up: Prov. xxviii. 14. "Happy is the man that feareth alway, but he that hardeneth his heart fhall fall into mifchief." He trembles to think of going back from God, has a horror at the thought. He walks foftly and warily, as one afraid to be taken off his feet; and he holds the fafter, the more he fees his hazard.-There is,

[2.] The fmoke of felf-loathing, for former fins and departures from God: Ezek. xxxvi. 31. "Then fhall ye remember your own evil ways, and your doings that were not good, and fhall loathe yourselves in your own fight for your iniquities, and for your abominations." They that are near will remember with felf-loathing what they were when they were far off: Pfal. lxxiii. 22. "So foolish was I and ignorant, I was as a beaft before him." They who have not feen their wretched cafe while at a distance from God, they go back again quickly; for the fore that is not fufficiently probed, though fcurfed over, will break out again.-There is,

[3.] The smoke of diffatisfaction with the corrupt nature, in that there fhould be so much as a principle of back-drawing, the leaft inclination in them to go away: Rom. vii. 24. "O wretched

man that I am! who fhall deliver me from the body of this death?" They will be looking with an evil eye on the corruption of nature, which makes them capable of departing, and will be longing to be beyond the reach of temptations to depart from the Lord.

(2.) You will know by the flame that will be rifing there. There being a live coal from the altar, there will be a threefold flame.

[1] A flame of love to the house they have come to for the Master's fake, Luke, xxiv. 29. 32. The glory of that houfe caft open by the blood of Christ,

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Christ, darkens all created excellency with them, fo that their hearts fay, "This is my reft." Pfal. Ixxi. 25. "Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none on the earth that I defire beside thee." They are like the servant, Exod. xxi. 5. who, from love to his mafter, would not go out free. They have made choice of God in Chrift for their God; and when they reflect on the bargain, they do not repent their choice. If they had it to make a thoufand times, they would not alter. -There is,

(2.) A flame of defires, defires to stay Pfal. cxix. 10. "With my whole heart have I fought thee; O let me not wander from thy commandments!" They fee Satan and a corrupt heart ftanding ready to yoke, to carry them back to their father's houfe again; but they are perfuaded in their hearts, while they are with God, they are where they are better, yea, where they are beft ; and they defire not to go back, they defire to stay, and therefore are denying the fuits of ungodliness and worldly lufts, which would carry them back, Tit. ii. 12.-There is,

(3.) A flame of hatred against the fashion of their father's house: Pfal. ci. 3. "I will fet no wicked thing before mine eyes; I hate the work of them that turn afide, it shall not cleave to me." They loathed them, they therefore left them, and came away from them. They do not love them, and therefore hate to go back to them. They have abandoned the fweet morfel, and abhor to take it up again: Pfal. xcvii. 10. "Ye that love the Lord, hate evil; he preferveth the fouls of his faints, he delivereth them out of the hands of the wicked." Thofe fashions wounded their confciences, defiled their fouls, grieved the Holy Spirit, contradicted the law of righteousness; therefore they hate them.

Thus,

Thus, you fee, those who have diawn near to God in heaven, have determined to abide there. They have taken God as their God, to abide by, and with him for ever. And hence we may conclude two things in regard to them.

1. That they are no more people of this world. Heaven was caft open to them by Jefus Chrift, a` way was made for them into the holieft of all, and they have drawn near by this way to God in Chrift, to abide there. It is indeed true, they are. yet in the world, but they are not any more of it, they are chofen out of the world, John, xv. 19. Though their bodies be still in this world, their fouls have by faith taken wing, have left this for that world, which is not feen, and have got in within the vail. Thus it is, for the god of this world is not their God. They have renounced the devil, no more to ferve and obey him to their ruin, but to refift him as their enemy, and the enemy of their God. They are to have an irreconcileable war with him, till he be bruised under their feet. The world's portion is not their portion, 1 John, ii. 15. 16. They look beyond things that are seen, which may fill the hand, but can never fill the heart. They feek after profits more folid, pleafures more pure and fweet, than the world can afford. They will not, like the men of the world, cry, "Who will fhew us any good?". Pfal. iv. 6. ; but as anfwering Chrift's call, Song, iv. 8. "Come with me from Lebanon, my spouse." What others take upon their back, yea, place in the chief room of the heart, they put under their feet, and are fighting with it, that they may overcome it. The way of the world is not their way: Rom. xii. 2. "And be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.". To be only neighbour-like, is not their

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their religion. They are pilgrims and ftrangers in the world, who will be diftinguished by their way from the natives. For they who take the way of the world muft perish with it.

2. They are people of another world, they are of that world where life and immortality reign. They' have had accefs into heaven while on earth, and they have drawn near to it by faith. Wonder not at this, for if there be a foul here who has drawn near to God with a true heart, in the full afsurance of faith, and taken God in Chrift for their God, they may well be faid to be in heaven, and to be creatures of another world. For,

(1.) Their Head is in heaven, even Jesus Christ, who is as really united to the believer, as the head of a living man is to his body. There is as real an union and communion betwixt Chrift and them, as betwixt the head and the bady: Col. ii. 19. "He is the head, from which all the body, by joints and bands, having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increafeth with the increase of God." This union the Spirit defcending from Chrift, and faith ascending from the true heart, constitutes; and this the facrament feals.

(2.) Their heart is in heaven, for their treasure, their stock, and portion is there: Matth. vi. 21. "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be alfo." Their heart is divorced from the world and their lufts, it is away before them, in fome measure, to the place where they themselves are to be for ever. They have got a view of the glory and treasures of the upper houfe, and after thefe their fouls are breathing.

(3.) Their life is there, for Chrift is there: Col. iii. 3. 4. "For you are dead, and your life is hid with Chrift in God. When Chrift, who is our life, fhall appear, then fhall we allo appear

with him in glory." Their principle of life is the Spirit of Chrift, by whom they live. It is a hidden life indeed, hid from the world, often from themfelves. They fee not their dignity, it doth not yet appear what they are, but as really as they have taken God in Chrift for their God, the Spirit of Chrift dwells in them. And hence, their life can never be extinguithed, for it lies not in the grace of God within them, but in that without them in Chrift.

(4.) Their hand is in heaven, even faith, that long arm of the foul, by which it can reach from earth to heaven, even to his feat; for by it, as was fhewn, we draw near to God. Faith penetrates through the vail, and refts not, till it rest in God himfelf, who draws near to us in his word, the word of the everlafting gofpel.

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(5.) Their converfation is in heaven, Phil. iii. 20. They are citizens there, their great trade is there. The King of heaven is their King, their Lord, Head, and Hufband; and fo they wait their orders from heaven, and do not take up with every thing which offers, according to the inclinations of their own corrupt hcarts. The laws of heaven are their rule, for they are put in their mind, and written in their inward parts, Heb. viii. 10. They are not difpofed to do as others do, but to hear what the Lord fays to them. The word from heaven is their oracle, with which to confult in all their way. Their hope and expectation is from heaven. The work of heaven is their work, which is, tó ferve and to do the will of Chrift's Father which is in heaven. So much for the first thing, taking God for your God in Chrift, without doubting of your welcome.-The

2. Thing in drawing near with full affurance of faith was, That having taken God for your,

God