of the evil of sin, of the vanity of the world, of the beauties of holiness, of the worth of the soul, of the excellencies of the Saviour, of the grace and glory of His character, are the same in kind, though not in measure and degree, as the views he will have hereafter. What knowledge he now possesses as a Christian is a peculiar knowledge; there is a certainty in it; it is not mere opinion, mere conjecture, mere reasoning. "In God's light he shall see light.' The Holy Spirit meets him at the altar, and he can say as the apostle did, "I know in whom I have believed;" "I know that this shall turn for my good;" "We know that if the earthly house of this tabernacle be dissolved, we have a building of God." And there is also an influence in it which others never feel, which descends from the head into the heart. How often therefore is it said that God "gives His people a heart to know Him!" Heaven is thus already commenced; and though the day is hereafter, the dawn is now; and the dawn is produced by the very same sun that produces the day. | Then we may consider heaven as a state of holiness; for it is not only high but a holy place, and into this we are told entereth nothing that defileth. 'Ah!' say you,' you cannot say much of your sanctity now;' you rather say, "There is a law in my members warring against the law of my mind!" Yes, but there is a law of the mind to be warred against, which was not the case with you once, nor is it the case with others now. You say, "When I would do good evil is present with me." Yes, but you would do good; "the spirit indeed is willing but the flesh is weak." You are not merely convinced, but your are converted; you are not merely refor med, but you are "renewed in the spirit of your mind;" you are not only moral men, but you are holy men; your body, your spirit show this. (Why should you refuse the language? if some abuse it, let them abuse it, and take the consequences;) you are "partakers" of God's own holiness. A change has not only taken place in the head, but in the disposition; you mind spiritual things, you are joined to the Lord, and have one spirit; you have the same mind also, "which was in Jesus Christ." Take the glorified above, as they now are. Do they cast VOL. XII. 66 their crowns at the Saviour's feet? Every Christian now living has something of the same humilityin him, and which leads him to say, "Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto Thy name be all the praise." "Not I, but the grace of God, which was with me;" By the grace of God I am what I am." Do they who dwell in His house above still praise Him? The Christian has something of that very gratitude in him already; and it urges him to say, as to inclination and purpose, "I will bless the Lord always, His praise shall be continually in my mouth; bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits." And is it said, that His servants do serve Him, see His face, and His name is in their foreheads? Why, there is a degree of the same hope in His church here, so that they take pleasure in diffusing His glory, and avowing even unto death His name. Heaven, in this view also, is commencing business. You do And are Then we must view heaven as a state of blessedness. This is the common view that is taken of it. All are made for happiness; but there are some who have found it. And who are they? Why those to whom He has assigned the path of life, and who are now "in His presence" where there is fulness of joy," and "at His right hand" where "there are pleasures for evermore." not question their happiness. Christians here strangers to all that blessedness, which they are now enjoying? They are in what the apostle calls "the glorious liberty of the sons of God." Christians are already made free; they are upheld by God's free Spirit; they run in the way of His commandments with enlarged hearts. Have they entered into His pure, and complete, and eternal peace? Why, even here, the apostle tells us, Christians are possessed of the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, keeping their hearts and minds through Jesus Christ; even now their minds are kept in perfect peace, being staid upon God. And are they blessed because they are still with the Saviour, where He is, to behold His glory? Why, do not Christians now enter into glory by the eye of faith? Why, do they not hold communion with God even now? Yes; these are the earnests and the foretastes of that blessedness. But now let us mention some of the K seasons in which these earnests and foretastes are most richly afforded to Christians on earth. The first of these that I shall mention is sorrow. You know how far I ever am from pleading for an improper abstraction from the world; at the same time I would call to mind, that as Christians, your souls can never prosper in the Divine life without occasional and frequent retirement. You all know, that the treasures of friendship are mainly unfolded and enjoyed in secret; and abundantly is this the case with the friendship subsisting between God and His people. It is then He manifests Himself to the Christian, as not unto the world. It is then--Oh! how often!-the Christian has realised the words, which he is sometimes singing— you." I pity those, who go to the table of the Lordunder a dread from the language of the apostle, "He that eateth and drinketh unworthily eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body." Come to His table cheerfully and gladly, as you would to a feast. I hope there are not many Christians here, but can say, from an assurance that they have a participation in this ordinance, "We sat under His shadow with delight and found His fruit sweet to our taste." Affliction is another season at which God vouchsafes His earnests and foretastes of heaven. Some of you, perhaps, little expected that I should mention this. But where was Jacob when he had a vision? Exiled from his father's house. In what state was he when he said, "This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven?" A forlorn youth, with no shelter near him. Where was John, when he was "in the Spirit on Another is, in the means of Divine ap-with the slaves of Patmos. The mother the Lord's day?" Working in the mines pointment. In the sanctuary you have often prayed with Watts— "Be earth with all her scenes withdrawu; In secret silence of the mind, My God, and there my heaven, I find." regards all her children, but who has most of the bosom and the caressing? "Send comforts down from Thy right hand, The poor weakly, sickly child. While we pass through this barren land; A glimpse of love, a glimpse of Thee." What says Paul? "As the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ." And therefore he could say, "I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then am I strong.' And you have been thus indulged. You came to inquire in His temple, and to see the Lord as you have seen His power and His glory in His sanctuary. The language of God justifies your peculiar expectation with regard to this; Yea, He peculiarly affords these earand you should repair to the ordinances nests and foretastes of heaven in death. of religion with a full confidence, as You will meet them there; and He will well as desire. For has He not said, be with you most, and afford you most "I will abundantly bless her provisions; when you most need it. He will be I will make the place of My feet found "a very present help in every glorious?" Has he not said, "I time of trouble;" and therefore you may will bring them to My holy mountain, be sure He will in that time. You often and I will make them joyful in My house say, 'It is a hard thing to die;' and it is of prayer?" a hard thing to die, and it will be found so if you happen to die without Christ. But "Jesus can make a dying bed Feel soft as downy pillows are, And among all these may we not refer peculiarly to the table of the Lord, to which some of you are now approaching? This is the only visible representation we have of the Saviour in this world. It And breathe my life out sweetly there." is here, that sense aids faith; it is here, that our communion with things unseen "Oh! yes," says Dr. Roden, "I can and eternal is maintained by means of now smile at death, because my God is things which are seen and temporal; it smiling upon me.' Then many of the is here, that He stands and "shows you hindrances of real joy are withdrawn. His hands and His side;" for as the apos-Theu that evil thing legality, which has tle says, "Before your eyes Jesus Christ been such a hindering of the Christian, is thus evidently set forth crucified among is destroyed. He cannot fetch his satis only that He should have made it clear and promised it to you, and assured it to you, but begun it already in you, and furnished you with some of the fruits even here!" Oh! how great is Thy goodness," therefore says David, “which Thou hast laid up for them that fear Thee; which Thou hast wrought for them that trust in Thee before the sons of men!" And, says the apostle, speaking of present things, "He that hath wrought us for the self-same thing is God, who also hath given us the earnest of His Spirit." Therefore, says the apostle, Yes, these are the scenes and the situations, in which God peculiarly vouchsafes the earnests and the foretastes of heaven. This is the use we should make of heaven, and consider it, not in its fairest state, but as in its commencement; not in its fu-joining his fellow Christians, "Blessed ture, but its present reality. be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ." How Further; what wonder that the believer should be willing to depart?-for he knows that "to depart" is "to be with Christ, which is far better." does he know this? Why, he knows it from experience. Yes, from his experience he has become better acquainted with heaven than from all the books he ever read, or from all the sermons he ever heard on the subject. Affliction always tends to promote the believer's What does the subject lead me to say, with regard to some of you, in the way of self-examination. What have you to do here? Are you not like the Jews, who despised "the pleasant land," as it is justly called? You despise a much pleasanter one. Instead of seeking the things which are above, you "mind earthly things;" heaven is hid from your viewearth contains all you desire. Like the leech, you fasten upon every thing that is fleshly; and like the grave. you refuse nothing that is mortal and physical. If you think of heaven, it is as a place mil-readiness to leave the world; but these lions of miles off, somewhere above the stars. But what our Saviour said is the experience of every believer; the kingdom of God is here; for "the kingdom of God is within you." If you ever think of salvation, you never include any thing present in it, but a deliverance hereafter at the hour of death. But if you are not saved now, you will never be saved at all: 66 now is the accepted time, now is the day of salvation." If you are not made happy here, you can never enter heaven hereafter; or if you did enter it, your going there would produce nothing like happiness; you would be entirely incapable of the enjoyments and the employments of the place. Take the representations of heaven from Scripture, and then say, Could I be completely happy in the realization of all this? Christians! you should derive from the subject the use of gratitude and praise. What thanksgivings are due from you, that you who deserve hell should be made heirs of the glory which is to be revealed; yea, and that He should not only have made you heirs of it, not earnests and foretastes of heaven do much "Yes, I have tasted Canaan's grapes; Where my dear Lord the vineyard keeps, shall be." After all, what were the clusters of grapes 66 eye hath not "If such the sweetness of the streams, ON THE REVELATION OF ST. JOHN THE DIVINE. BY THE REV. T. GOUGH, SEN. DELIVERED AT WESTBURY LEIGH CHAPEL, ON LORD'S DAY MORNING, MARCH 18, 1838. "But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and whịch have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak, I will put upon you none other burden. Bot that which ye have already, hold fast till I come. And he that overcometh, and keepeth My works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations; and he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of My Father. And I will give him the morning star."-Rev. ii. 24-28. It is a fact that needs neither confirma- | grace, or neglect the services of His own tion nor illustration, that God Almighty appointment; but with all the motives for has so ordered the position of His church your consolation, He furnishes motives and the station of every individual mem- for your vigilance, activity, and watchber of such church, as that that situation fulness. I rather think these things may should be a test of the character of genu- be found in part, if not in whole, in the ine religion. Man is the creature of words I have read. The great Redeemer circumstances, and we are here placed in is heard to say, "As many as have not the midst of snares, trials, and opposi- known the depths of Satan, I will put tions; and we carry in our bosom the la- upon them none other burden;" I will tent principles of a corrupt nature. There not crush you down. "Hold fast till I is such a thing as being discouraged be- come.' ." And behold the motives to this; cause of the difficulties of the way; "And he that overcometh and keepeth there is such a thing as the soul being My words unto the end, to him will I grieved because of the roughness of its give power over the nations; and I will journey. And man needs motives to give him the morning star." A very endurance, to perseverance, and to encou- lively and sublime metaphor. Some ragehim; and pray, from whence are these great and good men understand this Jezeto be drawn? They are all enclosed in belian state of things to refer to the dark this Sacred Volume. Here the Almighty ages of Popery, and the reign of Pagan tells you that His mercies are continued persecution; and the promise, to refer to to the righteous, and that He watches the reign of Constantine. I have, howover all that is precious. He has de- ever, no sympathy with these sentiments, clared to us, that the measurement and and proceed to considerstate of all these things are with Him. He promises that proportionate strength shall be given. There is exhibited to the conflicting soul the untarnished and imperishable crown of glory; hence God has given us motives of perseverance. But man, as man, is the creature of circumstances; he is very much the creature of ease; the cross is not pleasant to him, the burden is not desirable; hundreds have said, "Oh! that I had wings like a dove, then would I fly away and be at I. The solemn charge of the Son of I. In considering this high charge, we are led to notice those to whom it is delivered. We have nothing to do with Thyatira as a mere city; we have to do with the church, and believers in it. There might be some in that city (we say it not to their honour), who received the But God never furnishes us with doctrines of the Gospel, and stood aloof motives for the encouragement of indo- from the errors and practices referred to, lence; nor has He told us to hang our but who were not visibly united with harps upon the willows, or to lay down the rest; they ought to have been the weapons of our warfare, nor to get identified as one family. "I say unto down from our watchtower, but to main-you, and to the rest in Thyatira, as many tain an observant position there. He has as have not this doctrine”—(the doctrine never told us to be remiss in the means of stated in the former lecture). The doc rest. trine had not however been received by them. The doctrine of what?" The doctrine of devils;" "the depths of Satan." I do not know any class this can more strongly refer to, than to the heretical Church of Rome, and the pope at her head; concerning which, there is so much written in the second of Thessalonians. These doctrines led unto such practices at which humanity shudders. Here are the few who have not received them, who stood aloof therefrom. Now to you who have not known this doctrine; that is, not approved, not acknowledged it; our Lord gives this interpretation of the word, in His representation of the grand assize, "Depart from Me, I know you not; ye are not Mine. These had not stained their garments with the pollutions of that place. We all know the word "depths" has its different meanings and bearings. There are the deep things of God; and it is to be regretted that any man should be in the church of God many years, and be a novice in the high matters of our holy religion, the grand essentials of godliness. The Christian should not be content to swim in shallow waters; he should not be contented with merely walking up to his ancles, or knees, in his acquaintance with the things of God; he should not always be in the first principles of Christianity, but seek to be acquainted more and more with the deep things of God. You are aware, there are sublime things of the Gospel, called, in other parts," the deep things of God," which the Spirit of God alone knows; and there are the mysteries, "the depths of Satan," of antichrist, and of error. Look at the harlot herself, and then you may form some idea of the mysteries here referred to in the words of our text. We may look at some other things to pave the way. Are younot aware, some mysterioustopics and sentiments are advanced, under the appearance of extraordinary piety and sanctity in the teachers, or of a profound acquaintance with deep things? I should consider it very likely this prophetess laid claim to some peculiar depths of knowledge; she seems to be spoken of in the superlative sense of the term, as "the great whore of Babylon." You have it in the seventeenth chapter of this book; John saw her there. We wish we had no relics of it in England. Some people show something very unlovely in their foreheads; we read, that upon her forehead was written--" Mystery, Babylon the great, the mother of harlots, and abominations of the earth." Here is Jezebel in her superlative character; and all that is connected with antichrist may be considered as partaking of these sentiments and practices. But these to whom the promise was given had not received these things. Perhaps no teachers under the heavens were more characterised for stedfastness, than the Waldenses and the Albigenses; and it is pleasing to God there are such, who hear the truth and stand aloof from error. Error in sentiment is generally productive of error in practice, notwithstanding there are those who say, that error itself has its innocence. Now the command is, "Hold fast till I come." You have it; hold it fast. This command is perfectly superfluous, if they had not the possession of the thing; there is no retaining, where there is no possession; no holding fast, where there is no grasp. When Paul wrote to the Thessalonians, he warned them; but especially setting before them the coming of Christ (see the first and second verses of the first chapter in the second epistle)" Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto Him, that ye be not soon shaken in mind or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter, as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand." These had received the truth. But in what way came the Gospel to these early disciples? in what way did they receive the truth? There is an importance in this; turn to the first of Thessalonians, the first and second chapters contain the account-"We give thanks to God alway for you, making mention of you always in our prayers.' "Now how is the Gospel said to come to them? Not as dying upon the ear with the sound of it; "Our Gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Ghost." For as this Word of God was so divinely applied to them, certainly things produce their likeness; wherever the carcass is, eagles will be. "We also thank God ye received it not as the words of men, but as it is in truth, the Word of God, which effectually worketh in you that believe." Yes, they had the truth in possession. And God says to these early Christians, "Grasp it, hold it fast till I come. see something thrown in of an alleviating We |