Or, The New :Birth. 491 nity it felf, where there frtall be nothint but holy Duties, . and where there !hall n_ot be a fpa~e Minute fo much as for a va1.n Thought or an rdlc Word ? \~hat _wllt rhon do m Heaven, where whatfoever thou !halt hear, fee, or converfe with, 1s all Holv? And by how much more perfea the Holinefs of Heaven is than thJt of the ·&t ints on Earth, by fo much the more irkfome and intolerable would it be to wicked Men; for if they cannot endure the weak light of a Star, how will they be able to bear the dazling ligh t of the Sun it felf. I fpeak all this to convince wicked Men how weak, Vain, and foolilh a thing it is for them to hope for Happinefs without endeavouring after this great change? Mifery perfucs them even to Heaven it fclf. and they would not be happy even there. Certain it is.God never hcftows Hc;ven u~n any, but beforehand he makes them agreeable to its Holincfs by their own: As for Swines and Dogs, filthy and impure Sinners, God will never punifh them with the Purity of Heaven, no, he hath provided another place for their Torment, where they fhall eterna.Hy and unce~antly Hate and Blafpheme God, as the Saints in GlorY Love :tnd Pr.ufe God. It Is therefore nece£rary, that as Muficians tune their lnlhuments before they enter into the prcfence of any; fo onr Hearts fuould be tuned to the Songs and P:aifes of Heaven, before we enter into the glorious1)refence of God., to be made hts Mu lick for ever. Secondly, Vnrcgenerate Men are unfuitable to the Reward ofHeaven. As the work ~. there is rpirit11:1l Vlork, fo the reward is a fpiritual Reward; and it confill:s efpeci-Urmgot,;; ally in two things, both of them unfuitable to a carnal Heart. In a clear Vi liOn ofrAtt if;11 God, and an unim:tginable entirenefs of Communion with him in Heaven ; and :;bz:~~~~:~~ rhefc two things of all things unholy Perfons cannot bear. Rt'4tArd ,f Firft, The fight of God to a Jimur is infinitely full of dread and terror. Ym1 read in Htavt71, Scriet uu what dreadful apprchenfions even God's own Children have had after fome whh? ' 111 ' - tho but rc~nined and .refcrvcd difcover~es ~f himfclf to them, and .that becauf~ ~fi:,",}ht they had fhll fome remamders of Co~uption m them that Grace in thts Life could God,andi" not deftroy ; thus the Prophet £fay cnes out, Woe is me for I am undone, bccaufc I am c~mtmim a Man. of wclean t;pt, and mine eyet have feen the King, the Lord of Hoft. And fo when wit hi"!; Chrift put forth his Divine Power in working of a Afiracle, the Glory of it was fo bo! .kh~h terrible, and fo unfupportable, even to holy Peter, that he cries out, St. Luke 6. ~~;·:a:mot Dtp~trt ft_om mr, 0 Lord, for I am a finful Man. And if thcfe faint difcoverics of God, bt11r. even to holy Men themfelves, were fo aftonifhing and unfi1pportable, what a con- r.. founding fight then will it be to h~ve all the glorious Attributes of God break fort.h ~~:~~::., in a full fhlh upon the Faces of WICked Men, when among the rcft of thofe Attn- Simur i; bures they fua\1 behold the Drc:td, \iVrath and fevere Jull:ice of God to be fworn and full of armed againft Sin and Sinners? Is.this a fight that will make Heaven defirable to dm,J 11nd a wicked Man? Hoyv doft thou thmk to endure the Rays of that. excellent Glory umr, and Majefty, which m:tkes even the Eyes of the Angr:ls thcmfelves to twinkle with the dazling brightnefs of it. Secondly, As for rhat uear Bofom Ummunion with God, wherein ftandt auother part of .'" ~ the Reward of HMvm ; thi& i5 that which wicked Men hate, yea, they hate that any jiJotdd Wte7d prtten~ to it. Tilofe f~ect endearing interconrfes that l_)afs betwixt qod an~ the~':~:~~'" Soul1n ways ofWorfh1p, of Love for Love, and ofObedience for Merctes received wtrh GQd. they never knew them on Earth, and how then lhall they be fit for them in Heaven? Ccrta·inly to be for ever tyed up to fuch Spiritualities as thefe, will make Heaven but an uncomfortable place to an ungodly unchanged Heart. Now tell me, after this re.('refcntation made untd ydu , both of the Work and of the Reward of Heaven, whether yon are indeed willing to be in this Etern:tl fr.atc or no? A ftrange Q}_teftion you may think; what! To ask Men whether they arc ~illing; to go .to Heaven, artd tp be poffeffed of Glory f But let.me tell you, it is an tmpoffible thmg for an unfanCbfied Heart teally to w1fl1 to be m Heaven, confider_ ing it under th:tt perfeCt Purity and Notion of true Holinefs, which bath now been · laid before you ; do you wifu to be for ever employed in the Loving, Praifing, Serving, and Enjoying of God, witho,ut int:rruption.or ceffation, why then do you not endeavour to fit your fe lves for It agamfr the time of your Appearing in Glory? Why do you not hbour after true· Grace that alone can . fit you for that holy and bleOCd Work? That Idea and Notion that wicked Men frame to thcmfclves of Heaven only as a place of Eafc, Reft, and all Blclfednefs, makes them to believe that they do really wifh themfelves po!fe!fcd of it; but yet i f, it could be fnppofcd that fi1ch a Perfon were taken up into Heaven, he would find it a place fo contrary to his · ' R r r r Fancy
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