see but darkly, as through a glass, and our affections towards God are proportionable to our apprehensions of him: these are dark, and therefore those are dull. And oh! would to God they were but indeed proportionable! for then we should love him only, if not earnestly, and desire him entirely, if not sufficiently. Consider what I have hinted concerning the happiness of the soul in the enjoyment of God, and what I have more fully demonstrated concerning the body's hindering of it, and keeping it at a distance, and then argue, is happiness the main end of every being? must not this soul, then, being a noble and immortal nature, needs look out for some high and noble happiness, suitable to its excellent self? can that be any where but in the enjoyment of the highest and uncreated Good? and can this never be attained whilst we are in this animal state? Oh! why then do we not look out after so much enjoyment of this blessed God as we are now capable 'of, and long after a departure hence, that we may enjoy him freely and fully, and be eternally happy in him? Oh! be not only content, but even covetous.

But what! shall the soul break the cage, that she may take her flight? God forbid! how can he pretend to be a lover of God, who is not formed into his will, subject to his ordination, content to abide in the station that he hath allotted him? But if we may not break it to escape, yet, methinks, it may be safe enough, with submission, to wish it were broken: if we may not, with Saul, dissolve ourselves, yet, with Paul, we may desire to be dissolved. The perfection that the most Christians attain to, is but to desire to live, and be content to die. Oh! consider what I have said in this matter, and invert the order of those words in your hearts, "Be content to live -desire to die."

But what! would you have us pray for death? Answer: I speak not of a formal praying either for one or other. What the apostle speaks of the greatest of sins, I am ready to say of this state of freedom from all sin, "I do not say that ye should pray for it." You will tell me, that David and Hezekiah prayed for life, and I can tell you that Elijah prayed for death: he was indeed a man subject to passions, but I believe this was none of them. But I will not enveigle myself in any controversy: methinks the sad consideration laid before your eyes, Whilst we are in the body, we are absent, distant from the Lord, should wring out an "O wretched man that I am," &c. or an "I desire to be dissolved;" or if not words, yet at least a groan after immortality, with our apostle here, -" We groan within ourselves, that mortality may be swallowed up of life."

But can a soul possibly long for the destruction of the body? Philosophy indeed tells us that it cannot. Be it so; yet I am sure divinity teaches, that a soul may long after the redemption of the body, the redemption of it from this kind of animal, corruptible, insnaring condition that it is now in"We groan within ourselves, waiting for the redemption of our body." If we cannot wish to be unclothed, yet we may long to be clothed upon, verse 4th of this chapter; at least, methinks the heathen should not outdo us, who could say, "I am unwilling to die, but I care not when I am dead." But, will all cry, Oh! if we were sure of an interest in Christ, of pardon of sin, of truth, of grace, of eternal life, then we could freely leave all.

Answer 1st, That is, you would live to be more holy before you die: you are not yet holy enough, no, nor never shall be till you die. If you long after holiness, long to be with God, for that is a state of perfect holiness. To desire to live, upon pretence of being more holy, is a mere fallacy, a contradiction. But it may be, this is not the meaning of the objection: therefore,

2d, A not having of what we would have, is not an excuse for not doing what we should do. It is our duty to rejoice in the Lord, which our not having of assurance doth not exempt us from; though, if we have assurance, we might indeed rejoice the more. But, to take off this plea at once,

3d, Our earnest longings after a full and perfect enjoyment of God, and so our breathings after an immortal state, do not depend upon our assurance, but indeed assurance rather depends upon that. I doubt we are commonly mistaken in the nature of assurance, and, it may be, are in a wrong manner curious about the signs of Christ's appearing in our souls; for certainly a well-grounded assurance of the love of God doth most discover and unfold itself in the growth of true godliness in the soul. Now, the love of God, and an earnest desire to be like unto him, and to be with him, is the better half of all religion; so that it rather seems that assurance springs up from this frame of soul, than that this arises out of assurance. If assurance be the thing that you desire, get your souls joined to God in a union of affections, will, and ends; and then labour and long to be closer to him, liker to him, perfectly holy and happy in him, and be assured that Christ is in you of a truth: for these mighty works which he hath wrought, these divine breathings, these holy pantings after him, do bear witness of him.

4th, Whether ever you come to that feeling knowledge, that powerful sense of your state, or not, which you call assurance, yet know that it is your duty to long after immortality. We are wont to call assurance the privilege of some few; but the Scripture makes this temper that I am speaking of, the duty of all believers; which I do the rather name, because I find few professors of this temper, and indeed but few that are willing to believe that they ought to be. Our Saviour calls all believers to as much in effect as I do" Look up, and lift up your heads, for the day of your redemption draweth nigh:" whereby is not meant a bare posture and speculation, but joy and longing are required by that phrase. Consider further, (which, methinks, should strike cold to the hearts of cold-hearted professors,) that this very temper is made one of the greatest characters of true and sincere saints: I do not know of any one oftener named-" We groan within ourselves, waiting for the redemption of our body" "The Lord shall give the crown to them that love his appearing." We should live godly in this present world, "looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ"-" What manner of persons ought we to be in all holy conversation and godliness, looking for, and hastening to the coming of the day of God?"-" Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life." Do all these plain and pathetical Scriptures stand for ciphers in your eye? methinks they should not. But not to stand upon the proof of it to be a duty, it matters not whether there be an express command for it or not: this that I am speaking of is not so much the duty of godly persons, as the very nature, genius, and spirit indeed of godliness itself. Methinks a godly soul, that is truly touched with divine goodness, influenced by it, and impressed with it, as the needle is with the loadstone, must needs strive powerfully within itself to be in conjunction with it: a holy soul, that after all its wearisome defeats, and shameful disappointments in the creature, finds itself perfectly matched with this infinite, full, and perfect object, must certainly and necessarily be carried, without any other argument, with fervent longings after union to it, and communion with it. The spouse might say concerning Christ, as he concerning her, "Or ever I was aware, my soul made me like the chariots of Amminadib:" and every godly soul may, in some degree, say with that spouse, " My beloved put in his hand by the hole of the door, and my bowels were moved for him: I rose up," &c. Tell me, friends, how can divine grace, that well of living water in the soul, choose but spring up into eternal life? I hesitate not to affirm, that that which is of God in the soul must needs carry the soul after God: as it belongs