HEAVEN!

William Nicholson, 1855

BELOVED of the Lord, listen! The melodious voice of your Redeemer breaks on your ear! Sweeter to you is its sound, than the music of the sphere, and dearer to you its import, than the gold of Peru! Listen!—it is the legacy of Heaven, "Fear not, little flock, it is your father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom!"

Christ also prayed to his Father, that this happiness might be granted to all his disciples: "Father, I will, that they also whom you have given me, be with me where am, that they may behold my glory which you have given me!" And again, "In my Father's house are many, mansions; if it were not so, I would have told

you; I go to prepare a place for you; and, if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come and receive you unto myself, that where I an; there you may be also."

How cheering such language is to the desponding believer! What a high and glorious destiny awaits him! What are the sufferings of time, when compared with the mansions of glory! Believer, gird up your mind; "be sober, and hope to the end; keep yourself in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, unto eternal life."

When we consider the greatness of this subject, we feel ourselves totally incompetent to explore the object of our research. The very moment we approach it, we are either so surrounded by clouds and darkness too dense for human vision to penetrate, or we are so overpowered by a light too effulgent for mortal eyes to endure; and by an excess of brightness, that we actually sink into a state of obscurity. "As it is written: Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man—the things which God has prepared for those who love him." But the scriptures have given us some account of the eternal abode of the righteous. Consider,

In the final glorification of the saints, Heaven is the place appointed for their eternal residence. They have, in Heaven, a better and more enduring substance. If it is asked whether Heaven is a place or a state —it is replied that it is both. Its locality is expressed in the sacred oracles. It is termed a house in which there are many mansions. It is a building of God. It is a kingdom —a city —an eternal inheritance .

Besides, the bodies of Enoch and Elijah are already translated to the possession of celestial glory. The body, also, of Jesus Christ has ascended to the throne of his Eternal Father; and, at the general resurrection of the dead, the bodies of all the saints will enter this glorious habitation. Heaven is therefore a place.

And it is also a state . It is a state of pure, boundless, and unmingled delight. There the inhabitant shall never say, "I am sick." There they are as the angels of God. There they have fullness of joy, and pleasures for evermore, Psalm 16:11. There the Lamb, who is in the midst of the throne, shall feed them, and shall lead them to living fountains of water; and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. The gates of the celestial city are pearls; its streets are pure gold; it has no need for the sun or moon to shine upon it, because it is illumined by the glory of God, and there is no night there!

In Heaven, the righteous derive all their happiness from the immediate hand of Jehovah; the effulgence of the Deity bursts upon their heads with its ineffable radiance; and the all-sufficiency of the Infinite Godhead renders their bliss complete. In the present world, we are, encompassed with infirmities, and daily exposed to a thousand painful vicissitudes; but, in the world to come, Jesus has determined:

To lift us from this abject to sublime; This flux to permanent, this dark to day, This foul to pure, this turbid to serene, This mean to mighty.

Thus, of the New Jerusalem, glorious things are spoken. She is the perfection of strength and beauty; and all the springs of the happiness of the Christian are in her. She is called the City of the living God, because in her is transcendently manifested the glory of that Great Being who alone has immortality, who alone is self-existent and independent, and who is the sole source of existence and enjoyment to every species of rational and intelligent creatures.

Of the glory and beauty of every other part of the universe, compared with the magnificence of Heaven, it may not unjustly be said that "even that which was made glorious, has no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory which excels." If the magnificence and beauty of this lower world are such as convince us that the hand which formed it is divine; if the arrangements made on the surface of our globe for the subsistence of irrational animals and of mortal and sinful creatures are such as fill us with astonishment and wonder; then how magnificent must be that place which the Almighty has created for the residence of pure and immortal beings, and where he reveals his presence in a peculiar manner to the noblest of created intelligences to angels who never sinned, and to righteous men whom he has redeemed from all sin, and purified from all iniquity!

The earth is full of the riches of God; but the earth is only his footstool; Heaven is his throne, and the place of his dwelling. If we consider the whole creation as his temple; then Heaven will be the holy of holies of that temple. If we consider the whole creation as his kingdom; then Heaven will be the palace of the Great King, or the metropolis of that omnipotent Sovereign whose empire is bounded only by the boundaries of the universe.

And with what admirable art must the city of the living God be constructed and adorned! With how much skill must the throne of God be erected! how great must be the majesty of that place where the whole art of creation has been employed, and where God has chosen to show himself in the most magnificent manner! What must be the architecture of infinite power, under the direction of infinite wisdom! The light of the sun, and all the glories of the world in which we live, are but as weak and sickly glimmerings, or rather darkness itself—in comparison to those splendors which encompass the throne of God.

As the glory of this place is transcendent beyond imagination, so probably is the extent of it. There is light behind light, and glory within glory. If he has made these lower regions of matter so inconceivably wide and magnificent for the habitation of mortal and perishable beings—then how great may we suppose the courts of his glorious house to be, where he makes his residence in a more especial manner, and displays himself in the fullness of his glory, among all the hosts of Heaven!

The entire personality of the righteous is worthy of consideration. With the exception of two individuals, they are only the spirits of the saints that are now exalted to the kingdom of God, and made perfect in his presence, Hebrews 12:23. But, in the morning of the resurrection, the bodies of the righteous shall return from the dust; they shall be reunited to the souls from which they were separated by the hand of death; and the whole man shall participate in celestial happiness. The material of this physical body shall be refined, purified, and adorned with the most exquisite beauty. "For this corruptible must put on incorruption; and this mortal must put on immortality."

Hence these hands shall handle of the fruit of the tree of life. These feet shall tread the golden-pavement of the holy city of the Lord. These eyes shall gaze, with ineffable delight, upon the King of kings, on his radiant throne in Zion. This tongue shall sing the song of Moses And the Lamb. This heart shall beat with ecstasy to his unspeakable honor. "For, if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so those who sleep in Jesus will God bring with him." 1 Thessalonians 4:11.

Consider, again, their aggregate body of believers. The language a the Apostle conveys the idea of the vastness of the number of the worshipers of Heaven. "After this, I beheld, and lo! a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands, and cried with a loud voice, saying, "Salvation to our God which sits upon the throne, and unto the Lamb!"

The enemies of Christianity have often represented it as a scheme which exhibits the Deity as aiming at the happiness of a few, and consigning, without mercy, almost the whole of our race to perdition. And perhaps the dark and contracted notions of certain religionists have furnished them with some plausible arguments for supporting these imputations. But what was the design of the great Author of our faith, when he became the Mediator? To bring many sons to glory. To whom does Jesus wish his salvation to be offered? He orders repentance and remission of sins to be preached in his name, to all nations. The worth of the Lamb shall not be sung by a few solitary individuals. That song shall not rise before the throne, low and feeble. It shall be the song of the nations of those who are saved; and shall be louder than the sound of many waters and of mighty thunderings. Every tribe on earth shall send forth soldiers to Messiah's standard; and every language of the world shall proclaim his glory.

Heaven will be completely occupied, but sufficiently capacious to accommodate the general assembly of the church of the first-born, whose names are written in Heaven. It will be the grand rendezvous of all the wise and the good. The patriarchs and the prophets, the apostles, the martyrs, the reformers, and the whole body of God's saints, will be gathered together from all parts of the world, from all the ages of time, and from all the diversified conditions of human life—to dwell with him in glory!

And are not such associations Heaven? Can you, Christians, be indifferent to the thought of meeting and conversing with the best and greatest of men that ever breathed our air, and trod our earth, and obtained a name in the records of inspiration?

If, in the language of the Old Testament, for a believer to depart out of life, is to be "gathered to his fathers;" if to be admitted into Heaven is to be received into "the bosom of Abraham;" what must be the delight of introduction to the father of the faithful, to the lawgiver of Israel, to the prophet who ascended to Heaven in a chariot of fire, to the man after God's own heart, to the disciple whom Jesus loved, and to a countless multitude of the imitators of God, "of whom the world was not worthy!" Oh! this is Heaven! They come from the east and from the west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of God! They sit down to the marriage supper of the Lamb! It is Heaven, for there the guests are uniform; but when they assemble together here on earth, they come from all nations; they sit at different tables; call themselves by different names; speak a different language; and range under a different party. But there, collected from all quarters of the globe, they appear in one dress; they are called by one name; they meet in one place; they participate in one salvation; they are "of one heart, and of one mind."

Here on earth, they differ in talents; and even there, they shall probably "differ in glory;" but the glory of each shall be perfect in itself; and every happy spirit shall possess as much of glory that it can enjoy—shall contain a felicity overflowing all, according to the capacity of each. So that, while they differ in glory, they are alike and equal in enjoyment ; each possessing as much as it can grasp. "There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the stars; for one star differs from another star in glory." "No tulip bed," observes one, "exhibits a richer variety of colors than the heavenly bodies; yet this variety, while each has its own splendor, and is perfect in its kind, adds to the grandeur and beauty of the whole scene."

So it is in Heaven. The capacities vary, but the happiness of each is full ; and the glorified state of each ministers to the profit and edification of the whole assembly, and richly displays the glory of God and of the Lamb.

The saints, in their glorified state, will also be the companions of angels. "You have come," says Paul, with the anticipating spirit of prophecy, "unto mount Zion, and, unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and, to an innumerable company of angels." Says John, "Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. Before the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God. Also before the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal. In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back." Revelation 4:4-6

In this passage, the same station is allotted to the Representatives of the Church, and the Representatives of the Angelic host. Throughout the book of Revelation, angels and glorified spirits are represented as dwelling together in the same glorious mansions, engaged in the same employments, and united in the same praise:

"Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say: "You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being." Revelation 4:9-11

The angel interpreter, also, whom John, when overwhelmed by the vision of the New Jerusalem, attempted to worship, replied to him in these remarkable words, "Don't do that! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren the prophets, and of those who keep the sayings of this book." Angels, then, it is clearly evident, are the companions of the Redeemed in Heaven—a privilege which words cannot describe, nor imagination conceive!

The character of believers in Heaven is worthy of consideration. Body and soul will then be united, and be separated no more forever. It is sufficient to remark here, that the body will be liable to none of the needs, decays, disorders, or grossness, of our present animal frame; no longer will it retard our motions, or impede in us contemplation and devotion. It will be suited to, assist and increase the most sublime and rapturous joys of our souls to all eternity. However it may appear to us at present, we shall doubtless find the resurrection of the body to be an immense accession to our happiness, and to our capacity of enjoying and glorifying God.

The redeemed, in their glorified condition, are called just men made perfect . It is not implied here, that they will enter upon a state of existence which will allow of no increase of their mental powers, attainments, or enjoyments. Perfection, in this sense, is confined to Deity. But this sense of perfection implies that the mind will be the subject neither of fault nor error, neither of decay nor weariness; a state in which there will be nothing to lessen its usefulness, or impair its enjoyment; in which it will be entirely approved by itself, and entirely loved by its Maker. In Heaven, it will fill a station, and act a part altogether necessary, desirable, and honorable, and will perform everything perfectly, and better than it would be performed by any other being whatever. This is the perfection of angels, and the perfection of those who are declared by Christ, to be equal, or like, to angels. The improvement of both will be progressive through eternity.

"You have redeemed us to God!" is the acknowledgment of glorified spirits; and it declares that they were once rebels, and outcasts, and children of wrath, and were condemned by the law of God. It declares that they have been turned from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God. Every one has been washed in the Redeemer's blood, and renewed by the influence of the Divine Spirit. Thus they are a new order of beings in the Divine kingdom; being restored from endless sin—to endless holiness, and raised from absolute perdition—to immortal life. How amazing the change! How immense the deliverance! So amazing, so literally immense, that eternity will scarcely be sufficient to unfold the height and depth, the length, and breadth, of this unexampled salvation.

In this character, the Redeemer will behold them through interminable ages, as the travail of his soul, the hopes of his cross, and the gems in his crown of glory. Throughout eternity, he will look on every one as an immortal person whom he saved from endless turpitude and ruin, by shed his own most precious blood on the cruel cross! He will view us as people recovered by himself, to the divine kingdom, re-enstamped by his Spirit with the image of God, and thus furnished with an indefeasible title to eternal glory.

Hence, being his redeemed and adopted children, he will acknowledge them as heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Jesus Christ, to an inheritance which is incorruptible, undefiled, and unfading; an inheritance which is eternal in the heavens; a kingdom which is prepared for them from the foundation of the world.

Again, in their state of future bliss, the saints will be kings and priests unto God.

The name priest , in this statement, indicates the distinguished purity of they character; it teaches us that their thoughts, affections, and purposes, will be an unceasing and eternal offering of sweet incense the Sanctuary of Heaven.

The name King denotes their distinguished honor, and informs us that they will hereafter be elevated to princely employments and peculiar dignities in the Empire of Jehovah. "To him who overcomes," says Christ, "I will grant to sit with me on my throne; even as I also overcame, and am sat down with my rather on his throne." They shall all reign," said the interpreting angel to John, when describing the future happiness of the righteous; "They shall reign forever and ever!"

In Heaven, the righteous will be delivered from all the numerous imperfections of the present state, and endowed with every excellence to secure their perpetual harmony. Without society, without fellowship with endeared friends and relatives—what is human life? If we were doomed to dwell in a state of continual solitude, our very existence would be an intolerable burden. "It is not good that man should be alone." But in this world, the pleasures of fellowship are sometimes interrupted by painful feelings. As the hand that is stretched forth to gather the beautiful rose, is occasionally met and repelled by the piercing of the thorn—so the very enjoyments of life are frequently the occasions of its deepest sorrows.

All professions of friendship are not sincere. We are so perpetually exposed to misunderstandings, so easily diverted from any particular object of our attention, and generally so capricious in our attachment to society itself, which is the very germ, and blade, and bud, and flower, and sweetest fruit of human life, that it is frequently embittered by disappointed hopes in its fellowship, and uncomfortable reflections in its results.

Besides, in our present state of imperfection, we find ourselves the subjects of social sorrows, as well as personal sorrows. We are commanded to bear one another's burdens, and to weep with those who weep. We naturally suffer under the afflictions of near and dear relatives and kindred. When the child is torn from the bosom of a tender parent by the relentless hand of death, it is neither possible nor desirable to refrain from grief that the loss occasions. "A voice was heard in Ramah, Rachel weeping for her children."

The King of terrors is always causing pain and anguish, by separating beloved friends from each other—husbands from wives, brothers from sisters, and pastors from people. But, in the final glorification of the redeemed, there will be: no painful separation or bereavement to occasion tears of sorrow; no insincerity of friendship to create distrust; no misunderstandings to alienate esteem; no fickleness of disposition to produce a change of principle.

The individuals who compose the aggregate body of God's redeemed people, will be of one heart; and, in the whole range of Heaven, from its center to its circumference, each inhabitant will ever find himself surrounded by kindred minds, judicious associates; and faithful friends. The family of the redeemed in glory will be innumerable in its parts, and perfect in its unity as a whole. There will be no strife between Abraham and Lot—no contention between Paul and Barnabas. Among the countless myriads of glorified beings that occupy the kingdom of God, there is not one jarring interest to disquiet their repose; not one selfish passion to interrupt the spontaneous feelings of pure beneficence; nor one sordid spirit to lower the moral elevation of the general body. In Heaven they all possess the honor of priesthood, without a Korah to envy their dignity; and are crowned with royal diadems, without the possibility of rivalship to question the right of inheritance.

Every cause of evil will be forever excluded from the state of blessedness to which believers aspire. There shall be no more pain, neither sorrow, nor crying; for the former things have passed away. The inhabitant shall never say, I am sick. There will be no more curse, and, therefore, no more death. Those bodies, once subject to pain and disease, shall now become the seat of felicity and joy. The holy martyrs, who were tortured upon the cruel rack, or consumed by devouring fire; those poor and oppressed members of Christ's mystical body, who, during their sojourn on earth, went through much tribulation—shall look back on their afflictions and conflicts, as a ship-wrecked mariner looks back upon the wreck from which he has escaped; or as the Israelites looked back upon the Egyptians, when they sunk like lead in the mighty waters. They will realize an ecstacy of joy, surpassing that which inspired the hearts of the Israelites on hearing Moses say, "Your enemies which you see today, you shall see no more forever."

The saints will look back upon their trials, as evils which exist only in recollection, and to heighten the transport, they will remember that they have overcome by the word of their testimony, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. When the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to the celestial Zion with songs, everlasting joy shall be upon their head; they shall obtain joy and gladness; and sorrow and sighing shall forever flee away.

Heaven is created to be the residence of happiness. Everything which it contains will be beauty, grandeur, and glory to the eye, harmony to the ear, and rapture to the heart! Rapture which admits no mixture, and knows no termination!

Consider, again, the grand triumph of the righteous. They bear the palms of victory in their hands, and are termed even more than conquerors. We must recollect, however, that their

warfare was not a carnal conflict; neither were the weapons of their defense the instruments of pain and destruction to their fellow-creatures; their motives to action were not the subjugation of a distant foe, the plunder of a foreign territory, the effusion of human blood. Their triumph is not disgraced by the madness of ambition, nor the cruelty of revenge. It is not mingled with the pangs of the dying, the tears of the widow, and the orphan's lamentations.

It is a triumph not over men, but the triumph of principle. It is the triumph of wisdom over ignorance. It is the triumph of sound principles over the dictates of selfishness and over the mere impulse of passion. It is the triumph of Christian fortitude over cowardice that dares not to worship God, under circumstances of reproach or suffering in his cause. It is the triumph of a holy faith in holy things, over a base infidelity of heart. It is the triumph of truth over error, and piety over profaneness.

In short, the final glorification of believers is the triumph of all that is noble in sentiment, pure in conduct, brave in spirit, and generous in disposition—over all the bad motives, unholy tempers, and wicked practices of an ungodly world.

While the Christian warrior continues on earth, he defends the cause of Christ, in opposition to the combined efforts of earth and Hell. They can neither defeat him in the object of his pursuit, nor deprive him of that victory which shall lay sin, Satan, and even death, prostrate at his feet, as vanquished foes; and crown him with eternal honor!

Therefore, in the immediate prospect of martyrdom, Paul could boldly assert, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day--and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing!" The great Captain of salvation addresses his soldiers in these animated words! "Be faithful unto death; and I will give you a crown of life!" "To him who overcomes will I grant to sit down with me on my throne!"

The Christian is approved of God; he fights under the banner of his cross; he is led on by his Redeemer, from conquering to conquer, until every enemy is completely subdued; and then his triumph is honored with the acclamations of angels, the shouts of victory in paradise, a seat at the right hand of the Creator, and an eternal weight of glory!

In Heaven, the Righteous will enjoy an uninterrupted repose. "Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on." "Yes," says the Spirit, "they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them." "There remains a rest for the people of God." It is not however, the repose of apathy, or of indolence, or of selfishness, to which the righteous are destined in their final glorification. It is . . . a rest from the burden of sin, a rest from the toil of labor, a rest from the dangers of warfare, a rest from the anguish of guilt, a rest from the torment of fear, a rest from the power of temptation, a rest from internal disquietude, a rest from external assault from the world.

In Heaven: the passions that have agitated the bosoms of mankind in the present world, will be unknown; the follies that have torn their very heart-strings asunder, will eternally cease; the woes that have depopulated empires, and filled them with blood and carnage, will be no more; rebellion will have spent all its force; the iron rod of oppression will be broken; the battle trumpet will have blown its final blast; the last shout of battle will have expired; calamities will have come to a perpetual end; the olive branch of peace shall be continually waved on the wall of mount Zion; and the Prince of peace himself shall secure its perfect tranquility. "There the wicked cease from troubling; and there the weary are at rest!"

In Heaven, the righteous will enjoy perfect freedom from sin. Nothing embitters life more than the prevalence of indwelling sin in conflicting with which so many defeats and discouragements are endured. Paul exclaimed, "Oh! What a wretched man I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of sin and death!"

The burden of the innate depravity is worse than the heaviest affliction, and less easily endured; this is an internal enemy, from whom there is no escape by any change of outward circumstances. Like the house infected with the leprosy, no cleaning or purifying is sufficient; the inhabitant must be dislodged, and the edifice rased and rebuilt. "We who are in this tabernacle groan, being burdened."

But, in Heaven, the righteous shall be sanctified in body, soul, and spirit! Yes, every disciple shall be as righteous as his Lord, who on earth was holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners. "Holiness becomes your house, O Lord, forever!" And this grandeur the righteous shall possess in all its excellence!

The subjects of God's celestial kingdom are assimilated to his likeness; they all bear his image upon their hearts, without the least stain of pollution. Their purity will be spotless. Their love will be intense in its exercise, sublime in its object, and immaculate in its nature.

Every sentiment of the mind, every feeling of the soul, every desire of the bosom, every expression of the tongue, every deed, and every purpose, of the righteous in Heaven, will be "Holiness to the Lord." Nothing impure will ever enter that city, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life."

If this is the state of the righteous in Heaven, then Paul might well say, "To die is gain!" Most men are desirous of gain. Some make it the great object of their life, and will barter away their precious souls, for the perishable riches of the world.

Gain is the believer's great object; but remember, his gain is durable riches and righteousness.

He loses nothing by his espousal of true religion, but that which is evil and afflicting.

He loses sin , his greatest plague, his vilest incendiary, which has robbed him in every duty, and marred every pleasure.

He loses Satan. Grace puts a child of God out of Satan's possession. Glory puts a child of God out of Satan's temptation.

He loses his fears , which have armed him against himself, and seated deep melancholy on his brow.

He loses his tears , the effect of those clouds of sorrow which have gathered in his heart, and dropped from his eyes.

He loses his crosses , the weight of which has so pressed him down, that he has not been able to look up.

He loses his poverty , which was his dishonor among men, and deprived him of many comforts.

He loses his sicknesses, which incapacitated him for duty.

He loses his cares, which wasted his spirits, and broke his rest. He loses his spiritual desertions, which were his heaviest mental sorrows, that his God for a moment should forsake him.

And he loses the weariness of the pilgrimage, occasioned by the clouds and darkness, and storms, and enemies, which encompassed his path.

Oh yes! he loses them all! He shall see them no more, forever.

But his gain—who can reckon it? Paul was caught up into the third Heaven; but he informs us that the glories, the joys, the beauties, the society, the employments, are all unspeakable! Yet this we know, that the presence of Christ is the handkerchief which wipes away all tears. Yes, Christ's presence shall turn his sinful deformity into spotless purity, and his doleful lamentations into everlasting hallelujahs. Then he shall exchange . . . his pilgrim's staff, for a palm of victory, his helmet of salvation, for a crown of glory, his perishing tabernacle, for an incorruptible inheritance, and the day of his dissolution, for the day of his coronation!

Oh! blessed gain! Gracious Savior!

Let others stretch their arms, like seas, And grasp in all the shore. Grant me the vision of your face; And I desire no more!

" Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known." 1 Corinthians 13:12

Sometimes, indeed, we hear great things respecting the progress of literature, of the rapid march of science, and surprising attainments and discoveries of the present age. In their own estimation, some people have become so wise, so scientific, and so learned, that they think they need no revelation from God to teach them the way to Heaven. They have become skeptical of the doctrines of the Bible, and rejected the gospel of Jesus Christ, as an insult to their understandings, and a libel on the natural dignity of man.

Proud vain mortals! After all this mighty elevation of the intellect, tell us what you can really comprehend? What do you really and accurately know of the essences of bodies, or the nature of spirits? Our ideas of human wisdom are the mere assumption of our pride and self-conceit. The real fact is, that sin has reduced us to a state of great mental debility; and we stand exposed to a thousand errors on every subject we attempt to investigate, and even on those with which we profess an intimate acquaintance.

The least object in the visible creation, baffles the skill of the most intelligent person; it possesses a substance which he cannot develop, and properties which his mind is too feeble to unfold. Among the greatest men, there are false ideas in science and religion. Hence they often mistake their imagination for reason, and shadow for substance.

"For it is written: 'I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.' Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe." 1 Corinthians 1:19-21

To man, the whole world is wrapped in mystery; the dispensations of Providence are frequently covered with darkness; and the plan of human redemption infinitely surpasses the utmost stretch of the most intelligent mind.

But the servants of God, when elevated to the heavenly world, are to be like God, because they are "to see him as he is." 1 John 3:2. " Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known." 1 Corinthians 13:12

Their ideas, then, will not be limited to a few effects proceeding from hidden causes, nor their decision be the mere conjecture of an as learned probability; but they shall understand the nature, the order, the influence, the operation, and the reason, of things. "What I am doing," said Christ, "you do not now know, but you shall know hereafter." "For now we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears." 1 Corinthians 13:9-10

In Heaven therefore, the mental vision will never be darkened by the mists of ignorance, nor the moral atmosphere obscured by the clouds of unhallowed prejudice; but, as from an open and an ever-shining sun, the transcendent light of the glorious Godhead shall fill the place, and not an atom intervene to cast a shadow over its divine radiance, and eclipse its splendor.

There every understanding shall be matured; Jehovah shall be seen as he is, bodies known as they are, spirits comprehended, mysteries developed, their causes explained, and their consequences unfolded. "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him!" 1 Corinthians 2:9

"The city and the streets of the New Jerusalem," observes one, "being of pure gold, as it were transparent glass, may be an emblem of the union in Heaven, of these excellencies which seem here to be incompatible. They will be splendid, and durable as the purest gold; clear and transparent as the finest glass. In that glorious world, the beauties and advantages which are here divided and incompatible will unite and agree. Our glass is clear, but brittle. Our gold is shining and solid, but it is opaque, and reveals only a surface. And thus it is with our minds.

The powers of the imagination are lively and extensive, but transient and uncertain. The powers of the understanding are more solid, but at the same time, more slow, and limited, and confined to the outside properties of a few objects around us.

But when we arrive within the veil, the perfections of the glass and gold will be combined; and the imperfections of each will entirely cease. Then shall we know more than we can now imagine. The glass will be all gold. And then we shall apprehend truth in its relations and consequences, not as at present, by that tedious and fallible process which we call reasoning, but by a single glance of thought, as the sight pierces in an instant, through the largest transparent body. The gold will

be all glass.

It is also beautifully observed by Dr. Dwight, "To the eye of man, the sun appears a pure light, a mass of unmingled glory. Were we to ascend, with a continual flight, towards this luminary, and could, like the eagle, gaze directly on its luster, we would, in our

progress, behold its greatness continually enlarge, and its splendor become every moment more intense. As we

rose through the heavens, we would see a little orb changing, gradually, into a great world! And as we advanced nearer and nearer, should behold it expanded every way, until all that was before us became a universe of excessive and immeasurable glory! Thus the heavenly inhabitant will, at the commencement of his happy existence, see Heaven filled with magnificence and splendor, and arrayed in glory and beauty; and, as he advances onward through the successive periods of duration, will behold all things more and more luminous, transporting, and sun-like, forever."

It does not seem strange that the Scriptures should speak of one especial place as the peculiar and appropriate residence of God. Notwithstanding his omnipresence, (See Psalm 139) he has condescended to establish his throne in one particular place, and to exhibit himself there in the symbols of inaccessible light. There his holy angels attend upon him, and see his face. From that place he issues his commands, as princes do theirs from the royal palace. And from that throne, he is represented as observing the actions of his creatures, and pouring down blessings or vengeance, as their behavior requires. "The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord's seat is in Heaven; his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men." In that temple, "thousand thousands minister unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stand before him," celebrating his praises, and rejoicing in the light of his countenance. In reference to this Divine manifestation, Christ said, "Blessed, are the pure in heart; for they shall see God!" And the Apostle John says, "Beloved, now are we the sons of God; and it does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is!" Sight is the most noble, extensive, and effective sense, and therefore fit to indicate the clear, sweet, and satisfying, knowledge of God in Heaven.

Here on earth, when we endeavor to contemplate the Divine character, it is seldom that we can dwell upon it long together, as the subject is go vast and stupendous. In the present state, we neither possess a sufficient degree of spirituality or mental ability; when the attributes of God engage our meditation, we are soon lost and bewildered; and cannot long retain a subject of which we can form no adequate or distinct conception; and we feel ourselves repelled from the investigation.

Here on earth, the objects of glory are humbled to the perception of sense. Hereafter, the sensible faculties shall be raised and refined, and made the subjects of glory. When divine light shall shine with direct beams, and the thick curtain of flesh shall be spiritualized and made transparent, the soul will enjoy the clearest vision of God. Even the glorious gospel, when compared with the revelation of God in Heaven, is but as the twilight of the morning, when the light of the day is obscured by the shadows of night. But, in Heaven, God shall be seen, "face to face;" that is, there will be the clearest manifestation of his glory, and of his favor to the blessed ones. The Apostle says, "we shall know, as we are known." But this statement is not to be understood so literally as some might suppose; for the sun may as easily be included in a spark of fire, as God can be comprehended by our finite faculties. Beyond the fullest discoveries we can receive of the Deity, there remains infinity of perfections not to be known by the most intelligent spirits. To know 'as we are known,' expresses similitude, not equality of knowledge. The light of a candle as truly shines as the light of the sun, but not with that extent and splendor.

We shall have such a perfect knowledge of God as our minds can receive, and as our hearts can desire! In Heaven, believers will see what they now believe concerning the glorious nature of God, his counsels, his providence, and his workings. All things of a supernatural order shall then be revealed. The great mystery of godliness, God manifested in the flesh, the union of the Divine perfections with the innocent infirmities of the human nature, the contrivance of our redemption, in which we see a harmonious concurrence of the principal attributes of the Deity that appeared irreconcilable; yes, that production of the Divine wisdom which is the joy and wonder of the church, and mysterious even to angels, shall then be unfolded. The Divine counsels in governing the world, the designs, the ways, the order, the operations—of God's providence shall be conspicuous. God will no longer appear on his throne, with clouds and darkness round about him; he will come forth, and present himself as the God of light; and all the mysteries of his providence shall vanish.

Why the light of the gospel was never visible to so many nations, the unsearchable ways and incomprehensible judgments of God, the dark and inscrutable providences which have sometimes threatened to shake the faith of God's people—all these shall be understood in such a manner that light itself will not be more clear. How often, in the midst of such perplexities, do saints exclaim, "Truly, you are a God who hides yourself!" A steadfast faith in the providence of God—that he does all things well, will calm their passions, and change the tempestuous ocean into a pacific sea. But, when they are admitted into the council of state above, and see the immediate reasons of his proceeding, then what heavenly wonder, what exquisite pleasure, will fill their minds! When the original fountains of wisdom, as clear as they are deep, shall be opened—what sweet satisfaction will pervade their hearts! They will see the beauty of providence in disposing temporal evils to promote their eternal felicity. As in a splendid picture, the darkest tints are so crafted as to give life and grace to the orient colors, so it will then appear that all the afflictions of the present state were but shadows of trials to render their faith, and love, and, patience more resplendent, and their reward more excellent.

What Christ said to Peter, is applicable to the impenetrable dispensations of providence towards us in our moral state; "What I do, you know not now, but you shall know hereafter."

Then the secrets of his counsel shall be unsealed; and we shall be able to expound the perplexing riddle, how "out of the eater came forth meat, and how out of the strong came sweetness." We shall understand that his overruling providence is most eminently glorified in extracting good but of evil; for we shall know, even as we are known!

In Heaven, the righteous shall be with Jesus, the Mediator of the new covenant, who is seated at the right hand of God. And, Oh! what a rapturous enjoyment this will be—to see the King in his beauty! When, in this world, he was upon the holy mount, and one vanishing beam of his glory appeared in his transfiguration; Peter was transported at the sight, and he forgot the world and himself.

How ravishing will be the sight of Jesus in his triumphal majesty, when believers themselves shall be transfigured!

To be with Christ, is to see him perfectly. It is impossible for you, Christians, to be with him, without beholding him. Here, you see him by faith. This telescope of faith assists your mental vision. "We see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for

the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor." The sight, which faith gave you, of his beauty and glory, ravished your hearts, carried your affections to Heaven, and filled your souls with bliss. "Whom, having not seen; we love. In whom, though now we see him not—yet believing, we rejoice with joy that is unspeakable and full of glory."

It is recorded of a pilgrim who was going to Jerusalem, that, in passing through Constantinople, when that city was in its glory, he met with a friend, who, wishing to detain him in the eastern metropolis, took him around to see the beauties of that celebrated place. And when his friend asked, "What do you think of this?" "Very splendid," exclaimed the pilgrim; "but this is not the holy city." In the same way, the Christian pilgrim says of all the views he has of Christ on earth: They are very splendid, as he is altogether lovely; but this is not the perfect view I shall have of him in the holy city!

There are three impressions which describe this sight of Christ. "We shall see him as he is," not as he was —a poor man, accompanied with twelve men; but as he is now—crowned with light and majesty, with thousands of thousands ministering to him, and ten thousand times ten thousand standing before him. Oh! what a sight will this be!

And again, it is said "they shall see his face!" They shall see the smiles of it, see the scars upon it; and see the beauty of it; that face which was more marred than any man's, now brighter than ten thousand suns, beaming with infinite delight upon his people, as the purchase of his blood and the travail of his soul!

Then, Christians, you will see what is the great object of his intercession; "Father, I will that those who you have given to me, be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory!" And what glory is this? It is the glory of Jehovah, in the face of Jesus Christ. All, the glory of the Father, all the glory of the angels, all the glory of paradise—are consecrated to the Son of righteousness.

"I will show you all the glory of Greece," said an ancient to his friend; and, so saying, he took him to Solon, the Spartan lawgiver. "And is this all?" said his friend. "Yes," replied the ancient; when you have seen Solon, you have seen all." And so, when the saints see Christ, they see all the glory of Heaven in him; "the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne, is the light thereof."

But what must it be to see this glory; to see the glory of him who made all things, who governs all things, who upholds all things by the word of his power!

What must it be to see the glory of him before whom all the kings of the earth, with all their glory and, splendor, are the insignificant dust of the balance!

What must it be to see the glory of him who laid the riches of that glory aside, that, for the sake of sinners, he would become poor. What must it be to see the glory of him who loved them and gave himself for them, and, by the shedding of his infinitely precious blood, redeemed those who shall surround his throne—from sin's slavery, death, and Hell; now, for the suffering of death, invested with glory, and honor, and might, and majesty, and dominion!

What must it be to see the glory of those wounds he received in suffering for us, each like a diamond, sparkling with the glory of his love, and power, and faithfulness to his chosen people!

What must it be to see that head which was crowned with thorns, now crowned with the many crowns of his redeemed, as the proofs that they all joy fully ascribed all the glory of their salvation to him? Oh! this is Heaven!

What crowding and effort are manifested to obtain but a glimpse of an earthly sovereign, or of a war hero? And shall a believer not be equally anxious to be present with Christ, that he may behold his glory?

Christians! When you enter Heaven, you will not only see Christ, but you will also fully enjoy him! If the Redeemer pronounces those blessed who have not seen, and yet have believed; then how much greater must their happiness be, who, after believing on earth, do see him in glory! Your enjoyment of Christ, on earth, by the appropriation of faith, is very great—but you receive that happiness through the channels of ordinances—the word, meditation, prayer, and the Lord's Supper. Faith assures you that all is true which is spoken of him in the word. Faith is the eye by which you discover his beauty. Faith is the mouth by which you really taste his sweetness. Faith produces an inexpressible joy and peace in the soul, known only to the children of God.

Many, under the holy enjoyments which this precious grace of faith has brought, have sung in the house of their pilgrimage, and envied not the imagined pleasures and transitory happiness of the richest monarchs! Listen to their animated language, "I sat under his shadow, with great delight; and his fruit was sweet unto my taste." "My soul magnifies the Lord; and my spirit has rejoiced in God, my Savior." "I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation, he has covered me with a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a princely crown, and as a bride adorns herself with jewels!"

"I live—yet not I, but Christ who lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."

Ah! could they but always live in this sunshine of divine favor, outward circumstances would affect them but little; the darkest day of adversity, if illumined with beams of spiritual light and joy, would be preferred to all the delights of the world, or which health and success could impart. "Let us but live," they would say, "in your presence, O our Savior! Whisper that we are yours, and afflictions shall be more welcome than all the prosperity that gilds the path of life, and dresses in fair enchanting colors, this vain and fascinating world!

But this worldly happiness is subject to great interruptions while on earth. Providence sometimes places them at a distance from the ordinances; and, through their infirmity, they often become dry streams . Bodily disease keeps them from the house of God. The weakness of their faith, and the imperfection of their knowledge, limit their happiness and confine it within very narrow bounds. So that, in their present state, sorrow and joy, prosperity and adversity, peace and conflict, are mingled.

But "in your presence, O precious Redeemer, there is fullness of joy!"

Yes, Christian, the perfection of our knowledge will enable us to perceive: the dignity of his person, the depth of his humiliation, the honor of his offices, the efficacy of his atonement, the value of his righteousness, the height of his exaltation, the eminence of his example, the perfection of his beauty, and the transcendence of his love!

From thence our perfect joy will arise. We loved him from the mere report of the gospel, and delight in him for the living likeness drawn of him there. But when we see him, and find that he is infinitely above all that was represented—it shall raise our love and delight to an unspeakable height!

The presence of the Redeemer makes Heaven, as the king's presence constitutes the court. All the stars could not make day without the sun; nor would all the cherubim and seraphim in glory make paradise, without Christ. Though the whole army of saints in Heaven will instrumentally contribute to the believer's bliss—yet they are not his adorable Jesus! All their felicity was his gift. Their beauty and glory are the fruit of his wisdom, the beautiful tints of his pencil, the exuberant gifts of his bounty. There are many perfected spirits in bliss, whom the Christian loves; but he has only one original Fountain, whence all his and their happiness flows. When, therefore, he enters Heaven, he forgets father, and mother, and patriarchs, and prophets, and martyrs, and friends, and says, "Whom have I in Heaven but you?" He would prefer Christ without Heaven, to Heaven without Christ!

So Christ describes heavenly felicity, "to be with me, where I am." And this is the extreme point of happiness to which the Christian aspires. For, as the rays of the sun impart glory and cheerfulness to the creation, so the presence of the Sun of Righteousness will glorify and ever exhilarate all his redeemed people.

O beloved, you might gaze upon a king, and never became a king by gazing at him; but the sight of your adorable Jesus will be transforming! You will "be like him; for you shall see him as he is!" "We shall be glorified together with him!" "His glory shall be revealed in us." You shall be as holy, as happy, as Jesus himself.

You see, then, Christians, that heavenly joy will not be derived from the channels of ordinances; and that the fluctuations arising from the ebbing and flowing of those channels shall cease. Heavenly bliss will be derived from the immediate presence of Christ—from the overflowing Fountain of happiness itself. Enrapt with wonder and joy, you shall behold his countenance beaming with smiles of love, and every action expressive of infinite goodness and tender mercy. Your sun shall no more go down; but the days of your mourning shall be ended. O beloved, Heaven is no painted harbor, at which saints shall only gaze, and long to be admitted to hear the enchanting music, and to pluck the fruits and flowers which grow on the ever green boughs. No! They themselves "shall enter into the joy of their Lord." Here on earth, joy entered them; in Heaven, they shall enter into joy, as an atmosphere created by the presence of Christ, in whom they live, and move, and have their spiritual being!

Glorious Savior in Heaven—we shall behold you! Glorious Deliverer! It is by your death, that we live! It is to your foul infamy on the accursed tree, that we are we indebted for our honor and dignity! It is to your humiliating descent into the grave, we are we indebted for a glorious resurrection.

But in that day when death shall remove the veil of this vile body, and permit the soul to gaze on your glory, the bitterness now mixed in the cup shall be exhausted; and with all the ardent gratitude and admiration which your glorious appearance will inspire, we shall behold you raised infinitely above all your enemies, and superior to all the sufferings once endured on the cross for us—crowned with glory and honor!

It is very pleasing to the mind in considering our glorified state in Heaven, and in pondering that universal perception which we shall take of others, and others shall take of us, to institute such an inquiry as this: "Will Christian brethren and friends then meet? Will they know each other?" This is a very important inquiry; and, if it can be proved from reason and scripture, that the righteous shall possess such knowledge, it must ever be replete with consolation to the whole family of God on earth, and especially to those whose path is occasionally or frequently encompassed with sorrows.

We must think of Heaven as an existing reality. We should endeavor to bring it near to ourselves; for our brethren and our kinsmen, sainted and glorified in Heaven, have their present beatitudes, their present splendors, their present songs. Think of them as only separated from you by a veil, and as absolutely and as truly thinking and feeling as yourselves. That veil will soon be torn aside; you yourselves will soon have entered the region of bliss. Will there be those who will be ready to welcome you? Shall there be those whom you yourselves can remember? This is not a barren speculation; it is that which must engage every thinking mind, and every susceptible heart.

To assert that the saints will not know each other in Heaven, would imply a destruction quite opposite to the dealings of God with our nature. If they do not know in Heaven, those whom they have known here—then there must be some breach of judgment, some abridgement of the memory, some failure in the mental constitution. Now, it cannot be supposed that that has taken place without immediate Divine agency; but, if we deny mutual recognition in Heaven, it will represent God as blotting out some of the exercises of the mind and of the recollection. But this seems quite opposite to his ordinary dealings with us; there is no such law as destruction in his universe; there may appear to be decay; but that which is decayed, is always reproduced in its own or in some foreign form; and therefore, unless there was the strongest evidence that we would not know each other, we should argue that it was contrary to all that might be inferred concerning the Divine conduct, and that it proceeds upon the idea of mutilating and injuring the human mind; making it something inferior and unequal to what we see it now is.

The heavenly state, we generally suppose, and suppose upon scriptural evidence, is the consummation of our present happiness; differing in degree, but not in nature. And what makes us happier, upon earth, than mutual acquaintances? "I have no greater joy," said the beloved disciple, "than to hear that my children walk in the truth." And was that "joy" entirely torn from his spirit, and was there no comparable gain bound to his crowd, when he passed from this world of trial, to that element, and region, where, like himself, all was serenity and love? Therefore, if we have pleasure in such knowledge and recognition now, it is not a forced or violent inference that that pleasure will be heightened and confirmed where all is happiness, because we believe all is recognition and friendship.

Again, it is impossible to think that all will be without a history and without a name. Some, we know, will be pre-eminent, will be distinguished; we shall sit down with Abraham, and with Isaac, and with Jacob, in the kingdom of God. And will all others,

spirits flit before us, unstoried and nameless, so that we can recollect nothing in their history, and identify no association in our thoughts? Were we to adopt only this more general evidence, we would be almost obliged to adopt the conclusion that spirits meet and recognize each other in bliss; because the contrary supposition implies an imperfection of absolute enjoyment, a mutilation, by the Author of the human mind, of the mind itself. Because the contrary supposition, that the sorrows of the lost aggravate their own misery by such knowledge, scarcely ever has been disputed; and because, also, future happiness is but the carrying on an enlargement and perpetuity of present happiness; and because some will bear with them a name and interests, and a thousand recollections and sacred associations; so we can easily imagine that the happiness of Heaven will be augmented by its not being confined to a few, but being true of all.

But this doctrine is proved by Scripture. When David thought of his dying child, he agonized in fasting and prayer; when that child was taken away, he summoned his resolution; he found encouragement; and this was the language of his song; "Now he is dead, why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him; but he shall not return to me." Did he mean that his head should recline on the same clod? or that his body should be devoured by the same reptile? Much more is meant. His language gives an intimation of immortality, and implies the communings, of two spirits in that immortality.

And the same remark may be made (however common the phrase) when the pious are said to "die and to be buried with their fathers." It is chilling and repulsive to think that the grave is only referred to, and that there is no mingling of the departed, except in the dust of the sepulcher.

The New Testament contains many phrases which are absolutely decisive. "Knowing," said Paul, "that he who raised up Jesus Christ, shall raise us up also by Jesus, and shall present us with you.", And again, he adjures those to whom he writes, "by our gathering together unto Jesus Christ." Analyze each statement; reduce it to whatever s