464 A SOUL PREPARED FOR ilEAVEN. CDISC. yirr. sures us there are many mansions in his Father's house, and that he went to prepare aplace there for his followers, " I tell you," says he, John viii. 38. " I tell you the things which I have seen with my Father." And when he came again from thedead, he made it appear to his disciples, that he had " brought life and immortality to light by his gospel ;" 2 Tint. i. 10. It is only the New Testament that gives us so bright and satisfactory an account what our future heaven is : " The righteous shall be with God, shall behold him, shall dwell with Christ, and see his glory ; " they shall worship day and night in his temple, and sing the praises of him that sits upon the throne, and of the Lamb that 'has redeemed them by his blood ; there shall be no sin, no sorrow, no death, nor any more pain ;" Rev. xxi. 4. they shall bave such satisfactions and employments as are worthy of a rational nature, and a soul refined from sense and sig. St. Paul, one of his disciples, was trans- ported into the third heaven before he died, and there learned " unspeakable things ;" 2 Cor. xii. 2, 4. and he, together with the other apostles, have published the glo- ries of that future world, which they learned from Jesus, their Lord, and confirmed these things to our faith, by prophecies and miracles without number. Now the blessed God himself prepares his own people for this heaven of happiness, by giving them a full con- viction and assurance of the truth of all these divine dis- coveries; he impresses them upon their heart with pow- er, and makes them attend to those divine impressions. Every true christian has learned to say within himself, " This celestial blessedness is no dream, is no painted vision, no gay scene of flattering fancy, nor is it a matter of doubtful dispute, or of uncertain opinion. I am assured of it from the words of Christ, the Son of God, and from his blessed followers, whom he authorized to teach me the things of a future world;" He that is taught of God, behold these glories. in the light of a divine faith, which is to him; " the substance of things hoped for, and the evidente of things not yet seen ;" lIeb. xi. 1. 2. God works up the souls of his people to a prepa- ration for the heavenlyestate, by. " purifying them from every defilement, that might unfit them for the blessed- ness of heaven." The removal of the -guilt of sin, -by his pardoning mercy, I have mentioned before, as necessary
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=