DISCOURSE VIII. 157 enter into it, or possess it; and this blessing is procured for us, by the obedience and death of the Son of God. It is in his blood that we find an atonement for our iniquities, and we must be made heirs of glory, by becoming the adopted children of God,, and so we are joint -heirs with his Son Jesus, and shall be glori- fled with him Rom. viii. 17. And it is by a true and living faith in the Son of God, that we become partakers of this blessing. God has set forth his Son Jesus, as a propitiation for sinners through faith in' his blood ; Rom. iii. 24. We are justified by faith in his blood, and have hope of eternal life through him; Rom. v. 2. We also receive our adoption, and become the children of God through faith in Christ Jesus; Gal. iii. 26. and thereby we obtain a title, to some mansion in our Father's house in heaven, since Jesus our elder brother, and our forerunner, is admitted into it to take a place there in our name. This is a very considerable part of our necessary, preparation for the heavenly world, that we should be believers in the Son of God, and united to him by a living faith, and this faith also is the gift of God ; Eph. ii. S. We are . wrought up to it by his grace. But as this does not seem to be the chief thing designed in the words of my text, . I shall pass it over thus briefly, and apply myself to consider what that further fitness or preparation for heaven intends, for which we are said here to be wrought up by God himself. The former preparation for heaven, may rather be said to be a relative change, which is included in our pardon or justification, and alters our state from the condemnation of hell, to the favour and love of God : But this latter preparation implies a real change of our nature by sanctifying grace, and gives us a temper of soul suited to the business and blessedness of the heavenly world. This is the preparation which my text speaks of The great enquiry therefore at,present is, " What are those, steps of gradual operations, by which the blessed God works us up to this fitness for, heaven ?' And here I shall not run over all the parts and lineaments of the new creature, which is formed by regeneration, nor the particular operations of converting grace whereby we are convinced of sin, and led to faith and repent- ance, and new obedience, though these are all necessary to this end; but I shall confine myself only to those things which have a more immediate reference to the heavenly blessedness, and they are such as follow : 1. " Gnd works us up to a preparation for the heavenly felicity, by establishing and confirming our belief, that there is a heaven provided for the saints, and by giving us some clearer acquaintance with the nature, the business, and the blessedness of this heaven." All this is done by the gospel of Christ, and
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