Sermons (pages 357–384) – Part 2 (pages 377–384)
Ser. XVII.
a Journey tovjards Heaven,
dernefs ; .there are many mountains,
rocks, an J
we mud go over in ihe way and ihcre is a nccelTuy that wc fhoulj lay out our flrength. plsftes that
IV. Our whole lives ought to be /pent in travelUrg this road, TS'e ought to
This
begin early.
fliould
be the
concern, and business chat persons engage in, when
firll
they come to be capable of acting in the world in doing When they first see out in the world, any business.
they fliou d set out on this journey.
And, ought to travel on in this way with ojjtduity. of every day, to tiavtl c>\\ toWe should often be thinking of our wards heaven. journc-y's end and not only thinking of it, but ir fliould be our daily work to travel on in the way that leads 2.
Ji e
It ought to be the work
As he
that is on a jounevt
place that he is going to
often ihirking o rlic
'tis
his cr-re
2nd business
raJmproVe his time, ro get coevery day to get along I c fpt nds thcd- y in it Ms wards his journey's end. And the work of the day, vvhilfl the sun serves him. when he has rested in the niglit, he gets up in the and so fr' m mormng-, and fctscut agai en his journey end. Thus 'till has got i«) his journey's 10 day, he day and the fliould heaven be continually in our thought ;
immediate entrance or piiflligc to ir, viz death. fhoum And it should be a thing that wc be prcfcnt with iis. familiarize to ourtelve* ; and so it fliould be our work every day, to be preparing for death, and iravcHing 'heaven-ward.
If e ought to f erfever e in this way as long as ue
tvfjhulci hold out in it t'J th end,
The true Chrijlians Lije,
Sir. XVII.
Let us run wiih patience the race that is set before
Tho' the road be difficult, and it be a toufome thing to travel it. we must ho d out with patience, and lis'*,
be content to endure the hardships of it. If the journey be iong, yet we must not (lop fliort we (hould ;
not give out in difcouragemcnt, but hold on 'till we arc arrived to the place we ftek.
ought not to be discouraged with the length and difficulties of the way; as the children of Israel were, and be for turning back again. All our thought and dcfign fliould be to gee along. "We should be engaged and resolved to press for-
ward 'till we arrive. V. T e ought to he continually growiu in holiness ;
and in that refpe6l coming nearer and nearer to heaven.
He that is travelling towards a place, comes nearer So we should be cndea* being more heavouring the inhabitants becoming like and more more venly and as be when we and more we more fha!l heaven, of that there, arrived ever be. if have We fliould endeavour continually to be more and more as we hope tQ.be in heaven, in refpeft of holiness And with refpe£l to light ard and conformity to God. knowledge, we Hiouy labour to be [;rowin( coniinualiy and nearer to
continua ly.
to come nearer to heaven, in
in the knowle«lgC'of God and Chrilt,
and clear views of
the glory of God, the beauty of Chrilt, and ti e excellency of c'iiv ine things, as we come nearer and nearer to the beatific vision.
\Vc fliould labour to be continually growing in dithat this may be an incrcaling flame in our hearts, 'till our hearts afccnd wholly in ihi> tUme. We ihould be growing in obedience and an 1-kcavenly convcrvine love
faiion ;
Sir. XVIL
Journey towards Heaven.
iacton ; that we may do the will of God on earth as ihc
angels do in heaven. We ought to be continually growing in comfort and
with God and ]cOur path should be as " the fiiining light,
fpiriiual joy ; in (cnfibte communion
lus Chrith
that fhincs more and more to the pcrfeft day**.*
Wc ought to be hungering a»d ihirfting after rightc** oufnefs ; after an incrcafe in rightcoufnefs. As newborn babes desire the sincere milk of the word, that yc
may grow thereby
And wc ihould make the per*
feftion of heaven our mark.
We should reft in nothing
short of this ; but be prcding towards
this
mark; and
labouring continua ly to be coming nearer and nearcrto ' This one thing 1 do, forgetting thofe things which ajre behind, and reaching forth unto thofe things
that are before, I press toward the mark, for the prize of
ihe high calling of God in Christ Jef us", f ,
VI. 11 other concerns of life ought fubordmate to this.
to be entirely
As when a man is on a journey, all the steps that he
takes are
order ro further him in his journey
subordinated to that aim of getting to his journey's end.
And if he carries money or provision with him, 'tis to supply him in his journey.
So weought wholly tofub-
ordinare all our other business, and all our temporal en*
joyments
to this affair of travelling to heaven. Journeying toward heaven ought to be our only work and business/o that all that wc have do.fliould be in order When we have worldly enjoyments, wc should 10 that. be ready to part with them, whenever they are in the ay of our going toward heaven. Wc should f«ill all this world for heaven. When once any thing we have, becomes a clog and hindrance to us, in the way heavenward,
t Phil:
The true Chnpians Life,
ScR. XVII.
warJ, \vc fhouldqui: it iminctllatcly. When wc ufcour world y enjoy merus ai d pcfllffions, it fhouki be wiih such a view and in such a manner, as to further us in our way heaven-ward. Thus wcfliould eat and ilrink and cloath ourlclvcs. And thus should we improve the converfaiion and enjoyment of fvicruls. And whatever bufineis we are (etfing about ; whatever design we are engaging in, we fhouid enquire wiih our(elves, whether this business or undertaking will forward us in our way to heaven ? And if not, we iliould quit our dciign. V/e ought to make use of worldly enjoyments, and pursue worldly bufjnefsin Inch a ilcgree and manner as shall have ihc belt tendency to forward our journey heaven- ward, and no othcrwile. I shall ofler some rcafons of the do6lrinc. I.
This world is net our abiding place.
Our continuance in this world is but very short. Man's
ys on the earth, are as a (hadow. It was never deWe signed by God this world should be our home were not born into this world lor did God give us thcfe lemporal
that
end.
Neither
ihinps. that wcare ac-
If God has given us we are fert ed in fan .ilies, and God has
commodaifd wiih, for that tn(S, cood criatcs
given us children, or other frieiui< that aie vfry plealanc 'tis with no such view or design, that we lliou d to us ;
be furniflied and provided for here, as for a feit cd abiH wirh a dcfign that we should ule them for bode J
tlie [.rcfcnt,
and then leave them again in
very little
tin e.
If v/e are callrd so any fccular business or if we arc with the inflruf ion charged with the care of a family and education <jf children, we are called to these things with a design that we Ihall be called from ihcm ?gnin, ;
Ser. XVil.
a Journey towards
Heavfn.
and nor to be our everlafling employincnt. So that if we improve our lives to any oiher purpose, than osa journey toward heaven, nil our labour will be loll. If we (pfnd our lives in the pursuit of a tt-mporal happiif we see our hearts on riches, and ft ek happincfs ness If we seek to be happy in fenflml p'calures : in rhem If we spend our lives in seeking ihe credit uikI clleeni the goodwill and refpe* of others of men if we lei our hearts on our children, and look to be happy in the enjoyment of them, in seeing thcin well brought up, All ihefe ih ngs will be of litand well settled, &c. Death will binvy up all our hopes tle significancy to us. and expeflations, and will put an end to our enjoyment " The places that have known us, of these things. And the eye that has fccn us» will know us no more" We mui be taken away forever fliall see us no m.ore. :
And it is uncertain when ic may be soon after we have received them, and arc puc
from all these things
into the pofteltion of them. It may be in the midll of nur days, and from the niid(\ of our enjoyments. And then where will be alt our worldly employments and en' So joyments, when we arc laid in the silent grnve man iieth down and rifeth not again, till the heavens be ." no more" !
TT)e future world was designed to be our settled and everlaJJJng abodt.
Here ic was
intended that we should be fixed
here alone is a lulling habitation, and a lading inheriWe are designed tor tance and enjoys ents to be had. We are to be in two (iafes, the one this future world. flv/ othir in in this world, wivrh is an imperfc l Hare is Hurc and cii ie. ihte tc The pref nt the world ;
tranficory
lu. oar ilato ia the other world, is cverlallijig.
The true Chrijlians Life,
AVhcn we go into anoiher world, there wc mud
jng,
Ser. XVII.
to all eternity.
And as wc arc there at firfl, so wc
inuft be without change.
Our slate in the future world therefore being eter* sb exceedingly greater importance than our is of Hate in this world, that it is worthy that our Oate here, and ail our concerns in this worlll fliou!d be wholly ral,
fubordiiiated to it.
III.
Heaven is that place al e ivkere cur highe/f
end, and highefl good // to be obtained,
God hath made us for himself, " Of God, and thro* God, and to God are all things*'. Therefore then do we attain to our highest end, when wc are brought to God But that by being brought to heaven for that that is the place of his fpedal prefenc , is God s throne i:>
There is
and of his residence.
but a very
imperfe£
\inion v iih God to be had in this world , a very impcrfeft knowledge of God in
the midst of abundance of
darkness ; a very imperfect conformity to God, mingled with abundance of enmity an-i estrangement. Hcrewc
can fervc and glorify God, but in an exceeding imperfc manner ; our service being mingltd with much (in and difhonour to God.
But when we get
to heaven, (if ever that be) there
we stall be brought to a per £ union wiih God. There we shall have the clear views of God. Wc fliall see There wc Face to face, and know as we are known. shall be fully conformed to God, without any remainder
of sin. is.
We shall be
There wc
ke him, for wc shall lee him as he
shall
serve God perfcftly.
We (hall
glorify him in an exalted manner, and to the inmoii of
the powers and capacity of our nature. perfc ly give up ourlelvcs to God.
Then wc shall
Then will our
hearts be pure and holy olfcrings to God j ofter'd all in
n flame of divine Jove.
Ser. XVII.
a Journey towards Heaven.
In heaven alone is the attainment of our highcft God is the highest good of the rcafonablc crcaThe enjoyment of him is our proper h:\ppi.ture. ness ; and is the only happiness with which our souls good,
can be satisfied.
To go to heaven,, fully ;o enjoy God, is infinitely than the mofl pleasant accommodations here. Better than fathers and mothers, husbands, wives or children, or the company of any, or all eanhly friends
better
These are but fliadows.j but the enjoyment of God i These are but scattered beams buc the substance. God is the sun. These are but flreams but God These are but drops but God is the is the fountain. ;
ocean.
Therefore it becomes us to spend this life only as a journey towards haaven, as it becomes us to make the seeking our highest: end, and proper good the wholo Work of our lives : And we should subordinate all o* Why ftiould v/e labour ther concerns of life to it. or set our hearts on any thing else for any thing else but* ohat which is our proper end, and truc' happi;
ness ?
IV. Our present state and all that belongs to it, /V defignd by htm tha made all things ts be wholly in order to another world.
This world was made for a place of prcpTation for ann* Man's mortal life was given him only here,
ther world. that
might here be
prepared
Xnd all that God ha< here given irpofe.
on us
Tfic sun fliincs upon us thlr earth yields .:
his fixed- ftctc. is
given
to this
rain falls up-
her incrcafc to u?
rccfcfianicjj
The true Chrijlians Life, 6'c. Ser.XVIL
ccclcfiaftical
affairs
family affairs, and all our pcrfo-
nal concerns are designed and ordered in a fubordi nation to a future world, by the maker and disposer of They ought therefore to be fubordinaall things.
icd to this by us.