or would they have need to take up their comforts from below ? Would they be so loath to suffer; so afraid to die?
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