§ 11. Heaven excludes nothing more directly than sin; whether of nature, or of conversation. _There shall in no wise enter any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie._[161] What need Christ at all to have died, if heaven could have contained imperfect souls? _For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil._[162] His blood and spirit have not done all this, to leave us after all defiled. _What communion hath light with darkness? and what concord hath Christ with Belial?_[163] Christian, if thou be once in heaven, thou shalt sin no more. Is not this glad news to thee, who hast prayed, and watched against it so long? I know, if it were offered to thy choice, thou wouldst rather choose to be freed from sin, than have all the world. Thou shalt have thy desire.—That hard heart, those vile thoughts, which accompanied thee to every duty, shall now be left behind for ever. Thy understanding shall never more be troubled with darkness. All dark scriptures shall be made plain; all seeming contradictions reconciled. The poorest Christian is presently there a more perfect divine than any here. O that happy day, when error shall vanish for ever! When our understanding shall be filled with God himself, whose light will leave no darkness in us! His face shall be the scripture, where we shall read the truth. Many a godly man hath here, in his mistaken zeal, been a means to deceive and pervert his brethren, and when he sees his own error, cannot again tell how to undeceive them. But there we shall conspire in one truth, as being one in Him who is the truth. We shall also rest from all the sin of our will, affection, and conversation. We shall no more retain this rebelling principle, which is still drawing us from God: no more be oppressed with the power of our corruptions, nor vexed with their presence: no pride, passion, slothfulness, insensibility, shall enter with us; no strangeness to God, and the things of God; no coldness of affections, nor imperfection in our love; no uneven walking, nor grieving of the Spirit; no scandalous action, nor unholy conversation; we shall rest from all these for ever. Then shall our will correspond to the Divine will, as face answers face in a glass, and from which, as our law and rule, we shall never swerve. _For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his._[164]
[Footnote 161] Revelation xxi, 27.
[Footnote 162] 1 John iii, 8.
[Footnote 163] 2 Corinthians vi, 14, 15.
[Footnote 164] Hebrews iv, 10.