(2.) Obedience must be cheerful ; " I de- light to do thy will, O my God, yea, thy law is within my heart !" Ps. xl. 8. That is the sweetest obedience which is cheerful, as that is the sweetest honey which drops from the comb freely. God doth sometimes accept of willingness without the work, but never of the work without willingness, Zech. V. 9., " There came out two women, and the wind was in their wings." Wings are swift, but wind in the wings denotes great swiftness : an emblem of the swiftness and cheerfulness which should be In obedi- ence. AVe go to heaven In the way of obe- dience.
II. If we would obtain this kingdom, be much in the communion of saints; one coal of juniper will warm and Inflame another; when the heart is dead and frozen, the com- munion of saints will help to warm It, Mai. ili. 16., " They that feared the Lord, spake often one to another." Christians should never meet (saith ]Mr. Bolton) but speak of their meeting togetlier in heaAcn. One Christian may be very helj)ful by prayer and conference to another, and give hira a lift toward heaven. Old Latimer was much strengthened and comforted by hearing Mr Bilny's confession of faith. We read that M-Iicn " Moses his hands were heavy, and he was ready to let them fall, Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands," Exod. xvii. 12. A Christian who is ready to faint under tentation, and lets down the hands of his faith, by conversing with other Christians, he is strengthened, and his hands are held up. A great benefit of holy conference is counsel and advice. If a man (saith Chry- sostom) who hath but one head to advLso him, could make that head a hundred heads to advise him, he would be very wise ; a
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single Christian liath tliis benefit by tlie communion of saints, tlicy are as so many heads to advise him vvh.at to do in sucIj a case or exigency. By Cliristian conference the saints can say, " Did not our liearts burn within us?" Communion of saints we have in our creed, but it is too little in our practice ; men usually travel fastest in company : we travel fastest to heaven in the communion of saints.
15. If we would attain to this kingdom of heaven, let us be willing to come uj) to Christ's terms. Many will be cheapening, and bid something for the kingdom of hea- ven ; they will avoid gross sin, and will come to church, and say their prayers ; and yet all this while they are not willing to come up to God's price, that is, they will not resist the idol of self-righteousness, fly- ing only to Christ as the horns of the altar, — they will not sacrifice their bosom-sin, — they will not give God spirit-worship, serv- ing him with zeal and intenseness of soul, John iv. 24., — they will not forgive their enemies, — they will not part with their car- nal profits for Christ, — they would have tiie kingdom of heaven, but they will not come up to the price: if you would ha^e this kingdom, do not article and indent with Christ, but accept of his terms ; say, " Lord, I am willing to have the kingdom of hea- ven whatever it cost me ; I am willing to pluck out my right eye, to part with all for the kingdom ; here is a blank paper I put into thy hand, Lord, write thy own articles, I will subscribe to them."
16. If we would obtain the heavenly kingdom, let us attend to the holy ordi- nances ; thus God brings souls to heaven. Acts xxvii. 31., " Except these abide in the ship ye cannot be saved." Some people would leap out of the ship of ordinances, and then God knows whither they leap; but except ye abide in the ship of ordinan- ces, ye cannot be saved. Especially, if you would get to heaven, attend to the word preached ; it was by the car, by our first parents listening to the serpent, that we lost paradise ; and it is by the ear, by the hear- ing of the word, that we get to heaven, Isa. Iv. 3., " Hear, and your soul shall live." God, sometimes in the preaching of the word, diops in that holy oil into the ear