great reward0." The present state of the Church, with all her privileges and blessings, is only a prelude to, and a pre- paration for, a state of far higher blessedness ; as St. John expressly informs us : " I, John, saw the holy city, New Jeru- salem, coining down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven, saying, Behold, the Tabernacle of God is with men ; and he will dwell tvith them, and they shall be his people ; and God himself shall be with them, and be their Godd." " Then will all trials, of whatever kind, have passed away," and their bliss be absolutely perfect : " the sun itself shall be no more their light by day, neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto them; but the Lord himself shall be to them an everlasting light, and their God their glory e."]
Address —
1. The lukewarm Christian—
[How unlike art thou to the Apostle Paul! Should not this very circumstance make thee tremble for thy state? How couldest thou venture, even in the most qualified manner, to address those who have witnessed thy life and conversation in terms resembling those which St. Paul used in my text ? Thou hast not the divine presence even with thine own soul. Thou knowest not what it is to have God with thee as " a God of peace ;" manifesting himself to thee, and filling thee with his consolations. If thou wert to address any as the Apostle did, thine own conscience would remonstrate with thee, as a de- ceiver, and an enemy both to God and man. So far from God approving of thy state, he speaks of it in such terms of abhorrence as modern delicacy almost forbids one to repeatf. I pray you, brethren, rest not in a state so fatal to yourselves, and so injurious to all around you. The very circumstance of your having some little regard for God, is that which is most likely to deceive yourselves and all around you. Awake, I pray you, from your delusion, lest you perish under the accu- mulated guilt of dishonouring God more than any professedly ungodly men can do ; and of betraying, to their eternal ruin, multitudes, who fix on you for their standard and example.]
2. Those who desire to approve themselves truly unto God —
[Fix your standard high : take the Holy Scriptures for your guide ; and the Apostle Paul as second only to Christ himself for your example. Be not afraid of being " righteous overmuch," provided only that you are righteous in a proper
c Gen. xv. 1. d Rev. xxi. 23.
e Rev. xxi. 4. and xxii. 5. with Isai. lx. 19. f Rev. in. 16.