Heaven The Kingdom of God is within you Luke 17.21 Wheresoever Majesty resides the Court is there wheresoeuer the King gouverns there his Kingdom is If the Almighty gouvern all the Passions Motions Affections of our Souls if once He be the Souvereign Monarch of our Hearts if the Love of God give Law to all our Inclinations the H. Ghost is then as truly in us as a King is in his Kingdom He is no otherwise in Heaven This is that Heaven upon Earth which none can understand but those devout pious Souls who by experience Tast See how sweet God's Kingdom is Ps 33.9 where Christ gouverns by Faith the Holy Ghost by Charity or as S. Austin says whose King is Truth whose Law is Love A Spirit having no proportion with Place if we beleeve Philosophers is neither here nor there nor any where of its self but only by its Operation in a Body which is in some Place When Angels formerly appear'd with airy bodies they were truly substantially present in those human Forms which they inhabited by operating there Whatever the Airy Body seemd to do the Angel truly did the Angel mov'd the Angel walkt the Angel spoke discourst converst with men The Holy Ghost is likewise truly substantially present in the Soul of a devout pious Christian He dwells in his Heart by operating there His Heart becomes a Paradise on Earth The Love of God now planted in the middle of it is the Tree of Life Gen. 2.9 The Holy Ghost himself becomes the Angel Guardian of the Place like the Cherubin defends it with a Flaming Sword Gen. 3.24 Gal. 5. v. 25. He gives him Life we Live by the Spirit He gives him Motion we VValk by the Spirit He gives him Speech T is not You that Speak Math. 10.20 says our Saviour to his Apostles but the Spirit of God that Speaks in You. So far you see the Parallell betwixt the Presence of an Angel dwelling in an airy Body the Presence of the Holy Ghost inhabiting in us Only this difference there is Philosophers are puzzled to explain the Virtue the Operation by which an Angel moves the Body it assumes But Christians by the light of Faith have this Advantage over them They plainly read understand in Scripture that the Virtue of the Holy Ghost by which He moves gouverns us is Charity that the Operation which with us He produces in us is the Love of God above all things God the Holy Ghost is Charity 1. Jo. 4.8 He is the Consubstantiall Love of God the Father the Son If Charity inspire us if the Love of God direct us gouvern us influence the principall Designs Actions of our Life we then may reasonably hope 1. Cor. 2.12 we have not receiv'd the Spirit of this VVorld but the Spirit which is of God That Inclination which is predominant gouverns all the rest is usually call'd the Spirit of a man If this be Love of Honours Riches Pleasures of this World T is an Ambitious a Covetous a Carnall or to speak them all at once a VVorldly Spirit But if it be the Love of God above all things without any competition of Creatures 't is a Virtuous a Divine a Holy Spirit Then it is that the Love of God is diffus'd in our Hearts Rom. 5.5 by the Holy Ghost the HOLY SPIRIT which is given to us S. Paul Acts. 19.1.2 when he came to Ephesus and found certain Disciples demanded of them Have ye receiv'd the Holy Ghost since ye beleev'd And I am apt to think it would not be amiss to put the Question to the Christians of our Age. You in whose Minds Christ dwells by Faith dos the Holy Ghost dwell in your Hearts by Charity Is your Love suitable to your Creed Do you Love God as you Beleeve He deserves Do you Love Him above all things Your greatest Care is it to please your God Your greatest Grief is it to have displeas'd Him In all things which deserve Deliberation do you first consult his Law make it the Rule of all your Measures Examine well the whole Course of your Life your Actions Humours Designs What is it that employs your Mind the most What Thoughts are those which close your Eyes at Night open them next Morning Are they fixt upon the Only Necessary Do they tend to Heaven All things else what are they Are they Nothing in comparison of That If so you have receiv'd the Holy Ghost the Spirit of God Io. 14. v. 17. whom the VVorld cannot receive But if the Souvereign Inclination of your Hearts be Love of Honours Riches Pleasures if your greatest Grief Trouble be your disappointment of Success in these if upon all occasions you consult your Inclinations the Maximes of the World You then may answer as the Ephesians did Alas we are but litle acquainted with this Holy Spirit we have scarce heard of him we know not what He is A VVorldly Spirit we have more acquaintance with But as for the Spirit of God He is a Stranger to us We say our Prayers we frequent the Sacrements we are in the common road of customary Duties But our Ambitious Spirit our impatient Love of Honour is such that we are more concern'd for an Affront than for a Mortall Sin Our Avaritious Spirit our insatiable Love of Riches is so violent that we had rather hazard the loss of all the Heaven we pretend to than expose the Treasure we possess Our Carnall Spirit our incontinent Love of Pleasure is so passionate that we had rather quitt our Right to all the Eternall Joys above than any way deny our selves the rotten satisfaction we seek for here below In short we love this World so much that if we might but always have it at Command 't is All we ask We wish no more VVe have receiv'd the Spirit of this VVorld 1. Cor. 2.12 I hope I may be pardon'd if I am a litle importune in pressing home this Question Acts. 19.2 Have you receiv'd the Holy Ghost Eternity depends upon 't Your Choice of Heaven or Hell Your being Children of God or of the Divel Your being Sav'd or Damn'd for ever All This what is All if This be not All This depends upon the Answer to this necessary Question Rom. 8.16 As Many as are led by the Spirit of God says Saint Paul They are the Children of God Compute your Actions Words Thoughts from Morning to Night from Day to Day Dos the Spirit of God direct lead you Or the Spirit of this World If the Spirit of God You are the Children of God If not Hear what the Apostle says If any Man have not the Spirit of Christ He is none of his Rom. 8.9 He is not a Brother of Christ He is not an adoptive Son of his Eternall Father He has a Father in Hell
but none in Heaven Our Saviour plainly says Jo. 8. v. 42. If God were your Father You VVould LOVE Me above all things but because You do not v. 44. You are of your Father the Divel Let those who above all things Love the World Consider this and Tremble Let them not gaze in vain upon our Saviour ascending to his Father Let them be assur'd his Father is not theirs that as certainly as He ascended to his Father in Heaven they shall in time unless they seriously repent descend to their's in Hell This was the Reason why our Saviour told the Jews VVhither I go Jo. 8. v. 21. You cannot come As if He should say I go to my Father If He were your Father also then you might bear me Company But 1. Cor. 2.12 since you have receiv'd the Spirit of this VVorld as long as you are gouvern'd by the Spirit of another Father You may in due time follow him to Hell But 't is impossible without sincere Repentance You should ever follow me to Heaven VVhither I go you cannot come The Jews amaz'd to hear it knew not what He meant He told them the reason I am from above Jo. 8. v. 23. says He I am not of this VVorld The Spirit which gouverns all my Actions is from above 't is not the Spirit of this World 't is the Spirit of my Father therefore I go to him But on the other side You are of this VVorld Ibid. You are led by the Spirit of this World and therefore VVhither I go You eannot come Let us not flatter deceive our selves with vain appearances of superficiall Piety which flote upon the Surface of our Souls but sound the very bottom of our Hearts be assur'd that if we find them chiefly fixt upon this World or any Creature in it We may stand gazing with the Men of Galilee We may contemplate admire the Ascension of our Saviour but all in vain All this will be no Comfort to us Whither He goes we cannot follow Him We cannot Ascend unless we first receive the Holy Ghost nor can we receive Him unless we first prepare for His reception SECT V. That we ought to prepare our Heart for this great Grace WHen our Saviour was upon the point of leaving his Apostles after He had been fourty days discoursing with them concerning the Kingdom of God The last most important thing He recommended to their Care was that They should prepare themselves for the receiving of the Holy Ghost Acts. 1.4 He commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem but wait for the Promise of the Father Prepare your Hearts 1. Sam. 7.3 says the Prophet Prepare your Hearts to God serve Him only and He will deliver you Prepare your Hearts to entertain the Holy Ghost or else you never will receive Him Prepare Materialls for the Temple of the Holy Ghost 1. Cor. 6.19 His Temple is not to be built finisht in a day We must have Time to carry on the Work more than ordinary Preparations must be made Chron. 1.29.2 VVith ALL MY MIGHT says the Royall Prophet I have PREPAR'D for the House of my God because says he v. 1. the VVork is GREAT the Palace is not for Man but GOD. Our Heart has been profan'd with Idols Our Ambition A varice Lust have had their severall Altars in it from time to time according as occasion serv'd have offerd Sacrifice to Honours Riches Pleasures Such a Temple so Profan'd must be demolisht a New one built upon the Ruines of it 18.31 Make your selves a New Heart a New Spirit says the Prophet Ezechiel Although it be God's VVork it is not only His but also Ours As much as lies in us we must cooperate and labour with Him And the more difficult it is the more industriously we must endeavour to effect it Chron. 1.29 2. VVith all our Might with all our industry diligence we must prepare our Heart that it may be a Temple of the Holy Ghost O that we had but VVings like a Dove the wings of that Dove which once descended visibly upon our Saviour Then would VVe fly away Psal 55.6 be at Rest Our Hearts would fly away from all things in this World be at Rest in Heaven If once the Love of God enflame our Hearts with ardent continuall desires of being happy with Him We shall find that these Desires are VVings by which our Hearts aspire mount to Heaven But if the Love of any thing in this World bind us to the Earth We then shall find that our celestiall Desires are clogg'd with earthly Passions although we now then with a faint sigh look up to Heaven yet our stronger Inclinations will always bear us down He who is wholly disengag'd from all the Charms of a deluding World He only is at liberty S. Austin says The VVings of his soul are Free But if his Heart be any way ensnar'd with any other Love He then has Birdlime in his VVings He cannot fly away be at Rest. The Apostles themselves were not prepar'd for the receiving of the H. Ghost as long as they were satisfied with being Happy in our Saviour's Company on Earth If any Satisfaction here below could innocently challenge so much place in their Affections surely Innocence it self descending down from Heaven had the best clearest Title to their Love And yet as long as they were of S. Peter's mind and thoughâ— with themselves Math. 17.4 T is Good for us to be Here T is Good to make our Tabernacles Here so long we find they were not fit for the Reception of the Holy Ghost Jo. 16. v. 7. I tell you the truth says our Saviour T is expedient for you that I go away Because you Love me with so litle Resignation are so unwilling that I leave you therefore 't is expedient for you that I now ascend to raise your Hearts above the World carry them to Heaven with me If I go not away your Love will creep upon the Earth the Spirit of the World will still possess your Hearts the Spirit of God will find no habitation there v. 7. the Comforter will not come But if I depart if I whom you so dearly love ascend your Minds Hearts will follow me to Heaven they will be rais'd above the reach of all things in this World the Spirit of the World will have no dwelling there You then will be prepar'd for the receiving of the H. Ghost when you are so v. 7. I will send Him to you When the Holy Ghost came Acts. 2.2 He fill'd All the House where they were sitting Wherever He comes He fills the House He takes it All to Himself And 't is no wonder being Infinite He takes up so much room As God would cease to be Immense If there were any
Obligation to be Gratefull to so Good a Friend 1. Jo. 4.19 We Love Him says he because He first Lov'd Vs He dos not say because He 's infinitely Good Perfect in himself but because He has been infinitely Good Kind to us His reason I gather from the 12. v. of the same Chapter where He says No man has seen God any time the 20. where he adds How can a man Love God whom he has not seen If we had ever seen him Face to Face 1. Cor. 13.12 as all the Blessed Spirits do in Heaven we should then have lov'd Him here as they do there The very Sight of Him although He never had been Kind would have transported us beyond all thoughts of any thing but Him it would have been impossible to entertain the least impression of any other Love in Competition with Him But because this Happyness is not to be expected here where 't is impossible to see Him as He is 1. Jo. 3.2 Therefore S. John the Disciple whom JESUS Lov'd Who by experience knew that no impression sinks deeper in a Generous heart Jo. 21. v. 7. than the endearing Obligation of returning Love for Love pleads nothing else but Gratitude for the fullfilling of this Great Commandement VVe Love Him 1. Jo. 4.19 says he because He first Lov'd us There 's nothing more obliging than the Love of a True Friend nothing else obliges us without it Whatsoever the interiour value of a Benefit amounts to when we cast it up the Obligation is not taxt by any other weight or measure than his Love to whom we stand indebted for it In this Case Ingratitude of all crimes is the most unpardonable a Crime so base which Human Nature so abhorrs that even the Worst of men who are asham'd of nothing else can never endure that any man should either say or think They are Vngratefull Other sins they publish to the World but This They always labour to conceal And though I scarce can think of any Wickedness so infamous but Some have been so Wicked as to Glory in it yet Ingratitude is so Vnworthy carries so much Baseness in the very Front of it that I could never hear of any that were ever Proud of being thought Vngratefull Rather than a Man should think They are so they invent a thousand frivolous pretences to disown the Obligation they quarrell with the Benefit revile the Benefactor that they may deny a less Ingratitude they hide it with a greater So asham'd they are to own this fault that they had rather be a thousand times ungratefull than be once esteemd so This is the Crime which many of us are so Guilty of although we as are as much unwilling to beleeve it as we are asham'd to own it And One of the most notorious aggravations of our great Ingratitude is this that we not only are so but are in a manner quite insensible of being so Because our God is infinitely more our Friend than any Other can be Therefore we regard Him infinitely less We cannot without indignation observe one man ungratefull to another The very Story of an ungratefull Action says Seneca puts us out of all Patience and gives us a loathing for the Author of it That inhuman Villain we cry to do so horrid a Thing And yet when we observe how horribly ungratefull a poor miserable Creature is to our Creator we take litle notice of it we regard it with a cold indifference as if we were content it should be so We cannot plead in our defence that we are ignorant how much we stand indebted to him for his Love Alas we all know well enough that there was never any Love like His so True so Ancient so Constant If we plead Forgetfullness or Inadvertency 't will only make the matter worse by offering to mend it He is the most Vngratefull of all says the Morall Philosopher who Forgets either the Benefactor or the Benefit And yet when we have made the best we can of an ill Cause 't is certain that the true if not the only Reason why we are insensible of our Ingratitude is because we seldom call to mind almost quite Forget 1. Jo. 4.19 how Great our Obligation is to Love our God because He first Lov'd us All the Ends of the VVorld Psalm 22.28 says the Psalmist shall Remember and be Converted to God Let us Remember only What a Friend God is how infinitely Better than the Best we have besides Let us Remember only This and We shall be Converted We shall be asham'd of our Ingratitude and Love Him above all Things SECT III. That the Love of God is our Greatest Good WHatever our Duty is the very word Commandement is always odious to those who love their Liberty makes it so much harder to go down with them But yet if after second thoughts upon the matter we discover that One reason why it is our Greatest Obligation is because it is our Greatest Good Math. 11.30 the Yoke will then seem easy the Burthen light Three things there are which gain our Hearts command our Inclinations in a manner gouvern all our Actions and these three things are Honour Profit Pleasure Whatsoever we call Good falls under one of these three Heads t is either Honourable Profitable or Delightfull All these three accompany the Love of God none of them are ever be found without it 1. To begin with Honour I take for granted No man ought to judge that This or That is Honourable because the Generality of Mankind by mistake is apt to value admire it but before he gives his verdict every man should first consider well the merits of the cause A Wife Man though he liv'd amongst a Multitude of Infidells saw how much they honour adore false Gods he would not therefore presently conclude such Idols Honourable but would rather laugh at those who are so blind as not to see how litle They deserve it The Question is not what we by a vulgar errour are inclin'd to honour most but What it is that is most worthy of it And This upon a strict enquiry will appear to be the Love of God Honour at all hands is agreed to be a Testimony of some Excellence and Nothing can be truly honourable if it be not truly Excellent A man has no just Title to his Honour any more than what the common Duties of Civility amount to if he have not something in him more than ordinary some Perfection to distinguish Him raise him to a Height more elevated than the lowest Rank of men The Qualities which justly challenge men's Esteem are VVisdom Justice Power Whatsoever raises us to the Perfection of our Nature 2.2 q. 47. a. 13. As for VVisdom S. Thomas of Aquine has demonstrated that No man can be truly VVise who dos not Love God above all things He may be says he a VVise Merchant
in Us. Love is as Strong as Death Cant. 8.6 T is this Victorious Love which frees us from the Tyranny of all those Passions which divide the Kingdom of our Heart Math. 12.25.26 a Kingdom brought to Desolation where Satan casts out Satan How can this Kingdom stand How is there any true Content and Satisfaction to be found in it A Man who places all his Happyness in Humouring his Passions can never please himself till he has pleas'd them All And since it is impossible to please two Masters how is' t possible for any Man to please so many I might here appeal to each Man 's private Conscience for a farther Testimony of this Truth But if a Sullen Conscience even when it is upon the Wrack refuses to Confess We have the Word of God the best clearest Evidence we can desire The VVicked Isai 57.20 21. says He are like the troubled Sea when it cannot Rest whose VVaters cast up Mire Dirt There is no PEACE says my God to the VVicked On the other side when once the Love of God has full possession of our Heart when Christ Gouverns it by Faith the Holy Ghost by Charity Gen. 1.2 Math. 8.26 when the Spirit of God begins to moue upon the face of the VVaters it presently Commands the VVinds the Sea there succeeds a Great Calm In a word As much as Liberty is more agreable than Slavery As much as Unity is better than Division As much as Peace Content Ease are more Delightfull than perpetuall Disturbance Discontent Pain so much the Pleasure which attends the Love of God is Greater than the Pleasures of this VVorld Had it been possible for our Creator to oblige us All to Love Him gratis we might then have had more Colour for our Crime And yet it would have been no more than what He very well deserves He Lov'd us gratis without any possibility of Recompence He humbled himself to repair our Honour He quitted Heaven to promote our Interest He sufferd torments to procure our Ease And it would only be a Suitable Return if we preferr'd his Honour Interest Pleasure far before our own But as our Kind Gracious God has order'd it to our advantage we are All oblig'd to seek our Own True Honour Interest Pleasure despise the False Appearances of Honourable Profitable Delightfull which the World endeavours to delude us with When we have made the most we can of such an Obligation 't will amount to neither more nor lesse than What we dayly see before our Eyes Consider how the Ambitious the Covetous the Voluptuous love their Honours Riches Pleasures Is it not plain They Love them above all things And why should not we Love God as well as Worldlings Love the VVorld They Love it with all their Heart They desire nothing else but to enjoy it with all their Soul They have no passion for any thing else with all their Mind They think of nothing else but how to make a Figure in it Has God less charms than the VVorld Or is a Flattering Friend well known to be our Greatest Enemy more amiable than the Best of Friends most True most Ancient most Constant who has always Lov'd us better than we Love our selves Is it a Greater Honour for a Man to be the Divel's Slave than be a Favourite of God Is it a Greater Profit to be cheated in the End than be Eternally Rewarded Or are those Pleasures which are always mixt with intervalls of discontent anxiety pain greater than those Delights which are unchangeable immortall divine which even in this Vale of Misery begin our Heaven upon Earth Ah Christians We have litle reason to dispute the terms of such an Obligation where the whole Advantage is entirely on our Side So great Advantage that we cannot truly Love our selves Math. 22.38 unless we Love our Lord our GOD with all our Heart with all our Soul with all our Mind This is not only our Greatest Duty but our Greatest Good SECT IV. That the Love of God is the chief Grace of the Holy Ghost I Am come Luke 12.22 says our Saviour to Send Fire on the Earth what do I desire but that it may be Kindled This He desires for This He came and This we pray for in the Service of the Church Come Holy Spirit Fill the Hearts of thy Faithfull Kindle in them the Fire of thy Love The Holy Ghost came visibly at first prov'd his Presence by the Miracles He did But yet a Spirit is not naturally sensible when He comes invisibly He comes more like Himself nor have we any reason when He dwells within us to suspect that He is lesse at home because He lesse Appears abroad Although we do not see the Fire descend rest upon our Heads yet if the Love of God enflame us if it burn within our Hearts if it appear in our Devotion in our Conversation in our Actions 't is enough we then may hope we have receiv'd the Holy Ghost that our Saviour verifies in us his Promise which He made us when He said He shall be IN YOU Jo. 14. v. 17. He did not come in to the World to visit the Apostles only and abandon their Posterity Our Saviour did not send him to us that he might immediately forsake us but that He might remain with us for ever to the End of the World Jo. 14. v. 16. I will pray my Father says He that He may abide with you for ever The Spirit of God shall be in Vs T is a solemn Promise of our Saviour himself we cannot doubt of it although we cannot but admire it with profound astonishment Kings 3.8.27 like that of Solomon VVill God dwell with us on the Earth will the Spirit of God not only dwell here with us but within us If Heaven says he and the Heaven of Heavens cannot contain Thee How much lesse this House which I have builded If we find that Salomon was thus transported when he lookt upon his Temple compar'd it with the Majesty of God to whom he built it may not we admire much more the living Temple of the Holy Ghost If the Heaven of Heavens cannot contain the Spirit of God How much lesse this litle House of clay Can we imagine that this litle Heart of ours is more capacious than Heaven Or can our Heart contain our God if Heaven cannot Oh no our God is infinite He cannot be contain'd in either yet He dwells in both Hear the Psalmist 122.1 To Thee I lift up my Eyes O Thou that Dwellest in the Heavens Hear S. Paul 1. Cor. 3.16 You are the Temple of God the Spirit of God Dwells in You. Compare both Testaments the Old and New if you seriously beleeve them both conclude we have the same assurance that God dwells in Virtuous Souls as that He dwells in
Corner of the World in which He is not Present So the Holy Ghost would cease to be our Infinite and Souvereign Good if any Corner of our Heart have any thing lodg'd in it that excludes Him When once we have receiv'd the Holy Ghost our Heart is the Kingdom of God He is the Absolute and Only Monarch that commands it He cannot Alienate the least part of his Title to the Gouvernment He cannot any way admitt of a Companion in his Throne Our Heart is the Throne of the Most High And if we remember what became of Lucifer I hope it will suffice to make us sensible how dangerous a thing it is to place a Creature in the Throne of God Isai 14.14 make it like the Highest S. Austin wondring at the overflowing measure of Gods Holy Spirit in the Apostles Hearts observes that the reason why they were so full of God was because they were so empty of his Creatures They were very Full says he because they were very Empty because they were so Empty of the Spirit of this World therefore they were so full of the Spirit of God O that our Hearts were Empty O that they were purg'd cleans'd like theirs from all inordinate affection to this World We then should be prepar'd like Them ready to receive the Fullness of the Holy Ghost T is a great Work will require some time Why are we then so flow in undertaking it Acts. 1.11 VVhy do we stand Gazing We gaze we lift our eyes to Heaven But yet we stand our feet are fixt upon the Earth We preferr Heaven before Hell of the two we had rather be there But of the three if it were possible we had rather be always here How long will you love Vanity Psal 4.2 says the Psalmist This World is nothing else but Vanity How long will you Love it Eccles 4. v. 16. T is Vanity Vexation of Spirit How long will you delight in it It flies before you like a Shadow 6. v. 12. How long will you run afterit Alas t is but a Shadow if you overtake it The VVorld passes away 1. Jâ— 4.17 T is an unkind illnatur'd VVorld which passes by us with a flattering smile will not stay a moment with us If it had ever been a true faithfull Friend to any man We should have some pretence to justifie our expectation of its being Kind But since we know it never was so to its greatest Favourites We way be sure it never will be so to us The Time will come when we shall plainly see although perhaps too late that All is Vanity we shall love no more what we are now so fond of The Love of all those Trifles which our Infancy was once much pleas'd withall is now forgot and we so much contemn those childish entertainments that unless we saw the same in other Children we should scarce beleeve we ever lov'd them As when we advance in years we see the folly of our Childhood so upon our Deathbed we as plainly see the folly of our Life we then discover that the Honours Riches Pleasures of this World are only so many serious Trifles which are therefore more ridiculous because more serious When once the Period of our Time approaches When we are upon the Borders of Eternity When we are as it were betwixt two Worlds the End of this the Beginning of the next which never will have end Then it is that all our Joys begin to vanish out of sight they are the same to us as if they never had been present Than it is that all our Miseries are every one in View such Miseries as never can be past but will for all Eternity be always present When once that Hour comes we shall be Wise enough to undervalue contemn what we so dearly love But then I fear We shall be VVise too late Our useless VVisdom will not rise in Judgment for us but against us O let us now endeavour to be VVise disengage our Hearts from all inordinate affection to this world that we may be prepar'd for the receiving of this Grace which is the best surest Pledge of the Eternall Glory which we hope for in the world to come MOTIVES OF FEAR SECT I. How much it imports us to remember the Day of Judgment WHen the Disciples askt our Saviour what would be the Sign of his Coming and of the End of the VVorld Math. 24.3 v. 36. Our Saviour answerd that the Day Hour were not to be known before hand that his Coming would be like a Flash of Lightning v. 27. when they least expected Him Therefore v. 44. says He be ready for in such an Hour as you think not the Son of Man will come v. 35. Heaven Earth shall pass away but my VVords shall not passe away The World shall have an End The Son of man shall Come to Judge the World The Hour of his Coming shall surprise us when we think not of it If we knew before hand we should certainly prepare And we have much more reason since we do not know it But alas our Saviour Jesus Christ himself has prophecied v. 38. that As in the days that were before the Floud they were eating drinking marrying giving in marriage till the Day that Noe entred the Ark v. 39. And Knew not till the Floud came and took them all away So also shall be the Coming of the Son of man He told us how it would be every day we see how true it is We mind nothing but eating drinking marrying giving in marriage We seek for nothing but Diversion Sport Pastime We now Rejoyce But then when the World ends our Joys will end with it Then we shall Grieve not only then Math. 24.30 but for ever THEN all the Tribes of the Earth shall mourn They shall All mourn Not All the Just Not All God's Friends Not All devout pious Christians who not only in their Baptism but also during Life renounc'd the Vanities Pleasures of this World All these will have just reason to abound with Joy at the Approach of their so long defir'd everlasting Happyness Psal 126.5 They sow'd with Tears but now shall reap with Joy All the Tribes of the Earth All Those whose Hearts were always fixt upon the Earth upon the Honours Riches Pleasures of the Earth THEY shall All mourn And not without sufficient Reason For 1. They shall see the fatall End of all their transitory Happyness 2. They shall see the sad Beginning of their everlasting Misery SECT II. That our Last Day is the fatall End of all our transitory Happyness AS on the one side Nothing can be truly Little which is Infinite So on the other Nothing can be truly Great which has an End Baruch 3. v. 25. Our God is Great says the Prophet has no End As if