Selected quad for the lemma: heaven_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
heaven_n	body_n	glorious_a	vile_a	2,633	5	9.7400	5	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A62392	The faithful souldier's reward, or, A glimpse of the saints happiness discovered in two sermons, occasioned by the death of that truly vertuous and religious gentle woman, Mrs. Katherine Disney : the former preached at Kirkstead, the place of her last abode here upon the earth, on the 18th day of May, 1690, being the Lord's Day, and the latter at Swinderly, near Lincoln, where she was interr'd the Tuesday following / by William Scoffin.	Scoffin, William, 1655?-1732.	1692 (1692)	Wing S933; ESTC R11432	41,514	126

the Apostle there from whence also we look for the Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ who shall change our vile Body that it may be fashioned like unto his Glorious Body according to the Working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself O blessed Change indeed They shall be fashioned like unto his glorious Body Now the Bodies of the Saints are vile but then they shall be glorious For Christ's Body now glorified in Heaven is surely a glorious Body indeed * Rev. 1 13 16. Mat. 17.1 2. And the Bodies of the Saints shall be like his O how joyfully will the Soul reunite with the Body when this glorious Change is passed upon it And what a blessed Union will this be nevermore to be broken O then will the Saints be in a Capacity of enjoying the highest Felicity 3. Their Bodies and Souls thus re-united shall be received into Mansions of Bliss and Glory where they shall for ever be with the Lord and be perfectly happy to all Eternity And O how should the Thoughts of this chear our Hearts and fortify us under all our Trials Let not your Hearts be troubled Joh. 14.1 2 3. saith Christ ye believe in God believe also in me In my Father's House are many Mansions if it were not so I would have told you I go to prepare a Place for you And if I go and prepare a Place for you I will come again and receive you unto my self that where I am there ye may be also O comfortable Words indeed Yea and Christ has left them for our Comfort Wherefore comfort one another with these Words 1 Thess 4.18 saith the Apostle With what words Why that Jesus Christ will come in the Clouds Ver. 16 17. and meet Believers in the Air and they shall for ever be with the Lord. O blessed and glorious Day when Christ shall pronounce that blessed Sentence to such as have been his faithful Followers Mat. 25.34 Come ye Blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the Foundation of the World The Members of Christ are now look'd upon by the World as a Company of Hypocrites and vile Miscreants even such as are unfit to live in a Common-wealth but Christ pronounceth them Blessed The World saith Act. 22.22 Away with such Fellows from the Earth for it is not fit that they should live but Christ saith Mat. 25.34 Come ye Blessed And Christ calls them the Blessed of his Father shewing thereby the Orignal Cause and Fountain of all our Happiness The beginning of our Salvation was from an higher Cause than our own Holiness yea than Christ's Merit even from the free Grace and Favour of God the Father He is the principal efficient Cause of the Saints Blessedness Christ as Mediator is but the way to the Father Joh. 14.6 It is the Father that appointed Christ and gave him to Sinners Joh. 3.16 And in time brings them to close with him Joh. 6.44 It is the Father that prepared this Kingdom for them before the Foundation of the World They are not less beloved and blessed by the Father than by the Son who redeemed them but whosoever is dear unto the Son is dear also unto the Father O what Soul-enravishing Joys will the Saints be filled with when Christ shall pronounce this blessed Sentence Come ye Blessed of my Father To the Wicked he will say Depart but to the Saints Come as the Quintessence of all Misery lieth in the one so the Consummation of all Blessedness lieth in the other We see here what the Sentence will be at the Grat Day the reason of this Sentence followeth For I was an hungred and ye gave me Meat I was thirsty and ye gave me Drink I was a Stranger and ye took me in Naked and ye clothed me I was sick and ye visited me I was in Prison and ye came unto me Mat. 25.35 36. These good Works are mentioned by Christ and given as a Reason of the Sentence not as if Heaven was merited by them but as the undoubted Evidences and Fruits of a true and saving Faith And that a true Faith is implied in the Works here mentioned is very clear and evident 1. From the Expression it self For I was an hungred and ye gave me Meat saith Christ 't was Christ they respected in his Members Now it requireth Faith to see Christ in a poor needy Person or Prisoner to love Christ in them above our worldly Goods and to part with our Wealth for their Relief because they belong to Christ This is a great Piece of Self-denial and doubbless the Fruit of a saving Faith for 't is not meerly the relieving the Poor but the doing of it as in and to Christ 2. Faith and good Works are very nearly linked together for Faith is not sound and saving unless it produce these good Works and these Works are not acceptable unless they proceed from Faith and are done in Faith Heb. 11.6 1 Tim. 1.5 Where there is true Faith there will also be good Works as the genuine Effects and Fruits of it yet certain it is that the best of those Works do no ways deserve Heaven Luk. 17.10 Ephes 2.8 9. And the Saints will be so far from pleading their Works in a way of Desert or Merit that they will rather altogether disown them being sensible of their many and great Imperfections and how far short they came of their Duty Then shall the Righteous answer him saying Mat. 25.37 Lord when saw we thee an hungred and fed thee or thirsty and gave thee Drink Ver. 38. When saw we thee a Stranger and took thee in or naked and clothed thee Or when saw we thee sick Ver. 39. or in Prison and came unto thee And the King shall answer and say unto them Ver. 40. Verily I say unto you in as much as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my Brethren ye have done it unto me By the way we may observe these three or four Particulars 1. The wonderful Love and Humility of the Lord Jesus Christ the King of Glory in owning the poorest Joh. 20.17 Heb. 2.11 12. and least of his Members for his Brethren In as much as ye have done it saith he unto one of the least of these my Brethren ye have done it unto me O wonderful condescending Love that the great God should take such poor Worms as we into so near a Relation unto himself 2. Observe that Christ takes that which is done to his Members as done to himself I was an hugred saith he and ye gave me Meat I was thirsty and ye gave me Drink I was a Stranger and ye took me in Naked and ye clothed me I was sick and ye visited me I was in Prison and ye came unto me For in as much as ye have done it to one of the least of these my Brethren ye have done it unto me So that we

is opposed to it and 't is explain'd ver 25. He is comforted but thou art tormented Heaven is a Place of Comfort and Hell is a Place of Torment No sooner did Lazarus die but he was carried by the Angels into Heaven No sooner did the rich Man die but he was dragged by the Devils into Hell Ver. 23 24. And in Hell he lift up his Eyes being in Torment and seeth Abraham afar off and Lazarus in his Bosom Therefore I argue not only from Lazarus his being in Abraham's Bosom but also from the rich Man's being in Hell for God is not more prone to punish than he is to reward If the Wicked be in Torment as soon as they die then the Saints are in their Happiness presently upon their Dissolution Another Place is Luke 16.9 And I say unto you make to your selves Friends of the Mammon of Vnrighteousness that when ye fail they may receive you into everlasting Habitations i. e. Do good with your worldly Riches and thereby evidence your Faith to be true and so consequently make God your Friend that when you come to die he may receive you into Heaven 1 Tim. 6.17 19. Luk. 19.8 Act. 10.4 Mat. 25.34 36. When ye fail What is that time failing It cannot be meant of Condemnation in the Judgment for there is no escaping or reversing that Sentence therefore 't is meant of the Hour of Death then are Believers received into everlasting Habitations and their everlasting Habitation is in Heaven Another Argument which proveth this Truth is that with which Christ silenc'd the Sadduces Mat. 22.31 32. Have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God saying I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob God is not the God of the Dead but of the Living The Sadduces denied the Immortality of the Soul as well as the Resurrection of the Body and Christ disproveth both by this Argument I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. Exod. 3.6 These words were spoken by God unto Moses long after the Decease of Abraham Isaac and Jacob and it is not said I was but I am the God of Abraham c. Now saith Christ God is not the God of the Dead but of the Living therefore Abraham Isaac and Jacob though long ago deceased are yet alive So the Souls of all the Faithful departed out of this World do live to God in Heaven Luke 20.38 Another Scripture which clearly proves this Truth is Luke 23.43 The penitent Thief had desired Christ to remember him when he came into his Kingdom And Christ answered him again and said Verily I say unto thee To day shalt thou be with me in Paradise Christ sheweth that he would not defer his Hope but his Desire should be accomplished that Day 't is not adjourned to many Days Months or Years but to Day saith Christ q. d. Thou shalt immediately enjoy thy Desire Now what Christ promised to him he promised it to him as a penitent Believer and what belongeth to one Believer belongeth to all in a like Case Therefore if his Soul in the very Day of his Death was translated to Paradise the Souls of other Believers will be so in like manner Rev. 2.7 To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the Tree of Life which is in the midst of the Paradise of God No doubt but by Paradise is meant Heaven and so the Apostle explaineth it 2 Cor. 12.2 4. Thither the penitent Thief went immediately after his Death and so doth every believing Soul Another Scripture that proves this Truth and the last that I shall name is 2 Cor. 5.8 We are confident I say and willing rather to be absent from the Body and to be present with the Lord. This is so plain a Text for the proof of this Truth that if we had no other Scripture to prove it by even this alone were sufficient For we know saith the Apostle that whilst we are at home in the Body we are absent from the Lord ver 6. But are will rather to be absent from the Body and to be present with the Lord ver 8. So that as soon as the Souls of the Faithful are separated from the Body they are taken immediately into the Presence of the Lord in whose Presence there is Fulness of Joy Psa 16.11 and at whose Right-hand there are Pleasures for evermore And thus I have sufficiently prov'd that the Souls of the Faithful at Death do immediately pass into Heaven and their Bodies lie asleep in their Graves as in Beds of Rest Now 2. At the general Resurrection when Christ shall come to Judgment the Bodies of the Saints shall be raised in Glory and re-united unto their Souls even these very self same Bodies which now we have 1 Thess 4.16 For the Lord himself shall descend from Heaven with a Shout with the Voice of the Archangel and with the Trump of God and the Dead in Christ shall rise first So Joh. 5.28 29. Marvel not at this saith Christ for the hour is coming in the which all that are in the Graves shall hear his Voice and shall come forth they that have done good unto the Resurrection of Life and they that have done evil unto the Resurrection of Damnation This will be a joyful Day to every believing Soul but a Day of Terror and Amazement to the Wicked When the Lord Jesus Christ shall be thus revealed from Heaven with his mighty Angels in flaming Fire taking Vongeance on then that know not God and that obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ who shall be punished with everlasting Destruction from the Presence of the Lord and from the Glory of his Power When he shall come to be glorified in his Saints and to be admired in all them that believe 2 Thess 1.7 10. The Thoughts of this most Blessed Day which Job foresaw by Faith did much refresh his Soul under his heavy Afflictions Job 19.25 26 27. I know saith he that my Redeemer liveth and that he shall stand at the latter Day upon the Earth And though after my Skin Worms destroy this Body yet in my Flesh shall I see God whom I shall see for my self and mine Eyes shall behold and not another though my Reins be consumed within me Job was well assured that the self-same Body which had suffered so much in the World and which should not in the Earth and be eaten with Worms should be raised again at the last Day Yet this we must know that tho the same Body shall be raised again yet a very great Change shall pass upon it 1 Cor. 15.42 44. It is sown in Corruption it is raised in Incorruption it is sown in Dishonour it is raised in Glory it is sown in Weakness it is raised in Power It is sown a natural Body it is raised a spiritual Body So Phil. 3.20 21. Our Conversation is in Heaven saith

more neither thirst any more neither shall the Sun light on them nor any heat For the Lamb which is in the midst of the Throne shall feed them and shall lead them unto living Fountains of Water and God shall wipe away all Tears from their Eyes So chap. 14.13 Blessed are the Dead that die in the Lord from henceforth Yea saith the Spirit that they may rest from their Labours And again chap. 21.4 God shall wipe away all Tears from their Eyes and there shall be no more Death neither Sorrow nor crying neither shall there be any more pain for the former things are passed away O how sweet is Health after a long pining Sickness How sweet is Ease after racking Pains How sweet is Peace after great Troubles And how sweet is Rest after hard Labours Why in Heaven there will be perfect Health and perfect Ease and perfect Peace and Rest and Happiness and that for evermore Chear up then Believing Soul who art here exercised with pining Sickness or with racking Pains whose Sufferings and Sorrows are many and great for yet a little while and all Tears shall be wip'd from thine Eyes and thou shalt be sick no more nor in pain any more but shalt shortly take an eternal Farewel of all thy Sufferings Pains and Sorrows 4. Believers shall be freed from Hell and from all Fears of Damnation Joh. 5.24 Verily verily I say unto you he that heareth my Words and believeth on him that sent me John 3.16 18. hath everlasting Life and shall not come into Condemnation but is passed from Death unto Life So Rom. 8.1 There is no Condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the Flesh but after the Spirit O what would the Damned in Hell give to purchase such a Freedom Mat. 8.36 37. What shall it profit a Man saith Christ if he shall gain the whole World and lose his own Soul or what shall a Man give in exchange for his Soul Why no doubt but the Damned in Hell would give ten thousand Worlds if they had them to have their Souls freed from that State of Misery But alas it must not be if they had Millions of Worlds to give for it O dreadful will be the condition of those that must be eternally separated from God and lie under his heavy Wrath for ever Who knows the Power of thy Wrath saith the Psalmist Psal 90.11 There is none can express it no nor any conceive it but the Damned in Hell that lie under it Do those then know what they do who are running headlong to that State of Misery And that cannot endure to be controul'd or stop'd in their Course thither O what Pains do many take to undo themselves And what haste do they make to their own Perdition As if they could not be in Hell too soon or else do imagine it to be but a Fancy How many are there in these our Days that can dare the Great God to damn them As if they would have the World to know that they have Courage enough to be Damned O dreadful what do these Persons think Their Damnation sure will come soon enough without their so often calling for it And O it will be very sad indeed Rev. 21.8 Mar. 9.43 48. Mat. 13.41 42. Isa 65.14 to lie in a Lake of Fire and Brimstone where the Worm dieth not and the Fire shall never be quenched And where will be nothing but howling and yelling weeping and wailing and gnashing of Teeth No Heart can conceive what Horrour and Anguish will seize the Souls of the Damned in Hell and even fill them with Rage and everlasting Desparation Oh! how will they roar and tear themselves both from the Sense of their Loss and Pain Surely then to escape Hell deserves our uttermost Care and Diligence No Labours should be thought too much no Pains accounted too great for the obtaining Freedom from such Miseries O happy Souls most sure are they 1 Thess 1.10 whom the Lord shall save from the Wrath to come Chap. 5.9 Yea these are the Persons that are happy indeed And who are they Why all that truly believe in Christ and that overcome in the Spiritual Warfare Chear up then Believing Soul whom the Lord will free from Hell and Damnation for thou art the Person that hast cause to be chearful Heb. 2.14 15. Now it may be thou art full of Fears lest Hell should be thine eternal Portion Joh. 6.40 but Death within a while will put all out of doubt and free thee from all thy Fears of Damnation John 10.27 29. My Sheep hear my Voice saith Christ and I know them and they follow me And I give unto them eternal Life and they shall never perish neither shall any Man pluck them out of my Hand My Father which gave them me is greater than all and none can pluck them out of my Father's Hand Well then every believing Soul is safe 1 Pet. 1.5 though now it may be they have many Doubts for the Lord will make good his Promifes to them and will set them far above the reach of Danger 5. At the general Resurrection when Christ cometh to Judgment the Bodies of the Faithful shall be freed from Corruption and be raised again most Glorious Bodies 1 Cor. 15.43 53 54. For this Corruptible must put on Incorruption and this Mortal must put on Immortality And Christ shall change our vile Body Phil. 3.21 that it may be fashioned like unto his Glorious Body And then will it be fitted for the nearest Union with a pure immortal and glorify'd Soul And the Body and Soul thus reunited will be capable of enjoying the highest Good Which is the next thing in order to be enquired into under this Second General Head Quest 2. What then is that Good or that Blessedness which Believers shall enjoy in Heaven Why 1. Their Graces shall there be perfected and the Image of God restored in them They have here but some small Resemblances thereof but in Heaven they 'l be thorowly renewed to it Their Holiness Knowledg and Love to God will there be perfect and compleat Their Graces alas are now but weak but then they shall be strong Here they enjoy but a small Measure but there they shall enjoy a Fulness They now greatly long and breath after Holiness and after the Knowledg and Love of God and there they shall have their Desires fulfilled Chear up then Believing Soul who dost now much bewail thy great Imperfections and art often with Sighs and Groans breathing forth such longing Desires as these O that I was more Holy and more truly Gracious that I knew God better and could love him more Phil. 5.8 14. O that I could attain to a State of Perfection How happy then should I be Why the Time is drawing on a-pace when thou shalt be Holy 1 Cor. 13.9 12. 1 Joh. 3.2 3. as God is Holy and Know as

it shall be well with him for they shall eat the Fruit of their doing But wo unto the Wicked it shall be ill with him for the Reward of his Hands shall be given him 'T is not said of the Righteous that they shall have what they have earned but they shall eat the Fruit of their doings i. e. They have done well and they shall fare well But now as to the Wicked they shall have their due desert the Reward of his Hands shall be given him Death is the just Wages of Sin Rom. 6.23 but Eternal Life is God's Free Gift through Jesus Christ our Lord. And now I come to apply the Doctrine and what hath been spoken from it Vse I. And the First Vse may be for our Information in these two or three Particulars As 1. We may see how vastly different the State of Believers and Unbelievers will be when they come to die God deals with them now in a different manner but then the Difference will be most apparent See Isa 65.13 14. Behold saith the Lord my Servants shall eat but ye shall be hungry behold my Servants shall drink but ye shall be thirsty behold my Servants shall rejoice but ye shall be ashamed Behold my Servants shall sing for Joy of Heart but ye shall cry for Sorrow of Heart and shall howl for Vexation of Spirit Now if God deals thus differently with the Righteous and the Wicked even here in this World as he oftentimes doth how much more in the World to come 'T is true the Wicked are often exempted from those Sufferings which the Righteous do meet with in the World and hereupon for want of a right Sense of Things do conclude that themselves are the happier Persons But Death will make them of another Mind and shew them the Folly of their Self-flattering Conceits For then shall Believers immediately go to God and Unbelievers shall go to the Devil the one pass into Eternal Glory and the other into Misery and everlasting Punishment They have now while they are here very different Natures and hereafter they shall have as different Rewards The Righteous Man hath his worst things here Luk. 16.25 and his best he shall have hereafter Isa 3.10 11. And the Wicked on the contrary hath his best Things here and his worst he shall have hereafter The Conclusion will assuredly be dreadful to these but exceeding comfortable to the Righteous for everlasting Misery will be the Portion of the one and everlasting Happiness the Portion of the other Eternity is affixed to both Mat. 25.46 These shall go away into everlasting Punishment but the Righteous into Life Eternal The Happiness of the Saints will endure for ever and so will the Miseries of the Damned yea when thousands and thousands of Years are at an end they will both be as fresh as at the very first Moment O how great is that Happiness which the Damned will lose and how great are those Miseries which the Saints will escape How great are the Torments which the Damned shall endure and how great are the Joys of which the Saints shall partake Perhaps now Sirs you see little difference between the State to Believers and of Unbelievers but the Time will certainly yea and shortly come when you shall see Things in another manner Now it may be ye account the proud happy and think there 's little profit in serving the Lord but then shall ye discern between the Righteous and the Wicked between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not Mal. 3.14 18. 2. From what hath been said we may see God's wonderful Love to Believers in preparing for them such a glorious Inheritance and so freely conferring it on them What a Miracle of Mercy and Loving-Kindness is this 1 Joh. 3.1 2. and even that which might fill us with Admiration that the infinitely Blessed and Glorious God should take notice of such Wretches as we O wonderful Love indeed that such Rebels and Traitors as we have been should have admittance into his glorious Presence and be made Companions of the Holy Angels That such Clods of Earth such despicable Worms should be lifted up to the highest Heaven Mat. 13.43 that we might shine as Stars there yea as the Sun in the Kingdom of our Father And that this blessed State should be so freely provided and we taken into it on such gracious Terms Admirable Love indeed The Terms are Faith and not Merit which the Gracious God doth stand upon That 's the Tenor of the New Covenant Believe and live not do and live Good Works are an Evidence of the Truth of our Faith and of our Interest in that Blessedness but they do not any way merit or deserve it either in whole or in part No but it 's freely given to those that believe John 3.36 He that believeth on the Son of God hath everlasting Life He hath it as sure as if he was in actual Possession of it The Gracious God will exclude none but such as exclude themselves by their Unbelief Yea so merciful is he unto poor lost Sinners that he sends his Ambassadors up and down the World to offer Salvation unto them 2 Cor. 5.20 and to pray and beseech them in the Name of Christ to accept thereof on the most equitable Terms Nothing doth the Lord require but this that Sinners lay down their Rebellious Arms and be reconciled unto him that they accept of Christ for their Lord and Soveraign and be true to his Cause and Interest for the future O wonderful condescending Love How should we admire it That the infinite Majesty of Heaven and Earth should beseech vile Rebels to be reconciled to him Job 4.9 Ps 18.13 15. Mat. 10.28 when as he is able to dash them in pieces and even throw them into Hell with one Blast of his Mouth Should we cry Day and Night unto God to be reconcil'd unto us there would be nothing of wonder in it but that the offended God should beseech Offenders to lay by their Enmity and be at Peace with him sure this is matter of Wonder and Astonishment And yet how alas is his great Love abused and his rich Offers slighted and disregarded by the most As if the offered Salvation was meerly fictitious or the Heavenly Happiness were not worth the accepting O base Ingratitude and astonishing Madness to slight and neglect so great Salvation 3. From what hath been said we may see the great Folly of Men in refusing such an Happiness Prov. 1.22 33. What is it but Happiness that all Men seek after And for this they run they labour and toil and yet the most alas like the Dog in the Fable while they catch at the Shadow do lose the Substance How eager are Men in pursuit of that which they imagine will make them happy And what Cost and Pains will the most be at for the obtaining a little of the World's Felicity Whenas all worldly

banish you therefore that Presence which you never loved I deny you that Vision which you did always shun Joh. 3.19 20. and the Impressions of my Likeness which you did ever hate I eternally abandon you to the grossest Darkness seeing Darkness was so grateful to you Depart from Me Luk. 13.27 28. and from the Happiness you slighted into endless and easeless Miseries and Torments O! what will impenitent Sinners have to say when the Righteous Judge shall plead the Case with them and shall pass the irrevocable Sentence upon them All Mouths assuredly will then be stopped and their Conscience will tell them that the Sentence is just Think of this therefore Heb. 3.15 18. and consider it seriously while a Door of Hope is yet open unto you And if the Heavenly Happiness will not invite you 2 Cor. 5.11 let the Terrours of Hell affright you from your Sins For it 's certain if you slight the Glory that 's offered you will bring upon your selves Everlasting Confusion Flee therefore unto Christ as your only Refuge Josh 20. with Heb. 6.18 that he may deliver you from avenging Justice and from the wrathful Displeasure of a provoked God Psal 2.12 And O! let him not still have fresh cause to complain Joh. 5.40 Ye will not come to me that ye might have Life 2. It should also excite Believers to greater Diligence in the Service of God 2 Pet. 1.5 11. For so an entrance shall be ministred unto us into the everlasting Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ If the Hopes and Fore thoughts of the Happiness above will not excite and quicken us to our Duty what will Let us then be convinced that there is such an Happiness and when we believe let us look for it and long for it and live in the hopeful expectation of it Looking for that Blessed Hope and the Glorious Appearing of the Great God 1 Pet. 1.13 Tit. 2.13 14. Now this Hope should put us upon serious Diligence and earnest Pursuit after such a Blessedness Phil. 3.20 Let us therefore endeavour to live Heavenly Lives as we hope to partake of the Heavenly Blessedness There is nothing should influence our Hearts below but that which doth suit Christ's Heart above 1 Joh. 3.2 All must be like the Lord that are to live with him And if we do hope to be like him hereafter then sure we should strive to resemble him here Ver. 3. Yea And every Man saith the Apostle that hath this Hope in him purifieth himself even as he is pure i. e. as Christ is pure Yea certain it is if we do not desire further degrees of Holiness we cannot be said to desire Heaven for Heaven is the persection of Holiness A lively Hope therefore of our Conformity to Christ in Glory and Blessedness hereafter will assuredly put us upon a vigorous pursuit of Conformity to him in Holiness here O! were but our Hopes more strong and lively they would give us a Taste of the Blessedness above and this Taste would set us upon earnest longing after the Enjoyment of it Rom. 5.2 Chap. 8.19 23. 2 Cor. 5.2 For in this we groan earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our House which is from Heaven So ver 8. We are willing rather to be absent from the Body and to be present with the Lord. Wherefore we labour that whether present or absent we may be accepted of him ver 9. Let us labour then Heb. 11.1 by a lively Faith to realize the Happiness of Heaven to our Souls as also to get a well-grounded Hope of our Interest in this Happiness That so our most frequent and serious Thoughts and delightful Meditations may be of it For 't is impossible a Man can hope for any Thing but he will be thinking of it And the more we think of the Happiness Above the more we shall long for it And where there are longing Desires and Breathings after the Enjoyment of such an Happiness Heb. 4.1 there will also be a heedful and cautelous Fear lest we should miscarry or fall short of it and this accompanied with a diligent Care and most earnest Endeavour to make sure 1 Cor. 9. 24 27. Well then Phil. 3. 10 14. Ver. 17 20 Mat. 11.12 Rom. 8.25 Heb. 10.32 36. Let us make it appear that our Faith is true and our Hopes lively by a more Holy Activity Vigour and Diligence in the Ways and Service of God 1 Tim. 6.12 And let us wait with Patience for the expected Happiness against all Oppositions and Discouragements For in due season we shall reap if we faint not Gal. 6.9 I shall conclude this Use with the Apostle's Exhortation 1 Cor. 15.58 Therefore my Beloved Brethren be ye stedfast unmoveable always abounding in the Work of the Lord forasmuch as you know that your Labour is not in vain in the Lord. Now Vse III. For Consolation The Last Vse may be for Consolation to Believers against Wants Troubles and Death it self And 1. It administers Comfort to Believers against all their Wants and Necessities It may be now you are very poor Prov. 8.18 21.1 Pet. 1.4 but there 's durable Riches provided for you even a full incorruptible and glorious Inheritance Let the Fore-Thoughts of this support and comfort you under all your Straits and Necessities Luk. 16.25 for your best Days are yet to come Consider It is but a very little while that we shall have need of these outward Enjoyments And while we do need them Psal 34.9 10. Psal 8.11 we have good ground to hope for such a measure thereof as is convenient for us Whosoever he be that doth seek God's Kingdom and Righteousness above all other Things Mat. 6.31 33. and that waits upon God in a diligent use of those Means that he hath appointed shall certainly enjoy so much of these Things as the All-wise God sees requisite for him Rom. 8.32 And what can we desire more How soon alas should we ruine our selves Deut. 32.15 if God should leave us to be our own Carvers or should give us whatsoever we desire in the World Psal 37.3 9. Ver. 16. Rom. 8.28 But it 's well for us that we are under the care of so Wise and Gracious a Father who will give us nothing but what 's really good for us nor deny us any thing here in the World but that which he sees would be hurtful to us We are often desirous of several Things which are good in themselves and good for some Persons and which we apprehend may be good for us also and yet God doth in Mercy deny us such Things as knowing them not for our good And shall we not trust his infinite Wisdom before our own shallow and dark Understandings Pro. 3.5 6. Yes surely We need not therefore to trouble our selves with distracting Thoughts and with carking Cares Phil. 4.6 who have such a wise Father