led us, 2 Tim. i. 9. He puts the last first, saved us by vocation. Here in this world, there is the falvation of grace, which for the fubftance, is the fame with the falvation of glory. Spiritual life is always before eternal life fo ver. 10th of the fame chapter, At the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, the apostle faith, he brought life and immortality to light. In the world to come, things are carried on, but are fet on foot here. One is put into a heavenly State, when he is brought to know God, to fear him, to love him, and to obey him. One is put into a heavenly state, when in regard of the temper and difpofition of his mind, he is come to be reconciled to God, and to agree with him, to delight in his ways, and walk with him; when men are taken off from carnality, and worldlinefs, and felf-will, they are truly faved when they are thus transformed. Men have falfe notions, and eftimate things by wrong measures, when they think heaven comes barely by a change of place, and not by alteration of temper and disposition. I dare undertake where there is no sense of any hellifh difpofitions, fuch as are pride, envy, malice, covetousness, malignity of fpirit, there is no danger of hell as a place, there is no fear or danger of any worse hell. Obe ferve, he that is first and chief in the worst of places, as St. John tells us, he was a murderer and a liar from the beginning. And this is the mifery, men applaud themselves in those things that are of a hellish nature, as profanenefs, wickedness, and malig nity of spirit; and when they can exonerate them» felves from all obligations to God and men, then they

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they can do any thing; but these are lying apprehenfions of men. They think that heaven is place of exemption from future misery, is as a place of reft and content; whereas heaven prefent, is that which they refuse, and they are out of it, of choice, will not be within the rules and measures of religiHeaven present is our refemblance and imitation of God; and holiness, is the only folid foundation of future happiness. For this is a notion worth your entertaining, if you speak of heaven, what it is, inwardly and eternally, heaven is rectitude, goodness of temper, health, ftrength of constitution, a God-like frame and temper of mind; confequently it speaks ease, pleasure, content, and satisfaction: these are of a purer higher strain than worldlings can relifh, or imagine. Men do deceive themselves grofly, when they flatter themselves with the hopes of a future heaven, and yet by wickedness of heart and life, do contradict heaven prefent. Juft as the Jews who had mighty expectations in the promises concerning the Meffias, and they gloried in him and when he came, they hated him, and perfecuted him, they rid him out of the world and yet these men pleased themselves with the thoughts of a Mesfias, and what he should do for them.

;

I dare undertake there is not in all philofophy fuch a contradiction as this, for men to live without God in the world, and yet to think of heaven where God is all in all, and they at present to live without God in the world have none of the knowledge of his ways, no reconciliation with him, no delight in him.

To be earthly minded, flaves to covetous inordi

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nate desires, whereas worldly circumstances will be of no ufe herafter; these things are only of ufe to us while we are in our journey: it is prodigious, for men to delight in cruelty, in acts of revenge and violence, to live in envy, and malign the good of others, so that other perfons are their eye-fores; that these should think in this courfe of life, to end in heaven, where there is all order, all fettlement, where there is nothing but harmony, and concord, trueft love, abfolute good will, where the only employment of all is, in a conjunction to adore, and admire God, to fing praises and halelujahs to him.

What is the explication of these mens defire to be faved? I will tell you what it fignifies. They foresee, because of their experience and obfervations abroad, and alfo from the fenfe of decay within themselves, that thefe mouldering bodies will after a while, tumble into duft, and leave their fouls a lone then they would be in heaven, that is, go into a place free from torment, they would not be condemned, would not be punished; for they are: fcared with the reports that the fcriptures make, that hell is a place of fire and brimstone, weeping and wailing, and gnashing of teeth. Therefore they are for a heaven in a negative fenfe; they would be out of pain, they would feel no smart, would have no harm come to them: such a negative heaven as this is that which they defire. But I must tell you, turn over the whole bible; and you will not find that God has fuch a heaven as this is. That's the firft. Secondly, If our converfation be in heaven, then here I may rectify the wrong apprehenfions which

fome men have concerning God's damning men in the world to come. This is as much mifrepresented. as any thing in divinity is. They commonly think if men be damned, it must be by an act of God's fovereignty and power, it is only the effect of his own will; and if God would have it otherwife, he might excufe finners. Therefore they hope through a general repentance, that God that made them, will not deal fo hardly by them; but here is a grievous mistake, and I dare undertake to prove, that God is no more the cause of mens condemnation, than hẹ is the cause of their wickednefs of heart, and life; than he is of their finning. Whence comes a man's wickednefs? Whence comes a man's unhappiness? No man can attribute them to God, no man can attribute his condemnation to God. It may be af ferted, in vindication and defence of God; and he in due time will clear himself from the hard thoughts of men, as it is in Jude the 15 verse. It will be a piece of God's work at the day of judgment, to vindicate himself from men's hard thoughts of him and this is one of the hardeft thoughts of God, to imagine or think that damnation is an effect of power or pleasure, without a foundation of the thing itself. I dare fay none ever was, is, or ever fhall be damned by the power of God, or pleasure of God, or the ufe of his fovereignty, without a foundation thereof in himself. No man carries hell hence, carries it out of the world with him, where there is no guiltine's of confcience contracted at all, no rancor or malignity of difpofition, no danger of hell of God's making; for hell and mifery are of our own crea

tion, and not God's: as it is faid, God made neither death, nor hell. Now to make this out, I will fhew you how the fcripture speaks, Prov. xiv. 14. fpeaking of the backflider in heart, 'tis faid, he shall be filled

that is the reprefenfaid of Judas, when

with the fruits of his own ways tation of a hellish state. So it is he had betrayed our blessed Saviour, he went to his own place. And Gal. vi. 7, 8. He that foweth to the flefh, fhall of the flesh reap corruption. What can they upon any grounds of reafon, promise themfelves in the future ftate, who lead wicked lives, grofly neglecting God, and at laft close with the world, and die in final impenitence, and unbelief? They do that which is contrary to the whole tenor of the gofpel, neglect the terms of the gofpel. As certainly as the fcriptures are true, thefe men are the cause of their own ruin; thefe men are voluntary as to the guilt that lies upon their own confciences, thefe men walk clean contrary to all rules of reason or of right, clean contrary to the terms of the new covenant, and to all those declarations that God hath made of himself in holy scripture.

Mifery and wickedness are inseparable, are undivided companions for guiltinefs and mifery go in a conjunction. Guilt is the foundation of anguish, and it cannot be feparated from it. Malignity is both a fin, and a difeafe: finners are both in pain, and diftemper. Sinners confciences are much aSleep in this life; here are avocations, and divertifements; here men turn themselves away, do not examine, do not confider; fo they fatisfy them-. felves. But what will it be when there will be

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