but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a fervant, Phil. ii. 6, 7. though he was rich, yet for our fakes he became poor, 2 Cor. viii. 9. and emptied himself. Now if he parted with so much and did fo far deny himself for our gratification, relief, and supply; is it not virtuous, noble, and ingenuous, and a piece of thankful return, that we in refolution intention, and purpose of mind and will, fubmit all our concerns to the honour of God, defence of truth and purposes of righteoufnefs? And if the will of God be declared, it fhall be fulfilled accordingly. And we should rejoice to meet with an opportunity, wherein we might exprefs our thankfulness and respect to him, that hath fo much benefited us; to have an opportunity, by the expence of what we have, of doing fome noble and generous action, by which we may exprefs our acknowledgment, and thankful refentment of his favours. For Plutarch could fay of riches, the beft of riches is an abundance of inftruments to do good with. So that if a wealthy man have but a generous fpirit, he hath abundance of tools to work withal, because he hath fo many inftruments. What good may he not do, wherein the will of God is declared, the honour of God concerned, or the common good of mankind may be promoted? 'Tis not fo much what we lofe, and how much we are impoverished; for God is never the better, if we be lofers; nor is our Saviour profited by what we lofe: but it is fhewing of our fenfe, and refentment of his favours, and the return of goodwill, in that we part with, in refpect to him, that we might otherwise have kept. But this is highly valuable ;

valuable; that herein we have opportunity to fhew a truly noble and virtuous foul; a great mind, a chriftian temper; and that the will of God is the law of our minds; and if that be declared, we are ready to fulfil it. And this is truly noble, and gerous, and the greateft improvement, that any man can make of an overture. For otherwife what we part with is more God's, than our own; in respect of God, what is in our hands, is but upon truft In refpect of God; they are for his use; in respect of him, we are accountable.

2. 'Tis for our good. And if we should hold them upon other terms, it would be for our harm, For then we should set them in the place of God ; and be men of this world, that have their portion in this life, Pfal. xvii. 14. and then should we have no greater expectation hereafter; nor then would there be any exercife of virtue in the ftate of probation. We have had them fo long: if it were neceffary for our happiness, God would not take them from us. And he can recompence us as he did Abraham, after that he had in the purpofe and refolution of his foul, parted with his fon, God reftored him again, as 'tis faid, in a figure. And whereas before he was but a fon in common, now he was to Abraham, a type of the Meffiah, Gen. xxii. For as Ifaac fhould have been facrificed; fo Christ Jesus was really intended to die as a facrifice. And thus Ifaac was the reprefentative of the Meffiah; and by his appointment to be facrificed, it was declared that Christ Jefus was to be facrificed: and whereas Ifaac was fpared, and the ram facrificed for the prefent

here

here was an intimation that there must be types of Christ, and facrifices, for a while. But that the time of the real facrifice of Chrift, was expected; and till then there fhould be other facrifices, that should in fome refpects, represent the great facrifice of the Meffiah.

DISCOURSE XXXVI. Our Converfation is in HEAVEN.

PHIL. iii. 20.

For our converfation is in heaven, from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jefus Christ.

T

HE words are very fignificant: fome read them thus. Cives cæleftes nos gerimus. We

behave ourselves as citizens of heaven. Noftra vivendi ratio in cælis exiftit. The whole law of our lives and actions, is the law of heaven. Mente & affectu in cœlis verfamur. Though we are bodily prefent here below, yet in the fenfe of our fouls, and the motions of our minds, we are in heaven. In the common notion, the word fignifies the purpose and rule of life, that action or diligence that we are to use in the adminiftring of any affairs whatsoever. In ftrictness, it is the adminiftration

* Actio, folertia in re adminiftranda. Adminiftratia reipub. Civitatis regimen, vitæ inftitutum & ratio.

or the government of the common-wealth according to the letter. Our citizenship is in heaven, we are free-men of heaven: here we look upon ourfelves as foreigners, strangers, and travellers, Heb. xi. 13. As 'tis faid of them that lived by faith, and died in faith, they confeffed they were ftrangers and pilgrims upon the earth; and therefore defired a bet-. ter country, that is, a heavenly country; So Ephef. ii19. Fellow citizens with the faints, and of the houfhold of God, 2 Cor. v. 1. There is a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens, and they defire to inhabit this house, to be clothed upon with this house. Licet in terris exiftentes, carnalitatem non fpiramus fed res cœleftes curamus, adminiftràmus.

Though we are converfant here below, yet we do not confine our felves, either in our defires or thoughts, to carnal and worldly things; but we do take care of the affairs of eternity; at least we do fo order our affairs, and expectations of a happy deliverance from hence, as to use diligence, in perfecting holiness, and purity of life and conversation.

Grotius reads it thus. Oppofitum eft ei quod præceffit, terrena fapientes, nos vero, inquit, animo jam in coelo fumus: coeleftia cogitamus: curamus illa, quæ illuc ducunt ; cœleftibus legibus regimur. Though in refpect of fenfe, and of our bodies, we are here below, yet we are in heaven, and mind heavenly things, in oppofition to the minding the things that are earthly.

Erafmus gloffes thus upon it. Cæterum nos qui Chriftum vere fequimur, licet corporibus detineamur in térris tamen animis in cœlis vivimus, illuc affidue fufpirantes,

pirantes, &c. We, faith he, though we are here in this world, and converfant about worldly affairs, yet we do not belong to an earthly kingdom, but an heavenly city.

Beza thus renders it, our city is in heaven, Noftra vero civitas in cælis eft. As thofe that are fubjects of it, by their affimilation to the heavenly kingdom.

This word in the firft proper fignification of it, doth concern a magiftrate, or government ftrictly: but after, it comes to be enlarged to any administration, or government, or any office. Hence in the greek authors, Πεπολίτευμαι τῷ θεῷ is vitam meam inftituo, to give a man's felf up to any way or courfe of life; the word is fo far extended, fo St. Paul, Acts. xxiii. 1. Men and brethren, I have lived in all good confaience before God, until this day. So that I have reafon to like well of the translation which is fo large and general. Let your converfation be in heaven. For though the word in its first proper notion be reftrained, yet in common ufe, it is extended..

Cornelius a Lapide thus renders it, In terris agimus vitam puram & fanétam, qualem angeli in calis. We hereupon do lead an holy, upright and unblameable converfation, fuch an one as the angels do in heaven. Thus I have given you an account of the words, our converfation is in heaven. Heaven is two ways known to us, and denotes two things; heaven (firft) denotes a state. And 2dly, it denotes a place. Heaven as it denotes a ftate, fo we call it heaven moral, or heaven in a moral fenfe. heaven, as it denotes a place, fo it is heaven local.. Heaven as it denotes a ftate, we can lay title to

now S