3. It is necessary by way of preparation. Those that walk with God are meet to live with God ; they change their place, but not their com- pany ; here they walk with God, and there they live with him for ever. The vessels of glory are first seasoned and prepared with grace ; God's qualifying grace makes way for his rewarding grace : Col. i. 12, ' Who hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light.' Alas ! what should carnal and sensual persons do in heaven ?
64 SEllBIONS UPON HEBREWS XL [SeR. XXIII.
those blessed mansions that are above would be to them as melancholy and obscure shades. How can they endure the perpetual presence of God, that now cannot endure the thoughts of God ? or how can they delight in the communion of saints to whom now good company and holy conference Is as a prison ? how can men leap from the lap of delight into the bosom of Abraham so suddenly ? what should swine and dogs do with such a holy place in the upper paradise ? Heaven is an intimate familiarity with God, and therefore it is not for mere strangers ; heaven is said to be prepared for us, and we are said to be prepared for heaven. Christ is gone in person to heaven to prepare a place for us, and hath left his Spirit upon earth to prepare us for heaven ; and this is the reason of those expressions so often used in scripture, of being ' worthy of eternal life,' and walking ' worthy of the high prize of our calling,' and ' worthy of God : ' the meaning is, beseeming and becoming. We are put into a holy meetness and fitness for such holy rewards : Kev. iii. 4, ' They shall walk with me in white, for they are worthy ; ' that is, fittingly disposed and prepared ; as in another case, Mat. x. 11, ' Into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, inquire who in it is worthy ; ' that is, prepared by the Holy Ghost to re- ceive the doctrine of life, and to entertain God's messengers ; inquire who hath a good report and are lovers of religion, ready to entertain the word and the messengers of the word. So here they are ' worthy ; ' that is, fittingly disposed, meet to receive such a portion in glory. It is not any equality of worth that is implied there ; but that which is meet, convenient, and becoming. God works in the hearts of believers an aptitude for blessing, then he bestows them upon them ; first, he gives the heavenly mind, then the heavenly state ; the new creature for the new heavens and the new earth. Wicked men have a portion suiting to them, and becoming their affections ; sensual pleasures for a sensual heart ; so God's children, before they have their portion, they are suited to it, that they may have a portion suited to their heart. This is the great mercy of God, that he will never advance our condition till he hath changed our hearts. A king may advance a slave to a high place of trust, but he cannot give him gifts and fitness ; he may change his state, but he cannot change his nature ; but God, before he gives heaven, he gives a heavenly inclination ; and before he gives com- munion with himself in glory, there is communion with himself in grace.
Secondly, The necessity of pleasing God in the present life — ' For before his translation,' it is s;iid, ' he had this testimony, that he pleased God.' There is a time for all things, and the time of pleasing God is in the present life.
1. Because this is the time of grace. Here we are invited to walk with God : now we have the means, then we have the recompenses ; here Christ saith. Mat. xi. 28, ' Come to me,' in a way of choice com- munion ; then, Mat. xxv. 34, ' Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom.' Now we come to receive grace, then we come to him to receive glory ; here God makes an offer, and there he makes it good. Upon gospel terms he holds out the golden sceptre, therefore here is the time to please God. When the angels came with a song to publish the tidings of salvation, mark the burden of their song : Luke ii. 14, ' Peace upon earth, and good-will towards men.' Now the Lord offers
YeR. 5.] SERMONS UPON HEBREWS XI. 65
to be reconciled : the church is the seminary of heaven, and here we are trained np for glory. We shall never have such golden seasons again ; you shall hear of no gospel afterward ; there shall be no more tenders and offers of grace. Zanchy speaketh of some tliat had a fancy that the gospel should be preached in the other world to those that never heard of Christ in this world — to children, Turks and pagans, alleging that place, 1 Peter iii. 19, ' By which he went and preached to the spirits in prison ; ' but this is as a fancy and nothing to thy case. Now only doth Christ say, ' Come ! ' If you refuse him now, he will hereafter say, ' Depart ! ' This is the season of grace.