Thoughts upon Striving to enter at the frait Gate.

A

Scertainly as we are here now, it is not long but we fhall all be in another World, either in a World of Happiness, or elfe in a World of Mifery, or if you will, either in Heaven or in Hell. For thefe are the two only places which all Mankind from the beginning of the World to the end of it, muft live in for evermore, fome in the one, fome in the other, according to their carriage and behaviour here; and therefore it is worth the while to take a view and prospect now and then of both thefe places, and it will not be amifs if we do it now; for which end, I defire the Reader in his ferious and compofed Thoughts to attend me firft into the celeftial Manfions, above yonder glorious Sun and the Stars themfelves, where not only the Cherubins and Seraphins, Angels and Archangels, but many alfo of our Brethren, the Sons of Men, at this very moment are enjoying the Prefence, and finging forth the Praises of the most high God. There are the Spirits of juft Men made perfect, perfect in themselves, and perfect in all their Actions, perfectly free from all both Sin

and

and Mifery, perfectly full of all true Grace and Glory, all their Faculties being redu ced to that most perfect and excellent frame and conftitution, that their Understandings are continually taken up with the contemplations of the fupreme Truth, and their wills in the embracement of the chiefeft Good; fo that all the Inclinations of their Souls reft in God as in their proper Centre, in whom by confequence they enjoy as much as they can defire, yea as much as they can be made capable of defiring. For all thofe infinite Perfections that are concentred in God himfelf, are now in their poffeffion, to folace and delight themfelves in the full and perfect enjoyinent of them; by which means they are as happy as God himself can make them, infomuch that at this very moment methinks we may all behold them fo ravifhed, fo transported with their celeftial Joys, that it may juftly ftrike us into admiration, how ever Creatures which once were finful, could be made fo pure, fo perfect, and altogether fo happy as they are. leave our Bodies for a while below, and go up to take a turn in the new Jerufalem that is above, we could not but be ravifh'd and tranfported at the very fight both of the Place and Inhabitants, every one be ing far more glorious than the greatest Em

And could we but

perors

perors of this World, with nothing lefs than Crowns of Glory on their Heads, and Scepters of Righteoufnefs in their Hands, where they think of nothing but of the Glory of God, difcourfe of nothing but praifing him, do nothing but adore and worship him; in a word, whatfoever is agreeable to our Natures, whatsoever is defirable to our Souls, whatfoever can any way conduce to make Men happy, is fully, perfectly, eternally enjoyed, by all and every Perfon that is in Heaven.. Whereas on the other fide, if we bring down our thoughts from Heaven, and fend them as low as Hell, to confider the most deplorable eftate and condition of those who inhabit the Regions of Darkness, them we fhall find as miferable as the other are happy; not only in that they are deprived of the Vifion and but likewife

Fruition of the chiefeft good on and

in that they are in continual pain and torment, as great as infinite Juftice can adjudge them to, and infinite Power inflict upon them; infomuch, that could we lay our Ear to the entrance of that bottomlefs Pit, what howlings and fhriekings fhould we hear, what weeping and wailing and gnafhing of teeth in the midft of thofe infernal Flames, where, as our Saviour himfelf tells us, The worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched, Mar. ix. 44.. That is, where

where their Consciences are always gnawed and tormented with the remembrance of their former Sins, and the Fire of God's Wrath is continually burning in them, never to be quenched or abated. For certainly as the fmiles and favour of the eternal God, constitute the Joys of Heaven, so do his frowns and anger make up the Flames of Hell. To fee him that made us difpleased with us, to fee Mercy it felf to frown upon us, to fee the great and allglorious Creator of the World, the chiefeft Good to look angrily upon us, and to mean himself offended at us, and incensed againft us! Methinks the very thoughts of it are fufficient to make the ftouteft Heart amongst us tremble: But then what shall we think of thofe poor Souls that see and feel it? What fhall we think of them? Questionless they are more miferable than we are able to think them to be. For we cannot poffibly conceive either the greatnefs of Heavens Glory, or the fharpness of Hell Torments, only this we know, and may be certain of, that whatsoever is ungrateful to their Minds, whatsoever is troublesome to their Thoughts, whatsoever is contrary to their Defires, whatsoever is painful to their Bodies, or whatsoever is or can be deftructive and tormenting to

their Souls, that all they who are once in Hell, fhall fear and feel that for ever.

BUT this is too fad and doleful a Subject to infift on long, neither should I have mentioned it, but for our own Good, and to prepare us the better, both for the understanding and improving the Advice of our Saviour, Matth. vii. 13, 14. Enter ye in at the freight Gate, &c. The meaning of which Words, in brief, may be reduced to these three Heads.

FIRST, that it is an eafy matter to go to Hell, that Place of Torments we have now been defcribing, and by Confequence that many go thither; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leadeth thither.

SECONDLY, that it is a hard and difficult thing to get to Heaven, that Place of Joys we before fpake of, and by Confequence that but few get thither, For ftrait is the gate, and narrow is the way that leadeth to it..

LASTLY, howfoever difficult it is, our Saviour would have us ftrive to get to Heaven, fo as to prefs through that ftrait gate, and walk in that narrow way that leadeth into life.

As for the first, that the gate is wide, and the way broad, that leads to Hell, or that it is an eafy matter to go thither, I

need