Now it is easy to ascertain, whether from day to day we are bewailing our sinfulness and fleeing to Christ for refuge, as to the hope that is set before us ; or whether we be resting satisfied with some attainments of our own, and only com- plimenting Jesus with the name of Saviour, without labouring to obtain an interest in him, and cleaving to him with our whole hearts. The exercises of our soul this very day will suffice to shew us, in a great measure, to which of these classes we belong : and whether we be not of those who shall " die in their sins, and never be with Christ where he is." Beyond all doubt, the unbelieving soul will be excluded from his pre- sence, and never be suffered to taste of his saving benefits.]
Does this appear uncharitable? Then let me re- mind you, that it is the declaration, not of a fallible man, but of our Lord himself; and let me set before you,
II. The grounds and reasons of it —
It were quite sufficient that our Lord has declared it, even though we were not able to account for that which he has spoken : but we may well and
« 1 John ii. 15, 16.
satisfactorily account for the exclusion of such per- sons from the presence of God, and from the felicity of heaven. For,
1. There is nothing in heaven suited to their taste —
[What do those persons affect as their supreme happiness on earth? Do they say with the Psalmist, " Who will shew us any good ? Lord, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon usf." No: they desire nothing beyond the things of time and sense. Some indeed affect only carnal, whilst others delight themselves chiefly in intellectual, pursuits : but still the objects of their desire belong to this world only ; and there is no scope for the enjoyment or pursuit of them in heaven. Here a man may have sensual gratifications of various kinds. But feasting, and dancing, and music, and all the other things which are here considered as sources of happiness, terminate with this life : and the man who derives all his satisfaction from them, will find nothing in heaven to please his appetite. And on this very account heaven would be no heaven to him, but only like a prison, where nothing palatable, nothing de- sirable was afforded to the unhappy tenant. He would be altogether out of his element : and what would be happiness to others, would be misery to him.]
2. They have an utter incapacity to enjoy heaven, even if they were admitted there —
[Supposing for a moment, as our Lord says, that, " instead of coming into that sheepfold through the door, they have climbed up some other way," and obtained by some artifice admission into the assembly of the just ; what pleasure could they find either in the company or the employments of heaven? Could they delight themselves in a Holy God, whose purity would appal them, and who could not look upon them but with the utmost abhorrence g ? Could they find pleasure in the sight of that Saviour, whom they have all their life long despised, and whose very " blood they have trodden under foot" by continuing in sin ? Would the presence of the glorified saints and angels be any source of comfort to their minds? With no one of them would they have the slightest possible communion : nor would so much as one of those holy beings admit them into their society. Methinks such persons getting into heaven, would resemble King Uzziah, who went into the temple of God to offer incense : the priests, filled with disgust at his leprous state, " thrust him out thence ; yea, he himself also hasted to go outh :" so little did the sanctuary of the Most
f Ps. iv. G. s Hab.i. 13. h 2 Chron. xxvi. 20.