9. We shall, in the kingdom of lieaA'cn, be freed from all society with the wicked. Here, we are forced sometimes to be in their company, Ps. cxx. 5., " Wo is me that I sojourn in Mesech, and dwell in the tents of Kedar !" Kedar was Ishmael's son, whose children dwelt in Arabia, a jirofane, barbarous people. Here the wicked are still raising persecutions against the godly, and crucifyinff their ears with their oaths and curses; Christ's lily is among thorns; but in the heavenly kingdom there shall be no more any pricking briar, JNIat. xiii. 41., *' The Son of xnan shall send forth his an- gels, and they shall gather out of Ms king- dom all things that offend." As INloses said, Exod. xiv. 13., " Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord: for the Egyp- tians whom ye have seen to -day, ye shall see them .igain no more for ever:" so will God say, "stand still and set' the salvation of(iod; these your enemies, that vex and molest you, you shall see them again no more for ever." At that day, God will se- parate the precious from the vile ; then Mirist will thoroughly ])urge his floor, he
spiritual eclipses, — there shall never appear any tokens of (Jod's displeasure, — the saints shall have a constant aspect of love from (mxI, they shall never complain any more, as Cant. v. 6., " My beloved hath with- drawn himself."
11. We shall, in the kingdom of heaven, be freed from all divisions. That, which is the saddest thing in the world, is to see divisions among them that are good. It is sad, that such as have one faith, yet should not be of one heart ; Ejdiraim envies Judah, and Judah vexeth Ej)hraim ; it is matter of tears, to see those who are united to Christ, to be divided one fi-om another. The soldier's spear pierced Christ's side, but the divisions of saints wound his heart. But, in the kingdom of heaven, there shall be no vilifying one another, or censuring; those who before could hardly pray toge- ther, shall praise God together ; there shall not be one jarring string in the saints* music.
12. We shall, in the kingdom of heaven, be freed from vanity and dissatisfaction. \Vhat Job saith of wisdom, chap, xxviii. 11., " The depth saith. It is not in nie ; and the sea saith, It is not with me," the same may I say concerning satisfaction ; every ci-eature saith, " It is not in me." Tak<' things most ])leasing, and which we pnnnise ourselves most content from, still out the spirits and pinx'st fpiintessence of them, and we shall say, as Solomon did, I>cl. ii. 11., " And behold all was vanity !" Cuh\ never did, nor will, jmt a satisfying virtue into any creature. In the sweetest music the world makes, either there is some string wanting, or out of tune. Who would have thought that Haman, who was so great in the king's favour, " he set his seat
■\nll gather the wheat into the garner, and above all the ])rinces that were with him," the wicked, which are the chaff, shall be Est. iii. 1. Yet for the want of the bow-
blown into hell.
10. We shall, in the kingdom of heaven,
ing of a knee he is dissatisfied? but in the kingdom of heaven, we sliall be freed from
be freed from all signs of God's displeasure, these dissatisfactions. The world is like a Here God may be angry with his people : j landscape, you may see gardens and fruit-
438
OF THE SECOND PETITION IN THE LORD'S PRAYER.
trees, curiously drawn m tlie landscape, but you cannot enter into them; but you may enter into the joys of heaven, " enter thou into the joy of thy Lord." The soul shall be satisfied while it bathes in those rivers of pleasure at God's right hand ; " I shall be satisfied, when I awake with thy likeness," Ps. xvii. 15. Thus you see what the kingdom of glory implies; name- ly, a blessed freedom from all evil.
13. We shall in the kingdom of heaA'en, be freed from the torments of hell, 1 Thess. i. 10., " Jesus which delivered us from the wrath to come."
(1.) The multiplicity of these torments. In this life, the body is usually exercised but with one pain, tha stone or head-ach : but in hell there is a diversity of torments, — there is darkness to affright, — fire to burn, — a lake of sulphur to choke, — chains to bind, — the worm to gnaw.
(2.) The torments of hell will seize upon every part of the body and soul ; the eye shall be tortured with the sight of devils ; the tongue that hath sworn so many oaths shall be tortured, Luke xvi. 24., " Send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his fin- ger in water, and cool my tongue." The memory shall be tormented to remember what mercies have been abused, what sea- sons of grace neglected ; the conscience shall be tormented with self-accusations.