38. * What now can be so desirable to a sensible man, as to have the vain, disorderly passions of his heart removed from him, to be filled with such unity, love, and concord, as flow from God, to stand united to, and co-operating with the divine goodness, willing nothing, but what God wills, loving nothing, but what God loves, and doing all the good he can to every creature, from the principle of love and conformity to God. Then the kingdom of God is come and his will is done in that soul, as it is done in heaven. Then heaven itself is in the soul, and the life and conversation of the soul is in heaven. From such a man the curse of the world is removed; he walks upon consecrated ground, and every thing he meets, every thing that happens to him, helps forward his union and communion with God. For when we receive every thing from God, and do every thing for God, every thing does us the _same good_, and helps us to the same degree of happiness. _Sickness_, and _health_, _prosperity_ and _adversity_, bless and purify such a soul; as it turns every thing _toward God_, so every thing becomes _divine_ to it. For he that seeks God in every thing, is sure to _find_ God in every thing. When we thus live wholly unto God, God is wholly ours, and we are then happy in all the happiness of God. This is the purity and perfection, that we pray for in the Lord’s prayer, that _God’s kingdom may come_, and _his will be done in us, as it is in heaven_.
39. And this we may be sure is not only _necessary_, but _attainable_ by us, or our Saviour would not have made it a part of our daily prayer. It may then justly be asked, have we yet obtained that, which we have been so long, and so universally praying for? Can we look upon the church of this nation, as drawing _near_, or even _tending_ to this state of perfection? Can we be carried to any one parish, either in town or country where it can with truth be said of any _one pastor_ and his _flock_, that there the kingdom of God is _coming_ and his will _begins_ to be done on earth, as it is done in heaven? Can we therefore find any _one parish_, where the _pastor_ has not _great_ reason to reject the Doctor’s discourse, and to pray both for himself and his flock, that they may enter _much farther_ into the spirit and practice of Christianity, than they have yet entered, that the gospel may have _much greater_ power over them, than it hath yet had; and that they may all _see_ what it is that has made so _divine_, and _powerful_ a religion, so without its _proper effect_ upon them? For if the case be thus, if we stand at this amazing distance from that state of perfection to which Christ has called us, do not _heaven_ and _earth_ seem to call upon _every minister_ of the gospel, to take _some share_ to himself of this _miserable state_ of things, and to endeavour to convince both _himself_, and his _flock_, that they have not yet been Christians in _true earnest_, that they have professed Christ with the tempers of _Jews_ and _Heathens_, that they have not yet enough _renounced_ the world, not enough _denied_ themselves, not enough _emptied_ their hearts of passions hurtful to piety, not enough _offered_ and devoted themselves to God, not enough made the spirit of religion the spirit of their lives, not enough sought for strength and deliverance from sin, by a _firm_ and _living faith_ in Jesus Christ; not enough prayed and desired that they might be born again of God, so that Christ may be truly formed in them; not enough prayed and desired to be every where, and on all occasions under the perpetual influence and guidance of the Holy Spirit, that they may think and say, and do every thing by his holy inspiration; not enough looked to that first and great commandment, of loving God with our whole heart and strength: not enough endeavoured to keep the next, that of loving our neighbour, as ourselves; not enough renounced such fashions, customs, and conformities to the world, as corrupt the heart, and grieve and separate the Holy Spirit from it.