hope of heaven, whither they shall never come; it is a feast in a dream. Isa. 29: 8. Thus they make a bridge of their own shadow, and are drowned in the waters. Such sensitive and false comforts and pleasures men may have, but no true, solid, spiritual joy enters any man's heart before Christ come into it.

4. See from hence what heaven is, if there be such a feast to the soul in the very foretastes of it. If a relish, a taste of heaven as the earnest of it, be so transporting and ravishing, what is the full fruition of God? If these are unutterable, what must that be? Whatever the comforts and joys of any believer in this world may be, yet heaven will be a surprise to him when he comes thither. The joys of God's presence are not to be measured by our present comforts; though these are of the same kind with them, they are far inferior in degree. There is a sixfold difference between the spiritual comforts of believers on earth, and

the joys that are above.

(1.) They differ in quantity. Here, "we know in part; but when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away." 1 Cor. 13:9, 10. When the Scripture speaks of the comforts communicated to saints on earth, it usually expresses them in some diminutive term or other, calling them first-fruits, earnests, and the like; and indeed it is necessary we should receive them here in small degrees, because the weakness of our present state will not bear them in their plenitude and perfection. Here the joy of the Lord enters into us, but there we are said to enter into that joy. Matt. 25:21. It is too great to enter into us; therefore we enter into, and are swallowed up in it. (2.) They differ in constancy. The best comforts on earth are intermitting: a sun-blast and a cloud; a good day and a bad. You know we feed on two sorts of meat, daily bread and dainties; rarities come not every day to the table. The daily bread on which believers live, is the repose and

reliance of faith; as for assurance and joy, these come but now and then.

(3.) They differ in purity. Here we have the comforts of the Spirit, but we mingle sin with them, and especially the sin of spiritual pride, which spoils all. Yea, many times the Lord suffers Satan to mingle his temptations with them, lest we should be unduly exalted. 2 Cor. 12:7. But in heaven the comforts of the saints are as the pure water of life, clear as crystal. Rev. 22:1.

(4.) They differ in efficacy. The highest comforts of the Spirit here do not perfectly transform our souls into the image of God, as they will be in heaven. "We shall be

like him, for we shall see him as he is." 1 John, 3:2. Here, after we are comforted by him, we grieve the Comforter by sin. Neither do the comforts of the Spirit, in this state, produce the fruits of obedience in their maturity, as they do above; there is the same difference in point of efficacy, as there is between the influence of the sunbeams in the winter months, and those in May and June.

(5.) There is a great difference in respect to society. Here, the believer for the most part eats his pleasant morsels alone: one Christian eats, and another hungers; but in heaven they all feast together at one table. They shall sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of God. Matt. 8:11. 0 what must it be to rejoice in the fellowship of patriarchs, prophets, and apostles, where the joy of one is the joy of all?

(6.) They differ also in durability. Sin here puts a stop to our comforts, but in heaven there shall never be an end: 'Everlasting joy shall be upon their heads." Isa. 35: 10. There is an eternal feast. It is everlasting consolation: "We shall be ever with the Lord." 2 Thess. 2:16.

5. This doctrine puts serious matter of EXHORTATION into my mouth. The Lord direct it to the hearts of all, whether they be in Christ or out of Christ.

(1.) To those who are out of Christ, and will not be persuaded to open their hearts and consent to his terms. what a spiritual infatuation is here. What, shut the door of thy heart against Christ, and all the delights of this and the coming world? What madness is this. Hear me, thou poor deluded sinner, who wilt not be persuaded to part with thy sinful, sensual delights in exchange for Christ, and the peace, comfort, and joy that follow him. I have a few things to speak on Christ's behalf at this time. O that they may prevail; O that by them the Spirit of the Lord may persuade thy spirit. Let me offer four or five pleas on Christ's behalf, if haply they may prevail and make way for his entertainment in thy soul. And,

PLEA 1. Let me plead thine own necessity: a mighty argument, which in other cases makes its way through all oppositions, and makes all difficulties fly before it. Thou art a poor, necessitous, pining, famishing soul; however thy body be accommodated, thou hast not one morsel of spiritual bread for thy famishing soul to live upon. Christ is the bread that cometh down from heaven. The starving prodigal is the lively emblem of thy soul; he feeds upon husks, Luke 15:16, 17, and thou feedest upon that which is not bread. Isa. 55:2. "Thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked." Rev. 3:17. Thy body has often been filled and refreshed with the good creatures of God, but thy soul never tasted one morsel of spiritual bread since it came into thy body; it never relished the sweetness of a pardon, the deliciousness of a promise, or the joy and comfort of Christ: the choicest food thou hast ever tasted, was such as thy soul cannot live upon.

PLEA 2. Christ is at the door of thy soul with plenty and variety of heavenly comforts purchased by his blood; if thou wilt but open to him, thou shalt be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of his house, and drink of the rivers of his pleasure. Psalm 36:8. "He that believeth on me, as

the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water," John 7:38; meaning the graces and comforts of the Spirit.

PLEA 3. If Christ be refused now, you may never taste those invaluable mercies for ever. "For I say unto you,

that none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper." Luke 14:24. They were invited to this feast, and so are you; they refused to come, God grant that you may not; for methinks this sentence of Christ, "Those men which were bidden shall not taste of my supper," is like a sentence on a malefactor that is to be hanged in chains, whom the law permits none to relieve. O, it will be dreadful to see the saints sitting at the royal feast in heaven, and yourselves shut out like starving beggars standing in the streets and about the doors where the marriagesupper is kept: they see the lights, they behold the rich dishes carried up, they hear the mirth and music of the guests, but not a bit comes to their share.

PLEA 4. The refusal of Christ's invitation, as it is the greatest of all sins, will be avenged with the greatest punishment. It is said of those guests that were bidden, that they made light of it, Matt. 22:5; but it fell heavy upon them: "He was wroth, and he sent forth his armies and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city." Ver. 7. Beware of making light of Christ.

PLEA 5. What vain things are all those pleasures of sin, for the sake of which you deprive your souls of the everlasting comforts Jesus Christ can give. Deluded soul, it is not the intent of Christ to rob thee of comfort, but to exchange thy sinful for spiritual delights, to thy unspeakable advantage. True, you can have no more pleasure in sin; but instead of that, you shall have peace with God, joy in the Holy Ghost, and solid comforts for evermore. What are the sensitive or sinful pleasures of the world? You have the total sum of them in 1 John, 2:16, 17: "All that is in

the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lusts thereof; but he that doeth the will of God, abideth for ever."

QUESTION. But how may a poor unregenerate soul be prevailed upon to make such a blessed exchange as to part with the pleasures of sin for the blessings of Jesus Christ? ANSWER. Besides all that has been offered before, let me briefly add three counsels to such a soul.

Labor to feel thy need of Christ, and then thou wilt quickly be willing to give up all the pleasures of sin for the enjoyment of him. What makes men so tenacious of their lusts, so hard to be persuaded to give up their sinful pleasures, but this, that they never felt the need of a Saviour? O, sinner, didst thou but feel thy need of Christ, wert thou but hungry and thirsty for him, thou wouldst never stand upon such trifles for the enjoyment of him. We read, in the famine of Jerusalem, how they parted with their pleasant things for bread to relieve their souls; jewels, rings, bracelets, things which cost dear and were highly valued at another time, were now willingly parted with for bread. Christ is more necessary to thee than thy necessary food.

Consider the spiritual and immortal nature of thy soul, which cannot live upon material things, and must outlive all temporal things. If thy soul cannot live upon them, and must certainly outlive them, what a miserable condition will it unavoidably fall into, when all these sensual and sinful enjoyments are vanished and gone, as thou knowest they shortly will be. These things pass away, 1 John, 2:17, and then has thy soul nothing to live upon to all eternity.

Hearken to the experiences of the saints, who have tried both sorts of pleasure, which you never did. They have tried the pleasures of sin, and they have tasted the pleasures of Christ, and so are able to give a true judgment on both; and they have accordingly determined, that one glimpse of