PART it. SERMON XIV. 205 ordinances before God on earth? and by a comparison of these two, may the Spirit of God awaken our faith, our hope, our love, and our joy, and all join to promote our sanctification ! The differences then between our standing before God in wor- ship now and our worshipping before God in heaven, are such as these 1. Now the true christian appears in' a mixed assembly of saints and sinners : there the assembly is all holy, and not one sinner amongst them. Here sincere souls and hypocrites meet together in worship ; there the hypocrite is for ever banished. In the houses of God on earth, the wiched Cana- anites will mingle with the children of Israel ; but in his tem- ple in heaven, every one is an Israelite indeed ; There shall no more be found a Canaanitein the house of the Lord of hosts; Zech. xiv. 21. Thechildren of God here, are under a veil of infirm and sinful flesh, and in the likeness of sinners ; there they are unveil- ed and acknowledged to be the sons and daughters of the Almighty ; 1 John iii. 1, 2. Behold what manner of love the Father bath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God! But theworld knows us not ; nay, we are not at many times known to ourselves; but when he comes whom we have trusted, thenwe shall be known and distinguished from the world, as God's onlybegotten Son ; and we shall be known and distin- guished as the children of God, all related and a-kin to him When he appears we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is ; 1 John 111 2. and shall sufficiently, be distinguished from all who belong not to Christ. Here achild of God, in the sanctuary, is deeplyhumbled at the mention of the name of God ; but his humility is not seen. Herehis zeal kindles at the proposal of a duty, but it burn swith a hidden flame : Herehis love is at work, his hope isarising, his joy is gettingup to heaven, when he is engaged in the meditation . of a comfortable promise, or someof the blessed privileges of the children of God ; while those who are aroundhim, even his next . neighbour who sits close to him, knows nothing of the holy work- ings of his heart, and the breathings of his soul towards God: But there the whole assembly shall worship with one heart, and one soul, and not one wandering worshipper, or one wandering thought in worship, We are ready to complain here, that we ourselves know not whether we shall be accepted or no ; through the weakness of faith, want of holiness, decay of zeal in our spirits, and that de- generacy we sometimes find and feel in ourselves, we are often ready to doubt, and almost upon the borders of despair. This is the case of many a poor, trembling Christian; but there every
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