2 Cor. vii. 5., " We were troubled on every side:" like a ship on the sea having the waves beating on both sides : but in the kingdom of heaven there is rest, Ileb. iv. 9. IIow welcome is rest to a weary traveller ! When death cuts asunder the string of the body, the soul, as a dove, flies aw.'iy, and is at rest. This rest is when the saints shall lie on Christ's bosom, that hive of sweet- ness, that bed of perfume.
8. The saints shall, in the kingdom of heaven, have their bodies richly bespangled with glory ; they shall be full of clarity and brightness. As IMoscs' face shined that Is- rael wei'c not able to behcdd the glory, Ex- od. xxxiv. 30. The bodies of the saints shall shine seven times brighter than the sun, saith Clirysostom ; they shall have such a resplendency of beauty on them, that the angels shall fall in love with them ; and no wonder, for they shall be made like Christ's glorious body, Phil. iii. 21. Tlie bodies of saints glorified need no jewels, when they shall shine like Christ's bodv.
9. In the lieavenly kingdom is eternity; 'tis an eternal fruition, they shall ne\'er be put out of the throne, Rev. xxii. 5., " They shall reign for ever and ever." It is called " the everlasting kingdom," 2 Pet. i. 11., and " an eternal weight of glory," 2 Cor. iv. 17. The flowers of j)aradise, of wliich the saints* garland is made, never wither. If therft could be a cessation of heaven's glory, or the saints had but the least fear or suspicion of losing their felicity, it would infinitely abate and cool their joy ; but their kingdom is for ever, the rivers of paradise cannot be dried up, Ps. xvi, 11., "At thy right hand there are ])leasures for ever more." The kin«rdom of heaven was tvt)ified bv the tem- ])le, which was built with stone, covered with cedar overlaid witli gold : to shew the fixed permanent state of glory, that king- dom abides for ever. M'ell may we pray, " Thy kingdom come."
Having spoken of the kingdom of grace, and how we may know that kingdom is set up in our hearts, I am next to speak of tlie kingdom of glory, or heaven.
1. What is meant by the kingdom of heaven.
2. What are the properties of this king- dom.
OF THE SECOND PETITION IN THE LORD'S PRAYER.
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3. AVlicrein tliis heavenly kingdom ex- faction ariseth from Rome defect, but (Jod eels all tlie kingdoms upon earth. : is an inhnite good, and there can be no de-
4. Wlien this kingdom shall he bestowed, feet in that which is infiiiitc.
5. Wherein appears the certainty and in- fallibility of it.
y}. 3. The <>l(»iv of heaven's Kingdom is pure and unmixed ; tlie streams of paradise
6. Why we should pray for tlie coming are not muddied, — oimiin clira, oitinia jn-
of this kingdom.
Quest. 1. What is meant by the kii^gdom cf heaven ?
A)is. 1, It imports a blessed freedom from all c\'il. — 2. It implies a glorious frui- tion of all good. (1.) Immediate commu- nion with (iod, who is the inexhausted sea of all happiness. (?.) A visible beholding the glorified body of Jesus Christ. (3.) A glorious vision of saints and angels. (4.) Dignity and honour, the crown, and white robes. (5.) A blessed rest.
Quest. 2. What are the properties or qualifications of the hinf/dom of heaven ?
Alls. 1. The glory of this kingdom is so- lid and substantial ; the Hebrew word for glory signifies a weight, to shew how solid and weijihtv the fflory of the celestial kinc- dom is. The glory of the worldly kingdom is airy and imaginary, like a blazing comet, or fancy ; Acts xxv. 23., Agrippa and Ber- nice came with a great pomp, with a great fancy : Job xxvi. 7., The earth hangs like a ball in the air, without any thing to up- hold it. The glory of the heavenly king- dom is substantial, it hath twelve founda- tions, Rev. xxi. 14. That which God and angels count glory is true glory.
A. 2. The glory of this kingdom is satis- fying, Ps. xxxvi. 9., " With thee is the fountain of life." How can they cljoose but be full, who are at the fountain-head ? Ps. xvii. 15., " When I awake, I shall be satisfied with thy likeness," i. e. when I a- wake in the morning of the resiu'rection, having some of the beams of thy glory shin- ing in me, I shall be satisfied, Job xxviii. 14., The creature saith coticerning satis- faction, " It is not with me." If we go for liappiness to the creature, we go to the wrong box ; only heaven's glory is com- mensurate to the vast desires of an immor- tal soul. A Christian bathing himself in these rivers of pleasures, cries out in divine ccst^icy, " I have enough !" The soul is never satisfied till it hath God for its por- tion, and heaven for its haven. Dissatis-
cioida, — there, that gold hath no alloy; no bitter ingredient in that glory, but j)ure as the honey-drops from the comb ; there eiows a rose without ])rieklcs, the rose of Sharon ; there is ease without ])ain, honour without disgrace, life without death.