But, upon our entrance into the other world, we shall quite put off the old man with the affections and lufts thereof; we shall be perfectly delivered from this body of fin and death, and, together with this mortal nature, part with all the remainders of fin and corruption, which cleave to this mortal state. For till our earthly houfe of this tabernacle be diffolved, we fhall uever be wholly cleanfed from the leprofy of fin. While we are in this world, we must be continually cleanfing ourselves from all filthiness of flesh and fpirit, and perfecting holiness in the fear of God. But we fhall never be wholly cleanfed, we fhall never be perfectly holy in this life; but in the other ftate, all fin and imperfection fhall be done away, and we fhall be prefented to God, without fpot or wrinkle or any fuch thing. And perfect holinefs is the image of God, and the very nearest resemblance of the divine nature, that creatures are capable of.

But how our fouls fhall be purified from those remainders of fin and dregs of corruption, which are in the best men, while they are in this world, it is not neceffary that we should be able perfectly to explain. It ought to be fufficient to us, that he who hath promised it, is able to do it one way or other; only I am confident, and have great reafon to be fo, that this purification will not be wrought by the fire of purgatory. For if there be any fuch thing, as there is not the leaft fpark of divine revelation for it, (and how any body should come to know it otherwife, is not eafy to imagine), it is granted to be a material fire; and if it be fo, it is no ways fitted, either for the punishment or purgation of impure fouls. Indeed, if men carried their bodies into purgatory, the fire of it might be a cruel torment and vexation to them; but how a fire fhould fcorch a fpirit, is, I believe, beyond the fubtilty of a schoolman to make out; much lefs is it fitted to purge and take away fin. And, if the truth were known, it was never feriously intended for this purpofe, to do any good to the dead, but to drain the purfes of the living, by deluding them with a vain hope of getting their friends delivered out of that imaginary torment.

But we, who take our faith from the word of God, and son from the fictions of men, do believe that the fouls of good men do immediately pass out of this world into a

ftate

ftate of happiness; and that he who bestows this happinefs upon them, does qualify them for it, before he admits them into it. And if we confider the matter well, we fhall find that a man who hath truly repented of his fins, and, through the mercy of God in Jefus Chrift, hath ob tained of God the pardon and forgiveness of them, and is firmly refolved against fin, and doth truly endeavour to mortify his lufts, and to lead a holy life, and by the grate of God does deny ungodlinefs and worldly lufts, and lives foberly and righteously and godly in this prefent world; I fay, we fhall find that such a man is not far from the kingdom of God, but very nearly qualified and difpofed for it; and that there hardly wants any thing to make fuch a man perfectly good, but only to remove out of his way thofe obftacles and impediments to vittue, and to free him from thofe circumftances of infirmity and temptation, which do unavoidably encompass us in this world; fuch as are ignorance, and the inftigations of our bodily temper to irregular appetites and paffions, that which the Apoftle calls, The law in our members warring against the law of our minds: the neceffities of this life, the temptations of the devil, and of bad company, and the like; all which do appertain to this ftate, and which we shall be quit of fo foon as we leave this world, and put off these frail and mortal bodies; and when thefe are removed, we are free from the bondage of fin, and have nothing to hinder and divert that ftrong bent and inclination of mind which is in every good man, to do the will of God. So that our very translation into another state, døes, of itself, affert us into this glorious liberty of the fons of God. And if, befides this, any thing more be neceffary to cleanfe us from fin, and perfect the holiness and purity of our fouls, we need not be folicitous about the way and manner of it, but may rest confident, that he who hath begun a good work in us, will perfect it in the day of Chrift; and that what is wanting in our love to God, or charity to men, in goodness and meeknefs, and purity, or any grace or virtue whatsoever, shall then be added to them, that fo »an entrance may be miniftred to us abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Fefus Chrift. This we know, that when he shall appear, we shall be

like him ; like him in the immortality of our nature, and in the purity of our fouls, which are the very image of God, and the most exprefs character of the divine nature. The

Fourth and laft thing remains, which is to fhew the neceffary connexion which is between our likeness and conformity to God, and our fight and enjoyment of him: We know that we shall be like him, for we shall fee him as he is. Which implies, that unlefs we be like God, we are in no capacity of the bleffed fight and enjoyment of him.

I. Likenefs to God, in the immortality of our nature, is neceffary to make us capable of the happiness of the next life; which confifts in the blessed and perpetual vifion and enjoyment of God. If our natures were mortal, we were incapable of feeing God. What was faid of Mofes, is equally true of all mankind, in this state of mortality. We cannot fee the face of God and live. Nothing that is frail and dying can endure the fplendor of fo great a glory; nothing that ftands in need of continual reparation, as flesh and blood does, can inherit the kingdom of God; nothing but a fixed and immutable nature, which can never decay, is capable of ever lafting happiness.

But this part of likeness and conformity to God, though it be neceffary to make us capable of the felicity of another world, yet it is no part of our duty and care: If we endeavour after the other, which confifts in holiness and purity, God will work this in us, and for us, without any concurrence of ours All that he requires of us is, that we firmly believe it, and patiently expect it, and fervently pray for it, and afpire after it. And, indeed, our likenefs to God, in this refpect, depends upon our conformity to him in purity and holinefs. For as by fin death entered into the world, and fo death paffed upon all men fo nothing but holinefs can reftore us to immortality.

The foundation of all our hopes of a blessed immortality, is to be laid in the price of our redemption, as the meritorious cause of it, and in our being renewed after the image of God, in righteousness and true holiness, as the proper qualification and capacity for it on our parts. We must have our fruit unto holinefs, if we look that

the

the end fhould be everlafting life. And to this purpose it is excellently faid, in the Wisdom of Solomon, the keeping of God's commandments is the affurance of immortality, and immortality makes us like to God. And therefore I fhall mainly apply myself to the

II. Thing, namely, To fhew that our likeness to God in the purity of our fouls, is neceffary to make us capable of the bleffed fight and enjoyment of him in the next life. It is neceffary as a condition of the thing; and it is neceffary as a qualification in the person.

1. It is neceffary as a condition of the thing to be performed on our part, before we can expect that God should make good the promife of eternal life and happiness to us. The exprefs conftitution and appointment of God hath made it neceffary, who hath told us, without holiness no man Jhall fee him; that if we sow to the flesh, we shall of the flesh reap corruption; but if we fow to the fpirit, (that is) if we be fanctified and renewed, we shall of the fpirit reap everlasting life. And if this were a mere ar bitrary condition, impofed upon us by the fovereign will of God, without any neceffity from the nature of the thing; yet we ought to accept it, as a very eafy condi tion; when he hath only faid, as the Prophet did to Naaman, wash and be clean. Certainly no man can refuse fo great a benefit and bleffing conferred upon fuch cheap and tolerable terms. God hath promised us eternal life! a mighty bleffing indeed! for the obtaining of which, no condition that is poffible can be thought hard and unreas fonable. And what does he require of us for the obtains ing of it, but that we cleanse ourselves from all filthinefs of flesh and fpirit, and perfect holiness in the fear of God? that is, that we do with all care and diligence ab ftain from fin, and endeavour to live a holy life; to conform ourselves to the will of God, and to be obedient to his laws. He does not require perfect holiness of us in this life, but a fincere endeavour after it, and he hath promifed to affift our endeavour; and if we go as far as we can, he will perfect what is wanting. So that there is nothing in all this but what is very poffible for every man to do, by the affiftance of that grace which he hath promised to afford us; and if it be poffible, we cannot an

fwer

fwer our neglect of it, when all our hopes of happiness depend upon it. But this is not all; there is yet,

2. A farther neceffity of it, inwardly to qualify and difpofe us for the fight and enjoyment of God. We cannot poffibly love God, nor take delight in him, unless we be like him in the temper and difpofition of our minds. If we would know what will make us happy, we must look upon the great pattern of happiness, and that is God himfelf; who, as he is the most powerful, and wife, and every way perfect, fo he is the happieft being in the world. So that if we would be happy, we must be like God. We cannot be so perfect as he is, and therefore we cannot be fo happy; but if we would be as happy as creatures are capable of being, we must endeavour to be as like God as it is poffible for creatures to be.

We must resemble him as near as we can, in those perfections wherein he is imitable by us. And these are, as I may call them, the moral perfections of his nature, which the fcripture ufually comprehends under the name of holiness; his goodness, and patience, and mercy, and juftice, and truth, and faithfulness; and thefe, as they are the great glory, so the chief felicity of the divine nature.

Goodness is a perfection of itself, though it were without any great degree of knowledge or power. A poor man, and one that is ignorant in comparison of others, may yet be a very good man, But power and knowledge, feparated from goodnefs, are not perfections, but may be applied to the worst and most mischievous purposes; as we fee in the devil, who hath both these qualities in a high degree.

If we could fuppofe an omnipotent and all-knowing being that were deftitute of goodness, he would not only be troublesome to others, but uneafy to himself. Without goodness there can be no happiness. So that thofe perfections which contribute moft to the happiness of the divine nature, are the easiest to be imitated by us. We may be like God in his holinefs, that is, in his goodnefs, and patience, and mercy, and righteoufnefs, and truth. And thefe perfections are the very temper and difpofition of happinefs; for they are the nature of God, who is therefore effentially happy, because he is a being conftituted