4'4 A SOUL ,PREPARED FOR HEAVEN. rDISC. heaven a part of my own. But I proceed not here, be- cause this would anticipate what I design hereafter. 8. God is pleased to work up his people to a prepa- ration for the heavenly state, by " giving them a pledge' and earnest of the blessedness of heaven," that is, by sending his own Spirit into their hearts under this very character, both as the spring of a divine life, and as the evidence of our hope, and sometimes bestowing upon them such foretastes of the heavenly world, by the ope- rations of his holy Spirit, which are too joyful and glo- rious to be fully expressed in mortal language; but we shall attempt something of it in another discourse. [Here this discourse may be divided.] proceed now to seek what inferences or edifying re- marks may be made upon our meditations thus far : Remark I. We learn from my text " what are the brigfitest, the plainest, and the surest evidences of our interest in the heavenly blessedness : Are we trained up to it and prepared for it ?" Has the blessed God wrought up our souls to anyhopeful degrees of this prepa ration ? Has he in any measure made us meet for the inheritance of the saints in sight ? I grant the scripture teaches Sus, that it is by a true and living faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, that we obtain a title to eternal life, according to the proposals ofthe co- venant of grace in the gospel ; but our preparation for heaven by a holy and heavenly temperofmind and con duct of life, is the fairest and most uncontested evidence of the truth and life of our faith, and such aproof of it as will stand the test both in life and death, in this world,. and in the world to come. If we would manifest our faith in Christ to be sincere and genuine and effectual for our salvation, we must make it appear that we are growing up into the imageofChrist in all things,' we must be formed after the likeness of the Son of God, who is our great example, and our forerunner into heaven ; and where this evidence is found the soul cannot fail of sal vatiou. Wheresoever there is this fitness for the joys on high, God will assuredly bestow these divine pleasures. It is for such souls that he has prepared a heaven, and when he has prepared such souls for the heavenly world, he will surely bring them to the possession of it,
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